Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: The Final Act

Chapters

1. A New Purpose
2. The Warning
4. When I Met Myself
5. Back to Green Hills
6. Canon Events
7. A World of Talking Animals
8. Escape to the Multiverse
9. Purpose Destroyed
10. End of the Line
Part 2: Time Runs Out
11. Team Anomaly
12. Villains' Game
13. Night at the Casino
14. Jump Up, Superstar
15. Anomalies to the Rescue
16. Back in Business
17. Team Dark Strikes
18. Is a Sonic Thing
20. The Nightmare Begins
Part 3: Game Over
21. The Forbidden Universe
22. A Hurtful Betrayal
23. Friendship on its Prime
25. She's Coming
26. One Last Sacrifice
28. It's Showtime
29. The Final Act
30. In The Future
Epilogue
Part 1: Back to the Multiverse
3. The Call for Adventure
19. When the Eggman Cracks
24. How the Tables Turn
27. Power Up, Super Sonic

1. A New Purpose

Universe 010921

Ponies across Maretime Bay were walking peacefully as they went on their daily lives.

Suddenly, a figure passed by flying over them, but it wasn't anything strange. After all, magic's been back in Equestria for quite a long time, and the residents of Maretime Bay where already used to pegasi flying across Equestria.

However, this wasn't a pegasus flying, but an Alicorn mare instead. She had yellow fur; red and yellow mane and tail; red, orange and light blue feathers, orange horn, and kind of grey-ish hooves.

This mare flew happily above her home, Maretime Bay, and smiled down at the sight of the three pony tribes living together.

"Alright, everypony. Let's do this one last time...

My name is Sunset Shimmer. You might heard about me before: I used to be a unicorn, and I was Princess Celestia's number one pupil... At least until I made some bad decisions that made me travel to another world. A human counterpart world to Equestria, to be specific. And I was... a bad girl who ruled over a school named Canterlot High. You could say I was the 'bully queen' in town... Not my finest moment, I know.

A few years later, I went back to Equestria to steal Celestia's new successor and new princess' crown, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. However, I lost track of the crown once I got back to CHS, and had to go through some obstacles to get the crown. I also had to make sure that Twilight never got it back while she reunited the Rainbooms and mend their friendship.

Yet, when I finally got my hands over the crown, I was corrupted by its dark magic and transformed into a She-Demon. Again, not my finest moment... Still, it was thanks to Twilight and the girls that I learned about the magic of friendship, which helped me to become a better person... and a better pony.

Over the years, the Rainbooms and I have had encounters of rouge Equestrian magic and lost Equestrian Artifacts that somehow came into CHS, but over time from those, our friendship has grown stronger.

However, a few years later, after we all graduated from college, I decided to meet my old friend Twilight Sparkle and see how Equestria was doing... I never expected what I found once I returned. The Equestria I remembered was gone, as well as all the friends and family I had here... Twilight included.

The Equestria I arrived wasn't the one Twilight visioned, because ponykind and all the other creatures were divided, and the magic faded away moons prior to my arrival. Yet mine still worked out for some reason. It was probably because of the geode I used on the human world, but who knows.

Just then, I came across a group of ponies that still remembered magic and wished to help me bring it back so we could bring ponykind together again.

First off: Izzy Moonbow; a cheery Unicorn I met first. She's as cheerful as Pinkie Pie and is always playful, sometimes unpredictable... just like Pinkie.

Hitch Trailblazer; an Earth Pony Sheriff of a coast town named Maretime Bay. He's kind of a law sucker... I mean, he makes sure anypony picks up their litters, but he also keeps the town in order. He has a strange thing with critters and animals because they all adore him. Heck, he can even speak to them! Just like Fluttershy... Yet, he can be really stubborn sometimes, and also a bit clueless on what's true or not. Still, he definitely is the embodiment of kindness and honesty when it's required, just like Fluttershy and Applejack.

Zephyrina Storm, or just Zipp like she likes to be called; a Pegasus Princess and heir to the throne of Zephyr Heights. Even if she really doesn't wants to be Queen, she is always loyal to her friends, has a big fascination for mysteries, and enjoys flying a lot, just like Rainbow Dash. She also gots a competitive side that might or not might clash with mine sometimes.

Pipp Petals; Zipp's little sister and princess of Zephyr Heights as well. She's a singer and a celebrity on the web, and she also runs a salon here in the Bay. She's almost always livestreaming with her Pippsqueaks and being a great star. It kind of reminds me how Rarity used to be with her boutiques, if all what Twilight told me through the journal was true.

And last but not least important: Sunny Starscout; an Earth Pony mare that still believes in the magic of friendship. She and her father used to study Ancient Equestria, and they've been huge fans of Twilight and the girls, which they call the 'Guardians of Harmony'. Pretty catchy, if you ask me. Also, she's kind of a like a student to me, but also like the little sister I never had. She sees me both as her sister and mentor.

The six of us worked together to unite the three Unity Crystals that brought back the magic, and by doing that, we brought ponykind together again, rebuilding Twilight's legacy. That also kind of transformed Sunny and I into Alicorns, although in Sunny's case, she's only an Alicorn half of the time, because she can transform into one whenever she wants. This also makes us the two new Princesses of Friendship, tittle that really don't mean anything today, to be honest.

Now, even if we did brought magic back, we had a few hiccups along the way. Like when Earth Ponies were complaining about not having magic, but then we help them understand that friendship was they way, and we not only managed to keep the balance between harmony and magic, but we also created new Earth Pony Magic! Now they have the power to grow and control plants.

Hitch also adopted a baby dragon he named Sparky, which was a bit odd since, according to Sunny, Equestria hasn't seen dragons in generations, but we don't really dig too much into that matter.

Over time, we had some festivals and holidays that we celebrated together, a few magic mishaps that needed to be solved and taken care of, and a festival where some creatures called Troggles appeared and tried to steal ponies voices if we didn’t stop them with rubies...

Honestly, that's a terrible way to stop a ghost, but I don't make the rules.

Oh, yeah! We also met Discord after a while. He's... complicated. He kind of tried to destroy magic, but we made him see that it wasn't the way to go, so he hangs out with us now and then.

There's also Misty, a unicorn we first met in Izzy's sleepover, but she always acted really strange and nervous around us, like Fluttershy half the time. Even so, and since then, we see her as our friend... We never really knew she was spying on us for an Alicorn named Opaline, an evil Alicorn who tore apart Twilight's legacy and divided Equestria, which I am really angry at.

Misty was so conflicted on her actions, but at the end of the day, she saw us as her friend, and she choose to help us stop Opaline, while also maintaining her cover and the Cutie Mark that she finally earned. She became a double agent for us to know Opaline's movements after an intense battle we had with her, which helped us a bunch to know her plans. When Misty finally choose her friends over Opaline's plans and prevented her from sucking out all of Sparky’s dragon fire, which she used to bring back her full power, she become part of our group.

Ever since then, we stopped Opaline time and time again to prevent what she did to Twilight's legacy from ever happening again, as well as helping other ponies and solving problems along the way. We eventually defeated Opaline for good, and now, Equestria is living in peace and harmony again.

And so, here we are today."

Sunset inhaled the smell of the air and exhaled happily. She maybe didn't liked to fly that much like Zipp, but she did enjoyed it when she did so, specially because she could get a glance on Maretime Bay and its citizens.

It's hard to believe that we managed to achieve this... Sunset thought with a smile, looking down at everypony in Maretime Bay going through their daily lives.

Soon enough, Sunset arrived to her destination: The Crystal Brighthouse, located on top in a hill, not so far from Maretime Bay. She lived here with the girls, since Hitch preferred to live close to Maretime Bay... Well, that, and also because one stallion living with six mares under the same roof... Yeah, that couldn't end well.

The Alicorn mare landed in the floor and slowly opened the door to get inside the building. The Brighthouse was a huge building from the inside, so huge that anypony that entered alone could feel really small in there.

Sunset was no exception. Despite the fact that she was starting to stretch a little bit, probably because of being an Alicorn, she always felt so small compared to the Crystal Brighthouse, specially whenever she entered on her own... Well, even with the rest of her new friends, she still felt smaller than the building.

Shacking her head from those thoughts, Sunset smiled and walked through her home. She headed towards the bedroom and entered the elevator, pressing the button with scanner to get to the top of the building.

Once she reached the Crystal Room, she sat on the floor and looked up at the Unity Crystals with a smile. The Crystals were shining as bright as usual, spreading all the magic across the land of Equestria and staying on place since there was no problem among ponykind that could affect them.

And yet, that didn't changed the fact that Sunset's smile faded away with concern. Ever since they defeated Opaline, Twilight stated she wasn't needed in Equestria anymore, then disappeared inside the necklace and refused to come out.

Of course, Sunset demanded for an answer, but Twilight gave none before going back into her collar. Worse of all, anytime Sunset tried to call her out, or anytime she purposely started to retell something from the past to catch Twilight's attention, the collar would still remain closed.

Up to this day, Sunset didn't understood what made Twilight change her mind so abruptly to the point she would close all connection with her, but she never came out of the collar ever again.

Perhaps it was a sign that she and the new ponies were ready to keep an eye over Equestria, ponykind, friendship and harmony on their own, without the guidance of who used to be the supreme ruler of Equestria... The last ruler the land ever had. Can you believe she was just the second one? And yet, she still didn't lasted long...

Sunset chuckled at this last thought. It might be bad, but thinking a bit about it, it was also hilarious that Twilight was just the second ruler after Celestia, and the last one too...

"I know you wouldn't laugh about this, Twi..." Sunset muttered, as she looked back into the Unity Crystals and snorted. "But you gotta admit... It's quite funny..."

Soon enough, a portal opened in the ceiling, and Discord came out of it as he sat at Sunset's side. "Laugh about what?" The lord of chaos asked with a playful grin.

Sunset sighed and smiled, but she kept staring at the Unity Crystals. "Twilight was the second ruler after Celestia. She was also the last one..." She replied with a slight chuckle. "Many others would think it's a massive offense, or even say that she was a disgrace for letting Celestia's legacy to die so quickly. To me? It's hilarious to think Equestria only had two rulers!"

In other circumstances, Discord would've laughed along. Heck, he wanted to laugh at such a comparison... But Sunset's tone was cracked and hurt, product of the pain she's been feeling ever since Twilight encaged herself on the necklace.

Sunset started to laugh at first. It sounded maniac, like the kind of laugh that would make a villain, the kind of laugh that Opaline made when she planned her next move... But after a few seconds, such a laugh broke and mixed along crying sounds, while Sunset herself started to tear up out of control.

Anyone could noticed from a mile away that the absence from Twilight affected her. Of course, it was understandable: Having her back after getting her message warning about Opaline was a relief after she came back and found her home different... But now that Twilight refused to come back, she felt a void on her heart again.

Discord understood that perfectly. He felt like that when Fluttershy died all those years ago because of old age, and he spent centuries blaming ponies and their division for that... Now, even if Sunset had no one to blame, she still missed Twilight, probably just as much as Discord missed Fluttershy.

So, without hesitation, the old draconequus decided to leave his chaotic side aside and embrace the Alicorn mare into a hug. Sunset didn't even flinched, she simply held into Discords arms and cried hardly, not holding back anymore...

She missed Twilight, every single day. It was painful to think that she lost her dear friend not once, but twice. Worse of all? She could still come back, she simply refused to, and that just burned Sunset's soul even more. Why did Twilight refused to come out of the necklace? She couldn't understand.

After a few minutes of crying everything out of her system, Sunset finally managed to calm herself down. Despite some tears still coming out, she could at least breath normally again, sorbing a bit from her nose from time to time.

"...T-Thanks, Discord..." Sunset managed to say, using her left hoof to wipe some tears away.

"Is the least I can do," Discord replied with a slight smile, before looking over at the Unity Crystals with concern. "After all, I know how it feels to loose a friend you deeply cared for. To think that we lost Twilight not one, but two times... The pain you feel is completely understandable..."

"It doesn't changes the fact that I miss her... That I need her..." Sunset said, sorbing from her nose again. "Even if Opaline isn't a problem anymore, there could still be menaces to magic out there! Sure, we dealt with Allura in Starlight Ridge, but who says she can't come to Equestria by her own methods!? Maybe Twilight's right that we're ready to face more than Opaline without her, but... But I still miss her... Worse of all, Twilight's not the only one that feels she isn't needed around anymore..."

"What?" Discord exclaimed, confused and shocked.

"Ever since we defeated Allura, I've seen how stronger my friends have become," Sunset started to explain. "Izzy, Hitch, Zipp, Pipp, Misty... Specially Sunny and her Alicorn power! What do they need me for anymore? Maybe Equestria will be safer both without Twilight and without me around..."

"Hey, look at me..." Discord called out, and Sunset did looked at him. "Sunny and you defeated Opaline without Twilight's guidance. Before getting her message through the Unity Crystals, you managed to teach these ponies about friendship and what it stands for. All of that without Twilight being around."

Then, he snapped his fingers and made a small blue sphere float in the air, while it replied some of the adventures Sunset had with her new friends.

"You learned everything you know about friendship from her, but these ponies have learned everything they know about friendship from you!" Discord pointed out with a smile. "Perhaps you miss Twilight, and you feel like you still need her... But Sunset, you already have done so much without her. You and your friends are strong enough to protect Equestria from any upcoming menace. And trust me when I tell you that, if something greater is to come for you, it'll come. Just give it time. Until then, these ponies need you to stay with them."

Sunset looked surprised at Discord. She heard before that, when he wanted, Discord could be a strong pillar of help, and the fact that he told her all of this proves that point.

So, Sunset smiled at the draconequus. "Wow... Look at you, Discord! Never thought you'll had that wise side!" She chuckled, wiping a few tears left.

"I might love to cause chaos..." Discord admitted with a smirk, before quickly teleporting at Sunset's other side. "But even a former trickster like me knows when to get serious!" He added, as he booped Sunset's nose.

Sunset chuckled again and let out a happy sigh. "You know what? I think you're right. Twilight might be hiding on that necklace for some reason that I still don't understand... But I know for sure that Sunny, the guys and I are enough to keep Equestria on track from any villain that might show up!"

"Now that's the spirit!" Discord cheered, as he multiplied across the Crystal Room and all the Discords but the main one clapped and cheered at Sunset, who rolled her eyes playfully at his attitude. "Besides, with a former Lord of Chaos, cool Cutie Mark magic, and a skilled Alicorn in battle like you protecting Equestria and these Crystals, what's the worse that can happen?"

Universe 110514

Tirek was feeling conflicted, and he had no idea on what the heck was going on.

Just a few weeks ago, he was defeated by Twilight Sparkle and her friends, whom used a strange and powerful magic that came out of nowhere to defeat him and restore the magic to everypony in Equestria.

Now, out of nowhere, a strange red portal opened in Tartarus, and from it came out a pony figure, an Alicorn to be precise... One that he has never seen before, nor heard about. She was a purple mare with dark blue eyes and glittery blue eyeshadow. Her mane was white with light streaks of cyan, and it was parted into two side sections with thin braids wrapped around her ears. She also got dark bracelets around her legs, with her right foreleg's bracelet having a small red crystal over it.

"What the hell..." Tirek muttered confused. "Now who are you supposed to be?"

"Lord Tirek!" The mare spoke with a grin. "I spent years reading stories about you, but never I would though that our first meeting will be... On such weird circumstances... My name is Opaline Arcana. Pretty sure you never heard about me..."

"Opaline?" Tirek said with a snort. "Of course I have no idea on who you are! And neither do I care about it! I have enough trouble with four Alicorns out there, I don't need trouble with a fifth one! Now get lost!" He stated, as he turned around on his cage, crossed his arms and gave his back to Opaline.

However, everything the Alicorn did was let out a mocking laugh, one that confused Tirek, although it also annoyed him.

"What's so funny?" Tirek dared to ask.

After a while, Opaline stopped laughing, but she couldn't stop grinning at the centaur. "Oh, don't mind me. I just find hilarious that you even consider I'm sided up with Celestia," She explained, as she started to walk around Tirek's cage.

That made Tirek's eyes widen, and as Opaline walked around him, he frowned, while approaching to the cell bars anytime she moved around.

"What do you mean with that? Are you an Alicorn that's not on Celestia's team?" Tirek asked out of curiosity.

"Precisely!" Opaline replied with a smirk. "In fact, in a few years from now, I'll be the very reason why Equestria splits up and destroys all the hard work Twilight and her friends are making to keep peace, harmony, and bleh!" She said with a frown, also pulling her tongue out at the last thing.

"What? You're telling me that you are going to destroy Twilight's efforts? Just like that?" Tirek asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly not trusting Opaline's word.

"Oh, please!" Opaline rolled her eyes. "It took a lot of work, actually. I had to study all my moves carefully for years. It only took Celestia and Luna abdicating the throne to Twilight to split Equestria apart. But thousands of years later, a new group of idiots have thrown my plans through the window..."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Tirek asked confused. "And if you really are going to split Equestria in the future, then what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Oh, yeah. That." Opaline beamed, before launching a blast of fire magic to Tirek's cage, startling the centaur.

However, even if Tirek covered his face with his hands, he felt confused when he didn't felt anything wrong with him. So, he opened his eyes, which widened when he saw that he was fine.

Not only that, he was free as well.

Tirek noticed that his cage was burned down, and he looked over at Opaline confused. "You... you free'd me?"

Opaline scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course I did! And I have a really good reason for it!" She stated, now grinning again. Then, she approached Tirek. "Have you ever heard about... The multiverse?"

"The multi what now?" Tirek asked confused, as he looked around to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"I come from a different reality. One where I already did everything I told you a few seconds ago..." Opaline started to explain. "One that used to look exactly like this universe, many moons ago."

"A different un–– Ma'am, I think you should really see a doctor, because you are bluffing right now!" Tirek said with a frown.

"I imagined you were going to say that..." Opaline said, before grinning and light her horn up.

However, her horn turned red, as well as the crystal on her bracelet, and that startled Tirek, because he stepped back from her.

Then, Opaline shoot to the ground and opened a red portal below them, one that she then lifted up with her magic, something that made Tirek cover his face with his arms.

Universe 010921

Soon enough, Tirek opened his eyes again, and he gasped.

Above Opaline and him, there was the red portal the former created, but then it closed. However, what got Tirek surprised was their environment: This was Canterlot City, but it's current state was atrocious!

The buildings were all damaged and closed with wooden tables. The castle was ruined, and it was pretty noticeable that the towers have fallen down a long time ago. The place was empty, it felt like entering a ghost town.

"In the name of Tartarus, what even happened here?!" Tirek asked.

"I happened!" Opaline replied, while she looked around the town with a frown. "As I fought Twilight Sparkle for the control over really powerful artifacts full of magic, everypony abandoned this place. What you see is everything that's left not only from Canterlot, but also from the Equestria we once knew."

Tirek couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing. This is Equestria's future? For everything Twilight Sparkle is doing to simply be forgotten? For all the efforts of Celestia, Luna and even Cadance to be wort nothing?

This was atrocious, this was horrible... This was perfect.

"Is this really the future that awaits my... How do you call it? Universe?" Tirek asked, as he looked over at Opaline with a sinister grin.

"Indeed!" Opaline replied with a similar grin. "In fact, this universe in particular not only has already gone through what I told you, but I also have lost in here..." She added, as she looked over at her hoof polish. "That means that there's no ruler in this universe."

She felt satisfied when she said this, because Tirek was looking at her with wide eyes after she said that last thing.

"No ruler..." Tirek muttered, before grinning sinisterly again and rub his hands mischievously. "Ohoho! Now I start to like where this is going!"

"You're welcome!" Opaline said. "Now, before you ask why I decided to free you and bring you here: There's an entire multiverse of infinite possibilities out there. I have lost in this universe in particular, but that doesn't mean you will. After all, the ponies in this world aren't even aware that you exist!"

"So you brought me to a world free of villains so I can caught those ponies off guard?" Tirek asked with a sinister grin.

"Exactly!" Opaline said with a wide grin. "Now you start to get it! And to show you that I'm not messing with you..." She added, as she lightened her horn and willingly gave some magic to Tirek, who grew a few inches taller, his horns became bigger, and his muscles formed a bit as well. "There you go! Charged up and ready to start the hunt!"

Tirek looked over at his new physicality and smirked sinisterly again, appreciating his new muscles and even cracking his neck and fingers a bit, just to make sure his strength was back as well.

"I gotta admit, Opaline... You truly are a force of evil!" Tirek told the Alicorn with a smirk.

"Oh, please! You're gonna make me blush!" Opaline said sarcastically with a chuckle. "Jokes aside, I'm glad you see the vision of my humble doing. After all, there's not better tactic for conquering than the surprise factor!"

"And I agree on that!" Tirek replied. "Out of curiosity, though... What are you gonna do now?"

"Well, as I said before, there's an entire multiverse of infinite possibilities out there. My goal is to bring every universe a villain so they can conquer and rule it over!" Opaline replied with a grin. "Enjoy your new home!" She finished, as she opened another red portal and traversed it, then it closed behind her.

"Oh, I definitely will!" Tirek replied, as he turned around and made a massive jump from where he was.

Once he was high enough, he saw in the distance something that made his already big grin grow: A city in the mountains, at the other side of Equestria and big enough for many ponies to live there.

Tirek sniffed in that direction and exhaled in glee. "Yes... Magic!" He declared with sinister joy, also licking his lips.

Opaline went back to the realm where she had access to every universe.

She sighed in relief that she got out of that universe, and then smirked confidently. "Good. That should keep this 'Secret Society' away from me for a while. Now that I have enough universes disrupted by villains from different universes, I think it's time I start to steal some magic for myself. Also, I have a Paradox Prism to restore!"

After this, she boosted towards a random universe, not knowing that she's being watched by someone...

"This cannot be good..." Chip muttered with concern, as he drove his ship towards the universe Opaline just entered.

Universe 010921

It was a bright and sunny day in Equestria, specially in Maretime Bay.

At the Crystal Brighthouse, the Mane 7 were relaxing and having a picnic near the Brighthouse. Zipp was flying around, Pipp was taking selfies on her phone, Izzy was showing Misty on how to use her magic and also enjoying some snacks together, and Hitch was reading a book to Sparky and the critters around him.

At the top of the Brighthouse, in the Crystal Room, Sunset was enjoying the view with a smile, soon giving a sigh.

"What a beautiful day in Equestria. The sun is shining, having a great picnic, no problems, no issues, and no Opaline or Allura to ruin this day..." Sunset said as she smiled, one that faded away when she had a thought.

"It sure is!" Sunny called, out as she came next to Sunset with a smile. "It's not been that long since we stopped Opaline, but things have been great lately!"

"Yeah..." Sunset said, but she seemed to think about something with a down expression.

Sunny saw this and turned to her. "Hey, Sunset. You okay? What's on your mind?"

"Huh?" Sunset exclaimed, before realizing why Sunny is asking. "Oh, nothing, Sunny. Just having a thought in my head."

"Like what?" Sunny asked again.

"Well, it's just... I feel like I'm not needed around here anymore, and that you guys don’t need me, either..." Sunset replied with sadness.

Sunny felt surprised by that. "What?! What are you talking about? Why would you think that?!"

"During our time together, I saw how you ponies grew strong together and how close you all are. And during our battle with Opaline, you have become the strongest out of all of us, Sunny!" Sunset explained with concern. "Lately, I've been feeling like I'm not needed anymore and should return to the human world..."

"What?!" Sunny asked in shock. "Of course we need you, Sunset! You were there for us when some of us had doubts, you helped to bring back magic, you been teaching us the ways of magic and how the Equestria was during Twilight's reign, and you even helped others seen reason when some ponies make mistakes! Like with Posey!"

"I know that..." Sunset admitted, still looking down. "But sometimes, it feels like I'm just there to watch what's happening while everything's fixed by you and the others. And, to be honest, I'm not sure if I should return to the human world, or if I want to..."

"And why is that?" Sunny asked confused.

"Sunny, when I first returned to Equestria, I discovered that everything changed!" Sunset pointed out. "I realized that time moves quicker here in Equestria than it does in the Human World. When I came here, I found out my home has changed, and all my friends were gone. So what do you think would happen if I return to the human world?"

Sunny's eyes widened, since she realized what Sunset was talking about. "You think that if you return to the human world, time will move a little quicker in Equestria if you are there. And, if you return here, you will find out that a lot of time has passed again and... We might not be around..."

"Correct..." Sunset nodded. "I... I-I don’t know how that's possible, but what happened when I first returned will happen again. A-And I don't wanna outlive my friends anymore, Sunny. I-I don't know if I need to be in Equestria or not so I could go b-back into the human world, a-and if I do, all the friends I made here will be gone again. Y-You included!" She exclaimed, as she began to tear up, while Sunny listened with concern. "I-I don't wanna lose you or the others... You ponies are more than just friends to me, you are family! A-And I see you as my sister, Sunny. I don't wanna leave, if it means…" She trailed off as she began to sob a bit, while tears started forming in her eyes.

Sunny looked at Sunset with sympathy and walked up to her, before wrapping her hooves around Sunset in a comforting hug, while Sunset returned it and cried on Sunny's shoulder.

"It's okay, Sunset. I'm here with you..." Sunny said calmly. "I don't want you to go through that pain again, either. I was alone too when my dad passed away. Even if Hitch was my friend, other ponies didn't saw things like me until we brought back the magic..." She explained, as she looked at Sunset in the eyes with a small smile. "When Izzy and you showed up, I didn't just meet a Guardian of Harmony, but I won a sister figure who's always there for me. I would be sad if you left, Sunset, because we have been like family for a very long time. And... I would be sad too if any of you go. But I know that no matter what happens, we will always be there for each other. And we will never forget. The choice is yours, and like you said, the Human world time is slower there than in Equestria, meaning that the friends that you made there will still be around even after centuries in Equestria, so you don't have to worry about out-living them. Besides, Equestria is your home! And you would do anything to protect it and be close to the ones you care for!"

Sunset still had tears in her eyes, but soon, a smile started to form as she sobbed a bit. "Thank you, Sunny..." She said, while the two ponies hugged again and stay like that for a moment.

"We were always meant to find each other, huh, sister?" Sunny said with a smirk.

Sunset chuckled slightly, as they broke apart and she wiped her tears. "I guess that's what you call fate!" She said, while the two ponies gave a small laugh together.

But then, the ground started to shake as a rumbling sound could be heard.

"W-Whoa? What's going on?" Sunset asked in shock, as she and Sunny tried to keep their balance.

"I'm not sure!" Sunny answered, as she held onto the railing.

On the ground, where the rest of the Mane 7 were having a picnic, the ponies felt the shake as well, while Zipp heard the sound from the air.

"Whoa! What is happening?!" Pipp cried out, as she tried to angle her phone for her live stream, but couldn't get her balance.

"Earthquake!" Izzy called out, while having a pie flew out of her hand and landed on Hitch's head, which made him groan a bit.

"In Maretime Bay?" Zipp questioned confused.

"Is it possible?" Misty asked Hitch curiously, who was wiping his face from the pie contents.

"Could be, but not likely. We never had earthquakes here before..." Hitch explained, while looking around with concern.

Soon enough, the ponies outside the Brighthouse entered the building again, while Sunny and Sunset followed along.

They all reunited in the living room, and pretty much the other five ponies immediately went to Sunny and Sunset to bomb with questions at them.

"What's going on?!" Izzy asked first with panic.

"Did you girls felt that too?!" Misty asked as well.

"We're not in danger, right?!" Hitch asked nervously.

"Okay, everypony, calm down!" Sunset requested, and the other five ponies did so.

"We definitely felt that, too... But we don't know what's going on!" Sunny confessed.

"And whatever it is, it cannot be good!" Sunset stated with a concerned frown.

Pipp's first instinct was to check her phone and see if any social media had any idea on what happened. Of course, Sunset and Zipp deadpanned at the young pegasus for her action, but before they could scold her and complain about what she was doing, Pipp gasped loudly, which made everypony else gasp.

"Sunny, turn the TV on!" Pipp told her desperately.

"What?" Sunny said confused. "Why should I––"

"Just do it!" Pipp said, as she grabbed Sunny's face and placed her nose on hers.

Sunny still felt confused, but she decided to obey and turn the TV on in the living room.

Let's just say she's not gonna like the surprise.

Once the TV was on, the image of Sky and Dazzle hiding behind a trash container was shown, which already confused the Mane 7.

"This just in!" Sky spoke first with a panicked tone. "Zephyr Heights is being attacked!"

"The what now?!" both Zipp and Pipp exclaimed with panicked tones and wide eyes.

"On what seemed to be another peaceful evening, our city has been compromised by a strange and giant creature––" Dazzle tried to add, but she got cut off for a moment by a roar in the background, while both Sky and her covered their ears. "T-They have really big horns, and they seem to be stealing everypony's magic in the city!"

"A big creature with horns that steals magic?" Misty questioned. "That sounds weird..."

"Wait... I have heard about that before..." Sunset said with concern.

"Yeah, me too... My dad wrote down about a creature with such a description!" Sunny said with wide eyes. "Ugh, what was their name!?"

"If you're watching this from your home, stay there! Is dangerous to get out and––" Sky tried to add.

However, he got interrupted when the trash container was lifted and thrown away, just to give sight to a horrible monster: They were a creature with red skin, white hair, dark fur, black horns, and cloven hooves. Their head had bull-like facial features with a goat-like beard.

The creature lightened their horns up and lifted Sky and Dazzle in the air, before creating a yellow sphere with their horns and absorb the pegasi magic out of the two reporters, before letting go of them and leave them in the ground.

Soon enough, the creature jumped towards the camera, and the pony holding it screamed in fear, while the monster grabbed the camera and lifted it high enough, looking at it with a frown and a sadistic smile.

"To everypony watching this: Run as much as you want! Lord Tirek's coming for your magic!" The creature, a.k.a. Tirek, said with glee, followed by a maniac laugh.

After that, he raised an arm and punched the camera, immediately cutting off the signal.

The Mane 7 watched the TV in shock at what just happened.

"Did he just say... Lord Tirek?" Sunny asked in shock.

"I-I think he did..." Hitch said nervously.

"No..." Sunset muttered with a pale expression, as she stepped a bit back "No no no no no no! Not him! Any creature but him!" She said frantically and started to breath heavily.

"Sunset..." Sunny muttered with panic. "Please tell me he's not who I think he is..."

"...He is, Sunny. He's... He's back..." Sunset replied, nervously as well.

"Can somepony please tell us what's going on!?" Zipp called out in panic.

"Yeah! Zephyr Heights is being attacked by this Lord Tirek guy! We have to go over there and stop him!" Pipp called out as she and her sister were about to fly up, but then Sunset flew in front of them.

"Whoa, girls! We can't just go and confront him just like that!" Sunset called out.

"Why not!?" The Royal Sisters said with anger.

"Because that's Lord Tirek! A Centaur who sucks the magic out of any creature in Equestria!" Sunset revealed, which made the other ponies but Sunny look at her in shock. "Tirek's one of Equestria's worst ancient enemies! He nearly took all the magic from Equestria to become young, big and strong to rule, and if it weren't for Twilight and her friends, he would've succeeded!"

This shocked everypony else, but Sunny. "So, this Tirek guy is one of Twilight's old enemies?!" Hitch asked nervously.

"Indeed!" Sunset replied with concern. "And if everything she told me is true, this is one creature you don't wanna be friends with..."

"I remember now. He was part of the Legion of Doom! The one that nearly took over Equestria during the final battle with Twilight and the Guardians of Harmony!" Sunny said with wide eyes.

"I think I remember that from Opaline's stories..." Misty said with a rub of her chin. "But she said that he was trapped in stone with Cozy Glow and Chrysalis!"

"Then how is he free and still around?!" Pipp questioned loudly, since Zipp and her were worried because their hometown is being attacked.

"I don't know, but we can't just let him run rampant across town and steal ponies' magic! We gotta stop him!" Zipp called out determinedly.

"But we can't just charge at Tirek!" Sunny pointed out. "If he saw us coming, he would steal our magic fast enough before we could hit him! We need a plan before face him!"

"Sunny's right. Twilight tried that before. When she had the power of three alicorns, even with that much power, she could only hold Tirek to a standstill, until the power from the Tree of Harmony gave her and the girls a boost to stop him!" Sunset recalled.

"But we don't have the Tree of Harmony to help us!" Izzy pointed out in concern.

"That's why we need a plan before we can do anything to stop him," Sunny stated as she looked around. "But how can we stop him if he tries to steal our magic the second he sees us?"

"And up to this point, Tirek is possibly strong enough to hold us down with little to no struggle," Sunset added. "We need something to keep him from sucking our magic out without him trying."

"Maybe I could help!" A familiar voice called out, and the Mane 7 turned to see Discord, who appeared from a portal with a serious look.

"Discord!" The Mane 7 cheered in joy at seeing the Lord of Chaos.

"Once I heard from the news that Tirek is back, I figured you ponies were planning on stopping him," Discord said seriously.

"You have no idea!" Zipp confirmed, while Pipp at her side nodded.

"He's attacking Zephyr Heights and stealing ponies magic!" Pipp added in concern.

"And that's why I'm here. Besides, I've been looking to get some payback on him for centuries!" Discord said with a serious tone, which made the others concerned.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked slowly.

"That son of his centaur mother made me think he was my friend, right before stealing my magic!" Discord roared in anger, while his eyes showed flames for a second. "I also need to amend my mistake of bringing him, Cozy and Chrysalis together, which nearly destroyed me and Equestria! Now it's payback time!"

"But how can we stand up against him if he will suck our magic out of us?" Sunny asked concerned.

"That, I can help!" Discord stated, as he snapped his fingers, which made him and the Mane 7 glow a bit, before the effect fade away. "There. I temporarily shielded us from magic draining. It should protect us from Tirek's magic-suck abilities for a while so we can stand against him!"

The Mane 7 were surprised by this as they looked at Discord. "Discord, you are amazing!" Izzy cheered in joy.

"I know. I know," Discord said. "I had my experience with my magic being sucked out, and so were other ponies, including Twilight herself… I figured that, if he ever came back, a way to repel the draining effect was required. The spell I just used might not be much, but it should last long enough to deal with Tirek."

"Well, it's better than nothing!" Sunset said, then she turned to the others with a determined look. "Okay, guys. I know Tirek might be out of your league, but if we don’t stop him, he will become more powerful with all the Equestrian magic. If you want to back down, this is the time to do so!"

"Like we would sit by and watch our home get threatened!" Zipp commented playfully.

"Nopony messes with Zephyr Heights!" Pipp called out.

"And if some creature is stealing ponies' sparkles, they are crossing the line!" Izzy called out angrily, since she rarely shows anger.

"Nopony messes with the law on my watch!" Hitch called out with a serious expression.

"I don't want anypony messing with Equestria. I'm in, and I'll help as much as I can!" Misty said with a slight determined and nervous expression.

"You know we got your back, Sunset. As Alicorns, it's our duty to protect Equestria from incoming threats!" Sunny said with a determined smile, as she summoned her Alicorn form and spread her wings. "We are with you!"

Sunset smiled at them, before looking at Discord, who smiled back and nodded, so she turned to the rest.

"Then let's go stop Tirek from sucking the magic out of the ponies!" Sunset called out.

After that, they all left the Brighthouse and got into the Marestream, as they flew off to Zephyr Heights to stop a magic sucking Centaur from stealing magic and causing chaos.

???

A camera was recording everything that was happening in Zephyr Heights from Universe 010921.

Soon enough, however, a digital anthropomorphic beige lynx appeared and stared at the cameras with concern, as she turned to see someone. "Chief? We got another disruption."

Two unknown figures, one anthropomorphic and one equine, approached to the lynx and looked at the camera images with frowns.

"She's moving villains from all ages and worlds to different ones..." A male voice, coming from the anthropomorphic creature, spoke with anger.

"I told you we shouldn't had ignore this!" A female voice, coming from from the equine figure, spoke with anger as well.

"What did you expect? He's as stubborn as a mule," The digital lynx said with a bored expression.

"Now's not the time, Nicole," The male voice spoke with annoyance.

"Well, then tell me who are we sending!" The lynx, a.k.a. Nicole, said with anger.

"No one," The male voice replied. "I'll take charge of this myself."

After that, he turned to another direction and looked over a strange watch he had on his left wrist.

Then, he started to type several commands on said watch, finishing by writing '010921' in the watch, as it soon enough opened a heptagon-shaped portal, which the mysterious male figure traversed.

Universe 010921

Tirek was causing chaos all across Zephyr Heights.

The centaur was grabbing ponies all across the pegasi city with his mysterious magic and absorbing theirs, removing their Cutie Marks in the process and even leaving the ponies in a weakened state.

What filled Tirek with glee was the fact that none of them were trying to even fight him back, not even the pegasi that were in some kind of 'Royal Guard' costumes. They all tried to ran away or hide from him, but he always managed to spot them and use his magic to absorb theirs.

He even decided to play with them just for the fun of it. For example: He spotted from the corner of his eye an Earth Pony mare and a unicorn stallion hiding from him behind a bush.

At first, he smirked sinisterly and kept walking away, which made the couple hid behind the bush again and sigh in relief... A relief that didn't lasted long, because the bush was ripped apart, and Tirek appeared to steal their magic with a maniac laugh, which he did so.

In another occasion, he saw a group of colts shaking and crying when they saw him. At first, he thought on letting them go, but once one of the colts tried to run away, he used his magic to levitate all of them and suck their magic as well.

Finally, Tirek could smell a powerful source of magic coming from a big building from afar, which clearly was a castle. So, he decided to use the contained magic to make himself bigger and climb above Zephyr Heights to reach the Castle. Once he did so, he literally smashed down the Throne Room and entered, containing his magic again and becoming smaller.

He walked around the Throne Room, and the few Pegasi Guards that charged against him with some spears lost their magic immediately, because Tirek kept his horns lightened up and his mouth open, so anypony that approached him lost their magic, Zoom and Thunder included.

"Pitiful..." Tirek muttered with a smirk.

He walked some more across the Throne Room, until his left ear twitched a bit. So, he turned to see one of the columns in the Throne Room and grinned, before charging a blast with his horns and launch it against said column.

At the other side, Queen Haven and Alphabittle were supposedly hiding from the monster, who smirked after he saw the couple of ponies hugging and protecting each other. Of course, the smell of magic he got was actually the smell of love, which despite being gross, was still a kind of magic, one he has absorbed before like any other.

"How lovely!" Tirek snorted sarcastically, before using his magic to absorb both the magic love they were producing, and their regular magic as well.

Of course, neither Haven nor Alphabittle could fight the effect back, and so, they both fell to the ground after Tirek absorbed their magic, feeling weak and with no Cutie Marks left.

"Pfft. This was easier than I thought. Which isn't something I really complain about, but I still feel like it could had been harder!" Tirek said with a smirk.

Soon enough, however, the doors of the throne room bursted open, and so, the Mane 7 and Discord entered the place, with Discord and Sunset leading everypony else.

Yet, Tirek did not turned around, but he did smirked sinisterly and looked over his shoulder, noticing the aged draconequus, the Alicorn with etherial wings and horn, and the regular Alicorn, whom all frowned in anger at him.

"Lord Tirek!" Sunset called out with anger and a frown.

Tirek's eyes widened a bit at first in panic, but he slowly frowned again, while his yellow eyes glow in glee for a second. "Ah! I see my name has survived the pass of time!" The centaur mocked up, as he finally turned to face the group.

Two Unicorns, two Pegasi, an Earth Pony, Discord and two Alicorns. A weird mix, sure, but it felt kind of familiar. Considering Sunny's wings and horn were etherial, Tirek could clearly see she was just and Earth Pony, which made the familiarity with the Mane 6 from thousands of moons ago even bigger.

Tirek snorted at this, and he decided to see Discord face to face first. "Ah, Discord. It's been a while... For you, at least. I see the years haven't been nice with you..." He mocked up, noticing that Discord had longer hair, longer claws, and even missed a finger.

"And you look just as ugly as centuries ago!" Discord roared, while his eyes turned into fire flames.

"You could work on your insults better," Tirek mocked again. "And what are these ponies with you supposed to be? The Power Ponies from the Chinese store?"

"No. We're the ponies who have come to wipe the crap out of you, partner!" Sunset stated with a frown, also spreading her wings open.

"The last group of fools who tried to do that lost to me. If it wasn't because a power-up that came from a magic chest, none of them would had stand a chance!" Tirek declared, as he made his horns glow and smirked sinisterly at the group. "What makes you think you're different, little pony?"

"Name's Sunset Shimmer, pal. And I know we can defeat you because we have a slight advantage over you!" Sunset declared with a confident smirk.

However, Tirek just laughed at her. "We'll see about that!" He said, before trying to absorb the magic from the 7 ponies and Discord.

But much to his surprise, he didn't absorbed their magic. He didn't even levitated them off the ground, which confused the centaur a lot.

"What the..." Tirek muttered confused.

"I think more than a hundred centuries in stone has make you deaf, Tirek," Discord mocked up with a smirk. "In case you didn't heard Sunset, we have advantage over you: Immunity to your power!"

That surprised Tirek, but it didn't stopped him from smirking at the group. "Is that so? Oh well. Kinda glad you show some resistance, anyways. It makes your defeat sweater for me!" The centaur declared, as he then charged a powerful blast with his horns and then shoot it at the group.

This made the Mane 7 and Discord split up, with Discord, Zipp, Pipp and Izzy covering the left, while Sunny, Sunset, Hitch and Misty jumped to the right.

"Okay... That was unexpected and really scary..." Hitch said with an anxious look.

"Um, am I still on time to return to the Brighthouse?" Misty asked nervously.

However, none of them could answer anything, because Tirek jumped from his place and prepared to smash down the group that went to the right, so they all had to split up again.

Tirek laughed at this and started to charge another attack. "Run, run, little ponies!" He declared, before launching a powerful blast towards Hitch and Misty.

At this, Misty's first instinct was to step in front of the Earth Pony, cover her face and light her horn up to create a small shield around herself and the Sheriff... Which worked, because the attack was doing nothing to them, but Misty was struggling to keep the shield up, since she still lacked experience with magic.

Soon enough, though, Tirek got a blast on his face, one that Sunset launched at him with a frown. "Stay away from my friends, Tirek!" She stated with anger, as she launched another blast to the centaur.

Tirek shook his face and glared daggers at Sunset, before preparing a blast for her, but before he could even launch it, he got hit in the face by something passing by at flight.

The centaur shook his head again and frowned at Zipp, since she was the one that hit his face. "Hah! Take that, you monster!" She mocked up with a smirk.

Tirek growled, but then he got kick on his face again and on his on his left rib, this time around by Pipp. "Nobody messes with Zephyr Heights and gets away with it!" She declared with a frown.

However, this just made the centaur furious, so he growled and immediately charged another blast from his horns towards the sisters, even roaring in anger. Of course, the sisters started to fly around the room, to dodge the attacks, while Tirek destroyed the ceiling of the Throne Room with his power.

Anytime Tirek was finally going to hit one of the sisters, they either were tricking him and actually flew to another direction, or were saved by the other sister. In any case, Tirek was getting more and more furious.

However, things were not going to get better with him, because his face was suddenly covered in glitter, which also got into his eyes, which made the centaur groan. "What the heck?!" Tirek exclaimed furiously, as he tried to desperately remove the glitter from his eyes.

When he did so, he got hit with glitter again on his chest, but he growled furious again, because he saw that both Izzy and Misty were charging cannons with glitter and shooting at him.

"Oh, you little pieces of s––" Tirek tried to say, just to be cut off when Izzy shot the cannon again and managed to get some glitter inside of Tirek's mouth.

Of course, the centaur gagged and grabbed his neck in pain, before coughing the glitter out from his system and then sigh relieved, just to look at the Unicorn mares in anger and prepare to shot a blast towards them, something that made Izzy step in front and protect Misty, while Misty herself hugged Izzy and hid behind her.

However, Tirek couldn't even launch the attack, because ge got launched to a wall by a cannon ball.

The centaur got stuck in the wall and groaned in pain, then he slowly opened his eyes and saw that Discord had brought a battle tank and shoot at him.

"Payback time!" Discord declared, before snapping his fingers to create more cannon tanks, getting inside of his own and prepare to charge against Tirek.

Of course, the monster tried to move away, but his whole body got tied up in the wall with green vines.

This confused Tirek, but as he looked around for an exit, he noticed that Hitch had his hoof stomped in the ground and glowing green, while he smirked mockingly at Tirek. "Sorry, pal! But you're not going anywhere!"

Of course, Tirek roared for what felt like the millionth time that day, but then, he got shot with several cannon balls coming from Discord and his tanks, which eventually broke the wall and made the centaur fell backwards towards the ground, since that in specific lead to Zephyr Heights.

"Wow! Well, that's one way to defeat a bad guy!" Zipp said with a smirk.

"We did it!" Pipp cheered, as she side-hugged her sister.

However, Sunset landed in the ground and looked at the hole in the wall with a frown. "I don't think this is over, guys..."

"Aw, come on, Sunset!" Hitch said with a little eye roll. "Discord literally sent him through a wall! There's no way he's coming back after th––"

Yet, he got cut off when Tirek did came back by jumping through the hole and grabbing Hitch with one hand before throwing the Sheriff away towards a column in the throne room, which fortunately didn't killed him, but it did knocked him out.

"HITCH!!!" Sunny cried out with panic and wide eyes.

Soon enough, Tirek used some of the magic he had contained and became himself bigger, since he got tired of playing games around these ponies.

After that, he just had to swing his hand to hit both Zipp and Pipp, who crashed against a wall and fell unconscious to the ground as well. Next, he launched a blast against Izzy and Misty, which made both unicorns use their magic to protect each other. And yet, the blast from Tirek still sent both of them backwards, as they rolled through the ground and finally stopped near Zipp and Pipp, but even if they didn't fell unconscious, they still felt too weak to get up because of the blast.

Seeing that Tirek was going too far, Discord got out from his tank and was ready to snap his fingers so he could make himself bigger, something that didn't happened because Tirek grabbed Discord with one hand and then smashed him to the ground. Then, when he removed the hand, he used to other one to punch the draconequus in the head, knocking him out in the process.

"That's 6 down. Just 2 to go!" Tirek declared with a frown and a sinister grin, as he stared at Sunset and Sunny, whom both were flying in the air.

"Okay. That's it!" Sunny said with anger. "Let's get him, Sunset!" She declared, as she flew towards the centaur.

"Right behind you, sister!" Sunset said with a grin, following Sunny along.

With this, both Alicorns started to fight against Lord Tirek. Since Sunny still needed to improve on her attacking skills, she was going more for the defensive position by creating golden shields with her magic, leaving all the offensive moves to Sunset, who made sure to launch a variety of spells against Tirek.

Normal blasts, divided ones, transform any rubble that Tirek would launch at them into something else that she could launch back at the centaur, and even multiplying herself several times to caught Tirek off-guard. Anything that Sunset did was to make sure that Tirek would get tired eventually, but so far, the centaur was still fighting back.

"So, out of curiosity!" Sunny spoke suddenly, as she protected herself from a blast that Tirek launched at her. "How's that you got free from your stone state?!"

"Sunny, are you serious right now?!" Sunset asked on disbelief.

"What?!" Sunny asked, before flying over another blast that Tirek aimed at her. "I'm just curious!"

"Stone state?" Tirek asked, as he aimed to hit Sunset now, while the Alicorn teleported away. "You might be confusing me with the Tirek from this pitiful world, because I got sent to tartarus four weeks ago until a neat Alicorn gal free'd me from my prison!" He explained, as he launched another blast against Sunset.

"Wait... 'Tirek from this world'?" Sunset said confused, then she frowned at the centaur. "What do you mean by that?!"

"There's a whole multiverse of endless possibilities out there!" Tirek replied with a grin and his arms extended. "I am just one of many Tireks. And now, this universe in particular will kneel... TO ME!" He declared, launching a constant blast that he aimed at Sunset.

The Alicorn flew across the room, while the laser followed her all the time, not ending anytime soon.

Seeing this, Sunny charged against Tirek and hit him in the face with her forelegs, which did startled the centaur at first, but he groaned and charged other blast against her this time.

"The multiverse?!" Sunny asked confused. "Didn't that weird blue porcupine that popped out of nowhere one time said something similar?!"

"Yeah, but he ran away and didn't explained himself!" Sunset pointed out. "Care to make an exception, Tirek?!" She requested, as she multiplied herself, and all the Sunsets charged divided blasts towards Tirek.

Tirek used the bracelets on his wrists to protect himself, before launching all the attacks back to the Sunsets, hitting all the fake ones in the process, while the real one teleported away.

"What is there to understand?!" Tirek asked. "I'm from a different universe than this one! I'm not the same Tirek that was defeated centuries ago in this world. And seeing that those idiots you call friends are too weak to fight me, I'm gonna enjoy your defeat even more, AND THEN THIS EQUESTRIA WILL BE MINE!" He declared, shooting a blast to both Sunset and Sunny.

Since both Alicorns were together, they both used their magic to create a shield that would protect them, but they didn't knew that Tirek wanted them to do so.

So, once he stopped launching the blast and both Alicorns let go of their shield, Tirek grabbed both of them with his left hand and smashed both of them against a wall, keeping them in there.

Soon, the rest of the Mane 7 started to stand up in weakened states, but they could barely stay up because of the pain. And yet, that didn't stopped all of them to feel terrified at the sight of Tirek holding Sunny and Sunset, something that made Hitch panic essentially, since Tirek was holding his marefriend... And Sunset as well.

Both Sunny and Sunset struggled to get free from Tirek's grip, and Sunset even tried to use her horn, but Tirek tapped it with the thumb of the same hand he was holding her with. Worse of all, Sunny's Alicorn form disappeared as well.

"You two are quite the fighters, I'll give you that..." Tirek declared with a smirk. "But you have drawn the line here! Make your prayers to whoever is your ruler now, because this. Is. YOUR END!"

"Oh no/Oh boy..." Sunny and Sunset said with concern.

After that, Tirek raised his right fist and prepared to smash down Sunny and Sunset, but the blow never came for the mares, because a golden lasso got around Tirek's right fist and hold it away from the two Alicorns.

"What the hell?" Tirek said confused, while both Sunny and Sunset stared confused at the portal from afar, since that's where the lasso around Tirek's fist came from.

The rest of the Mane 7 managed to gather together to stay close and protect each other, but they also stared confused at the portal. "What is that?" Izzy asked confused.

However, her answer came when the portal grew bigger and got a heptagon shape. Then, from the portal, a male anthropomorphic creature came out and launched against Tirek, hitting him straight in the face with his right fist.

For a split of second, time went slower, and Sunset's eyes widened in shock, while the right eye of the male creature frowned in rage against Tirek, who he managed to put down in the floor after aiming that punch.

This helped both Sunset and Sunny to get out of their situation, as they both landed in the floor and looked with disbelief in the same direction the creature came from. However, they couldn't head there, because they were dragged to a group hug by the rest of the Mane 7, who were glad to see their friends save and sound.

"Are you girls okay?!" Hitch asked first in panic, specially making sure that Sunny's fine.

"Uh... Yeah, um... We are..." Sunset replied, but she couldn't stop staring at the direction where Tirek and that guy went to.

Soon enough, however, they all heard steps coming to their direction, and Sunset stood in front while lightening her horn, ready to fight if necessary.

But what arrived wasn't Tirek... it was the guy that came out of the heptagon portal, as he looked over at the Mane 7 with a frown.

This was a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog with very messed quills, golden bands adjusting his gloves, white boots with golden stripes, a scar over his left eye, an eyepatch covering said eye, a trench coat, and a silver watch with three round screens, the one on top being bigger than the other two.

Sunset stoped lightening her horn, but just like her friends were doing right now, they all stared confused at this new guy, despite him looking very familiar at the same time.

"I'm sorry, who exactly are you supposed to be?" Sunset asked confused.

"It's classified," The guy replied with a deep and scary voice.

"Oh, oh! Your the Blue Panther!" Izzy guessed suddenly with her usual cheerful tone.

"What? No..." The guy replied confused.

"The Capped Crusader?" Pipp guessed next.

"No, I'm––" The guy tried to reply, but he got cut off.

"Dark Garfield?" Zipp said as well.

"No–– Stop..." The guy begged, now with a bored expression.

"Macho Libre?" Hitch said next, but this time, everyone looked at him confused. "What? I thought we were just guessing for the sake of guessing!"

The guy let out a sigh and looked over at the Mane 7 with a frown, as he got close to them. "I'm from another universe."

"What? No way!" Sunset sarcastically with a bored expression. "Look pal, I'm not even going to pretend I'm confused, because you're like the fourth one that comes to Equestria saying the same thing..."

"And that's exactly the reason behind my arrival," The guy replied.

That made the Mane 7's eyes widen, even Sunset's. "What do you mean?" Sunny asked.

"My name is Sonic the Hedgehog," The guy presented himself. "In my universe, it's year 2154. I lead an elite Strike Force dedicated to the security of the multiverse––"

"Actually, we don't really care. We just wanted to know your name," Sunset interrupted. "So you are another weirdo that travels through the multiverse with your fancy watch?"

"It's not a watch. Is something much cooler." Sonic replied with a slight smirk.

"Okay..." Sunny spoke next. "Look, um Sanic, or however you're supposed to be called, but there's this really big centaur we need to stop before he takes over our home, so if you don't mind––" She tried to add, as she and her friends noticed how Tirek was raising from the rubble behind Sonic and looking down at him with anger.

"It's alright," Sonic assured with a serious expression, also raising a hand to stop Sunny from keep going. "I'll take it from here."

"Um, are you sure that's a good idea?" Hitch questioned.

"This isn't the first time I deal with a disruption in a universe. I can handle it," Sonic assured, still with a serious look.

"Okay. Knock yourself out!" Sunset said, as she looked behind Sonic.

"Why are you saying it like that?" Sonic asked with a confused frown.

Yet, all the Mane 7 did was to move aside, while Tirek launched against Sonic and pushed him to the other side of the room.

"You're not funny!" Sonic shouted to Sunset with anger.

"Eh, I don't know!" Sunset mocked up, as she boosted by flight towards him, with Sunny making her Alicorn form appear once again and following her close.

Soon enough, Sonic quickly got free from Tirek's grip and launched a lasso from one of his gloves against Tirek's right horn, as he landed on his head and started to punch him there, making the centaur scream in pain.

Then, Sunny and Sunset arrived, both of them launching their own blasts from their horns towards Tirek's face, landing on the centaur's head as well.

"We should really talk about your mess by the way, Sunset!" Sonic spoke with anger.

"What mess?!" Sunset asked with a frown, as she used her magic to create some lassos around her and Sunny that kept them tied to Tirek's left horn.

"You helped an anomaly from Universe 220822 against the biggest anomaly ever made!" Sonic pointed out with a frown.

"Is he talking about the robot with the mustache you mentioned when Bot-y McBakertons got out of control?!" Sunny decided to ask.

"Precisely!" Sonic replied with anger.

"What are you talking about?!" Tirek asked, as he shook his head violently to try and take Sonic, Sunny and Sunset off him.

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!" Sonic, Sunny and Sunset all screamed to Tirek with anger.

"Geez, sorry for asking..." Tirek deadpanned before preparing to charge a blast.

Since his horns were glowing suddenly, Sunset used her magic to teleport Sonic, Sunny and herself out of there, as they appeared not so far from the still weakened Haven, Alphabittle and the Pegasi Guards that lost their magic because of Tirek.

"There's citizens–– Dang it!" Sonic muttered, but then he had to move Sunny and Sunset aside, because they almost got hit by a blast launched by Tirek against them.

Soon enough, Sonic grabbed a pair of Pegasi Guards and moved them aside, while Sunny and Sunset did the same with other guards, and Sunset finished the save by moving Haven and Alphabittle as well, before noticing that Sonic was running towards Discord, who was still unconscious.

Soon enough, both Sunset and Sunny catch up with him, and they all start to dodge rubble and attacks from Tirek, while also having a small chat in the middle of this.

"So this isn't the first time some villain that's from a certain universe travels to another one?!" Sunset asked.

"Is more complicated than that!" Sonic replied with anger, as he curled into a ball and kicked a rubble away that almost fell on Sunny. "Some mysterious force is moving villains from all ages and universes across the multiverse, causing disruptions and menacing the balance in all the realities!"

"Wait, if this Tirek shouldn't be here, then what does that mean to our universe?!" Sunny asked with panic and concern.

"If we can't get this guy out of here ASAP, this universe will collapse!" Sonic replied. "My mission is to restore the multiverse and put every villain back where they belong before all time and space collapses. Yet some idiots had so much fun messing up with the multiverse!"

"What kind of idiots?" Sunset asked, as she blasted a rubble that almost fell over Sonic, while Sonic himself slid on the floor and finally grabbed Discord, as he boosted at top speed towards the rest of the ponies they just saved.

"Three Dr. Eggmans from three different universes, the Sonic you met a while ago, some idiot we haven't been able to localize, a gal named Sarah Crayton I seriously wanna beat the crap out of, and don't get me even started on Shadow the Hedgehog and that stupid asshole kid from Universe 151222!" Sonic listed out with anger, while both him and the Alicorns jumped to dodge Tirek's arm.

"What kind of name is 'Dr. Eggman'?" Sunny asked confused, then she snorted playfully. "Sounds like a guy obsessed with Eggs or something!"

"Who's Shadow? And why is that the edgiest name I've ever heard?" Sunset asked with a playful tone.

Soon enough, they brought Discord with the rest of the ponies they put in safety, just to find out that they were all gone.

"Hey! Over here" Zipp's voice called out, and the three of them noticed that she was near a secret passage in the Throne Room.

The three of them quickly approached said place, while Hitch came out of the passage. "I already took the rest out!"

"Got a last package for you, Sheriff!" Sonic said, as he placed Discord on Hitch's and Zipp's backs.

"We'll be back as soon as we're done with Discord!" Zipp assured, as she and Hitch got into the secret passage again.

After that, Sonic curled into a ball and charged up on his place, before launching himself towards Tirek, who launched several pieces of rubble against the hedgehog. However, Sonic used the rubble and jumped on it as a pinball and hit Tirek's face.

Soon enough, Tirek groaned and started to launch more rubble against Sonic, while he used his sonic speed to dodge the rubble. Then, he created a lasso from the bracelet on his right arm and used it to destroy all the rubble aimed at him, before running over the wall and charge another attack curled as ball into one of Tirek's horns, which made the centaur step back in pain.

"Okay, he can clearly handle this well..." Sunset pointed out with an amused expression.

"It doesn't means that we cannot help!" Sunny pointed out with a smirk.

Soon enough, the two Alicorns flew in the air again, as they both destroyed rubble with blasts from their horns and dodged attacks from Tirek as well.

Then, Sonic did something that shocked Sunny and Sunset: He created a golden blade with the bracelet of his left globe and used it to cut Tirek's left horn, just like that.

Of course, Tirek roared in rage after Sonic did that, and even held the space where his horn used to be with a hand, before roaring again and use some of the contained magic to restore his horn.

"Kuso! I forgot he can do that!" Sonic groaned, before crashing into the ground, while some rubble fell over him.

Seeing this, Sunny and Sunset quickly blasted a combined attack against Tirek's face, making the centaur roar in pain, before he launched an attack that sent both Alicorns backwards, if it wasn't because of Sunset that used a spell to protect both of them.

Yet, both Alicorns still fell to the ground and rolled on it for a while. Once they stopped, they both groaned in pain.

On the other hand, Sonic got the rubble off him and groaned in pain. "Nicole?" He called out, and soon, Nicole appeared while looking at Sonic with a smirk, also in a much smaller size. "Can you please... You know..."

"Nah. You gotta say it first!" Nicoles said, crossing her arms and looking mockingly at Sonic.

Sonic sighed in defeat after hearing this. "Call the backup..."

"What?" Nicole asked, leaning her ear closer to Sonic.

"Call for help..." Sonic said a bit louder this time.

"Come on!" Nicoles said mockingly, as she moved her hands to dare him to finish the sentence loudly.

"Please just call for––" Sonic almost screamed in rage, as he also tried to grab Nicole.

"Yeah, already called!" Nicole said confidently, since she actually called from backup the first time Sonic asked, she just wanted to mess with him.

"Dang it!" Sonic said with a frown and anger.

"But I enjoyed that!" Nicole mocked up, as she kneeled and extended her fist to Sonic with a mocking smirk.

Soon enough, another heptagon portal opened up, and this time around, an Alicorn figure came out by flight.

Both Sunny and Sunset got up from their place, and the both looked flabbergasted at the Alicorn figure. However, as soon as the Alicorn came closer to a light right above Tirek, they were completely mind-blowed: This was a variant of Twilight Sparkle, one that had a watch like Sonic's on her left hoof, as she twirled in the air and shot a laser towards Tirek's face.

Tirek, who was also mind-blowed by the sight of another Twilight, got the hit without being able to dodge it. Then, Twilight used her magic to create several purple strings that she launched against Tirek. The strings quickly tied up Tirek's arms around himself, and then, Twilight dived up towards him, just to spin and kick his face with her hind legs.

Sunny and Sunset watched all of this with their jaws completely dropped, while Twilight glamorously glided down to the ground and landed in front of the two Alicorns, giving them her back.

However, she still looked over at them over her shoulder and smirked. "Sunset Shimmer. Sunny Starscout. Nice to meet ya!" Twilight stated with happiness.

Yet, Sunny and Sunset were still with their jaws dropped at the sight of Twilight, at least until Sunny finally spoke again.

"Sunset..." Sunny called out with wide eyes. "Twilight Sparkle, flesh and blood, is right in front of us... Not in a necklace, not in an encrypted message, not in a simple photo from a book... It's her for real..."

"Uh-huh..." Sunset nodded, still in shock from seeing Twilight in real life.

After Twilight disappeared inside of the necklace, Sunset thought she would never see her again... And here she is now. Well, she might not be the same Twilight, but she truly was a Twilight. Still, the shock of seeing her flesh and blood after so long was... quite something for Sunset.

"I guess you girls were not expecting me today?" Twilight asked playfully.

"Ah-ah. Not at all," Sunset replied.

"Well, then I hope you're the 'dreamer' kind of gals, 'cause I'm here to kick Tirek's face for what feels like the ninth time for the past few weeks..." Twilight replied with a mocking smirk.

"...Would you adopt me?" Sunny asked suddenly with sparkling eyes.

"...What?" Twilight raised an eyebrow confused.

"What?" Sunny replied nervously with wide eyes.

"GIRLS!" Sonic called out with a mix of panic and anger, as he was riding over Tirek's head once again, while the centaur tried to get him off. "CAN WE PLEASE FOCUS ON THE THREATENING CENTAUR THAT COULD DISTURB TIME AND SPACE, PLEASE?!"

"Yeah, we should do that..." Sunset deadpanned, as the three Alicorns quickly flew in the air and resumed the fight with Tirek.

Soon, Twilight twirled in the air again and dived towards Tirek, as she began to launch really powerful blasts from her horn, as well as casting a second spell in the meantime that was tying purple string all around Tirek's body. Once she stopped launching blasts, she let go the second spell, which tied everything in Tirek's body, as the centaur tried to get free.

Meanwhile, both Sunset and Sunny dived towards Tirek and aimed to his face, before kicking him with their hind legs. Sonic was running over a wall, and Twilight was flying at his side, as they both looked at the two Alicorns fighting Tirek.

"What about them?" Twilight suggested Sonic with a smirk.

"No," Sonic replied coldly.

"We could use the help!" Twilight pointed out.

"No!" Sonic repeated with a frown.

"Is it because she wasn't impressed with you at all?" Twilight mocked up with a smirk.

"NO!" Sonic repeated once again.

"Do you say anything but no?" Twilight asked with a bored expression.

"No... Yes!" Sonic quickly corrected himself.

"Why not?" Twilight asked again, but now frowning.

"No. Way." Sonic declared, frowning back, but all he got was Twilight raising an eyebrow at him, clearly saying 'We'll see about that' with the expression.

Next thing they all knew? They were now joining forces to beat Tirek already, because this fight was extending too much.

Well, that, and Tirek got free from Twilight's trap.

"Okay, tying him up is clearly not helping!" Sunset pointed out. "We have to try something else!"

"But what?!" Sunny asked in panic.

Sonic and Twilight started to analyze the whole situation. They both knew as ell that tying Tirek wasn't going to be enough. They had to knock him out... And Twilight's eyes widened, because she looked at Sonic, then at Tirek's legs, then at Sunny and Sunset, and then at her horn.

She smirked, because she finally had an idea, and Sonic noticed that. "I know that face... What's on your mind. Twi?"

"Aw, you're using my nickname on duty? How cute!" Twilight said with a warm smile.

Sonic blushed and felt startled by that declaration, but he quickly shook his head and frowned. "Now's not the time, Twi!"

Twilight giggled, which made Sonic's heart jump happily, but she got a serious expression afterwards. "Sunny, Sunset. You two and I are gonna beat the crap out of Tirek and keep him distracted. Sonic, when he starts to loose his balance, use that speed of yours and tie his legs!"

Sonic looked up at Tirek's face, who was looking for them, then Sonic looked at his legs and got the idea.

"Go meirei-dōri, ojōsama~" Sonic replied with a smirk, saying 'At your command, my lady~' in Japanese.

Then, Sonic curled into a ball and ran towards Tirek's legs, while the three Alicorns flew towards the head.

Soon enough, they started to shot laser beans at Tirek's face, also dodging the beams that Tirek launched back at them. At some point, Sunny dived to his face and sent Tirek a bit backwards. Next, Sunset did the same, and Twilight finished it not only with a kick, but she also launched a laser beam to stun him even more.

With Tirek loosing his balance, Sonic stopped time for a second and used the lasso from his right bracelet, tying up Tirek's legs at super speed.

Once the effect was over, Tirek tripped and fell backwards, landing on his back in the ground with a painful groan. Finally, Sunset, Sunny and Twilight reunited and placed their horns together. When they opened their eyes, they were fully white, and then, they launched a combined blast towards Tirek's face.

Tirek couldn't dodge this attack, and so, he was knocked out by the combined laser beam, as he fell completely unconscious, while Sonic approached the centaur and smirked.

When the three Alicorns came by, Sunny was panting heavily, and so, her Alicorn form disappeared, since she wasn't that used to use so much magic in battle, but she was still happy that she could help out her childhood hero. She never expected to fight at her side one day, and yet here she is.

"Gotta say... For a rookie Alicorn in battle, that was very impressive!" Twilight told Sunny with a smile, as she slightly bumped her shoulder with hers and winked.

Sunny gasped with wide eyes after hearing that. "A-Are you serious?!"

"Hate to admit it, but she's right," Sonic added, as she approached to both Sunny and Sunset, smirking a bit at them. "Not bad, kids. Not bad at all."

With this, both Sunny and Sunset smiled at Sonic, before looking at each other and smile even more. Sunny then touched the shoulder Twilight bumped and had to resist the urge of squealing. One thing's for sure, though: She probably will never wash that shoulder ever again.

Several hours later, things were almost restored.

Twilight drained all the magic that Tirek drained, and one by one, she returned their magic to all the ponies Tirek stoled it from. Of course, it was a shock for everypony to see that Twilight Sparkle was the one returning them their magic, but Sunset limited to say that she's a long lost familiar that looks like her just to avoid confusion.

As this happened, Hitch tied up the weakened and knocked out Tirek with vines from his magic, while Discord, who already woke up, contributed with some chains.

In the meantime, Sonic took a lecture from Tirek's ADN, and he confirmed what he feared the most.

"Well, it seems like Twilight was right..." Sonic pointed out to both Nicole and Sunset, who were watching the lectures with him, as Sonic looked at Sunset. "We've been tracking down several villains across the multiverse that popped up in the wrong one. Despite their initial declarations, they all confess the same thing at some point: Having met with a purple Alicorn that offers them to conquer the universe they appear on. I guess Tirek here isn't the exception..."

"A purple Alicorn?" Sunset asked with concern.

"Why do I feel like we know what Alicorn you're talking about?" Zipp asked with a bored expression, as she approached along the rest of the Mane 7 and Discord.

"The Fire Alicorn that time forgot... Opaline Arcana." Sonic confirmed with anger. "For weeks, she's been traveling through the multiverse and causing all these disruptions... We don't know why, though..."

"Didn't you said you had no clue on who was doing this?" Hitch asked confused.

"Bold of you to believe a stranger's first declaration," Sonic replied, not even looking at him, but he could tell Hitch was either confused or offended for the statement.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Sunny pointed out. "We defeated Opaline! How's that she's back?!"

"If you think this is the same Opaline you defeated not so long ago, you may be wrong," Sonic replied, as he put the image of Tirek's data away.

"What do you mean with 'may be'?" Pipp asked. "Are you implying that she 'may be' the same Opaline we defeated?"

"It's a strange situation, to be honest..." Sonic replied with a worried frown, also crossing his arms. "We've been able to detect which worlds get disrupted and which worlds are missing their respective villain, but everything we know about who's moving them is that she has a name and it's Opaline. Now, which universe she comes from? We still need to figure that out."

"So that explains why this variant could be the one we defeated, or a completely different Opaline..." Hitch pointed out with concern.

Misty shivered a bit at the thought of many Opalines existing out there in the multiverse. "I'm gonna have nightmares with that idea now..." She said with concern, also rubbing one of her hooves a bit, while Izzy came by and placed a hoof on her shoulder for comfort.

"If it makes you feel better..." Sonic called out, and Misty turned to see him. "She has moved other Opalines as well... They still lost." He revealed with a slight smirk, also winking at her.

That actually made Misty smile and chuckle a little, finding some relief on the fact that no Opaline has won in any universe.

Soon enough, though, Sonic's watch made a beep sound, and so, Sonic looked over to see what was it about.

It was an upcoming call from a variant of Rainbow Dash, and he immediately answered it. "Chief!" Rainbow said with a serious look and a salute.

"Now Rainbow Dash, too?!" Sunny muttered in excitement, as she shook Sunset a bit.

"Status report, Dash." Sonic informed.

"My team and I have neutralized Zavok from Universe 201122 successfully, here in Universe 300519." Rainbow replied with a proud smile, as she shows an image of Tails and Starlight Glimmer variants holding some electrical chains over a variant of Zavok, who was trying to get free as he shook violently.

"Good job, Dash. Call Knuckles if you haven't and tell him to sent the Extraction Team," Sonic instructed. "We'll get some data from him first before sending him home."

"Roger that, sir!" Rainbow replied, finishing the call.

However, that made another incoming call pop up, so Sonic answered it as well.

This time, it was a call with a Vector variant. "Heya, boss! Just wanted to tell ya that we're here at Universe 190623. We beat the crap out of the Storm King from Universe 030722, and the Extraction Team is here already!"

"Thanks for the heads up, Vector. Tell your team you can all get rest for now. I'll made sure to keep other squads busy," Sonic instructed.

"You are the best, Chief!" Vector cheered, ending the call soon enough.

Sonic smiled a bit after hearing that, before looking over at the knocked out Tirek with a frown. "Nicole. Scan this mess," He instructed, while Nicole appeared over his shoulder, moved around randomly, then went back to Sonic's shoulder and made some small screens appear in front of her.

"No further anomalies!" Nicole informed after a few seconds.

"Wow!" Izzy said, as she suddenly zoomed to Nicole with a smile. "You really are tiny!"

"Aw, and you are a sweetheart in every universe, Iz!" Nicole, said, as she glitched around the unicorn mare with a smile.

"Almost..." Sonic muttered with annoyance, before opening up a heptagon portal.

Once the portal was fully open, Twilight came by, levitated Tirek, and then threw him inside, while Sonic was ready to traverse it...

"Hey!" Sunset's voice called out, and Sonic stopped moving, but he did put a bored expression, before turning around and look over at Sunset. "So you're just gonna leave like that? With us fixing all this mess?! You can't just pop in, beat the crap out of a bad guy, then tell us that the whole multiverse is in danger because of an Opaline variant, and then leave just like that!"

"Yeah! Not to mention, you're leaving this disaster for us to fix it!" Pipp added with a frown.

Sonic groaned and rubbed his eyes with a hand, while Twilight chuckled at his attitude, before looking over at the Mane 7.

"Yeah, we know that this is not fair at all, but if we stay here to help fix all this disaster, we could be loosing crucial time tracking down Opaline before she can destroy the multiverse, you know?" She pointed out. "We cannot take that risk."

"It doesn't change the fact that we'll be concerned about everything!" Sunny pointed out with a frown. "There's an Opaline out there jumping from one universe to the other while causing chaos around! What assures us that she won't pop out here one day?!"

To this, Twilight had no answer, so she looked over at Sonic, who looked down in thought for a second, before sighing and look over at Sunset.

"Well... Clock yourself out." Sonic said, as he took out a similar watch to his and Twilight's before throw it to Sunset, who caught it with her magic, before holding it with her hooves and look at it a bit confused.

"...I... I don't get it..." Sunset said confused.

"As I told you before, I lead and Elite Strike Force dedicated to the security of the multiverse." Sonic reminded. "You take that gizmo, you come with us and see for yourself how this ends."

Then, Twilight cleared her throat and looked at Sonic with a bored expression and a raised eyebrow. "And?"

Sonic sighed again and rolled his eye. "Also, your skills in battle were formidable, and we could really use somepony like you on our team..." He added with an annoyed tone.

"Wait... Y-You want me to join you and fight more of these things?!" Sunset asked in disbelief.

"We make sure the multiverse stays safe and sound," Twilight pointed out with a smile. "With that watch, you can travel to any universe and help us neutralize villains that don't belong in there!"

"This is for a greater cause. The sake of all realities is at stake here," Sonic explained. "If you come with us, you wouldn't fight only for this universe, but also for every single one that exists out there. The choice is yours, kid." He finished, before traversing the portal.

"I know he might act grumpy and intimidating, but once you know him better, he's a huggable bear!" Twilight cooed with a giggle. "But he's right on the last thing, Sunset. If you want to come with us or not is your choice. We won't force you to do something you don't want to," She assured her with a warm smile, also placing a hoof on her shoulder.

Sunset had no words to say. It was hard to say something with all this information, anyways, but it was still shocking to hear that she could help the whole multiverse along many others if she wanted... But did she?

"Twilight, I... This is... so much... I-I don't know what to say..." Sunset confessed with concern.

"What do you mean?!" Sunny asked confused, as she dragged Sunset away for a moment. "They're giving you one hell of a chance here! Why are you doubting now?"

"Yeah! These guys may be a bit weird, but that Sonic guy has a point: If you go, you would be protecting the entire multiverse!" Zipp pointed out as well with a smirk.

"You could go and kick Opaline's flank again!" Pipp added with a smile. "Call it a 'payback for the payback'!" She stated with a smirk and a wink.

"I-I know, but... I don't want to leave you ponies behind!" Sunset pointed out. "Earlier today, I was thinking that you guys didn't needed me anymore, but just because I feel that doesn't mean it's true! A-And I don't... I don't really wanna go and then come back to see that everything changed again... I... I cannot allow that..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that!" Discord spoke, as he suddenly appeared at Sunset's side with a smile. "There's a big difference between what's a universe and a dimension. To put it easy so you all can understand: The human world from the mirror and Equestria are two dimensions that coexist in the same reality..."

"But they both belong in the same universe!" Twilight finished for him with a smile. "Your concern about Equestria changing again? It's understandable, but a bit silly too. Every universe moves at its own rhythm. However, if you felt that's been just a week in any other universe, here's been what? 2, maybe 3 hours?"

This made Sunset's eyes widen in surprise. "Wait... so I could leave this place, and when I return, everything will be the same?!"

"Yup!" Twilight replied with a smile. "You will probably be a bit taller next time you come with us, unless you decide to stay but keep the watch. Either way, it's still your choice!"

Sunset looked down at the gizmo again with a conflicted look. Yes, she wanted to go and lend a helping hoof on keeping the multiverse stable, but she didn't wanted to leave her friends behind... she was very conflicted.

"Go ahead, Sunset!" Izzy spoke suddenly.

"Yeah! Like Sunny said, this is a one chance thing you shouldn't miss!" Misty agreed.

"We'll make sure everything's fine around here!" Hitch assured with a wink, and Sparky on his back babbled in agreement.

"A-Are you all sure?" Sunset asked, still doubting about this.

"Hey!" Sunny called out, as she came closer to Sunset and place a hoof on her shoulder. "We know you've been looking for a new purpose because of feeling lately that you're not needed anymore. But even if you are, they're giving you the chance to fight for something so much bigger than any of us could handle. If anypony deserves to take that thing and go with them? That's you, Sunset!"

"Remember what I told you a few days ago?" Discord spoke next. "I told you that if something greater was to come for you, it'll come, and it did!" He pointed out, then he pointed with a finger to the still open heptagon portal. "You should definitely go and kick some flanks and butts! Besides, I'll keep an eye on them in your absence. You're not the only Equestrian left from the good, old age when Twilight was around, remember?"

Sunset smiled at him, then looked back at her pony friends, and her smile grew a bit more.

So, she quickly placed the gizmo down and ran to them, as they all cuddled together and a big group hug. This wasn't a goodbye, true, but it didn't changed the fact that her friends were going to miss her, and vice versa.

"I promise you guys that I will come back from time to time." Sunset assured with a smile. "And trust me, no matter how long it takes to deal with this Opaline disrupting the multiverse... I will return to stay with you all!"

"And we'll be waiting for you, sister." Sunny said with a wink.

Sunset chuckled a bit, then she sighed and levitated the gizmo from the ground, before placing it over her left hoof.

Once the gizmo was adjusted so it wouldn't fall, Sunset looked at her friends one last time with a smile, before turning around and walk over to Twilight, as she stared at the open heptagon portal.

"Nervous?" Twilight asked with a smile.

"A lot..." Sunset replied with a slight chuckle.

"Try to relax. This is gonna be a fun journey!" Twilight assured with a wink, also slightly pushing Sunset on her shoulder.

Sunset chuckled again, and so, both Alicorns traversed the heptagon portal, as it closed behind them.

Sunset might not know what the future has in store for her, but she's definitely ready to face it. And most importantly, she's ready to take down that Opaline variant, no matter what it takes...

Author's Note

And here we are, with the first episode of this 30 part last adventure!

Now, many of you might have a lot of doubts on this episode in particular, so let's get started on explanations:

First of all, 70% of this chapter takes place in a story with a rather complex process. It's settled on the story made by Phantom-Dragon, but all the sequels to that story were written by JesusG0987, who co-wrote this chapter with me. The setting of this chapter is after the stories that he has made so far.

Now, why is this first chapter settled in a story that's not even mine? Well, this is a multiverse story. You cannot just have one character to be the protagonist and leave everyone else as cameos and non-important characters. And since I really like how Sunset was implemented on the stories made by JesusG0987, she was the right call to be a co-protagonist.

And if she's not that as I keep writing these chapters, then she'll be relevant, that's for sure!

Now, the Tirek variant used in this story is from this short tale made by Palm Palette. No special reason, actually. I just needed to grab Tirek from some story where he was defeated already by the time Twilight and company got a power up Hasbro only used for the toys...

Keep telling yourself Hasbro cared for G4, they didn't. 9 Seasons were made only for the toys.

Now, this Sonic is later on going to be named as 'Future Sonic' or 'FS' so we don't confuse him with the main one, alright? Also, this Sonic is kind of an original Sonic? Because even if his design is the same as Future Sonic from "Sonic and the Tales of Deception", he's not the main Sonic's future self. We just call him like that because of all the crap he went through.

I mean, he has an eyepatch and a scar, what else do you expect me to call him?

As for Twilight's variant, she comes from this story written by Rambling Writer. Now, why did FS blushed when Twilight flirted with him? Meh, who cares? It's probably her just messing with him.

Now, Rainbow Dash and Starlight's variants are from this story created by zaptiftun, while Tails and Vector's variants were taken from this tale by MetalJrock. The world that Dash, Starlight and Tails visit is from this story by RainbowDoubleDash, while the one that Vector was on is from this story by Idiotboy24.

As you can see, this story celebrates the whole multiverse as a whole. Each story made in FIMFiction through the years is a universe in this canon. Now, don't expect to see every single story in this one, since choosing which universes to use is a struggle for me.

But who knows, you might or not might see your story in here. Only time will tell! :raritywink:

Anyways, thanks so much for reading this, and I'll see you all later with chapter 2! Bye! :twilightsmile:

2. The Warning

Universe 220822

Sonic was running at top speed over some buildings in Zephyr Heights.

Soon, the Blue Blur jumped over and used the electrical lasso of his watch to boost himself upwards, and now, he was running over the buildings of the pegasi city.

"Okay, people. Let's do this one last time!

My name is Sonic the Hedgehog. I was born with the incredible and super awesome power of super speed, and for the past three years? I've been living in the magical land of Equestria... Pretty sure you know the rest!

Let me tell you: I helped this neat group of ponies to restore their magic; I obtained this cool electrical powers that were always dormant inside of me; I saved a wishing star from being destroyed; me and my friends stopped an old draconequus from destroying magic; I fell in love with a really cute pegasus...

I stopped old Egghead from conquering Equestria using a giant robot with his face; I stopped a world destroyer entity from blowing up this planet; my pal Tails stopped a dangerous Metal Virus from being spread by Queen Opaline; I rescued the Chaos Emeralds from a parallel world...

And I also saved the whole multiverse from collapsing with the help of myself... Literally. Thanks to other two Sonics from two different universes, we managed to stop three Eggmans and Sage from conquering the entire Multiverse, although that left my right arm a bit paralytic for a while.

Thankfully, I had Tails and Zipp's treatments, as well as Sunny's magic to help me cure my arm a bit every two weeks for the past year! It should heal entirely two months from now.

Aside from all of that? Well, we also saved the day from Eggman and Opaline. And then we did it again. And again, and again, and again... Yeah, stopping villains from screwing up Equestria is kind of our second job now.

However, this past year we spent our time investigating and searching: Opaline, Eggman and Sage suddenly disappeared. We haven't heard anything from Opaline since she tried to infect Equestria with the Metal Virus, and both Eggman and Sage disappeared after the incident with the multiverse, even abandoning the other two Eggmans.

I know that we'll eventually find them again, but... A whole year with no Eggman nor Opaline activity... It made me think and reflect, you know? I mean, there's a whole multiverse of infinite possibilities out there, and I traveled across it with no problem... But my right arm and my perforated ear are the prove that is dangerous.

Izzy gave me a book for my 28th birthday a few months ago. I accepted it for education at first, since I didn't really knew what to do with it... Until an idea came to my mind. That's why, I made my own little art book with it. I never considered myself an artist, but Izzy gave me a few drawing classes to get better, and I've been improving over the past months.

My first few drawings were of Tails, Pipp, Longclaw, Sunny... All my friends. But after a while, they started to shift and became drawings from all the people I met while traveling across the multiverse. The two Classic Sonics, the Anime one, the live-action one, that weirdo with a scarf... Heck, I even drew those Sonics and ponies I just interacted with for a second before moving on!

I didn't realized how much I missed these guys until I checked my book and saw at least 63 of the 120 pages full of drawings from my friends across the multiverse... Guess I miss having another Sonic around that understands me...

A part of me believes that some energy from the Paradox Prism is still in me, and that I can still travel across the multiverse whenever I want... But without the Inhibitor Discs that Rotor made, that energy would be out of control, and I couldn't travel any world in peace...

I wonder if I'll ever see any of them again..."

Sonic was staring down at one of the many drawings he made... the one from that Sunset Shimmer variant.

Not counting Boom Sonic and Young Sonic, that Sunset is the one inhabitant from another universe he interacted with the most. Yeah, it was just a talk of very few words the two times he was on her universe... But there was something about this Sunset that called his attention, although he still couldn't tell what.

"...Maybe one day, I will..."

Universe 110422

Time doesn't exists in the multiverse.

This meant that Opaline could finally hear the only useful advice Eggman ever gave her, at least in her opinion: Be patient and take time to make her plan work.

She had the power to travel to any reality thanks to one piece of fragment from the Paradox Prism, but to use it, she had to waste some of her own magic, which is why she's traveling across different realities: To steal as much magic as she can. After all, if she wants to conquer the multiverse one day, she must have enough power to make sure her reign either lasts long enough, or forever.

Right about now? She stopped this weird-ass society named Scarlet Wing and stoled all their magic, as well as the magic from this universe's Mane 5.

Of course, she wasn't impressed anymore. After all, this isn't the first time she arrives to a universe inhabited by variants of the Mane 5 and then steals their magic, while they fight hopelessly to keep their magic. It wasn't that impressive to defeat them anymore, and she even felt ashamed on loosing against them in the past.

However, as she finished draining this world's Sunny's magic and prepared to walk away, Sunny stopped her.

"W-Wait..." She called out, and Opaline rolled her eyes annoyed, but decided to stop anyways. "W-Who are you?"

"Why do I always get the same damn question from every Sunny in every universe?" Opaline groaned, also face-hoofing. "Look, Sunny. I don't give a damn about what you believe is wrong or right, okay? I don't care for this pitiful universe in general. I just needed your magic and I got it. Now I'm out."

However, Sunny wasn't going to give up with that answer. "T-There has to be a reason on why you need it..."

Opaline turned and saw with a bored expression how Sunny was trying to stand up, which made the Fire Alicorn roll her eyes, so she levitated Sunny and approached her to her face.

"Listen up, Sunny: There's thousands of worlds out there with more magic, more power, and more pitiful ponies like you I have to get rid of!" Opaline replied with anger. "I will conquer every reality once I recover the full Paradox Prism, then I'll kill you and your pathetic friends on every. Single. Universe!"

After shouting that, Opaline throw Sunny towards a wall, where Sunny crashed on her back, before landing painfully in the ground and then fall unconscious, while Opaline opened a red portal using her magic and the power of the Prism.

"Nopony's going to stop me! Not even Sonic and Sunny from my own universe!" Opaline stated with a maniac laugh.

Universe 220822

Sonic went with Zipp, Tails and Sunny for his first recovery session of the month.

As he's been doing for the past year after what happened with the three Eggmans and Sage, he let Tails and Zipp check over his arm closely. The first two months it was painful to watch it, because his veins were so visible hat anyone who saw it almost felt like if it was them who got their arm burned.

However, and thanks to Tails, Zipp and Sunny's remedies and sessions, his arm was recovering pretty quickly, and Sonic could even move his arm a bit without it hurting after 3 months.

By the six month, he was allowed to go out and take his usual runs across Equestria, even being able to make some acrobatic moves like he used to. His arm even started to look less and less burned after the first session of the fifth month, and now it simply looked like if it had a bunch of bruises.

Today, Tails and Zipp asked him to do the usual: Move his whole arm around, then move only a hand, then move his wrist, then his fingers, and finally use his electrical powers with it.

Sonic did everything he was asked for and, unlike the first months, it didn't hurt anymore.

With that out of the way, Sunny came by and started to use her magic to heal Sonic as well. It was thanks to Sunny's magical properties that his arm was stable and that he could still move it around. Unfortunately, Sunny could only use healing magic on small doses, because using the full spell was risky for her health, and even her life.

No one in the group wanted to lose her, so they all agreed that Sunny would just use her magic twice a month over Sonic's arm in small doses, and after a year of work, it was finally showing good results.

"Well, I'm glad to tell you that your arm is in really good conditions, Sonic!" Tails said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Zipp agreed. "Thanks to Sunny's magic and your constant exercise by drawing stuff, your arm is recovering incredibly fast!"

"Well, I counted with you two looking after me as well!" Sonic pointed out with a smile. "Just because you told me to do basic moves to help with my recovery doesn't makes you less important on it."

"I agree!" Sunny said with a smile, once she finished putting the dose of the spell on Sonic's arm. "You two have been crucial for Sonic's arm recovery. I don't deserve all the credit!"

After hearing this, both Zipp and Tails blushed, both feeling a bit ashamed after hearing this.

"A-Anyways!" Tails said after a while, also shacking his head. "Your recovery is going really good, Sonic. In fact, is so good that I think just one session more will be enough!"

"Two if your arm hasn't changed that much in appearance by the next session." Zipp pointed out.

"...A-Are you guys serious?!" Sonic asked with disbelief and a big, goofy smile.

"Yup!" Tails nodded. "Congratulations!"

Sonic couldn't help but smile widely and even tear up a little bit, because he really worked hard for his arm to recover, and to think that maybe in a month or even less it'll be back to normal... It made him happy, very happy.

Sunny at his side squealed and hugged him tightly after hearing this. "Oh, Sonic! I'm so happy for you! Your arm will be as good as new soon!"

"I... I know!" Sonic said, as he actually started to tear up for real, but he did tried to avoid it by wiping his tears with an arm, although they kept coming out. "I can't believe it... A year of work, finally showing results..." He said with a smile, also looking at his right arm.

"You mind if we tell the rest about the news?" Tails asked him with a sheepish smile.

"Go on!" Sonic said with a chuckle, although he was still tearing up. "I... I really would love that everyone else hears the news..."

With excited smiles, Tails and Zipp nodded, before they went downstairs, since they were in the Brighthouse's bedroom.

However, after they left, Sonic's mood changed entirely, because he looked down at his arm with concern, and his mind flashed back to a conversation he had with Chip last year...

"Nexus events are basically, and ironically, events were two universes collide for reasons that, again, are beyond my current powers. There's three possible options for said event to come to an end: Either the two universes combine to form a single universe; they both separate and return to their original state; or they both stop existing forever, but new universes with the same habitants and similar rules born in their places."

"...So they basically are what makes the multiverse what it is, huh?" Sonic asked, and Chip nodded. "Then, what does that makes my situation?"

"That's the thing: What you just told me about both Mobius and Equestria is something that never happened before!" Chip revealed with a surprised smile. "Sonic, I never in a million years thought that what happened to your world and the pony one was even possible! We're probably witnessing the birth of a new kind of Nexus Event!"

"How?" Sonic asked. "Both my dimension and Equestria's one have been interacting for the past two years, and we never dealt with any kind of 'universe collapse' or something. And is not like Mobius as a whole is in Equestria, y'know? Is just me and my friends living in another universe."

"The only logical explanation I can find... is that your worlds aren't actually colliding," Chip said, as he rubbed his chin.

Sonic was concerned. Why did his world and Equestria were a different case? If a Nexus event was to happen since the two dimensions interacted within each other, then why a nexus event hasn't happened?

Was it really necessary for him and the other Mobians to leave Equestria? Chip said he could stay if he brought him the Paradox Prism... The same one that he destroyed with his now recovering arm... This was a delicate theme he didn't liked to think nor talk about, but... It was the reality.

"Sonic?" Sunny's voice called out, and Sonic turned to see her. "...Are you thinking about it again?"

Sonic was taken aback after hearing this, but Sunny was always good at reading her friends, so he sighed and nodded.

He decided to come clean to everyone and explain them the thing about Nexus events, how they worked, and why leaving Equestria had to be a choice again now that the Prism was destroyed and they couldn't use it like Chip wanted.

Of course, Tails, Knuckles, Izzy, Zipp, Pipp and Misty all immediately tried to convince Sonic on leaving that idea aside, but both Sonic and Sunny managed to convince them that, liked it or not, it was an option they still needed to take count over.

Still, everyone agreed to never bring that subject again unless necessary... But Sonic couldn't help but still think about it sometimes, because he was terrified at the idea of leaving Equestria.

"Hey... You know that it's fine if you want to talk about it, right?" Sunny told him with a little smile.

"I do, Sunny..." Sonic replied, before looking at his right arm again with concern. "...I just can't help but think about it... I'm... I'm scared as hell to leave this place, even though a part of me believes is necessary..."

"Sonic... Is okay to be afraid, remember?" Sunny reminded him, and Sonic turned to look at her, still showing concern in his eyes. "Equestria will always be your home, no matter if you choose to stay, or if you leave. You'll always be welcome here, no matter what!"

"But I... I don't want to..." Sonic tried to say, before shaking his head for a moment. "N-No... I... I don't have to think like that... Is selfish..."

Sunny felt slightly concerned after hearing him saying this, but she still sighed and decided to let the conversation die there, since she knows Sonic hates to talk about this.

"I, um... I'll be helping Knuckles making dinner downstairs." Sunny said, walking to the door, but before getting out of the room, she turned to see Sonic one last time. "And Sonic? You're not selfish for thinking about yourself once in a while. You've been helping everyone around your whole life... Being selfish just one time won't kill anyone."

Sonic's eyes widened, and he looked over at Sunny confused, but Sunny just smiled warmly at him and shrugged, before shrugging again and then leave the bedroom.

However, Sunny's words stuck deep inside of his mind... If he was being honest, this isn't the first time he's thinking on what's best for him, but not for everyone. These kind of thoughts popped up on his mind thousands of times back when Longclaw died, he simply never give up to them.

But now... He had new friends, a new family, a girlfriend from another dimension... He didn't wanted to loose them, and he refused to leave them behind, even if the multiverse could be at stake.

And yet, a part of him could never fully give in to those thoughts, because he seriously couldn't be selfish. He wanted the best for everyone, but how could he get that if everyone around him wanted the same as him: Stay in a world that's not theirs? It was truly a hard decision.

Shaking his head, Sonic decided to distract his mind a bit. So, he grabbed his notebook with drawings and opened an empty page on it.

He grabbed a black pen, then sat over his bed without his shoes and started to draw over it. By drawing, he not only could distract his mind from conflicting thoughts, but he could also exercise his arm and make sure that it would heal entirely for the next session.

He started by drawing off Tails at flight, as the young fox did a battle pose. Next, he did Pipp at the other page. Soon, he added Knuckles, Sunny, Amy, Izzy, Shadow, Zipp, Omega, Misty, Rouge, Hitch and Sparky.

After around an hour and half of work, he finished the drawing: It was a very large one of the whole group, the same group he grow to love and take care about... Yes, even Team Dark, which did surprised him, but it still made him smile like an idiot at his creation.

However, it also saddened him a bit, because this picture had all of them, Sonic himself included, posing for a fight, determinate to win and save the day... A sensation he missed a lot.

After all, he's been looking for Opaline, Eggman and Sage for a full year along his friends, but they couldn't find anything. The weirdest thing is that Opaline's Castle is empty and has no traps around, which was even more confusing for everyone, specially to Misty.

It was like if the villains simply disappeared to never come back, and it was more worrying than relieving, because it just meant that something bigger was coming.

However, a whole year without experimenting the joy of adventure had left Sonic in a very depressive and distant state. He still hangs out and talks with his friends... But sometimes, he decides to be alone and let his mind dive into random thoughts from anything.

He really missed the adrenaline of danger, the thought of knowing he'll be having another amazing fight... He really missed to feel alive again.

"...Maybe I'm just overthinking as usual..." Sonic told himself with a snort, before standing up. "I better go out and check what Pipp is doing or something, because staying here isn't making me feel any good..."

And so, he closed his notebook and stood up from his place, then placed the notebook over his bed and boosted out of the bedroom to look after his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, in another universe dimension

A bunch of badniks were being fabricated on a factory in Mobius.

Supervising said badniks were Orbot, Cubot and Sage, as they made sure that the creation of the badniks went without a problem.

As the three of them did this, Dr. Eggman watched from a platform above. After what happened last year with the Paradox Prism, Eggman decided that it was time to go home and take over it now that Sonic and his friends were in Equestria, being dumb enough to think he's still in that dimension.

"I can't believe that I didn't thought of this before... Is a genius idea!" Eggman said with a huge grin. "While those fools keep looking for me on a dimension I'm not even staying anymore, I'll create more and more machinery, better badniks, stronger fortresses! And when those idiots finally come back, they'll find their home turned into my beautiful Empire!"

If you wonder how Eggman and Sage travelled back to Mobius: They both recreated the first machine that Eggman used when he sent Sonic to Equestria, but this time, Sage used the remaining power Eggman had from Sonic's quill and stabilized the machine so it wouldn't explode once it opened the portal.

Soon enough, Sage teleported at Eggman's side. "Father. The badnik production has increased a 57% from its previous results. If we keep this pace going, we might be able to get everything ready to take over Mobius one week from now."

After hearing this, Eggman grinned and let out a laugh. "Excellent! This are wonderful news! And now that neither Sonic, his friends, nor Opaline are around to mess with my plans, taking over Mobius will be a piece of cake!" He stated confidently, before looking at Orbot and Cubot. "You two down there! Take it easy for today and get back to work tomorrow at sunrise! In one week, Mobius will be mine!"

As Eggman started to laugh like a maniac again, Orbot and Cubot only sighed in relief and high-fived.

"You know? The boss has been a lot more merciful with us this past year!" Cubot pointed out.

"He's happy 'cause Sonic isn't around. His joy is quite understandable," Orbot pointed out.

Equestria

A few days later, Queen Haven organized a massive party on Zephyr Heights' castle.

For this party in particular, Sonic was in charge on bringing over the cake since he offered to do so. Since he has super speed, he was so confident that bringing that cake over to the party was going to be easy... It was not.

He was right now at the bakery store in Maretime Bay where he ordered the cake to be made, but for the past 15 minutes, the pony in charge of bringing him over the cake has been talking through the phone, and if Sonic didn't had the cake in the next 5 minutes, he was going to loose his cool.

But at last, the pony finally stopped talking in the phone, went over to grab Sonic's cake, already payed, and as soon as Sonic grabbed the cake, he boosted out of the bakery.

Now, he was carrying the cake over his left arm and boosting at top speed towards Zephyr Heights, running like a maniac as he passed through a green field, then through the Bridlewood forest, and then over a river, since he was desperate to make it in time to the party, or at least to not be that late.

Once he reached Zephyr Heights, he ran over the buildings at top speed, making some stunts in the air and even launching the box with the cake when he had to jump over one building to another, but he always managed to catch the box.

Finally, he saw the castle in the distance, so he decided to move even faster to make sure he made it in time.

Once he entered the castle, he realized that he had to go upwards, and the fastest way possible was using the stairs, but it seemed slow for him. So, he placed the cake in the middle and started to make parkour over the stairs at top speed. When he reached the top, he used the lasso of his watch to bring the cake to him.

He verified that the cake was in good conditions after all that movement, and it surprisingly was intact.

Sighing in relief, Sonic boosted through the castle, until he reached the door that leads to the Royal Backyard, since the party was taking place over there.

Sonic grabbed the box with the cake with both hands and lay for a second over the door, taking a deep breath, before finally pushing the door open and accessing the party, as the music playing in the background got louder now that he entered the place.

Sonic began to carefully move around the ponies, even raising the cake in the air to make sure it wouldn't hit anyone nor mess up, while also apologizing whenever he bumped into anypony.

Eventually, he saw Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Sunny and Hitch in front of the table that had all the other food, and so, he quickly moved towards them, still raising the cake in the air.

"I'm concerned about Sonic..." Tails confessed. "He... He has changed in the past year after destroying the Paradox Prism..."

"Can you really blame him?" Hitch asked. "He had a big odyssey across the multiverse where he literally met himself, now he's the only Sonic around again. I guess he misses having someone that truly understands him."

"Not to mention, a year without adventures has pulled him away..." Amy pointed out with concern. "He's still Sonic, but... something's missing..."

"I think we should just give him time, guys." Sunny said with a smile. "Besides, he'll be back as new the next month when his arm recovers! I truly believe that he'll be fine by then."

"Hopefully..." Tails muttered with concern.

And then, Knuckles noticed that Sonic was moving on their direction while holding the box with the cake. "Speaking of the King of Rome..."

"I know, I know, I'm late!" Sonic groaned annoyed, as he carefully placed the cake on the table, then checked it out inside one last time and sighed relieved when he saw it fine. "I seriously wished I got earlier, I swear!"

"Where have you been?!" Amy scolded with a frown. "We thought for a second that you forgot!"

"I know I messed up, and I'm truly sorry guys, but the idiot that had to give me the cake spent 15 damn minutes on the phone!" Sonic explained.

"Couldn't you had just take the cake with your speed and then come here?" Hitch pointed out with a mocking smirk.

"Ugh!" Sonic groaned and rolled his eyes.

Soon, he was dragged to a tight hug by Pipp, who arrived just in time to greet her boyfriend. "Glad you see you made it, Blue Star!"

"Heh, yeah, well. It took me a while, considering the guy that had to give me the cake was busy with the damn phone..." Sonic deadpanned.

"Aww, but that's not your fault. It could happen to anyone!" Pipp pointed out with a smile.

"See?!" Sonic said with a smile, before turning to the others with a slight frown. "Why can't you guys be as understanding as she is?!"

"You still got late, Hedgehog..." Knuckles deadpanned.

"Well, I'll say is better that you got late than never arriving!" Pipp said with a smirk, also kissing his cheek lovingly.

"And that is why I love you, Pipp!" Sonic cheered with a smile.

"Well, now that you're here... You better get here in the dance floor and show off your moves!" Pipp stated playfully, as she dragged Sonic away from the rest.

"Okay!" Sonic said with a smile, but also almost yelping. "I'll se you guys later!"

As Sonic and Pipp disappeared between the crowd of ponies, Sunny let out a giggle. "Well, I'll say Pipp's right. Sonic is here despite how he feels lately. I say that's a win!"

"Yeah... I guess I'm just overthinking this..." Tails said, shaking his head and the smiling. "Maybe you're right, Sunny. He'll be fine by the time his arm heals entirely."

"I know I am!" Sunny said with a smile, before looking at Hitch at her side with a smirk. "Although, Pipp has a good point..."

"On what–– Whoa!" Hitch yelped when Sunny suddenly grabbed him from his hoof and dragged him away as well.

"Come on, Hitchy. Show them what you've got!" Sunny said with a playful giggle.

"I can't believe it took them 9 damn books to get together..." Knuckles deadpanned.

"Well, you know what they say: Better late than never!" Amy said with a chuckle.

The party was going pretty well so far.

Everypony that attended seemed really cheerful and happy with the vibe of the place. Sonic even had a better mood than in the past year as he danced around with Pipp, had an eating contest with Knuckles, and even a little wrestling match with Shadow, which the latter ended up winning.

Still, Sonic congratulated him, because it was a fair and clean fight. He also participated on a challenge to see how hight pitched his voice could get while singing... He won thanks to his take on Firework.

He truly had to thank Pipp for giving him the idea on making weekly stories for Ponygram where he made covers of any song from his world... It's weird that thanks to the party, thinking about Mobius didn't made him feel sad like it's been happening for the past year, but he decided to let it slip before getting depressed again.

However, he did needed some alone time, and so, he went to the balcony outside of the guest room where he was staying along his friends for the night before returning to Maretime Bay tomorrow.

He was staring down at his friends having a friendly talk while sitting over a table, and they seemed to be laughing about something. He could just go down there and join them, but he really wanted to put his thoughts together first before going back with them...

After all, he's thinking on Boom Sonic and Young Sonic again.

He couldn't help it. Spending a whole week with them was incredible, but now he was the only Sonic around again. It's weird that he misses himself, but it was also kind of inevitable.

Young Sonic had so much innocence and cheerfulness that it was hard to not feel marveled by him. Boom Sonic, despite a bit grumpy at first sight, has a lot of wisdom, probably because he's the older one of the 'Sonic Gang', like Young Sonic decided to call their little group.

The truth is that Sonic misses his other variants as well... The two Classic Sonics that reminds him of his younger years, the anime one that's a bit stubborn sometimes, and even the new pony friends he made.

Twilight, Starlight, some variants of the Mane 5, that weirdo named MC, and even the Alicorn Sunset Shimmer... He still couldn't tell why, but she had something that called his attention. Perhaps is the fact that she helped him against the Egg Conqueror before it killed him, but it was hard to tell.

Sonic sighed and lowered his head, leaning over the balcony and rubbing his eyes with his left hand. It's been a rough year for him, even if he didn't wanted to admit it...

"Thinking about yourself again?" A voice spoke suddenly at his side.

Sonic's eyes widened, but when he looked at his side, he smirked and rolled his eyes: Shadow appeared, laying over his back in the same balcony with his arms crossed, while he looked at Sonic with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you here to check on me, or you simply missed me down there?" Sonic asked with a mocking tone.

"No, I'm here to keep rubbing on your face your defeat against me today," Shadow replied with a smirk.

Sonic rolled his eyes and chuckled, before letting out another sigh. "...Yeah, I'm thinking on those two again..."

"You've been doing it for over a year now." Shadow pointed out with concern. "Have you tried to leave and visit them?"

"Gosh, Shadow. I want so badly to do it, I do!" Sonic confessed, before sighing sadly. "But without something keeping the Prism's energy under control like Rotor's Inhibitor Discs... I wouldn't know where I'm going... I might even get lost across the multiverse again..."

"But that Chip guy could bring you back." Shadow pointed out.

Sonic chuckled and shook his head. "He's busy guarding over the multiverse... And I don't really think he'll be happy to see me moving from one universe to the other again."

"Then what do you want, Sonic?" Shadow questioned with a slight frown.

"An answer..." Sonic replied. "Staying on Equestria, or go back to Mobius? Go visit my friends across the multiverse and risk to get lost again, or stay and know that I'll be safe? Protect those I care deeply for, or protect the entire multiverse?! Still be the same selfless hedgehog, or be selfish for once?!"

Sonic was now frowning and holding the balcony's railing strongly, while his electrical powers showed of a bit... But then, Shadow placed a hand on his shoulder and slightly shook his head.

Just by this action, Sonic's frown disappeared, and so, the Blue Blur took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I'm just... I don't know what to do anymore... Is it best to still protect everyone like I've been doing ever since I was 5, or for once screw it all and think on what I want?" Sonic said with concern, before sighing again and then look down at his friends on the party, as they enjoyed their time together.

Shadow looked down at the rest as well, then looked at Sonic and sighed. "I'll say you do what your heart tells you is right, Hedgehog."

After hearing this, Sonic's eyes widened, and he looked over at Shadow with disbelief. "The what now?!"

"I know it sounds cheesy and out of character coming from me..." Shadow recognized. "But I know for a fact that you are better than all these conflicting thoughts, Sonic. Lead with your heart, it'll show you the way."

"But what if my heart is as conflicted as I am?!" Sonic asked concerned.

"Then you better do what you always do, Sonic: What you feel is the right thing." Shadow replied with a determinate look, before teleporting away.

However, Sonic let out a sigh and shook his head. "Thanks, Shadow... Now I feel more conflicted..."

After saying this, Sonic simply looked one last time at his friends down in the party, while the sun started to set in the horizon, before the hedgehog decided to enter back to the guest room.

He sat over the edge of the bed he was sharing with Pipp, but he didn't noticed that his drawing notebook was at the edge of the bed as well, and when he sat there, the book fell to the ground, opening on a page that had a drawing of that Sunset Shimmer variant.

Sonic stared at the drawing for a moment. Why did he always felt a strange connection with this Sunset variant was still a mystery, because he only talked to her for a few seconds at best.

Still, he picked up his notebook and stared at the drawing a bit longer. In all honesty, a part of him wondered if he'll ever see her or any of his friends across the multiverse. He probably wouldn't, considering the Paradox Prism was destroyed... But anything was possible.

With a sad sigh, Sonic closed the notebook and put it over the nightstand at the side of the bed. Then, he picked up a pair of headphones and put them over.

After that, he lay on the bed and sighed relaxed, while he listened to some music and just tried to fall asleep. Lately, sleeping felt like the ideal escape from all his worries and concerns, which is why he has become a heavier sleeper over the past few months.

Soon enough, thought, wind blew inside of the room. Anyone would think that this is because of the doors that lead to the balcony being open... But that's not the case.

After all, wind cannot make gravity work weird and make stuff float around for no reason, because that's what's happening: Some beauty products from Pipp, some books from Sunny, some tools from Tails, and even the pair of shoes that Tails himself gave Sonic on their first Secret Canter were floating around.

Soon, the entire room started to illuminate with a bright blue color, until a portal started to slowly open above Sonic. This portal seemed to be orange, as well as shaped like an heptagon.

However, Sonic was too focused on his music to even notice that everything else around him was floating or that a portal opened out of nowhere above him. At least, he didn't noticed it at first, because mixed with the music, he soon started to hear a voice calling out his name.

"Sonic... Sonic! Sonic? Sonic!" A female voice was calling out.

He thought it was nothing at first, but as the voice insisted on calling him out, he realized that it was real. So, he slowly opened his eyes, just to feel a bit blurred by a mysterious light.

However, once the light started to slowly fade away, he finally noticed the portal above him, which confused him a lot. But what finally shocked him was that, at the other side of said portal, the Sunset Shimmer variant he's been thinking over the past year was standing and looking down at him with a smirk.

"Got a minute?" Sunset asked playfully.

"Whoa! What the––" Sonic exclaimed with wide eyes, as his hands moved a bit wildly for a moment, before he removed his headphones and stopped listening to the music.

Soon, Sunset made a little loop before crossing the portal and then sit down over Sonic's bed, while the portal closed and the strange effect that made everything float around dissipated, which made everything around fall to the ground.

Sonic noticed that she was a tiny bit taller than the last time he saw her. She also had a larger neck, and her mane was glowing with some sparkles for some reason, as well as it had a light blue line painted on both her mane and tail. He also noticed she had a strange watch on her left hoof.

"H-How did you get––" Sonic tried to ask, but his eyes were still widely open. "What the heck is going on?!"

Sunset chuckled at his attitude. "Hello to you too, pal!" She mocked up, before looking around and notice that they were in Zephyr Heights' Castle. "Is this a guest room in Queen Haven's Castle?"

"Uh, yeah?" Sonic replied confused.

However, as he was about to ask her something, he noticed that the burned parts of his right arm were glowing in the same colors than the Paradox Prism's.

His eyes widened, and he realized that he still had energy of the Prism inside of him, which was actually good, because it meant that he could travel to other world's still... Now, if only he could control said energy without it making him run out of control...

Sonic shook his head and focused again. "H-How did you got here? I-I mean, as far as I know, you don't have energy like me to travel across the multiverse!"

"Eh, is a long story," Sunset replied with a playful smirk, but when she turned to him, she noticed his burned arm and gasped. "Holy Tartarus!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow, but once he noticed that she was looking at his arm, he understood her concern. "Oh, this? Don't worry. This looks fine now. You seriously don't want to know how it used to look last year..."

"What the hay happened to you?! I-I thought that your arm was fine last time I saw you!" Sunset pointed out concerned.

"Yes, last time you saw me it was fine," Sonic deadpanned. "Remember that giant robot with the mustache? I defeated him, but when he lost the artifact that made him travel across the multiverse, I decided to destroy it before it made any more damage... My arm looks like this because of that..."

"Sweet Celestia..." Sunset muttered with concern. "A-Are you sure that it is fine? Maybe I could help you with a healing spell!"

"Uh, no thanks. Sunny's already in charge of that." Sonic assured her with a smile. "But getting back on the topic here: What are you doing here?! I-Is not that it bothers me! If anything, I'm glad to see a face from other universe after a whole year with no adventures, but... I just don't get how you got here..."

Instead of replying, Sunset smirked and walked to the balcony, stepping over the railing and then turning to face Sonic. "Wanna get out of here?"

"If I go, Pipp's gonna kill me 'cause she'll think I'm cheating on her..." Sonic deadpanned.

Sunset deadpanned back after hearing this. "Boomer."

After saying this, Sunset let herself fall, and even though she had wings and could fly, Sonic still worried for her, so he rushed to the balcony and looked down, but right there, he noticed that she was flapping her wings and standing over the wall.

"Does she have to find out, though?" Sunset retorted with a playful smirk.

"I'm not cheating on her with a stranger!" Sonic said with a frown. "I wouldn't cheat on her in general! And yes, we're still strangers at the end of the––"

However, before he could keep talking, he noticed Sunset's bored expression, before she raised an eyebrow at him.

Sonic deadpanned as he realized what she meant with getting out of there. "You just want us to have a friendly talk, don't you?"

"Yup." Sunset replied, still with a bored expression.

Sonic let out a sigh, before looking back at Sunset with a smirk. "I could go out for a run!"

Above Zephyr Heights' buildings, Sonic was running at top speed.

At his side, Sunset Shimmer was flying as fast as she could while explaining a lot of stuff that Sonic was wondering, like how she arrived here and what she's been doing for the past year.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on!" Sonic said, as they both dived towards the ground. "There's an elite society with all the best Mobians and Equestrians from the multiverse in it?!"

"Pretty much!" Sunset replied with a smile and a giggle, as she took fly to the sky, while Sonic used his electrical lasso to shot at the building and impulse himself back upwards.

"And how long has this society existed, exactly?" Sonic asked. "And why am I hearing about this now and not back when the whole multiverse was in danger?"

"The society was built a week or two after what you lived!" Sunset explained, as she flew through the sky elegantly, while Sonic ran over the buildings and jumped over them as well.

"How convenient..." Sonic deadpanned.

"I joined them last year, and I've been in dozens of missions across the multiverse!" Sunset kept explained. "Oh, I met this Twilight Sparkle from Universe 260221! She's the best! I have learned a lot from her!"

"A Twilight variant? I met two or three on my journey, too!" Sonic said with a smile, as he made a huge jump from one building to the next.

"There's also this Sonic from Universe 200113 who I hang out a lot with. I have crashed over his place sometimes..." Sunset said, unconsciously with a smile and a slight sparkle on her eyes.

Sonic noticed this, and he smirked mockingly. "Oooh! Do I detect a crush on another Sonic, Ms. Shimmer~?"

Sunset realized what Sonic was implying and shook her head. "Oh, shut up!" She frowned. "So, you and Pipp are a thing in this world?!" She asked, as both Sonic and her started to run over a building's wall, before they both moved to run/fly near the ground, dodging some ponies in the process.

"Yeah, we've been dating for almost 2 years now!" Sonic replied with a proud smile, while the two of them grabbed a Carrotdog and Chilidog respectively, with Sonic even putting the money to pay the food over the counter of the stand they took the food from. "Although I still think it's too soon for marriage..."

"Let me guess... You also feel that you shouldn't ask her if you were ever to go home?" Sunset asked.

"Am I that predictable?" Sonic asked with a smirk.

"Just a tiny, little bit!" Sunset mocked up, even placing her hooves a bit closer to ad more salt to the wound.

"Whoa, thanks for your transparency..." Sonic rolled his eyes with a smile.

Soon, they both jumped over a tent that was in the street, and they both jumped to fly and run over a building's wall again, as they raced to reach the top.

"So, that watch on your hoof is a gizmo that lets you travel to any world you want?" Sonic asked as they kept accelerating.

"Precisely!" Sunset replied. "Like I said, these allows me and anyone in the Secret Society to go to any universe we want. All thanks to Future Sonic, who started it all!"

"Wait, who's Future Sonic?" Sonic decided to ask, and as they reached the top of the building, they decided to stop so Sunset could catch her breath, although Sonic was the winner of their little race.

"He's the one that started the whole thing!" Sunset replied, panting heavily. "He's like this super edgy Sonic with an eyepatch and cool technology attacked to his wrists, but he's a good guy!"

"And how did he discovered my incident with the multiverse?" Sonic asked confused.

"Well, he didn't started the society because of you specifically." Sunset pointed out. "I mean, yes: The Secret Society was created after your incident, but I heard about another incident that was even worse, which finally impulsed Future Sonic to create the Society."

"What kind of incident?" Sonic asked, as he jumped and dived back to the ground, while Sunset followed along and dived towards him.

"Something about a universe shattering into 5 after a Sonic variant destroyed a prism..." Sunset replied. "I never followed that turkey talk, but it drives FS crazy whenever someone brings it up."

"A Sonic that shattered his own universe in 5 different ones?" Sonic questioned. "I don't blame this FS fella, I would be upset too if that happened to my own universe!"

"Same here!" Sunset agreed.

Soon, Sonic curled into a ball and made a Homing Attack towards a building, once again running over it, while Sunset flew at his side again.

"That still leads me to my initial question, though: What are you doing here?" Sonic asked her concerned. "I know for a fact that you didn't just came to have a chit chat with me. I can feel it!"

Sunset's eyes widened after hearing that, and she stopped on her place, still flapping her wings, but now also having an anxious look.

She couldn't tell Sonic something, something so worrying and heartbreaking that could change Sonic's perspective over her visit. A part of her needed to tell him that truth... But thankfully, there was another reason of why she came, so she will ignore her initial concern for now.

Sonic noticed that she stopped following her and talking, so he quickly ran to her and stopped right in the building besides her with a raised eyebrow. "Uh... Sunset? You good?"

Sunset shook her head from her trance and looked over at Sonic, before her ears lowered and she looked away.

"...You're right..." Sunset said. "I'm not here just because I wanted to visit... Specially considering that... We're not precisely friends. We're still just strangers..." She pointed out, landing in front of him on the building.

"So there is a reason why you came to see me?" Sonic asked. "If you want to thank me for saving the multiverse, there's these two other Sonics you should go and thank as well, because I can't have all the credit––"

"No, no, no!" Sunset interrupted him. "Sonic, I'm here for a very serious and concerning reason... And you might not like it."

Sonic's eyes widened after hearing this, then he looked around to make sure no one was watching them, because if anypony took a picture of them now and published it, anyone could mistake this as Sonic cheating on Pipp, and he couldn't allow that.

"...Let's go to a place where no one will hear us..." Sonic muttered to Sunset. "Whatever it is you wanna tell me, it'll be in there." He stated, before turning around and boost in a certain direction.

Sunset was feeling bad that, even if she did had a reason to stay here, she had to stay quiet about the other thing she wants to tell him... But she couldn't brake the rules that Future Sonic gave her for this mission.

So, without further ado, Sunset opened her wings and decided to follow Sonic along, since she could see the blue trial he left behind as he ran in the distance.

Sonic eventually reached the abandoned Canterlot City from this world.

As he moved at normal paste across the city, Sunset felt bad at the sight: She was hoping that in any other universe, Canterlot wouldn't had fallen in ruins... But it was a pitiful wish, apparently.

"...I think you won't care about this, but... In my universe? Canterlot used to be my home before it fell to look like... Like this..." Sunset confessed.

After hearing this, Sonic's eyes widened, and so, he stopped moving for a second, before turning around to see Sunset with wide and surprised eyes. "W-What?! What do you mean this place was your home?!"

"Is it really that surprising?" Sunset asked confused.

"Duh!" Sonic said with concern. "Because if Canterlot used to be your home, that would make you as old as Opaline, and––" he stopped talking, and his eyes widened in realization, as he slowly looked up at Sunset. "...You... You are from Ancient Equestria, aren't you?"

Just by seeing Sunset look down to the floor with low ears and some tears forming on her eyes, Sonic understood his mistake. In fact, the realization got worse when he remembered the Human Sunset he met when the Emeralds travelled to that parallel world that one time.

That Sunset variant thought that Sonic was from Equestria, and she even confessed that she knew the Equestria she knew is gone now... The Alicorn Sunset in front of him knew that as well.

"...Sunset, I... I'm sorry..." Sonic apologized, as he slowly approached her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, not having to kneel since Sunset is taller now and is almost the same height than Sonic. "If I knew this was your home, I-I wouldn't had––"

"Sonic, is okay..." Sunset assured him with a little smile, also wiping away her tears. "It still hurts to think that my home, once being the biggest pride in Equestria, is now a bunch of ruins... But I have come to peace with that fact. Besides, there's an old draconequus in my world that doesn't makes me feel alone anymore, as well as an adult purple dragon."

"Draconequus?" Sonic asked, then he deadpanned. "You mean Discord? He lives in here..."

Sunset's eyes widened after hearing that. "There's a Discord in this universe?!"

"Yes there is..." Discord spoke with a frown, as he suddenly appeared at Sonic's side, but it only startled Sunset, since it caught her off-guard.

"Sup, Discord!" Sonic greeted him with a mocking smirk. "Still being a grumpy old man because I haven't left?"

"And you're still as sarcastic and stubborn as usual..." Discord deadpanned, before smirking once he saw Sunset. "And you must be Sunset Shimmer... From another universe, if my fellow Discord told me things right."

"Yeah, that's me!" Sunset said with a smile. "I know you're not the same Discord from my universe, but... I really miss my friends from my universe, and even if I'm allowed to visit them from time to time, it's still good to see a familiar face from my home."

"I understand the feeling, Sunset... I really do..." Discord replied with an understanding smile.

"Wait a second..." Sonic interrupted. "How do you know who is she? And what are you talking about with 'your fellow Discord'?"

"Geez, you really are impatient, Sonic..." Discord deadpanned with his arms crossed.

"I'm literally the fastest thing alive!" Sonic pointed out with a frown.

Discord rolled his eyes, but still decided to explain himself. "I can talk to myself between time and space. In other words: I can communicate with any Discord, it doesn't matter if it's canonical, from any fanfic, from the comics, from some past era... Or from another universe."

Sonic rolled his eyes as well and facepalmed. "Of course..."

"I shouldn't be surprised at all with this information, but is still impressive!" Sunset said with a smile.

"Eh, to me is just Discord being Discord." Sonic pointed out with a bored expression. "Anyways. Um, Discord, I know this is your home, and that you're still mad because of the fight the other two Sonics and I had with those three Eggmans, but could you make us an exception and leave us alone? We need to talk about something really important in private."

"What kind of something?" Discord asked, as he floated in the air and read a book that was upside down.

"There's something happening in the multiverse, and I really need to talk with Sonic about it so he can get the bigger picture of what's going on." Sunset explained with concern.

After hearing this, both Sonic and Discord looked over at Sunset with wide and panicked eyes.

"What?! For real?!" Sonic asked with concern.

"This is why I was having a hard time trying to tell you, Sonic!" Sunset pointed out with concern. "Discord, could you please leave us alone?"

Discord was worried after hearing that something was happening in the multiverse, specially because the Discord from Sunset's universe didn't tell him anything.

So, with a nod, Discord looked at Sunset. "...You have 30 minutes."

Sunset smiled after hearing this and nodded in a thankful manner, while Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving Sonic with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Sunset.

"You two truly understand each other, huh? Guess it's a multiversal thing." Sonic said with a smile.

"Yeah, well... Our home isn't what it used to be. We have worked together to make it better, but... Doesn't changes the fact that we miss the old Equestria sometimes..." Sunset pointed out.

"Well... You still have your new friends!" Sonic said, still smiling. "I'll say you're in good hooves and claws!"

Sonic walked ahead after saying this, while Sunset smiled slightly to him, but she also felt more guilty because of the fact that she's still hiding something to him.

Still, she shook her head and decided to keep following Sonic, as they reached Canterlot's Castle, which looked even worse than it her world now that she looked it better, although that was probably because of the fight between the three Sonics and their respective Eggmans from last year.

Soon, Sonic whistled from the balcony on top, looking down at Sunset and waving his hand. Sunset smiled, opened her wings and flew up, landing in front of the Blue Blur with a little smile.

"So, what's this thing concerning the multiverse that has dragged you to my humble universe?" Sonic asked with a mocking smirk.

"Are you always this cheeky with everyone?" Sunset asked with a playful look.

"Yup! It's part of my charm!" Sonic replied with a wink and his arms crossed behind his back.

Sunset rolled her eyes and walked inside of the castle. "I guess is a multiversal thing."

Once the two of them were inside Canterlot's Castle, Sunset pressed some buttons on her watch, which caused it to create a massive hologram across the room that projected several fights against numerous villains from some universes popping on in the wrong ones, although Sonic still didn't knew this.

"Holy cow..." Sonic muttered with a smile, impressed by all the Mobians and Equestrians working together as they fight against many bad guys. "This is impressive!"

"And this is not even half of what we're facing..." Sunset said with a smile, before making a serious expression. "Sonic, look at me."

The blue blur looked at her confused with a raised eyebrow, but judging just by her expression, she was going to talk about something very serious, so he decided to take this seriously as well.

"Over the past year, we've been dealing with a multiversal threat: Someone is moving villains out of their respective worlds and throwing them in others with the promise of taking it over." Sunset explained with a frown. "These videos are just a quarter of all the worlds we've been saving from these anomalies."

"Anomalies?" Sonic questioned.

"Anyone that's on a universe they don't belong to is an anomaly, Sonic." Sunset explained. "Our job in the Secret Society is to watch over the multiverse and put these anomalies back were they belong before the multiverse collapses."

"So you're like angel guardians for every universe..."

"That's a way to put it, yes. But we're also just a bunch of variants from one character that want to keep the multiverse safe from any possible threat... We never thought our first challenge ever will be this dangerous, though..."

"This doesn't make any sense..." Sonic muttered with concern. "Why would anyone put other villains in the wrong universe? There has to be a reason behind their actions..." He pointed out, but then, his eyes widened, and he gasped. "Unless..."

"What?" Sunset asked. "Sonic? What's the matter? 'Unless' what?!"

"Unless whoever's doing this... Is doing it as a distraction..." Sonic pointed out.

"A distraction?"

"Think about it, Sunset!" Sonic said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "The threat behind this knows about the Society! If they didn't knew about it, they'll be making more than just moving villains from one universe to the other!"

"...But they are, though..." Sunset pointed out.

"Huh?"

"They're also stealing magic from all the magical creatures across the multiverse––" Sunset stopped suddenly, and her eyes widened. "...But that didn't started to happen until a month ago... Up to that point, it was always villains getting sent to other universes!"

"Which means that this threat knows the Society exists!" Sonic pointed out. "Whatever they're planning, they needed to keep the Secret Society out of the way, so––"

"So they started to move villains all across the multiverse to keep us busy!" Sunset realized with wide and panicked eyes. "Celestia dang it! We were tricked!"

"And now they're stealing magic from other worlds..." Sonic pointed out with a frown. "Since time doesn't exists in the multiverse, whoever's behind this is taking their time, knowing there's no rush about it..."

"This is even worse than my initial thoughts..." Sunset realized, before sighing and look at Sonic. "Okay. I was honestly going to tell you this after asking you something first, but maybe your answer to that first question will be stablished once I tell you what I have to!"

"Sunset, honey, just get to the point and stop baffling stuff..." Sonic said, placing his hand on his hip and deadpanning.

Sunset nodded and took a deep breath. "You remember that you destroyed the Paradox Prism and its fragments split up in smaller pieces, right?"

"Yeah..." Sonic replied, but then, his eyes widened in panic when he got where Sunset was going with this question. "...This threat we're talking about... They have either one or some pieces from the Prism, don't they?"

Sunset only nodded with concern, and Sonic felt his soul separating from his body for a split of second... So he burned down his arm for nothing? He almost lost one of his extremities, and yet the Paradox Prism is still a big danger for the entire multiverse?

"And... You... You've been wondering why the Opaline from this universe suddenly just disappeared... Right?" Sunset kept talking, but know looking at the ground with concern and rubbing a hoof nervously.

"Uh, yeah? But what does that has to––" Sonic tried to ask... but then, the truth hit him like a bullet...

Opaline has the power to steal magic, no matter if its Dragon Fire or normal magic. She saw Eggman either sending his badniks and machines to them or even attacking by himself, which is pretty similar to how the multiversal threat has been moving villains across the multiverse.

He also remembered that Tails has one of the pieces from the Prism, since it fell to the water along him after he destroyed it with the Inhibitor Disc and the Prism Energy of his body...

"...Opaline is the threat to the multiverse..." Sonic realized with wide and panicked eyes.

"And we're sure is the same Opaline from this universe because we have a source that confirmed to have seen her coming out from this universe." Sunset explained with concern.

"And now she's taking over the multiverse..." Sonic said with concern, as he sat over a piece of rubble and passed his hands through his quills.

"That's why FS sent me here." Sunset revealed. "He believes that both you and Sunny are crucial to stop Opaline! He wants you both to join the Society... But he also will understand if you refuse the offer."

This was a lot to process now...

He still couldn't believe that after almost loosing his arm, the Paradox Prism was still a problem in the multiverse. Worse of all, that Opaline wanted it now.

He didn't knew anything about her plan, but if she's stealing magic from other universes and looking after the pieces of the Paradox Prism, it's safe to say that her plan is to be powerful enough to rule over all the realities across the multiverse... Something he couldn't allow.

After a whole year of no adventures and no sign from both Opaline and Eggman, he knew where one of them was now, but he couldn't allow her to get away with her plan.

And, since Sunset mentioned Sunny, it's safe to say that he would definitely not be alone on this new multiverse odyssey, because he'll have company. He still needed to find a solution to control the Prism Energy on his body, but he would think about that later.

"...Well..." Sonic started, before slowly smirking and look over at Sunset. "The Opaline threatening the whole multiverse's existence is from our universe. I think is Sunny's responsibility and mine to make sure she doesn't gets away with her plan!"

After saying this, Sunset smiled and nodded with a determinate look.

"So... How do we join this Elite Team of yours?" Sonic asked mockingly, also placing a fist on his hip.

"Well, we first gotta tell Sunny about this..." Sunset pointed out, before smirking. "After that, well... You two will have to pass a test in order to join the team!"

Author's Note

You guys might think that the story is going slow so far, but trust me: It only gets better from here on.

In today's episode, we saw the same Sunset Shimmer variant from Phantom-Dragon's story, which's sequels were written by JesusG0987. Like I said, she'll have an important role in this story, so expect more of her as the adventure goes on.

Now, the world Opaline was invading was this story written by TwiShine45, while the Sonic Sunset mentions and blushes about is from this story by Arcing Light.

As for the universe that Sunset says it drives FS crazy, that universe is the Sonic Prime show. It was also mentioned by FS in the previous chapter (He referred to it as Universe 151222, but I didn't realized I didn't mentioned this until now :twilightblush: )

Anyways. That's everything for now! As I said, the real thing starts next chapter. See ya until then! :twilightsmile:

4. When I Met Myself

Universe 240123

In all her years of conquering, Opaline never stopped to think for a second in consequences.

She knew for sure that all the things she did wrong in her life would come back and stab her in the back one day, since that's the way Karma works, but she never thought too deep on the subject. After all, she was convinced that she was going to rule over everyone in Equestria by the time Karma finally hit her.

But she never thought that she'll be her own karma.

Not so far from where she was standing, she was literally face to face with herself... It was nothing new, because she met other variants of herself before and moved them to the wrong universe to distract the Secret Society...

Today, however, and since she was done with that phase of her plan, she was here to steal magic from herself, because she still needed to be strong enough to hold all the power of the Paradox Prism once it returned to it's full state... As said before, Opaline was here to be Karma against herself.

It was still a hard thing to do, because she needed to harm herself. She didn't wanted, because unlike all the other creatures she stoled magic from, she was putting herself on this Opaline's place.

She hated the kind of extreme she has come to in order to be successful and rule over the entire multiverse... But she has made hard decisions before, and as difficult as this one might seem, she still had what it takes to make it. It was all for her own good, at the end of the day.

However, as the main Opaline had her inner conflict, the one from this universe stared with wide eyes and her jaw dropped at her counterpart from another universe.

Yet, this second Opaline, who'll be refer to as Opaline 2 to not confuse her with the main villain of this story, ended up frowning, and so, she quickly took flight in the air, before staring daggers down at Opaline and light up her horn and wings in fire.

"WHO IN THE NAME OF HAVENS ARE YOU?!" Opaline 2 screamed in rage.

"My name is the same as yours." Opaline replied politely and calmed. "And no, I'm not joking, before you choose to ask."

However, Opaline 2 let out a laugh after hearing this. "You? Having the same name than me? Nonsense!" She screamed in rage, but Opaline deadpanned and rolled her eyes.

"If I'm really this annoying with my speeches, I'm gonna have to change a few things about myself..." Opaline muttered to herself. "Listen to me. I do not care for what you believe of me or not. We are the same pony, just from different universes. And soon, I'm afraid yours will be mine!"

"What the heck are you baffling about?!" Opaline 2 asked confused. "Other universe? You and me the same pony? You'll conquer this world!? Are you hearing all the nonsense you're spitting?!"

"Are you trying to deny that soon your universe will belong to me?" Opaline replied with a frown, lightening up her horn and wings in both red and green fire.

"I'm just spitting facts!" Opaline 2 replied with anger.

And so, the two Alicorn's launched blasts to each other, having a little war between themselves to gain power over the other one, but thanks to all the stolen magic Opaline has obtained, her blast was being more powerful, and so, she pushed harder than Opaline 2.

But the other Fire Alicorn wasn't going to give up that easily, so she cancelled her attack and then moved to the side, charging up again and preparing to blast against Opaline.

However, Opaline teleported herself and then appeared right behind her counterpart hitting her with her hind legs and sending her towards a wall, while Opaline 2 shouted startled, but quickly got herself together again, then stood over the wall and impulsed herself back to Opaline.

Yet, Opaline simply moved aside and let Opaline 2 kept moving, before blasting another fire beam against her, but Opaline 2 didn't dodged the attack. Instead, she surrounded it with her own magic and then sent it back towards the other Alicorn.

Yet, Opaline ignited her horn again and absorbed the attack, before launching it again even more powerful than before, and when it hit Opaline 2, the other Alicorn crashed on her back against a wall, and that caused her horn and her wings to turn off, while she fell to the ground on her belly.

Of course, she attempted to try and stand up again, but Opaline took this chance to steal her magic before she could do so, and with this, Opaline 2 lost the fight as fast as it started.

Opaline landed in front of her counterpart and looked at her for quite a long time. Despite how much she hated to admit this to herself, she felt sympathy for her, specially because she has been on her position previously: Someone also stoled her magic and left her feeling useless.

She was getting her revenge on Eggman eventually for sure, but she first needed to get the entire Paradox Prism together before conquering the entire multiverse.

"...I shouldn't allow you to live..." Opaline told herself with a cold stare, and Opaline 2 looked up at her with anger, feeling completely enraged that she lost against a version of herself. "But I will. You look so pathetic and worthless right now that killing you is just a waste of time. I have better things to do."

After saying this, Opaline turned around and, still with her wings open, she walked away and head towards the exit.

"Y-You... Ungrateful, stupid, doppelgänger..." Opaline 2 managed to say in anger.

When she finally stood up, she tried to fly or ignite her horn again, but it didn't worked. So, she looked over at her Cutie Mark... just for her eyes to widen when she saw that she didn't had one anymore.

"W-What..." Opaline 2 muttered, before looking in the direction where her counterpart left, and wether if she liked it or not, she started to tear up, because she lost again, and worse of all, it wasn't against anypony she could consider pitiful, it was against herself. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Her cry was loud and hurtful, but it was also sad to hear, and soon, she started to cry out loud.

Meanwhile, Opaline already walked a few miles away from her Castle of this universe, and as soon as she heard Opaline's 2 cry, she knew that her spell worked perhaps too well.

Still, she sighed and prepared to open a portal to leave... But then, her horn started to illuminate in a yellow color, and soon, it shoot a laser light against her will.

Said laser traveled across the sky, until it stopped in the distance and pointed at a very familiar location for the Fire Alicorn at this point: The Crystal Brighthouse... The one from this universe.

At first, Opaline was confused on why her horn did that, before remembering that it happened before when she found the Green Piece of the Prism's Fragment: The tracking spell she launched last year over the Prism, it was working again, and now, it was guiding her towards the next piece of the Prism.

"So that's where the next fragment is..." Opaline muttered, before smiling. "Oh well! I'm really gonna enjoy myself with these Mane 6, too!" She stated with a sinister grin, followed by her typical maniac laugh.

Universe 271213

The group of heroes stood over the rubble of the destroyed bridge.

Everypony across Manehattan started to cheer at the five heroes that saved them, while the heroes felt proud of themselves and smiled brightly.

"So..." Sonic called out to Sunset at his side. "What do you think?"

Sunset looked over at Sonic and Sunny with a raised eyebrow at first, before smiling warmly. "I was right about you two... You guys are amazing."

After hearing this, Sonic smiled proudly of himself, and Sunny even left out a little gasp for the compliment, but still smiled back.

"Yeah, well..." Sonic started, before looking at Sunny. "We make a good team!"

Sunny smiled after hearing this and nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

Suddenly, however, Firefly turned to a direction and gasped, which made the other four turn as well, and they all saw how some of the rubble started to glitch out, like if the whole universe was failing or something.

So, Sonic, Sunny, Sunset, Buffon, Firefly and Surprise approached to the edge of the broken building, looking down at all the glitching rubble with concern.

"Guys... What's that?" Firefly asked, both confused and scared.

"...A space-time rupture..." Buffon replied with a slight frown.

"A what now?" Sonic questioned confused.

"When certain events that have to happen don't happen, it causes a space-time rupture." Sunset explained. "Is like if time itself destroyed and rebooted the universe... But I don't think this is a space-time rupture... I think is worse..."

"Worse?!" Sunny said with wide and panicked eyes. "What could be worse than a whole universe starting over?!"

"A nexus event..." Sonic muttered with concern, and Sunny looked at him concerned, Buffon with a raised eyebrow, and both Sunset and Firefly with wide and panicked eyes. "When two worlds collide, they either fuse permanently, separate after a while... or they both cease to exist... This world... It's probably going through that right now..."

"How do you know about the nexus?" Sunset asked Sonic confused with wide eyes.

"An old friend explained that to me... He really wanted to help me get home when I got lost..." Sonic replied with a little smile, but it faded away when he noticed more glitching rubble. "The destiny of this universe is up to whoever guards over it... We can't do anything now..."

However, after Sonic said this, the sky suddenly started to glitch and shine bright, which called the group's attention.

Then, an hexagon-shaped portal opened up, and a massive ship with the shape of a pony's face came out of it, slowly landing over the ground, not so far from all the rubble.

The ship opened up, and a bunch of Mobians and Equestrians, all being lead by Twilight Sparkle, came out of the ship and headed towards the place that was glitching, some holding some kind of white spikes.

"Okay, guys. Secure the area, clear all civilians, and let's contain this space-time rupture." Twilight stated with a serious expression.

"Okay, no offense to your Mobian-Equestrian Clubhouse, but when I said 'the destiny of this universe is up to whoever guards over it', I didn't meant this..." Sonic deadpanned.

Sunny, on the other hand, had her jaw dropped, and she was containing her excitement as much as she could, because Twilight Sparkle, her idol, her hero, the very reason why she even wanted to make everypony united, the very sole purpose of existing for Argyle, was right there in front of her.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Sunny was fangirling in silence with sparkling eyes and her hooves on her cheeks.

"Aaand we lost her..." Sonic muttered with a bored expression.

Meanwhile, Twilight approached to the border of the bridge and looked over at all the glitching rubble, as well as the sea started to glitch a bit as well.

Soon, Firefly got at her side and looked at all of this with concern. "Is everything going to be okay?" She asked, since she was afraid of what could happen to her, to her friends, and to their universe.

A Silver variant approached her and placed a hand over her shoulder. "If we can contain this rupture, your world will live another day!" He stated to her with confidence, before looking over at the other Mobians and Equestrians that arrived. "Come on, team! We have work to do!"

After saying this, Silver used his psychic powers and made the non flying members of his team float, before heading towards the floor glitching rubble and ocean with them, while the members that could fly followed along by flight.

Soon, they all landed on some rubble, and the members that had the white spikes placed them on the ground. After this, the spikes launched some lasers that surrounded the glitching areas and, somehow, managed to cancel their effect, because they stopped glitching.

This surprised Sunny, while Sonic had an expression that was a mix between a deadpan, a retarded expression, and a confused one.

"Twilight!" Sunset greeted with a smile on the other hand. "Look, I know what you're gonna say, but––"

"Sunset, I'm not mad. But we'll definitely talk about this later, okay?" Twilight replied with a slight frown, before walking over to Sunny and Sonic, with the former breathing heavily to not fangirl, while the latter raised an eyebrow.

"Guess you're the Twilight that Sunset mentioned she's learning a lot about?" Sonic asked with a little smile.

"And you two are Sonic the Hedgehog and Sunny Starscout from Universe 220822..." Twilight said, still with a slight frown at first, before smiling warmly at them. "Is nice to finally meet you! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I've been looking at your whole test from the Society's HQ."

"T-Twilight Sparkle knows who I am..." Sunny muttered with wide eyes and shock.

Sonic noticed her attitude, and his eyes widened as well but in panic, while he chuckled nervously. "Sunny... Control yourself..."

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE KNOWS WHO I AM, SONIC! DON'T YOU DARE TO TELL ME TO STAY CALM!" Sunny shouted, shaking Sonic violently after what he said.

"Sunny, we're gonna loose this test if you keep acting like this!" Sonic pointed out with concern.

"No, no! It's okay, really!" Twilight assured with a smile. "I'm used to every Sunny across the multiverse reacting that way, anyways... Besides, you two already passed the Physical Test!"

This made both Sonic and Sunny look over at Twilight with wide eyes, then they looked at each other, and then back at Twilight. "We did?!" They both asked with disbelief.

"That's right!" Twilight said, still smiling to them. "You guys have passed the first test, which means that you two are ready for the next one!"

"Aw yeah!/Woo!" Sonic and Sunny said with smiles, before hugging each other tightly.

"I do warn you, though: Sonic, you made a little mess up, and the boss is gonna point that on your face with a lot of anger... Prepare yourself..." Twilight warned with concern.

"Oh boy..." Sunset said with concern as well and swallowed hard.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we can solve it" Sonic assured with a confident smile and a wink, while Sunny giggled at his attitude.

"Celestia bless your optimism, Sonic..." Twilight said with a smile. "Now let's go, the boss wants to talk with you all."

After saying this, Twilight walked turned and prepared to open a heptagon-shaped portal, while Buffon turned around and was a bout to leave while whistling to himself.

This made Twilight roll her eyes and sigh annoyed. "That includes you too, Buffon."

"Shoot!" Buffon said frustrated, before turning around with a bored expression and walk to the rest.

"OMG. Are we gonna visit the HQ?!" Sunny said with excitement and sparkling eyes again.

"I know you said we already approved, but do we get out if we cheer loudly like a pair of maniacs?" Sonic asked with a sheepish smile.

"As long as it doesn't threatens the multiverse, you can do whatever you want!" Twilight replied, finally open the portal that would lead to the Secret Society's HQ.

After hearing this, Sonic and Sunny both cheered even louder, and Sonic started to move like a maniac around at super speed, which made Sunset giggle, while Buffon facepalmed at Sonic's childish move.

Universe 240123

Nighttime hit Maretime Bay on this universe.

As a result, the mares of the Mane 6 were sleeping on a very deep sleep on their respective beds, with Izzy snoring loudly and feeling comfy on her place.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Opaline slowly opened the Brighthouse's door and entered to the place. She looked around with a raised eyebrow, and then yucked when she saw the light colors on the kitchen, the living room, Izzy's crafting spot, and the critter corner.

"Ugh... This place looks even worse from inside than I remembered..." Opaline muttered to herself with annoyance, as she slowly entered the place.

She walked towards the living room first and stopped right in front of the TV, looking at her reflection. She somehow got taller thanks to both all the stollen magic and the power of the two Prism's shards she obtained so far, soon to get a third one as well.

She also had some kind of cape covering her hind legs and her flank, but this cape was decorated as if it had fire around it. She liked her new look, because it spoke power to her.

Soon, Opaline looked around for a second with an analytical look, before lightening her horn slightly to see where the next shard might be... Yet her concern still turned out to be the truth: The shard was inside the Brighthouse, yes, but it was also up in the bedroom, the last place she wanted to enter.

Still, she needed to get the shard at any cost, so she still flew upwards and softly landed on the ground, slowly pushing the door to the bedroom open and getting a small peek inside.

All the mares inside the bedroom were sleeping peacefully on their beds, although Zipp seemed to be moving a bit more than the rest, but she guessed it was because of a nightmare. In all honesty, she didn't knew, and she didn't cared, either.

She entered the bedroom as quietly as possible and walked on her tippy toes, making sure to not make any noise that could wake up anyone in the room.

She searched with her sight the shard of the prism, illuminating her horn again, and then, its light pointed to Zipp's desk, right below her bed. Of course, this made things more complicated, but she wasn't leaving without that shard, so she slowly approached the desk and surrounded the shard with her magic.

However, Zipp seemed to be hearing the sound of Opaline's magic working, and so, she decided to wake up slowly, yawning and stretching her wings and hooves.

Zipp looked around the room: Pipp was still sleeping, Izzy and Misty too, and Sunny as well. The Lantern of Hope, as she called it, was still on its place as well, and the rainbow light that illuminated the room and indicated that unity among pony kind was fine shone brightly as usual.

She finally looked down over her desk, and she found nothing out of place. So, she yawned again before heading to sleep again, since everything seemed to be fine.

As for Opaline, she teleported herself and the shard out of there towards a field, sighing in relief that nopony woke up while she sneaked inside to take the shard. Then, she looked down at it and smiled, before levitating the shard and attached it on her right hind leg's bracelet.

With this, a yellow shockwave was sent across her body, and it also made her eyes to glow bright in yellow electricity, as well as it caused her horn and wings to light up with yellow fire.

"Oh, that's so much better!" Opaline said with a sinister grin, before looking over at her glowing hooves, and then, a sinister idea crossed her mind. "Hmm... I wonder..."

After muttering this, Opaline opened her wings, still igniting in yellow fire, then lifted her forelegs and stomped them hard enough on the ground, not only making it rumble, but she also made it glitch entirely, as it started to extended beyond her position.

Soon, the glitch moved far enough to reach Maretime Bay, place that started to glitch entirely as well, while it started to move towards the Crystal Brighthouse as well.

Inside the bedroom, the five mares started to glitch out because of this, even alternating between their current selves and variants from other universes. Not even the Unity Crystals seemed to save from this glitch, because once it hit them as well, it started to shift the artifacts and make magic fail in this universe's Equestria.

Seeing how powerful she has gotten with only 3 of 20 shards, the Fire Alicorn began to laugh like an absolute maniac because of her doing.

After this, Opaline boosted towards the air at top speed, and her whole body was surrounded on red, green and yellow colors, before she disappeared on a flashlight.

Opaline came out of Universe 240123

However, as she did so, this universe started to glitch out, meaning that it was collapsing, and soon, it would cease until it was nothing...

Universe 250954

A platform was slowly ascending.

As it did so, a heptagon-shaped portal opened above it, and then, Twilight, Sunset, Buffon, Sonic and Sunny came out of it, landing on the platform that kept ascending.

After this, Sonic noticed that his shoes and his gloves changed again: This time, his shoes were blue from Adidas, having three white stripes at the sides, and the sole was white as well; while the gloves were grey and fingerless.

"Huh... You weren't kidding when you said your shoes and gloves change depending on the universe..." Sunny realized with amusement.

"And all thanks to this baby!" Sonic replied happily, pointing at his Inhibitor Bracelet with pride.

On the other hand, Buffon pulled out a jacket that had several pins of both Cutie Marks and Mobian logos, as he put it over and adjusted it, before noticing that Sonic was staring at him with surprise, which made him raise an eyebrow and look around, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Dude, how's that you look even cooler with a jacket on?!" Sonic asked with disbelief.

Buffon snorted after hearing this. "I'm this cool all the time."

"Wow, your ego is on the clouds..." Sunny deadpanned.

However, Sonic noticed that there was suddenly more light, and so, he turned around to see what the light was about: As the platform ascended, outside of the mysterious building they were inside of, Sonic could see a giant and advanced city with flying trains, cars and even moving establishments.

"Holy cow..." Sonic muttered amazed, and Sunny joined him with a surprised look as well.

"Where are we?" Sunny asked, both excited and curious.

"The place? Station Square, year 2154." Buffon replied with an unamused expression.

"The settling? This is our HQ!" Sunset added with a smile.

"Girl, you didn't told me this place was this impressive!" Sonic pointed out with a huge grin.

"Oh, and it's gonna get better!" Sunset assured.

"Or it is going to be incredibly boring..." Buffon said with a mocking smirk.

"Don't be a party pooper." Sunset deadpanned to him.

"Come on, kids! Get moving, 'cause we're already here!" Twilight informed, as the platform finally stopped in front of a door that had Twilight's Cutie Mark on it.

"Yes, ma'am!/Okay, Mom..." Sunset said with a salute, while Buffon said it with a bored expression, an eye roll and an annoyed tone, which made Sunset glare daggers at him as a warning.

Just then, Twilight's Cutie Mark on the door glowed, before it made the door itself open and grant access to the five members of the group, with Sunset, Buffon and Twilight immediately entering the place, while Sonic and Sunny were still trying to process this with smiles.

Still, they ended up following along by walking through a small white corridor for a while, and Sonic couldn't help but look around curiously.

"Wow... This place is wild!" Sonic said with a smile.

"Eak! I can't believe we're finally here!" Sunny said with a cheerful smile.

And as the two of them accessed the place, they were received by a bunch of Mobians and Equestrians hanging out with each other and talking peacefully, some Sonics and Sunnys included.

"Any sign of Opaline? Let me hear!" Twilight informed everyone in the room, and soon, a variant of Amy approached her.

"Well, we're still an Opal away of finding her!" Amy's variant said with a smirk, and Sonic chuckled silently after hearing that.

"Oh, ha ha, so funny!" Twilight said with sarcasm and a forced smile. "Any other joke?"

"Well, now that you mention it..." Amy said with a sheepish smile.

And soon, all the other Mobians and some Equestrians started to make some jokes that included the word 'opaline', but neither Sonic nor Sunny were paying attention to those, because they were too busy feeling amazed by the society itself, and Sonic even placed his hands on his forehead, while Sunny had no idea of where to look because of the impression.

"This is unbelievable!" Sonic exclaimed with a huge smile.

"You guys know this is just the lobby, right?" Sunset asked Sonic and Sunny with a playful smirk.

"What?!" Sunny exclaimed, as her eyes and Sonic's widened.

When they reached the end of the lobby, Sonic and Sunny looked ahead, and their jaws dropped at the sight, while Sunset pointed at the place with a raised hoof. "Welcome to the Secret Society!"

And now picture this: Thousands of corridors, automatic stairs, roads for vehicles, and millions of variants of any character you can think from the Sonic universe and the My Little Pony one: Sonic and Sunny, obviously; but we also have more Sunset Shimmers, more Tails', Knuckles', Amys, Shadows, Twilights, Applejacks, Starlights...

It was definitely a multiversal society formed by both Mobians and Equestrians from all the possible universes.

Soon, the group was walking though one of the corridors to go and see Future Sonic, a.k.a. FS.

Sonic kept looking around with big and utter disbelief that this was happening. He wanted to badly to have another multiversal adventure, another chance to see his friends from across the multiverse, and here it was! He was finally crossing the multiverse again, but now Sunny tagged along.

Sunny, however, looked around completely overwhelmed. Yes, she was as impressed and excited as Sonic at first, but now that they're here, she feels that this is way too much Mobians and Equestrians.

"Is a bit much, ain't it?" Buffon muttered to Sunny, and Sunny gulped but nodded in agreement.

"Too much?! You've gotta be kidding, man..." Sonic said happily with a smile. "This is amazing!"

"At last someone here is having fun." Buffon muttered with a slight smirk.

"Um, Sunset?" Sunny called out, feeling overwhelmed, and the Alicorn turned to him. "You said this was a small Elite Strike Team... This is everything BUT small!"

"Oh, don't worry. A lot of them are part time." Sunset replied with an assuring smile. "Don't worry too much, Sunny. You're safe in here with us. Promise!" She assured with a wink.

That last action seemed to comfort her a bit, and so, she took a deep breath and then sighed in relief.

But as the group was passing besides a bunch of the Society's members, one of the Classic Sonics noticed the Sonic walking with Twilight, Sunset and Buffon, and when he saw his Inhibitor Bracelet, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Modern Sonic?!" Classic Sonic called out, boosting towards him.

Of course, Sonic didn't heard, but just because he was getting distracted with the surroundings, but when Classic Sonic got in front of him, he raised an eyebrow confused.

"Oh, man! I can't believe we see each other again!" Classic Sonic said with a smile.

"Oh, uh... Sorry, man. Who are you? I literally just got here..." Sonic said with a sheepish smile, a bit ashamed that he doesn't know who this Sonic in specific is.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I got carried away when I saw you I forgot to remind you!" Classic Sonic realized with a sheepish smile on his own. "I'm Classic Sonic! We fought together to defeat Rob-butt... I mean, Eggman! You even captured Snively before he could get away, remember?"

After Classic Sonic explained all of this, Sonic's mind finally clicked back and remembered who he is.

"CLASSIC!" Sonic exclaimed with a smile, as he grabbed him and hugged him tightly, before put him back in the ground. "Aw, man! I'm so, so happy to see another familiar face from the multiverse!"

"Haha! Same! Is good to see that the OG multiversal traveller finally joins us!" Classic Sonic stated with a smile.

"Joins us?" Sonic asked confused, but then, he realized that Classic Sonic also had a gizmo on his left hand, which made Sonic smile widely. "You're part of the Society, too?!"

"You bet!" Classic Sonic replied with a smirk, a wink and his thumbs up.

"Man, this place just gets better and better!" Sonic cheered happily, but then, Sunny at his side cleared her throat, and Sonic realized he hasn't introduced his two friends properly. "Oh, right! Sorry, Sunny. Tiny me, this is Sunny Starscout, one of my best friends and technically my little sister from Equestria!"

"Hi! Uh, nice to meet you!" Sunny told Classic with a little and shy smile. "Sonic talked a lot about you and all the friends he made across the multiverse."

"The pleasure is mine, Sunny!" Classic Sonic said with a smile and a little reverence. "Oh, I would love to keep talking, but I think I'm slowing you guys down! And the boss hates when people gets late when he calls them out... You better keep going! Sonic, we catch up later?" He asked him with a wink and finger guns pointed at him.

Sonic snorted and extended his fist at him. "You bet!" He stated, as the two Sonics fist bumped.

Meanwhile, as the two Sonics had this conversation, Sunset, Buffon and Twilight were watching everything not so far from them.

"How do they know each other?" Sunset asked confused.

"That's Sonic from Universe 180993, the first universe where Sonic 220822 fell when he destroyed the Paradox Prism from his universe." Twilight explained. "They know each other because Sonic 180993 helped him out until Rotor from the same universe gave him Inhibitor Discs that kept his Prismatic Energy on check."

"So he definitely is the first multiversal traveller, huh?" Buffon said with a smirk. "Is like if a cycle came full circle."

"I guess that's a way to put it, yeah..." Sunset said.

Then, when Sonic and Classic Sonic said their goodbyes and Sonic and Sunny moved to them, Twilight decided to keep going, with Sunset and Buffon following close behind, although also keeping their distance.

"Sunset, how much have you told them 'bout their place in all this?" Buffon muttered to Sunset, but he kept walking like if he didn't cared about anything.

"...Just a little..." Sunset replied with concern. "I mean, what else do you expect me to do? I can't just tell them what Sonic really is, specially because of how excited he's to be here..." She pointed out, looking at them over her shoulder.

Sunny was trying to stay close to Sonic and avoid eye contact with anyone else in the society, since she knew none of them, but even if Sonic didn't knew any of them either, he still was happy to see all of these variants in just one place, although he came to notice that all of them stared at him, which confused him a bit.

"Sunny seems very unsure about all of this, while Sonic is way too excited..." Sunset pointed out with concern, before looking ahead again and sigh frustrated. "I fear that chief destroys Sonic's illusion of joining. If he does so... I don't know how am I going to face him ever again..."

Buffon noticed her attitude, so he sighed and stood in front of her. "Sunset, girl, listen here..." He called out, and Sunset looked up at him. "Remember that we don't do this because of anything personal, and that the sake of all the realities is in our hands. Sonic travelled the multiverse before, now he's here. Sunny is still getting used to this, which is normal. Chief will be harsh on them, but I'm convinced that everything will be fine in the end. All you gotta do... is believe."

After saying all of this with a smile, he kept walking away, leaving Sunset with a flustered expression, as she sighed a bit and shook her head to make her blush fade away, before keep going on as well.

As they kept walking, however, Sonic noticed that not only all the eyes of the other members of the society were on him, but they also muttered among themselves after passing at his side, or straight up on his face, which confused him even more at this point.

"Uh... Sunset?" Sonic called out, as both him and Sunny moved ahead and closer to her, Twilight and Buffon. "Why is everyone around here staring at me like if I was some kind of alien? I'm a Sonic, too!"

Sunset chuckled after hearing this. "They look at you because you're not just another Sonic, you are THE Sonic!" She explained, now walking backwards.

"THE Sonic?" Sunny questioned confused, and Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"You have a reputation here, man." Buffon explained with a deadpan. "You're known as 'The First Multiversal Traveler'. Everyone in the society knows what you did for the multiverse and admires you, except for chief. Hens why you were not recruited until now."

However, Sonic stopped hearing after Buffon mentioned his reputation, and his eyes widened in surprise. "...A reputation?"

"Yup!" Sunset said with a smirk. "You were popular in here before coming here!"

Sonic had no idea on how to feel now that he knew this, but before he could process it entirely, he was being greeted by some variants of himself, by some Sallys, by some Amys, some Rainbow Dashes, and even some Twilights, which made Sonic felt a bit uncomfortable, but he still greeted back as many as he could.

"Ha ha ha... I don't know what the heck is happening anymore..." Sonic said with concern and a forced smile.

"Um... Let's try to chill, Sonic... I guess we're both too overwhelmed with this place..." Sunny pointed out.

But then, as they approached to an intersection, literally a car that looked like the one Sonic used on Planet Dompa Kingdom arrived with no driver, because this vehicle was another variant of Sonic... one that literally moves on its own with no driver.

"Sonic, take the team to the transport deck to help deal with the mess in Universe 271213, please." Twilight instructed with a serious expression.

As she explained this, a variant of Daring Do, a variant of Shining Armor, a variant of Espio, and a Lego Sonic landed over the vehicle, and after Twilight finished the instruction, the Sonic car beeped in agreement to the order, before racing away.

"Was that a freaking Lego of me?!" Sonic exclaimed with a happy smile and sparkling eyes.

"Yes, it was. But don't let yourself get tricked by his size. He's one of our best recruits!" Sunset replied with a smile.

"Shadow, we need you to––" Twilight tried to say, but the variant of Shadow she was talking to was laying on a wall with a dramatic expression.

"Sorry, I can't talk right now... I'm thinking about my past..." Shadow replied dramatically, while hugging the wall he was laying over, which made a variant of Amy and Twilight behind him cringe.

"Actually, we need you here for some reason..." Twilight regret her command and kept walking away, while Sonic and Sunny cringed at the sight as well.

Suddenly, the Shadow variant groaned in pain, before getting back to normal. "That was a particular... painful memory..."

"Wow... This place is full of creeps..." Sunny said with wide and panicked eyes.

"And I thought Shadow was dramatic in our universe..." Sonic deadpanned.

However, as soon as he looked ahead, he almost bumped into a regular horse that almost hit his face, while the animal's rider stopped him from moving, and the rider was none other than a Cowboy Knuckles, who looked down at Sonic with a raised eyebrow.

"Howdy, partner! Name's Knux, the best treasure hunter from my world!" Knux presented himself with a smile, also moving his hat a bit to the front.

"Oh, uh... Hello, Knux!" Sonic greeted with a sheepish smile. "Nice to meet ya!"

"Why is this stallion acting so... weird?" Sunny questioned.

However, this made everyone stop moving for some reason and look at her with wide and panicked eyes. Even Twilight, Sunset and Buffon stopped moving, and they looked at each other with concern, before looking back at Sunny, who felt confused on why everyone was looking at her.

"W-What? What did I say? Or do I have something in my face?" Sunny asked confused and with an anxious look.

Sonic, however, looked at her with concern, then took a deep breath and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her a bit ashamed. "Sunny... I seriously wished you didn't found out ever about this, or not at least not like this..."

"What? Finding out about what?!" Sunny asked, confused and scared for the answer.

Sunny was now hugging herself and looking ahead with an anxious expression.

Sonic had no choice but finally reveal how horses are on his world, and how they act the same way Knux's horse did, which of course, traumatized her, because she realized she's just an evolved horse with magic, but she would be just a pet if she ever went to Sonic's world.

"Now you see why I never told you?" Sonic asked her with concern, also caressing her back for comfort.

"I have so many questions, and I don't know where the heck should I even begin with..." Sunny said, feeling a bit traumatized.

"Okay, I admit that finding out about regular horses is traumatic. Trust me, Sunny, we all have been there before." Twilight said, as she placed a hoof on her shoulder, and Sunny finally got out of her trance, now looking at Twilight.

"R-Really?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah... But we all eventually came to accept it!" Twilight pointed out with a smile. "I mean, yes, it's really ugly finding out that you're probably just a pet in other worlds, but that's the thing: In other worlds, not in yours!"

After hearing this, Sunny thought about it for a moment, before slowly smiling and look back at Twilight. "Yeah... I guess you're right... Maybe I'm making a big deal out of something very simple."

"That's the spirit" Twilight said with a smile, also side hugging Sunny, who once again had to resist the urge to scream and enter her fan-girl mode. "Now come on! We have to keep going to meet with the chief."

"Right... We still gotta hear not so nice words from him..." Sonic deadpanned, helping Sunny to stand up, and then, they both kept walking ahead.

Soon, they approached to a section full of variants from villains from all across the multiverse trapped inside some laser cages, and one of the Zavok variants roared in rage, as he tried to push down the cage he was trapped in, which was being watched by a variant of Big Macintosh.

"Uh, who is in these laser cages?" Sunny decided to ask, as she walked next to Sonic to stay away from Zavok.

"Anomalies!" Nicole replied instead, as she suddenly appeared as a tiny hologram again, glitching and moving around to explain better. "Those who either wondered around in the wrong dimension, or almost destroyed their canon."

"We kick their butts and either sent them home, or we restore their canon!" Twilight explained as well with a smile.

"Canon?" Sonic asked confused.

"Chief will explain you." Twilight assured with a smile.

"You guys might wanna skip this one. These guys are not very interesting..." Sunset deadpanned.

"We have a bunch of Dr. Eggmans!" Nicole pointed at two cages with two different Eggman with a smile.

"That is interesting!" Sunny said with a little smile, but Sonic put a bored expression since he was tired of Eggman's variants, although he did found impressive the one that had mechanical arms attached to his back.

"A Metal Sonic!" Nicole kept talking, now showing a Metal Sonic's variant. "A Metal Sonia!" She pointed at a female variant of Metal Sonic.

"That is creepy, and I don't want to know what's internet gonna do when they find out that she exists..." Sonic said with concern.

"A video game guy!" Nicole pointed at a 16-bit purple jerboa trapped inside one of the cages.

"Oh, I love video games!" Sunny said cheerfully.

"I don't know who's that guy..." Sonic said confused.

"Another video game guy!" Nicole pointed at a very old game model of Chaos. "Oh, and this guy from Universe 230691 is also from video games!" She said, pointing at a Sonic that was watching over the two video game villains encaged, but when Nicole pointed at him, he raised an eyebrow confused.

"Uh, are you talking to me?" 230691 Sonic said confused.

"He's the first Sonic to ever exist, just in case you guys wonder~" Nicole explained with a smirk, before moving over.

This made both Sonic and Sunny gasp with wide eyes, and Sonic even went over and kneeled like a knight in front of him, which confused him and made him feel uncomfortable.

"You're too precious to this world, dude..." Sonic told the other one, who chuckled nervously and looked around, almost asking for help with his expression.

"Uh... Thanks?" 230691 Sonic replied, before slowly back off and then boost away.

Sonic stood up and scratched his head confused. "Huh... perhaps kneeling in front of him was way too much..."

"He deals with this kind of stuff everyday." Buffon confessed, as he kept walking ahead.

"Oh... My bad..." Sonic said with a sheepish smile, before keep walking ahead as well, also scratching his head in shame.

As they kept walking, they watched more and more encaged villains.

"This is an Infinite!" Nicole presented.

"I am not weak. I AM NOT WEAK!!!" Infinite shouted in rage inside of his cage, also glaring daggers at Sonic.

"Whatever you say, edge lord..." Sonic deadpanned.

"Is that the guy that tortured you for months?" Sunny asked him, and Sonic nodded. "Wow... He's out of his mind..."

"Yup!" Sonic agreed.

"An interesting Black Doom!" Nicole presented, before moving to another villain with a bored expression. "A boring Cozy Glow..."

"Hey!" Cozy Glow complained inside her cage.

"A Fleetway Sonic!" Nicoles pointed at him and his cage.

"A what Sonic–– Ah!" Sunny yelped when she turned to him, and she definitely didn't liked it.

This Sonic was apparently on his Super form, but he had claws coming out of his gloves, broken socks and gloves, messed up quills... But his eyes were probably the worse part for Sunny: He had no pupils, but instead weird red and circular waves that moved around.

Of course, the creature was staring down at Sunny with sinister smile that showed his sharp teeth. "Hello!" Fleetway Sonic greeted.

"U-Uh... H-Hi..." Sunny said with a nervous smile, stepping back and moving with the rest, while Sonic stared at Fleetway Sonic with a frown.

"What's the matter?" Fleetway asked. "Can't handle what you'll become one day?"

"You're not even canon to my story, dude." Sonic deadpanned.

"Yet!" Fleetway said with a mocking smirk and a maniac laugh.

"Whatever..." Sonic said, as he decided to keep going.

But as he was moving ahead, Buffon passed by and pointed at Fleetway on his cage. "Caught him by myself!"

"I tripped!" Fleetway said with anger.

"You?!" Sunset asked with disbelief. "Okay, I did all the work!"

Sonic noticed these two mockery, so smirked mischievously and approached them. "So, how many missions have you two been together?"

Seeing what he was trying to do, Sunset blushed and quickly tried to change the subject. "O-Oh, not that many..."

"Couple of dozens!" Buffon replied instead with a proud smile, and Sunset deadpanned at him.

"I've got you, Ms. Shimmer!" Sonic muttered with a mocking tone.

Meanwhile, Sunny was watching at more villains encaged, some recognizable thanks to her father's research, some not so much because of being from Sonic's world...

However, at some point, and as she walked backwards, she bumped into a pony, and quickly turned around with shame. "Sorry!" She apologized.

However, the one variant that turned around was a Dr. Hooves one, who at first frowned a bit upset, but then he smiled when he saw that Sunny was the one bumping into him. Although this variant seemed to be digital, for some reason, despite the fact that it can touch anyone since Sunny bumped into him.

"I'm Sunny..." The mare said sheepishly and nervously.

"Oh, trust me, I know!" Hooves said with a smirk. "Name's Dr. Hooves! Nice to meet ya!"

After saying this, he moved away by extending a hoof and moving to a station with various control panels.

"Whoa!" Sunny exclaimed after seeing this. "What are you?"

"I'm an avatar!" Dr. Hooves replied, before moving again upwards to more panels controls that were in the ceiling. "My body is sleeping with a meditation ritual back at home..." He explained, showing his real body sleeping on an awkward position and snoring, but also wearing some VR Googles over his face. "This place is way cooler!" He added, before extending his hooves again and move away.

"Can't blame you!" Sonic said as he came by. "You can literally interact with yourself from all across the multiverse! How cool is that?!"

Soon, Hooves moved to another panel control, while in the distance, a Sonic variant with a horrible aspect was standing over a platform suspended in the air.

This Sonic was fat, had two human eyes, human teeth, was wearing sunglasses over his forehead, and also used a beige jacket, and his hands were naturally white instead of having gloves, as well as his long and furry legs looked too human like... Well, he looked too human-like in general.

"Who the heck is that?" Sunny asked with her head tilted.

"We call him 'Ugly Sonic'..." Sunset replied with a cringed expression. "I don't think I have to explain why..."

Ugly Sonic over the platform was also sipping a Coca-Cola, before burping it and not even apologize.

"Yeah... I can see why..." Sonic said with a cringed expression.

Then, a strange device with large mechanical legs and a regular hedgehog head came out of a hole that was over the platform Ugly Sonic was standing over.

"What does that do?" Sunny asked curiously.

"Besides having a great name?" Buffon asked sarcastically.

"Go Home Machine..." Sunset replied with a bored expression.

"What did I say?" Buffon said with a smirk, and Sonic smirked back, while Sunny chuckled.

"I voted against it!" Sunset groaned annoyed.

"It detects whenever dimension your DNA is from..." Hooves explained, as the mechanical legs from the device started to pull some strings out of many holes around and placed them around Ugly Sonic, who didn't even bothered with what was happening. "And sends you there..." Hooves added.

"This is fine..." Ugly Sonic muttered, sipping more of his Coca-Cola.

"It's super humble and totally not creepy." Buffon commented sarcastically, but Sonic and Sunny's expressions said otherwise.

"Don't worry, folks! This won't be the last time you hear from me!" Ugly Sonic said, and once the machine finished its process, it sent him back to his home universe.

"Well, damn..." Sonic muttered with concern. "That's gonna give me nightmares now..."

"The Ugly version of ourselves, or the not creepy machine?" Buffon asked.

"Both..." Sonic replied with an anxious look.

"Um... I'm a little lost..." Sunny confessed. "Isn't this thing supposed to be for anomalies only?"

"He was an anomaly!" Hooves explained. "He says Opaline thought he wanted revenge, so she sent him to another world, but he gave up without a fight because he didn't even wanted to leave his universe."

"So she just saw an ugly version of me and thought he was a bad guy?" Sonic questioned confused. "That's lame..."

"Yeah..." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Anyways! We should go! We don't wanna keep the boss waiting."

After saying this, Sunset, Buffon and Sonic left, while Sunny stood a bit longer and looked at Dr. Hooves with a smile.

"Well, I guess we'll see around!" Sunny said, as she started to walk backwards.

"Let's go!" Buffon shouted, and his voice echoed across the room.

"Hey, good luck out there with the boss!" Hooves shouted with a smile.

"Okey, bye!" Sunny said, waving her hoof.

"FS is upset, guys..." Nicole informed with concern, as she appeared in front of the group.

"Well, he likes those Yakitori from the cafeteria!" Twilight pointed out with a smile. "Those always calm him down..."

As this happened, FS was on his office.

His office was on a platform suspended in the air, with several digital screens around him that he controlled to watch that everything in the Society was fine, as well as to check on every universe that presents anomalies.

"My name is Sonic the Hedgehog..."

FS was looking at Sonic and Sunny through his monitors with a frown, but specially to Sonic, because of what he did last year through the multiverse, and for what he recently did on Firefly's world.

"I'm this universe's one and only Sonic..."

Soon, Future Sonic grabbed a small green bottle, as well as an injector.

"At least I was..."

Then, he placed the bottle on the injector, closed it, and then injected himself on his shoulder, as the liquid ran through his veins and made his body vibrate entirely for a second, before it stopped as soon as it started.

"But I'm not like the others..."

After the process was over, his only working eye glow in blue for a second, before it went back to normal.

If you wonder why FS did this, is because he's the only Sonic that didn't born with his powers. Those mentioned bottles have a special liquid that made him as fast as any other Sonic, because he isn't a Sonic by nature.

"I don't always like what I have to do... But I know I have to be the one to do it."

Now, FS was moving away all the screens that showed Twilight, Sunset, Buffon, Sonic and Sunny approaching to his position, because his anger was just increasing whenever he did so.

"I've given up too much to stop now..."

Soon, he placed some screens in front of him that showed himself with a little pink hedgehog girl over his shoulders.

The girl had an ice cream on her hand and was messing up Future Sonic's face with it, which made the blue hedgehog chuckle, and so, he placed the girl down, before someone told him he had ice cream on his face, and when he touched it and felt it, he chuckled...

The image faded away to show Future Sonic as he is now: With the eyepatch and an expression that clearly says he has gone through a lot of stuff...

Meanwhile, Sonic, Sunny, Sunset and Buffon walked towards FS' office.

Sonic was now holding a Yakitori from the cafeteria, as a gift for FS to see if he would calm down a bit instead of yell at them in complete and utter anger.

"Why do you guys want to be here?" Buffon decided to ask.

"I just wanna help to the cause." Sunny said with a little smile. "I know I can be of help. And since the Opaline threatening the multiverse os from our world... I guess I feel a bit guilty because I didn't defeated her before this all happened..."

"I'm here for the cause too, but I also have a personal reason..." Sonic said with a smile.

"Eh, I'll think it twice if I were you..." Buffon said with concern.

"Dude, you seem to be a rebel that's against the rules and I get that, but we do want to be part of this team, okay?" Sonic told Buffon with a slight frown before keep going.

"Listen to me: The point of being in a Team is that you know when to work together, and when to work on your own." Buffon pointed out. "Is to know when others are your boss, and when you are your boss. I can tell Sonic is ready, but you, Sunny?" He pointed at her, and Sunny stopped walking for a second. "I hate to brake it to you, but you're not ready to the solo work. You don't need any of this."

"Then why are you here?" Sunny asked with a slight frown.

"I'm looking after my comrade." Buffon replied, moving his head towards Sunset, meaning he's here to protect her.

"Well, we wanna be in a band, too." Sonic pointed out in annoyance. "And I wanna see my friends... That's why I need the watch... Besides, I can't control my Prismatic Energy without a device... The watch is going to make things easier so I don't get lost across the multiverse... not again..."

Sunny noticed his change of attitude and worried for him.

"Guys, come on." Sunset called out to the others, since they were now entering FS' office.

"Alright. I'll squash it!" Buffon said with a slight frown, before placing his hands on Sonic and Sunny's shoulders to stop them for a moment. "But don't enlist until you know what war you're going to."

After hearing this, Sunny and Sonic looked at each other with concern.

Still, they nodded at Buffon and kept walking, while Buffon sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

As the door to the office opened, they first saw an empty space, but then they looked upwards and saw that the platform where FS was standing over was slowly descending towards the ground.

At first, Sonic seemed excited, while Sunny and Sunset were nervous, the former because she was meeting the head behind the Secret Society's existence, and the latter because she knew what was coming, and she didn't liked it.

However, as the platform kept descending slowly, Sonic and Sunny raised an eyebrow, and Sunny was even going to mention this to Sunset, but the Alicorn mare raised a hoof before she could talk, which made Sunny stop talking.

"Yeah, I know. It's slow..." Sunset recognized with a whisper. "But it's his thing..." She pointed out, before clearing her throat so FS could hear her. "Future Sonic, meet Sonic the Hedgehog and Sunset Starscout from Universe 220822."

"Oi! Dō shita no, ojīsan!" Sonic greeted happily, saying "Hey! What's up, man!' in Japanese. "From a Japanese to the other!"

"Hello, uh, Mr. FS!" Sunny greeted nervously while waving her hoof.

However, Future Sonic said nothing after hearing this. Instead, he stood silent, as the platform kept descending, until it finally stopped moving when it reached the ground.

"Okey..." Sonic muttered, as he and Sunny looked at each other for a moment, before looking back at FS. "Yakitori motte kimashita yo!" He added with a little smile, saying 'I brought you a Yakitori!' in Japanese and showing it up.

But the second after he said this, FS launched a lasso from his right wrist and grabbed the Yakitori, before pulling it to himself by force, startling Sonic, Sunny and Sunset, while Buffon behind watched with a raised eyebrow.

Now that FS turned around, Sonic and Sunny were a bit petrified when they saw that the older hedgehog had an eyepatch and an expression that could make anyone think he either had so little friends, or no friends at all... And they wouldn't be so far from the truth.

Sonic wondered if he'll look like that one day, while Sunny wondered what happened to him and his eye.

FS, on the other hand, looked at the Yakitori, smelled it, and then took a small bite, before raising an eyebrow, then look down at Sonic, Sunny and Sunset.

"Mendōna shoshinsha ni totte wa warukunai." Future Sonic replied, before using his super speed to finish eating the Yakitori at top speed.

"Uh, what did he said?" Sunny asked Sonic at her side with a whisper.

"He said 'Not bad for some troublesome newbies'..." Sonic translated, before looking back at FS with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm gonna be frank with you two..." Future Sonic said, as he licked his fingers after finishing the Yakitori. "I'm upset because of previous events I'd rather not talk about to avoid exploding in anger, just as I'm impressed with the way you two worked out there. For saving those ponies, capturing the anomaly, and passing your test... Good job."

Sunset's eyes widened and her jaw dropped after hearing this, while Buffon looked impressed at how calmed FS was looking and talking so far.

"...Okay, what did Twilight told you this time?" Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To be a bit more polite with any new recruits, no matter who they are or what they did." Future Sonic replied, before turning around to look at his screens again, opening footage of everything that happened at Firefly's world.

"I was so sure that he was going to scold us for––" Sunny tried to mutter with a smile.

"BUT!" Future Sonic's voice spoke loudly and with a little angry tone. "That doesn't the change the fact that you guys opened a hole in the multiverse."

"We did what?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown.

"Ssh! I'll take it from here!" Sunset muttered to them, before turning to see FS. "Look, chief, I know you're upset, but they didn't knew that it could happen!"

"We didn't knew what could happen, exactly?" Sunny asked to FS with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown.

"True. But you did, Sunset." Future Sonic said with a frown, and Sunset closed her eyes and cringed, because she had nothing to counter that. "And you..." Future Sonic now talked to Buffon, who mocked him up by making a little reverence. "I'll juts try to ignore you... I just can't deal with you right now..." He deadpanned, and turned around to try and calm himself, because he was starting to get mad again.

"I'm not here!" Buffon replied mockingly, before moving away at top speed.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Sunny looked at each other confused, before looking back at FS.

"What the hell just happened?!" Sonic asked.

"Hey, FS!" A voice spoke, a very familiar one, and while Sunset smirked and rolled her eyes, Sonic and Sunny slowly smiled and looked at each other for a moment, before the three of them turned around.

There, they saw a Sonic walking over the ceiling, wearing a brown scarf, sport bands on his shoes and gloves, but he also had a pink bathrobe and a kangaroo for babies on his chest... Yes. It's him. Ladies and gentleman: Boom Sonic, a.k.a. Sonic 2, is back!

"Come on, go easy on the kids!" Boom Sonic spoke, before deactivating the anti-gravity mode of his new shoes and land on the ground, walking normally on the floor now. "They had terrible experience with the multiverse! They didn't had a good chance!"

"Boom Sonic!/Sonic 2?!" Sunny and Sonic both said with smiles.

"Oh, boy!" Buffon spoke with a mocking smirk. "Here comes the Sonic from the humble reality!"

"Sonic, Sunny!" Boom Sonic replied with a smile, as the three of them shared a quick but tight hug.

"Dude! I can't believe I see you again!" Sonic said happily with a huge grin.

"Finally, a familiar face I do recognize!" Sunny cheered happily as well.

"I'm glad to see you two as well!" Boom Sonic said with a smile. "And don't be afraid of my friend FS. He just looks scary, he's not gonna byte."

"Ugh... Boom Sonic..." Future Sonic muttered in annoyance, now getting irritated again.

"Your arm looks great, by the way!" Boom Sonic realized with a smile.

"See? I told you I'll look better next time we see each other!" Sonic remarked with a confident smirk.

"And Sunny! Is it just me, or you got taller?" Boom Sonic asked her mockingly.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny, Boom..." Sunny said with an eye roll, but still with a smirk.

"Oh, you've gotta see my new power, man, it's really something! And––" Sonic tried to say with a smile, but right then, he noticed that Boom Sonic had the kangaroo for babies and felt confused. "Wait... What is that?"

However, before Boom could reply anything, a pink blur passed by at top speed and started to boot all over the place, which confused Sonic and Sunny, but Boom panicked.

"AURORA!" Sonic shouted, before boosting across the room and try to catch the pink blur, until he finally managed to do so by falling in the ground.

Soon, he stood up and held a pink baby hedgehog girl with green eyes, short hair, and a red shirt, as well as a diaper since, well, she was just a baby.

"For the love of God, never scare daddy like that again!" Boom Sonic told the baby with a smile, while she laughed and clapped, extending her hands to try and touch his face.

Of course, seeing this made Sonic's eyes widen, while Sunny was trying to contain a squeal. "You have a baby?!" She ended up asking loudly with joy.

"I have a baby!" Boom Sonic cheered loudly with a smile.

But then, as soon as Aurora looked over at Sonic and Sunny, she smiled with sparkling eyes and started to run all around them at top speed, before landing over Sunny's back.

When Sunny noticed this, she gasped, and soon, she grabbed Aurora on her hooves with a smile. "Aw! Aren't you the cutest thing ever?! Yes, you are!" She cooed Aurora, while the baby giggled at Sunny. "Sonic, isn't she the cutest?!"

Sunny showed Aurora to Sonic, who looked at the baby with wide eyes, before chuckling sheepishly. "Uh... Yeah... She's very cute..." He replied anxiously, before Boom Sonic boosted over and grabbed Aurora to nuzzle her on his cheek. "I have so many questions..."

"It's been 2 years since I last saw you in my universe!" Boom Sonic explained.

"It's been just one in ours!" Sunny pointed out with surprise.

"Amy and I got married last year, and this cutie has 4 months of brightening my days now!" Boom Sonic added happily, nuzzling his nose with Aurora's, as the infant laughed happily again.

"You got married?!" Sunny and Sonic asked, the former with excitement and sparkling eyes, while the latter did so with wide eyes and an anxious look.

"I know, I know. It's crazy!" Boom Sonic said with a smile. "But it's also a bless! Aurora is the best thing that could ever happen to me!"

"Where's the guy that was so freaked out at the idea of a relationship last year?!" Sonic asked confused.

"Well, spending time in your world opened my eyes, you know?" Boom Sonic replied with a smile, as he placed Aurora on the kangaroo on his chest.

"If you three are done talking, can I please start Sonic and Sunny's final test to join our Society?" Future Sonic asked with anger, also glaring daggers at Boom Sonic.

"Ugh, there he goes again..." Boom Sonic rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Dude, you're the only Sonic who isn't funny here! We're supposed to be funny!"

"The fate of the whole multiverse is at stake here, Sonic!" Future Sonic raised his voice, and whatever Boom was going to say, it died there on his mouth, while Sonic and Sunny felt a chill down their spines once FS raised his voice. "Don't make me remind you what you can loose forever if Opaline wins..."

Boom Sonic looked down at Aurora, who simply kept giggling loudly, and soon, Boom swallowed hard and nervously. "No... it's not necessary... Sorry, Boss..."

Future Sonic nodded, before taking a deep breath to calm himself, and then he looked back at Sonic and Sunny. "As for you two... Well, there's no point on delaying it even more. Let's get your test started."

Author's Note

Oh boy, Sonic and Sunny won't like what they're gonna hear, that's for sure...

Well, there's a lot to cover this time around, so let's get started: The Silver variant that comforts Firefly at the beginning comes from this story made by DarkMaster0224. And the universe that Opaline made collapse? Well... That universe began in this short story that Flamewarrior02 made... Sorry, man, but I needed a world to get destroyed to show off Opaline's powers.

Now, the Amy's variant that speaks first with Twilight once they arrive to the Secret Society comes from this story made by Onomonopia, while the Classic Sonic that greeted him is, in fact, the very same Sonic from Sonic SatAM, a.k.a. the first other Sonic the main one met when he began his journey across the multiverse back in Season 4!

Moving on, the Sonic Car is from Team Sonic Racing, but from a universe where all the Sonic cast are just cars with no drivers. Now, Daring Do's variant comes from this one-shot made by Cynewulf; Shining Armor's variant is from this other one-shot written by Skywriter; Espio's variant comes from this story created by GreenS21; and Lego Sonic is from the Lego Dimensions universe.

The Shadow's variant that acts like Scarlet Spider comes from this story's universe made by Mister E-Nonymous, and the Cowboy Knuckles comes from the Sonic OVA!

As for the villains on the cages: Zavok is from this story by MetalJrock, one of the Eggmans is from this story also made by GreenS21, the other Eggman is from this story written by SonicAKG, Metal Sonic is from this cancelled story by RandomChance, Metal Sonia is from this Wattpad story by Moon Spectrum (although the story is just in spanish).

Fang the Sniper is from this story's universe created by Battwell, Chaos is also from the same story made by Mister E-Nonymous, that Sonic is THE original Sonic from the games (like Nicole said, the one who started it all), Infinite is from this story by Crystal Night, Black Doom is from this story by Will Atkinson, and Cozy Glow comes from this story made by RainbowDoubleDash.

Finally, the Dr. Hooves variants, he's from this one-shot written by Matthew Penn, and Boom Sonic is, as said on the story, Sonic from Sonic Boom, while his daughter, Aurora, is in fact from that Sonamy Boom comic.

Now, from next chapter on, I'll limit myself on how many words I put into the chapters, because making them from 10000+ words is starting to become too difficult for me. So, I'll limit myself to 6000-8000 words, although there's some chapters for Part 3 that might require more again... But everything at its due time.

See ya later! :twilightsmile:

5. Back to Green Hills

Universe 220822

Dr. Eggman was doing something he hasn't in a long time: Visiting his parents' graves.

In all honesty, Eggman never knew his parents died until at least 3 or 4 years after they did so, and he found out about this because he wanted to check on them, just to see if they hated him as much as the rest of his family now that he is an evil genius... When his uncle told him they died, he immediately hung up the call.

After that, Eggman never bothered to look for their grave in the next years. Heck, he didn't even cried their death: He honestly never cared, because they never cared for him either, so why he had to?

Today, however... Something impulsed him to look after their grave and pay them one last visit before taking over the world. After all, if he was going to make his Eggman Empire, the least he could do was pay the few respect he had left to his parents on their graves.

So, after a quick research online, making sure Sage wouldn't find out, Eggman was now walking through the graveyard where his parents were buried.

He walked through this graveyard for quite a while, because he only researched in which graveyard they were buried, not in which position exactly. Still, after walking around for about 30 minutes, he finally found the place they were buried, as he read the inscription of their graves...

'Bertha Kintobor: Beloved Wife, friend and mother. 1925 - 2014' and 'Ivo Kintobor: Beloved Husband, friend and father. 1923 - 2014'.

They looked like simple graves for anyone else... But for Eggman? They looked like a bunch of garbage, lies printed in a piece of stone.

His mother was horrible. She never had a soft spot for him, and she always believed that his inventions were a waste of time and space in the house, to the point they were the reason why she ended up kicking him off the house, just 2 months before he entered college.

His father was a bit more understandable, at least at first. He didn't found his inventions mind-blowing, but he did recognized that they were impressive.

However, and despite the fact that he supported Eggman with money for a few years until he graduated college, one day he simply stopped talking to him. Of course, Eggman had a huge grudge against his father after that, although a very, very, very small part of him believes that his mom made him cut contact.

Whatever the case was, he can't find out anymore, because they were both dead now, buried in front of him... And he didn't felt anything.

No sadness, no anger, no remorse, not even a single tear fell from his eyes... He simply felt nothing. Probably so many years of hating his parents made him like this: A man that doesn't really cares for his family in general... At least, he didn't cared until Sage came to his life.

Perhaps that's why he came here in the first place... Now that he's a father as well, he wanted to pay one last visit to his parents before never visit them again ever.

"...Mom... Dad..." Eggman muttered. "...I don't even know why I'm here... But I guess a part of me feels sorry for not having visited you before... I never had a reason to, honestly, but... I have Sage now... I guess I wanted to let you know that I'm a father now... I know you always wanted grandchildren, Dad... A part of me wishes you could have met her..."

Of course, there was no vocal reply... But the wind blew by and hit Eggman, like if someone was hugging him or telling him that things were going to be fine.

Eggman never felt something like that before... But it brought him an incredible amount of peace. He still hated his parents, specially his mother, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon... But he still had a soft spot for his dad, and he felt that the wind was actually his father, telling him everything was fine...

"...Thanks, Dad..." Eggman muttered with a little smile. "I know you wouldn't be proud of my actions... I know you weren't... But I also know you'll be happy to know I have someone to love and care for beyond myself... I hope you still feel proud of me because of that."

After saying this, he turned to see his mother's grave with a frown.

"...Mom... We never came to good terms, and you died without previous warning... But I hope you took good care of Dad." Eggman said. "You're dead now, but... I know that you once did loved me, even if you never showed it to me... I hope I can forgive you one day, even if I can't tell you that."

After saying this, Eggman let out a sigh, then slightly rosed the top of his father's gravestone, and then decided to leave, since he felt he had no business in this place anymore.

However, as he walked out of the graveyard and got on his Eggmobile, it started to rain, and Eggman looked up at the sky... Before Sage, he never cried anyone's death, because he really never cared for others... Today, however, and for the first time ever, he felt tears falling down through his cheeks.

He wanted to be cold-hearted and act like if he didn't gave a damn about his parents' death... But every child has to cry their part at some point, no matter the kind of relationship they had with them.

And that's exactly what Eggman was doing right now: For the first time ever, he cried the death of his parents, the two responsible ones to bring him to this world, the two people that either despised his creations or found them impressive... The two people he most hated in the world.

Today, Dr. Eggman became Ivo Robotnik again, and just for this time, he allowed himself to cry, because he really wanted to talk with his dad and apologize for so many things...

Yet, his chance to do so was long over, he won't see him ever again... And that's what hurt him the most...

In the middle of a forest, near Green Hills, a portal suddenly opened.

This portal was white, big, and very stable. And then, from said portal, Tails, Knuckles and Amy stepped out, looking around to make sure that not only the portal worked, but also that it sent them back to Green Hills.

"Flickies flying around, cuckies eating from the ground, and pockies jumping happily..." Tails analyzed their surroundings, before smiling and then turn around to shout at the portal. "The portal worked!"

After saying this, Team Dark stepped outside of the portal as well, although Omega twirled his head around since he felt a bit dizzy. And after them, the Mane 6 sins Sunny and Sparky crossed the portal as well, as they looked amazed around their surroundings.

"So this is Green Hills?" Hitch asked with amusement.

"Nah, this is just a forest." Knuckles said with a bored expression, before he, Amy and Team Dark walked a bit ahead, while Tails looked at the ponies and baby dragon with a smile and moved his hand, indicating them to follow.

So, the ponies did so, and when they approached the border of a cliff, they all gasped with dropped jaws and amazed expression, because they finally understood why this place was called Green Hills:

As far as the eye could see, a gigantic field blessed with greenery and beautiful blue lakes stretched out. This was a mountainous area with massive mountains, steep cliffs, giant peaks, and narrow paths high up in the sky supported by natural pillars. The place is filled with great views of waterfalls, palm trees, and tropical flora of various kinds. The soil is a checkered brown, and most of the local plant life appears to have unfamiliar geometric appearances.

A series of dark brown caves could also be seen below, with small lakes and pools of water, as well as artificial structures made of wood, such as bridges, fences, totem poles, and scaffold-like buildings. And there were also the floating stamina rings, spread all across the environment.

"OMP!" Pipp exclaimed first after the ponies admired the whole placement, before looking over at Tails. "This is where Sonic and you grew up as kids?!"

"Just a part of it!" Tails replied with a smile. "You guys wait until you see the sandy beaches!"

"I can't believe Sonic barely talked about this... Is really beautiful!" Izzy said with a smile.

"I still believe my Island is more impressive... But I honestly can't really complain about Green Hills, either." Knuckles said with a smile and his arms crossed. "This place has its own beauty as well."

"Well, can't say I was expecting something this impressive..." Zipp confessed with a smirk. "I wonder why you guys rarely mentioned it beyond Sonic's first adventure."

"Well, Green Hills is our home, but Equestria is too." Tails said with a sheepish smile, before looking ahead at his home with concern. "I guess we didn't wanted you guys to think we wanted to leave if we ever talked about it..."

Of course, bringing that subject again was delicate, and no one really wanted to talk about that, so they all stood quiet for a few minutes.

Tails was telling the truth. He really didn't wanted to talk about this place because he knew his pony friends and his girlfriend too well: They'll believe the Mobians want to go back home, when that's far from the reality. They all loved Equestria, and wanted to stay there as long as possible.

On the other hand, Zipp, Pipp and Izzy hated this subject, because bringing it up establishes the idea that they have to say goodbye to their boyfriends. Maybe not forever, but they didn't knew for how long, either.

Hitch and Misty didn't wanted them to leave, either, specially because they're all good friends at this point. Knuckles hated the idea as well, because meeting Izzy is one of the best things that ever happened to him... He didn't wanted to give that up. Amy really loved Equestria as well.

As for Team Dark? Omega knew he wouldn't see the Pippsqueaks again, and it really made him feel down, and Rouge was part-neutral, while Shadow was conflicted on the idea.

Meeting Sunny made him open up in areas he never thought he'll ever open again, but he did, and all thanks to the Earth Pony mare. Shadow really disliked the idea of having to say goodbye one day to her, but he also knew that Mobius still needed to be protected, since he promised Maria he'll do so.

Staying in the world with the pony that changed your live forever for the second time, or stay in the world you swore to protect long time ago? It was a very difficult decision.

Still, Shadow shook his head and turned to see the others. "Tails!" He called out, and the young fox turned to face him. "We need to keep moving, but what about the portal?"

"Oh, that? Well, since it's staying stable, and since it is inside the Brighthouse that we closed entirely before leaving, I put the portal to stay open for about 2 weeks." Tails explained. "I know that I probably exaggerated with how long it should stay open, but you never know!"

"Are you sure that the portal is going to stay open and stable?" Rouge questioned. "That's kind of dangerous, you know?"

However, Omega decided to scan the portal by himself to test this theory, and he verified that, indeed, the portal was stable, at least so far.

"My sensors detect that the portal will remain stable the established time." Omega informed. "We have nothing to worry about."

"Let me doubt it..." Shadow muttered with concern and his arms crossed. "Anyway. We should keep moving. Whatever Eggman is up to, it can't be good!"

"Right!" Amy agreed. "We can show you guys around later if you want. First? We gotta look where Eggman is and stop him before he does whatever he has in store this time around!"

"But where do we look?" Misty questioned. "I say this because we literally just arrived and have no idea on where to look first, you know?"

"Eggman has multiple factories across the planet." Tails pointed out, also rubbing his chin. "None of them are hidden, probably because Eggman likes to fight Sonic from time to time, even if he will never admit it. Still, trying to find Eggman in one of his factories would be like looking for a needle in a thousand haystacks..."

"He has that many factories?" Pipp questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Where do you think he got all that machinery?" Knuckles asked with a bored expression.

"Then why don't we limit it?" Zipp suggested. "Eggman may have many factories, but he can't be hiding in all of them, right?"

"Yeah! Why don't limit it to the few factories he frequents whenever he's working on his machines?" Hitch pointed out with a little smile.

"Hmm... That could work..." Tails confessed, as he took out his Miles Electric.

Thankfully, the satellite system he had on Mobius was still working just fine, and he decided to use said system to locate all the factories in Mobius, before limit them to just five factories, the five that Eggman visits the most.

"I have them down: Two here in Green Hills, one near Casino Night, another one near Oil Ocean, these two last in West Side Island, and the last one seems to be 300 miles away from Station Square." Tails instructed.

"Hmm... I think we should all split up and head towards different factories." Knuckles stated.

"We need to make groups of five." Tails stated as well. "Zipp, Misty: You two are with me; we'll head to Ocean Oil in West Side Island. Knuckles and Izzy: You two go to the factory at Green Hills' north."

"Copy that!" Knuckles said, before grabbing Izzy and then boost away towards the north.

"Pipp and Amy, you cover the factory of the south!" Tails kept informing.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Amy said with a smile, as Pipp nodded in agreement, while they both headed towards the south.

"Hitch and Omega, you'll come with us to West Side Island, but you'll take charge of Casino Night!" Tails added.

"Understood!" Hitch said with a salute.

"Let's get us a Dr. Eggman!" Omega stated, before Hitch and Sparky got on Omega's back, as they took fly and headed towards West Side Island in their own.

"Didn't he heard when you said they'll come with us?" Misty questioned, while Zipp looked confused at the sky, and the Mobians deadpanned.

"Nah, that's just Omega being Omega..." Shadow replied, then he looked at Rouge. "Guess that'll leaves the factory near Station Square for us."

"Precisely!" Tails said, before turning on his watch to talk with Knuckles, Amy and Omega. "If any of you find Eggman's location, inform it immediately so we can all head towards said place!"

"Roger that!" Amy informed.

"Understood." Omega replied as well.

"I still don't get it... Who's Roger?" Knuckles asked confused.

"Sonic's voice actor..." Tails replied with a bored expression, before shaking his head. "Now's not the time to 'brake the fourth wall' jokes, Knux! We have work to do!"

After saying this, Shadow and Rouge went on their own towards Station Square, while Tails, Zipp and Misty moved on their own as well.

In Eggman's Fabric, at the North of Green Hills, he was finishing some details.

His new badniks were a combination of the regular ones he's been using for the past 23 years, but they also looked like the ones from Ivo (Dr. Eggman from Universe 081114).

Soon, Eggman was laughing loudly and like a maniac, while Sage at his side looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Uh... Father? Why are you so happy now?"

"Because my army is finally complete!" Eggman said, as he approached on his Eggmobile to one of the many new badniks, specifically to an Egg Pawn. "These new models are reinforced with the magical properties from the Crystals I extracted from Bridlewood, which means that they're almost indestructible!"

Then, he moved over to look at the Buzzers and Buzz Bombers.

"My new flying badniks are fully charged with bullets so fast that can almost brake Sonic and Shadow's realm of speed!" Eggman said happily with a huge grin, before moving towards a small group of Moto Bugs. "And finally, the culmination of my life: Human-shaped robots that can throw lasers from their eyes and be a match on a 1v1 fight with Knuckles!"

After explaining all of this, Eggman started to laugh loudly like a maniac, something that Sage never understood why he always did, and probably will never understand, either.

On the other hand, Orbot and Cubot arrived with her. "Don't mind the boss, little sister. He's always like this." Orbot said with a bored expression.

"But you gotta admit that his laugh has gotten better and more sinister over the years!" Cubot said cheerfully.

"Why, thank you, Cubot!" Eggman said with a huge grin. "That has to be the best compliment you have given me so far!"

"But father, there's still something I don't get..." Sage informed. "I'm still willing to help you fulfill your dream of making your Empire... But I need to ask: Why are you doing it?"

After saying this, Eggman's eyes widened, and he slowly started to smile widely.

"Oh boy..." Cubot muttered with wide eyes and concern.

"Sister, what have you done?!" Orbot exclaimed loudly in panic.

"Uh... What?" Sage asked confused. "Did I... Did I said something wrong?"

However, soon Eggman started to slowly laugh like a maniac again, which only confused Sage even more.

"He's gonna do that, isn't he?" Cubot asked in fear.

"I'm afraid so..." Orbot replied with concern.

"No, seriously: What the heck did I do?!" Sage asked.

As soon as the music started, Sage looked around confused, and when lights illuminated the place they were in, she understood even less.

And then, the badniks behind turned on, but instead of doing their function of being, well, badniks... They all started to dance in sync to the music, which was the final string for Sage to loose the little patience she had left.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Sage shouted loudly this time.

"You wonder why I do this, don't you dear?!" Eggman asked, standing on a platform and wearing a cup hat, as well as holding a walking stick.

"Uh... Yes? But what does any of this has to do with it?" Sage asked, still feeling confused.

"This is everything, my dear!" Eggman replied happily. "Finally, after 10 books, it's my turn to sing!"

Sage's eyes widened after hearing this, and so, she turned to Orbot. "So that's why you're scared..."

Orbot only nodded with concern.

The story begins with who's gonna win
You know when the danger lies within
Aboard the ARK a genius at heart
Who wanted to unlock the mysteries of life

I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; that's what I am
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; I've got the master plan
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; that's what I am
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N with the master plan

I'm plotting my schemes wherever I go
They're perfect in every way
I'd love to destroy the blue one you know
He's an obstacle that always gets in my way

I must play in this game by my rules
I will conquer the world with my tools

All my machines are made for destruction
I will build my empire
I will succeed, and you will see
With my machines, there is no retreat

I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; that's what I am
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; I've got the master plan
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; that's what I am
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; I've got the master plan

I am the enemy; I will succeed
My mission, yeah, I must complete
My name is Eggman; don't forget my name
If you ask me again, I will show you the same

I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; that's what I am
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; I've got the master plan
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; that's what I am
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N; I've got the master, master plan
I am the E.G.G.M.A.N.

During the whole musical number, the badniks kept dancing around in sync at the music, while Eggman twirled around his stick, and for the final slide, he slid on the floor over his knees, making this way the end of the entire musical number he made.

Of course, he was panting heavily after making the entire number, but Sage, Orbot and Cubot stared confused at him with raised eyebrows.

"Uh... I'm sorry, father, but I'm still lost..." Sage confessed.

After this, Eggman and all the badniks behind him deadpanned at Sage. Even Eggman's mustache flattened after hearing this, so he stood up, threw the hat and stick away and looked down at Sage.

"The world doesn't understands nor appreciates my inventions, so I will make them!" Eggman replied with a frown. "Is simple, dear. Nothing to write home about."

After saying this, he walked away, and all the badniks positioned back on their places and turned off, but Sage looked concerned at Eggman after hearing that last thing.

"He's doing this because of approval..." Sage realized with wide eyes. "But I thought my approval would be enough..."

"Oh, don't blame yourself for this, sister." Orbot told Sage. "The boss just... He tried for years to get people's attention by the legal way, but they never showed him any appreciation."

"That's why he tried to obtain the power of the Chaos Emeralds for so long, but he never managed to use their power." Cubot added with concern. "His anger and hate is just the result of his frustration for approval. He has done horrible things, he has killed critters while trying to make his badniks, and he even annihilated Sonic's whole family... But it wasn't personal until he started to interfere with his plans."

"The boss only wants a world more advanced in technology, but people refuse to give him that." Orbot explained. "That's why he's so obsessed with the Eggman Empire idea."

After learning all of this, Sage looked back to Eggman, who was now near a computer, as he prepared all the commands for the new badniks.

Now she understood why Eggman wanted to defeat Sonic so badly: It was more than just prove to be better, it was to show he had enough power, it was to feel appreciated, to feel he was worth something... His methods were wrong, true, but he crossed so many lines already that he doesn't seem to care anymore.

Still, she promised to help him fulfill his dream, and she was going to... But she was also going to show him the appreciation he always wanted, no matter how much it would cost her.

However, as she floated towards Eggman and prepared to talk, the alarms of the whole factory started to sound loudly, which startled the doctor, his daughter and his minions. So, Sage teleported to Eggman's side, and her eyes turned digital for a second as she checked on something.

Once she finished, she came back to reality with a frown.

"What's the matter, dear?" Eggman asked her with concern.

"We have intruders!" Sage said with anger, before extending her arm to the screen os Eggman's computer and show him the images.

Knuckles was using his super strength and his electrical powers to smash the door that accessed to te fabric, while Izzy behind him used her magic to blast the badniks trying to attack them and stop them of entering to the building.

Of course, Eggman growled in anger, and one of his eyes twitched. "Those stupid fools! After a whole year of peace, they had to show up RIGHT WHEN I'M STARTING MY WORLD DOMINATION?!" He pulled his mustache in anger.

"Not if we can stop them!" Sage stated, then she snapped her fingers, and after a flashlight, the Egg Beater appeared.

"Ohohoho! I like the way you think, dear!" Eggman said with a grin, before turning to Orbot and Cubot on the ground. "Orbot, Cubot. You two stay in here and watch over the badniks while Sage and I deal with those two!"

"Yes, boss!" Orbot and Cubot both said with salutes.

"Sage: Let's go kick some ass!" Eggman stated to his daughter with a confident grin.

Sage nodded with a smile, then Eggman entered with his Eggmobile on the Egg Beater, and then they both headed towards the factory's entrance to face off Knuckles and Izzy.

Meanwhile outside of said factory, Knuckles was punching the entrance like if his life depended on it.

Behind him, Izzy was blasting all the badniks she could with her horn, as she grunted in anger and panted a bit exhausted, but she wasn't planning on stopping any time soon. After all, if they were being attacked by badniks, it only meant that Eggman was in this fabric.

"This is Knuckles. Anyone copy me?!" Knuckles said on his watch, while he charged another punch to the door.

"Tails here!"

"Amy here!"

"Omega here!"

"Shadow here!"

"We found Eggman! He's here, on the Green Hills' North Factory!" Knuckles informed. "Or any of you also got attacked by badniks on the factories you guys arrived?!"

"No!" Tails was the first one to reply. "Misty, Zipp and I just got to Oil Ocean's factory, but this place is empty!"

"Same here with South Green Hills'!" Amy replied.

"Casino Night Zone's Factory is empty as well." Omega informed.

"Same goes to Station Square's!" Shadow said. "You are being attacked, Knuckles?!"

"Almost!" Knuckles replied. "Izzy is blasting them away with her magic, but she won't last long. We need reinforcements!"

"Hang on, Knux! And you too, Izzy!" Amy shouted. "Pipp and I are the closest ones. We're heading there right now, just hold on a bit longer!"

Just then, Izzy finally blasted away the last couple of badniks, before falling on her knees exhausted, something that Knuckles noticed.

However, before he could go with her and help her to stand up, the doors of the factory were exploded, and Knuckles got sent backwards, landing on his back right besides Izzy, who looked at him with concern and wide eyes, before turning around and then feel panicked.

Eggman, on his Egg Beater, and Sage were right in front of them, both ready to kick them away.

"Well, well, well!" Eggman mocked up with a sinister laugh. "Look what we have here, Sage: A pair of idiots that compensate their failures through anger!"

Knuckles slowly sat down and groaned in pain, also rubbing his butt, while Izzy frowned in anger and made her horn sparkle.

When Knuckles noticed Eggman and Sage as well, he frowned too, and slowly stood up. "Guys... You might all wanna come here... Because Eggman and Sage are up for one hell of a fight..." He informed through his watch.

"What?!" Tails and Amy's voice spoke in concern.

"Hang on there, Knucklehead!" Rouge spoke now. "We're on our way!"

"Just kick their asses while we get there!" Hitch spoke next with concern for his friends.

"Oh, don't worry, Sheriff!" Knuckles replied with a grin, also cracking his knuckles. "I was planning on doing that anyways!"

"Oh, so you guys wanna dance?!" Eggman asked with a laugh, before preparing the Egg beater to fight. "Well, too bad I'm gonna wipe the floor with your bodies!"

"You'll regret having come here!" Sage stated with anger, raising her hand that glowed with the energy of the Phantom Ruby her body was made of.

"Wanna dance with me, Knuckie?" Izzy asked Knuckles with a smirk, but also glaring daggers at the two villains in front.

"Oh, you bet I freaking do, honey!" Knuckles replied with joy, also licking his lips.

And so, Knuckles and Izzy moved towards Eggman and Sage, with the pair of villains doing the same against the echidna and the Unicorn mare.

First off, we have Knuckles vs Eggman: The echidna warrior jumped in the air and slid over the Egg Beater's left raised arm, before aiming his punch against the head of the machine and make a critical punch on the robot's visor, because he cracked it, which hardened Eggman's vision when fighting.

"Ah! I can't see!" Eggman cried out, but he still managed to grab Knuckles with an arm of the machine and launch him against some container near by that belonged to the factory.

On the tother hand, Sage was using her power of creation to make several spikes come out of the ground to try and straight up kill Izzy, but the Unicorn mare had some kind of sixth instinct that warned her about these incoming attacks, so she always managed to dodge them.

At the same time, Izzy charged blasts from her horn to hit Sage, but the young girl always managed to dodge every blast... Except for one that finally hit her face and sent her a bit backwards.

Sage groaned in pain shook her head, feeling a bit dizzy and confused, but then, she touched her right cheek and felt a scar over it. Of course, and since her body is artificial, no blood came out of her, but she still looked down at Izzy with a frown and pure rage.

So, she snapped her fingers and made a much smaller version of the Death Egg robot appear, but this one machine was now being controlled by her, because she planned to destroy the unicorn mare with it.

Of course, Izzy panicked and gulped nervously at the sight of the Death Egg Robot coming out of nowhere, but she still lightened her horn up and positioned to fight, since she knew pretty well that if she doesn't fights back, Eggman and Sage will win, and that's no good.

On the other hand, Knuckles and Eggman kept fighting on a 1v1 battle, but somehow, Eggman had the advantage, even if the crystal of the robot's head was broken and his vision was distorted.

Anytime Knuckles dig on the ground and came out to strike a surprise punch against the machine, Eggman always managed to find out and block the attack, although he did failed the counter attacks because of his blurred vision, but Knuckles wanted to punch him and couldn't do it for some reason.

Soon, Eggman brought out the wrecking ball of the machine and tried to hit Knuckles with it. Of course, Knuckles managed to grab the wrecking ball with his bare hands, but that was a mistake.

When the echidna caught the ball, Eggman raised the right arm where the wrecking ball came from and started to twirl it around in the air, which made Knuckles scream in fear, although he never let go the ball for some reason. And in the end, Eggman smashed him with the ball against a wall.

Knuckles groaned in pain after this happened, and he fell on his face over the floor, while Eggman chuckled and approached him with the machine.

On the other hand, Izzy was jumping over the Death Egg Robot's arms whenever Sage extended them against her, and she slightly ran over them, before jumping over the head of the machine, as well as launch a massive blast against it. She kept doing this for 4 or 5 times more, until she damaged it enough.

Of course, Sage growled in anger once more, and so, she gave the Death Egg Robot laser eyes, as she launched them against Izzy, while the unicorn mare protected herself with a magical shield.

However, when she looked for a second to her side and noticed that Knuckles was in the ground, laying on his chest painfully, and the Egg Beater approached while preparing the wrecking ball to smash the echidna, her eyes widened in panic.

"KNUCKIE!" Izzy shouted in fear, before frowning in rage, the deactivate the shield and launch a massive blast against Sage that sent her and the death Egg Robot backwards, as they both crashed with the wall.

After that, she rushed towards Knuckles, and just when the Egg Beater was moving the wrecking ball to kill Knuckles, Izzy stood in front of him and activated her shield with her magic, protecting both herself and her boyfriend as she did so, while Eggman looked both surprised and confused at her action.

"What the hell?!" Eggman exclaimed, before growling in anger and then grab the wrecking ball with his bare hand, then start to smash down the shield to try and kill them both.

Eggman punched and punched the shield, but even if Izzy was starting to struggle to keep the shield up, she still was willing to fight back and protect her boyfriend, no matter what. He has done so much for her in the past, for her home, now it was her turn to return the favor.

Soon, Sage arrived as well, and even if the Death Egg Robot she was piloting was very damaged, she still could use the extended arms and the finger-spikes it had.

So, she extended both arms at the same time towards Knuckles and Izzy, and now, with both Eggman and Sage trying to destroy the shield, Izzy was having even more trouble to keep it active, but she wasn't going to give up, specially because this was about protecting Knuckles.

Soon, Knuckles started to wake up, and he lifted his head up just in time to notice that Izzy was struggling to keep her shield to protect him from both Sage and Eggman's attacks, which made his eyes open widely.

So, with a bit of effort, Knuckles slowly stood up and pressed a button on his watch, which activated the shield of it and it reinforced Izzy's one. Of course, Izzy felt surprised by this, but when Knuckles placed a hand on her back and smiled at her, she knew that everything was going to be fine and smiled back.

Then, they both looked with frowns at Sage and Eggman, with Eggman now grabbing the wrecking ball with the two arms of the Egg beater, while Sage moved the spikes of the Death Egg Robot faster.

It was clear that both heroes and villains were getting desperate at this point, because the heroes needed so badly to turn the tables around on their favor, but so did the villains, who needed to see both the echidna warrior and the unicorn mare dead in order to win.

However, the Egg Beater was suddenly grabbed from the back and carried in the air, which surprised both Eggman and Sage, as the latter stopped hitting Izzy and Knuckles' shield.

Then, whoever grabbed Eggman and his Egg Beater launched him away towards a wall, then they grabbed the wrecking ball ball and used it to start and twirl the Egg Beater around, which made Eggman scream in fear inside of the machine, before being launched against the factory.

The Egg Beater traverse a wall and entered to the factory, while Sage growled in anger and looked over at the responsible: Tails, who was on his Tornado IV with the robot mode activated, as the young fox prepared to go 1v1 against Sage.

"Is just you and me now, Sage!" Tails said confidently inside of the robot.

Sage growled and launched herself against Tails, who protected himself and the robot with an arm, before pushing Sage backwards and then hit the Death Egg Robot right in the face, followed by the chest.

Meanwhile, as this fight happened, Amy, Pipp, Zipp and Misty arrived with Izzy and Knuckles and helped them to stand up, since none of them could keep their shield on for any longer, but they still were proud of having fought until the very end.

"Took you guys long enough!" Knuckles mocked up with a smirk, although he also coughed a bit.

"Sorry for the delay!" Amy apologized. "Are you guys okay?"

"As okay as we can be..." Izzy replied weakly, also coughing a lot.

Meanwhile, Tails was soloing Sage as he ripped the two extendable arms of the Death Egg Robot, then he ripped off the robot's head, and then shoot at the chest with one of his robot's palms, traversing the enemy robot and making it fall backwards.

At this, Sage growled in anger, before snapping her fingers and fade away, while Tails finished destroying the Death Egg Robot with his laser, even after the robot was damaged enough that it didn't worked anymore.

"Uh... Tails, sweetheart?" Zipp called out with a worried expression. "You can stop now!"

At this call out, Tails finally stopped, but he still made one last punch and turned around, facing deadpans from his friends except for Izzy, who was scratching her head as she tried to feel less dizzy.

"What? I was just making sure it wouldn't stand up!" Tails defended himself.

After this, he turned to the entrance of the factory, and so, he boosted inside, while the rest followed along, with Knuckles grabbing Izzy bridal style and following the rest as well.

Once inside, they reached the hangar where all the badniks were stationed, as well as where Eggman's musical number happened. However, they found the place completely empty, except for the Egg Beater all ruined up and without Eggman or his Eggmobile, meaning he escaped.

"Seems like Sage was just holding Tails back to give Eggman the chance to escape..." Pipp pointed out with concern.

"Did we lost him?!" Misty asked worried.

Soon, Tails scanned through the robot's eyes the whole room, but when he stopped on the computer on a platform above, he quickly ejected from the Robot and landed on the computer.

The machine was at 96% on deleting all the data, pretty much Eggman's doing since he wanted to leave no trials behind, but Tails was fast enough to move the mouse to the cancel button and then press the space bar, cancelling the deleting process and sighing in relief.

"Nope!" Tails replied, and soon, Zipp and Pipp landed behind him, while Knuckles and Amy climbed up, and Misty used her magic to levitate both herself and Izzy over the platform as well. "Eggman tried to delete his data... But I got him!"

After saying this, Tails pulled out a USB driver and putted it on the USB displayer, before quickly downloading all the information from the computer, since it wasn't encrypted when Eggman tried to delete it.

On the other hand, Eggman and Sage moved to Station Square's factory.

There, Eggman closed the door of his little office and started to throw things around, while Sage, Orbot and Cubot waited outside, although Sage cringed and sometimes covered her ears at the sounds of Eggman swearing and hitting stuff hard enough when he threw things around.

"Fear not, sister." Orbot told her to try and calm her down. "The boss gets frustrated anytime something goes against the way he planned it out, but I'm positive that he'll eventually calm down."

"He always does!" Cubot added with a little smile.

"Doesn't changes the fact that I don't like to see him mad..." Sage pointed out with concern.

"None of us like that, sis..." Cubot said. "In fact, I barely remember the last time he was this mad before..."

"Because he's been out on another dimension for almost 2 years and 6 months, Cubot..." Orbot deadpanned.

"Oh... Right..." Cubot realized with a few blinks, before shaking his head. "The point is that the boss gets mad constantly when things doesn't go his way, but he's gonna chill down in a few minutes."

"Or a few hours, if his mind manages to plan something out first!" Cubot pointed out.

"I wish I could do something to help him calm down, but I know he's probably only going to get more upset..." Sage said with concern, also playing nervously with her fingers. "I just don't understand how his plans get compromised like this all the time!"

"Well, Sonic and his friends have experience being a pain in the butt for Dr. Eggman, sis." Cubot pointed out. "But one day, he's gonna be ruler of the world! His only stress is gonna be rule over everyone, and his frustrations might never come back!"

"I like to be optimist, but even I know that's just being delusional, Cubot." Orbot deadpanned again.

"Maybe he only needs someone to tell him that everything's gonna be fine, even if he fails..." Sage muttered to herself. "What if that's the key to calm him down? Just tell him that everything will work out in the end, no matter how many times he fails?"

"Because I've tried before, dear..." Eggman's voice spoke suddenly, and the siblings got startled after seeing that Eggman came out of his office. "I know things are gonna be fine in the end... But my mind keeps playing with myself and tells me that I won't succeed... My anger drives me insane most of the time, that's why I react the way I do... But I start to see things clear now!"

Seeing that he was grinning, Sage felt a bit relieved and smiled. "You do?!" She asked in excitement.

"I need to make myself more powerful... And to do that, we must collect the shards of the now destroyed Paradox Prism!" Eggman stated confidently, as he made appear an hologram of the full Paradox Prism.

Sage raised an eyebrow and tilted her head confused, while Orbot and Cubot looked at each other and shrugged.

"What's that?" Cubot decided to ask.

"A Prism that allows me to travel across the multiverse!" Eggman declared confidently with a smile. "Sonic destroyed it after ruining my plans last year, but considering he didn't show up today and instead sent his pitiful friends, we have free passage to follow Opaline and steal the Paradox Prism from her!"

"Opaline?" Sage questioned. "But I thought she disappeared a month before we choose to come back to Mobius."

"Oh, she did... And I know precisely why!"

After saying this, Eggman showed now a holographic screen that showed Opaline getting the first red shard of the Paradox Prism and attaching it to her right foreleg's bracelet, then opening a red portal and disappearing, while the image showed static, meaning the video had no more footage.

"It seems our old pal Opaline has been quite busy the past year traveling across the multiverse!" Eggman stated with a grin. "Doing what? I don't care! What does concern us is that she has a fragment of the Prism, or maybe more at this point. We must obtain one ourselves if we want to travel into other worlds as well!"

"So Opaline is traveling across the multiverse again..." Sage muttered with concern. "But why do you want to do the same, father?"

"There's more magic across the multiverse! Eggman stated with a grin. "That means that we can take some for ourselves, and then create the definitive army of badniks to fight against those stupid, pathetic little rodents and stinky ponies!"

Author's Note

It took me 10 books to use Green Hills... Better later than never!

The only honorable mention today from another universe is Ivo's dimension, which is the Sonic Boom TV Show, just like Boom Sonic in the previous chapter.

I like the idea of Orbot and Cubot being these wiser(?) and older brothers for Sage that know a lot about Eggman and why he is the way he is, so when she gets concerned for him, they just tell her that he's always like that and will eventually get his feet back on the ground.

Now, you're gonna hate me for this, but this is the last thing we'll see from Eggman, Sage, Orbot and Cubot until Part 2, because I'm cooking something with these three characters. I promise that their absence will be worth it.

Anyways. Next episode: Sonic and Sunny questions Secret Society's real intentions. See ya! :twilightsmile:

6. Canon Events

Universe 090516

Opaline was starting to wonder why she never thought about looking for the Paradox Prism before.

Maybe it was because she didn't believed that the multiverse even existed at first. After all, the idea of alternate realities where she existed was so crazy that she could never take it seriously...

Now? She regrets with her soul never going out to find the Prism. She read about its existence thousands of times when she was a filly, but back then she was focused on destroying either Celestia's or Twilight's legacy to the point she never really tried to look after it because she believed it didn't even existed.

But here she is now: On a universe where Twilight and a strange earth pony with clothes and a giant key named Sora were trying to fight her, but of course, and thanks to her new power, they were loosing.

"Ugh... This is starting to become boring and pitiful..." Opaline deadpanned, before levitating both Twilight and Sora to her face, as the two ponies tried to get free from her magic.

"I-I don't know who are you supposed to be, but you won't win this!" Twilight said with a frown, trying to make her own horn light up, but it faded away thanks to Opaline's magic cancelling her magic.

"Your heart must be filled with darkness, but we can fix you!" Sora said as well, as he still held the giant key on his mouth.

Opaline rolled her eyes annoyed, before she frowned, then her eyes turned fully white, and then she opened her mouth, as she absorbed Twilight and Sora's magic, which made the two of them scream in panic, until their Cutie Marks disappeared and they lost their magic entirely.

With this, Opaline let them fall on the ground, with Sora's key shining and then disappearing, while Twilight tried to stand up, but felt too weak to do so.

"Ugh..." Opaline groaned again. "Why are all the Twilights and her friends across the multiverse so stubborn and can't accept defeat for once? I literally can cancel levitation spells!"

"Y-You... A-Aren't defeating us... W-Whoever you are..." Twilight said weakly, as she tired to stand up, but then fell on the ground again.

"And you're still stubborn..." Opaline deadpanned, even rolling her eyes annoyed.

After that, she approached to Sora and levitated him for a second, before taking out of one of his pockets a small blue shard of the Paradox Prism.

It seems that Sora and Twilight were exploring a zone near Ponyville, when Sora suddenly found this shard. Then, as the two ponies were walking across a green field, not so far from Sweet Apple Acres, Opaline suddenly attacked, starting a fight with them that, as you already saw, the Fire Alicorn won.

Now, Opaline grinned at the sight of the blue shard, and she attached it to her left hind leg's bracelet, sending a blue shockwave through her body, while her eyes glowed in bright blue, and her horn and wings lightened up in blue fire.

"Oh, now we're talking!" Opaline grinned happily, as she looked at her lightened up wings, before flapping them and then open a blue portal that took her out of this universe, leaving behind Twilight and Sora completely weakened... This apparently made the whole universe start to glitch out.

As Opaline exited this universe, she turned around and felt surprised.

Just like Universe 240123, the universe she just left started to glitch out entirely, like if it was collapsing for some reason, although she really didn't cared.

"What the hell is happening?" Opaline questioned to herself, but just when she decided to shrug it and keep moving, she suddenly disappeared.

As she did so, a generally golden boat with grey surface and a captain' cabin appeared floating in the middle of nowhere, while being piloted by Chip, who looked with a frown at the place where Opaline was standing over a few seconds ago.

"That should slow her down for now, but I don't know for how long..." Chip muttered with concern. "SONIC!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Universe 030212

On the other hand, Opaline screamed as she suddenly landed on her face on the floor.

She groaned in pain after doing so, before slowly standing up and shaking her head, looking around at her surroundings. She was now on a City, if the massive buildings and ponies passing by were something to go from.

"What the heck?" Opaline said, as she looked confused around. "Where am I? How did I ended up here?!"

Suddenly, in the middle of her confusion, a figure appeared in the ceiling of a building, and some ponies around gasped.

So, Opaline looked on the same direction, just to see an Earth Pony disguised as Spider-Man, or rather, Spider-Mane, as he launched himself from the ceiling, before launching a spider web out of his web-shooter and then start to swing around and across the city.

Ponies around seemed to be cheering, but Opaline deadpanned at the sight. "Ponies really get impressed with the stupidest things now days..."

After saying that, she opened a green portal and then flew through it.

Opaline returned to the realm that connects all the universes again.

However, thanks to all the magic she has absorbed, as well as to the power of the Paradox Prism, she protected herself by creating a shield around her that vibrated, because it just cancelled an incoming attack.

Opaline frowned, and soon, she started to look around to look after the source of whatever or whoever tried to attack her, until she spotted a floating ship not so far from some floating purple crystals, and her frown intensified, because she teleported out of her place.

Then, she suddenly appeared behind the creature over the boat and surrounded them with their magic, but when she turned them around and faced them, her eyes widened, and she gasped in disbelief.

"Celestia?!" Opaline asked with surprise.

"W-What?" 'Celestia' asked confused.

"What in your name is going on? What kind of mental game is this?!" Opaline asked with anger.

"I-I have no specific form nor name! I-I just guard over every reality!" Celestia replied a bit painfully. "Y-Your mind just creates a form you can feel familiar with!"

Opaline's eyes widened. "So you're the guardian of every single reality..." She muttered, before looking at Celestia in anger. "And where have you been the past year that I've been moving from one world to another?!"

"Waiting for our first encounter to do this!" Celestia replied with a smirk, before lightening up her horn.

With this, Celestia and the boat disappeared, which surprised and confused Opaline, as she looked around confused, before realizing with a frown that she escaped... And then, Opaline got hit on her back hardly, because she was sent flying backwards by Celestia.

Opaline growled in anger and turned around, before charging a fire blast and then launch it against Celestia, who received the attack and didn't got harmed by it.

"What?!" Opaline shouted with wide eyes.

"I am the guardian of the multiverse!" Celestia informed with open wings. "Your power is just a fraction of what I'm capable of! So come on, Arcana! Hit me with all your might! The result will be the same!"

Growling in anger, Opaline charged up her horn again and then shot against Celestia, while Celestia received the impact again and then dive towards the Fire Alicorn, with the latter doing the same, as they both let out warrior cries, and their blasts crashed against each other.

However, that was just a distraction, because when Celestia realized, Opaline was gone.

She looked around anxiously, to all the universes around, but she realized that she wasn't there anymore.

However, she did noticed that other universe was collapsing, Universe 200312, and that Opaline quickly came out of it, now having another green Shard of the Paradox Prism on her left foreleg's bracelet.

"No..." Celestia muttered, before flying at top speed towards Opaline. "NO!"

But this was a mistake, because Opaline created a bubble that surrounded Celestia, and Celestia bumped into the bubble itself. She lightened her horn un and tried to blast the bubble, but this did nothing, because the bubble remained intact, and that made her eyes widen in panic.

"You'll be trapped here for quite a while, Celestia! Or whatever you are." Opaline said with a grin. "And soon? The multiverse you're so desperate to protect will belong to ME!" She added, as her wings and horn lightened up in a rainbow fire.

Then, she let out her typical maniac laugh, before flying away to the next universe.

Celestia screamed to Opaline and tried to make her come back, but Opaline already entered to another universe, which made Celestia get desperate and start to blast the bubble even more, but it was doing nothing, because the bubble still remained intact.

So, breathing heavily in despair, Celestia let out a massive and desperate scream of agony, because now the whole multiverse was in more danger than ever.

Universe 250954

"Where's the guy that was so freaked out at the idea of a relationship last year?!" Sonic asked confused.

"Well, spending time in your world opened my eyes, you know?" Boom Sonic replied with a smile, as he placed Aurora on the kangaroo on his chest.

"If you three are done talking, can I please start Sonic and Sunny's final test to join our Society?" Future Sonic asked with anger, also glaring daggers at Boom Sonic.

"Ugh, there he goes again..." Boom Sonic rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Dude, you're the only Sonic who isn't funny here! We're supposed to be funny!"

Boom Sonic looked down at Aurora, who simply kept giggling loudly, and soon, Boom swallowed hard and nervously. "No... it's not necessary... Sorry, Boss..."

"Oh boy.../This is gonna be good." Sunset and Buffon muttered in unison, while Boom turned around and whistled innocently.

"Sonic..." Future Sonic called out, and both Sonic and Sunny looked at him. "You disrupted a Canon Event."

"Canon Event?" Sunny questioned confused, while Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Can someone please tell us what the hell is a Canon Event already?!" Sonic begged.

"FS, the kid wasn't thinking!" Boom Sonic spoke with concern, trying to stand up for his friends. "He doesn't know how it works! Neither does Sunny!"

"That's insulting..." Sunny deadpanned.

"And why are you so mad with us?" Sonic asked FS with a raised eyebrow and a frown. "We saved those ponies! Even the pegasus one that almost died saving a filly!"

"And that last thing is the problem." Future Sonic replied, as he got down of the platform and slowly walked towards Sonic and Sunny.

After saying this, Sonic frowned, although more confused than mad, while Sunny straight up frowned in anger.

"What do you mean?" Sunny asked.

"Nicole, do the thing." Future Sonic informed.

Soon, Nicole 'woke up' and appeared small sized near his shoulder. "Huh? What thing?" She questioned confused, before adjusting her hair and then sit up in the air.

Future Sonic deadpanned at her after she asked that. "What... What do you mean what thing? The information explaining thing!"

"Okay!" Nicole replied with a smile, before extending her hands on the air.

After she did this, the entire environment disappeared, and soon, the whole place turned dark, except for a tiny little light that slowly descended towards the ground, which showed that only the Mobians and Equestrians in the room remained.

"Whoa..." Sunny exclaimed amazed at the little light.

"What's this?" Sonic questioned.

"This... is everything." Future Sonic replied.

As he did so, the light finally reached and touched the ground. As it did this, it left a heptagon on the floor for a moment, before a line came out of it and turned into a curve. As said curve growed, more curves came out if it, and then more curves came out of said curves, and so on.

These lines growed to a point that they started to surround everyone in the room, and what seemed confusing at first for Sonic finally ring a bell, although Sunny still felt confused.

"Uh, can you be more specific? I'm kind of lost here..." Sunny requested.

"Can you not talk for a second?" Future Sonic replied with a mocking smirk.

Sunny deadpanned after hearing this and buffed. "Party pooper..."

"What you guys see here... is all of us," Future Sonic explained, as more and more white lines kept appearing around them, while both Sonic and Sunny looked around and felt amazed by the sight. "Existence itself, melted together in a complex set of waves that travel on their own space and time continuity..."

"The multiverse..." Sonic said, as he kept looking at all the lines around, because this is exactly how the multiverse looked when he access that reality that allows him to go to any universe he wants.

"Precisely." Future Sonic replied with a nod.

Soon, Sunny decided to touch one of the lines in front of her out of curiosity, and that caused an heptagon to form, showing 7 separate slices of the same event but in different universes. In this case? Sunny's first time meeting Izzy when she arrived to Maretime Bay.

"Uh... What is this?" Sunny asked.

"That is the Canon." Future Sonic replied. "Chapters that are part of every Sunny's story, everytime."

Seeing this, Sonic choose to touch one of the lines as well, and this one also showed 7 slices of the same event in different universes. This one was Sonic's first encounter ever with Dr. Eggman.

Soon, Sunny felt curious again, so she touched another line, and the 7 slices of the same event but in different universes appeared again inside an heptagon. This time, it showed how Sunny's first encounter with Opaline also varied in every universe.

"Some good... Some bad..." Future Sonic explained, before looking on a certain direction with a concerned frown. "Some very bad..."

After saying this, he made the lines lower a bit, and soon, right in front of both Sonic and Sunny, a hologram of a Sonic variant showed him in front of a big tragedy that marked him... All the variants that moved ahead in a row always showed the death of his mentor figure, and the last hologram was Sonic standing over the rubble of the burned town where Longclaw died.

"Longclaw..." Sonic muttered with concern at the sight, and Sunny placed a hoof on his arm for comfort.

However, Future Sonic didn't stopped there and also showed another Canon Event to the two friends, as they turned to see where FS was looking.

This new hologram was from a Sunny variant, standing at the side of a hospital bed while holding one of her father's hooves. This row also extended to many more variants of Sunny living the exact same, until we see our Sunny looking again at herself saying goodbye to her had before he passed away.

"My little Sunny-Bunny... You must bring Equestria back to its glory, okay?" Argyle told Sunny on the hologram, while the hologram Sunny teared up.

"Oh my gosh..." Sunny muttered with shock and wide eyes, also covering her mouth with a hoof, while her ears lowered in sadness, and Sonic placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort as well.

Soon, Future Sonic approached to a line and touched it, showing an event in a comic style. "This one..." He called out, and both Sonic and Sunny turned to see him and the image. "Event STH-09. The closest and bestest friend to Sonic the Hedgehog dies during a fight against a world-threatening menace."

The Comic 'panels' showed Sonic and Tails both fighting against Eggman as usual, but on a desperate attempt to make things go on his favor, Eggman shoot at Tails on his chest and killed him. Sonic soon trashed down Eggman's machine and rushed to Tails, hugging him and crying over his death body.

Then, an hologram of that very scene projected in front of the heptagon with the image of Sonic hugging Tails' death body.

"Little buddy... I'm so sorry..." The Sonic in the projection apologized, hugging him tightly and crying over him.

Sonic was petrified after seeing this, specially because he went through the fear of almost loosing Tails on his first New Year in Equestria, while Sunny covered her mouth with both hooves and felt her eyes tearing up, because just like Sonic, Tails was a little brother to her, and she just witnessed his death...

Yes, it was his death in another universe, but still his death.

"But us, the Sonics, are not the only ones that have lived this pain..." Future Sonic revealed.

After saying this, Sunset sighed, since those words were some kind of sign. So, she walked over to one of the lines and touched it with her hoof. This made another Heptagon appear, but this one showed Sunset's arrival to Modern Equestria, and the painful realization that Twilight, as well as her friends and family from Equestria, were long gone before her return.

Sonic and Sunny noticed this and felt bad for her, specially Sonic, since he already discovered that back in the Abandoned Canterlot of his universe.

And then, when Sunny gasped, Sonic turned to her and the direction she was looking, just to feel terrified again: Two long rows of holograms about the same Canon Event but in different universes were shown again, for both Mobians that lost a best friend, and Equestrians that did the same.

However, the one image Sunny was looking at was the hologram of a Sunny variant, hugging and crying over the death corpse of her best friend... Or her current lover: Hitch.

Just like Sonic was petrified with Tails being dead, now Sunny felt that way, because this wasn't supposed to happen: She didn't wanted to believe that Hitch had to die, that it was inevitable... It couldn't be real. It just couldn't, she refused to believe that it was.

Sonic, on the other hand, was completely scared at the thought, but when he saw a specific hologram that Boom Sonic was staring, Boom turned around to not look at it.

This hologram showed Boom himself, crying over the death corpse of Sticks, and Sonic looked up at Boom, who kissed Aurora's head. Sonic then understood what happened: In those two years that Boom Sonic was on his world, Sticks died on his arms at some point... now she's gone.

"That happened to you, didn't it?" Sonic asked to Boom Sonic, who limited himself to let out a sigh.

"And to me..." Twilight spoke, and when Sonic turned to see her, Twilight was facing an hologram that showed Spike's death corpse, because he died on her universe.

Both Sonic and Sunny couldn't believe this, then they both looked at Buffon, who was looking at the ground with concern, but as soon as he noticed Sonic and Sunny's eyes over him, he tried to shift back to his careless attitude.

"Yeah. What about it?" Buffon said, but both Sonic and Sunny could tell on his sad eyes that it hurt him when he also lost his best friend back on his world.

So, Sonic quickly looked through the holograms to see if he could find Buffon's Canon Event, and when he did so, it was precisely what he feared: It was Tails' death corpse again, and Buffon was crying over him... Just like every single other Sonic in that row.

"That's how the story is... supposed to go." Future Sonic spoke, and both Sonic and Sunny turned to see him. "Canon Events are the connections that bind our lives together."

As he explained this, the others were watching at some of their Canon Events.

Buffon was looking at that time he fought Robotnik for the last time before he was transported to Equestria in his universe... He unconsciously smiled at the sight, because he never felt so satisfied with a battle's result the same way he felt when Robotnik and his nightmare-ish city were gone.

Twilight was watching the time she fought Lord Tirek with her magic, Celestia's, Luna's and Cadance's combined, which allowed her to be at the same ground that Tirek when they fought each other.

Boom Sonic was looking at his wedding day with Amy again. Tails, Knuckles and even Sticks were there when they promised to be there for each other until they died, and even Eggman went to the wedding as a guest, although he still had to return to his cell after the ceremony was over.

Still, it was a really good memory for Boom Sonic, and even if Sticks was gone now, he wouldn't change that feeling of happiness he has now that he's married and has Aurora for anything.

Finally, Sunset was looking at the exact moment that Sunset was lifted off the ground when Magic was restored to Equestria and it transformed her into an Alicorn like Sunny, regaining her youth again and even gaining new magical strength thanks to the magic being restored.

Of course, and just like Boom Sonic, Sunset smiled at the sight, because those were simpler times were her only concern was to look after her new pony friends in Modern Equestria...

Not like now that she has to look after the whole multiverse, even if she wasn't doing it alone.

"But those connections can be broken..." Future Sonic explained to Sonic and Sunny with a concerned frown. "That's why... Anomalies are so dangerous."

As he explained this, the other were now looking at Sonic and only Sonic; Twilight and Buffon with neutral expressions, and Sunset and Boom with concern and guilt, but neither Sonic or Sunny noticed their looks because they kept staring at Canon Events from across the multiverse.

However, when Future Sonic mentioned the anomalies, they both looked at him with concern.

"Surprise's death was a Canon Event... Firefly's Canon Event." Future Sonic revealed with concern.

After saying this, an hologram of what happened at Universe 271213 showed up, replaying the events of the bridge collapsing and ponies running away from the falling building, while Surprise was running towards that filly to protect her.

"You weren't supposed to save her... And you weren't supposed to do anything." Future Sonic told only to Sonic, while Sonic himself looked at the hologram of Surprise saving that filly with concern. "That's why Sunset tried to stop you."

Now, the hologram changed and showed Sunset trying to stop Sonic from going and save Surprise and that filly.

"Sonic, wait!" Sunset's voice spoke on the hologram, while both Sonic and Sunny turned to see Sunset with slight frowns.

"I thought you were trying to save me..." Sonic said with concern and slight anger, while the hologram behind him showed him getting free from Sunset's grip.

"...I was..." Sunset replied, giving them her back and not daring to look at them into their eyes. "...I was doing both..." She added, now looking at them over her shoulder.

Sonic frowned even more after hearing this. He literally told her that he couldn't consider himself a good friend if he ever lied to a friend... And that's what Sunset did right now: She lied to him, and she told him she just wanted to save him from killing himself...

In reality, she tried to let an innocent pony die just because 'it was a Canon Event'... How stupid and selfish that had to be? He didn't even wanted to know.

"And now, Sonic..." Future Sonic spoke, as both Sonic and Sunny turned to him, while Future Sonic made the hologram change again and show how Sonic saved Surprise and that filly from dying. "Because you changed the story, Firefly's entire universe is unravelling."

Now, Future Sonic showed the team that was dealing with the glitch on Firefly's universe, while also showing the glitching rubble and ocean on the floor.

"If we're lucky... We can stop it..." Future Sonic said, while both Sonic and Sunny looked down with concern at the glitching spots. "We haven't always been lucky."

"But I don't get it..." Sunny said with concern, before turning to see FS with a frown. "How's saving an innocent soul so disturbing that it make an entire universe unravel?! That makes no sense!"

"Is what happens when you brake the Canon..." Future Sonic replied with a guilty expression and look, as he slowly walked to Sunny and Sonic with his hands on his hips.

"How do you know?" Sonic asked with a concerned frown and a raised eyebrow.

"Because I broke it once myself..." Future Sonic confessed, still with a guilty expression.

Sonic and Sunny's eyes widened after hearing this, and they looked at each other for a moment while gulping, before nodding to each other and then look back at FS.

"What happened?" Sunny decided to be the one asking.

Future Sonic sighed and started to narrate what happened. "I found a world, where I had a family... where I was happy..."

Future Sonic was looking at another version of himself.

This one particular, however, looked exactly like him, even with the eyepatch and everything. This Sonic was happily hugging his daughter on her birthday, and even gave her a soccer ball, because she really liked that sport, hence why she was wearing a shirt with number 91 and her name behind.

"At least, that version of me was..." Future Sonic narrated.

Suddenly, we see a transition of that universe where FS was happy.

We see that someone grabbed a bag that wasn't theirs and ran away before he was caught for robbing, and the FS of that universe threw the stuff he just bought to try and stop the thief, but the thief wasn't going to let anyone stop him, so he brought out a gun and pulled the trigger.

"And that version of myself was killed..." Future Sonic narrated.

Now, we see that this world's FS was killed by the thief, and his death body lay on the floor, while he was bathed on a pool of blood.

Future Sonic saw all of this, but then he removed the image, changed his clothes and then opened a portal to that universe, simulating to be the FS that just died.

"So I replaced him" Future Sonic revealed.

Once in this universe, Future Sonic looked around to make sure no one saw him, then he got rid of his other self's body and then walked away to look after 'his' daughter.

We see that Future Sonic is now bonding with 'his' daughter, as they were both enjoying breakfast, while they also smiled at each other.

"I thought it was harmless..." Future Sonic confessed.

Now, we see that Future Sonic is watching more footage of his other self and his daughter.

In the video playing in particular, his daughter removed the ribbon from the soccer ball and placed it playfully on the other FS head, before looking at the camera and pull out her tongue, while Future Sonic laughed joyfully.

Yet, when the image faded away, the current FS was frowning with a depressed look.

"But I was wrong." Future Sonic said with guilt.

Back to reality, Future Sonic showed footage of that same universe, now collapsing.

Many people were running away because of their world starting to slowly fade away and reduce to be nothing, while many members of the Secret Society were doing all they could to save as many as possible.

Suddenly, a lady tripped and fell to the ground, so Boom Sonic came by and tried to help her stand up, but as the lady was about to thank him for doing so, she vanished away, and Boom's eyes widened in fear and panic, while both Sonic and Sunny watched this as well while breathing heavily.

"This is what it looks like when a universe dies..." Future Sonic revealed with concern.

Then, both Sonic and Sunny saw FS running through the hologram while holding his daughter on his arms, as she also glitched out because of her world collapsing, while more people around disappeared.

"Daddy?!" His daughter said with concern, before her glitching got worse and worse. "Dad, no!" She screamed her last words, before she also disappeared entirely, while Future Sonic looked at his empty arms with wide eyes, while also breathing heavily.

"When you suffer it, you hope it will be the last time..." Future Sonic finished his narration with a hurt tone. "Isn't that right, Boom?"

Boom Sonic sighed with concern and nodded his head. "Yeah..." He replied, while Sunset looked at him with worry.

"Brake enough Canon, save more of those best friends..." Future Sonic spoke, while the universe he was showing began to glitch out even more.

Eventually said universe ended up collapsing entirely, while Sonic and Sunny covered themselves with their arms and legs, but when they opened their eyes again, the white lines that represent each universe were surrounding them again.

"And we could loose everything." Future Sonic finished.

After saying this, all the white lines around them started to glitch out, until they eventually started to slowly disappear, one by one, until the only thing that remained in the room again was FS, Boom, Sunset, Twilight, Buffon, and both Sonic and Sunny themselves.

This last thing was just a simulation Nicole showed of what could happen if the multiverse ever collapsed entirely.

"And now? Thanks to the Opaline of your world stealing magic, collecting Paradox Prism's shards, and braking enough Canon... Several universes have collapsed and reduced to be nothing." Future Sonic revealed.

At this, Nicole now showed through holograms actual worlds collapsing and Opaline escaping them while moving to the next world.

"These are images of events that happened two hours ago." Twilight informed with concern. "But our footage arrived just now... That's why we haven't been able to track her location down. She moves way too fast for us... We were hoping you guys would join us to help to track her down."

"That way, we can avoid things like Universe 151222 from happening." Future Sonic added with a slight frown.

"What happened to that world?" Sunny asked.

At this, FS looked at Nicole and nodded, while Nicole showed another hologram, this one simulating said world.

The hologram showed Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge variants fighting against the Eggman of that world, while he was on his Egg Crusher, grabbing a big gem that looked exactly like the Paradox Prism, which surprised both Sonic and Sunny.

"In this universe, this Sonic was reckless and careless..." Future Sonic started to explain, as the hologram showed that Sonic variant charging a Spin Dash against the Paradox Prism. "This Sonic destroyed the Paradox Prism from his world... But unlike yours, were it opened a door in the multiverse and sent you to a new world... This Paradox Prism split into 5 shards and destroyed their entire reality."

Then, the hologram showed precisely that: How that Sonic variant crashed against the Prism and the entire environment disappeared, but the only thing that remained now was that Sonic floating in the middle of nowhere, while his shoes glowed and released some electrical sparkles.

"We think this reality has split into 5 different ones, but we don't know for sure..." Twilight informed as well with concern. "That's why we must stop Opaline, to avoid things like this from happening!"

However, after hearing the whole thing about Canon Events, as well as what happened at Universe 151222, why FS hates it so much and how their friends, and lover in Sunny's case, could die because it had to happen... They both panicked at the thought.

"...Our friends are still alive..." Sonic pointed out with wide eyes and an anxious look.

Sunny slowly looked at him with panic and breathing heavily; Sunset sighed and looked down in concern; Boom Sonic looked down as well and felt bad for them; FS raised an eyebrow; Buffon looked around to analyze everyone's expressions, and Twilight looked at Sonic and Sunny with a serious look.

Suddenly, Sonic's right arm started to glow on the same colors than the Paradox Prism, while his eyes and quills turned on in the same colors as well, and Sonic started to have a massive headache that made him grab his head.

Sunny noticed this and worried for him, but before she could help him out, her Alicorn Form showed, while her eyes glowed in golden light, and she ended up grabbing her head as well while screaming in pain...

They were both having a shared vision.

Opaline was flying in the air, with her horn and wings lightened in rainbow fire.

Below her, a bunch of Mobians and Equestrian corpses lay in between a bunch of rubble, meaning that a big fight against the Fire Alicorn approached, and they were going to loose.

Suddenly, Opaline opened a bunch of portal with her magic and launched objects from all across the multiverse against members of the Secret Society, as everyone tried to dodge the objects, some succeeding, and some failing and dying in the battlefield.

"I will rule over the entire multiverse..." Opaline's voice spoke, although it sounded a bit distorted. "And every critter will kneel to me, AND ADORE ME AS THEIR QUEEN!"

As she said this, she launched a bunch of rubble against the Mane 6, since they were running in the vision, but then, Sparky fell from Hitch's back, so he quickly rushed to try and save him, just for rubble to fall over him and kill him after doing so.

Then, Tails was fighting against a bunch of villains recruited by Opaline and winning, but when he noticed on the corner of his eye that Zipp was getting harm, he quickly flew towards her, and just when a Tirek variant was going to kill her, Tails pushed her away and took the hit, dying in the process.

When the vision ended, Sonic opened his eyes and breathed heavily.

The Prismatic Energy of his body was gone, but he had an anxious look because of what he just saw. At his side, Sunny was breathing heavily as well, while her Alicorn form dissipated, but she felt as anxious as Sonic after learning how are Hitch and Tails going to die.

"...Opaline does it..." Sonic said with panic.

"...She kills them both..." Sunny added anxiously.

FS frowned after hearing this, because Sonic wasn't supposed to find out, although he said nothing.

"...We have to go home..." Sonic said, before frowning and looking at FS. "We have to stop them from getting killed!"

"I can't do that." Future Sonic replied, and Sunset cringed, because she knew what was to come next. "At least not now."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Just let them die?!" Sunny shouted, while also breathing heavily.

FS said nothing, but his expression clearly said he was expecting them to, in fact, let them die.

Sonic stared with disbelief at his other self, while Sunny felt her lips trembling and her ears lowering, not being able to believe that FS was willing to let them die.

Then, Sonic turned to see Sunset with a frown. "And what about you? Your universe's Hitch is still alive, isn't he?!"

Sunset looked back at Sonic with sadness in her eyes. "Yeah..." She replied, resisting the urge to cry.

"And that's it?!" Sunny asked her in anger. "You're just not gonna do anything about it?!"

Sunset only looked down in sadness and shame, not being able to look at Sunny, because even if she was from another universe, she knew perfectly that even her own Sunny would be disappointed on her decision, specially since they considered each other's sister.

"Okay, and what about you? Wouldn't you like to go back in time and save Sticks from dying?" Sonic asked now to Boom Sonic with anger. "It'll be okay if you knew and you just... stood there and do nothing?!"

"If not for our friends' death, most of us wouldn't be here, Sonic..." Boom Sonic replied, also placing a hand on his shoulder, while leading him to see many more deaths of Equestrian and Mobians best friends. "And all the good things we did thanks to that, it wouldn't have been done!"

Sonic looked down to the ground and thought about it... It is true that Longclaw's death marked him forever, but it also lead to him making great stuff he wouldn't had done if she didn't died...

And yet, the idea of letting so manny people die just because an AI was saying that it had to happen was not only stupid, but it was also a massacre. Just letting them die because 'it has to happen'... How twisted and sick were all these people to let it happen? He didn't wanted to know, nor did Sunny.

Suddenly, Sonic let out a snort, before it slowly turned into a laugh that slowly become more and more maniac, as he forced Boom Sonic's hand off his shoulder and looked at everyone around, still laughing maniacally.

"Sunny, can you believe this?" Sonic asked to Sunny, still laughing maniacally and pointing with a thumb at Boom behind him, but Sunny knew Sonic's laugh was from someone who felt hurt and betrayed, and she honestly felt the same way. "This is crazy, isn't it?!"

"What's so funny?" Future Sonic asked with a frown.

"Oh, you know: Sunset said that we were going to join an Elite Team that protects the multiverse!" Sonic replied. "But you know what I see here? A bunch of clowns, playing to be so important with their fancy watches and pretending to be the Guardians of the Galaxy!"

"Hey, man, calm down––" Boom Sonic tried to say, but soon, Sunny chuckled, and he knew that this was only going to get worse if she was joining Sonic.

"You're right, Sonic..." Sunny said. "This isn't a Society, is a stupid circus of maniacs!"

"We're just doing what's the best for everyone––" Future Sonic tried to argue.

"Oh, the best for everyone, huh?" Sonic asked with a maniac smile, before frowning in anger. "So we're just supposed to let people die because some algorithm says that that's supposed to happen?!"

"Oh, whoa!" Nicole said surprised with wide eyes and stepped a bit back, since she appeared right over FS' shoulder, while FS himself frowned at Sonic.

"Are you realizing how messed up it sounds, right?! How stupid my own words are?!" Sonic shouted in rage.

"You have a choice between saving one person, and saving an entire world. Every world!" Future Sonic pointed out.

"The joke is on you, because you're not asking us to let one person die, which is already messed up enough, but you want us to let two of them die!" Sunny pointed out with concern.

"And we can do both!" Sonic added, while Sunny at his side nodded in agreement. "We can save both our friends and the entire multiverse! We've always––"

"Not always..." Boom Sonic cut him off, and both Sonic and Sunny turned to see him with wide eyes and disbelief, while Boom looked at them with a sympathetic look.

"Guys..." Future Sonic called out, while both Sonic and Sunny turned to him with frowns. "We all want to live the life we wish we had... Believe me... I have tried! And the harder I tried, the more damage I did."

Sunny's frown softened a bit after hearing this. After all, she witnessed how that other FS' world was destroyed after the one in front of her broke the Canon... But Sonic remained frowning, and both Sunny and him were still convinced that this was a massacre, for a greater good or not.

At the end of the day, killing is still killing, and they could never see it with good eyes.

"You can't have it all, kids..." Future Sonic pointed out to them.

It was at this point that both Sonic and Sunny noticed something off on their surroundings... and it was that they were surrounded by at least a quarter of the Secret Society's members, both Mobians and Equestrians, all surrounding them both along the four member that were already there.

"Being a hero always demands a sacrifice. That's the job..." Future Sonic explained, while both Sonic and Sunny looked at their surroundings confused, until the looked only at FS with frowns. "That's what you signed up for."

Hearing this, only made Sonic feel his blood boil, while Sunny growled in rage.

"Sonic..." A voice spoke suddenly, and when he turned to his left, along with Sunny, they both saw a big robot that had Tails face.

Soon, the robot's face opened and showed Tails from Universe 060403, looking down at them with concern and also shaking his head, because he already went through a Canon Event: He lost Cosmo, and he was convinced that stopping her from dying was inevitable.

"Tails?" Sunny called out with concern, while Sonic looked around at the Secret Society's member with anger, as his electrical powers started to show off a bit.

"What is this?" Sonic asked enraged. "Is this an intervention or something? You guys are willing to go that far just because an AI told you all that if we don't let them die, then everyone else does as well?!"

Soon, a Sonic variant that seemed like he just came out of a comic panel stepped ahead and looked at Sonic and Sunny with concern. "We know it's hard..." He confessed, even looking at the ground for a second, before looking back at them "But it's the truth, guys."

This Sonic that spoke has gone through a lot of stuff. Just to name one of them: His girlfriend turned into a killer robot because of Eggman, and he unfortunately lost her forever... She was his Canon Event, and even if he would like to go back in time and save her, he won't for the sake of the multiverse.

Sonic and Sunny, however, felt enraged after hearing this. Worse of all, they felt betrayed, because they were promised to join a group for a greater good... To fight and defeat Opaline...

Instead, they arrived with a bunch of maniacs that consider themselves as heroes, but they're as terrible as any villain, because they were willing to let innocents die just because an algorithm said so... It was definitely messed up, and none of them were planing to join this cause.

Soon, Sunny turned to Boom with anger. "Is that why you're here? To let us down easy?!" She asked him enraged, while Boom Sonic looked away from them with shame.

"Sure, worked last time. Why not run it back, huh?" Sonic said with anger. "Your friends from your world said you could be an asshole sometimes, but this goes beyond my expectations..."

"Hey, hold on, hold on!" Boom Sonic said, while Aurora on the baby kangaroo felt a bit scared, because Sonic's powers were showing up even more at this point.

"What about you, Sunset?" Sunny called out this time, but she didn't dared to look at her in the eyes. "You went to recruit us for this? To be part of your homicidal group?"

Sunset felt her heart shattering to pieces after hearing this, while her eyes started to tear up a bit.

"Don't. You. Dare. To cry, Sunset!" Sonic told her, as she approached her and stood in front of her menacingly, and even if Sunset was the same hight than him, she still felt small compared to his angry phase. "I don't care why you even visited us in the first place, but you better never show your face on our universe again, or I won't answer for my actions. Understood?"

Sunset felt anxious after hearing this, but all she did was look away, although that was a good answer for Sonic, because he turned and walked away from her.

"If I knew from the beginning all of this, I would had kicked you out of my universe." Sonic muttered, but Sunset did heard it and panicked again, because she knew he was talking to her.

"Come on, guys, don't make this any more harder than it already is!" Future Sonic begged silently, but both Sonic and Sunny refused to face him. "Hey, kids, look at me––"

"Stop calling us that." Sunny said with anger, as her Alicorn form glitched a bit, while her eyes turned golden for a moment as well.

"There you go." Buffon said with his arms crossed and a proud smirk.

"Buffon, you're not helping!" Twilight scolded him with a whisper, but also frowning.

"Good." Buffon replied, still smirking proudly at Sunny, while Sonic and her smiled slightly at Buffon.

"Guys, please understand––" Boom Sonic tried to plead again.

"You can't ask us not to save our friends!" Sonic said with anger. "That's not what we do! We fight until the very end, no matter if it costs our lives! We just don't stand there and watch everyone die!"

"We focus on what's important!" Twilight pointed out with a slight frown.

"What's important is not standing by while allowing someone to suffer or die because you do nothing!" Sunny shouted back. "I can't believe I admired you... Nor my father..." She added with pure hate, and Twilight's frown disappeared to let in the surprise of hearing that. "Maybe I should had let your legacy stay dead..."

"But you didn't because is the right thing to do!" Sonic stated, nos standing in front of her and facing off Future Sonic with pure hate and anger. "Because that's what we always do! What we think is the right thing to do! And if none of you get that! Well, might as well consider changing your name, because wearing the shoes to be called Sonic is way too big for you, chief."

Everyone else except for Sunny and Buffon was surprised that Sonic raised his voice to the leader. Sunny instead felt as mad as Sonic against this guy, while Buffon couldn't help but feel proud because he finally understood that he didn't needed this Society.

The Society itself, however, was feeling conflicted now. Sonic had a point, and some of the members could see it, but others were still sided with FS, thinking they were just doing what was best for the entire multiverse.

Boom Sonic had no idea in which side to be, since all he wanted was to protect his daughter, while Sunset started to felt conflicted as well, but she also felt concerned for Sonic, because challenging FS was something nobody ever ever dared to do, until Sonic came, that is.

As for FS himself, he was really loosing his patience, since this isn't the outcome he wanted, but he did expected it. After all, he has to confess that a part of him hates this, even if he's willing to keep going.

"Perhaps you're taking this too––" Future Sonic tried to say, extending his arm towards him.

However, Sonic didn't even thought twice and snatched his arm away with brute force, which finally made his eye widen, while everyone else around but Sunny and Buffon gasped in shock and disbelief at his action.

"You're not my boss. You'll never be." Sonic told FS with pure hate and anger. "I would never work for a killer."

That was the last straw of FS' patience, and so, he frowned down at Sonic. "Okay. I tried to be polite, but it seems that you two are not willing to listen."

"And why should we? A killer is telling us to let our friends die." Sunny replied with anger, and FS felt his blood boil whenever they told him he was a killer. "Like Sonic said, you can't ask us not to save our friends!"

"I'm not asking you." Future Sonic replied with a frown.

After saying this, two weird discs slid below Sonic and Sunny respectively, before encaging them in two red cages, as a security measure to ensure they wouldn't save their friends and brake the Canon.

"FS, just give them a second!" Boom Sonic begged, as he walked towards FS, while both Sonic and Sunny felt confused on why they were trapped now.

"Great impression, boss." Buffon said sarcastically with an eye roll, while Sonic started to punch the cage, trying to get out.

"No!" Sunset exclaimed, as she tried to punch Sunny's cage, while Sunny herself hit it as well. "Chief, stop this!"

Now with both Boom and Sunset over him, FS felt a bit overwhelmed, but as the leader, he had to make the hardest decisions, even if not everyone was going to like them all the time.

"We let them leave, they'll only do more damage, you both know that!" Future Sonic pointed out, as he tried to resonate with Boom and Sunset.

"Chief, that's enough!" Sunset said with anger.

Suddenly, Buffon managed to turn around and look at Sonic. "Hey, Blue Blur." He called out, showing his palms to him, while also looking at his side to make sure FS won't notice.

When Sonic saw Buffon doing this, his eyes widened...

"A piece of advice: Use the palms, not just the fingers."

Remembering his words made him look at his hands, and the at the cage. He finally had an idea: He needed to absorb the cage's energy and release it against the cage itself.

Meanwhile, Future Sonic sighed, the turned around and started to walk away, not willing to negotiate anything regarding Sonic nor Sunny's freedom.

"We just need to hold you two a few days! At least until your Canon Events have happened..." Future Sonic said with concern, still walking away. "Sorry it had to end like this, kids..."

Now this was Sonic's last straw for his patience, because he was tired to be called that way by FS and Boom Sonic.

Neither Sunny nor him nor were kids anymore, and he's gonna prove it.

"In case you are as deaf as you are one-eyed, old man, Sunny said..." Sonic started with anger, placing his palms on the cage and absorbing its energy. "Not to call us that!"

After this, he released the energy he absorbed against the cage, which caused a little explosion that sent the Secret Society's members backwards...

Author's Note

Well, Opaline is truly becoming a villain in this story, isn't she?

In today's chapter, the universes that Opaline attacked to obtain those fragments from the Paradox Prism are this story by Codex92, and this one-shot by zaptiftun, while the universe she was suddenly sent by Chip is from this story by Maximus_Reborn.

When it comes to the Canon Events, well, there's no FIMFiction nor Wattpad story (that I know about) where Tails dies, so instead I based the scene in this comic dub's ending, where Tails dies in Sonic's hands and he cries, even though the context in that comic is different than the one given in this chapter but, again, it was inspiration.

The FS that died is, just like the current FS, a made-up character for this story, but also inspired by his design in Sonic and the Tales of Deception. The Sonic FS was talking about that destroyed his reality is, in fact, Sonic from Sonic Prime, and the Tails that showed up is the same Tails from Sonic X, a month or two after Cosmo died.

Finally, the Sonic that approached and told Sunny and Sonic is none other than Archie Sonic from the Sonic the Hedgehog: Archie Comic Series. I decided to give him the same spotlight than Spectacular Spider-Man had in ATSV because he's not relevant to the story, just a fun little cameo.

I honestly think that switching a police officer close to the main characters for their straight up best friend was the right call. I mean, even if they're a couple now, Hitch is still Sunny's best friend, and Tails is a little brother for Sonic. They cannot loose them, and hopefully they won't.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and next episode things will calm down a bit, because we're moving back to Universe 220822 to see how are the others doing! See ya! :twilightsmile:

7. A World of Talking Animals

Universe 220815

Let's see if this story feel familiar to you:

A billionaire genius decides to create an AI whose purpose is to protect the world from destruction. However, said AI becomes aware of itself and analyzes the human race, getting completely confused between what is good and what is bad, to the point where it begins to deeply hate humans, so it decides that in order to save the world from destruction, humanity must be completely eradicated.

So far so good, right? Excellent!

Now, imagine that same AI fails its mission, but then ends up transported to a world full of magically colored ponies that aren't that different from humans, and now it also hates said ponies and plans to destroy them just like it wanted to with the humans.

After this happens, both a group of humans with super abilities and a group of ponies join forces to fight against this AI and prevent both ponykind and humankind from being eradicated from existence as it is known.

Well, all I just told you is precisely how things work around in this universe... Or at least they used to, because now this universe was set on fire, and both the human and pony groups, known as the Avengers and the Mane 6 respectively, lay in the ground, completely weakened out.

This happened because Opaline, once again, arrived at good timing, destroying the AI program, named Ultron, with a single blast and spell, not even sweating.

However, she also had to make sure that neither the Avengers nor the Mane 6 were going to step into her plans and ruin it all, like usual, so she made a massive barrier of fire around them, slowly approaching to the two groups.

"To think that Celestia wanted to put her kingdom in the hooves of a... nopony like you, Sparkle..." Opaline told Twilight coldly. "If a part of your silly being is telling you that you can change my mind, then step down that plan: I have come way too far to stop now!"

After that, she spread her wings and floated in the air, while Twilight tried to light her horn up and fight back with her.

However, Opaline lightened her horn as well, and so, the fire barrier suddenly closed over the two groups, slowly killing them both as their skins burned, while they screamed in agony and pain, also begging to anyone for help.

Opaline grinned sinisterly and satisfied with this result, before noticing ahead her next pray.

The Starlight Glimmer's variant of this universe was running as fast as her hooves allowed her to, as she levitated a blue shard from the Paradox Prism, precisely what Opaline came for.

So, Opaline simply teleported right in front of Starlight, while the unicorn mare bumped into her and fell to the ground, before shaking her head and look around confused, until she looked upwards and panicked at the sight of Opaline, who looked down at her with anger.

Still, Starlight stood up and tried to fight back, but before she could speak or light her horn up, Opaline lightened her own horn and burned her whole body down, only leaving her skull behind.

Soon, Starlight's skull fell to the ground, while Opaline grinned and levitated the Blue shard, attaching it to her left hind leg's bracelet and having the same process as usual: Lightened up horn and wings in fire, as well as the blue shockwave sent through her body and the blue glowing eyes.

"Ah!" Opaline sighed happily. "Nothing like a few kills and a boost of power to start the morning!"

After saying this, she flew up in the air, but instead of preparing to shot at the sky and open another portal to move out into the next universe, she looked down at her mess for a second:

Ponies running away from the fire, screaming in fear and panic, crying because of being afraid or because they were either seeing or holding the death body or bodies of ponies they used to know or even were close friends with, and she even witnessed some ponies dying in the fire.

Opaline grinned from ear to ear after seeing this. After all, she lived for this: For the pain she causes, for the destruction she produces... Is her core reason to live, the whole meaning behind taking Twilight's place as ruler.

She didn't gave a damn if she was doing something morally correct or not, she simply wanted to burn it all and then stand over the ashes, showing that she's superior, that adoring and serving her is the right way, that her destiny is to rule, and she won't allow anyone to take that from her.

"Sunny Starscout and Sonic the Hedgehog might believe that they can stop me, huh?" Opaline muttered to herself with a sinister grin. "Might as well prove them wrong!"

After that, she finally opened another portal and left, while this universe started to glitch as well, meaning that it would eventually collapse.

Universe 220822

After exiting Eggman's factory in North Green Hills, the group split up.

While Tails, Misty and the Royal Sisters went with him to his workshop, Knuckles went with Hitch, Izzy and Sparky towards Angel Island, mainly because Knuckles wanted to see that the Master Emerald was still on its place.

Fortunately, as he approached to Angel Island over the Tornado IV while piloting it, both him, Hitch and Izzy could see the floating island in the distance, meaning that the Master Emerald didn't go anywhere, and that Rouge didn't lied when she said she left it intact after he disappeared with Tails.

Oh! Right! Team Dark. Well, they decided to go and report to G.U.N. about their two year absence. They should be fine... I mean, they'll probably just loose their jobs, but other than that, they should be fine.

As for Amy, she willingly choose to stay at the other side of the portal back in Equestria and watch over it, just in case it closed again. Besides, Tails already explained her how it works, so she should be fine as well.

Back with Knuckles, Izzy and Hitch, the trio landed nearby the Altar of Emerald, also known as the Shrine of the Master Emerald. This place is named like this because this is precisely where the Master Emerald rests and uses its power to make the entire island float.

As Knuckles landed in the ground, he smelled the air and the exhaled happily. "Home, sweet home!" He exclaimed, before walking towards the pillar where the Master Emerald rested.

"Whoa!" Izzy exclaimed, as she landed on the ground as well, with Hitch landing on her back and also feeling amazed by the sight.

After all, even if the altar was rusty and destroyed, it still seemed impressive.

"I've never seen structures like these before..." Hitch muttered amazed.

"Oh, but I have!" Izzy said cheerfully with a smile. "In that sandy place where we saw those giant robots with teeth! Many of the structures looked similar like this one, specially with the type of stone they had!"

Hitch looked closely at the pillars, and he had to admit that they definitely resembled those houses he saw on Kronos Island with Sonic and Sunny.

"Yeah... Now that you mention it, I remember seeing structures like this one on Kronos Island" Hitch confessed. "This proves that the Ancients definitely moved to this world after The End almost wiped them out."

"It also brings a bigger historic value... Makes me even prouder of call this place my home." Knuckles stated with a smile.

After that, he started to climb the stairs that lead to the top of the Altar, while Hitch and Izzy looked at him confused, before looking at each other confused, then shrug, and then follow Knuckles upstairs.

"Knux?" Hitch called out. "Why are we here, exactly?"

"Yeah! I thought you said you were going to show us all the beauty around the island!" Izzy pointed out.

"And I will!" Knuckles reassure, stopping in the middle of the stairs to see Hitch and Izzy with a smile. "But first, I need to make sure this Island's biggest treasure is still were it belongs."

After saying this, he resumed his walk, while Izzy and Hitch felt confused, but they still followed him upstairs.

However, as they finally reached the top, the two ponies' and baby dragon's jaws dropped: A massive and green, brilliant cut jewel was resting over the Altar, glowing brightly and showing off all its majesty, which clearly made Izzy and Hitch understand now why Rouge always wanted to steal it, while Sparky licked his lips and babbled hungrily at the sight of the Emerald.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" Knuckles said with pride, since he noticed his friend and girlfriend's reactions.

"Beautiful? Beautiful?!" Izzy asked with wide eyes. "This is the most amazing, mind-blowing, fantastic and prettiest gem I'd ever lay my eyes on!"

"No wonder why Rouge always tries to take it away... Is a really beautiful gem, Knuckles!" Hitch complimented with a smile.

"Indeed." Knuckles nodded in agreement, then he approached to a small computer that was near one of the pillars. "Now, let's see if that password that Tails gave me really works..."

After saying this, Knuckles introduced the code '02021994' in the computer, and the screen glowed in green. Then, an invisible barrier that was around the Altar deactivated and granted access to the three of them.

"There we go!" Knuckles said with a smirk. "Tails installed this security measure before we left to look after Sonic in Equestria, just in case some bat tried to come and steal the Emerald. Or in case anyone wanted to steal its power, both work anyways."

"Holy moly macaroni and cheese!" Izzy exclaimed. "What else are you trying to hide from us, Knuckie~?"

"Nothing!" Knuckles replied with a smirk, before approaching to the Master Emerald.

Soon, the echidna placed a hand over the gem and closed his eyes. This made the entire environment disappear for a second, and soon, it felt like only Knuckles and the Master Emerald were left.

Then, in this world where only these two existed, the Master Emerald glowed brightly and shifted its form, now looking like Chaos, God of Destruction. Both Knuckles and Chaos opened their eyes to stare at each other, with the former frowning slightly at the sight.

"I know, I know... I've been absent for way too long." Knuckles admitted a bit ashamed.

Chaos replied something madly, but it only sounded like gibberish, although Knuckles did understood his words.

"I understand your anger... But there was an emergency. A friend needed my help!" Knuckles replied with a frown. "My duty is both with this island and with my friends! No matter if Sonic and I clash on thoughts: We're still friends, and I will die for him just like he would die for me!"

Chaos Still rolled his eyes annoyed and replied something that made Knuckles scoff and look away.

"If you're just gonna lecture me on how I'm supposed to act as the Guardian of the Master Emerald, then hear the news, Ancient: I already was trained for the job, and I don't need you to remind me everything I already learned!"

However, after saying this, Chaos said something with a surprised tone.

"Yes! I discovered that you're half Ancient while in Equestria!" Knuckles replied with anger. "In fact, I have learned so much in that world that I'm seriously considering quitting as the stupid guardian of this place!"

Of course, after saying this, Chaos' eyes widened in shock, before he frowned and said something else that made Knuckles' eyes widen in panic.

"Three days?!" Knuckles shouted. "What do you mean I have just three days to change my mind?!"

Chaos said something else, and that seemed to enrage Knuckles.

"I won't abandon them just because you want me to!" Knuckles replied enraged, before turning around and start to walk away. "I don't know why I even bothered..."

However, Chaos said one last thing, one that made Knuckles stop moving and then turn around, but just when he did so, Chaos was gone, and so, Knuckles looked down with concern and disappointment.

That's precisely where the vision ended, and when Knuckles came back to reality, he was frowning in concern, while Izzy and Hitch were behind him calling out his name.

"Knuckles!" They both said with concern, but it faded away when Knuckles retired his hand from the Master Emerald.

However, their concern quickly returned when Knuckles sighed and then walked ahead, before sitting over the edge of the Altar and look ahead, staring at the entire mass of earth that consisted on Angel Island.

Of course, Izzy and Hitch looked at each other with concern, but just before saying something...

"Come sit with me, guys..." Knuckles himself called them out. "There's something I want to talk about with you."

Both Izzy and Hitch felt surprised after hearing this, but they still obeyed and approached to the echidna, sitting at his side just like he asked to.

For a few seconds, there was only silence, and the three of them simply stared at the rest of Angel Island. Izzy eventually rested her head over Knuckles' shoulder, while Hitch grabbed Sparky and sat him in front of him so the baby dragon could look at the rest of Angel Island as well.

"...I remember when my Mom brought me here when I turned 5 years old..." Knuckles spoke suddenly, as he started to narrate a story, while Izzy, Hitch and Sparky decided to listen carefully. "She showed me Angel Island from here, and she told me that I'll always have this beautiful sights after turning 15, because that's the age were I had to move the Master Emerald from Hidden Palace to this Altar."

Knuckles stared at the sky with a nostalgic expression and smile, one that slowly darkened as he remembered how all that happiness left after turning 7.

"My mother died when I was 7... Her cancer killed her eventually..." Knuckles confessed, and Izzy covered her mouth with a hoof in shock, while Hitch felt concerned for his deputy. "I was trained the first 7 years of my life to guard over the Emerald... She died earlier than she should've..."

"My gosh, Knuckles..." Izzy muttered with concern. "I... I never thought you went through that..."

"It must been hard for you to deal with her death..." Hitch commented with worry.

"It was... But they trained me to hold my emotions, so... Even if I wanted, I didn't cried her death..." Knuckles confessed. "I was just a kid... But I knew I had to kept my tribe's legacy and name alive, even if I'm the last of my kind."

"Wait..." Izzy muttered. "You... You've been up here alone for years?!"

"Only 2." Knuckles replied with a slight smirk. "One day, a massive spacial station with a face landed on my island, and I think you already know the rest."

"So, after you met Sonic and Tails, you felt less lonely?" Hitch asked with a smile.

"Many would believe that, but..." Knuckles sighed and looked down at the floor in sadness. "Even if they hang out with me from time to time, sometimes even staying a full month or two on the island... I still felt alone... Because I never went anywhere with that thing behind stranding me here to look after it."

"Stranding you?" Hitch said confused. "But you're free to leave the island, aren't you? Why do you attach yourself to this place if you don't want to?"

"Because that thing placed a curse on my people... A curse I cannot brake without paying a price..." Knuckled replied with a slight frown, before sighing defeated. "Guardian of the Master Emerald or not, this place is my home... But I... I'm afraid to coming back permanently again..."

"What do you mean?" Hitch decided to ask.

"In Equestria, my job as a deputy requires me to move around the whole town and watch over the citizens, then go back and fulfill some paperwork, before moving over to the town again and make sure law is not being broken... My days usually end with me cooking dinner and chilling with the people I call... My tribe. My family." Knuckles explained.

Of course, both Hitch and Izzy felt touched by his words, and they both smiled after hearing him.

"But here? Here I just stand in front of that green floating rock behind us for what? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months?! Years?!" Knuckles pointed out with anger. "This place is consuming my whole life... Why would I want to go back to a place that's still my home, but doesn't makes me happy anymore?"

After explaining his frustration, Izzy and Hitch looked at each other with concern, while Knuckles sighed heavily and then scratched his head.

"I'm sorry... I know you two didn't came here to hear me complain..." Knuckles apologized with a sheepish smile. "I guess... The idea of leaving a place where I can genuinely be myself and not be judged not hated for it... I don't like it..."

"Oh, Knuckie..." Izzy said with concern, as she rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled it a bit, while Hitch looked down with concern.

"Why didn't you told us any of this before?" Hitch asked with worry.

"I was trained to hide my emotions." Knuckles replied. "I don't wanna bother anyone with my own struggles... We all agreed to never mention that subject again, and... I just decided to hold everything for myself..."

"But that's so unhealthy!" Izzy pointed out with a frown. "Knuckie, it doesn't matter if you're physically strong or not: You are still a living being that needs to express his emotions! Saving them for yourself is gonna make you explode one day if you don't release your pain!"

"Izzy is right, Knuckles..." Hitch agreed. "None of us want you guys to leave Equestria. Ever since you guys arrived, things have been great, and they have gotten better and better! It'll be a shame if you guys left our world forever..."

"And you guys changed our lives, too!" Izzy stated. "When Sonic arrived, I got not only my first friend ever, but also many new friends! And... I met you..." She added, as she lifted Knuckles' chin with a hoof and smiled warmly at him, while Knuckles blushed and chuckled slightly embarrassed.

"And I got the best deputy I could ever ask for!" Hitch agreed with smile. "I don't know if that training as the Master Emerald's guardian had anything to do with it, but you're the best deputy I ever had! You fulfill the role perfectly, and you can even watch over Sparky! Why would I ever want one of my best friends and the best deputy ever to go?!"

Knuckles smiled after hearing that, and he felt so touched that he started to let his guard down.

"You're also a great Uncle for Sparky!" Izzy added with a smile. "That little guy rarely stays on his place unless is with you, me, Sunny or Hitch, remember?"

"Well, Omega and Sonic enter that category, too, you know..." Knuckles pointed out with as sheepish smile.

"But he definitely prefers you!" Hitch said, as he gave Sparky to Knuckles, who laughed happily at the echidna, while he smiled warmly at Sparky and patted his head a bit, before letting out a content sigh. "And... You have saved our world many times!"

"That's right!" Izzy agreed again with her usual cheerful smile. "Knuckie, if it wasn't for you and the other Mobians, Equestria would be on either Eggman's hands or Opaline's hooves, and it didn't happened thanks to you!"

"But it could still happen with them both out there!" Knuckles pointed out with concern. "Eggman never plans anything good, and Opaline's been the past year trying to find a way to kill us all! How can I not be concerned?!"

After saying this, Knuckles grabbed his own quills and covered his face ashamed, while Izzy and Hitch looked at each other with concern, before nodding with determinate looks and look back at Knuckles.

"Knuckie... If I may ask... When's the last time that you cried?" Izzy asked him.

Knuckles' eyes widened at this question, and he looked over at Izzy with a bit of panic. "Huh?" He said confused and, even if he didn't wanted to admit it, scared.

"When is the last time that you cried?" Izzy repeated her question, a bit more firm this time, but also with a sweet tone that told him she's just worried for him.

"...I honestly don't remember..." Knuckles confessed with a heavy sigh. "I was probably just a baby or... maybe even 3 when I cried for the last time..."

Both Izzy's and Hitch's eyes widened after hearing this. "You haven't cried ever since you were a baby?!" Hitch asked concerned.

"My mother knew when to be a mother, and when to be a teacher for the next guardian..." Knuckles replied. "The few times I cried, she scolded me as a teacher, but also comforted me as a mother. I... I just made my own mechanism to stop crying... Hence why I haven't done it ever since unless is for lame jokes in Tell Your Tale..."

"Now's not the time to break the fourth wall, Knux!" Izzy scolded with a frown. "You cannot keep doing this to yourself!"

"Doing what?" Knuckles asked confused.

"Hold back your crying?" Hitch pointed out with concern. "Dude, I don't care what this training was all about, you're still our friend! And like it or not, you need to release your sorrow somehow!"

"What?! Are you two insane or something?!" Knuckles exclaimed with wide and panicked eyes.

"Oh, we are the insane ones?!" Hitch said with a slight frown. "You are the one that refuses to cry for some dumbass reason I don't even wanna hear!"

"And don't you dare to say is because it makes you feel weak, Knuckles!" Izzy warned him with a frown, and Knuckles swallowed nervously. "Crying is a great way to let your pain go! And you've been holding back ever since you were just 3 years old, but that ends today!"

"Izzy is right, Knux." Hitch agreed with the unicorn mare. "You have done a lot for everyone, and you've been hiding your emotions in the process. For once, let us be there for you and just let go all your frustration out!"

"...Are you guys sure?" Knuckles asked a bit concern, his guard lowering even more now. "I fear that my cry might never cease..."

"Then we'll stay here with you, comforting and supporting you until the tears have dried" Izzy assured him with a smile. "Like Hitch said, let us be the ones that comfort you for once and... Just let it all out... Stop holding back."

With this, the three of them fell into complete silence.

However, as Knuckles started to remember all his years of loneliness, his mother's death, his tribe's extinction, and how much he hated the idea of leaving Equestria, his own shelf finally shattered.

The first few tears started to drop out of his eyes, and by instinct he tried to wipe them out in panic, but both Hitch and Izzy grabbed his arms and separated them from his eyes, also shaking their heads, telling him he had to cry in order to keep moving.

He still didn't wanted to, but as more and more tears began to run down his cheeks, all attempts to play the thought guy died, and so, he gave up and started to cry more, and more, and more...

For the first time in a long time, he was crying again. He did remember having teared up in Ares Island when he was trapped on his Cyber Cage in Cyberspace, but he didn't mentioned it because he didn't through it counted as crying, or he wanted to believe that it didn't.

He just felt guilty back then because of what happened in Maretime Bay, and how he was the one that activated that Cyberspace portal that transported him, Hitch, Izzy, Pipp and Sparky to the Starfall Islands by mistake.

...Yeah, it was definitely crying, as much as he hated to admit it.

After several minutes of him just tearing up, while Hitch and Izzy hugged him for comfort, he finally calmed himself down, and so, he wiped the few tears he had left on his eyes, before looking at Hitch and Izzy with a smile.

"...Thanks, guys..." Knuckles said. "...I didn't knew how much I needed that..."

"Anytime, deputy." Hitch replied with a smile, while Izzy kissed his cheek tenderly.

On the other hand, Tails lead the other three mares towards his workshop.

The young fox was moving aside some bushes to allow the others to pass, while he quickly walked over to lead them again and guide them towards the place he lives in Green Hills, were Sonic used to crash from time time since, well, he really never lived in a house before arriving to Equestria.

"So let me get this straight: This whole time, Sonic has just been running around with no place to stay, sleeping in the wild, and crashing at your place sometimes?!" Zipp exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Yeah... You could say Sonic was homeless before meeting you, guys." Tails replied with a little smile. "But don't feel bad for him: We tried to convince him on getting a home after he turned 15 for years, and he always turned down the offer."

"So Sonic simply choose to be homeless?" Pipp asked with a deadpan.

"He was way different than before meeting you." Tails replied. "He changed for good after hanging out around you! Maybe he'll finally buy his own place if we have to come back once Eggman and Opaline aren't trouble anymore... Or maybe he'll still be a stubborn... I bet for the last one."

"Me too..." Pipp said, still deadpanning.

"Me three." Zipp replied, also deadpanning.

"Wait... If he crashed at your place sometimes, does that mean that he slept in a bed or in the floor?" Misty asked confused.

"Both, depending on his mood that specific day." Tails replied, before gasping and suddenly stopping, while the three mares did the same.

The four of them stared at Tails Workshop: It was a kind of small workshop that in turn was a house; the roof and the front door were painted red, and in front of the door was the Tails logo; there were a couple of lanterns above the door of the workshop to illuminate at night, as well as a gigantic tower on the right and a telescope on the left.

However, ever since Tails left to Equestria along Knuckles, the place has been abandoned, which explained why it looked dusty and had some spider webs near the lanterns.

"Whoa!" Zipp exclaimed surprised and smiling. "This is your workshop in Mobius?! It looks way cooler than what we gave you on your birthday, dude!"

"Yeah, well... It was Longclaw's doing..." Tails replied with a nostalgic smile. "She gave Sonic the Tornado because she knew how much he wanted to travel around the world with his powers, and she gave me this workshop because she knew how much I loved to build my own stuff. She definitely was the mother my biological one could never be..."

PIpp approached to his side and looked at him with concern. "Is this why you felt so emotional when we gave you the workshop back in Maretime Bay? Because it reminded you on how Longclaw did the same?"

Tails let out a heavy sigh and then nodded. "Yeah..."

After this, he approached to the entrance and introduced the code to open it, which was '1992'. With that, the workshop's entrance slowly opened, showing the messed up inside.

Remember the first machine he spent 6 months building before it collapsed after opening its first portal to Equestria? Well, the rubble of said machine was spread across the workshop's living room, and some blueprints for once his future projects were spread on the floor as well.

Many of those projects were done already in Equestria, by the way.

Tails entered and sighed at the sight, sadly remembering how he let his frustration for not finding Sonic get the best of him, to the point that it almost ruined his life, as well as his physical aspect.

Soon, Misty and the Royal Sisters entered as well, looking how messy the place was right now.

"I know this is going to be a dumb question, but this place usually looks better, right?" Pipp asked, but Zipp pushed her slightly and shook her head with a frown, and Pipp rolled her eyes annoyed.

"No need to get mad with her, Zippy..." Tails said with a little smile. "As for your question, Pipp: Yes, this place usually looks better... It just looks like this because I let myself get carried away by despair..."

"That sounded so edgy..." Zipp snorted.

"What do you mean with that, though?" Misty questioned.

"Eggman set up a trap for Sonic..." Tails replied with concern. "Eggman created a machine that left the Chaos Emeralds without power! Then, he used their power to sent Sonic to Equestria in an attempt to take over Mobius with Sonic out! But Knuckles knocked him out, and we tried to take Sonic out of the machine... He told us to stop trying, and Knuckles obeyed, but I didn't! And... After Sonic went through the portal, I spent 6 whole months hating Knuckles and trying to make a portal on my won to take him back..."

"Wait... You blamed Knuckles? Even after Sonic told you both to let him go?!" Pipp asked in panic and with wide eyes.

"I know, I know! I was wrong, I shouldn't had blame him, and I'm sorry for that!" Tails replied. "But Knuckles tried to avoid what ended up happening in the end: My desire to build a portal on my own to look after Sonic turned into a sick obsession... I stopped talking with everyone here in Mobius, I stopped eating, I barely slept or even showered! I was so desperate on bringing Sonic back and show I wasn't a burden to him that... That I almost lost myself..." He explained with concern, before turning to see his messy workshop. "This place's current state is the result of that obsession..."

Tails stared with concern at how messy his workshop looked because of his obsession on saving Sonic, and even if he managed to recover in a few weeks, he still felt haunted by this...

As for the other three mares, they looked concerned at the young fox, but specially Zipp and Misty, since none of them liked to see nor hear how much Tails pressured himself in order to save his best friend. Worse of all, it seemed that Tails hasn't forgiven himself.

Still, Zipp decided to approach him and nuzzle slightly on his chest, which made Tails look down at her a bit confused, even though he still petted her head with a hand as some kind of instinct.

"Babe, I can't imagine how painful it must've been to see your best friend ever get dragged into a mysterious portal, and feel like you could never see him again..." Zipp confessed, before looking up at him with a smile. "But I do know for a fact that, if you still feel like a bad friend because of this..." She pointed at the mess around the workshop. "Then let me tell you that Sonic already have forgiven you, and that you are definitely worrying for nothing!"

Tails eyes widened in surprise, since that's precisely how he felt regarding this subject, and sometimes he wondered how could Zipp read the most complex of things by just looking at him.

Soon, both Misty and Pipp arrived as well and placed their hooves on Tails' shoulders, which startled him a little, if he had to be honest.

"Zipp is right, Tails!" Misty was the first one to agreed. "Or you forgot already that you're literally the one that spread the cure for the Metal Virus?"

"Or that you immediately went to investigate on a way to bring Sonic back after he broke the Paradox Prism, as well as sent Boom and Young back to their worlds?" Pipp added with a smile.

"That doesn't makes me feel any less guilty for what happened with Knuckles..." Tails pointed out with concern.

The three mares smirked and looked at each other after hearing this, which made Tails feel in danger for some reason, although he quickly decided that his friends were planning nothing that big of a deal... probably...

"Then let us help to make it easier!" Zipp stated confidently.

Pipp:
In the end!

Misty:
Who's on your side?

Pipp:
Who can you trust?

Misty:
In the middle of the night?

Pipp:
Where will you be?

Misty:
If you can't find you?

Pipp:
There's no place to go

Misty:
Nothing to do

Pipp:
If you gotta do something

Misty:
Gotta do something

Pipp: & Misty:
Believe in yourself, yourself, yourself, hey!

Zipp:
Extraordinary things can happen if you believe in yourself
You've got to have some faith in yourself
If you want respect from your friends

Misty:
Don't re-arrange

Pipp:
No need to change

Misty:
Stay like you are

Pipp:
Keep it all the same

Misty:
But as you move along

Pipp:
In your life

Misty:
Keep an open mind

Pipp:
And don't forget

Misty:
That if ya gotta do something

Pipp:
Gotta do something

Pipp: & Misty:
Believe in yourself, yourself, yourself, hey!

Zipp:
Extraordinary things can happen if you believe in yourself
You've got to have some faith in yourself
If you want respect from your friends

Zipp:, Pipp: & Misty:
When you feel tight, look at yourself!

Zipp:
Inside your heart you will find a special place to unwind

Zipp:, Pipp: & Misty:
When you feel right, look at yourself

Zipp:
Inside your mind you will see
Cosmic Eternity

Zipp:, Pipp: & Misty:
When you feel tight, look at yourself!

Zipp:
Inside your heart you will find a special place to unwind

Zipp:, Pipp: & Misty:
When you feel right, look at yourself

Zipp:
Inside your mind you will see
Cosmic Eternity

After the three mares finished singing, Tails blinked a few times at them, before snorting and let out a small laugh, even wiping away a tear.

"Okay! I have no idea why you girls had to tell me all of that with a song, but thanks!" Tails said with a smile. "I really see it now: I've made my mistakes in the past, but they don't define who I am today!"

"Now that's more like it!" Zipp said with a smile, also nuzzling on Tails' shoulder, while the young fox smiled, kneeled and kissed her cheek.

"So? What are you planning to do?" Misty asked as well with a smile.

Tails smirked, and then, he brought out from his tails the small Blue Shard of the Paradox Prism that he obtained when saving Sonic after he fell on the water after destroying the Prism.

"Sonic is out there, and he needs to find Opaline before she can take over the whole multiverse!" Tails pointed out with a determinate look. "However, our mission is to find Eggman, and if I know him any better: He might be planning to get the shards of the Prism himself to still take over the entire multiverse as well!"

"So we have to deal with two tyrants hungry of power trying to take over all the existing realities?" Zipp asked with a frown.

"Yes, but here's the thing: We have an advantage over Eggman!" Tails pointed out with a smirk, throwing the Prism's shard in the air like a coin for a moment. "And if he wants to find shards, then shards we shall give him!"

"Whoa, what?!" Misty asked in panic with wide eyes. "You want to give him the shard?!"

"No, no, no!" Tails shook his head and waved his hands in the air. "Don't get me wrong! The shard is gonna be a trap! We're gonna make sure he believes we're willing to negotiate the shard in exchange of something, when in reality, we just wanna contact him to locate where he's located!"

"If we locate him... We can follow the sign and stop whatever he's up to!" Pipp finished with wide eyes, realizing that whole plan.

"Precisely!" Tails said with a smirk.

"How can we help?" Misty asked.

"Glad you ask, Mist!" Tails replied with a smile. "This is what we're gonna do..."

Author's Note

I know you guys are going to mention this, probably, so let me be clear: Tails doesn't doubts himself.

Season 3 closed that issue, alright? The scene in question where he sees his abandoned workshop just shows that he still feels guilty because of not being able to make the portal earlier, and for treating Knuckles so badly during those 6 months because of his obsession.

The song where Pipp, Misty and Zipp tell him to believe in himself is just a reminder that he can already move on from past mistakes and show the world how much he has developed, both as Sonic's partner and as a hero on his own.

I know people is gonna find it confusing, so I want to clear that up now.

By the way, the universe Opaline fucked up this time is this story made by JDPrime22. I heard it was really popular, so I wanted to implement it here as well... Hopefully you guys won't hate for destroying this universe.

Anyways. Next episode: Sonic runs away from FS and discovers a truth he never wanted to learn... MORE ANGST INCOMING!!!

See ya! :twilightsmile:

8. Escape to the Multiverse

Universe 250954

The tension is moving through the air now that Sonic and Sunny were encaged.

Future Sonic sighed, the turned around and started to walk away, not willing to negotiate anything regarding Sonic nor Sunny's freedom.

"We just need to hold you two a few days! At least until your Canon Events have happened..." Future Sonic said with concern, still walking away. "Sorry it had to end like this, kids..."

Now this was Sonic's last straw for his patience, because he was tired to be called that way by FS and Boom Sonic.

Neither Sunny nor him nor were kids anymore, and he's gonna prove it.

"In case you are as deaf as you are one-eyed, old man, Sunny said..." Sonic started with anger, placing his palms on the cage and absorbing its energy. "Not to call us that!"

After this, he released the energy he absorbed against the cage, which caused a little explosion that sent the Secret Society's members backwards. Some of the society's members were sent off flying backwards, Boom managed to both stand still and cover Aurora, Sunset slightly slid in the floor, and Buffon smirked with a laugh after Sonic followed his advice.

As for Sunny, she did covered her eyes, but unfortunately, her cage was still activated, so she looked over at Sonic, who had his head lowered and his hands extended after destroying his cell.

However, he soon opened his eyes and looked at his hands, surprised that using the whole palm was actually more effective like Buffon said, then he looked ahead at the other Society's members, that were still in the ground, some groaning painfully, and some looking at him.

Then, Sonic's sight stopped on Sunny's cage, because he really wanted to help her get out of there, but Sunny denied with her head, indicating him that he had to leave and run, maybe even come for her later.

Sonic, of course, hated this idea of leaving her behind, but considering their complex position, he knew perfectly that there was no other choice, so he'll come back to save her later. Then, he looked at the Society's members, before quickly turn around and start running away from there.

Future Sonic noticed this, and his eyes widened in panic, before he frowned in anger. "SONIC!" He shouted, immediately standing up and running towards him.

Seeing that their leader was getting to action, all the other Society's members choose to follow him along, while Boom Sonic placed some kind of small mask of himself that covered Aurora's whole face.

"Alright..." Boom Sonic said, as he adjusted the mask on his daughter's face. "Sorry for doing this, this is bad parenting!"

Then, he kissed her forehead, before boosting behind the other members of the society.

Buffon, on the other hand, opened a portal and walked backwards through it. "Just for the record, I quit." He said, removing his watch, launching it ahead and then crossing the portal, that closed immediately afterwards.

Sunny, now staying completely alone on her cage and with nopony watching, looked around it and tried to think on some way to get out of it on her own, although it didn't looked like she was going to be so lucky...

The Secret Society's alarms jumped off all across the HQ.

Every member of the society, who was either walking to a mission, preparing to go back home, talking with each other, or even just enjoying their launch on the cafeteria saw the alarms popping off, and they stopped what they were doing to look confused at the red alarms.

But then, they all got the same message from Future Sonic on their watches. "All stations, stop what you're doing and stop Sonic the Hedgehog!" He instructed, while his hologram seemed to be running.

Yet Future Sonic forgot a very crucial detail: Half of the Secret Society's member are Sonic's variants, and they all looked to each other with suspicion.

And so, all the Sonics were pointing at each other, exclaiming "You?/Him?/Her?/Them?/Me?" at the same time because of the confusion, while the Equestrians looked at each other confused, not understanding which Sonic they had to stop.

Future Sonic himself realized this and groaned annoyed. "Motherfucker... Sonic, the First Multiversal Traveller!" He corrected himself with anger. "He's entering Sector 4!"

At Sector 4, the Mobians and Equestrians in the zone saw a Tails' variant with 9 natural tails coming out as he hummed happily and fixed his hair, but when he noticed all the other members whispering between each other and looking at him confused, he got confused himself.

"Uh, do I have something in my face, or...?" Tails' variant said confused.

"Sonic!" Future Sonic's voice spoke, and Tails' variant turned to see that the boss was running towards him. "He's right there! He's right in... TURN AROUND!"

Tails' variant did so, but more out of confusion than anything else. "I don't see him, boss..." he said.

However, when he turned around, is revealed that Sonic curled into a ball and sneaked in-between his tails, but as he revealed his eyes to see if there was no one around, his eyes widened when he saw every single member of the Society looking at him.

One of the Sonic's variants among them even closed their helmet, because he was some kind of cop.

Sonic got out of the place, uncurled and stood up, looking at the Society with a sheepish smile. "Uh... Hi?" He said nervously, while Tails' variant turned around and saw Sonic with wide eyes...

You guys know what's coming up, right?

Soon, Sonic shifted his right arm so it looked like the Werehog's one, and he extended it to try and get out of there, but many members of the Society launched over him and tried to stop him, although he thankfully got them off by extending the Werehog arm again and move away.

Sonic balanced around using the Werehog arm and made sure to be avoiding all the unicorn/Alicorn lasers, as well as the attacks launched by some of the Mobians.

However, as he reached a point and jumped up to try and get away, a Sonic variant launched over him and tackled him to a wall, but Sonic grabbed this variant on his bare hands and looked at him confused, because this variant was a regular hedgehog, just with blue skin.

Of course, this confused him, but the hedgehog activated his quills and hurt Sonic's hands, so he let him go away and got up, before starting to dodge nets launched by Tails' variants and more lasers from unicorns and Alicorns.

"Can this day get any damn weirder?!" Sonic asked sarcastically and in panic as he kept running.

However, not so long after asking this, a Knuckles' variant that was actually a big and red gorilla launched towards him and aimed at the face, but Sonic managed to dodge this attack by shifting his right arm to a regular Knuckles' one and block the punch, then give it back to the Gorilla Knuckles.

"Whoa! I guess it can!" Sonic exclaimed in panic.

After that, he shifted his right arm to be the Werehog one again and extended it to the ceiling, as he dodged more and more members of the Secret Society that wanted to capture him.

Soon, he reached the cafeteria, where he accidentally stepped over a hamburger that had FS' face printed over it and launched it away, which made one of the Vector's variants that was going to eat it complain loudly with him.

"Sorry, Vector!" Sonic apologized, before keep running away.

And then, a monkey variant of Tails that, indeed, also had two tails, launched several stuff to Sonic in an attempt to slow him down, but Sonic understood the monkey's game quickly, so he grabbed a tray he found nearby and launched it to the monkey, who got sent backwards.

Unfortunately, the monkey still managed to launch over him and made him trip, which made them both roll on the ground.

In a therapist office, it was apparently almost 11:00 a.m.

A Young Sonic's variant was crying and laying over a couch, while a Twilight variant acted like a therapist and took down notes from everything the Young Sonic's variant was telling her.

"And then, I looked at my mother and..." Young Sonic's variant said dramatically.

"Ah, let me guess... She died?" Twilight replied with a bored expression, still taking notes.

But right then, one of the walls of the therapist's office was destroyed, and Sonic appeared screaming loudly in panic, while the Secret Society was right behind him, still trying to capture him.

Sonic and the Secret Society ended up braking the other side of the office as well.

Then, Sonic finally took Monkey Tails off him and launched him backwards, but as he ran towards another exit, his eyes widened when he saw even more members of the Society moving towards him.

Suddenly, and before he could plan a strategy to loose all these members from sight, he barely dodged a bullet that almost hit him on the face, and that's because Cowboy Knuckles was over his horse, using an actual gun to try and hit Sonic, but the blue blur wasn't going to let that slip.

So, Sonic, quickly sat the wrong way over the horse and faced Cowboy Knuckles with a frown.

"At the count of three, draw!" Cowboy Knuckles said with a frown, and Sonic glared back. "One––" Was everything Cowboy Knuckles said, because Sonic shifted his arm to a Hitch hoof and kicked him on the face, which made him fall from the horse. "You didn't wait for three!"

With this, Sonic hit the horse's back, and the horse started to move faster.

Meanwhile, Future Sonic, Boom and Sunset where running side-to-side to follow Sonic as well.

"Hey, FS!" Boom Sonic called out suddenly, and FS turned to him with a raised eyebrow, just to groan when he saw Boom taking out his phone. "You take a photo of this? Is her first chase!"

Of course, all FS did was create an electrical lasso to move away, since he didn't wanted to waste time, which made Boom deadpan, so he shrugged and took the selfie himself with Aurora, while Sunset chuckled.

On the other hand, Sonic ran besides all the anomalies encaged, still over the horse, while the anomalies where cheering and encouraging him to keep doing what he's doing.

However, as FS and all the other members of the Secret Society ran by as well, the anomalies started to boo them, and even Fleetway Sonic was booing at the Secret Society, but cheering at our main Sonic.

Just then, an actual Werehog Sonic launched over Sonic, but thanks to the fact that there was a cowboy hat on the horse, Sonic grabbed it and placed it on Werehog Sonic's face, making him fall in the ground with a painful grunt.

And, as Sonic headed towards more members of the Society over the horse, a Zipp variant flew above him and greeted him.

"Sonic!" Zipp's variant said happily.

"Uh, hello?" Sonic replied with a sheepish smile.

"I'm, like, a super fan of yours and all you did for the multiverse last year!" Zipp's variant confessed cheerfully.

"Oh! Well, thanks!" Sonic replied, still with a sheepish smile, because he knew this wouldn't last forever.

"Do you think all the Sonics use comedy as a reflex to avoid the crash?" Zipp's variant asked.

"Uh..." Sonic said confused, not knowing what to reply to that kind of question.

Then Zipp's variant snorted. "Get it? Crash?" She asked, before suddenly bumping on him and throw him off the horse.

Of course, Sonic yelped, then shifted his arm to be like the Werehog's again and balanced over the HQ.

But then, another Classic Sonic with three quills in a row approached him. "I can do anything you can!" He declared... but he was moving so slowly that it was hard to believe he was a Sonic, and he even passed right besides Sonic, who stared at him confused on what happened. "Oh, dang! I pulled something!"

Meanwhile, Sonic launched himself towards a place that said 'Strength + Conditioning', then rolled in the ground and kept moving ahead, before sliding below a massive pillar that a Big Macintosh variant was pulling upwards with his bare hind legs.

However, Sonic shifted his arm again to be replaced by one of Spider-Mane's hooves, and he threw a web-line to Big Mac, before pulling him down and make the pillar he was holding fall over him and many more of the Society's Members as well to slow them down.

Suddenly, as he ran across an at first empty room, Sonic found himself dodging many holographic screens that had 2D images of villains from both Equestria and Mobius from all across the multiverse.

"Take a load of this!" The Eggman image said when it popped up, but Sonic ignored it and kept moving.

Just then, Sonic jumped over the head of a Discord variant that was holding to big pieces of metal together so he could go from one side to the other.

Discord frowned after this happened, but when he suddenly turned to see that many more members were arriving, he panicked. Then, the Actual Hedgehog Sonic jumped on Discord's face and made him let go the two pieces, which made them fall, as well as all the Society's members walking over it.

Of Course, Sonic thought that he was finally safe and sighed in relief, just to be surprised when he turned around and saw FS launching over him.

Sonic yelped and ducked down, dodging FS' attack and still running away from him.

Soon, the blue blur jumped over a bunch of doors that were in the ceiling and parkour'd over them, also closing all the doors to slow down Future Sonic.

However, when he looked ahead, his eyes widened, because he was now surrounded by all the members of the Secret Society, all frowning and ready to stop him, whatever it takes.

"There's no way to run!" A Knuckles variant that looked like if he consumed steroids said with a frown.

Just then, Future Sonic Spin Dashed out of the entrance from before and glared daggers at Sonic, also growling in anger, so Sonic quickly turned around, charged his own Spin Dash, and then launched himself through the window, breaking it and screaming in fear as he fell.

Future Sonic immediately dived into the window to follow him along, while both Mobians and Equestrians were left speechless and with wide eyes at what Sonic just did.

"...My bad, everybody... There was somewhere to run..." Knuckles' variant said with wide eyes as well.

On the other hand, Sonic was still falling towards the city.

Soon, all the members of Secret Society decided to launch themselves from the window and keep chasing down Sonic, while FS made his coat extend like wings so he could glide in the air.

"Stop running!" Future Sonic shouted in anger to Sonic.

"Then stop chasing me!" Sonic shouted back in anger.

"You're so frustrating!" Future Sonic yelled, so he kept gliding and chasing him.

Meanwhile, Sunset and Twilight flew side to side and were chasing Sonic down as well.

"I know is your friend, Sunset... But this is the only way!" Twilight pointed out with concern.

"But I didn't thought––" Sunset tried to reply with concern.

"Then start thinking realistically!" Twilight warned, before flying ahead of her student.

Sunset looked down in concern, since she seriously didn't wanted to do this, while Boom Sonic launched himself and dived to catch Sonic, who was now riding over a floating car that was moving ahead.

Boom Sonic had an idea, and so, he used his own lasso to attach to some building and sneak away from the chase.

On the other hand, Future Sonic glided fast enough and pushed Sonic off the vehicle he was over, then twilight came by and kicked Sonic's chest to push him down, while Sunset was the last one to arrive and surround Sonic on her magic.

Seeing this, Sonic frowned in anger and shifted his right arm to the Werehog one, extending it and punching Sunset in the face, making her release him. Sunset shook her head, but she looked with hurt and wide eyes at Sonic, who glared daggers of hate at her.

But then, the Shadow variant he met earlier that was acting so edgy launched over him and tried to suffocate him with his own arm, while many more member came by and tried to hold Sonic so he wouldn't fight back.

"I've got you trapped in my really defined musculature, so don't even––" Shadow tried to say with anger.

However, Sonic shifted his right arm to look like a Hitch's foreleg, then used his Earth Pony Magic abilities to surround all the Secret Society's members over him with vines, then launched them away and kept escaping.

And yet, he was grabbed by many members of the society again. But when one of the Knuckles' variants tried to hit him on the face, Sonic moved his head aside, and Knuckles ended up punching the metallic helmet of the Sonic Cop variant from earlier, which made Knuckles cringe in pain.

Then, the members of the Society and Sonic fell into a sub-way where many floating vehicles were passing by. Apparently there's an upper and lower zone in this futuristic Station Square.

Yet this isn't the time to appreciate the environment, is time to keep running away, because that's what Sonic is doing right now.

Sonic started to use the Werehog shifted arm again to balance himself around, while the flying Equestrian and Mobians approached him at top speed, clearly with the intention of capturing him.

Sonic decided to make a loop to try and loose them of sight, but right before he could continue his escape, a lasso wrapped him by his chest and dragged him upwards all of a sudden, which made Sonic yelp in panic with wide eyes, while the Society's members moved ahead, not noticing this.

Sunset, who was passing nearby as well, looked around confused, because she couldn't believe that they lost Sonic from sight.

On the other hand, Sonic yelped and then groaned in pain when he landed on a metallic surface.

He slowly stood up and looked around confused, because this zone had thousands of engines working around and spinning, which already gave Sonic a bad feeling.

"Sonic!" Boom Sonic arrived suddenly, but of course, Sonic didn't trusted him.

"No, no. Leave me alone!" Sonic replied, before hiding behind a wall to see there was no one near by, and then move ahead.

"Is crazy to run!" Boom Sonic said with a worried frown, before his eyes opened wide. "Wait, did I really just said that?"

"Running is the least crazy thing going on!" Sonic pointed out with wide eyes and anger. "You're working for an Assassin's Creed and I hate it!"

After saying this, he started to walk away, but Boom Sonic followed behind. "Hey, I feel bad!"

"Good!" Sonic replied, still mad.

"But this is just how stuff works! You're not gonna win here!" Boom Sonic tried to resonate.

But Sonic was not even listening, and he moved across the engines to try and loose Boom Sonic from sight.

"Don't move! Stop moving so fast!" Boom Sonic begged.

"No!" Sonic replied with anger. "Staying here and do nothing about it is what cowards do! And that's what all of you are: COWARDS!"

"Hey, wanna hold my baby?" Boom Sonic asked suddenly, boosting in front of him with a smirk.

"What?!" Sonic asked with rage and confusion.

"Just give the baby one squeeze and then we'll talk!" Boom Sonic said with a smile, as he held Aurora on his hands. "Pretty sure it'll change your vibe!"

"NO!" Sonic said, pushing him aside, but still being careful to not hit Aurora.

"It's really rejuvenating!" Boom Sonic pointed out desperately.

"I'm already young enough!" Sonic replied angrily.

"You'll get more so when you get just come and hug this magical child!" Boom Sonic replied desperately again.

"You lost all right to have a conversation with me!" Sonic replied madly, and his electrical powers were showing off more.

"JUST HOLD THE BABY AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" Boom Sonic shouted in anger now, getting Aurora right in Sonic's face.

Of course, Sonic shouted back with his powers showing off and walked away, while Boom Stared at him with anger and concern, although Aurora just laughed happily for some reason.

"YOU AND YOUR UNIVERSE ARE THE REASON I HAVE HER, OKAY?!" Boom Sonic revealed, tired of Sonic's attitude.

But Sonic ignored him and entered a room that seemed to have a metallic ground covering more gears working below, and Sonic tried to brake said ground to escape, but couldn't move it.

"I thought..." Boom Sonic decided to keep talking, slowly approaching Sonic. "That if I did a descent job raising her, there was a chance she was gonna turn out... like you. And that got me excited because you're a wonderful person! And I like being around you! I just want her to be anything but the man I used to be before marrying Amy! Before meeting you!"

Sonic sighed after hearing all of this and sat on the ground while crossing his legs. "Then why didn't you come to see me?" He asked with concern, and Boom Sonic was taken aback. "I spent the past year thinking when the next big adventure will come, and now that is here... I wish I never asked for it..."

Boom Sonic tried several times to reply, but he always regret it at the last moment and shut his mouth, although he eventually replied. "...I tried... But I was threatened... If I went to see you, then my universe would be ignored from all of this... I couldn't risk myself... I couldn't risk her..."

After hearing this answer, Sonic felt even worse and sighed again. "I wanted to be with you guys so badly..." He confessed, trying yo keep himself from crying. "But this thing isn't what I thought it was... And Sunny was so afraid of coming... I should've listened her..."

Boom sighed and rubbed his face with a hand, because this was truly a very complex situation.

"Look..." Boom Sonic began, slowly approaching to Sonic and sitting down at his side. "Bad things are gonna happen. It makes us who we are!" He pointed out, and Sonic shook his head on denial. "But good things happen too, you know?" He pointed out with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Like you happen... Like she happened."

He looked down at his daughter with a smile, feeling the pride of being a dad, while Sonic looked down at Aurora as well and couldn't help with smile.

"...Is the offer of carrying her still up?" Sonic found himself asking.

Boom Sonic looked at him with surprise, but still smiled. "Of course it is!" He said happily, before grabbing Aurora for a moment and cooed her, then give her to Sonic.

Sonic carefully and nervously grabbed Aurora, looking at her with a sheepish smile at first, but when Aurora extended her hands and grabbed his face, Sonic chuckled, and he had to admit it: He did felt better now that he was carrying her, as well as now that this whole conversation is over.

But then, Boom's watch beeped in color red, and so, he checked it to see a message, which made his eyes open wide.

"Crap!" Boom Sonic said with anger.

"What? What's the matter?" Sonic asked confused, while Aurora climbed over his head and messed his quills a bit.

"I forgot to turn off my GPS, and they're coming for you!" Boom Sonic explained with concern, before grabbing Aurora and place her back on the kangaroo. "You have to leave, now!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Sonic replied with a nod.

After that, Boom Sonic stepped back and got out of sight, while Sonic shifted his right arm so it looked like Knuckles' again, before smashing down the ground and make a hole on it.

However, he panicked when he saw the engines all twirling around, although they stopped at times. But as afraid as he was, he knew he had to act now, or else he'll get captured. So, taking a deep breath, Sonic jumped and launched himself through the engines, passing right through the holes in the exact moment, while the Secret Society arrived and tried to do the same.

Yet some of them crashed on their faces against the engines, which made the Sonic Cop shot at the engines to destroy them so everyone could pass.

Of course, the impact of the explosion sent Sonic ahead, and he exited the zone by braking a window and then landing over a floating sign that was supposed to stop traffic.

"Sonic!" Sunset's voice called out, but as soon as she did, Sonic launched himself to keep running away. "Where does he think he's going?"

"I don't think he planned it out!" Boom Sonic said with concern, as he once again joined the chase, although he did so to see what was even Sonic's plan here.

"I don't know if I have said it before, but I'll say it now: You're gonna be a terrible mentor!" Twilight said with a frown, as she flew ahead across several building and vehicles.

Soon, Sunset surrounded Twilight on her magic and then launched her ahead, straight towards Sonic, who was over a car. Of course, Sonic noticed this, so he ducked, shifted his arm to be like the Werehog's, then extended it to grab Twilight and sent her towards a bus, where she crashed with the frontal part, before getting tied to it by Sonic himself and an electrical lasso he launched her.

"Well, he beat you, and I'm pretty sure I taught him that!" Boom Sonic mocked Twilight up, who deadpanned after he said that and rolled her eyes annoyed. "So, I don't think I'll be a terrible mentor!"

"You're both equally terrible! Does that settle it?!" Future Sonic spoke with anger, as he kept chasing down Sonic.

Soon, FS landed in front of Sonic and tried to punch his face, but Sonic rolled in the floor and dodged the attack, then stood up and looked at FS with a frown.

"Stop pretending you know where you're going!" Future Sonic shouted in rage.

"Oh, I have a plan!" Sonic assured with a frown, before dodging another attack from FS, while the vehicle they were over, which was a train, started to moved upwards. "I just haven't told it yet! And I'm not planning to!"

After this, Sonic shifted his arm to look like Hitch's hoof again and punched FS right on his nose, stunning him for a moment, which he decided to take as his chance to escape by jumping and hanging into one of the train's windows.

However, FS quickly recovered and tried to grab Sonic again, starting a small brawl between them both, one that Sonic seemed to have won, but just when he was finally getting FS off him, the one eye hedgehog grabbed Sonic from his Inhibitor Bracelet and then removed it from him.

Of course, this made Sonic's eyes open wide in panic, and as the Inhibitor Bracelet fell in the street, both Sonic's legs and his right arm started to get out of control with the Prismatic energy.

Worse of all, it was with his right arm that he was holding onto the train, and when it started to shift into random arms of other people across the multiverse, it made him feel pain, and so, he accidentally let go, but he still managed to get some control back and extend his arm, shifted as the Werehog's.

Sonic hanged on the arm, but still managed to get over the train again and, despite his feet moving on their own, he allowed it, because he was moving upwards and away of the HQ, just like he planned.

Speaking of the HQ, he couldn't help but look backwards at the big building of it in the distance and think about Sunny, who he still needed to go back after, but he first had to deal with the Secret Society, wether if he liked it or not.

However, he suddenly heard sounds coming from the train, and so, a pair of claws ripped the ceiling apart, while FS came out and glared daggers at Sonic, tired of games. He could grew claws thanks to the fact that his gloves are as advanced as the bracelets and watch he wears.

"You've got claws?!" Sonic asked in panic, as he walked backwards over the train. "Dude, are you sure you're even Sonic?"

After asking this, he tried to shift his arm on his own again, but it glitched out and shifted on random arms again because of the Prismatic Energy being out of control.

"Are you?!" Future Sonic asked Sonic with anger and a wide eye. "Who do you think you are?! REALLY?!"

Sonic took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before opening them with a determinate expression.

"My name... Is Sonic the Hedgehog..." Sonic spoke, as he turned around and dived towards FS, before standing with a foot over the train for a moment and jump. "And I was born with an extraordinary power!"

After shouting this, Sonic stepped on FS' chest and then kicked his face hard enough, before landing over the train again and boost away wildly.

However, FS launched a lasso from his wrists and grabbed Sonic from around his chest, but this is precisely what Sonic himself wanted him to do.

When FS pulled him, Sonic willingly shifted his right arm to be a Knuckles' one and aimed to FS' face. "I'm pretty sure you know the rest, you asshole!" He shouted in anger, hitting FS straight on the face and sending him roll backwards on the train.

Meanwhile, Sonic free'd himself from FS' lasso and jumped ahead, but he fell down the train and rolled in the ground, before his face crashed over a guy's car.

The guy stared at Sonic, and Sonic stared back with a sheepish smile. "Hey, what's up?"

But then, FS arrived and grabbed Sonic, before tackling him to another a car, but Sonic was fighting to get free from his grip.

"You don't get it!" Future Sonic shouted in rage. "You're an anomaly!"

"Not if you let me go home!" Sonic shouted in rage, before pushing FS away and then kick his face again, which sent him towards a train that was traveling downwards.

FS shook his head a bit dizzy before looking at the female driver of the train, who pointed with her left finger at the right, indicating that Sonic went in that direction.

"Snitch!" Sonic called her out with a frown, before moving towards another train that was going upwards.

FS growled in rage and jumped off the train, then managed to catch Sonic with a lasso from his wrist and tackle him to a wall again.

"Everywhere you go, you're an anomaly!" Future Sonic shouted in anger, and he tried to hit Sonic in the face, but Sonic moved his head and hit FS in the face with his elbows, before moving upwards and start to climb the train again.

However, FS grabbed him again and dive towards the ground, but Sonic hit him back on the face, and they both rolled over the train for a while, before they both were hanging on it to not fall, although FS started to climb it again by using his claws.

"You are the ORIGINAL anomaly!" Future Sonic finally revealed in anger, tired of letting Sonic go.

Sonic himself stared at him in disbelief after hearing this, and he breathed heavily, refusing to believe that such a thing was true, but then his arm started to shift on its own again, and Sonic yelled in pain.

Soon, both Sunset and Boom Sonic appeared, but they heard when FS revealed to Sonic the truth, and Sunset's eyes widened in panic. "Chief!" She called out.

However, FS jumped ahead and tried to smash Sonic into the train, something Sonic himself noticed, so he dodged the attack.

"The day that Dr. Eggman created that machine, your destiny was sealed!" Future Sonic kept talking, while Sonic's arm glitched again and he yelled in pain. "The machine was supposed to kill you!"

"Chief, no!" Sunset shouted desperately, using a spell to stay stick to the train as she moved her hooves, while Boom used some magnets the Tails of his world added to his clothes to stick in the train as well.

"You were never supposed to arrive to Equestria! You were never supposed to meet those ponies!" Future Sonic kept revealing more stuff, and Sonic was breathing heavily and climbing the train, trying to get the words off his mind and convince himself that FS was just lying, also breathing heavily. "YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO AWAKEN YOUR POWERS!"

"NO! YOU'RE LYING!!!" Sonic shouted, before ripping apart a piece of the train with his arm shifted into a Knuckles' one and launch said piece against FS. "I AM A SONIC!"

"YOU'RE A MISTAKE!" Future Sonic shouted, using his claws to rip apart the piece of the train that Sonic launched him.

After that, FS grabbed Sonic from his neck, then jumped in the air, threw a lasso against the train and pulled out, while he smashed Sonic into the train and glared daggers at him, while his only visible eye was red instead of green.

"If you never arrived to Equestria, Opaline would've never had recruited Eggman, he would've never found the Paradox Prism, and Opaline wouldn't be doing everything she's doing!" Future Sonic shouted in rage.

Sonic looked at him with wide eyes, and as much as he hated to admit it, FS had a good point on that, but he still refused to believe he was an anomaly, even worse: The Original one.

"If you died, Eggman wouldn't had conquered Mobius, because Knuckles knocked him out! He'll be encaged in a cell, where he's nothing but and old man that eats twice a week!" Future Sonic shouted.

Sonic groaned in pain and tried to get FS off him, but then, he noticed both Sunset and Boom approaching "Sonic 2!" He shouted desperately, but FS raised him and smashed him against the train, making him yell in pain.

"And all this time, I have been the only one holding it all together! To fix your mess, to avoid things like the Forbidden Universe happening!" Future Sonic shouted in rage.

"Chief, go easy on him!" Boom Sonic begged desperately, as both him and Sunset approached the other two Sonics.

"You don't belong here..." Future Sonic muttered to Sonic right on his perforated ear. "You never did, neither does 151222 Sonic, and neither does the Sunny that came with you."

"Let me go!" Sonic begged with a frown, still trying to get FS off him.

"Chief, that's enough!" Sunset begged desperately.

"This isn't what we talked about!" Boom Sonic pointed out with concern.

But those words right there, those words made Sonic stop fighting and look at Sunset and Boom from below FS' body with wide eyes, and both a confused and hurt expression.

"...You've talked about this?!" Sonic asked shocked, and both Sunset and Boom stopped moving, looking at him with wide and panicked eyes. "You knew? Y-You all knew?!"

Boom Sonic felt bad after getting discovered, so he simply looked away and hold Aurora close to him, since he wasn't able to look at Sonic in the eyes, while Sunset felt her lips trembling, trying to find the right words to say.

"I... I didn't know... How to tell you..." Sunset confessed with shame.

Sonic felt the entire world suddenly vanishing around him, and his mind flashed back...

All the adventures, the laughs, the cries, the ups the downs, the hugs... All the new friends he made, the romance he has, all the kisses she shared with her, all the passion, all that love... It was never supposed to happen.

He isn't Sonic the Hedgehog, he isn't a hero, and he isn't 'the First Multiversal traveller'...

He shouldn't exist. He's an anomaly. He's a mistake

"...That's why none of you ever came to see me..." Sonic realized with a hurt expression.

Both Sunset and Boom looked down in shame and sadness, because they didn't wanted to tell him this at all, or at least they wanted to say it the best way possible... Not the way FS is doing it right now.

"Sonic, is for your own good!" Sunset tried to resonate.

"Who decides that?!" Sonic shouted in anger, as he tried to stand up and look properly at Sunset and Boom, but FS kept holding him into the train. "I'm not a kid, Sunset!"

FS growled in anger, even feeling his blood boiling after hearing that, so he lifted Sonic and smashed him against the train again, which made Sonic groan in pain again.

"That's exactly what you are!" Future Sonic said with a frown. "You're just a stupid, asshole kid that has no idea what is he doing!"

Sonic growled and placed his left hand on FS' right shoulder, trying to absorb the energy of his body and his gear like he did with the cage earlier, but FS lifted him one last time and smashed him against the train, while Sonic tried once again to get him off.

Both Sunset and Boom looked at this concerned, but choose not to do anything in case their intervention would only make things worse.

"Yeah, well..." Sonic spoke suddenly, as FS held his face against the train with his left elbow. "I did drew hundreds of Mobians and Equestrians away from your little clubhouse."

Future Sonic's eye widened after hearing this. "What?!" He asked confused, then he turned around.

Sunset and Boom turned around as well, and they all saw how hundreds, if not thousands, of Mobians and Equestrians were climbing up the train in the distance, every single one of them with the objective of catching Sonic, just like FS ordered them to do so.

Boom Sonic smiled at this, while Sunset felt confused. "I guess he did planned this out!" The former said happily, before they both looked back at FS and Sonic.

Sonic himself was smirking, because this was his plan from the beginning: Getting all the Secret Society away from the HQ, then save Sunny, and then go back home.

FS realized this and couldn't believe he fell right into the lion's dent. How could he have left his anger blurry his senses? If he didn't got so mad in the first place, maybe this wouldn't be happening, but it was.

"And..." Sonic called out, while FS looked back at him with anger. "I'm about to do this..."

Therefore, Sonic placed his left hand on FS' shoulder and started to absorb all the energy from both his body and his gear, which made FS' eye widen in panic, so he tried to get free from Sonic's grip and finally let him go, but now he was trapped on Sonic's game and couldn't escape.

"Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go!" Sonic said with a frown, before it relaxed and shifted into a serious expression. "Nah. Imma do my own thing."

With this, Sonic's right arm stopped glitching and shifted back to the regular one, so Sonic placed his hands over FS' chest, then began to release the energy he absorbed back to him.

"Sorry man. I'm going home!" Sonic stated with a determinate look.

FS' eye widened, but then Sonic pushed him back with the energy he absorbed, and FS let out a scream of pain, while he started to roll on the train and fall downwards, but the claws on his gloves were not working, so he kept falling and rolling, until he finally managed to hang into a handle over the train, between various members of the Society.

Sunset found herself smiling after this happened, while she looked back at Sonic, who started to stand up while the train kept moving upwards.

However, when Sonic looked back at both Boom and her, he did it with a frown. "...You heard me when I told you lying makes you a terrible friend... And you still lied to me..." He told Sunset with anger, and Sunset's smile faded away after hearing this. "You don't deserve any friends, Sunset. Not if you're gonna lie to them like this..."

Sunset's heart shattered after hearing this, and she couldn't believe that he said that... But those words also hit her as hard as a train, and they definitely hurt.

"And you?" Sonic saw Boom with disappointment. "I hope I never see you again... Or I'll make sure Aurora gets a Canon Event earlier in her life..."

Boom's eyes widened after hearing this, because he knew perfectly what he meant.

After saying this, Sonic launched himself from the train and dived towards the HQ, even charging up a Homing Attack in the air and then boosting away.

"Sonic!" Sunset shouted, but the blue blur was gone already.

"Wow... I truly didn't expected to get threatened with death today..." Boom Sonic muttered to himself anxiously.

Sunset, on the other hand, still couldn't understand what is Sonic's game plan here... But Future Sonic did, because he didn't thought twice and jumped in a dive towards the HQ as well.

Sunset was thinking on what could Sonic be doing besides saving Sunny once he returned to the HQ... But then she remembered: The 'Go Home Machine', he could use that. And if the machine didn't worked, then the Prismatic energy inside of Sonic definitely would.

"Huh... He definitely planned it all out..." Sunset realized with amusement and a little smile.

Meanwhile, Sunny was still at the HQ, trying to get free from her cage.

She tried to use her horn to wipe it down, but the trick simply didn't worked, so she groaned and sighed frustrated, then sat on the cage and accepted that she had to wait for Sonic to rescue her.

But suddenly, the door of FS' office opened, and then, Sonic came running in, with his feet moving wildly because of him loosing the Inhibitor Bracelet, but he was here to save Sunny. He'll worry about the Prismatic Energy on his body later.

"Sonic!" Sunny called out happily.

Sonic approached and placed his palms on her cage, but also smiled down at her. "I couldn't leave you behind, Sunny-Bunny. You're my sister from another dimension!" He pointed out with a smile, before starting to absorb the energy of the cage.

Sunny got this as a sign to duck down, so she did that, and she also made her horn appear to create a small shield around herself to protect her from what's coming.

And so, Sonic released the energy back into the cell, destroying it in the process, and thanks to her shield, Sunny was intact, so once she saw the cage was gone, she undid her magic and made her horn disappear.

"Well, what took you so––" Sunny tried to ask mockingly, but then, Sonic suddenly kneeled and wrapped her into a big hug, which startled her at first, but when she felt him trembling and sobbing, she knew something was wrong, so she hugged him back and rubbed his back softly. "Sonic... What happened?"

Of course, Sonic didn't replied anything, and instead, just stood there, hugging Sunny tightly.

He couldn't believe that he was a mistake, that his entire universe, that his friends were all anomalies... That they didn't belonged here, nor anywhere else...

How was he even going to explain that to Sunny? Or to everyone else back home? That they were mistakes? That he should be dead? It was all coming so suddenly, and happening so fast... But there was no time to waste.

So, Sonic broke the hug and wiped away his tears, before looking at Sunny again with a smile. "...There's a lot to explain... But it can wait. First, we gotta get out of here!"

Sunny frowned and nodded in agreement, so Sonic carried her in bridal style and then boosted out of FS' office.

Thanks to the fact that he made the place get empty before, running around the Society's HQ was a bless, and Sonic was heading straight up to the 'Go Home Machine'.

However, once they reached that place, they had to stop moving, and Sonic even carefully placed Sunny in the ground, because the Dr. Hooves variant from earlier was blocking the way, and he was even pointing a plasma gun at them with a conflicted look.

"D-Don't step closer!" Hooves warned. "I-I won't hesitate to shoot!"

"Doc..." Sonic started, and he tried to approach.

"Don't move!" Hooves warned again. "I got the message from FS! I know what you want to do!"

"Then you also know that this is wrong, don't you?" Sonic questioned, and Hooves looked at him confused. "We are the good guys... We don't kill each other, and we definitely not stand doing nothing while others die..."

Hooves' hoof started to tremble, and he didn't knew what to do anymore... Let the anomalies go, or do what he believes is the right think and not what FS thinks?

"Hooves..." Sunny called out this time, and Hooves looked at Sunny. "I know that deep down, you know how messed up all of this is. Letting others die just because an AI said so? You can't believe that is okay!"

Hooves' hoof trembled more, and he started to slowly lower it.

"Do what your heart tells you is right, not what your boss says so." Sonic added with a concerned frown.

Hooves once again looked up at Sonic and Sunny, and even if he knew that he was probably getting kicked out of the Secret Society for this, he threw the gun and moved aside, which made both Sonic and Sunny smile.

"Thank you..." Sunny told him with a smile. "I promise you that we'll repay you."

After saying this, Sonic grabbed Sunny bridal style again, but just when he did this, they heard how the ceiling of the HQ broke, just for FS to land not so far from them with a painful grunt.

However, it didn't took him long to notice Sonic and Sunny, so he growled in anger and moved towards them.

Sonic frowned, and so, he ran towards the 'Go Home Machine'... But instead of standing over the platform that makes it works, Sonic started to run all across the room at top speed, with his feet taking the shape of an eight, while the Prismatic Energy of his body showed up.

Sunny noticed this, and her eyes widened in panic. "Sonic! What are you doing?!"

"The machine takes a lot of time to work properly!" Sonic pointed out with a frown, before smirking confidently. "We're leaving this place old school!"

As Sonic did this, Sunny panicked a bit more, but also decided to simply close her eyes and hang tightly into him, while Sonic kept running at top speed, and even the Prismatic Energy of his arm moved to his feet. Some stuff started to float around the room as well thanks to the Prism's Energy.

"NOOOOOOO!" Future Sonic shouted desperately, as he arrived along Sunset, Boom Sonic, Twilight, and all the other members of the Secret Society.

But it was too late for him already: Sonic's plan finally worked, and he opened a portal with the shape of an X with the Prismatic energy of his body, which he traversed along Sunny, and once they were out of sight, the portal closed entirely, and everything floating around stopped doing so.

FS stood in front of everyone else, breathing heavily and trying to calm himself down, but just when the eye of the machine that scans his DNA approached, FS literally ripped it of with his bare hand and launched it away in anger.

"Whoa! Okay, enough!" Boom Sonic called out, protecting Aurora and frowning at FS. "Is not the console's fault! They didn't even used it!"

"All they had to do is LISTEN!" Future Sonic yelled in rage. "Why didn't they listen?"

"Maybe you weren't hard enough on them!" Sunset said sarcastically with a frown.

"Sunset, don't do it..." Twilight warned with a frown as well.

"...You let them go..." Future Sonic said, turning to see Sunset with his eye still glowing in red from anger.

"Me?!" Sunset shouted in disbelief.

"You didn't catch Sonic, Sunset, and he free'd Sunny to escape with her..." Future Sonic declared, glaring daggers at Sunset.

"Okay, okay, the tension's growing here..." Boom Sonic pointed out a bit panicked. "Let's all just catch a breath––"

"Boom!" Sunset called out and cut him off. "You wanna back me up?!"

"Well, in that case: FS, as the father of a daughter, and the son of a mother––" Boom Sonic tried to say.

"Yeah, actually, stop talking..." Twilight begged with a deadpan.

"Okay, duly noted..." Boom Sonic said with an ashamed expression.

Then, Sunset took a deep breath and turned to FS again. "Let me just talk to them––"

However, Future Sonic abruptly boosted right in her face and looked at her with anger. "We tried that." He pointed out, and then walked pass her.

"They're my friends!" Sunset argued with anger as well.

"Yeah, and that's the problem." Future Sonic replied coldly.

"Do you know for certain what happens if they brake the Canon?!" Sunset asked desperate, tired of FS acting like a wiser man when he's just acting out of fear and anger.

This, however, made Future Sonic stop, and so, he turned abruptly to Sunset with a look that clearly said he wasn't willing to take that risk. "Do you wanna find out?"

Sunset panicked at this and walked backwards, but when one of her hind legs didn't find somewhere to stand, she stopped walking, and now her only option was duck herself while FS approached her.

"I told you she was a liability." Future Sonic told Twilight, who's eyes widened after hearing this, but she still sighed and looked away.

"You're wrong!" Sunset's voice spoke in a broken tone. "Twi. Tell him he's wrong!"

However, Twilight took a deep breath and looked at Sunset with guilt. "He's not."

"Are you serious right now?!" Sunset asked in shock, not being able to believe that the one pony that changed her life, at least in her world, was now turning against her.

"I warned you: If you let them get away, I can't help you..." Twilight replied with shame and low ears.

Sunset resisted the urge to cry and yell at Twilight, so she looked back at FS with a frown. "I'm not coming!"

"You're right." Future Sonic replied coldly.

"What?" Sunset asked confused, but then, the 'Go Home Machine' grabbed her, startling the Alicorn. "What the hell?!"

And so, the Machine started to drag her, grabbing her hooves, wings and immobilizing her horn so she wouldn't try to use her magic to get free from the machine's grip. Soon, she was placed in the platform and held by the machine's arms, while Sunset tried to get free from its grip.

"Go home, Sunset." Future Sonic said with anger.

Sunset frowned and got free from the machine's grip, but since it already had the portal ready to sent her home, she simply glared daggers at her former boss. "We are supposed to be the good guys..."

Twilight felt even even worse after hearing this, while the machine finished its process and sent Sunset home.

Hooves looked down in concern, Boom Sonic felt ashamed of being part of the Society, and Twilight closed her eyes, feeling guilty for what just happened with Sunset.

Future Sonic, however, was beyond furious, because he was breathing heavily, and his mind was shouting him he had to to take charge of this before things got worse. He may have good intentions, but he's not acting like a hero... He's acting like a villain. He's acting like the very thing he swore to fight and destroy.

"...We are..." Future Sonic spoke, his eye still glowing in red, then he turned to see all the other members of the Society, trying his best not to loose his cool. "We are!"

Some members in the society looked at each other, anyways, because they felt conflicted on what to do, on who's right, on who's wrong... They were in a difficult position.

Still, Future Sonic wasn't planning to stay here and let Sonic and Sunny get away. "Twilight, Shadow. Come with me." He instructed, walking ahead and opening a portal to Universe 220822.

"Hell yeah!" Shadow cheered with a smile.

"Somebody keep an eye on Opaline." Future Sonic added, traversing the portal, while Shadow entered as well in excitement, and Twilight sighed before doing it as well.

"Sorry, man. Can't do. I gotta get her down for her nap." Boom Sonic said, referring to take Aurora to sleep.

"Not you!" Future Sonic replied with anger, as he glared daggers at Boom. "I've got the right amount of you!"

Then, Future Sonic crossed the portal, and Boom felt bad for everything happening so far, so he sighed and looked down at Aurora, who giggled, and he kissed her forehead.

Author's Note

Well, yes: Sonic's Canon Event was supposed to die when Eggman created the machine, not arrive into Equestria... This changes it all, doesn't it?

In today's chapter, the Tails with 9 natural tails is actually based on this concept art of Sonic Prime; the Sonic Cop is, in fact, Zonic the Zone Cop from the Sonic the Hedgehog: Archie Comic Series; the Regular Sonic the Hedgehog is based on this image; Vector's variant that couldn't eat his hamburger comes from this story written by RockStarMLP; both the Gorilla Knuckles and Monkey Tails are originals from this story; the Movie (Young) Sonic's that watched his mother die comes from this story made by sonicfan05, and the Twilight's variant is from this one-shot created by Rambling Writer.

The Werehog Sonic comes from the Archie Comics as well; the Zipp's variant that talked with Sonic is from this one-shot made by my fella Flamewarrior02; the Classic Sonic's variant is actually Sonic from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog; Big Macintosh's variant is from this short story by CoffeeMinion; Discord's variant comes from this story made by Bookworm Dazzle; and the Knuckles with steroids is Boom Knuckles from the Sonic Boom TV Show. Finally, the Knuckles variant that hit Zonic the Zone Cop's helmet and cringed is Archie Knuckles from the Archie Comic Series.

As for the Forbidden Universe FS mentioned, he was talking about the events of Sonic Prime. Yes, FS is Prime Sonic's number one slander. He despises him to the point he won't waste any possible chance to shit on him if he gets one.

When I said that I was going to make a Multiverse story, I took it by heart. And we're just in chapter 8 of 30... Imagine the possibilities!

Now, next chapter we'll focus back again in Sunset Shimmer now that she's been expelled from the Secret Society. I feel drama incoming!

Bye! :twilightsmile:

9. Purpose Destroyed

Universe 220822

Some things started to float over Canterlove Studios' ceiling in Maretime Bay.

Then, an heptagon-shaped portal was open by a pair of claws, these ones coming from FS' gloves, who walked ahead with a determinate look, because his mission in this universe was clear: He came to capture either Sonic and Sunny before they change their Canon Events.

As FS' portal closed, another one opened behind, and Twilight came out of this one, making a slight loop in the air before landing at FS' side, while Shadow came out of a last portal and stood with them as well.

The three of them stared down at Maretime Bay, waiting for either Sonic, Sunny or both of them to arrive so they could arrest them.

Universe 081114

In the middle of Amy's house, an heptagon-shaped portal opened in a room.

Amy herself was on her room, wearing her pajamas and lifting a cup and a paper. Once the effect of the portal was over because it closed, Amy placed the things back in the bed, then stood up and exited her room she shared with Sonic.

"Hey, hun!" Amy greeted happily, heading towards Aurora's room, but not without putting a framed picture back on place that fell because of the portal's effect, then opened the door and saw Boom Sonic placing Aurora down on her cradle. "How's work?"

Boom Sonic hesitated on saying anything first, since he was just making sure that Aurora was comfy and ready to sleep. "Eh... I don't know..."

"Sonic..." Amy called out, as she approached Sonic and rested her head on his, while Sonic was laying over Aurora's cradle with a concerned look. "Did you bring our baby to another fight?"

"Did I bring our baby–– No, no, no." Boom Sonic quickly corrected himself a bit nervously, while Amy raised an eyebrow and looked at him playfully. "You asked me not to, so I didn't. I wouldn't."

Amy nodded, satisfied with this answer, but Boom still looked down at Aurora with concern.

Universe 220822

The Secret Society's members and their leader kept guarding over the town, looking for any sign that indicated that Sonic, Sunny or both of them were coming.

Universe 081114

Boom Sonic was feeling worried.

He placed a finger on Aurora's little hand, who grabbed it and squeezed it like if it was a plushie, while Amy hugged him from behind and looked down at their daughter with a proud smile.

Boom, however, couldn't get off the feeling of guilt he felt for what happened not only to Sonic and Sunny, but also to Sunset, and he felt concerned that not being a good friend with those three could affect him as a parent and mentor for Aurora in the future.

"You think I'll be any good at this?" Boom Sonic asked Amy with concern.

Amy felt surprised by this question. "You're asking that now?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow, before smiling playfully, because Boom was doing so. "There's no playbook for raising someone like her... or being someone like you. You just gotta make the right adjustments in half time... That's sports metaphor, by the way."

"I know, Ames... Is not the first time you try to surprise with one of those..." Boom Sonic rolled his eyes with a playful smirk, while Amy giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Well, since you're so stubborn and cocky, I thought you wouldn't have time for these kind of stuff!" Amy said mockingly.

"We have played sports together, Ames!" Boom Sonic pointed out with an amusing smile, while Amy patted his back with a giggle and walked away, and Boom rolled his eyes again. "Unbelievable..."

He then looked back at Aurora in her cradle with a smile, but still concerned for Sonic, Sunny and Sunset.

Universe 250921

Fire was burning down this universe, with ponies screaming and running away.

Meanwhile, over a pile full of skeletons, Opaline levitated in front of her the skull of who once was Sunny Starscout from this universe, and she looked at it with a frown.

She couldn't understand how from every single world she has visited so far, not a single Sunny is different from the other one. They all share the same design, the same vision, say the same damn words, and all have the same damn Alicorn power...

Why was she this stubborn? Twilight never insisted as much as Sunny does, and that irritates her. Is even worse considering her will to not give up is something she learned from Sonic.

Speaking of the Blue Blur, she already had the glee to burn down his skull as well in other worlds. After all, she's been in Universes 131212, 050117 and 161213 before coming to this one, were she gathered two red shards of the Paradox Prism and a yellow one respectively.

Yes, she also killed Sonic in those worlds, and yes; she destroyed those worlds with glitches as well.

In this universe she's currently in? She obtained another green one, and it was already attached to her bracelet, marking that way the 10th Prism shard she's gotten so far.

"Just 10 more shards before I get my reward..." Opaline muttered with a smirk.

Then, she opened her wings; that ignited in yellow, green, red and blue colors of fire; as well as her horn, and then started to flap her wings, before taking flight upwards, launch a red blast to the sky, opening a portal, and then get out of this universe, which started to glitch as soon as she left.

Her next goal now that she has half of the prism in her power? Go back home and finally reclaim what belongs to her after a long, long time...

Universe 010921

A group of birds chirped as they flew across the sky.

Meanwhile, on a field a few yards away from the Crystal Brighthouse, Sunny and the other girls were having a picnic and enjoying their time together, except for Sunny, who looked ahead with a sad and concerned expression.

Izzy noticed this after a while, so she scooted over to Sunny. "Sunny-Bear, what's wrong girl?" She asked concerned, and it wasn't until Izzy asked this that the others finally noticed Sunny's mood.

"You okay there, Sunny? You're pretty zoned out." Zipp pointed out with worry.

Sunny sighed and tried to smile "I'm fine, girls." She replied, but her smile didn't lasted long, and she ended up looking at the ground. "It's just... I wish Sunset was here, you know? She hasn't been around that much lately. "The few times she has visited have been so short and quick that I can barely call them visits..."

"Well, she has this big deal with this secret multiversal fighting society. So you can't blame her." Pipp said while looking at her phone. "Sometimes I can be as absent working on Mane Melody or spending time with my Pippsqueaks."

"I know, I know." Sunny said with a slight eye roll, before sighing and look down in sadness. "I understand that her job is important and all, but still, I wish she was with us right now..."

Izzy placed a hoof on Sunny's shoulder for comfort, and Sunny smiled weakly at her, but then, a heptagon-shaped portal opened up in the sky, not so far from the girls' position, and this already startled them, but they got even more startled when Sunset came out of the portal.

The Alicorn mare yelped in pain as she hit the floor, while the portal she came from closed.

"Wow... That was convenient..." Misty said surprised.

"You can say that twice..." Zipp said with amusement.

"Wow, that was convenient..." Izzy repeated, although she was as shocked as the others, even though they deadpanned after she literally repeated what Misty said.

Sunset groaned in pain and slowly stood up, while the girls realized that Sunset looked slightly different from the last time they saw her. As stated 7 chapters ago, she was now a bit taller, had a larger neck, her mane glowed with sparkles, and she had a light blue line painted in both her mane and her tail.

Sunny and the girls looked at Sunset amazed, because they never expected her to come back slightly different.

"Sunset?" Sunny asked quietly, finding Sunset's new look beautiful.

Sunset, however, groaned and slowly stood up, then she looked around, and so far, she hasn't noticed Sunny or the girls.

However, her eyes widened in panic when she saw she was back at her world. "No, no no no no no no no! I have to go back! I have to help them!" Sunset cried out, so she looked at her dimensional watch to try and open a portal, but when she tapped it, it instead showed a screen with a message.

"Access Denied." The watch's AI said, while the screen had this exact phrase, and that made Sunset go into a loop.

"What?!" Sunset questioned with a frown, before she tapped the watch again repeatedly, getting the same results since it kept saying 'Access Denied' so many times, and she realized that FS blocked her access to prevent her from interfering. "Rrraaaaaahhhh!!!!!" She yelled out in rage, then she hit a rock nearby, which caused it to crack, then she levitated it and tossed it in a great distance, before falling to her knees and whimper, while tears began to form on her eyes.

Sunny and the girls looked at Sunset with sympathy. They might not be sure what is making her feel this way, but they know they can be there for her and comfort her, so Sunny walked up to Sunset slowly.

"Sunset?" Sunny asked concerned and uncertainly.

Sunset's ears perked up, and her eyes widened, then she slowly turned around and saw Sunny, as well as the other girls behind her. "Sunny?"

"I see you have a new look!" Sunny said with a little smile, but before she could say anything else, Sunset rushed up to her and hugged her tightly, starting to cry on her shoulder, which made Sunny feel concerned, even though she still hugged her back. "Sunset?"

Sunset didn't immediately replied, and instead just cried on Sunny's shoulder. After everything she's been living the past day, she really needed this hug, so Sunny decided to stay quiet for now and just hug her back.

Sunset felt so happy when she joined the Society at first, because she felt that she finally had a purpose again, that she finally was helping in something so much important... But now that she's kicked out, she has no purpose again.

"S-Sunny... I-I'm so sorry..." Sunset whimpered, sobbing a bit as well.

"Sunset... What's wrong? What happened?" Sunny asked concerned, braking the hug and she looking at Sunset with concern, while the other girls did as well.

"Why are you sad? Why the long face?" Izzy asked next.

Sunset simply sobbed a bit more and wiped the few tears left on her eyes, before looking at the ground with shame and guilt. "I... I've been expelled from the Secret Society..."

"What?!" The five girls asked in shock.

"They... They fired you? Just like that?!" Zipp asked in shock.

"Why would they do that?!" Pipp asked as well.

Sunset sniffed a bit more and wiped her nose. "I... Remember the first Sonic that we met? The one that popped up suddenly in front of Sunny's stand?"

"The day I got sick for streaming the whole day?" Pipp asked.

"Yeah..." Sunset nodded and wiped out more tears. "That same Sonic... Is from his world where Opaline comes from... FS sent me to recruit him and his Sunny because he believed they could help out in defeating her. They passed their first test with no problem, but Sonic did something he didn't had to when things got out of control, a-and FS was furious with him, a-and..."

Sunset started to hyperventilate a bit, and so, Sunny placed a hoof on her shoulder and another one on her chest, shushing her quietly and waiting for Sunset to calm down.

None of the girls ever saw Sunset being so broken or desperate before. Sure, they have seen her getting mad or crying when she had to, but they never saw her this messed up emotionally. They were convinced that, whatever happened to her, it was really bad if it left her like this.

Eventually, Sunset calmed down and kept explaining. "When he explained everything about the Canon, they exploded in anger, and then he tried to encage them..." She said, and that made the other five mares gasp in shock. "Sonic escaped, but even if his plan was working... FS still told him everything: That he's the first anomaly, why he's one, and... And he even told him that he didn't belonged in the Society..."

If the first thing was really bad enough, now this shocked the other five mares even more, and they couldn't believe the same FS they met a while back did everything Sunset was telling them he did.

"Sonic still managed to escape, he free'd Sunny, and then... he left to his world..." Sunset kept explaining. "I tried to convince FS to let me go talk with them, but... He said they escaped because of me... And then he expelled me..."

After having explained all of this, her friends were shocked, and they still couldn't believe the FS they met months ago and the FS Sunset was talking about are the same hedgehog.

"What?!" Zipp yelled angrily. "They seriously tried to encage them just for trying to help?!"

"The nerve of them to just do that to a hero! They were supposed to be the good guys!" Pipp pointed out in anger as well.

Sunset snorted a bit after hearing that. "That's what I told them before they sent me here... But you know what's the part that hurts me the most? That Sonic told me something that's stuck in my head, right before he escaped..."

Sonic started to stand up, while the train kept moving upwards.

However, when Sonic looked back at both Boom and Sunset, he did it with a frown. "...You heard me when I told you lying makes you a terrible friend... And you still lied to me..." He told Sunset with anger, and Sunset's smile faded away after hearing this. "You don't deserve any friends, Sunset. Not if you're gonna lie to them like this..."

Sunset's heart shattered after hearing this, and she couldn't believe that he said that... But those words also hit her as hard as a train, and they definitely hurt.

After saying this, Sonic launched himself from the train and dived towards the HQ, even charging up a Homing Attack in the air and then boosting away.

"Sonic!" Sunset shouted, but the blue blur was gone already.

After Sunset explained this, she sobbed a bit more and wiped out more tears.

"I... I know he's just mad, but... His words really hurt..." Sunset said with concern.

The others looked at each other with concern as well, and even if they all wanted to say something to comfort Sunset, none of them knew exactly what to say in order to cheer her up.

"I can't believe FS would even do that to you, or to Sonic and his Sunny..." Misty said in disbelief.

"The guy is clearly way too strict, and he thinks he knows everything to the point he won't even listen!" Sunset yelled out in rage, also kicking a rock far from them. "And now, Sonic and his Sunny are being hunted down as we speak, I got fired from the Society, and Opaline is still out there! I bet she has more shards from the Paradox Prism at this point, and I can't do anything about it! Not even to help out our Hitch..."

After yelling all of this, Sunset fell on her knees again and started to tear up even more while breathing heavily, to the point some tears even got into her mouth because of her uncontrollable cry.

However, and even though she still felt concerned for Sunset, Sunny raised an eyebrow confused when Sunset yelled that she couldn't help their Hitch. Being her best friend, or rather coltfriend, Sunny obviously felt a bit concerned that Sunset mentioned him.

"Hitch? What do you mean?" Sunny asked confused.

Sunset's eyes widened after Sunny asked this, and she realized too late her mistake of mentioning Hitch. She thought earlier in the Society's HQ that if the other Sunny hated her for not trying to stop Hitch's fate, then her Sunny would do the exact same thing.

Now she was in a position were hiding the truth was not an option, because Sonic's words were stuck with her, and she didn't wanted to lie to anyone anymore, much less her friends.

So, with a sigh, Sunset looked down for a moment, before looking up at Sunny. "Canon Events are... Things that must happen so a pony, or person, can be that pony or person..." She began to explain, then gulped nervously and closed her eyes before continue. "A-And your canon event, Sunny... Is that Hitch... I-Is that he dies..." She confessed, more tears started to roll down her cheeks.

The other mares but Sunny gasped in shock, while Sunny herself had wide eyes, but she said nothing after hearing this.

"A-And I was trying so, so hard to avoid that thing to happen for you... For us!" Sunset added with a whimper, before removing her watch from her hoof and then toss it away, as it crashed into the ground and broke into a million pieces, while the other mares flinched at her action. "But I couldn't! I-I couldn't..."

Sunset cried more at this point, and when you think she cannot cry out even more, she proves you wrong and cries even more. Sunny noticed this and felt bad, but also confused on why Sunset worried so much for Hitch.

"Sunset, it's okay." Sunny said with a calmed tone, placing a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. "Hitch is––"

"No, it's not okay, Sunny!" Sunset snapped, her voice changing into a more low pitched tone that felt similar to when Celestia or Luna raised their voices in anger.

Sunny and the other mares backed a bit away after Sunset snapped like that, while the Alicorn started to walk back and forth desperately, also breathing a bit heavily.

"Ever since the very first day the Unity Crystals gave me these wings, I've been doing everything I can to show that I'm worthy of them, to demonstrate that I could do as many amazing things as Twilight did when she was still around!" Sunset said with concern, while her friends looked at her with worried looks. "And I didn't! I didn't..."

Her friends grew even more concerned after she said all of this, but they decided to let her cry and scream all her frustration out before telling her what Sunny was trying to say earlier.

"I can do all these things but I can't help the people I love the most, and I can only do so much that I can't even bring back Twilight even when she's gone!" Sunset screamed with pain. "So, I'm completely on my own! And now, I don't... I don't even know what’s the right thing anymore!"

"Sunset..." Sunny muttered with concern.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do! But I know!" Sunset said desperately, before sighing and cover her face with her hooves, then look back at her friends with concern. "I can't lose one more friend..."

The other mares looked at each other for a moment, then they all smiled and looked back at Sunset.

"Sunset, Hitch has been quite busy working on his Sheriff duties." Sunny tried to explain.

"Yeah, and how did that work out?" Sunset asked rhetorically with a snort and a small eye roll.

"Uh, Sunset..." Zipp tried to called her our.

"What’s the point of keep talking about this? Hitch is a goner..." Sunset said defeated.

"No he's not." Sunny tried to reason, now frowning and getting tired of Sunset's attitude.

"Why?!" Sunset asked again, getting irritated herself.

"Because I'm right here." Hitch's voice spoke, and that startled Sunset, who violently turned around.

She saw Hitch and Sparky coming towards them, with Hitch even carrying a box of donuts on his hoof and placing it down on the mantle were they had the rest of the picnic.

Sunset, however, was staring at Hitch with wide and confused eyes. If what she recalls is correct, Hitch should've had died a week or two ago, which is 3 or 4 days ago in this universe... But if Hitch was right there, alive, then why was her universe intact and not raveling?

"Hitch? You're… you're here..." Sunset said with wide and shocked eyes. "H-How?"

"Well... As much as I love to be a Sheriff, I realized that my job was keeping me away from spending time with those who I love..." Hitch started to explain, before looking at Sunny and the rest with a smile, while they smiled back. "It was a miracle already that I could be with you girls the day we fought Tirek on Zephyr Heights. So, I have retired temporarily from being a Sheriff. That way I can spend my time with my friends. And with Sparky!"

Sunset was shocked after hearing this. "When?"

"Around a month or two after you left." Hitch revealed with a smile.

Sunset was having a hard time processing all of this, specially because she really thought that Hitch would be dead by the time she came back to her universe... But Hitch was alive.

"You're... Wait, wait a minute, you're... You're not Sheriff right now?" Sunset asked, still shocked about this revelation, while her mind started to think on something. "But that means…"

Sunset was now shocked, because if Hitch was alive, that meant that Sunny's Canon Event was disrupted. And if her Canon Event was disrupted, but this universe remains intact, then that means that altering a Canon Event does not unravels a reality... At least if you belong there.

She realized that FS and Sonic broke the Canon from universes they didn't belonged to, but she changed the Canon of her own reality... So if she could do it, that means that Sonic and Sunny still have a chance.

They can change their Canon, and their world would still live... Just like hers...

Meanwhile, Hitch looked at Sparky, who was giggling at him happily, then the stallion of the group looked at his friends with a fond smile. "My job, being a Sheriff, all that stuff isn't really that important..." He stated, before looking over at Sunset and the others. "My friends are the best thing I've ever done."

Sunset couldn't believe it still... But it was true: Hitch is alive, and her world lives on with that, because Canon doesn't matter when you are the one rewriting your own story.

If she never joined the Society, Hitch would've died, and that Canon Event would've had happened still... But it didn't, because the day she joined them, she already changed her story, she saved Hitch from his fate and she didn't even know it...

Then, Hitch walked up to Sunset and placed a hoof on her shoulder to give her some comfort. "I... I heard everything that happened to you in the Society, and I'm really sorry they did this to you and your friends... But you shouldn't let that stop you." He stated with a determinate look. "You are better off without them, and you are great in many ways! Even if Twilight isn't around, you did many things before you brought her back to put her spirit in that necklace the first time. You shouldn't let that get the best of you."

Sunset remained silent for a moment, and she took out her necklace, which still had Twilight's spirit inside, even though she closed herself in it ever since she realized she wasn't needed anymore, which made Sunset start to tear up again.

"I-I... I just wanted to see familiar faces... I wanted Twilight to be there with me, b-because I don't know if I can go on without her... She changed my life for the better. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her extending her hand to me for help... If it wasn't for her making me see the light of friendship, that I… I don't know if I'm able to keep going without her guidance..." Sunset said, still looking at the necklace with sadness and concern. "I just want to see my Twilight again... I really miss her..."

Sunset closed her eyes and held the necklace close to her chest, tearing up even more if it was possible, while the rest of the Mane 7 looked at her with sad expressions.

So, they decided to huddle close to her and wrap the now taller Alicorn in a group hug, while Sunset herself whimpered, because it didn't matter if she spent the past year with a variant of Twilight, learning lots of stuff about the Multiverse. At the end of the day, she wasn't her Twilight, the one that showed her the path of friendship, the one who saved her from darkness, and that's what hurt her the most...

Suddenly, the necklace started to glow again after months of not being used, but none of the Mane 7 noticed this. However, as the necklace finally opened up, the Mane 7 but Sunset gasped and looked ahead with wide and shocked eyes.

"I'm always with you, Sunset." Twilight spoke in a soft tone.

Hearing that voice, echoing like a hologram instead of being firm and solid like with Twilight from Universe 260221, it sent a weird chill down Sunset's spine.

So, the Alicorn slowly lifted her sight, just for her eyes to widen as well, while her tears feel even harder and faster now: It was the Twilight from the necklace, her Twilight, looking at her with affection and a small smile.

"...T-Twilight?" Sunset muttered in disbelief, her lips even trembling, but as the others smiled at the sight, Sunset did it as well. "Y-You are back..."

"I am... And I've seen your latest journey across the multiverse through the necklace." Twilight confessed. "I've seen everything you've been going through, and I see how conflicted you feel because of FS and his Secret Society's actions, how much you don't trust them anymore... FS' rules are very questionable, and it seems like he does not understand the value of being a leader."

"I know... All the things we've done to 'protect the Canon'... None of it was right..." Sunset said with a sadness and disappointment over herself. "And I still screwed up... I just wanted to be something more. I-I still feel like I'm not needed in Equestria anymore, and I still feel that I need to find my purpose, because after you..." She trailed off and sighed. "I... I just don't know if I can move on without you, Twilight... You are the inspiration of friendship, the one and true Alicorn Equestria needs. You even made a friendship utopia before Opaline ruined it! We brought back your legacy, but... Equestria still needs you..."

Twilight gave a small smile and chuckled after hearing this. "Oh, Sunset... I know that you're still trying to find your purpose, but know this: Equestria will always need you, your friends will always need you as well, to be there for them I'm so sorry for leaving you so suddenly after the last time we saw each other... But my time has passed. Equestria doesn't needs me anymore, and you never needed me. You and your friends had done so many deeds for Equestria, and stopping Opaline was just the beginning! Don't you see? You seven are ready to carry on my legacy without me."

Even though all the Mane 7 were listening, Sunset still felt bad after hearing from Twilight herself that she wasn't needed anymore, but as much as it hurt to hear it, Sunset knew it was the truth.

"I know that I'm the one who helped you turn over a new leaf when we first met, Sunset, but all those times Equestrian magic caused problems in your world during CHS, I wasn't there to help you." Twilight pointed out. "Sure, I gave you some information, but you and your friends were the ones who handled them with the magic of friendship, and while working together. Heck, even before you brought me back on this necklace, you helped to bring back the magic of Equestria, reunited ponykind and rebuild my legacy! Sunset, you are needed in Equestria more than I am. You seven haven't just helped one pony with a simple problem, you saved Equestria by returning it to how it was, the way it should be: A world of Friendship and Harmony, of Unity." She finished with a proud smile.

The Mane 7 looked at Twilight, feeling inspired by her words, then the rest turned to Sunset, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"So, Sunset. You finally know your purpose?" Sunny asked with a little smile.

After a few seconds of silence, Sunset gave a determined smile and turned to her friends. "...I think I have... My name is Sunset Shimmer. I'm a Princess of Friendship, and a Guardian of Harmony. I am friends with Princess Twilight Sparkle, friends with Sunny, Hitch, Izzy, Zipp, Pipp and Misty, protector of Unity, guardian of the Unity Crystals, protector of Equestria, and friends to those close to me! My purpose is to protect Equestria, to protect Twilight's legacy, and to protect my friends, whom I care for deeply, from any threats, no matter what the cost or where I go! I am the Princess of Friendship, and this is who I am!" She announced with a determined voice and a wide smile, while her mane glowed even brighter.

The rest of the Mane 7 cheered in joy for Sunset, and then they dragged her into another group hug, while Sunset herself smiled, before looking at Twilight, who smiled as well, while the rest decided to brake the hug.

"I'm proud of you, and I'm proud of the mare you've grown into, Sunset. You truly are amazing." Twilight said with a pride.

"Thank you for inspiring me, Twilight..." Sunset said with a smile, but it faded away and shifted into a sad expression. "But... It sounds like you're about to leave again..."

"Aw... But you just returned, Twilight!" Izzy complained in sadness.

"Yeah! You can stay with us a little longer if you want!" Sunny suggested, since she wanted for Twilight to stay a bit longer, specially because she still admires her as her idol.

However, Twilight denied with her head, but smile warmly at them. "I would love that offer, but my time has passed already. You all have grown into the greatest ponies there are, and it was already time to pass the torch. But even though you ponies might not see me anymore, I'm always with you all. And who knows: If things go too dire, maybe someday I'll return. For now? Know that I'm always with all of you."

After saying this, the Mane 7 smiled at the Former Princess of Friendship.

"You know you can count on us to keep the peace!" Hitch said with a smile, while Sparky babbled in agreement.

"You know we'll keep the harmony!" Pipp sang happily, even flapping her wings.

"We'll unicycle your legacy time and time again!" Izzy cheered.

"You know I always keep promises." Zipp said with a smirk.

"And I would love to keep that legacy this time, as a way to redeem myself for working with Opaline." Misty said with a proud smile.

"And Sunset and I will keep your legacy alive, and be the Alicorns we are meant to be!" Sunny promised, as she brought out her Alicorn form and stood next to Sunset, who smiled at her, before the Mane 7 all turned to Twilight.

"I'm proud you ponies would do that for me, and for all of Equestria." Twilight said with a smile, walking up to Sunset and placing a hoof on her chest, while Sunset gave a teary smile. "Don't cry, Sunset. This isn't a goodbye, is more like a 'see you later'. But know that, wherever I am, no matter where I end up, I'll always be with you."

Sunset sniffed with a small smile. "I know, Twilight... But I'm still going to miss you... Like, a lot."

"I know, but remember: You have friends by your side to help you keep going." Twilight assured with a smile, then turned to Sunny and the others, all smiling back in agreement. "There are times when somepony has to move on and keep going for those they care for, whether they are departed or far, they are always with you in spirit. There are times that we must grow and embrace changes to carry on, but know that I will always be with you Sunset. No matter where you go, I'm always watching you. Promise that you would keep going not just for me, but for your friends as well."

Sunset looked down a bit, tears dropping from her eyes and running down her cheeks, but then she looked up and gave Twilight a smile. "I promise, Twilight. I'll keep going for you, for my friends, and I'll make things right."

Twilight gave a little smile after hearing that. "Thank you... So long Sunset. And remember: I'll always be there for you..." She finished, before disappearing and going back into the necklace, while the others watched with tearful eyes.

Soon, the necklace closed again, and it stopped glowing as well.

Sunset looked at the necklace with tearful eyes, but then she smiled and turned to Sunny and the rest, whom gave her tears of joy, before Sunny gave Sunset a comforting hug, and the others smiled at the two ponies, because they all knew that they needed this.

"Twilight sure is good at making inspirational speeches!" Sunny commented with a slight chuckle.

Sunset snorted a bit. "How do you think she inspires others?" She joked slightly, then they broke the hug and Sunset wiped her nose, while the two Alicorns smiled at each other, then smiled at their friends as well, and they returned the gesture. "If only I could help Sonic and his Sunny to fix things up..."

Izzy's ears perked up after Sunset said that, because she remembered something. "Oh! I had just the thing!" She cheered, before rushing out to the Brighthouse really fast, and then coming back, holding a wrapped up present. "We don't know what it is, nor what you gotta do to help Sonic and his Sunny, Sunset, but we think this thing is supposed to help."

Sunset looked at the present, and her eyes widened a bit, because she could tell by the look of the wrapped present that Buffon is the one who made it.

The box was wrapped mostly in newspaper, but also with blue graffiti she has seen him using before.

"The guy who left it was quite a weird character, and a rule breaker by his looks..." Hitch deadpanned.

"But he was definitely a fun guy!" Izzy added cheerfully with a smile.

"We kept it in the Brighthouse as we waited for your return." Sunny explained with a smile. "We figured that you were going to need it and arrive here at any time!"

Sunset smiled at her friends, then opened up the present, and her eyes widened again. She brought out a makeshift watch with a sticky note on it that said 'iN cAse it doN'T WoRK ouT. - Blue Buffon' on it. Sunset couldn't believe what she had on her hoof, then she removed the sticky note and noticed that the watch was a homemade version of the Society's ones.

She remembers that she talked jokingly with Buffon about making their own watch, and she even caught him stealing parts from the HQ sometimes... Now it made sense why he did so.

He always suspected all of this would happen: Sonic and Sunny's escape, FS' outrage, Sunset getting kicked out of the Society, everything. So, he made this watch and brought it here to her universe in case things didn't worked out, just like the stick note said.

Sunset smiled widely after realizing all of this, then she looked at the screen of the watch and noticed it said 'Project Bootleg' on the top, as well as already having a destination ready: Universe 220822.

Sunset smiled even more, then looked at her friends and nodded, as they nodded back in understanding.

Then, Sunset put the watch on her hoof and activated it, while a portal opened up behind the Mane 7, which surprised the group except for Sunset. They also noticed some stuff of their picnic floating as a secondary effect because of the portal being open.

But then, they turned and saw Sunset being right on the portal, yet not crossing it still, because she first wanted to say goodbye to her friends before leaving to her mission.

"I'll be right back, ponies. I promise." Sunset said with a determined smile.

Her friends smiled back and nodded. After that, she crossed the portal, and it closed behind, making the effect disappear, while the food from the picnic fell to the ground, although none of it got to waste.

"Huh... She has definitely matured a lot, haven't she?" Izzy asked with an amused smile, while her friends laughed at her silly comment.

Author's Note

At long last, one chapter were things start to shine with a light of hope... Except for the fact that Opaline's probably gonna fuck up 220822 Equestria, but eh. Details.

Speaking of Opaline, the universe she arrived in belongs to this story's universe created by milesprower06, while the worlds she previously visited and destroyed are this story by Tatsurou, this story made by SonicAKG, and this story written by Amereep.

Now, even if it's not really necessary to clarify it, I'm still gonna do it: The world Boom Sonic lives in is the Sonic Boom TV Show, while the universe where the rest of the chapter takes place is this story's universe that Phantom-Dragon created, but its sequels were written by JesusG0987, who's also once again the co-writer of this chapter.

Thank you all so much for reading so far, and brace yourselves: After next chapter, we're going to hiatus so I can work in Part 2 of the story. See ya! :twilightsmile:

10. End of the Line

Sunny had her eyes closed, and she still was holding to Sonic tightly.

"Uh... Sunny?" Sonic called out. "You can open your eyes now."

"Huh?" Sunny said confused, immediately opening her eyes and looking around.

However, as she did so, her eyes widened and sparkled in surprise: They were in a place with a red, black and blue background, while thousands of white curves and lines moved around like a river's stream.

Then, one of the lines suddenly began to bend, until it crashed against one of the curves. Several of other lines and curves began to crash within each other, and some of them even merged to form part of the same existential plane. Some of the lines and curves even began to divide, until they separated completely and became independent from each other.

"Whoa..." Sunny said amazed. "What... What is this place?!"

"I know talking about what just happened is probably the last thing you wanna do, but... Remember that FS showed us thousands of lines surrounding us?" Sonic asked with a sheepish smile, and Sunny nodded with a raised eyebrow. "Well... This is what it looks like..."

Sunny's eyes widened again, and she started ti look around in disbelief. "Wait... So this is the multiverse?! IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE THIS?!"

"Yeah! This is were I kept coming to when I got lost last year" Sonic explained with a smile, before sighing sadly. "Too bad I don't know how to go home..."

However, after he said this, the Prismatic Energy of his shoes started to get out of control again, because it suddenly make him slip in the air, before he was suddenly getting dragged away at top speed, while Sunny screamed loudly in panic, but still holding tight into Sonic.

Soon, his shoes stopped glowing, but Sonic was already moving so fast that it was clear they couldn't slow, down, and they were even heading towards one of the white lines, which made Sonic's eyes widen in panic.

"Crap!" Sonic shouted. "Sunny, hang on tight, because this is gonna be painful!"

"What do you mean?!" Sunny shouted in panic with wide eyes.

However, her answer arrived when they crashed against the white line they were heading to, and they dived at super speed through it. Sunny began to scream in fear and narrowed her eyes, while Sonic simply closed them and kept Sunny close to him, although their entire bodies started to glitch.

Universe 220822

The sky opened with the giant shape of a letter 'X'.

After that, Sonic and Sunny fell towards the ground, over a forest that wasn't so far from Maretime Bay, as they both rolled around the ground, ending up with Sonic on the ground and Sunny on top of him.

However, it didn't took long for Sunny to get off Sonic and stand up, shaking her head a bit dizzy. Then, she looked around and noticed that they were back in Equestria, specifically in the same forest she got lost with Sonic and Izzy when she wanted to hang out on Prancing Point.

She also noticed that Sonic's shoes and arm were fine, and if no Prismatic Energy was getting out of control, then it meant that they were on their universe, which made Sunny sigh in relief.

His shoes and gloves were dirty and unclean, though, but she decided to ignore that.

"Huh... Seems like we're back home!" Sunny said with a smile. "I know our friends might be on Mobius now, but if we hurry and find a way to create a portal there, maybe we can––"

However, whatever she was going to say was cut off, because when she turned to Sonic, her eyes widened in panic...

Sonic himself was sitting down on the ground, but now that the adrenaline of the escape was over, his mind immediately started to process back the fact that FS revealed the truth to him: That he is the original anomaly, and that he should be dead right now.

"YOU'RE A MISTAKE!" Future Sonic's voice echoed on his mind suddenly, and Sonic tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

He suddenly started to hear his own heartbeat, although it was going at normal speed for now, but his mind was going to change that.

"If you never arrived to Equestria, Opaline would've never had recruited Eggman, he would've never found the Paradox Prism, and Opaline wouldn't be doing everything she's doing!" Future Sonic's voice echoed on his mind again.

Sonic's breath started to increase, and his heart started to beat slightly faster.

However, Sunny still noticed his strange attitude and worried. "Sonic?"

"If not for our friends' death, most of us wouldn't be here, Sonic..." Boom Sonic played out on his mind as well, while he started to breath even more heavily, his heart beat faster, and he ended up grabbing his head, as his quills turned on with his powers.

This made Sunny's eyes widen in panic, so she rushed to help him stand and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Sonic! What's wrong?!" She called out again, but Sonic kept breathing heavily, while more PTSD from the fight in the train with FS and the Society popped on his mind.

He was having a panic attack again.

"I will rule over the entire multiverse, and every critter will kneel to me... AND ADORE ME AS THEIR QUEEN!" Opaline's voice from that sudden vision popped up as well, and Sonic's breath got even worse, as well as the speed of his heartbeat.

He was reaching a point where he could feel he was missing air, even if he wasn't.

"You have a choice between saving one person, and saving an entire world!" Future Sonic's voice echoed again, and Sonic grabbed his neck now, because he seriously couldn't feel like breathing anymore.

"We can do both! We've always––" Sonic's voice echoes on his own mind, and Sunny was hugging him tightly, hopping it would calm him down a bit, but it didn't.

"Not always..." Boom Sonic's voice echoes as well. "Bad things are gonna happen. It makes us who we are!" It echoed again, and Sonic was starting to see that vision of Opaline killing Tails and Hitch again, which only increased his heartbeat and his breathing accelerating.

"I... I didn't know... How to tell you..." Sunset's voice echoed as well, and while Sonic's panic attack only got worse, Sunny was loosing it, not knowing what to do so he could calm down anymore...

At least not at first, because she suddenly remembered something, something that worked the last time Sonic had a panic attack.

"Well... Here comes nothing..." Sunny muttered with concern.

"You were never supposed to arrive to Equestria! You were never supposed to meet those ponies!" Future Sonic's voice still echoed on Sonic's mind, making his breath increase more and more.

However, the soft tact of someone resting their head on his legs finally made the voices on his mind stop echoing at a slow paste, while his breath also started to slow down, as well as his heartbeat. He moved his right hand and then placed it over Sunny's head, because she did exactly what Pipp when he had his first panic attack about a year and 6 months ago.

Sonic couldn't hear his heartbeat anymore, and the voices on his head stopped talking as well, which made him sigh in relief and slowly smile, before looking down at the mare on his legs.

"...Thank you, Sunny..." Sonic thanked her with an honest smile.

Sunny smiled back slightly, but then slowly raised her head and looked at Sonic with concern. "What is it this time? What got into you like that?"

Sonic let out another sigh and looked down at his hands. "While I dragged the Society and FS away from the HQ... I got on FS' nerves and... He revealed things to me... Things that change everything the way we know them..."

"What kind of things?" Sunny asked concerned, and she was scared to hear the answer.

Sonic let out another sigh, then looked over at her. "...I... I'm the original anomaly... The very first mistake that happened to the multiverse..." He revealed, as he snorted with a broken tone, while tears wanted to fall down his cheeks.

Sunny's eyes widened after hearing this, and now her heartbeat increased. "W-What?!" She exclaimed loudly, then frowned in anger. "W-What kind of blasphemy is that?!"

Sonic chuckled and wiped out some more tears that started to fall after hearing Sunny saying that the way she did. "The day that Eggman created that machine... It's purpose was to sent me to other universe, just like Egghead planned..."

"Well, yeah. That's how you came to Equestria." Sunny pointed out.

"And that's exactly the problem..." Sonic replied suddenly, and Sunny was taken aback by that answer. "The machine was supposed to fail, to leave the Emeralds powerless... And to kill me... That is the Canon Event I broke..."

Sunny gasped and covered her mouth with a hoof, even taking a few more steps back. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she definitely didn't wanted to believe it.

"W-What are you implying?" Sunny asked with a trembling voice and trembling lips as well.

"I've should never had met you..." Sonic said, but he didn't said it with the intention of hurting Sunny, even if he did. "I should've never had met any of you... I should've died..."

"Sonic, that is not––" Sunny tried to say.

"If I never arrived here, you'll still had brought magic back without my help..." Sonic pointed out, more tears rolling down his cheeks. "In other worlds you did so, why would we be different?"

"Hey, that is not true––" Sunny tried to assure him with a slight frown.

"BUT IT IS!" Sonic snapped at her, and even though his expression was broken and sad, with tears still rolling down his cheeks, his electrical powers showed up as well, and that made Sunny flinch. "If I died, Opaline wouldn't had ever found the Emeralds! She would've never saved Eggman from his cell, Eggman would've never had caused so much damage to Equestria, he wouldn't hade made Sage, and Sage wouldn't had found the same Paradox Prism I destroyed that Opaline is gathering to destroy every single reality now! Don't you see it, Sunny?! MY WHOLE MISERABLE EXISTENCE IS A MISTAKE!!!"

After Sonic shouted this, and Sunny's ears lowered with wide eyes and a panicked expression, the blue blur started to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

His heartbeat wasn't increasing, that was good; and he could still feel his breath, that was also good; heck, his powers even disappeared at this point. It was all good news, right? Well... Not when Sonic ended up falling to his knees, his tears came out even faster than ever...

And then, not being able to keep holding his frustration, he let out a loud cry of pain.

However, this cry came along with his powers suddenly activating again and sending a massive electrical explosion all across Maretime Bay... No, all across Equestria, because his wave was so powerful that it acted like a PEM that shut down all the electricity in the magical land.

At least for 3 or 4 seconds, because it immediately came back.

Still, it didn't changed Sonic's messed up state: He was on his knees, crying, sobbing loudly, his powers were not visible anymore, but occasional electrical sparks came out of his body.

Sunny created a shield around herself to protect herself from Sonic's outburst, but when she heard him sobbing and crying, even covering his face with his hands, she really got worried, so she deactivated her shield and slowly approached the blue hedgehog.

She had no idea on how to act here, though. She has comforted Sonic in the past, like the time he cried on Longclaw's death anniversary while everyone else worked on making Canterlove Studios.

But this was different... This was even worse than just a breakdown. This was an existential crisis, because Sonic felt like his whole existence was a mistake, like he was a mistake, and Sunny's heart broke at the idea of thinking he believed that of himself.

She was truly going to kick FS' face hard enough next time she saw him, but thinking about him was going to make her feel even more mad, and Sonic needed to be comforted, not to be yelled at.

So, Sunny sat on the ground, and slowly pulled down Sonic into a hug, one that Sonic immediately returned as he buried his face on her chest, while Sunny wrapped her hooves around the blue blur and rubbed his back, even shushing him a bit so his cry would slow down.

Sonic simply let out his pain right here and right now. He didn't had the energy to joke, nor to pretend everything is fine, because it isn't.

FS wants his friends dead or else the whole multiverse will collapse according to him, but if that wasn't enough pain, now he discovered that he should've died three years ago when Eggman created the machine that sent him to Equestria... It was one bad news followed by another.

And Sunny was feeling bad as well. She couldn't believe that Sonic was an anomaly, that his destiny was supposed to die that day... But here he is, on her arms, crying a river because he feel like a mistake.

And yet, she remembered something FS said about anomalies and how they worked, so then she looked down at Sonic and sighed, before slowly making him separate from her.

"Sonic... You are not a mistake..." Sunny started.

Sonic wiped out some more tears and sobbed. "I-If you're trying to making me feel better..." He tried to say, not wanting to hear Sunny feeling bad for him.

"No, no! Sonic, listen to me: You are not a mistake!" Sunny said, but this time in a more happy tone. "Why else do you think you're here right now, talking with me?!"

"Because our universe is dumb?" Sonic replied rhetorically with a snort.

"Because FS is wrong!" Sunny pointed out, and that did called Sonic's attention, because his eyes widened, and he looked at Sunny a bit confused.

"...W-What do you mean?" Sonic asked.

"FS said that anomalies can cause disruptions in the multiverse, but if you are an anomaly, if you broke your Canon, if you are alive and not dead like you are supposed to be... Then why our universe is still intact?" Sunny pointed out with a smile.

Sonic's eyes widened after hearing this, and his lips started to tremble a bit as well... Sunny had an excellent point: If he is a mistake, if he isn't supposed to exist, then why is their world still existing?

According to FS: When you brake a Canon Event, that universe should disappear entirely... But if Sonic broke his Canon because the machine did its purpose and sent him to another dimension, then why did their world didn't unraveled immediately, like with that other FS' universe?

"...Because he broke the Canon of someone else..." Sonic realized with wide eyes.

"Huh?" Sunny said confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Sunny, FS broke someone else's Canon, just like I broke Firefly's..." Sonic pointed out, before placing his hands on her shoulders. "But I broke my Canon three years ago... And our world didn't disrupted."

"Um, yeah? But what does that has to do with––" Sunny tried to ask, but after thinking about it for a few seconds, she realized as well. "...When you brake someone else's Canon, that universe unravels, because you changed someone else's story... But when you brake your Canon...!"

"It doesn't matter because you are changing your Story!" Sonic cheered loudly.

Soon, both Sonic and Sunny hugged each other tightly in happiness, and Sonic even made Sunny twirl in the air, which made the Earth Pony mare squeal in surprise, but still giggled, and soon, Sonic placed her back on the ground, while they looked at each other with tears of joy.

"Sunny, you know what this means?!" Sonic asked excited.

"We can save Tails and Hitch, and our world will be fine!" Sunny replied happily, as they shared another hug.

However, Sonic's eyes suddenly widened in panic when he thought on something, and he immediately broke the hug while looking down in concern.

"There's a few problems still, though..." Sonic pointed out with concern.

Sunny felt surprised on his change of attitude and panicked a bit. "What problems?"

"First off, FS and the Secret Society are probably on the hunt for us." Sonic pointed out with a frown. "They might be looking for one or both of us. And second: We have to deal with Opaline, and probably with Eggman, too... Something tells me we haven't seen the last thing of ol' Egghead..."

"Okay, yeah, that is concerning..." Sunny confessed, also rubbing her chin while thinking deeply. "But what can we do about all of that? We can't run from FS and the Secret Society forever, Opaline could literally be anywhere out there, and Eggman is in Mobius along our friends!"

"Which is exactly why we need a plan... And I have one already!" Sonic stated with a smirk, that slowly faded away as he sighed. "But you're not going to like it..."

"Yeah, your sigh already warned me of it..." Sunny admitted with concern.

"Look: Like it or not, one of us has to stay behind and distract the Society, while the other goes and warns the rest back in Mobius..." Sonic started to explain, but Sunny frowned.

"Oh, no! That's not up to discussion!" Sunny said with anger, snatching Sonic's hand off her shoulders. "I am not leaving you behind, and I won't let you fight those maniacs––"

"First of all, I never said I was going to distract the Society, you jumped to that conclusion on your own." Sonic pointed out with a frown from himself. "Second: Why do you assume I'll be the one distracting them?"

However, Sunny found this last question stupid and deadpanned with a raised eyebrow, which made Sonic deadpan as well and then roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Okay, fine... I'll admit it: I am planning on going alone" Sonic ended up confessing.

"Ugh! Why are you always like this?!" Sunny shouted in anger. "Why are you always so selfless? Can't you think about yourself and your own good for once instead of offering to save everyone else all the damn time?!"

"Who says I'm being selfless with wanting you to be okay, Sunny?" Sonic asked with a frown. "For the past year, I've been having the most selfish thoughts I'd ever had, about sending all to hell and stay on Equestria for the rest of my life because I feel at home here, about wanting to live with you and with all our friends in this world that feels more like home that the place I was born, about wanting to shout to the air that I don't give a crap about what happens to anyone that's not close nor important to me!"

Sunny did flinched a bit after Sonic raised his voice, but she remained silent and frowning.

Sonic let out a sigh and rubbed his face with a hand. "Sunny... I don't care what happens to me as long as everyone I care for is fine... You think that may be selfless still, but it isn't. I'm not considering if everyone else would agree with me or not... I'm just thinking on what I want, Sunny."

Sunny's frown slowly dissipated, and she began to see Sonic's point, while Sonic himself placed his hand on her shoulder again.

"And what I want... Is for you, for Pipp, for Tails, for Hitch, and for all of our friends... to be fine..." Sonic added. "I don't care if you guys don't like my decision... Is what I want, what I need... And none of you can change my mind."

Sunny didn't knew how to feel after hearing this, but her concern for him only grew more.

"So, please... Don't try talking me out of this... It won't happen..." Sonic said with concern. "I know you all guys hate that I put myself into danger, but is what I was taught: To protect everyone that matters to me, no matter the cost."

"...So you want me to go to Green Hills and warn our friends about the Society?" Sunny asked, still feeling concerned about Sonic, and about this whole plan in general.

"Yeah... I must keep the Society's attention. You go the Brighthouse. I have the feeling there might be something that can take you to Mobius." Sonic instructed.

"Why do you have to distract them alone, though?" Sunny questioned. "They want us both!"

"True, but if I believe that FS thinks the way he does, he'll be satisfied with capturing at least one of us." Sonic pointed out. "He might believe that capturing one of us ensures that the Canon will remain intact, and that if we fail on saving one of our friends, the other one will die by consequence."

"The Butterfly effect..." Sunny muttered with concern. "Yeah, he definitely believes he's steps ahead from us... But that doesn't makes me feel any less worried for your safety, though..."

"Hey, I'll be fine! I've been dealing with worse things that a version of myself out of his mind!" Sonic said confidently with a mocking tone and a wink. "And, I promise you: Entire or with scars, I'll come back."

"Don't make promises you can't fulfill, Hedgehog..." Sunny said with a frown, but also tearing up a lot.

Sonic chuckled and dragged her into another tight hug. "I'm serious this time..."

Sunny snorted and nuzzled on his shoulder, before they broke the hug and looked at each other one last time.

"Let's both go to Maretime Bay, there we'll split up..." Sonic stated, and Sunny nodded in agreement.

Over Canterlove Studios, FS was still watching over Maretime Bay.

After Sonic let out that massive wave of energy that left the entirety of Equestria with no power for a few seconds, FS knew that at least Sonic was here, so he sent Twilight to Zephyr Heights and Shadow to Bridlewood, to ensure he wouldn't escape considering he only had these three cities to hide on.

However, it's been at least 10 minutes since the temporal blackout and there's no sign of him.

Irritated, Future Sonic communicated with Twilight and Shadow through his watch. "Did you checked the locations?!"

"Yes, dad.../No sign of him." Shadow replied with an annoyed tone, while Twilight did it with a concerned one.

Twilight was flying across Zephyr Heights' ceilings.

As she did so, she looked around concerned, because there was no sign of Sonic being around the pegasi city.

Shadow was laying on a tree as he hid on its leaves.

He was feeling annoyed and bored, because what he expected to be a great chase and mission ended up being just a boring universe, at least for him.

Future Sonic growled irritated after hearing their responses. "Nicole, would you sent everyone out?!" He requested to the digital lynx with a desperate tone. "Anywhere... ANYWHERE he might be!"

Meanwhile, as FS yelled at Nicole on his watch, both Sonic and Sunny sneaked in through an alley and looked at FS, standing over Canterlove Studios' ceiling.

"So what's the plan here?" Sunny asked.

"I call his attention and run away. Very, very, very far away." Sonic started to explain. "While I do that, you'll make sure he's gone and following me, then run to the Brighthouse."

Sunny still hated the idea of having to split up, but she still nodded at Sonic with a determinate look.

Then, Sonic boosted to be behind one of the walls of Canterlove Studios, then stopped to take a deep breath, and then brought out a small disc that he found on Tails' workshop here in Equestria, before nodding to himself and then run over the wall, reaching the ceiling and looking at FS with a frown.

Sonic whistled, and both FS and Nicole turned around, just for their eyes to widen when they saw the Blue blur.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long, one-eyed snail!" Sonic mocked up with a smirk.

"YOU!" FS shouted in anger and boosted towards him, raising a fist.

However, that's precisely what Sonic wanted him to do, because when FS was right on his face, Sonic moved aside and launched the disc to FS' chest, which made the disc to let go an electrical shockwave that paralyzed FS temporally, and it even made him roll in the floor in pain.

With this, Sonic made a salute to the his other self, before turning around and boost away towards another place.

"RAAAAAAAGH!" Future Sonic shouted in rage, before making some sided swords to appear from his wrists and then destroy the electrical net around him.

Then, he removed the disc off his chest with a hand and destroyed it, before boosting away as well.

Sunny noticed this, and even if she still insisted to herself that she needed to help Sonic out, she decided to run towards the Brighthouse like they planned instead.

Hopefully, Sonic would be fine on his own. He has survived crazier things before, sure, but she still hoped he'll be fine without her, or the rest of their friends...

Meanwhile, in Green Hills, at night, and outside of Tails' workshop, Tails himself was cleaning up the Tornado.

Since he needed to make his place shine, he decided to start up cleaning, and his friends were helping out.

Amy and Zipp were cleaning the frontal door of the workshop; Knuckles and Izzy were sweeping the floor with brooms; Misty and Pipp were picking up all the damaged pieces of the portal and throwing them into a trash can, while Hitch and Sparky organized some stuff that Tails asked them to put on their place.

Tails was whistling a happy melody as he cleaned up, but once he sat back on the pilot's place to make sure the Tornado's propeller was working, his mind flashed back at years ago.

He started to remember all the adventures he had with Sonic as they travelled across the world over this same plane, which is still technically Sonic's, even though Tails keeps it on his workshop. Yet the young fox couldn't help but feel concerned about his older 'siblings'.

Tails has known Sonic for as long as he can remember. He was just 5 years old when Sonic went to West Side Island for a little vacation, but ended up staying because he met Tails.

He still can't believe that Sonic stood longer for him, nor that he would protect him from his bullies so frequently. After that first adventure, which extended when Eggman ended up crashing his Death Egg in Angel Island, they became inseparable, to the point they consider themselves brothers.

All the wacky adventures they've had ever since have been amazing, true, and he would go through them all over again if he ever had the choice...

But no matter how many times Sonic has survived impossible odds, nor how many times he has defeated gods and machines... He always worried for his safety, and considering how he's been feeling the past year, it was normal to feel that way for him... Hopefully he's fine with Sunny.

Sunny... Yeah, he's also worried for her. She's like the big sister he never had. The way she always watches out over him makes him realized that he always wanted a sister.

Sure, Sonic worried for him the way any good older sibling would, but it didn't changed the fact that he could be a bit distracted with him sometimes. Sunny, on the other hand, always checked on him and made sure that he was happy and comfortable...

Tails hoped his siblings were fine, because he had a very bad feeling that they were in trouble, but he was pretty much wrong and they were just fine... Hopefully.

"Thinking on Sonic and Sunny?" A voice suddenly called out, and tails felt a bit startled, but when he turned to his left, he saw Hitch, who was sitting down in the floor, while looking up at the night sky.

"...Yeah..." Tails replied honestly, before letting out a sigh. "I know those two can take care of themselves, but... It still doesn't stops me from feeling concerned, you know?"

"Oh, I do know." Hitch replied with a snort. "Ever since they left, I can't stop thinking about Sunny... I really hope to be wrong, but I have a bad feeling... I think she might be in trouble."

"You feel it too?" Tails asked with a sad smile. "I always feel this when Sonic says everything will be fine... Is like a fifth sense telling me he's just being an idiot, and that things aren't that fine..."

"I always feel like this with Sunny, too..." Hitch confessed with concern. "Hopefully we're wrong..."

"I do hope that, too." Shadow's voice spoke suddenly, and both Hitch and Tails got startled when the Ultimate Life Form suddenly appeared at Hitch's side, but Sparky babbled and clapped happily after Shadow did so.

"Can you please not do that?" Tails asked with a deadpan.

"I don't promise anything." Shadow replied with a smirk, while Rouge and Omega landed at his side.

"Our pal here wanted to see if you have tracked down Eggman yet, Yellow." Rouge explained.

"I seek for his destruction! Do not blame me!" Omega complained, since Rouge was talking about him.

"No... We've been quite busy cleaning up Tails' place." Amy spoke, as she arrived along Knuckles and the other ponies of the group. "Is the portal still stable?"

"We checked on that before coming here." Shadow replied. "Everything seems normal so far."

"Well, hopefully it'll stay open in case Sonic and Sunny come back to Equestria and check on us." Zipp said with a little smile.

However, as she did so, Izzy suddenly looked in certain direction and gasped surprised. "Sunny?"

"Uh, yeah? She's talking about our friend, Iz." Knuckles pointed out a bit confused.

"No! I mean... Sunny!" Izzy corrected herself, now pointing a hoof to the sky.

To this, everyone turned up and saw that Sunny was flying as fast as her wings allowed her, because she had activated her Alicorn form after crossing the open portal on the Brighthouse to come to Mobius.

However, it didn't took her long to see that her friends were making signs and shouting her name from the ground, outside of Tails' workshop. Sunny gasped, but she also smiled at the sight, so she dived in towards her friends, barely managing to stop once she landed.

Her Alicorn form went away, and then she sighed in relief. But then, as she saw Hitch and Tails running towards her, Sunny felt her eyes tearing up, so she quickly rushed to them.

Soon, the three of them were wrapped into a tight and warm hug, but the fact that Sunny was squeezing both Tails and Hitch strongly made them both realize that she might not be so fine as they believed she was.

"Sunny?" Hitch called out first.

"Are you two okay? Are you fine? No one has come to see any of you?!" Sunny asked them both desperately.

"What?" Tails asked confused, as he shared a worried look with Hitch for a moment. "We... We're fine... But why are you so desperate?"

"And why do you look so sad?" Hitch asked as well with concern.

"Sunny!" Izzy's voice spoke, as she rushed along the other towards her.

Izzy dragged Sunny into a tight hug as well, but Sunny only limited herself to smile sadly.

"Sunny?" Pipp called out. "What's with the long face? And where is Sonic?"

After hearing that, Sunny panicked slightly and gulped, but then she sighed and looked down to the floor with concern, before looking back at her friends.

"...There's a lot I've gotta tell you... And honestly? Most of it isn't good..." Sunny replied with honesty.

On the other hand, FS was chasing Sonic at top speed back in Equestria.

The two blurs were moving wildly in zigzags, over rivers, crossing mountains, and even racing across several forests, but no matter where they went, Sonic couldn't loose FS anywhere.

"For a Sonic that's a fake one, you move way too fast, old man!" Sonic mocked up.

"Shut up and give up, Sonic! You won't win! You won't affect the Canon, and you won't save your friends! Not if I can do anything about it!" Future Sonic shouted in anger.

"Dude, you seriously are messed up and have to go see a therapist!" Sonic shouted back, as he started to run backwards with his arms crossed. "Are you even listening to yourself?!"

"You still don't understand!" Future Sonic shouted. "If a Canon Event gets affected, this entire reality gets disrupted! And if that happens, all the other realities will disrupt as well! I CAN'T ALLOW THAT!!!"

"You changed someone else's story, and so did I!" Sonic admitted. "But my Canon Event was to die, yet here I am! If I disrupted Canon, why is my world still intact, huh, smart guy?!"

That question actually took off guard FS, and he started to slow down a bit, but that was the perfect chance for Sonic to jump in the air, charge a Homing Shot, and then hit FS, who slipped in the ground and rolled in pain, while Sonic laughed out loud and boosted away.

Future Sonic growled in anger, since he couldn't believe he fell for such a simple trick, then pressed a button on his watch. "Twilight, Shadow! Sonic's here! He's heading to Zephyr Heights!"

"I'll be waiting for him, then!" Twilight replied confidently.

"Finally!" Shadow said loudly with a happy tone. "I'll head there immediately to surprise that Hedgehog!"

FS nodded satisfied with this answers, then he moved towards Zephyr Heights as well, and after running for some seconds, he managed to reach Sonic, who's ear twitched a bit.

So, Sonic looked behind and frowned when he saw that FS was approaching. "Ugh! Of course this wasn't going to be an easy escape..." he deadpanned and groaned, before boosting ahead even more, while FS did the same.

Soon, Sonic reached Zephyr Heights and started to run over the buildings, but FS was doing the same, and was already hot on his heels. Groaning again, Sonic started to zigzag, to move to the ceiling and jump from one building to the next one in a desperate attempt to loose FS.

But nothing he did worked, because FS moved at the same time and in sync with him.

"Why am I even trying to run away from a Sonic?! Artificial powers or not, he's still a freaking Sonic!" Sonic realized with concern, but still kept running.

"Stop already, Hedgehog!" Future Sonic shouted desperately. "It doesn't matter where you go, or how much you run! We're. Still. CAPTURING YOU!!!"

After shouting that, FS launched a lasso towards Sonic and tried to wrap his chest, but Sonic grabbed the lasso with his bare hand and ripped it off from FS' bracelet, surprising the one-eyed hedgehog.

Then, Sonic started to run away over the building, but just when he was about to jump to the next one, Twilight suddenly teleported in front of him and tried to hit his face with her hooves.

However, Sonic managed to dodge this attack by making a Wild Rush, and after zigzagging in the air, Sonic hit Twilight's back and pushed her towards the floor, while Sonic used her back to jump and then dive towards the ground himself.

FS noticed that Twilight was falling, so he ignored capturing Sonic and jumped in the air, then caught Twilight bridal style and stopped over a building's wall, sticking over it thanks to some magnets on his shoes, sliding a bit even and then looking at Twilight with concern.

"You good?" Future Sonic asked her.

Twilight blushed slightly at the sight and the tone he used. "U-Uh... Y-Yeah...".

Future Sonic noticed her attitude and deadpanned a bit. "Twi, honey, control yourself..." He asked with a playful smirk, before switching back to his serious attitude. "We still have an anomaly to catch!"

Speaking of him, Sonic was diving at top speed towards the ground, but then Shadow suddenly teleported in front of him. Yet, when this Shadow charged a Chaos Spear and tried to hit Sonic, the Blue Blur dodged the attack and charged his fist on electricity, then punched Shadow in the face.

Shadow fell on the ground painfully while rubbing his nose, and Sonic landed in front on a superhero pose, before boosting away from the pegasi city.

"You can't run forever, kid!" Future Sonic shouted in rage, as he started to chase Sonic again.

"Sunny said the same, and look at me!" Sonic said mockingly, before jumping and dodge a blast that Twilight launched to him with her magic.

After that, Sonic began to run as fast as he could all across the Pegasi City, in another desperate attempt to loose FS, Twilight and Shadow from sight.

However, as he moved, he ended up tripping with a window that suddenly opened, and he rolled in the floor painfully, until he hit his back on a wall.

Of course, Sonic groaned in pain and shook his head, then tried to stand up, but he got smashed on the flor and stepped on his back by FS, who finally managed to catch him. Then, he grabbed Sonic's hands and tied them with a pair of metallic handcuffs that unlocked with a password.

"See? I told you you couldn't run forever." Future Sonic told Sonic with a frown.

However, Sonic didn't seemed desperate, and instead smirked. "Wanna bet?"

FS raised an eyebrow confused, but before he could question him, Sonic's feet released an electrical shockwave that hit FS in the face and made him step backwards in pain.

Of course, Sonic took this as the perfect chance to run away again, and so he did: He managed to get back on his feet and started to run across alleys of Zephyr Heights. But as he did so, he also hit his hands with all the walls he could to try and remove the handcuffs.

However, whatever they were made of, they didn't had a single scratch, and that made Sonic groan in anger, before he kept running away.

He didn't knew what to do anymore: Going with either Haven or Alphabittle was out of question, because he didn't wanted to drag them into this mess, and traveling to Green Hills wasn't an option, either, because his friends were there, and he wasn't going to put them in more danger.

Unfortunately, though, Sonic ended up tripping again and rolling painfully on the ground, until his head hit a wall, and he groaned painfully again.

He wanted to rub his head, but the handcuffs on his hands didn't allowed him to do so, so he had to limit himself to stand up by placing his hands on the wall and slowly climb back into his feet, as he groaned painfully again and then let out a frustrated sigh.

But when he opened his eyes again, they widened, because FS, Twilight and Shadow were all surrounding him.

"Dude..." Sonic called out. "Please understand... Canon can be changed without unravelling a world, as long as the person who affects the Canon is the one that changes it!"

However, FS slowly approached Sonic and closed his right fist, charging it up with red electricity and then placing it on right besides Sonic's face, while Sonic gulped nervously and panicked at whatever FS was going to do.

"I won't risk the multiverse just to prove your stupid theory..." Future Sonic said with anger.

Twilight felt nervous, since she had no idea if she had to let FS do what he's doing, or side with Sonic and at least prove his point, because a part of her actually believed in Sonic.

Shadow? He's just smirking because FS is going to kick Sonic's ass.

Sonic gulped again and panicked even more, because things were starting to see pretty bad for him...

And things were just going to get worse.

Not so far from Maretime Bay, a yellow portal opened in the sky. Then, Opaline came out of said portal and landed in the ground with a loud stomp that could probably wake up anyone, but it thankfully didn't yet.

The Fire Alicorn, who's form was starting to shift thanks to the power of the Paradox Prism running through her veins, spread her wings and took fly to the sky. Once she was high enough, she saw the Crystal Brighthouse in the distance, although she stared only at the Crystal Room.

There, she could witness the Unity Crystals, still shining brightly and spreading magic all across Equestria.

The Alicorn mare had her objective clear: She was here to take those Crystals and claim the magic that belongs to her once and for all. After all, she already was powerful enough to take that magic.

Universe 081114

Boom Sonic was sleeping on a chair in Aurora's room on his home.

He fell asleep as he read a book called 'How to talk so kids will listen, & Listen so kids will talk'. However, soon a light illuminated not so far from him, although he still didn't noticed that.

But when he felt a shadow on his sight, he slowly started to open his eyes, and he found Aurora hanging from a lasso and pointing with her left hand to the window on her room, also wearing the Sonic mask over her head.

Boom was confused when he saw this, but it was now that Aurora pointed outside the window that he noticed the light, so he grabbed Aurora on his hands and then approached to the window.

Outside, in Amy's garden, a heptagon-shaped portal was remaining open, and it made some stuff spread around the garden float as a secondary effect. However, Boom's eyes widened a bit when he saw that Sunset was standing right in front of said portal.

She was previously in Sonic's world, but she heard that FS and company where now haunting the blue blur, and she knew he needed more than just her help.

So, here she is, looking at Boom with a raised eyebrow, requesting just with her expression for his help to find Sonic and Sunny, and to save them from FS.

Boom Sonic smirked slightly at her. "Don't tell mom." He whispered, now looking down at Aurora.

Aurora knew what this meant, so she looked back at Sunset with a smile and covered her face with the Sonic mask.

Somewhere in that same universe, Sunset stood in front of another heptagon-shaped portal.

This one, however, was open in front of a random house in Boom's universe. Sunset herself stood in front of the portal, but then she slowly looked behind over her shoulder.

"I've made the mistake of joining the Secret Society... So I started my own team."

Behind Sunset, Boom Sonic and Blue Buffon were standing and sitting on her right; while Firefly and Dr. Hooves were on her left.

"With some familiar faces as well."

Then, behind Hooves and Buffon, the first Classic Sonic that Sonic met when he got sent to the multiverse, Tails with the mechanical suit from Chris' universe, and Young Sonic stood as well, all forming part of this new resistance that Sunset made up to help Sonic.

Soon, Firefly spread her wings and flew through the portal, followed by Boom Sonic and Dr. Hooves. Then, Classic Sonic followed as well, and then Buffon and Young Sonic also crossed the portal.

Finally, Tails, whom we'll refer to as Tails X, entered on his mechanical suit and moved towards the portal as well, leaving Sunset as the only one who hasn't entered yet.

"I have no idea where they are, nor how to save them..."

Universe 220822

Sonic was still panicking at FS, who still had his right fist charged and besides Sonic's face.

However, Sonic himself touched the handcuffs FS put on him with a finger, and while it slipped at first, he soon placed it back on the handcuffs, and then started to absorb the energy of them, since he planned to recreate what he did to FS earlier, but with the handcuffs this time around.

As he did so, Sonic's expression became determined and confident, not letting FS' menacing look get the best of him, or into him at all.

Universe 081114

Sunset still stood in front of the portal, hoping Sonic and Sunny are fine.

"But I know I can find them... And I'll make up for my mistake."

Then, Sunset smirked confidently and crossed the portal as well, as it closed behind.

"You wanna come?"

To be continued...

Author's Note

Well, that sure was something! We have finished Part 1 of "The Final Act"!

We have ended this first part with a massive cliffhanger, don't you guys agree? Some of you might hate me now, but this is how things come to an end for this very first part.

Now, like I stated before: From Part 2 on, everything will be original and made up by me instead of being based on Beyond the Spider-Verse. Why? You cannot seriously be asking that, guys... We don't even know if the movie will ever see the light of day, so why wait for that thing to come out when I can do my own stuff?

Also, if you guys feel that Sunset's team made to save Sonic is small, well, I'd rather have it that way. And is not only because it's based on Gwen's band at the end of "Across the Spider-Verse", but also because it makes the interactions to make in one single chapter less complicated.

Thank you all for reading so far, and I'll see you all on June 4th with "Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: The Final Act - Part 2: Time Runs Out"!

See ya! :pinkiehappy:

Part 2: Time Runs Out

Universe 220822

Opaline's Dark Castle wasn't as silent as usual...

In fact, there was a TV turned on in the studio, with the Dragon Stone being in the floor with a crack, as well as some broken bottles were spread across the room.

"We're getting more information regarding the mysterious disappearance of magic that happened last night..." Sky informed with concern during a TV report. "The rainbow light that always illuminated the Crystal Brighthouse has shut down out of nowhere, causing a massive wave to spread across Equestria that has made Magic disappear entirely."

"There's been multiple reports of accidents all across Equestria after magic dissipated." Dazzle's voice joined with a worried tone. "At least 15 to 20 Pegasi have been reported dead because of falling from a very high distance, while over 50 more were found injured."

"There's been reports of Unicorns and Earth Ponies dying because of falling objects that some unicorns dropped when magic disappeared... Truly a tragedy..." Sky added with concern.

"To make things worse, all the Mobians, as well as the Mane 6 and their baby dragon, had disappeared with no trace behind!" Dazzle added with wide and panicked eyes. "Queen Haven is desperately trying to calm things down in Zephyr Heights as she tries to start an investigation to find her daughters, while Alphabittle already has unicorns all around Bridlewood looking up and down for his daughter."

As these news played in the background, a flash suddenly illuminated the room, and then a blast traversed the TV that was informing all the catastrophe that followed after Opaline stole the Unity Crystals from the Brighthouse.

The Fire Alicorn was now once again on her studio in her Dark Castle. After getting the Unity Crystals, she came back here and tried to absorb their power, but she was still not powerful enough, so she went out on a small odyssey to Universe 030823, Universe 190623, Universe 300519 and Universe 271121, where she obtained two more green shards and two more blue ones as well.

And now that she has successfully obtained 14 shards of the Paradox Prism, she has come back to try and absorb their power again. After all, she was more powerful now. By her logic, it had to work this time around.

She hasn't noticed how much her physical form is changing, though: Her wings started to grow red, yellow, blue and green feathers; her mane now glows slightly thanks to all the magic she has stolen across the Multiverse, and her hooves sparkled with fire flames.

However, her veins were also starting to show in the same colors of the shards, although Opaline either didn't knew this, or she did, but she couldn't care less.

Right now, she only wants to get the power from the Unity Crystals.

So, she focused and closed her eyes, lightening her horn up and then making a small trial of her magic hit the Crystals. Then, when she opened her eyes, they were glowing white, and the Unity Crystals began to glitch and loose their color, as their magic was absorbed by the Fire Alicorn.

However, the line that connected the Crystals and Opaline's horn suddenly shifted from white to pink, and Opaline's eyes shifted to color pink as well.

Opaline started to yell out loud in pain, before the Crystals began to show her a couple of visions, visions about her life in other universes, and where that lead her.

Universe 060623

In this universe in particular, Opaline was despised by Celestia since they were fillies.

She found her to be annoying, conceited, and most of all, too pretty for her own good. Of course, this was simply Celestia's teenage angst needing an outlet. Opaline was far from perfect, but Celestia would never admit to being jealous of some of her better qualities. She had a refinement that Celestia lacked, and although Celestia was more popular with the adults than Opaline, she had a habit of letting that get to her head. As such, whenever Opaline was in the public eye, it only made Celestia's disdain for the purple filly grow. And considering that Opaline's parents had passed away not long prior to that day, she was getting a lot of attention. Celestia hated that. After all, her parents were gone, too. Why is she so special?

Ordinarily, Celestia wouldn't even consider giving Opaline the time of day (not that Opaline would notice, she was naive and a bit of an optimist at that time), but the suspicious horn on her head that wasn't there the day prior, coupled with her fiery new cutie mark, got Celestia's attention.

"Oh! I see you two got your cutie marks as well! AND you got wings! Eeeee, this so exciting! I got my cutie mark overnight, too! And look at this horn! Isn't it so pretty ?!"

"Y-Yeah, sure..."

"A sun and a moon? Those are so neat! Where are you going? Gonna try them out?!"

"Try them out?"

"Yeah! Your cutie mark is your special talent, right? Watch this!"

Opaline steadies herself on her hooves and winds back before thrusting forward, her horn glowing as she does so. Then, her horn begins to spew a mixture of purples and blues before a torrent of flame shoots out of it into the air, nearly singing the sisters in the process. Celestia covers Luna, protecting her from any excess heat, before Opaline's spell ends.

"Oh, uh... oopsie daisies! I haven't really learned how to control it yet!"

"Yeah, I'll say! If I see a single burnt hair on my sister, you're dead, Opaline!"

Opaline cowers a little bit.

"I-I'm sorry..."

The vision of this universe ended with Opaline witnessing how she's defeated by Twilight, right before the creation of the Unity Crystals.

Universe 291022

In this other universe, Opaline had a terrible stepmother.

No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't impress her. Even worse, the mare had the nerve to physically hurt her by slapping her whenever Opaline did something she didn't liked.

Right now? That's what Opaline was witnessing: Her younger self from another universe, getting slapped by her stepmom simply because she tried to be what she wanted.

"You'll never be my daughter! You... Will never be good enough."

Those words were stuck in the mind of the younger Alicorn from the vision, but it just got worse when her stepmom levitated her and started to hit her several times against the wall.

The image switched and showed that Opaline from that universe... crying... Something the main one hasn't done in a very long time... But in this universe she did, because in that universe, her mother did loved her before illness took over her, a few years after that her father married her stepmother.

The Opaline of this universe worked so hard to be a proper young princess so that her stepmother would not view her as a hindrance. To be enough for her.

At that last thought, this universe's Opaline's ears drooped as the words she had screamed at Misty repeated themselves once more in her mind's eye.

"You won't be enough."

The vision ended again, this time showing her defeat by Sunny and her friends, although Misty didn't seemed to have leave in this universe, because she was tied to her throne with vines.

Universe 040222

You think you have seen the worse? You don't.

In this universe, Opaline was created by a weird-ass cult that sacrificed dragons and made her out of a ritual... She was a made up experiment in this world.

There were slight flashing moments of this universe's Opaline having fun with Twilight Sparkle, becoming friends with Flurry Heart, learning lessons and new spells by studying and giving her best effort, as well as dreaming of one day being like Twilight herself.

But after finding out her purpose, as well as being expelled by Twilight because she killed some guards by mistake, her mind drove her crazy, and she wanted nothing but revenge over those who hurt her.

So she did that: She got her revenge.

She stole the magic from Luster Dawn, then she destroyed Twilight's entire life of work, then killed the other species out of Equestria, and then attempted to defeat Twilight so she could stand proud as the ruler of Equestria... Let's emphasize on the word try, okay?

She fought against Twilight, destroyed Canterlot City in the process, and almost succeeded on destroying the entirety of Equestria... But Twilight thought faster than her.

In the middle of their fight, Twilight sent her whole strength to her horn and casted a spell that not only vanished Opaline to Celestia knows where, but it also marked the creation of the Unity Crystals... The same magical artifacts that stole her magic in this world.

The vision, weirdly enough, ended showing the Opaline and Sunny of this universe hugging each other, although said image also faded away, like if such a thing didn't happened... not anymore...

Universe 220822

Opaline shook her head and cancelled the spell.

She yelled in pain again and rubbed her head, also starting to breath heavily in panic, as she looked slowly at the Unity Crystals with wide eyes.

"W-What the buck was that?!" Opaline shouted loudly in panic and slight rage.

All those visions were strange, but they all shared two points in common: How her life was such a pain in the flank that it lead her to become the merciless Alicorn she's today, and how she was defeated... Well, the last one didn't showed such a thing, but she'd rather forgot she saw it.

She soon realized that the Unity Crystals were recovering the color they were loosing earlier, but she also realized that what she saw was a vision from the Crystals... or rather, a warning.

A warning to what, exactly? Maybe to tell her that she's gonna fail in the end, that her vision of seeing Equestria kneeling before her is a dumb desire that won't ever come true. After all, every single Opaline across the multiverse has lost, one way or another... Why would she be different?

Her mind suddenly reminded her of her own childhood, and of her own motivations to do what she's doing right now...

Just like in the first vision, she met Celestia and Luna when they were all fillies, but she was always outcasted by the two sisters, and she was always told that her magic was more of a circus show than a talent.

This always enraged her... But it was worse when Twilight and her friends showed up. They saved Equestria time and time again, then Celestia turned Twilight into an Alicorn, and all of this frustrated Opaline even more... But what finally draw the line for her was when Twilight was named the new ruler.

That finally pushed Opaline over the edge, so she decided to make of Twilight's reign a nightmare: She disguised as a Unicorn and spread rumors among ponykind, then attempted to kill Twilight as well...

However, Twilight and her friends created the Unity Crystals to stop her, and they did... For a couple of years. After Twilight's friends passed away, Opaline spread more and more rumors, until Twilight's monarchy was completely destroyed, just as planned.

Eventually, Twilight disappeared one day, but not without creating a shield around Equestria that obligated Opaline to make her own Castle not so far from Maretime Bay.

That's when everypony went on their own, and then magic disappeared as well... Then Opaline found Misty, and the rest is history.

In reality, she was always meant to rule, or at least she believes so, but she also believed that the world wanted to refuse her her rightful place. So, she was going to take it by force, no matter the cost.

Opaline looked back at the Unity Crystals and grinned sinisterly. "I don't know what kind of mind controlling spell Twilight launched over you three... But It won't work. I will rule, and I will be the greatest Alicorn that has ever existed!" She declared with anger, as her wings and horn lightened in fire.

The Unity Crystals started to glow, since they tried to sent a warning, but not a warning for Opaline... It was a warning for somepony else.

"I will rule over the entire multiverse, and every critter will kneel to me... AND ADORE ME AS THEIR QUEEN!" Opaline shouted once again, her eyes turning white one more time.

Then, she connected her horn to the Unity Crystals with another white string, but this one was thicker, and it was absorbing the magic from the Unity Crystals even faster than before, as their colors faded away as twice as fast.

Soon enough, though, the Crystals were not floating anymore, and they fell to the floor, each shattering into hundreds, if not thousands or millions, of pieces, while Opaline laughed maniacally, as her horn and wings lightened up in fire again.

She did it, the magic was all hers... And now she was unstoppable.

Author's Note

Surprise! I'm pretty sure I surprised you guys, huh?

Since this story is technically 3 stories melted in one, I decided to make two interludes in-between each part. These interludes work both as an Epilogue for the previous part, and as a Prologue for the next one.

The idea of these interludes are also to not leave you guys with nothing for a full month!

Now, the universes Opaline destroyed to obtain those four shards of the Paradox Prism are: This story by LadyKimba, this one-shot by RunicTreetops, this story's universe made by RainbowDoubleDash, and this short story by Jay Watson; while the visions she has on her life in other universes are from this one-shot also made by RunicTreetops, this short story written by Harasha the Gryphon, and this amazing story's universe created by Admiral Producer.

Also, before someone (yes, you know who you are) asks for this, here's how Opaline looks like currently:

Thanks to everyone again for having reading this story so far! And now, for real this time, I'll see you all on June 4th! Bye, bye! :twilightsmile:

11. Team Anomaly

"Let’s do things differently this time. Like, so differently."

Sonic ran through a canyon in Kronos Island at sonic speed, and as he reached the end, he couldn't help but smile.

Then, he started to float on the sky, surrounded by the 7 Chaos Emeralds, and once he was far enough from Giganto, the Emeralds entered on his body, turning his blue fur into a golden one, being surrounded by an aura of the same color, and his eyes turned red. He transformed into Super Sonic, and he was ready to take Giganto down.

"His name is Sonic the Hedgehog..."

Sonic was fighting against Metal Sonic, and he charged his electrical powers against the robot, which's system started to fail. Sonic then punched him in the chest, and Metal crashed against a tree again. But the attack didn't stopped there: Sonic landed another punch that sent him flying into a nearby mountain. Metal didn't have time to react, because Sonic came at full speed and began to sweep the mountain with his body, while he kept running up.

"He was born with an extraordinary power..."

Sonic ran through a field of flowers very familiar to him, since it was the place where he landed when he first arrived in Equestria. He began to run in Zig Zag, sliding and strolling on a side that had many dandelions, which immediately flew away.

"And he's not the only one."

In a different universe, Young Sonic literally stopped time and started to run across a bar. He was doing a lot of silly pranks with his power, like wedgie, getting ketchup on someone's face, taking a selfie with someone who literally got their teeth punched out, and even wasting whole rolls of toilet paper to cover whole people.

In another another universe, Boom Sonic was running at top speed across a canyon while chasing down Dr. Eggman, then he started to run in circles while running away from a strange robot with claws.

"And her name is Sunny Starscout..."

Sunny was rolling-skating across Maretime Bay, singing her lungs out with joy.

Next, we see Sunny, Izzy and Sonic climbing up desperately the mountain that leads to Zephyr Heights.

Finally, we see Sunny, Izzy and Pipp working together to make the Unity Crystals join and see if magic will finally return to Equestria...

"She has the power of an Alicorn..."

The Unity Crystals lifted Sunny into the air, and she grew golden-colored wings and a horn, although they looked transparent. Also, a rainbow line was painted on her mane, which was kind of weird, but it was clear what happened: Sunny became an Alicorn.

Then, we see Sunny and Sonic fighting together against Opaline, with Sunny using her Alicorn magic, while Sonic used all the skills he learned through the years.

"And she's not the only one."

The image switches to show Twilight becoming an Alicorn for the very first time, but also showed her fight against Lord Tirek when she was given Celestia's, Luna's and Cadance's magic.

Now, it shows Sunset Shimmer from Universe 010921 transforming into an Alicorn as well, but also being surrounded by the spirits of the Mane 6.

"None of them always had it easy..."

First, we see Sonic kneeling in the ground and crying because he arrived late to the town were Longclaw died in a fire, then it shows Sonic being corrupted by Cyber Space and turned into Cyber Sonic, just to switch one more time to all those times he was haunted by The End.

As for Sunny, we first see how she cries over her dad's dead body on a hospital room, then we see her feeling bad because of her lighthouse being destroyed, and finally we see the Death Egg Titan destroying the Brighthouse, leaving Sunny with an anxious look.

"And they're not the only ones."

We see Sunset in the human world, struggling to fit in after all the things she did before reforming thanks to the magic of friendship, then we see her suffering because of her friends not remembering her nor all the things they lived together.

Finally, we see Sunset crying because she returned to Equestria, but all the ponies she used to know are long gone...

"And now they're on their own..."

Sonic and Sunny were watching holographic replays of their parents dying, while FS was behind them and looked at them with sympathy.

Then, we see Sonic landing in a superhero pose in front of Sunny's stand in Sunset's universe, marking how they first met, but then the image switched to Sunset blasting a golden blast agains the Egg Conqueror, right before he killed Sonic, marking how they became friends.

"And they're not the only ones."

Sunset was crying sadly while being embraced by her friends back home, because of how guilty she felt after lying to Sonic and Sunny about their worlds, and for not telling them about the Canon Events.

"You think you know the rest..."

We see Sonic first awakening his electrical powers back in Bridlewood out of rage, as well as a sequence of scenes where he uses them several times.

"You don't."

Then, we see Sonic drawing some of his friends from across the multiverse, before the image switches again to both him and Sunny being encaged by the Secret Society after learning the truth about Canon Events, and how letting their friends die was supposedly one.

"I thought I knew the rest, but... I didn't..."

We now see a fraction of second of Sonic traveling through a heptagon-shape tunnel while screaming, since he was moving towards another universe.

Then, the image switched again, and now we see Sunset sighing and feeling bad, because she lied to Sonic and Sunny.

"I didn't want to hurt them... But I did..."

Sunset surrounded Sonic in her magic, since she was instructed to not let him go. Seeing this, Sonic frowned in anger and shifted his right arm to the Werehog one, extending it and punching Sunset in the face, making her release him. Sunset shook her head, but she looked with hurt and wide eyes at Sonic, who glared daggers of hate at her.

We also see Sunny glaring daggers at her after they learned about the Canon.

"And they're not the only ones."

More and more images are shown: Sunset being sent back to her universe; Sonic running away from FS, right before being captured; Sunny arriving with her friends to Mobius; Dr. Eggman and Sage fighting against Knuckles and Izzy; and finally, Sonic looking at FS determined and confident.

Universe 081114

"That's why I started a team of my own..."

Now, we see Sunset standing in front of a heptagon-shaped portal.

This one, however, was open in front of a random house in Boom's universe. Sunset herself stood in front of the portal, but then she slowly looked behind over her shoulder.

Behind Sunset, Boom Sonic and Blue Buffon were standing and sitting on her right; while Firefly and Dr. Hooves were on her left.

Soon, Firefly spread her wings and flew through the portal, followed by Boom Sonic and Dr. Hooves. Then, Classic Sonic followed as well, and then Buffon and Young Sonic also crossed the portal.

Finally, Tails, whom I refer to as Tails X, entered on his mechanical suit and moved towards the portal as well, leaving Sunset as the only one who hasn't entered yet.

"I have no idea where they are, nor how to save them... But I know I can find them... And I'll make up for my mistake."

Then, Sunset smirked confidently and crossed the portal as well, as it closed behind.

"You wanna come?"

Universe 220822

"Dude..." Sonic called out. "Please understand... Canon can be changed without unravelling a world, as long as the person who affects the Canon is the one that changes it!"

"I won't risk the multiverse just to prove your silly theory..." Future Sonic said with anger.

Twilight felt nervous, since she had no idea if she had to let FS do what he's doing, or side with Sonic and at least prove his point, because a part of her actually believed in Sonic.

Shadow? He's just smirking because FS is going to kick Sonic's ass.

Sonic gulped again and panicked even more, because things were starting to see pretty bad for him...

But then, he touched the handcuffs FS put on him earlier with a finger, and even though it slipped at first, he soon placed it back on the handcuffs, and then started to absorb the energy of them, since he planned to recreate what he did to FS earlier, but with the handcuffs this time around.

As he did so, Sonic's expression became determined and confident, not letting FS' menacing look get the best of him, or into him at all.

"Lesson one..." Sonic started, before smirking confidently, while FS raised an eyebrow confused. "Don't watch the mouth... Watch the hands!"

After saying this, Sonic managed to quickly turn around and point his tied hands to FS, Twilight and Shadow, who's eyes widened after seeing that Sonic's hands were absorbing the energy from the handcuffs. But before they could do anything, Sonic released that energy back.

Then, the handcuffs exploded and sent the Secret Society's members and leader backwards, while Sonic finally was free. Then, he looked at his hands with a smile, before boosting away at top speed.

As he did so, FS started to slowly stand up and shake his head, but once he noticed that Sonic was gone, as well as the broken handcuffs, his eye widened, and then he desperately contacted Nicole on his watch.

"Nicole! Sent all our forces to every single universe, now!" Future Sonic instructed with anger. "The anomaly is running away!"

Speaking of him, Sonic was running as fast as his feet allowed him, and then he saw the Crystal Brighthouse in the distance, which made him smirk and accelerate towards his home... But he didn't noticed that his shoes and arm were glowing with the Prismatic Energy of his body.

He simply kept running, and running, and running more... Until what we all knew was going to happen happened: His feet made a line get ahead of him and open a X-shaped portal.

Sonic's eyes widened after he saw this. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

He tried to stop before crossing the portal, but he unfortunately tripped and ended up crossing it anyways, as the portal closed behind and left no trial of him.

Sonic exited his universe and panicked, because he was falling through it, with no control over his shoes.

"Ugh! I forgot how awful this felt!" Sonic shouted in panic. "This is something I definitely didn't missed!"

However, as he fell through this realm, he noticed in the distance something that made his eyes open wide again: He saw that Chip was trapped inside of a bubble, rolling on the ground and crying, because he tried everything to get out after Opaline trapped him there, but he couldn't.

"Chip?!" Sonic asked in panic with wide eyes.

Yet this did nothing, because he soon crashed with a purple, floating crystal that was passing by, then another one, then another, and then another one.

He was now falling at top speed across this realm and screaming in panic, trying to keep his balance again so he could run, but even if his feet and his arm were glowing, he wasn't able to gain control, specially considering he's still crashing with more crystals.

Finally, he ended up crashing against a white line, and therefore, he entered into another universe...

Universe 091213

The sky opened with a massive X-shaped portal.

Then, Sonic fell to the floor and rolled around, grunting painfully and getting even more brushes and dirty gloves and shoes, until he hit his head so hard with something metallic.

That didn't killed him, thankfully, but he did started to feel dizzy, and his mind started to spin around in pain, while he grabbed it and groaned. He tried to stand up and then move back to his universe so he could go to Mobius, but he ended up falling on his knees.

He slowly started to loose his conscience, and the last thing that he saw was a taller variant of Spike approaching, wearing a watch that indicated he was part of the Secret Society.

Then, his eyes closed, and he only managed to hear one last thing...

"I found him, boss. I'll take him to the HQ," Spike spoke with a deeper voice.

With that, Sonic sighed and fell unconscious, although he also felt his body getting lifted from the ground.

Universe 220822

Sunny never felt so nervous when explaining a thing before in her life.

Whenever it came to give speeches about how working together they could do anything, or how ponykind had to remain together to be unstoppable, she was unmatchable with her way of talking...

Now, how the heck could she explain the Canon Events and how they work without fearing the reactions? It is one thing to inspire others to be better, and to remain stronger together... But it was a completely different one telling someone they had to die, or else the universe will explode.

It was hard, it was tedious, and it was really awkward... But Sunny still did it. She explained the whole thing to her friends, and once she was done doing so, everyone remained silent.

First bad sign for her: No gasps, no mumbling, no words... Just straight up silence.

There were some stares among the group, thought... But that didn't told her anything. In fact, it just made her feel more anxious about who was going to speak first, or what were they going to say... If Sonic was here, he would know how to handle this... But he's not.

Eventually, the first one in the group finally spoke what they thought. "...So the whole reason why these guys joined... Is to let people die, and only save those who are good for them..." Knuckles said with anger.

Sunny was truly not expecting to hear that, so she limited to nod.

"And if Tails and I died in the other worlds, they're expecting us to do so in ours too..." Hitch added anxiously.

It hurt Sunny hearing him sounding so... Lost, confused and scared... But she still nodded again and looked away.

Silence again. Usually, when Sunny heard nothing, it was relaxing, and it helped her to put her thoughts together when she felt stressed... Today, she hated silence, because it meant that someone was going to explode at some point at her, and she wouldn't blame them for doing so.

"Sonic and I tried to make them see that all of what they're doing is wrong, that there's a better way!" Sunny said, as tears started to form in her eyes again. "...But they insist that there's no other way..."

"...And what do you believe, Sunny?" Zipp questioned with a slight frown. Of course, being Tails' girlfriend, she hates that someone thinks that he should be dead for the sake of the multiverse, but she also wants to hear what Sunny believes.

Sunny snorted, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "What do you think I believe, Zipp?" She asked rhetorically. "A rip-off of Sonic with an eyepatch told us that if we don't let our friend and my boyfriend die, our entire existence will disappear just like that. Then, he says that Sonic is a mistake, that our world is a mistake, and that he should have died the moment Eggman dragged him into that trap! How do you think I'm feeling?!"

Zipp felt bad for asking now, but even if her frown remained, she wasn't mad with her. After all, she's feeling precisely how she imagined she would... There was nothing else to be said.

As Sunny started to calm down from her outburst, her eyes started tearing up even more, and she eventually found herself sobbing more and more, before she finally broke entirely and buried her face on her hooves, while Hitch felt bad for her and wrapped her into a hug.

Sunny accepted it, and she choose to bury her face on Hitch's chest, while the Earth Pony comforted his girlfriend by rubbing her back for comfort.

The rest felt bad for Sunny, and Izzy began to tearing up herself. So, she couldn't resist it, and she ended up joining the hug. The others were not able the resist, either, and soon they joined each one as well: Tails, Amy, Zipp, Pipp, Misty, and finally Knuckles.

Team Dark was watching from the distance, but... they felt bad for her as well... And then Omega couldn't stand there doing nothing, so he also approached and wrapped everyone else into a warm hug.

Shadow and Rouge were the only ones left behind for the moment... But surprisingly for them both, the first one of them to approach the hug was Shadow, who slowly walked ahead and placed his hand on Hitch's back, patting it a bit as well, since he really wasn't a man of hugs...

Rouge ended up dragging him into it anyways, which made his eyes open wide in panic and confusion at the sudden move of the bat, but he ended up sighing defeated and accepted to form part of the hug.

After a few seconds, though, Sunny wiped her tears away and smiled at the warm of the big hug, then sighed happily. "...Thank you, everyone... I mean it..."

The rest broke the hug and smiled at her, then Tails approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know... I don't know what's gotten into that 'Future Sonic' guy you're talking about, but he's definitely..." He started, then whistled and moved a finger around his ear, as well as moved his eyes in circles. "Also, has he realized everything's that's wrong with that stupid thing of Sonic bein an anomaly? Or Hitch and I dying?"

"Why are you saying it so casual like if it wasn't bad?!" Misty asked confused and also concerned, because she literally didn't wanted to loose Tails nor Hitch as much as the mare at her side... Which is Zipp, by the way.

"Because A: This guy says Canon Events can't be disrupted or else we're screwed, but Sonic didn't died, and that already broke the Canon. So, why are we still here?" Tails pointed out, still deadpanning.

Except for Sunny, the rest looked at Tails with wide eyes, and then they all shared a collective "Oooooh!" That indicated they understood what was he talking about.

"Good. Now that we're in the same page, let's move to B: If Sonic is an anomaly, and therefore his sole existence is a threat for the multiverse, why did they let him be for a full year?" Tails pointed out next with a frown. "And again, why is our world not unravelling like it is 'supposed' to?"

"Hmm... You might be into something, Tails..." Amy admitted. "I mean, Sonic should've died, but he didn't and broke the Canon. Now he's an anomaly, but our world remains intact anyways..."

"Perhaps FS is just out of his mind and made up the whole 'Canon' thing to justify his loses instead of mourning them?" Pipp suggested.

"If that would be the case, it'll be dark as heck..." Knuckles said with his arms crossed.

"It could make sense, but his own story sounds off..." Shadow pointed out with his arms crossed as well and a frown. "If the Canon is supposed to stay intact, why did he interfered in someone else's Canon Event if he knew that he couldn't brake it?"

"Perhaps someone else broke it before him? That would had led to him making up the whole Canon stuff..." Izzy pointed out.

"Is more complicated than that..." A voice spoke suddenly, but when it did, Sunny's eyes widened, and her ears perked up.

Soon, another Alicorn figure landed not so far from the group... Sunset Shimmer, wearing the 'Project Bootleg' watch on her left hoof, while she looked at the group of Mobians and Equestrians with a neutral expression.

"What in the name of Chaos?!" Knuckles exclaimed out loudly with wide eyes at the sight of another Alicorn.

"Whoa! Another Alicorn?!" Zipp exclaimed loudly as well with amazement.

"That's... odd..." Tails said with a raised eyebrow.

Sunny, however, slowly turned around and glared daggers at Sunset, but even if the Alicorn noticed this, her expression remained the same.

"You..." Sunny muttered with anger, but as soon as Hitch, Tails and Shadow noticed her tone, they all panicked. "YOU!"

After shouting this, Sunny launched herself towards Sunset, but before being able to reach her entirely, she was grabbed by Tails, Shadow and Hitch at the same time, holding her tightly and trying to keep her away from Sunset, while Sunny tried to get them off, but Sunset didn't flinched.

"What are you doing here?!" Sunny shouted in rage. "Wasn't Sonic clear with you?! You shouldn't had showed up here after what you've done!"

"No, I did heard when he told me that," Sunset replied calmly, still with a neutral expression.

"OH, REALLY?!" Sunny shouted in rage. "Then give me one good damn reason not to beat the crap out of you!" She said, and Sunset was about to say something, but before she could, Sunny growled in rage. "You know what?! Don't! I had enough of you and your stupid group of killers that want me to let my friend and my boyfriend DIE! YOU BIG––"

And then, Sunny proceed to swear so many cuss words to Sunset that I'm not going to write to keep this story E rated... Instead? I'm gonna show you her friends' reactions!

First off, Rouge and Omega's eyes widened surprised when she started to do so; Amy gasped and her jaw dropped, then she covered Sparky's ears, who tilted his head confused on what was going on; Izzy covered her mouth with a hoof, while Knuckles smiled amused.

Pipp and Zipp's eyes widened to this as well; Misty covered her ears and looked at Sunny with wide eyes as well; while Tails, Shadow and Hitch widened eyes too, before Tails and Hitch glared at Shadow, who deadpanned and rolled his eyes. Of course they were going to blame him on Sunny cursing...

Finally, Sunset looked a bit amused at Sunny, but she also seemed to be used to her cursing... Probably because the Sunny of her world has done it as well sometimes since it slipped.

After several minutes, Sunny stopped talking and started to breath heavily to catch her air, although she still stared at Sunset with anger.

"I've you're done talking, can I explain myself now, or you still have things to tell me?" Sunset asked, now feeling a bit awkward after Sunny was done cursing her.

"...No... I think that's all..." Sunny said, before adding other word that I'm not explicitly writing, but is the word that starts with 'b', oaky?

"...Okay..." Sunset said, still feeling amused, but remaining calmed the whole time. "First off: I've been kicked out of the Society, so if you think I'm here to capture you or Sonic, then you're wrong."

After she said this, Sunny's rage suddenly wiped away, and she stared with wide eyes at Sunset. "...I'm sorry what?" She asked confused, and now that she has calmed down, her friends and boyfriend decided to let her go.

"What you heard!" Sunset replied with a little smile. "I tried to talk to FS on testing out if braking Canon could really threat the universe... Look were that lead me..."

Sunny stared confused at Sunset, and a part of her didn't believed her, but there was another one that did, although much smaller.

"Wait... If you were kicked out, how are you here?" Tails questioned with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown.

"Correction: How are we here!" Firefly's voice spoke up suddenly, and soon, she landed right besides Sunset with a smile.

"Okay... Sunny, sweetie, how about a little context?" Hitch asked with a confused expression.

"If you need context on her: She's Firefly, the girl who's Canon Event Sonic supposedly disrupted..." Sunny explained. "As for what are they doing here? I honestly hope I don't know for real..."

"What do you mean with that you hope you don't know?" Shadow asked confused and concerned.

"I don't blame her for not trusting!" Boom Sonic spoke next, as he arrived as well, also still wearing the kangaroo with Aurora on it. "We've been a bunch of assholes the past few hours."

"Boom?!" Amy asked with wide eyes. "You have a baby?!"

"Yes, I have a baby..." Boom Sonic replied with a smirk, but also with a slight eye roll.

Then, Aurora giggled and used her super speed to get out of her kangaroo and approach the others.

First, she rand over Zipp and Pipp and messed their manes a little bit; then she moved with Amy and hugged her head happily, probably because she reminds her of her mom; then she moved to Tails and balanced over his tails; before moving to Shadow, who caught her and hold her weirdly with a cringed expression.

"Whoa! You are so bad at holding a kid, man!" Boom Sonic mocked up, as he grabbed Aurora again and cooed her, taking her away.

"Uh, when this this happened, and why is she so freaking cute?!" Izzy said happily, as she zoomed in and cooed Aurora, who laughed and grabbed Izzy's muzzle with her tiny hands.

"It's been two years in my universe ever since I saw you guys," Boom Sonic pointed out with a smile, before putting Aurora back on the kangaroo. "A lot has changed ever since. Some good things have happened, some bad things as well... But she's definitely the best thing that happened to me."

"I'll say I'm interested on hearing more, but after everything Sunny told us..." Amy began, before bringing out her Piko Piko Hammer and glared daggers at Boom. "I have other plans in mind!"

"How about we let them explain themselves before they screw up to their respective worlds, eh?" Knuckles suggested, grabbing Amy's Hammer's head with a hand and a deadpan.

Amy couldn't feel her hammer on her hands anymore, so she turned to Knuckles and deadpanned as well, but also sighed frustrated. "...Fine..." She said defeated, also crossing her arms.

"Well... First off, I'm sorry for how we behaved with you guys back at the Society..." Sunset started to say, but she was only looking at Sunny. "You're on your right to hate us, and I understand if you're not willing to forgive us."

"Oh, trust me: Is going to take a lot more than just a 'sorry' to make me even consider forgiving you!" Sunny replied with anger.

"I know, I know, and trust me: I'm not planning to rest until I can make up for you!" Sunset stated.

"Me too," Boom Sonic agreed. "I joined the Society out of fear for what could happen to my universe, but... FS is out of his mind. And, considering Sunset's Canon Event was broken, yet her world is still intact, I believe his whole theory of the Canon is both wrong and right."

"Hah! I knew it!" Tails cheered out loud with a smile.

Sunny, however, felt her eyes widening after Sunset said that. "...What?" She asked, both confused and shocked.

"In my universe, Hitch was supposed to die, true... But not so long after I left with the Society, his job started to consume a lot of his life, so... He choose to quit temporally to spend time with our friends..." Sunset explained with a smile, and Sunny's face seemed to light up in joy after hearing that. "I changed my own Canon that day, and my universe is... fine."

"And we'd heard Tails' theory on how Sonic can't be an anomaly if this world is also intact," Boom Sonic confessed.

"Is the more sensical thing I'd heard the whole day," Buffon's voice spoke, and he soon joined the conversation and approached, having his hands on his jacket's pockets.

"Buffon!" Sunny said with an actual smile.

"Sup, Sun-Bun," Buffon replied with a smirk. "Glad to see Blue Blur took you out."

"Whoa, what?" Boom Sonic asked confused, looking at Buffon with a raised eyebrow. "You know something about this we don't, Buffon?"

"Should I remind you that he made the watch I'm using right now, which is the core reason why we came here in the first place?" Sunset asked with a mocking smirk.

"I knew you two will eventually get kicked out, or escape on your own," Buffon said, as he walked around Sunny with an indifferent look. "Hence why I made that watch."

"And now that we're here, I'm afraid we're kind of late, although not so much if you two are alive" Sunset said with concern, looking specifically at Tails and Hitch.

"Why us?" Tails asked confused.

"The Society has captured Sonic, not so long before we arrived here..." Firefly said with concern.

"What?!" Everyone else but Team Dark exclaimed loudly in shock and panic.

"They captured him?!" Pipp asked, and she started to breath heavily in panic.

Instead of replying, Boom touched a few buttons on his watch and then played a recording.

"This is Spike from 091213," Spike's deeper voice spoke. "I found him, boss. I'll take him to the HQ."

After that, the recording made some strange sounds, like if someone was picking something from the ground.

"Is he alive?" Future Sonic's voice asked.

"He hit his head with a wall hard enough, now he's unconscious." Spike replied.

"Is he injured, beyond the head?" Future Sonic asked again.

"No. He's still breathing." Spike replied once again.

"Good. We need him alive. He has disrupted enough Canon for my liking..." Future Sonic replied with anger.

"What about the girl? The Sunny from his world?" Spike asked concerned.

"Doesn't matter. She succeeds to save one of them, the other one dies, leading the first one to die all the same." Future Sonic replied, and Sunny frowned and growled after hearing that. "We have the anomaly, that's all the matters. Now come back to the HQ, Spike."

With that, Boom Sonic finished the recording and looked at the rest with a frown. "We were hoping to come here and help you guys out get rid of the Society, but... I think you see how well that plan went..."

"Aren't your watches connected? The Society can follow you guys up! Sonic told me they ambushed you both!" Sunny pointed out with concern as well.

"Not if you can hack them!" Tails' voice spoke, but this one sounded different.

This one sounded like Tails' voice before it got deeper, and it confused everyone, because they at first looked to Tails, who shook his head in denial, then they heard engine roaring, so they all looked upwards.

Soon, a mechanical suit with Tails' head shape landed, and it opened to show Tails X, who looked over at the group with a smile. "I already got rid of the watches tracker. We're safe!" He explained cheerfully, then he looked at Tails, who looked at his counterpart with wide eyes.

Tails X smiled and made a small salute, while Tails smiled sheepishly and waved his hand.

"Okay... So you all are here to help us out... How can we trust you? And how many of you are?" Sunny asked with a frown, still not trusting on the visitors from another universe.

"Just as many as you can see!" Dr. Hooves spoke, suddenly showing up as an hologram.

"Well, not that many, but we're still enough to give the Society a taste of their own medicine!" Classic Sonic from Universe 180993 said with a smirk, also suddenly zooming in.

"So many Sonics..." Both Pipp and Amy muttered with sparkling eyes and huge blushes.

"Seems like you'll have to introduce them to us later, because we still don't know who half of them are..." Zipp muttered to Sunny.

"Yeah, I'm as lost as you guys." Young Sonic said, suddenly appeared below them and startling the two mares.

"Young Sonic?!" Hitch asked with excitement and a smile.

"The one and only!" Young Sonic cheered, before being suddenly embraced by Hitch, Sunny and Pipp, who made him feel his was lacking air. "G-Guys! I-I need my lungs, you know?!"

They still stuck to the hug, though, but then they let him go, as Young Sonic took a deep breath and sighed in relief.

"Well, now that we're all here... The reason why we want to help you guys is not only to get FS away from you," Sunset confessed.

"Opaline is still out there, causing chaos around... We wanna stop her too, even if we cannot track her down the same way the Society's been doing for the past year." Boom Sonic explained.

"Didn't you guys said that the Society gets the signs of her actions, like, an hour or two after it happened? I wouldn't call that tracking..." Young Sonic pointed out with a bored expression.

"And that's why we want your help, guys." Firefly pointed out. "Even if she's a variant of Opaline, she's still different to all the other ones. Have you any ideas of where could we search?"

"Well, considering she's tracking down Prism Shards, she must be out there... Maybe I could use mine to track her down as well." Tails suggested.

"That'll be so helpful!" Sunset said with a smile.

Seeing that this was probably their only choice, Sunny let out a sigh and then approached Sunset.

"Listen: I don't forgive you." Sunny started with a frown. "It's gonna take a while before I can say that I trust you... but I will accept your help to stop Opaline and rescue Sonic. After all, we don't have watches like yours..."

"I'll make sure I can amend my mistake, Sunny." Sunset assured with a determinate look. "I don't care if you don't trust me, or if you don't forgive me yet, I will make my best to make sure Sonic's back safe!"

Sunny felt satisfied with that answer and nodded.

"By the way..." Knuckles called out, as he stepped in and approached Sunset too. "You guys have a Team name, or you're just the Anti-Society?"

The travelers from another world all looked at each other, then they all huddled together and began to mumble between them. Eventually, they all nodded and turned back to the Mane 6 and the Mobians.

"Well... Considering that we're now Anomalies that FS wants... You can call us Team Anomaly!" Sunset stated with a smile.

???

Sonic and the Mane 5 were around a campfire, on their way to Bridlewood to get the Unicorn Crystal.

"I think we should set off at first light. Last stop: Bridlewood," Sunny answered, then noticed Izzy's expression turn sad. "Izzy? What's wrong?"

Sonic fixed his quills and focused on Izzy.

"It's just that... being with you ponies and hedgehog has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I guess... I just don't want our adventure to end," Izzy explained while slightly getting happier.

"But Izzy, you'll get your magic," Sunny stated with optimism while Izzy smiled.

Hitch then looked at both Sonic and Izzy.

"Can I ask you both a question? Why did you come to Maretime Bay?" He asked, curious.

"When I woke up, I was very disoriented. I wanted to get an idea of where I was and then figure out how to get back home, then Izzy ran into me," Sonic explained first. "She told me about... herself, and I decided to help her. Why? I guess it was in my heart... I'm willing to help anyone who needs it because it's the right thing to do. I guess... it's an instinct of duty I must heed."

"And I always wanted to visit," Izzy spoke next. "When I was a filly, I found this pretty lantern. It had a message inside saying that I had friends in Maretime Bay," Izzy pulled out the note she had shown Sonic a few days earlier and showed it to the rest.

Sunny's ears perked up, and she put on the biggest smile the group had ever seen from her. Sonic looked between the photo and the mare, putting two and two together before his jaw dropped.

"I-It was you!" Izzy said with surprise, passing the note to Hitch, who then passed it to Sunny.

"I made it with my dad. We always promised each other that, someday, we would prove that all ponies are meant to be friends… We'll do our part, hoof to heart," Sunny finished with a smile, holding the note close to her chest.

Everyone else smiled, and Sonic picked up his picture with Tails and Knuckles from the ground, looking at it one last time as a big smile spread across his face. He put the photo in his quills and then heard Hitch draw everyone's attention.

"Hey..." He said. "I want to do my part." This made Sunny smile even more. "What do we have to lose, right?" He asked rhetorically, causing the group to cheer. "I have to admit, a Unicorn forest does sound kind of magical."

"You know, everything that has happened so far feels so weird," Pipp said. "This whole adventure feels surreal, to be honest."

"You can say that again, sister," Zipp replied with a smirk while the others giggled.

"Yeah, sure," Sonic simply said with his eyes closed, scratching one cheek. When he felt too much silence, he opened his eyes and found the whole group staring at him, confused. "What? Did... did I say something wrong or...?"

"Uh... Why were you so calm when Pipp said all this has been crazy?" Sunny dared to ask.

"You mean all we have lived since we left Maretime Bay? Please, this is all like a walk in the park to me," He replied calmly. After that, the group stared at him in disbelief.

"Y-You're joking, right?" Pipp asked nervously, hoping that Sonic was messing with them.

Sonic smirked a little... But just when he was about to reply, his smirk faded away, and his eyes widened in panic.

His mind suddenly started to flash back into all his recent adventures with these ponies: The Wishing Star, Discord and the quest to recover the Pegasus Crystal, the Death Egg Titan, the Starfall Islands, the Metal Virus, the quest to recover the Chaos Emeralds from the human world...

The multiverse...

Sonic's eyes moved anxiously, and his surroundings started to glitch out, like if he was in some kind of simulation, and he also started to breath heavily, even feeling that he had no air at all, and that his heart was beating to fast.

Soon, he moved his hands to his head and touched it, feeling like if he had some kind of helmet over. So, he started to get it off by instinct, while the ponies around suddenly had blank expressions and started to move slowly towards him, which increased his breath and heartbeat...

Universe 250954

Eventually, though, he managed to get the helmet off him. However, instead of having that relieving sensation after removing the helmet, he instead woke up on the ground, while some strange gas was being spread inside of the place he was inside of, which made him cough a lot.

Eventually, thought, said gas started to fade away on his room, and he felt confused, until an AI voice said "Simulation over", and then several lights illuminated, which blurred his sight for a moment. However, as the effect started to fade away, his jaw dropped in amazement and horror.

He was back at the Secret's Society HQ, but he was also encaged along all the other variants of Mobians and Equestrians that FS and his team believed were Anomalies... Mistakes of the multiverse that simply happened.

"This guy is way more crazy than I thought..." Sonic said with wide eyes and a panicked expression.

Author's Note

WE'RE BAAAAAAAACK!!! :pinkiehappy:

Welcome, every reader, to "The Final Act: Part 2 - Time Runs Out"! Here, we'll see how the story develops, and how our heroes deal with FS chasing them, as well as Eggman and Opaline still being a pain in the ass (which will be more remarkable in the next episode, considering they'll both be there).

If you guys feel disappointed that Sonic managed to escape, only for still getting capture anyways... I never liked plot armor, and you should know that already, so why let him go free when he can get captured all the same?

Now, today we only had one universe visited for a very short time, and said universe is this wholesome one-shot made by Shotoman, while the Spike variant that captured him belongs to said story.

I feel like I should be very clear: Sunny is still mad with both Sunset and Boom Sonic, and she isn't going to forgive them just because they wanna fix their mistake. So don't worry, guys: They'll have their respective forgiveness on due time.

Finally, this second part is probably gonna feel a bit random compared to Part 1 and the upcoming Part 3, but I promise that my intention is exactly that: To make random stuff for the sake of making it.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see ya'll later. Bye! :twilightsmile:

12. Villains' Game

Universe 220822

Sage found herself confused on his father's request for her...

He asked her to modify the Egg Breaker he once used against Shadow to travel across the multiverse and collect the Paradox Prism's shards himself... How the heck was she going to do that when the Prism itself is the reason why she could make him travel across the multiverse in the first place?

She let out a sigh and shook her head. She couldn't let these kind of questions slow her down. She has survived inside of Cyberspace, she has sacrificed herself for Eggman, and she has helped to almost conquer the multiverse before.

Make a multiversal traveling machine with the old model of one of her father's robots? Piece of cake.

Or that's what she thought at first, anyways. After two of three hours of experimenting, she couldn't find a way to make a portal to another universe. Sure, she could make it work to go to Equestria, or even to other dimensions among the same universe, like the Mushroom Kingdom.

However, traveling to a whole different reality? Well, that was going to be tricky... The fact that Orbot and Cubot are trying to help, yet failing miserably, is not calming her down, either.

"Well... I've never thought I'll come to a point in my life where I'll give up this easily..." Sage deadpanned.

"Aw, come on, sis. It isn't that bad!" Orbot said, trying to sound positive.

"I literally haven't been able to open a portal for the past three hours!" Sage pointed out frustrated. "How am I supposed to help if I can't make a portal that opens to another universe like father wants?!"

"It's just a matter of trial and error!" Cubot pointed out. "Not even the boss has made all his creations work flawlessly at the first try, you know?"

Sage's eyes widened after hearing that. "What?!"

"I know, I know. Is quite shocking, but is the truth!" Orbot confessed as well. "I still remember how frustrated he was when he first built Egg Planet Park... It took him at least 15 attempts to get it right!"

"Oh, but that's nothing!" Cubot pointed out. "Haven't you seen those old tapes of him trying to build the first Death Egg Robot, years before creating us? He failed like 40 times!"

"But one of boss' best qualities is that no matter how many times they take him down, he always gets up, stronger and wiser that ever!" Orbot added cheerfully. "So don't feel bad because you can't make this machine at the first try, sis. You'll eventually make it work, just like the boss has always done with his machines!"

"That might be the best advice you two have ever gave to anyone in your lives..." Eggman's voice spoke, and the siblings' eyes widened.

They all turned around and saw Eggman walking towards them, but he actually seemed to be smiling... genuinely smiling, which terrified Orbot and Cubot, but it made Sage feel curious.

"Are you feeling happy, father?" Sage dared to ask.

"Oh, I'm beyond that!" Eggman confessed, before sitting down at Sage's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Like these two said, it doesn't matter how many times you fail on this task: As long and you keep standing up and trying, I could let you fail as many times as you desire!"

Orbot and Cubot's jaws dropped, and they looked at each other confused, because Eggman has never been this supportive nor merciful with anyone before.

"So, you won't be mad if I don't get it first try?" Sage questioned a bit nervous.

"No, no, no! If anything, I can understand your frustration..." Eggman confessed. "But trust me! Once you succeed on your task, it'll be the biggest reward ever!"

"Is that why you came? To tell me is fine if I keep trying it?" Sage asked, not as nervous as before.

"Well, kinda..." Eggman said, as he stood up and then looked at his three creations. "Listen up: Now that Sage is working on the machine that will make us travel across all the existing realities, it is time to prepare!"

"Prepare?" The three siblings asked confused in unison.

"Yes! Prepare!" Eggman declared with a sinister grin. "Last year, I had a miserable lost against Sonic the Hedgehog for what feels like the millionth time! Worse of all, that sneaky little witch Opaline is taking my victory away from me! I have no idea of how many Prism Shards she's gotten so far, but I can assure you that they're many! As soon as the machine is finished, we'll head out to the multiverse and blown her plans away by taking the shards she's missing for ourselves!"

"And then you'll conquer it all?" Cubot asked.

"Yes!" Eggman replied with an even wider grin. "But to do that, we must take away from Arcana something she loves, something she cannot live without: Power!"

However, despite his huge grin, the two robots and the girl in front of Eggman blinked confused, which made Eggman deadpan, while his mustache flattened. He groaned and rubbed his face with a hand, before looking back at his own creations with a frown.

"Since none of you seems to get it: Opaline's whole ideal is that power is what only matters, but she always fails to see the bigger picture!" Eggman explained. "Why go from world to world looking for one shard when you can use just one to get them all in a snap?!"

"But she's a pony, isn't she?" Cubot pointed out. "How's she gonna snap if she doesn't has fingers?"

Of course, being as Eggman as he is, Eggman smashed Cubot's head with a hand. "That's not the point! Opaline is not as smart as she believes! Thanks to Bridlewood's Magical Crystals, my badniks and machines are resistant to magic! Now, we only need the Prism to conquer every single world at one shot!"

"And to do that... We need to steal Opaline's shards... Or get at least more than her!" Sage realized.

"Precisely!" Eggman declared with a grin. "And now, we must be ready for her fall..."

After that, he clapped his hands, and the lights of the place went out, which made Orbot and Cubot scream in panic, but since Sage was still glowing because of her body's effects, some light was still around.

Even so, they could barely see anything for a while, but then, Eggman suddenly stomped in the ground, as smoke and green lights started to illuminate his surroundings, while he walked ahead and even through some smoke.

Eggman:
I know that your powers of retention
Are as wet as a echidna's backside
But thick as you are, Pay attention!

He snapped his fingers, and Orbot and Cubot stood at attention, frozen in fear, while Sage only imitated her brothers.

My words are a matter of pride

Soon, the doctor began to walk around the three siblings, which made Orbot and Cubot feel very uncomfortable, while Sage only looked around confused.

It's clear from your confused expressions
The lights are not all on upstairs

Eggman then turned away, allowing the robots a moment to sneak away, while Sage looked concerned at them.

But we're talking queens and successions!
Even you can't be caught unawares

He quickly turned back, startling both robots and making them fall onto their backs, while smoke erupted directly from beneath them both, sending them flying away.

So prepare for the chance of a life time
Be prepared for sensational news
A shining new era is just walking nearer

"And where do we feature?" Sage asked confused, before Eggman wrapped an arm around her neck and brought her really close to him.

Just listen to teacher!

Sage broke off the embrace and massaged her shoulder, because she felt that her father grabbed her a bit too hard.

I know it sounds sordid, but you'll be rewarded
When at last I am given my dues!
And injustice deliciously squared...

BE PREPARED!

"Yeah, be prepared!" Orbot cheered, as he placed his head back on place, because his earlier fall made both Cubot and him loose their heads.

"We'll be prepared!" Cubot assured, only somewhat getting what Eggman was saying through his song, also placing his head in the wrong direction, before quickly fixing it. "...For what?"

"For the rise of my Empire, and the death of Opaline Arcana!" Eggman declared with a huge grin.

"Why? Is she sick?" Orbot asked confused.

"No, you idiot!" Eggman replied, hitting his head with a fist. "We're going to kill her!"

"Kill her?!" Sage questioned with wide eyes.

"That foolish Alicorn is in the way of my plans, and I won't allow her to get away with it anymore!" Eggman declared with a frown.

"So are we gonna poison her, or what?" Cubot asked confused, scratching his head.

"Sounds tempting, but no..." Eggman replied, before grinning sinisterly again. "We're gonna make a show with her body parts when they blow up in the sky!"

"And then we'll conquer the world?" Orbot asked, before quickly correcting himself. "Er, every world."

"Precisely!" Eggman stated. "And with Opaline down, not even Sonic the Hedgehog will stop me!"

After that, he snapped his fingers, and he was lifted on a platform, while several lights illuminated around.

Then, the badniks that were upgraded to resist magical attacks all turned on, and started to chant in unison.

"Eggman, Eggman, Eggman, Eggman... EGGMAN, EGGMAN, EGGMAN, EGGMAN!"

Eggman laughed sinisterly as this happened, then he snapped his finger again, which made more smoke came along, while the badniks all started to march like tropes, even turning to see their creator.

It's great that we'll soon be connected
With a king who'll be all time adored

Eggman grinned like he never did before as his creations marched and chanted together.

Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected
To take certain duties on board

As he sang this, he passed a thumb over his neck, clearly implying that he was ready to go beyond his own limits and kill Opaline for good... At least good for him.

The future is littered with prizes
And though I'm the main addressee
The point that I must emphasize is
YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME!!!

As he sang that last line, he suddenly rolled in the ground and ripped Orbot and Cubot's heads away from their bodies, before turning around, throw their heads in the air, and make them fall on the other body.

So prepare for the conquer of the century
Be prepared for the murkiest scam

Meticulous planning
Tenacity spanning
Decades of denial
Is simply why I'll

Be king undisputed
Respected, saluted
And seen for the wonder I am

Yes my mind and ambitions are bared
BE PREPARED!

After Eggman finished singing, he was now even higher on his platform and laughing maniacally, while the badniks around made some kind if kneel.

Orbot and Cubot were cheering for their boss as well, but Sage looked with concern at her father. Sure, she'll help out on conquering the multiverse and killing Opaline, but was that really all Eggman cared for? Conquering and become ruler of the multiverse?

Perhaps she underestimated his trauma with reject from earlier, and he seriously needed some help... Help she knew he was never going to accept.

Universe 080819

The Legion of Doom had it all to win.

Then, after being smashed by a giant cake, they were about to get their sentence... But when the cake vanished, none of the three villains could be seen anymore.

Would you believe me if I told you that there's a universe where Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow not only reformed, but also got the happy ending that they all seek'd for so long? Well, welcome to that universe, where Chrysalis is now a housewife, Tirek's a father, and Cozy's a respectable daughter.

You may think that this universe may not be important... But it is.

Now that Opaline got all the magic from her universe's Equestria's Unity Crystals, she was an unstoppable force that could travel to any reality imaginable and take as much power as she desired.

How powerful is she, you wonder? Well, she can literally use the power of the Prism's shards to get a glance of each universe for a limited time. She can see what happened on said universe before, right now, or even what is going to happen... That's how powerful she became.

The worse part is that she even knows where to look after all the other shards of the Paradox Prism, but she wants to take her time now and play with her prey.

But what does any of that has to do with this universe? Well, considering this universe's Chrysalis has reformed and adopted a similar form to Thorax and the other changelings, her love magic makes her more powerful than she ever has, just that she isn't aware of.

Opaline is, though, and that's why she's here: She wants to take this Chrysalis' magic and use it for her own benefit.

However, if the Tirek of this universe is as powerful as she saw he is thanks to her new power, then she'll take his magic as well. Nothing of importance is getting lost that way, is it?

So, Opaline opened a portal right over this universe and accessed it, then started to fly at top speed across the sky of this Equestria. She never really cared for the feeling of flying before, but she had to admit that it felt nice to be able to fly this freely, specially with her new power.

Eventually, she reached Saddleburg, the town were the three reformed villains lived together as a happy family... I don't think that happiness is going to last long.

Opaline landed in the ceiling of a random house and looked around with a frown. She was beyond grossed out by how friendly and sweet this place looked. It definitely needed an upgrade, and she'll be glad to give it to the place... But first things first: She had magic to stole.

Thanks to the fact that she has enough power, she teleported down to the town and started to walk around, now disguised as an Earth Pony, considering those are everywhere around this place.

Where could that sneaky little changeling be hiding? Opaline wondered mentally.

She walked for several minutes around, trying to analyze everypony trotting pass her and see if any of them seemed suspicious, or at least of they seemed like they could possibly be Chrysalis hiding. Yes, I say 'they' because Opaline isn't sure if she disguises as a stallion or as a mare.

Not that it matters. The result of what will happen with Chrysalis is the same, anyways.

However, as she walked pass a green unicorn mare, her eyes widened, and she suddenly stopped. She slowly looked at the mare over her shoulder, who entered into a house, probably hers.

But what called the disguised Fire Alicorn's attention was how this mare looked: Olive green coat, orange mane, green eyes, and a ladybug with three leaves below her as her Cutie Mark...

This appearance fits perfectly the description Opaline read once about the few times Chrysalis disguised to infiltrate both the School of Friendship so she could create replicates of the Mane 6, and when she spread rumors of Earth Ponies and Pegasi...

She was Opaline's inspiration to keep those rumors going, actually, but she made them reach far and beyond the magical land before ponykind finally split up.

However, this universe may never experience those events, because with Chrysalis being so powerful, yet not aware of it, is just a matter of time before Opaline puts her hooves over the reformed changeling and steals her magic. She probably doesn't even needed it, but she wants to test out how powerful she has become.

So, she quickly used her magic to check on that same reality if Chrysalis was the mare she just saw... And the vision she got showed Chrysalis changing to her reformed self in front of Celestia and Luna in this universe.

That was the confirmation that she needed, and she grinned sinisterly. So, she made sure to look around and checked the other ponies' looks. Nobody seemed to be suspecting about her, which was very good for her. Therefore, she slowly walked towards the reformed changeling's home...

However, right when she was in front of the door and about to blast it open with her horn, this one started to vibrate and sent a strange green line in another direction.

This direction seemed to point far away, meaning her tracking spell for Prism's shards just found one... But this made Opaline growl slightly. Now she had to choose: Stick to her plan and steal this universe's Chrysalis magic, or delay it and go for the shard first.

She hated whenever she had to do this kind of choices, because she barely could think and make a very good choice... But she ended up making her mind.

As much as she would love to enter that place and burn it all down while stealing Chrysalis' magic, she'd rather go and make sure she gets another Prism's shard. After all, she's been lucky so far, but she couldn't count on being lucky forever, so she'll get the shard first.

Soon, she took flight by quickly shape-shifting back to her real figure, and then boosted to follow the trace that her horn was making towards the Prism's shard.

The plan is simple: See where the shard is, take it, attach it to her bracelet, then go back to Saddleburg, surprise Chrysalis, steal her magic, and then prove if her power has really reached limits that nopony else has ever managed to achieve before she came to be.

Of course, she found the shard, laying in the trunk of a random forest, and Opaline landed elegantly in the floor, slowly walking towards her reward with her usual sinister grin...

However, when she was about to take the shard with a hoof, some sixth instinct shouted in her mind she had to move aside, and so she did, just in time to avoid getting hit by a mysterious hot blast that wouldn't had killed her, but it surely would had made her loose the shard.

Speaking of it, she gasped and turned to it, but then sighed in relief when she saw the shard intact.

"Glad to see you again, old friend!" Eggman's voice spoke, and Opaline's eyes open wide, before she growled in anger and then turned to the direction where the blast came from.

Soon, a mech with an open cockpit that somewhat resembled the Egg Emperor, but bearing a red and blue paint scheme instead of gold, and a giant spiked ball as a right hand that it can throw, landed in front of the Fire Alicorn, and the one riding it was none other than Eggman himself.

If you wonder how he already got here, well: Sage remembered there was some energy of the Paradox Prism contained on their original machine, back in Equestria.

So, after some quick research on the old lab located in Bridlewood, she came back to Mobius and placed said energy in this Egg Breaker, which now Eggman planned to use against Opaline. After all, he has the same intentions to be the ruler of the entire multiverse.

"Kon'nichiwa!" Eggman greeted with a maniac laugh and a mocking smirk.

Opaline growled and stood in front of the Prism's shard, extending her wings and lightening them in fire, also having a short deadly staring competition with her now enemy.

"We see each other again... Ivo..." Opaline replied with anger.

Universe 250954

Sonic was laying in the floor, rolling around and trying to wake up.

He had a helmet stuck on his head, and he attempted really hard to remove it from his face. Whatever he was watching, was making him panic and breath heavily, while his heartbeat accelerated a lot. Eventually, he managed to get the helmet off.

However, instead of having that relieving sensation after removing the helmet, he instead woke up on the ground, while some strange gas was being spread inside of the place he was inside of, which made him cough a lot.

In the distance, he saw a Sonic variant, giving his back and making sure nobody could see his face; a Twilight variant that was grooming her wings with a down expression; a big-ass turtle with swords and a blue mask; a Zipp variant that sat down on the ground like a sad dog...

A Human Sunset variant that was burring her face on her legs as she sobbed loudly; a Derpy variant that had normal eyes; an Eggman variant that had green overalls and a pink t-shirt while playing a ukulele...

"That's... odd..." Sonic muttered, a bit freaked out at seeing an Eggman so... happy... "Maybe that's why he's here..."

Finally, he witnessed an Izzy variant being carefully placed on a cage, before said cage closed, although the Izzy that was just placed in there didn't seemed to really mind... She didn't even moved at all. This only concerned Sonic more and more, and he really can't believe he wanted to join this society before...

"This guy... FS... He's way more crazy than I thought..." Sonic said with wide eyes and a panicked expression.

"You catch up really quick, don't you?" A male voice spoke at his side suddenly.

Sonic felt startled and let out a yelp, even jumping and raising his arms and a feet in the air, but when he saw at his side who said that, his eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

"...MC?!" Sonic exclaimed out loudly.

"Sup!" MC replied with a slight smirk, also laying at one side of his cage.

"What in the name of Chaos are you doing here?!" Sonic asked with wide eyes.

"The short and easy answer? The one-eyed Sonic went to my universe, kicked my Mom's ass, then beat the crap out of some of my friends and my girlfriend, destroyed my home, then had a fight to dead with me, and then defeated me before bringing me here..." MC replied with a bored expression.

Sonic looked at him with a blank look before finally replying. "That's rough, buddy."

"Yeah..." MC rolled his eyes. "You look cool, by the way! The perforated ear suits you!"

Sonic placed a hand on his left ear, still feeling it perforated after what happened last year with the Prism and the Egg Conqueror, before he looked back at MC with concern.

"Thanks..." Sonic said a bit unsure. "Gosh, so much has been happening in the past few days that I can barely concentrate on what's happening around me anymore..."

"Eh, I don't blame you," MC confessed, stretching a bit, even. "I was training Dulcy so she could learn to land without crashing, then this FS said he would kill people if I didn't show up, then we beat the crap out of each other, and the next thing I know? I'm trapped here."

"...So you're not considered an anomaly, or you are?" Sonic questioned, now feeling more confused than before.

"I think I am." MC said. "FS said some crap about my powers going beyond my own limits, so I'll be held in here until they decide how they're gonna keep my powers in line or something."

"Yeah, like I said, FS is way more crazy than I thought..." Sonic deadpanned.

"What about you?" MC asked. "Last time I heard of you, you asked me to look after my universe and not interact with any other variant of anyone, which the you with mental illness already ruined."

"Well, I eventually reached home, tried to stop three Eggmans along two other mes, then the three Eggmen fused and tried to kill us all, then they tried to destroy the multiverse, then I literally burned my right arm to destroy the artifact that Eggman was using, then Opaline started to look after the shards of said artifact, then the Society tried to recruit me and my Sunny, then they betrayed us, FS told me I'm the original anomaly in history, I ran away along Sunny, and now I've been captured and encaged..." Sonic quickly explained, before sighing sadly.

However, MC looked at Sonic with wide eyes and scratched his neck nervously. "Wow... That was... Wow..."

"You asked!" Sonic pointed out with a mocking smirk.

"Doesn't changes the fact that a lot has happened to you over the past year ever since I last saw you," MC pointed out.

"Huh... Time works different in every universe, yet in yours it also passed a year... how odd..." Sonic rubbed his chin, then his eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, how long have you been in here?"

"Around a month or two... maybe even three..." MC replied, shrugging it and even yawning a bit. "I honestly don't know anymore. I lost count after the third day."

"And FS hasn't come around ever since he encaged you here?!" Sonic asked with panic and anger towards his self from this very universe the HQ was located in.

"I'm afraid not..." MC replied, sighing a bit defeated. "I've honestly tried to use my powers to get out of this cage, but whatever they're made of, no one can escape them."

Sonic looked down to the ground in concern, but when MC mentioned trying to escape using his power, his mind suddenly remembered how he escapes his cage earlier, and how he free'd Sunny from hers.

So, Sonic smirked and placed his palms on his cage, but once he did so, they cage immediately sent an electroshock that made Sonic feel dizzy and then fall on his back on the floor, as his eyes spin and showed how dizzy he felt right now.

"Yeah, I was going to tell you that doing that was a bad idea..." MC said with a cringed expression.

"Don't... tell me..." Sonic replied with an awkward chuckle, since he still felt dizzy, before shaking his head and frowning, then stand up and look at his cage. "What the heck was that, anyways?!"

"They modify the cages so if you try to escape, you will fail..." MC explained with a bored expression. "If your power is absorb electricity, according to all the rumors I heard..."

Sonic placed a finger on his cage, just to immediately yelp in pain and pull his finger backwards, as he looked at it with pain, then at the cage with anger.

"Then your cage is made so you get electrified in case you try to escape..." MC pointed out.

"But that's odd... My power is to resist electricity... Why is this cage the exception?" Sonic questioned confused.

"This place is full of surprises, Sonic." MC explained. "When you think you already saw it all, they prove you wrong..."

"Yeah, they proved me that already when they chased me towards a train..." Sonic pointed out with an annoyed frown, before his eyes widened when he realized something, then he turned to MC confused. "Wait a second... What rumors have you heard from me that told you I have electrical powers?"

"Well, I don't know if you're aware about your special reputation around here..." MC tried to point out.

"You talking about that weird 'First multiversal traveler' thing?" Sonic asked, and the fox nodded. "Yes, I did... Is kind of weird to think that the people who once admired me for saving the multiverse last year now wants me here..."

"That's how life works..." MC said with a sad sigh. "One day, they all love you for being the savor of all their realities. The next one? They're all afraid of who you are, just because a one-eyed psycho told them to."

"I wish I could say I believe that they hate this place, but... I guess some of them do, and some not..." Sonic pointed out with concern.

"You know what I believe?" MC said, and Sonic simply raised an eyebrow to him. "I believe that Future Psycho You only wants to justify his mistakes in life and say 'it had to happen for my character development', when in reality, is just a fantasy made up to escape the feeling of guilt."

"That... Actually, that sounds really logical..." Sonic admitted. "And I would've guess that, if he says that the Canon is just something that's supposed to happen, then everyone that has joined the Society so far believes the same... They just wanna justify their scars without feeling guilty..."

"Again, you catch up quick." MC repeated with a little smirk. "And why did you wanted to join, anyways?"

"Because the Opaline making all this chaos across the multiverse is from my universe," Sonic replied with a frown. "She's collecting the fragments of the artifact that the Eggmen were using last year that I destroyed. Sunny and I wanted to help, to take down Opaline and to prove ourselves worthy of being here... Look how good that went..."

"Hmm... Are you sure this is just for Opaline?" MC questioned. "You joining the Society, I mean, because I heard you were excited to be here, but Sunny wasn't that enthusiastic."

Sonic chuckled and let out a sigh. "Honestly? I also wanted to join because that way I could get a watch to travel to any world I can... I mean, I don't really need the watch to do so, but considering I have no idea which universe I go with the Prismatic Energy of my body, the watch was a help to control that... To see all the new friends I made the past year... Again, look how good that went..."

"Hmm... Can't you use the energy on your body to escape?" MC questioned.

Sonic deadpanned and looked over at the fox. "Dude, I almost got my ass burned on electricity a few minutes ago. How is using my Prismatic Energy to get out of here any different?"

"Right..." MC replied with an eye roll, and then sighed. "Well, I guess that means we'll be trapped in here for a while."

"How long have they've been trapped here?" Sonic questioned, pointing at all the other anomalies that were encaged in this place as well.

"Some have been here a few weeks, some a few months... But I understand the Sonic from there has been here ever since the Society's creation..." MC replied, pointing at the Sonic that still gave his back to the rest.

"And he's been like that ever since?" Sonic questioned confused.

"I bet he has, but nobody here knows for real..." MC pointed out. "If anything, I don't recall ever seeing his face."

Suddenly, however, that Sonic variant let out a strange laugh, and even though no one could see his face, he grinned and showed up sharped teeth, while his eyes teared up with blood.

"...He sounds like a weirdo..." Sonic said with a confused expression, and MC nodded in agreement.

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Thunderstorm roared in the distance, announcing that soon it'll rain.

It doesn't really matters if there's no one else there: The tension between Dr. Eggman and Queen Opaline Arcana could be sensed in the air.

Opaline had a huge grudge against Eggman after she was betrayed by him. She was finally going to get the Unity Crystals for her, but Eggman stabbed her in the back and took the Crystals for himself. That was already bad enough and justified her hate for him...

But Eggman went the mile ahead: He not only left her without the Crystals, but he also stoled her magic, marking him as her enemy along the Mane 6 and the Mobians.

Eggman, however, probably hated her even more: She stole his plan with the Metal Virus, and she ruined his perfect chance to take over Equestria with his army of Zombots, Zombots that Opaline took from him, and this was bad for the doctor already...

Yet Opaline also went the mile ahead: She turned him into a Zombot and used him to try and conquer Equestria as well by her own methods.

Now here they are, face to face, glaring daggers and looking with nothing but hate towards each other.

"It's been a little more than a year since I last saw you, Arcana," Eggman decided to speak first, finally braking the silence, but the tension in the air remained.

"Oh, I so wished it was the last time..." Opaline replied with anger. "What do you want, Ivo? I hope we can make this quick, because I'm seriously not in the mood to fight."

"That's rich coming from you!" Eggman replied mockingly. "Your bracelets are full of Prism's shards, my Prism's shards, and if you thought I was going to sit down while you conquered the entire multiverse, then think again, witch!"

Opaline gasped offended, and her eyes widened with rage after Eggman called her that. "How dare you to insult your future queen?!" She snapped, as her horn and wings lightened in even more fire.

This only made Eggman burst out laughing loudly, as he even started to cough a bit afterwards. "Oh geez! That's hilarious!" He declared with a mocking smile. "Me? Kneeling to you?! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Opaline growled in anger. "I can't believe that I spent the past year avoiding the Secret Society, but now I've gotta deal with you!"

However, Eggman raised an eyebrow confused. "I'm sorry, 'Secret Society'? What in the multiverse are you baffling about, woman?!"

"The Secret Society is a clubhouse of foolish Mobians and Equestrians that want to protect the multiverse, and they're after me!" Opaline explained quickly with rage. "Now how about you get lost and go back to our universe while I finish my conquer?!"

"Like if I was dumb enough to do that!" Eggman declared with anger.

"Honestly? You're so dumb sometimes that I wouldn't doubt you'll do that!" Opaline mocked up with a smirk.

Eggman growled in rage. "Well, since it seems that we're not getting anywhere, how about we give the readers what they've been waiting ever since we each took our paths?" He suggested with a grin.

"If you're suggesting a brawl... I don't think it'll last long, Ivo..." Opaline warned, as she started to charge her horn.

"Oooh, I'm so scared!" Eggman mocked up. "Pff, you talk the talk a lot, Arcana, but can you walk the walk? Ever since I met you, you've been an incompetent that's been loosing time and time again!"

His words started to dig into Opaline's brain, and she charged her horn even more, growling in rage.

"You always sent Misty to do the hard work. Heck, even I did more than you, and keep in mind I lost!" Eggman kept mocking up. "In the end, you're not a ruler, nor a queen, nor an Alicorn... You're a failure..."

Opaline growled more, and her horn lightened up brighter.

"You're an outcast..."

Opaline was really at the edge of her patience now.

"And you're a pathetic little child that believes she can be more, BUT SHE WON'T EVER BE!"

That was the final straw that drove Opaline insane, and with a loud warrior cry, she blasted a magical blast of fire against Eggman, sending him and the Egg Breaker backwards.

She panted after she launched said blast, but she also started to slowly smile, satisfied with this result... At least until she suddenly got hit by the Egg Breaker's spiked ball, which sent her both and the ball crashing against several trees, until both the Fire Alicorn and the ball crashed against a rock.

Opaline growled in pain, and the spike ball went back to the Egg Breaker, which arrived and landed in front of her.

"What's the matter, Arcana? Getting old?" Eggman mocked up with a chuckle.

Opaline growled again and landed on all her hooves, shaking her head and then looking at Eggman with rage. "HOW?! How did you survived my fire blast?!"

"This suit is made out of Bridlewood's magical crystals!" Eggman replied, hitting the machine's chest with the left arm. "I'm immune to your magical attacks now, little pony!"

Opaline growled again, and so, she launched herself against him, while Eggman did the same.

Soon, the two villains collided against one another, and now, they were both wrestling to push the other one and gain dominance over them. Opaline's horn lightened like it never did before, while Eggman growled but also chuckled, feeling like he'll be victorious in this battle.

Then, he charged the spiked ball again and hit Opaline with it, sending her sliding backwards, before she launched another blast against the Egg Breaker, while Eggman shielded himself with the left arm of his machine.

Opaline then launched herself in flight against Eggman, but the doctor moved aside just in time, which startled and confused Opaline. Then, Eggman grabbed the Alicorn's tail with a hand and then threw her away, which made the pony yell surprised by this action.

Still, she wasn't going to let her surprise get the best of her, so she soon launched another massive blast of fire against Eggman. However, this blast in particular divided in several more blasts in the air.

Eggman noticed this, so he took the Egg Breaker for a ride and boosted towards the air, where he dodged almost flawlessly every single blast. And I say almost because one did hit the machine on its left side, but it wasn't anything to call home about, fortunately for Eggman.

Then, both Eggman and Opaline dived against each other at top speed, both smashing their fist and hoof against each other, growling in rage and glaring daggers of hate towards the other.

But then, Opaline shot another beam right there that sent Eggman and his Egg Breaker towards the ground, as the machine crashed on its face over it. Opaline smirked with joy after seeing this, so she slowly descended until she landed right in front of the machine.

Yet that was her mistake, because the machine only turned its torso around and hit Opaline in the face, then managed to quickly stand up and then spin again to hit her with the regular arm, sending her flying away.

Eggman took this as his chance to fly towards the forest from before, and he looked at the green Prism's shard with a huge grin. So, he grabbed the shard with the thumb and index finger of the robot's left hand, approaching it to his face and grinning from ear to ear at the sight.

However, he soon turned just in time to shield himself from a blast with the spiked ball, because Opaline came back, although breathing heavily in anger, as well as having some brushes and a messed up mane.

"Back for more, Arcana?" Eggman mocked up with a grin.

"Oh, it is on, Ivo!" Opaline declared with rage.

Then, she launched herself against the Egg Breaker and smashed the machine down, giving it a lot of damage as she literally brushed the ground with him. However, this only made Eggman use the power of the green shard, and so, a green portal opened up.

The two villains traversed it, and then they were both screaming startled and afraid.

Universe 160716

The two villains screamed as they were falling from the sky.

However, they soon looked at each other and frowned in anger, before starting to beat the crap out if each other right there, in the middle of the sky... They have seemed to forgot they can both fly...

But it doesn't really matter if they did or not, because they're both literally punching each other's faces hard enough as they head towards the floor. They really didn't cared if they crashed in the floor or not, they simply wanted to beat the crap out of the other.

Suddenly, however, Eggman grabbed Opaline with the left hand of the Egg Breaker, and then he began to hit her face with the spiked ball one time, then another one, and then another one, constantly in rage.

Opaline felt enraged by this, but she couldn't fight back because she got stunned when Eggman hit her nose, and he even made her bleed from her nose and her mouth, even though Eggman didn't seemed to have enough with that, because he kept punching her face.

And then, they crashed in the ground, causing a very large explosion of dirt that extended across this universe's Equestria, startling some birds that were flying by.

As for the two villains, they were both now on their knees, breathing heavily as they recovered their breath. Opaline has brushed, messed mane, bleeding nose and mouth, and a slight scar on her left cheek; while the Egg Breaker was so damaged that it was a miracle it still kept going.

Soon, they both saw that the green shard of the Prism, the reason they've been fighting in the first place, was in the middle of them, and they quickly glanced at each other.

They narrowed their eyes, and then they both nodded, before they both boosted towards the shard, while Eggman charging up his machines laser eyes and launching them against Opaline, while the Fire Alicorn let out a warrior cry and then shot a fire blast against Eggman's attack.

They both fought for dominance over the other, but as this happened, Eggman used a secret ejection capsule that was behind the machine and exited it, even thought the Egg Breaker kept shooting the laser.

Then, he brought out a communicator and place it on his ear. "NOW, DEAR!" he instructed.

After saying this, Sage suddenly appeared, then she took the Prism shard below the two attacks, and then teleported with Eggman, giving him the shard on the hand. Eggman grinned at the sight, and then started to laugh like a maniac, because his plan worked.

Opaline heard his laugh and felt confused, so she finished her attack and sent the Egg Breaker flying backwards, as it exploded once it landed on the ground.

However, as soon as Opaline saw that Eggman was fine and had the shard, her eyes widened, and then she frowned with anger. "THAT'S MINE!" She declared, boosting towards Eggman in a last desperate attempt to get the shard.

"Correction: It's mine!" Eggman declared with a grin, showing off the shard, while Sage at his side frowned at Opaline and prepared to fight if necessary.

Yet, it really wasn't because Eggman used his other hand to snap, which made a green portal appear behind them. Soon, Sage entered the portal backwards, while Eggman waved his finger mockingly at Opaline with a grin, traversing the portal as well.

Of course, Opaline was about to hit Eggman by crossing the portal again, but it closed, and she simply flew ahead. She growled even more now, and she let out some smoke from her ears and nose.

However, right before exploding in anger, the impossible happened: Opaline ended up sighing frustrated, and then started to take a deep breath so she wouldn't explode.

"Is okay, Opaline... Just breath... Calm yourself down and don't panic..." Opaline told herself, breathing some more before sighing and grin. "It doesn't matter if that idiot got the shard... I can still track him down, anyways!"

After saying this, she lightened her horn up and used a spell over her body: Soon, all of the brushes she got in battle disappeared, her mane was fixed again, her nose and mouth were clean and not bleeding anymore, and her patience has restored entirely, which made her smile.

"It seems like I don't need to steal more power... I'm powerful enough as it is, and that's really good!" Opaline declared with a sinister grin, followed by her making a portal and exiting this universe.

Author's Note

Warning: This isn't the last time Opaline and Eggman will go 1v1 against each other.

I've been wanting to make these two have their brawl ever since Season 2's Finale, and now here we are: Eggman and Opaline are on opposite bands, even though they share the same goal.

In today's chapter, the universe Opaline invaded to get another fragment of the Prism is this story's world created by Jade Ring, while the universe they crashed in because of Eggman using the shard was in this story's reality made by Ironskull.

As for the variants that we saw today... Well, the Sonic variant is none other than Sonic.exe himself; the Twilight anomaly comes from this story made by PonySmurf; the Leonardo anomaly is from this story's world written by Wildcard25; the Zipp anomaly is from this one-shot created by EileenSaysHi.

The Sunset anomaly was taken from this one-shot made by SilverStar7; the Derpy anomaly is from this story made by naturalbornderpy; and the Good Eggman variant is based in Mr. Tinker from the Sonic the Hedgehog: IDW Comic Series.

Finally, but not less important, the Izzy 'anomaly' is the same Izzy that Opaline stole her magic from back in Part 1, the one that comes from Admiral Producer's stories; while MC is the same guy that came from this story's universe made by Mister E-Nonymous, and that Sonic already met on "Across the Multiverse" back in Season 4.

That'll be pretty much it for today! Next time: Team Anomaly explain their plan! See ya! :twilightsmile:

13. Night at the Casino

Universe 220822

Now that Team Anomaly was properly introduced, they decided to explain their plan.

With the Secret Society having Sonic captured, Opaline and pretty much Eggman at this point in the go across the multiverse, it was time to divide and conquer: Four teams, each one having a mission with the same level of importance.

Team A: Sunny, Hitch, Pipp, Young Sonic, Sunset and Amy. They'll stay here in Mobius and look after another Prism shard that has fallen in here, since Tails revealed that his shard started to act weird and pointed into a random direction, probably revealing the location of that shard.

Team B: Tails, Zipp, Izzy, Misty and Knuckles. They'll head to look after help in any friendly universe they know about, even though none of them had any idea on how to travel to other worlds...

Thankfully, though, Firefly gave her watch to Tails, as the perfect chance to open a portal to any other world. Of curse, she forgot to explain how the hell the watch works and how it opens portals in the first place, but Tails is a genius, he'll figure it out... Hopefully...

Team C: Classic Sonic, Boom Sonic, Blue Buffon, Tails X, Dr. Hooves and Firefly. Their mission is to find away to sneak inside the Secret Society's HQ and rescue Sonic, as well as other anomalies.

Of course, being his siblings, both Sunny and Tails tried to insist that they wanted to help out in rescuing him, but Boom Sonic explained two fair points: The first one? They had no idea where to look after, not even Sunny, who was trapped most of the time she was in the HQ.

The second one? The Society had something against them both. Sunny's Sonic's friend, and she was previously captured. Tails is supposed to die, and FS has reached a point where he's willing to make said Canon Event happen.

They both hated the idea of staying behind and not helping Sonic out, but they still choose to stay, just like Pipp. Speaking of her, she did wanted to go with Team C and rescue Sonic as well... But after all the crazy stuff they've been through? She has accepted that he can take care of himself.

So, even if she's worried for her boyfriend, she'll stay here with Team A and will help out on getting that shard. If getting it means she can help Sonic and stop Opaline, then she'll gladly take the job.

Finally, Team D: It consisted only on Team Dark. Their mission? Go and find Dr. Eggman, who's still out there in the multiverse as well. Hooves gave them his watch too, and since Boom, Classic and Tails X still had theirs, it was clear Team C wouldn't need that one.

With every team divided and the whole plan explained, Team C left immediately and headed towards the Society's HQ, while Team D left as well, although Shadow did made a salute with a smile to Sunny before leaving.

Sunny also said a quick goodbye to Tails and her friends, and so did Pipp, specially with Zipp, while Amy went over to hug Knuckles and wish him good luck as well. With their goodbyes said, Team B stayed on the workshop, while Team A went on their own.

They eventually reached a zone where Green Hills could be seen from far ahead, amazing the ponies and Young Sonic, while Amy sat down on a rock and analyzed their mission.

"So, our mission is to find the shard that's located on West Side Island..." Amy said, as she watched Tails' Miles Electric, since he give it to her so they could follow the path towards the shard they need to get, the she deadpanned. "At least an explanation on how to do it would've been nice..."

"Well, this is your world," Sunny pointed out. "You know it better than any of us."

"Yeah, and even though this place is awfully familiar for me, I still have no idea where the heck am I standing," Young Sonic pointed out, but he did noticed a familiar giant loop de loop in the distance.

Maybe that's why it reminds him so much of his old home before moving to Earth.

"Okay... West Side Island is a big place. Only 7 zones are accessible, but there's a high chance we can still get inside of Metropolis..." Amy muttered. "I don't think the shard would've fallen on Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant, and if it did in Oil Ocean, we're screwed..."

"Oil Ocean?" Sunset questioned. "Is it actually an ocean made of oil?"

"Yup." Amy replied.

"How's that even possible?" Hitch asked with wide and panicked eyes. "That sounds like the most unsanitary thing ever!"

Sparky on his back babbled in agreement to that statement.

"Eggman's doing." Amy replied, which made the rest deadpan, and Young Sonic even facepalmed with a groan.

"Why am I not surprised?" Young Sonic asked to the air.

"Mystic Cave is literally a cave, so it couldn't fall in there..." Amy kept muttering. "And Aquatic Ruin is also out of question... That settles it to Casino Night and Hill Top. Now, in which one it could be? No idea..."

"Well. I wasn't expecting this to be an easy task..." Pipp said with concern. "Finding a shard over places that are as big as Green Hills is like finding a needle in a hundred haystacks."

However, Young Sonic's eyes widened after Pipp said that. "I'm sorry, did you just said we're in Green Hills?!"

"Let me guess: Your Green Hills isn't like this one?" Sunny asked him with a smirk.

"No the heck it isn't!" Young Sonic exclaimed panicked. "This place looks like my old home before I moved to Earth! But if this is Green Hills in this universe... It makes a lot more of sense, 'cause in my world, is a small town, not literally a bunch of green hills together..."

"That's interesting and all, but can we reserve the chit chat for later? We still have to find the Prism's shard!" Amy pointed out with concern. "I'll suggest we could split up in the two zones, but considering you guys have no idea on how to move around this dimension, that's not an option..."

"So what? We give up that easily?" Sunset asked with a slight frown. "Isn't there anyone you can ask to about this? Give us a possible clue?"

Amy thought on Sunset's words for a moment, and then, the answer came to her mind, because she smiled.

"Now that you mention it... There might be some old friends that can help!" Amy stated with a smirk.

Vector lifted an entire desk and looked after something down there, but he didn't found it.

"Damn it! Is not here!" Vector shouted with a frown.

Charmy, who was inside a box, soon came out and shook his head a bit dizzy. "It isn't here, either!"

As for Espio, he checked inside a dresser, and he did found it, so he took out what seemed to be a giant map with detailed information about all the zones in West Side Island.

"Here it is," Espio said, as he walked back to the desk, which Vector already placed back on its place, while Team Chaotix gathered together.

Soon, Amy, Young Sonic and the ponies joined in, because Amy called Team Chaotix and asked for their help to find the Prism's shard that fell in West Side Island. They explained that they got a call from someone a few days prior about a mysterious glowing gem that's drawing attention to Casino Night.

They all thought it was just someone playing a prank on them, because the one person that called referred to them as 'The Cliotix', and that offended Vector, so he immediately hung up.

He sees his mistake now, but he's willing to help all the same now that he knows it wasn't a prank.

"So, if our agent is trustworthy, the mysterious artifact that has fallen in Casino Night has been placed in the center of the plaza..." Vector explained.

"Wow, that was fast!" Young Sonic exclaimed suddenly. "I guess this means we can go and take that thing already!"

"Is more complicated than that..." Espio pointed out, because Young Sonic was heading to the exit, but he stopped himself when Espio spoke. "They never place anything in the center of the plaza unless is for... The Deadly Deal..."

Charmy screamed in panic and hid behind Vector, while Vector's eyes widened in panic at the mention of that.

"Oh no..." Amy muttered in panic and with wide eyes.

"The what now?" Hitch questioned, feeling confused, just like the other ponies and Young Sonic.

"The Deadly Deal is an auction. You know: someone presents a product, and then a certain amount of money is offered until there is a final winner," Espio explained.

"But this auction isn't like any other one: While all the other objects offered are just like in any normal auction, the final product, always centered in the middle of the Casino Night's plaza, is a deal where you don't offer money... you offer something as valuable and expensive in return!" Vector explained as well with narrowed eyes.

"What?!" Sunset and Pipp exclaimed with panic and wide eyes.

"So is an auction where you both have to win and loose?!" Sunset asked with concern.

"Who's idea was that?!" Pipp exclaimed out loudly as well.

"Oh, but that's not the worse part..." Charmy said. "The winner of the deal has to grab the prize and then re-sell it so more deals can be made in the future!"

"No, seriously, I agree with Pipp: WHO'S IDEA WAS THAT?!" Young Sonic exclaimed loudly with wide and panicked eyes.

"If the mysterious crystal that's been placed in there is the shard you're looking for, perhaps you should find other alternatives to defeat that Opaline gal," Vector said with concern, also crossing his arms. "Is very likely that you won't ever see it again."

"Oh, no way!" Sunny exclaimed with a frown. "That thing is way too dangerous in the wrong hands and/or hooves! I don't care if there's someone out there that finds it valuable: We have to get it!"

"Well, then I really hope you have a plan to take the shard without getting killed." Espio said with a frown.

"Killed?!" Hitch said in panic, grabbing Sparky in a protective manner. "Why would we get killed?!"

"The problem of the deal isn't winning. You could literally offer anything and say it was used by Leonardo Da Vinci or something, and they'll still accept it." Charmy pointed out with a deadpan. "As long as you return the big prize? Everything else doesn't matter to the owner."

"The real problem is that if you try to get away with the prize, and the owner finds out, is Game Over," Espio explained, even smashing the table with a hand.

"Game Over?" Young Sonic asked, but when Charmy passed his own thumb over his neck, he understood what it meant, and he gulped nervously.

"So what do we do?" Pipp asked with concern and panic. "We need to get that shard, or else the entire multiverse is doomed before Opaline!"

"Well, there might be a chance, but even if we could make it work, this is your mission, you know?" Vector said, shrugging it off and smirking.

Amy frowned and facepalmed, because she knew what they wanted in exchange of helping.

"What?!" Sunset exclaimed loudly in anger. "Didn't you heard Pipp?! The whole multiverse is in danger! If we don't get that shard, then it'll be 'Game Over' for EVERYONE!"

"We deal with crazy stuff everyday, bacon-head," Espio pointed out with a bored expression. "Just because Eggman wasn't around doesn't mean we don't had things to do."

"Ugh, you guys are unbelievable..." Amy said with a deadpan, before turning around and exiting the room.

"Uh, Ames?" Sunny called out. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back..." Amy replied with a tired tone.

The rest but Team Chaotix looked at each other confused, while Vector Charmy and Espio looked at each other with complicity, because their trick seemed to work so far.

And then, Amy came back, dragging two big bags that seemed to have something heavy inside, which confused everyone else in the room, both because Amy dragged the bags like nothing, and out of curiosity on what could be inside of said bags.

Then, Amy took out from one of the bags a gigantic medal of pure gold that weighed about 500 or 600 kg. It had marked on it Sonic's name, and it also showed it was a first place medal.

The ponies' and Young Sonic's eyes widened at the sight of the medal, but Team Chaotix's eyes not only widened as well, they also made a strange sound and shifted to look like dollar symbols. They also smiled widely.

"I offer you these so you can exchange it for money. Is that enough for you to help us get that shard?" Amy asked annoyed, crossing her arms and glaring at them.

Then, Vector grabbed Amy's hand and stretched it with a smile. "Ms. Rose, you just had contracted our services!"

This made the ponies and Young Sonic look at Vector with disbelief, and Pipp even facehoofed herself.

"So you were only going to help if we payed you?" Hitch asked with a bit of anger.

"Is called 'business', Sheriff!" Charmy said with a smug look, also laying on Hitch's left side.

"Now that we have come down to an agreement: Let's get down to business!" Vector declared with a grin.

Later, that same night, the plan to get the shard was put in action.

Right now? The whole group was walking towards the center of the plaza, were The Deadly Deal would take place, and they could see the red Prism's shard being shown off inside a crystal, right in the middle of the plaza, while various chairs, a podium, and a curtain were in front.

The whole group were dressed up elegantly: The Chaotix, Young Sonic, Hitch and Sparky wearing tuxedo suits, each having a tie that matched their skin color.

As for the girls: Amy was wearing a long pink gala suit that covered her whole body, as well as long white gloves; Pipp had a long purple dress that matched her mane and purple eye-shadows; and Sunny and Sunset matched dresses themed with the sun, with golden eye-shadows.

"Okay... We're here." Amy stated with a determinate look, before looking over at the rest. "Everyone: Stick to the plan!"

The others nodded, and they all went in their separate ways: Charmy and Young Sonic went to a higher zone were they could be the eagle eyes; Amy and Espio headed to the auction were The Deadly Deal takes place; Hitch, Sparky, Vector and Pipp went to a roulette game not so far from the auction; and Sunny and Sunset went to a mini-bar near the auction as well.

With so many characters to work with, let's go by parts: First, Young Sonic and Charmy were watching after the biggest threat so far, someone that wanted to get his hands over the shard as well.

"Who's this guy we have to be careful with, again?" Young Sonic asked.

"Lemuel the Fox," Charmy whispered. "He's not only one of the most powerful fellas in terms of money, but he also has his own trouble with dangerous business. Money laundering, illegal arms sales... Things that get out of the system."

"Oh man..." Young Sonic muttered with concern. "So this guy wants the shard now... Good thing he doesn't knows what it can do."

"Yet..." Charmy muttered with concern, and that made Young Sonic gulp nervously.

"A-And how does he look like, again?" Young Sonic asked nervously.

"He's a grey fox with the most 30's look you'll ever see in your life..." Charmy replied with a deadpan. "He also has two bodyguards dressed with black tuxedo suits."

"Yeah, he's the dangerous type of guy based on that description..." Young Sonic said with concern, before his eyes widened after he realized something. "Wait a second, how did we get in here if we're kids? Or kid-looking like, anyways..."

"Casino Night is, believe it or not, an all-friendly place for anyone of any age to hang out." Charmy explained with a smile. "It doesn't matter if you're not legally allowed to enter to a Casino. You can come anyways!"

"Isn't that also illegal?" Young Sonic questioned concerned.

"It was, but the town's new owner changed that policy. Now everyone can come at any time!" Charmy explained with a smile.

"That... doesn't makes it sound any less wrong..." Young Sonic pointed out with wide and panicked eyes.

On the other hand, Vector, Pipp and Hitch were on the roulette.

So far, they decided to not bet anything, although Vector was more doing it out of self control, because he really wanted to, even though he knew it is not what they came for.

However, as Vector did this, Pipp let out a sad sigh, something that both Hitch and Sparky noticed, so they decided to walk her a bit away from the game, confusing the Pegasus, but she didn't stopped them.

Once they were far enough, Hitch looked over at Pipp. "You okay?"

"H-Huh? Me?" Pipp asked, a bit startled by the question, before chuckling sheepishly and look away. "Yeah, yeah! I'm cool! I'm definitely fine and totally not worrying about anyone in specific!"

She started to laugh awkwardly after saying that, but a deadpan from both Hitch and Sparky clearly told her that none of them believed in her.

"...It wasn't convincing, was it?" Pipp asked with concern.

"Nope. Not in the slightest" Hitch replied. "Come on, Pipp. We're friends! You know you can tell me anything."

Pipp let out another sigh, before looking back at Hitch with concern on her eyes. "...Okay, fine... I'll admit it: Yes, I am concerned... I... I know that is silly to be concerned for someone that can take care of themselves, but... I can't help it! I miss him..."

"You mean Sonic?" Hitch asked, and even though Pipp hesitated on replying at first, she still did by nodding. "Yeah, I figured. I'll be lying if I said I'm not concerned too. Sure, he's though and can kick ass like nobody, but he's still mortal."

"And now that I know he's encaged... I just can't help but feel that he needs me... Us! His friends! His... His lover..." Pipp pointed out with concern, sighing sadly again and looking away from Hitch.

"Yeah... I understand that feeling..." Hitch confessed, as he looked into another direction.

Pipp followed his sight and noticed that he was looking at Sunny and Sunset, with the former frowning slightly and looking down to the ground in concern.

"When she first left along Sonic to join the society, I felt a fear I thought I'll never feel again..." Hitch explained.

"Which is?" Pipp asked curiously.

"That something bad could happen to Sunny, and that I wouldn't be there to save her..." Hitch replied with concern and low ears.

"When did you had that fear before she left?" Pipp decided to question again.

"One time, when we were foals, Sunny went on a trip with her dad to search some stuff..." Hitch began to explain with a down expression. "She told me she'll be gone for a week only... But they both lasted a whole month coming back."

Pipp gasped and covered her mouth with a hoof after hearing that.

"I spent that entire month panicking, placing missing poster across the town, and even asking ponies to call me immediately if they got any sign of her..." Hitch continued with a chuckle. "I still remember the big collective laugh the entire town shared when they finally returned. They spent three extra weeks out because they got lost on a cave, but they eventually found an exit."

"You must have felt relief after seeing her safe." Pipp said with a smile.

"Oh, and I did. I think that's the day I realized that I liked her so much more than just a friend..." Hitch said, loosing his gaze on Sunny's figure, before sighing and get serious again. "But that day, the fear of loosing Sunny from my side forever also arrived... I mean, I always feared something could happen to those I really care for, but... Sunny was always a special case..."

"And judging by your expression, that fear only increased with time because of Sunny herself, right?" Pipp asked with somewhat a smug look.

Hitch chuckled and looked over at Pipp. "Are you sure your sister is the detective?"

"I'll say the love for mysterious stuff runs in the family!" Pipp sang the last word cheerfully, and both Hitch and Pipp shared a laugh.

"Yeah, well... You're actually right, Pipp," Hitch pointed out with concern. "Sunny tents to get herself in danger just as much as Sonic..."

However, a deadpan from Pipp told Hitch that he was baffling.

"...Okay, maybe not that much, but you get what I mean!" Hitch said with a smirk, and Pipp giggled.

"Oh, yeah, I know. We just worry for those we truly care for..." Pipp pointed out with a sad smile. "I'm honestly very worried for Zipp, too. She could be at a completely different universe right now, and if something bad happens to her and I'm not there... It worries me..."

"Well, she's got some of our friends to look out for her!" Hitch pointed out with a smile. "And even though I'm really worried for Sonic, we've seen him accomplish impossible odds. He'll find his way back home. He always does."

"For our sake and for the whole multiverse's, I really hope you're right, Hitch..." Pipp said, still concerned for her boyfriend.

"You forgot the Death Egg Titan? Or the Starfall Islands Titans? Or even the giant robot that almost crushed the multiverse last year?" Hitch mocked up with a smirk.

"Are you trying to traumatize me again or comforting me?" Pipp asked with a mocking smirk.

"Yes. My answer is yes." Hitch replied, and that made both of them laugh again.

Meanwhile, on the mini-bar, Sunny and Sunset were constantly checking on Amy and Espio, who were sitting down on the zone of the plaza were the auction is taking place.

However, beyond that, they haven't shared a single word. Sunset because she knows she's in a difficult position, since Sunny still has a grudge over her and the Secret Society. And Sunny, because of this last reason, but also because she feels betrayed and hurt.

"...I'm sorry..." Sunset suddenly said.

That made Sunny's eyes open wide, and she looked confused at the Alicorn at her side. "Uh... What?"

"I'm sorry..." Sunset replied, not daring to look at Sunny. "Sonic and you were right all along... The Society has a messed up concept, and the things they're willing to do are... I don't even know why I stayed with them after learning about the Canon... But judging by how desperate FS was to capture Sonic when he first escaped, I don't think I would've been able to..."

"And you're telling me this because...?" Sunny questioned with half a deadpan and half a glare.

"Because I was stupid..." Sunset said with a sad chuckle, and that made Sunny's eyes widen again in surprise. "I dragged you two into a trap that wasn't actually a trap! Sure, we did wanted you two to be part of our team, and sure, we knew there was a high chance you wouldn't like to hear about the Canon... But the cages part was never planned... Or at least, FS never told us about them... And I'm really sorry for having dragged you two into all of that crap..."

Sunny was surprised to hear all of this. Sure, she was still mad with Sunset for everything she just said, but... The fact that FS expelled her after she tried to help them all the same, as well as the fact that she made a whole team dedicated to save her and Sonic...

Isn't that prove enough that she wants to change? That she wants to fix her mistake?

"I won't rest until I have make it up to both of you!" Sunset declared with a determinate look. "To you, for dragging you into something you doubted you wanted to be a part of, and to Sonic, for all the crap he's going through because I visited... If I knew all of this was going to happen, I would've never had go to see him..."

Now this, this was also surprising and shocking for Sunny. It is one thing to admit you screwed up, but it is another one to apologize for stuff you had no control over.

In the end, and wether if Sunny likes it or not, not everything that happened is Sunset's fault. Yes, she still went to recruit them; and yes, she still never told them about the Canon... But FS crossed lines that not even Sunset knew that existed, and he even expelled her.

She was genuinely making her best to prove she wants a second chance, maybe not as a friend, but as somepony that fights to protect her reality and every single one that exists out there.

So, Sunny sighed and looked at Sunset at her side with a slight frown. "...I honestly don't know if I could ever forgive you. You hid stuff from us!"

"I know..." Sunset said ashamed.

"You asked us to join to your clubhouse, but then you tried to convince us that we had to let our friends die!"

"I know..."

"And you chased Sonic down across that futuristic city! Why did you do it?!"

"UGH, I KNOW!!!" Sunset groaned and smashed her face on the bar's counter. "You're just adding more salt to the wound..."

"...However..." Sunny ended up speaking, and Sunset slowly looked at her, although she still had her face on the counter. "I'm willing to give you a second chance. I may be mad with you, but I know when to appreciate when somepony wants to make up for their mistakes, like Misty did! And I know you're trying your hardest as well, Sunset."

"Yeah, well... I really screwed it up, and I'm willing to make it up," Sunset said with a little smile.

"Which is something I appreciate, and I'm willing to forgive you if you manage to prove both me and Sonic that you're taking serious this thing of 'making up for us'. Okay?" Sunny said, now smiling normally.

Sunset smiled back, then took a deep breath and nodded. "Dully noted, Sunny!"

Charmy and Young Sonic got bored on guarding up and wait for Lemuel to show up.

So, they started to play 'I spy' to kill their boredom and hopefully eventually spot Lemuel arriving to the Casino.

"Okay, let's see...." Charmy started, as he started to look all over the place to find something Young Sonic wouldn't see at plain sight. "I spy with my eye, something... red and spiky!"

Charmy was looking over at a small pyramid made of rubies that was placed over a table.

Young Sonic started to look all over the place about something red and spiky, and after a minute of looking, he finally spotted the object on the table, which made him smirk.

"You spy a ruby pyramid!" Young Sonic said with a smirk.

"Aw, come on!" Charmy complained with a frown.

"Aw, yeah! The Blue Blur reigns supreme!" Young Sonic cheered loudly.

"Don't sing so victorious yet! You still have to brake the draw now that we both have the same score!" Charmy pointed out with a confident smirk. "You'e up to spy something, mini sonic!"

"I'll show you I'm not so mini when I beat you, Bee Boy!" Young Sonic mocked back with a smirk, before looking down at the whole place again. "Now, what do we have here... I spy..."

However, as Young Sonic did this, he soon noticed a fox with the exact description of Lemuel that Charmy shared before: A grey fox that dresses up like people used to in the 30s. This fox is wearing a beret, a white shirt, a brown tie, plaid pants with suspenders so they don't fall down, and brown shoes.

Young Sonic's eyes widened in panic after he saw him. "Is our target!"

"Uh, what?" Charmy asked confused. "You forgot to say I spy––"

"No, Charmy, look!" Young Sonic cut him off, now moving his head and pointing a finger at Lemuel, who was in fact being guarded by four armed foxes that wore tuxedos. "Is the target!"

"Crap!" Charmy explained, before pressing a button on his right ear to contact with Espio and Amy. "Guys, the fish has arrived to the pond. I repeat: The Fish has arrived to the pond!"

"What fish on what pond?" Young Sonic questioned confused, but a deadpan from Charmy made him realize what the metaphor meant. "Ooooh... Yeah, he's here."

Both Espio and Amy got the signal of Charmy about Lemuel's arrival.

"Roger that," Espio informed, as both Amy and him looked at the chairs on the row at the other side of where they were sitting.

Lemuel sat down on a chair with a happy and confident smile, since he's convinced that the shard of the Paradox Prism is already his, while his bodyguards sat both at his sides to make sure nobody was either going to sit near him, nor make him any damage.

"We'll keep our eyes and ears open. Whatever he offers, we'll offer more," Amy stated.

"And remember: Charmy, Tiny Sonic. Prepare everything for Plan B in case we loose the shard!" Espio informed.

"Roger that!" Charmy replied, cutting off the communication.

Now that Espio and Amy were on their own against Lemuel, more and more Mobians began to arrive, all sitting down in the chairs around and getting ready to start the auction.

"Remind me: Why is that guy the most dangerous around again?" Amy whispered to Espio.

"He has a record of selling illegal arms and laundering money," Espio explained. "And, of course, he's one of the most powerful guys in West Side Island, in terms of money, that is."

"He must be here for the shard..." Amy muttered with concern.

"And I have the feeling he's planning to steal the shard entirely for himself..." Espio pointed out with a frown.

"Not if we can win it first!" Amy declared with a confident smirk, while Espio nodded in agreement.

Soon, a brown hedgehog climbed onto the podium, hit a hammer that was on it against it, thus starting the auction, which was going to be very close if Amy and Espio wanted to win the Prism shard.

The auction began with a replica of the Yellow Chaos Emerald, which was valued at around 300 rings, which in real money terms, is around $300,000. Neither Amy nor Espio offered to purchase said replica, and neither did Lemuel, but there were those who offered more than the initial price for it.

A piece of the original Death Egg that Sonic blew up before crashing on Angel Island was then offered for the price of 400 rings, which is $400,000 in real money.

"Who the heck would buy some Death Egg's ruble for so much money?" Amy muttered with a raised eyebrow and a bored expression.

Yet she didn't expected for half of the other mobians to actually offer more money for it, with the piece being sold around 600 rings in the end, which made Amy's eyes widen in surprise.

"They will, apparently..." Espio deadpanned with a whisper.

The next product was something a little more interesting: They offered to auction an echidna architecture stone that fell from Angel Island into the sea and was found recently. The starting price was about 550 rings, which is 550 thousand dollars in real money. Once again, much more was offered for said stone.

Eventually, the final agreement was reached: The stone was sold for 800 rings, that is: 800,000 real dollars. This surprised both Amy and Espio.

"Perhaps there is something wrong with these people if they just spent 800 rings in a rock..." Espio muttered.

"You should thank Knuckles isn't here, Espio. Otherwise? He'll brake your jaw in one punch..." Vector pointed out through the communicator, while Espio rolled his eyes annoyed.

The auction went on for at least an hour, offering silly items like springs, red star rings, star panels, goals with Sonic's face on one side and Eggman's face on the other... But they also offered other interesting products, like a green gem valued at 900 rings, or 900,000 real dollars.

But finally, and after an hour of merchandise where neither Amy nor Espio nor Lemuel offered any money, it was finally time for the main event: The Paradox Prism Shard.

Well, the guy presenting it actually referred to it as 'The Glowing Gem from Space', since it literally fell from the sky and landed not so far from this place. Still, both Amy and Espio were determined to win that shard, but so was Lemuel, who still believed the shard was his already.

"Now that we have arrived to the main event: The Deadly Deal!" The hedgehog seller announced with a smile.

Everyone participating in the Auction gasped, except for Lemuel, Amy and Espio, who all only had one thing in mind: Win the Shard at any cost.

"It's being offered by the humble price of 1500 rings!" The hedgehog seller said with a smile. "But, you know the drill, everyone: In The Deadly Deal, you offer something as valuable as the product to be auctioned!"

"Pff. Piece of cake," Lemuel muttered to himself with a confident smirk.

"So, who's offering something that must be just as valuable as The Glowing Gem from Space?" The hedgehog seller asked with a smile, looking at the rest on the seats.

Of course, Lemuel was the first one to raise his pallet, then he stood up from his place with a smirk, while one of his bodyguards stood in front of him with a silver suitcase.

Soon, Lemuel opened the suitcase and took out a giant silver medal that weighed about 900 or 1000 kg. It had Tails' face printed on one side, and the number 2 on the other side. The medal also had a message printed that said 'Nice job!' on the top of the number's side.

"I offer this giant silver medal in exchange for the Gem!" Lemuel informed with a huge smirk, which made everyone's eyes open wide, even Espio's and Amy's.

"Crap..." Amy muttered with a concerned frown. "The replica of the medal I gave you, guys, won't be enough to win this!"

"Then I'll guess we'll have to move to Plan B..." Espio stated, pressing a button on his communicator.

Meanwhile, Charmy and Young Sonic were watching the whole thing with concern.

"Crap!" Young Sonic said loudly with concern. "That Lemuel guy won the shard! And we couldn't even show our golden medal!"

Then, Charmy's communicator went on. "Charmy! The fish has won. You know what to do!" Espio's voice instructed.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Charmy replied with a smirk, before looking at Young Sonic. "Time to blow up the party. Literally!"

Young Sonic's eyes widened, but then he smirked and rubbed his hands. "I know this is wrong, but a part of me was hoping that we'll loose so I could do this!"

Then, Charmy took flight and headed towards a hidden door, then he pushed it open and approached a panel control that was inside. Said panel was made to control the lights around the casino, and Charmy quickly started to pull a lever constantly while laughing.

This made the lights of the entire place flick, which startled the people around the Casino, except for the ponies, Vector, Espio and Amy, who already knew why the light were doing that.

Knowing this was a sign to leave, the ponies and Vector immediately left the Casino, and they did just in time, because from the balcony he's been the whole night, Young Sonic launched several smoke bombs towards the ground, as they exploded and released the smoke.

This was the final sign everyone needed before finally leaving the casino, with the bodyguards grabbing Lemuel and taking him out of there at top speed.

Meanwhile, Amy took advantage of all this chaos and went over to grab the shard. Once she did so, Espio and her quickly got out of there, while Charmy stopped messing with the lights and whistled to Young Sonic, who stopped launching the smoke bombs and nodded with his thumbs up.

With this, they both left the casino as well and rushed to gather with everyone else, who snuck away to a nearby forest, as they all panted heavily from the running.

"So... Did we get it?" Hitch was the one who asked.

Amy smirked and took out the red Prism shard, showing it the group with confidence. "We hit the jackpot, people!"

At this everyone cheered out loudly, and Charmy and Young Sonic high fived for their very successful distraction, even bumping their right/left sides.

Author's Note

This has to be one of the funniest chapters I've ever written!

The Chaotix are amazing characters, and thanks to the fact that there was a very reduced cast thanks to the fact that I split everyone up, using them was a blast! Also, I'd never actually seen any auction in real life, so if I got anything wrong, well... That's on me.

Besides Sunset, there were no other universes visited in this chapter, so we're all good.

Thank you guys so much for reading! Next chapter: We're entering the warp pipe to a whole new adventure, WAHOO! :pinkiehappy:

14. Jump Up, Superstar

Universe 220822

Now that the four teams have divided, Team B was struggling a bit.

Their mission is to look after help in any friendly universe they know about, but there's one problem: None of them even had an idea on how to travel to other worlds.

Right now, he was trying his very best not to screw it up, as he tried to understand how the watch that Firefly gave him works at all... Yet he's incredibly frustrated because he simply can't find a way to make it work.

"I've avoided a city to get blown up, I helped to take down Neo Metal, I saved an entire country from getting infected forever with a dangerous virus... But I cannot figure out a watch on my best department skill!" Tails groaned in anger, as his powers started to show up.

"Deep breaths, honey..." Zipp spoke suddenly, as she came by and started to massage Tails' shoulders, which did made the trick, because his powers were slowly evaporating. "Deep breaths..."

Tails sighed and took one last time deep breath. "Thanks, Zippy..." He said with a smile, sharing a kick smooch with her, before looking back at at the watch on his hands with a frown. "Well, one thing is for sure: It doesn't really matter if they give me this... I have no idea on how to use it..."

"Perhaps we're thinking on this the wrong way?" Knuckles suggested.

"What do you mean with 'the wrong way'?" Misty questioned.

"They're asking us to look for help, but they didn't considered that we have no idea on where to go, or how to use the watch, yet they still trust us with this mission," Knuckles pointed out. "Perhaps we don't have to look after another universe, but instead another dimension."

"Huh?" The three mores in the workshop said confused, but Tails did got what he meant.

"Wait a second... Are you implying what I think you are implying?!" Tails asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, I am!" Knuckles stated with smirk.

"What are you two talking about?" Izzy asked confused. "I... We are really lost here!" She pointed at herself, Zipp and Misty.

"Yeah. What do you mean we must travel to other dimension and not other universe?" Zipp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Aren't those things the same?" Misty questioned.

"Believe it or not: Nope!" Tails replied with a smile. "Let us explain!"

After saying this, Tails brought a board, then handled a pen to Knuckles so they could both draw over it. Soon, Tails draw a single line in the board, while Knuckles drawn more lines using the one Tails drawn as the start, then finished by closing said lines in a giant circle.

The three mares looked confused at the board, even tilting their heads, while Tails finished drawing something on the other side of the board, and then he came back to the first side.

"Okay, so: This line in the middle..." Tails started to explain, as he pointed at the first line he drew before. "Is our current dimension: Mobius."

"And these lines around it are the dimensions we have interacted with!" Knuckles said, before pointing at one of the lines with the pen. "Let's say, for example, that this line is Equestria's dimension."

"As you girls can see, our realities coexist in the same plane of existence, even though we belong to a different dimensions!" Tails said. "Now, the lines around ours consist of dimensions, and ours is one, too..."

"But the circle that surrounds them all is our universe!" Knuckles pointed out with a smile. "Of course, no universe has an actual name, but one of the few things FS did well was giving a number designation to each world, so let's stick to this fact: Our Universe is Number 220822."

"Uh, what does the number stands for, exactly?" Misty asked confused.

"We honestly don't know," Tails replied. "FS might have made them up, or he might be the only one who knows why these universes are assigned with those numbers..."

"I guess we'll never know." Knuckles shrugged.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Zipp said with wide eyes. "Are you guys saying that we've never been in different universes... But different dimensions?! A-And that each one of our worlds are part from the same universe?!"

"Yup!" Tails said with a smile. "This also means that maybe, and just maybe, our universe is either the first one that interacts with the dimensions between itself, or the first one the Multiverse Guardian Sonic talked about has ever heard about, considering he says that Mobius and Equestria interacting the way they do in our universe is something that never happened before."

"Wait a second..." Izzy said with narrowed eyes, before gasping and covering her mouth with her hooves. "D-Does this means that you guys could... S-Stay with us in Equestria... A-And everything will be fine?!" She asked, as she started to tear up from happiness.

"...Is a big possibility..." Knuckles replied with a hopeful smile, before shacking his head to focus back on the task at hand. "But let's not get so ahead of ourselves here! As much as I would like to say that staying with you is the definitive choice, we still have to deal with Opaline!"

"And to do that, we're going to a different dimension!" Tails declared with a smile, placing the watch firefly gave him on his right wrist. "I don't know how this works, but I'll still have it just in case."

"Wait, hold on a moment!" Misty stopped them. "How do you guys know so much about this kind of stuff? I mean, I know you have your experience with weird stuff and all, but doesn't changes the fact that you gave sense to something that sounded so off!"

"Well... Before meeting you guys, we already travelled to other dimensions... Although we did had a way to come back from those..." Tails pointed out with a sheepish smile.

"Specially Sonic with his Smash Brothers dumb fighting tournaments..." Knuckles said with anger, also crossing his arms.

"Are you still mad because they made both Shadow and you assistants instead of actual fighters?" Tails mocked up with a smirk.

"I didn't wanted to be on their dumb crossover event, anyways!" Knuckles groaned loudly with a frown.

"Uh, what's a 'Smash Brothers'?" Izzy asked confused.

"An event that happens every certain time were some selected fighters from some selected dimensions are chosen to fight on a big tournament until one of them is declared the winner!" Tails explained. "Sonic's always the chosen one from our dimension. He even has a special phone to talk with anyone from the other ones!"

"The white one with the ball and the two lines?" Zipp questioned, and Tails nodded with a smile. "Huh... I always thought he only had an extra phone like Pipp for no apparent reason..."

"How do you think we went to Mario's world through a pipe? We told him our location through that phone!" Knuckles pointed out.

"Yeah! And we even travelled to Mario's dimension to participate on the Olympic Games as well!" Tails pointed out.

However, that last sentence made both his eyes and Knuckles' widen, then they slowly turned to see each other, before grinning with complicity and even laugh a bit sinisterly.

"Uh... Guys?" Zipp called concerned, chuckling nervously and looking around confused. "W-What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing special... We just know where we could ask for help!" Tails declared with a confident smirk.

Izzy gasped with sparkling eyes and placed her hooves on her cheeks. "Really?! Where? Where?! Where are we going?!" She asked, as she zoomed up to Knuckles' face and squeezed his cheeks.

"Just you wait and see!" Knuckles replied happily.

After saying that, Tails walked over to a frame of Longclaw, Sonic and him when they were kids, and even though Tails smiled at the sight, he still moved the frame aside and pressed a button that had the shape of a red mushroom with eyes.

Then, a piano suddenly showed off from the wall in front of Tails, which made both Knuckles and him smirk, while the mares behind them were confused.

"Uh... What are you guys doing?" Misty asked confused.

However, instead of replying, Tails stretched his fingers, and then, he played a happy little melody with the piano, and after 40 seconds, he stopped playing.

This just confused the mares even more, but then, the ground suddenly started to rumble, and once it stopped, a giant green pipe literally showed up from the ground and stopped in front of the group, surprising and confusing even more the mares, while Tails and Knuckles just smiled.

"What the heck did just happened?!" Zipp questioned with wide and panicked eyes.

"A pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom just showed up!" Tails replied with a smile. "If there's a world that's in constant danger in the same level than Mobius, that's Mario's world! And I know he'll be happy to help once he finds out that Sonic's in danger."

"Wait... Are we going to that 'Mushroom Kingdom'... through the pipe?" Misty asked, cringing a bit at the idea.

"Oh, but this are not conventional pipes, girls: This are..." Tails began with a smile, before jumping over to the pipe and then dive in it, as the pipe made a strange sound. "MAGICAL PIPES!!!"

"TAILS!!!" Zipp exclaimed out loud in panic, before not thinking twice and enter to the pipe as well.

Knuckles groaned and facepalmed after she did that. "That's what happens when you jump without thinking..." He said with a bored expression, before grabbing the two unicorn mares and then jump to the board of the pipe.

The three of them looked down to the warp pipe, which was glowing with colorful lights, although Misty still gulped nervously by the sight.

"A-Are these things safe?" Misty asked in panic, trying her best not to fall into the pipe by accident.

"Depends on how fast you dive in!" Knuckles said, before curling into a ball and then get dragged downwards by the pipe.

Izzy simply giggled and then made a cannon ball, also getting dragged into the pipe. This left Misty on her own, and she looked around in panic, not so sure what to do.

"Oh... Sometimes I wished I was evil... This good guy stuff is not for what I'm made of!" Misty told herself in slight panic, before covering her mouth with her hooves in more panic, her eyes widening. "They better never discover I said that!"

Then, she looked back at the pipe, then took a deep breath, nodded to herself determined, and then launched herself in the pipe as well, while the pipe disappeared from sight.

Misty was screaming as she saw blue and white lights and lines moving around her.

She ended up covering her face with her hooves once a flashlight suddenly appeared, but then, she opened her eyes again, and felt amazed by the sight: The background now seemed to be a bunch of pink clouds that floated around the tunnel she seemed to be in.

Around the place, she could see more pipes and tunnels, as well as some weird turtles and armless critters moving around them. She also saw some strange mushrooms with bodies going through the pipes.

"Whoa!" Misty exclaimed, as she passed down one of the tunnels, while one of the turtles was shrunken before entering the pipe. "What is this place?"

"I don't know!" Izzy said, as she suddenly appeared at Misty's side and made the other unicorn mare yelp in surprise. "But this place is definitely so colorful and wonderful! Wheeee!"

She began to spin as she hugged her hind legs, while Misty did her best not to loose her balance.

"Chill out, Misty!" Knuckles said, as he also appeared suddenly while crossing his legs in the air and his arms behind his neck. "Think about it like swimming, but in the air!"

Seeing the point he was trying to make, Misty moved her forelegs ahead, like if she was actually swimming, and the trick worked! Her balance was better now, and she could move as much as Izzy, even giggling happily as she did so, not being so scared anymore.

Zipp, on the other hand, was yelping a bit panicked as she spun on her place with wide and panicked eyes. "What the hay IS this place?!"

Soon, Tails came by and grabbed her from her hooves, helping her get some balance while they travelled through the warp pipe towards the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Is the warp dimension!" Tails replied. "Is basically an exclusive reality we can only access through a warp pipe. And now we're in one!"

"Brace yourselves, lovebirds!" Knuckles warned with a smirk, as he saw the end of their wipe tunnel ahead. "We'll reach the Mushroom Kingdom in 3, 2, 1!"

And once the countdown was over, the whole group was shrunken as well, as they all traversed the other side of the wipe pipe they initially entered.

The wipe pipe seemed differently than any other one.

This pipe had decoration around that reminded to Green Hills, meaning it was a pipe that straight up connected with Sonic's dimension.

Then, the pipe started to shine and made the same strange sound from before, and then Tails and Knuckles were the first ones to came out of it, as they rolled in the ground and then posed like superheroes at the end.

Next, Zipp came out of the pipe and twirled in the air, but then managed to stop thanks to her wings, and she sighed in relief when she did so, while Izzy used her magic to levitate herself.

She smiled and sighed in relief once she saw she was fine, but that relief didn't lasted, because Misty came out next and landed over Izzy, making her fall to the ground all the same, while the two unicorn mares groaned in pain, and Zipp landed at their side.

"That was a really bad experience..." Zipp said with a dizzy expression, even shaking her head.

"If it makes you feel better: The worse part is over," Tails said with a smile. "Now we just gotta move ahead towards the town."

"Is gonna be one hell of a journey!" Knuckles declared with a smirk, as he and Tails fist bumped, before they moved ahead.

However, as they did so, the three mares finally came to notice that, outside of the Green Hills themed pipe, there was a bunch of mushrooms around, from all sizes and colors. Not so far, there was a small river with red fishes that seemed to have wings instead of fins.

"Oh! So that is why is called 'Mushroom Kingdom'! There's so much mushrooms around here!" Izzy said cheerfully.

"Well, is also because 70% of the kingdom's population is based on talking mushroom men," Tails pointed out casually, and while Izzy kept hoping ahead happily and Misty felt confused, Zipp stopped walking and widened her eyes.

"...T-Talking mushroom men?!" Zipp asked concerned.

"They're actually called 'Toads', but yeah, talking mushroom men works, too." Knuckles pointed out.

"...Okay..." Was everything Zipp managed to reply, before keep going forward.

However, before doing so, three strange critters walked in front of her, not minding her presence at all, even though she did minded theirs. These critters resembled multicolored ladybugs and were red, yellow and green respectively, walking away in a row.

Zipp felt weirded out by this, but decided to not make a big deal out of it and kept moving ahead, catching up with her friends really quick.

"I can barely see anything above us with so many mushrooms..." Misty pointed out with concern.

"Aw, come on, Misty... Is not like anything's gonna come out of nowhere!" Izzy said cheerfully.

But right after she said this, the three mares heard a stomp, so they all turned to see behind them, yet they saw nothing, so they chose to keep going. However, as they turned around, the stomp was heard again, this time even closer, and they all turned to their left, which made their eyes widen.

They saw a strange creature with a round face and a sad expression that had two large legs with spikes, as well as yellow 'feet', and it moved to the right by using its legs.

The critter then moved in a position that had it facing down the three mares, whom ducked a bit in fright.

"U-Uh... H-Hello..." Misty said with a sheepish smile, right before the critter moved away.

The three mares sighed in relief after this happened, even though Zipp stared at it for a few seconds more before it got lost in the distance, but when she noticed that her friends kept moving, as well as the fact that there was another of those critters incoming, she chose to move ahead as well.

"Okay, um... Can any of you guys explain what are all these weird creatures, and what are we doing here exactly?" Zipp decided to ask.

Right there, they were passing besides the river they already saw earlier, and they witnessed a bunch of the fishes with wings flying around for a few seconds and twirling, before diving back into the water.

"Those fishes are called Cheep Cheeps!" Tails began to explain, right before reaching a small drop where more of those ladybug looking like critter walked by, and Tails stomped over the blue one, which was sent a bit backwards with a dizzy expression. "And the one I just stomped over is a Biddybud!"

"The critters that didn't stomp over any of you are called Bramballs." Knuckles added as well with a smile.

"Those are pretty weird names, if you ask me..." Zipp pointed out a bit concerned.

"But they're not the weirdest, either!" Misty said with a smirk, and Zipp smirked back.

"As for what are we doing here, well: Mario and company are pretty much under weird circumstances like us most of the time," Tails explained. "And like I said, he's going to help us with no 'buts' once he finds out Sonic's in danger!"

"As well as the multiverse!" Knuckles added.

Soon, they reached a point where there wasn't a path anymore, but there were many giant mushrooms that made the job, so Tails and Zipp flew over to one of them, while Knuckles grabbed Izzy and Misty and jumped ahead, before doing it again, with Tails and Zipp landing besides them.

"But to do that, we gotta reach Princess Peach in her castle." Tails pointed out with a smile.

"Princess who?" Misty asked confused.

However, as gasp from Izzy called the other two mares' attention, so they looked in the same direction than their friend... And they gasped as well.

In the distance, they could see a bunch of colorful hills that extended as far as the eye allowed to see. On top of one of said hills, there was a massive white castle with red towers and ceiling. Around said castle, many houses with mushroom heads extended across the kingdom.

"OH MY GLITTER!!!" Izzy exclaimed loudly with sparkling eyes, also squeezing her cheeks with her hooves.

"This place looks so... beautiful!" Misty said with sparkling eyes as well.

"And it only gets better!" Knuckles said. "Come on, guys! Sonic's counting on us to help him save the multiverse!"

After saying this, he jumped ahead towards more mushrooms that lead to the castle, while the three mares immediately followed him, while Tails stood behind and looked at the sky with a serious expression.

"Hang on, Sonic... We are coming!" Tails stated determined.

After that, he also started to jump ahead over the mushrooms, following his friends and his girlfriend.

It didn't took them long to finally reach the main town.

Once they did so, Zipp finally took a glance of the talking mushrooms, the Toads, Knuckles talked about, and she was actually impressed to see that they all looked... adorable, instead of creepy like she imagined.

"This way, girls!" Tails called out with a smile. "Princess Peach lives right up that hill!"

He pointed at the castle in the highest hill around, and even though the mares already saw it earlier, they were still amazed by how big it looked now that they were closer. However, they also noticed that the Toads were looking at them, although it was understandable.

They were talking ponies from other dimension, after all. Of course they were going to draw attention.

Soon enough, though, Knuckles whistled to them and made a move with his arm, indicating them to keep going, and the three mares did so.

As they walked around, they saw some Toads jumping and hitting with their fists some yellow floating boxes with a coin symbol, which released a coin everytime they hit them, and some other toads were catching the coins in the process.

"Meep, meep!" Knuckles said suddenly, as he carefully moved some Toads out of the way. "Excuse me, everybody. Coming through! We're in the middle of an important mission, so please let us pass!"

As he did this, he accidentally made a green Toad let go one of their coins, which rolled in the ground and stopped in front of Tails, who picked up the coin and gave it to a red toad nearby with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry for that! He gets grumpy when there's a lot of crowd, heheh..." Tails apologized, not noticing that the Toads were staring at the three mares behind him, which made them all but Izzy feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, however, Knuckles cleared his throat, and then... "EXCUSE ME, EVERYBODY! COMING THROUGH!" He shouted in a green Toad's ear, who screamed and ran away in panic. "Our friend's gonna die if you don't get out of the way! PLEASE AND THANK YOU!!!"

"Knuckles!" Tails scolded with a frown, before grinding his teeth. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm making them get out of the way, fox. Don't judge my methods, judge the results!" Knuckles replied with a whisper.

Tails rolled his eyes and shook his head with disbelief, but still decided to let him be. Knuckles was Knuckles at the end of the day, anyways.

Meanwhile, as they kept walking ahead, the three mares felt amazed by their surroundings: Small shops that sell special clothes, coins with a dinosaur printed in front, hammers, keys, all kinds of weird foods, and even a pet store, as a yellow Toad exited it with a Cheep Cheep in a bag.

The Cheep Cheep seemed really happy for a moment, but as soon as it crossed its sight with Zipp's, he glared at her, and Zipp felt weirded out by this, but decided to ignore it and keep looking around.

Soon, they arrived to a place were various Toads were working on something, mostly blue Toads. There was a big yellow platform that seemed to go up, as well as a traffic light with only green and red lights, and also a barrier that blocked the path unless you walked in front of it.

"And up we go!" Knuckles said, as Tails flew over the platform, while the echidna himself stuck to a wall so the platform wouldn't go upwards yet.

"Wait, up?" Zipp questioned, but then she saw Misty and Izzy getting over the yellow platform.

Zipp did the same just in time, because as soon as both she, Tails and Knuckles landed on it, the platform immediately moved upwards, startling the three mares.

As soon as they reached the top, Tails and Knuckles moved ahead and stood over other platform, while the three mares did the same, but they also lost some balance when the platform suddenly moved ahead. Then, suspended in the air, another platform came by.

Tails and Knuckles jumped to it, with Izzy and Zipp doing the same, but Misty had to make a quick jump and hang on the side of the platform, because she yelped in fear since she almost fell once the platform moved ahead.

Izzy noticed this and immediately helped her to get back, with them both sighing in relief that nothing bad happened, but when they saw that the rest still moved ahead, they both groaned a bit, before keep going as well, as they followed their friends.

Soon, Tails and Knuckles reached a point were some Toads were going down some pipes, and some platforms were going upwards. The three mares were over one of the platforms, and Izzy waved her hoof cheerfully to a Toad that stared at them with a confused expression.

Then, Tails whistled to the mares, and they looked at him, before keep following them. Zipp was flying again, and Izzy was running ahead, but Misty soon noticed that she was running over blocks suspended in the air and with holes in-middle.

"Whoa!" Misty exclaimed in panic, before still moving ahead. "Why are these bricks just floating here?!"

Soon, the group reached a set of three transparent pipes, all leading upwards, although heading in different directions as well, but the three mares felt surprised to see pipes like these ones.

"Now just pop on this pipe and we're on out way!" Tails declared, as he immediately entered in the third pipe to the left.

"Is like flying without flying!" Knuckles declared with a smirk, entering into the same pipe, as he cheered while traveling around it.

"Ooh!" Izzy exclaimed, as she approached the pipe and entered it too. "Wheee!" She exclaimed happily while moving across it.

"Well, this actually seems nice!" Misty said, entering the pipe as well, and even though she exclaimed "Whoa!" in panic at first, she eventually giggled at the sensation.

"Yeah, I've gotta admit it... I really like this pipe––" Zipp tried to say, smiling and carefully approaching the pipe, but the same released a strange air that ended up sucking her and made her scream.

As Zipp traveled the pipe as well, and unlike the others, she screamed in panic and yelped in pain, because she always hit all the curves instead of moving flawlessly like the rest of her friends. She even reached a point where her whole body crashed on the pipe.

Thankfully, the rest reached the end by exiting a red pipe, then Knuckles moved ahead and entered a blue pipe, with Tails, Izzy and Misty following, but since Zipp arrived late and looked around confused, she entered the green pipe instead.

That led her to a blue pipe at the other side, and she looked around confused again, so she entered the other blue pipe now, which made her exit a green one and then fell to the ground, but she quickly stood up and entered another green one that led her back to the exact same place.

So, she entered a red pipe that made her exit a green pipe that made her smash her head on the ground again, so she groaned and shook her head, but then noticed that there's more and more pipes around, and her eyes widened.

"AW, COME ON!" Zipp groaned out loudly.

Eventually, Zipp exited the green pipe right in front of Peach's Castle.

However, the mare groaned tiredly and rolled in the floor, smashing her head on the ground again and groaning for what felt like the sixth time this day.

"I thought you said that worse part was over, Tails..." Zipp said, still with her face smashed in the ground.

"What are you talking about?!" Izzy asked cheerfully, levitating Zipp back on her fours. "That was so much fun!"

"I haven't feel that alive in years!" Misty cheered as well with a smile.

"If you say so..." Zipp rolled her eyes.

"Here we are! Palace doors!" Tails called out, as he pointed at Peach's Castle ahead and moved towards it.

"Big big boom!" Knuckles said, clapping his hands and then moving ahead. "We're almost there!"

The three mares immediately followed after them, but once again, they felt amazed by how big the castle actually looked closer, and they could even appreciate a giant glass with Peach's form.

"Pretty impressive, am I right?!" Tails asked with a smile.

"Is it bad that I feel jealous even though ZH's Castle is technically bigger?" Zipp asked. "Because this Peach gal knows how to make a castle have style!"

"Don't feel bad, Zipp!" Knuckles said with a smile. "If anything, Peach is gonna feel flattered that you think that!"

Inside of Peach's Castle, Peach herself, the Mario Bros., Toadsworth, and a bunch of toads were around a table.

Suddenly, that table lifted a bit from the ground and created a map made out of LEGO that showed the entire demography of this world: Not only the Mushroom Kingdom, but also Sarasaland, Yoshi's Island, the Ice Kingdom, the Kong Kingdom, and Bowser's Kingdom.

"Council! Your attention!" Princess Peach called out with a slight frown, while everyone in the room looked at her. "Our agent infiltrated in Bowser's army has confirmed our suspicions: He's getting ready to invade our lands!"

This made everyone but Mario gasp, while Luigi squealed in panic and hid behind Mario, who still pat his head, although he also rolled his eyes.

"W-When is it gonna happen?!" One red Toad asked.

"In three days, just in time for the Mushroom Kingdom's 250th anniversary..." Peach replied with a frown. "Which is why we must stop any kind of preparation for the festival, and instead prepare to defeat Bowser and his army!"

"How?!" A Yellow Toad asked next. "Look at us! We're adorable!" He pointed out and made puppy eyes, while all the other toads around but Toadsworth did the same.

Heck, even a pair of Toads placed their hands together to make a heart, and that made both Mario and Toadsworth facepalm in disbelief.

"I know that Bowser has a record for surprising us in the most unexpected of the situations, but what change the tables this time is that we know he's coming, and is why we must be ready to take him down!" Peach declared. "You, my Toads, have been trained to face the impossible, no matter how scared you are. We count with the bless of the power-ups, our own defenses... and with the Super Mario Brothers!"

Mario immediately stood in a military pose with a salute, while Luigi kept trembling in fear, but he soon also stood in that position after Mario pushed him slightly on the shoulder.

"They had saved our kingdom so many times that I honestly can't count them anymore! And I know for sure that we can count on them!" Peach declared once again with a smile, and both Mario and Luigi nodded in agreement. "Now go, my subjects! We must be ready to fight Bowser and his army back!"

The mood of the Toads changed after hearing this, and they all cheered loudly, before quickly spreading up and work on stopping Bowser, just like they were asked to do.

"I must say it, Peach..." Mario spoke, as he soon stood at her side. "You're getting-a better with your speeches!"

Peach looked down at him with a smile and slight blush of embarrassment.

"I'm still kinda nervous for all of this-a situation..." Luigi said, as he rubbed his left arm.

"Chill up, bro!" Mario said, as he blocked Luigi's sight with his own hat, which made Luigi chuckle and then mock Mario back by touching his belly like drums, which made Mario pull Luigi's hands away with a chuckle as well. "Like Peach said, we've dealt with-a Bowser all the time! This won't be any-a different!"

But then, a red Toad knocked on the door and slowly opened it, popping his head to look inside. "Um, Princess?"

"Yes?" Peach replied with a raised eyebrow.

"There's some, uh... 'Neighbors' that want to have a word with you..." The Toad replied with a concerned tone.

"Neighbors?" Peach, Mario and Luigi all questioned confused.

The Toad ended up sighing, so he entered the room, closed the doors behind and approached Peach, while the princess ducked down so the Toad could whisper at her ear, and once he told her what he meant, her eyes widened in surprise, so she looked back at the Toad with a slight frown.

"Let them in." Peach instructed.

The Toad nodded and quickly ran back, opening the door entirely, but as soon as Tails looked at Peach and the Mario Bros. his eyes widened, and he boosted inside the room, which made Knuckles only pop his head confused.

"Princess!" Tails said with a smile. "Thank Chaos we reached you!"

"Tails?" Peach questioned confused, while Luigi came by and squeezed him in a hug. "What happened to your voice?"

"And where's a Sonic?" Mario asked as well.

"The first question is hard to explain..." Tails said with a sheepish smile. "As for the second one: He's precisely the reason why we're here!"

"We?" Luigi asked confused, as he let tails go.

"Yes. We." Knuckles spoke from the door, pushing it open and showing the three mares that came with them.

Zipp simply looked around confused, not sure what to say or do, while Izzy waved her hoof cheerfully, and Misty tried to hid behind Izzy with a sheepish smile.

While Peach and Mario got confused on why there were ponies with them, Luigi remembered that he already met Zipp and Izzy a while back when Sonic and Tails asked his help to deal with a ghost, and while his first instinct was to panic, he calmed himself down and smiled.

"Oh! Is your friends-a from that pony that pony world!" Luigi said with a smile, and his fear actually faded away entirely.

Peach and Mario looked at Luigi confused after he said that. "You know them, bro?" Mario asked.

"Kinda... I actually was afraid of them when I met them... But they're friendly!" Luigi replied.

"Yeah, well. They come with us, and just like my voice change, is a long story to explain how we met them, but there's no time for that! We need your help!" Tails quickly explained with concern.

"What's the matter?" Peach asked.

"There's a lot of context behind, so we'll just tell you the important stuff!" Knuckles stated, as he quickly zoomed besides Tails, while the three mares stood behind them and let them make the talk.

"There's this really, really bad Alicorn that's traveling across the whole multiverse and trying to conquer it all!" Tails began to explain.

"And there's this special group that joined to stop her, but... They have something against Sonic, and now they captured him..." Knuckles explained next with concern, which made Peach and the Mario Bros. gasp.

"That's why we came here!" Tails explained. "We don't know when it'll happen, but we know for sure that the Alicorn is going to attack our universe eventually."

"And we wanna ask for your help!" Knuckles added. "The Power-ups and defenses of your world could be a crucial key to defeat her! And... Even though there's some people already on their way to save Sonic, there's no guarantee they'll succeed, so... We must be prepared for anything!"

Peach felt conflicted now that she heard all of this. On one hand, she had to deal with Bowser before he attacked the Mushroom Kingdom... But on the other hand, Bowser was not even a real problem compared to what Tails and Knuckles were telling them.

Mario, on the other hand, had his answer more than clear. "If Sonic's in-a trouble, then count with me to help him out!"

"Yes!" Tails cheered, as he stretched his hand with Mario's. "I knew you wouldn't reject us, Red!"

"Hey! Wait a second!" Peach called out. "Mario, I understand that Sonic is your friend, but our Kingdom is still in danger because of Bowser!"

"But princess!" Luigi interfered. "Bowser's-a not the worse part! If that Alicorn destroys-a our world, Bowser won't-a be the threat the same-a level than her!"

"Oh, right... Bowser..." Knuckles aid with a sheepish smile, also scratching his neck. "That's another thing we wanted to discuss, heheh..."

"Since Bowser also has a big army, I was thinking if you could help us out to, uh... Ask for his help, too?" Tails explained with a sheepish smile as well.

Mario and Luigi's face went pale after he asked that, while Peach had a twitchy eye and was trying very hard not to explode in anger.

Peach took a deep breath and placed her hands together, looking at Tails with a forced smile. "...Explain yourself..."

"I know what are you thinking: Bowser has been a pain in the ass for you three for years! And he's clearly not friendly when it comes to work along Mario..." Tails admitted, and Mario shrugged after being pointed out. "But I know how to convince him so he'll help! I just need to know if you guys are willing to help us in that task as well."

Peach closed her eyes and crossed her arms for a moment. She knew that she could trust on Mario and Luigi, as well as on Sonic's friends, whenever it came to confront impossible odds...

However, she knew little to nothing about the ponies that came with them, and she was not sure if they could survive a fight against Bowser... So, she had an idea.

"...Let's make a deal, Tails..." Peach began with a smile, as she approached him. "If one of your... friends..." She looked over at the three mares. "Can pass my training course, I'll help you out to get Bowser's help."

"Training course?" Zipp was the first to talk, and that startled Mario, who yelped and fell backwards, while Zipp rolled her eyes annoyed. "Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me..."

Peach also felt a bit startled when she saw that they could talk, but choose to ignore it for now. "So? What do you say?" She asked Tails, extending her hand to him.

Tails didn't knew what to do, but when he saw the mares and they all nodded with determinate looks, he smirked and looked back at Peach, then stretched her hand. "We have a deal!"

"Good. Follow me, then." Peach declared.

With this, the Mario Bros, Tails, Knuckles and the mares followed Peach out of there.

Not so much later, they went to a balcony in the backside of the castle.

There, the balcony separated from the rest of the castle, startling both the Mobians and Equestrians. When the balcony stopped over the sea, confusing the visitors even more.

But then, the sea began to rumble, and then, a giant Mystery (?) Block came out of it, stopping in front of the balcony, surprising the visitors. And yet, said surprise increased even more when the block separated and spread around, transforming into a level course.

Floating platforms, mechanical Piranha Plants, plushie Bill Banzai, fake circles that twirled around like lava lines, and a bunch of pipes and blocks lined for parkour movements.

The entire thing finished when a pole and a pink flag with a red mushroom inside appeared in the middle of the floating balcony they were standing over, and now Zipp officially had no idea of what was going on, while Tails and Knuckles looked at the course confused.

"When did you make all of this?" Tails questioned confused.

"It's always been here!" Peach replied with a smile. "I just use it to train Toads, but Mario and Luigi like to use it from time to time as well."

"And if any of you three can pass this course, we'll help you out with-a Bowser!" Luigi declared.

"Wait... How do we pass this, exactly?" Misty asked.

"Yeah... Is just a massive square that technically isn't a square at the same time!" Zipp pointed out.

"Watch and learn!" Mario said, as he first jumped and hit a much smaller Mystery Block with his fist.

The block released a small red mushroom with eyes, which Mario eat immediately in one chomp. With that, his whole body glowed for a second, before he became much bigger and even taller than both Peach and Luigi.

This surprised and shocked the three mares, although Izzy had sparkling eyes, probably because she was imagining all the things she could do if she became bigger with a Super Mushroom like that one... I'm not showing you, this chapter is getting longer than I like already.

Then, Mario moved ahead and jumped over some bricks that worked as a road, then made parkour over some yellow brick that glowed, and then twirled in the air.

Soon, he jumped over the pipes with the mechanical Piranha Plants, and he barely dodged the last one, even grabbing his hat, but still managed to do so. Then, he slid down to dodge the twirling circles, and then he made another twirl in the air while saying "Wahoo!" to dodge another mechanical Plant.

Next, he stood over a spring that impulsed him upwards and helped him to make more parkour over yellow bricks, before he dived towards a group of regular blocks that worked like a path.

Soon, Mario ran upwards, then jumped, aimed a punch at a cardboard image of Bowser, and hit him, also destroying it in the process. Now he started to run over a bunch of yellow bricks that all fell to the ground with one touch, while a bunch of Bill Banzai were shot at him.

However, this only made the red plumber smile, because he soon jumped in the air and then used the Bill Banzai to jump even higher and higher.

Finally, Mario reached the Flag Pole and touched the button, slowly descending back to the ground, while a happy melody played to celebrate that he reached the end of the level, as Mario sighed in relief and cleaned some sweat from his forehead.

He also purposely hit his head against the pole, which made him shrunk and go back to his regular size, but he then only shook his head and smiled.

When he looked over at the three mares, they all had their jaws dropped on what they just saw.

"...You want us to pass that thing?!" Zipp asked, but in excitement.

"Yup!" Peach replied, before crossing her arms with a smirk. "Consider it a test to see what you girls are made of."

"Don't have to ask me twice!" Zipp replied with excitement, extending her wings and boosting towards the course.

She literally cleared the whole course and did almost everything the way Mario did, but she did it twice as fast and even passing through some more dangerous parts of the course, although she did so only with the idea of showing off her parkour skills a bit.

For example: There's a zone were various mechanical Piranha Plants moved and chomped wildly, so Zipp passed this part of the course by zigzagging around them, coming out completely unharmed.

Then, in the final part of the course, right before reaching the flag pole, Zipp dodged thanks to her wings a mechanical Piranha Plant that came out of nowhere, then finally reached the end of the course, as she then proceed to slowly land besides her friends.

Izzy and Misty both cheered at their friend, as they both hugged her and congratulated her for finishing the course so damn fast, while Tails smiled at her.

"Dude, your girl's a show off..." Knuckles deadpanned with his arms crossed.

"And that's exactly why I love her!" Tails replied with a huge and proud smile.

As for Peach and the Mario Brothers? They stared with wide eyes and disbelief at Zipp, who simply smiled at her own accomplishment and cheered as well. Then, Peach shook her head and focused again, as she slowly approached to Zipp... And then made a bow at her.

Zipp felt confused by this, but she still bowed back at Peach.

"I owe you my dearest apologies... I judged you bad." Peach said with a smile. "You're more than capable to travel across this world, and I hope your friends do as well!"

Zipp simply chuckled and scratched her neck embarrassed, while Izzy and Misty hugged her again.

"So... Does that means that you guys will help us to recruit Bowser?" Tails asked with a sheepish smile.

"Zipp did passed the course!" Knuckles pointed out with a smirk.

Peach looked at Mario and Luigi, who both nodded at her with smiles, and she nodded back. "A deal is a deal!"

Author's Note

LET'S-A-FUCKING-GOOOOOOOOOOO

I've been waiting to make a Mario-Themed chapter for MONTHS, AND IT'S FINALLY HERE!

Yes, it's mostly based on the Mario Movie, but come on: That movie managed to adapt the simplicity of the Mario Universe into a movie, you cannot expect me not to use it as a base for this chapter!

I honestly didn't wanted to make the whole "I need a hero" sequence because is... Is not really necessary, and having Zipp finish the level that fast felt a lot better, honestly.

Also, let's all be thankful this is Game Mario and not SMG4 Mario, otherwise... I don't wanna think on the horrors that would've happened in this chapter... :rainbowderp:

That's it for now. Thanks again for reading! And next chapter: We go with Team C and their mission to save Sonic! See ya later! :twilightsmile:

15. Anomalies to the Rescue

Universe 250954

Maurice was running as fast as his feet allowed him.

He was panting heavily, and he could barely feel his feet because of how much he's been running for the past hour or two, but he wasn't planning on stopping... He had to hide from the Egg Forcers first, because they were chasing the blue hedgehog as fast as they could.

The Egg Forcers were orange robots with green eyes, gray legs, gray shoulders, and shoulder-mounted laser cannons... And they just recently killed Maurice's parents.

They worked for Emperor Eggman, the ruler of Station Square, but they got stuck on a debt that they worked day and night, so hardly to pay. Even Maurice himself started to work on extra hours and even got more jobs to help his parents out... Now, at his 22 years, they've been killed in front of him.

He moved across the empty streets of the giant futuristic city, hiding behind the alleys and still trying to loose the Egg Forcers from sight.

However, one of the Egg Forcers began to shoot at him, and Maurice could barely dodge all the attacks, but in a moment he turned his head aside in the left direction, one of the shoots hit his left eye, and he was sent backwards, as he then fell on a place with stairs and rolled downwards.

The Egg Forcers followed the end of the stairs as well, but they were surprised when they didn't saw Maurice anywhere, so they split up and began to look after him.

As for Maurice, he hid on a trash can, and once he made sure the Egg Forcers were gone, he got out of the trash can and rolled in the floor, then stood on his knees and hold his hand over his left eye, because that zone was bleeding a lot, and he was breathing heavily.

"20 Years ago... My parents were killed in front of me... And I lost my left eye..."

Several days later, Maurice was staying with the Tails of this universe.

"Tails decided to help me out and... Give me a home until I could afford my own apartment."

Now he wore an eyepatch because of what happened with the Egg Forcers, but the event of loosing his parents marked him forever. He remembered his mother's scared expression after they both witnessed his dad dying, but when she was killed in front of him... It was even worse.

"But loosing my parents made me feel... Useless... Uncomfortable with myself..."

Suddenly, Maurice saw outside of Tails' room's window that three Egg Forcers were messing with a group of kids, all of them being around 8 or 9 years old.

"However... Their deaths made something ignite inside of me... Something that was dormant..."

Soon, Maurice grabbed a bat that was near his bed and quickly went outside, just in time to smash an Egg Forcer's head with the bat and kill it, saving the kid that almost got killed by it. He did the same with the other two Egg Forcers, and he felt relieved when he saw that the kids were fine.

However, one of the Egg Forcers didn't got destroyed yet, and it managed to launch a laser that reached a kid... And the kid fell backwards with a thud.

Maurice let out a loud scream of agony and grabbed the kid on his arms, trying to also held the place they got shot over and stop the blood from coming out... But he only delayed the inevitable for a few seconds, because the kid died anyways on his arms, slowly closing their eyes.

"I saw my parents die... I couldn't do anything for them..."

Maurice was now at the funeral of the kid that died along Tails, and the blue hedgehog couldn't stop crying because he couldn't save that kid from getting shot.

"I stand up for innocent kids, and I still failed to save one..."

Tails ducked and gave Maurice a side hug, knowing that he needed it.

Back in Tails' apartment, Maurice stared at the ceiling, laying on his bed.

Seeing his parents dying was a horrible thing already, but seeing a kid die, and worse of all: That said kid died on his arms... Right after he saved him, just to fail all the same in the end.

"And yet... Despite my loses, I didn't gave up. I simply couldn't."

Maurice soon frowned, then got up from his bed and walked down to Tails' lab, located in the unused apartment right below his. There, he started to gather some bottles with chemicals, as well as some injectors, and equipment for monitoring vital signs.

"The crime and corruption in my city that was being caused by Emperor Eggman was something I couldn't allow to happen anymore. I lost my parents, and I couldn't save an innocent kid. I couldn't allow myself to let such a thing repeat, nor to me, nor to anyone else."

Soon, Maurice began to mix some of the ingredients he grabbed, and he tested the result out on small subjects, like cockroaches and flys.

Eventually, he finally reached his desired result when a fly started to fly around the room through speeds scientists have only dreamed to achieve. So he injected himself with the final result as well, and he could feel all his body working even faster thanks to this.

"However, to do that, I needed to became another man... I wasn't fast enough to save that kid, so I made sure I became fast enough... The fastest thing alive, you could say."

Maurice began to run around all Station Square, and not only he discovered he was so fast like the speed of sound, but he also spotted some crimes that he was able to stop, and nobody died.

The only bad things were that he always had to improvise a weapon whenever it came to stop an Egg Forcer from killing or hurting someone, as well as the fact that his shoes couldn't resist all the friction of the speed he was going to, because they ended up burning and tearing apart.

"With this new power achieved, Maurice the Hedgehog was gone..."

Maurice was back home, but now he was a different man.

Thanks to the fact that he told everything to Tails about the serum he made, and about the kind of man he wanted to become now, Tails choose not only to support him, but also to straight up help.

So, Tails fabricated a pair of special bracelets that could have any kind of weapon and useful tool they would need to move around the city. He also made his own living AI as an assistant, a digital female lynx he named Nicole, in his dead mother's honor.

Finally, he made special boots that resisted Maurice's speed of running, as well as lots of gadgets for himself that they could need at anytime.

"Considering the speed I could travel... I couldn't be Maurice anymore. I had to be someone else..."

Maurice and Tails found two little girls shaking, crying and hugging each other in fear, because and Egg Forcer was about to kill them both.

"I had to become a symbol... For hope... For justice."

However, Maurice launched himself curled into a ball against the machine, and then he jumped in the air, created a pair of side-swords and teared apart one arm of the Egg Forcer, while Tails shoot a boomerang at its head, then a blast from a gun, and then got the boomerang back which hit the head again.

This made the Egg Forcer fall to the ground on its face, then Maurice traversed the head and ripped it apart to make sure it wouldn't stand up.

"Tails decided to remain with the same name as we made justice... But I didn't."

Once the job was done, the duo decided to leave the scene, but one of the girls they save them stopped Maurice by grabbing him from his hand.

"Wait!" The girl called out... the Amy Rose of this universe. "T-Thanks for the save."

Maurice limited to nod, while Tails straight up looked at her with a smile. "We just do our job!"

"Um... What are your names..." The other girl, the Blaze from this universe, asked as well.

"That question honestly caught me off guard... Because for the first time ever, I had no idea who I was... But then the answer came clear, and I smiled."

Maurice turned and saw Amy and Blaze with a smile. "Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"That day... Maurice walked away so Sonic could run ahead."

"We spent the next 10 years fighting Eggman's machines, saving citizens, becoming the heroes the city needed. I even got a cool trench coat that Amy made for me...

But nothing lasts forever... It simply doesn't..."

Sonic was running desperate as he removed the ruble.

Tails and him just had a massive fight against Eggman that ended on an explosion that brought down an already evacuated building... But Tails got trapped down all that ruble.

Sonic removed it desperately, and both Amy and Blaze joined him to remove that ruble as well... But when they reached the end, it was too late... Tails was a goner, because his corpse lay immobile in the ground, which made Sonic's heart crush, and he started to tear up.

He cried out loudly, hugging Tails' corpse and burying his face on his dead friend's body, as he apologized a thousand times for not being fast enough to save him.

"When Tails died... the nicest part of me that was left died as well."

Now, we see Sonic heading towards the tallest building, located in the middle of Station Square.

There, Eggman was already waiting for the blue blur, using one of his best mech suits so he could fight on a 1v1 against the hedgehog... For the last time, because this was the battle to end all the battles... The battle against each other for the very last time...

A battle that Eggman lost when Sonic destroyed his mech suit and stabbed him on his chest several times without stopping, not even caring if he was crossing a line he swore to never cross.

"Y-You know you won't ever be the same after this, d-do you?!" Eggman from this universe told Sonic, who already accepted his current identity of Future Sonic.

"I stopped being the same the moment my parents died, Ivo," The blue hedgehog replied coldly.

And then, he proceed to cut Eggman's neck, killing him off for good... But even if he won, he still let out a painful warrior cry, where all his desperation finally left his body for good.

"I didn't liked what I did that day... But I knew that if I didn't do it, then no one else will."

9 years passed after that, and now FS ruled Station Square.

"I became my world's watcher. Always making sure the innocents were fine... Even though I wasn't."

Nicole suddenly appeared as a regular sized lynx hologram, but Tails made her to be so advanced that she could actually touch physical objects, so she ducked down and hugged FS, while the blue hedgehog smiled weakly and placed a hand over hers, even rubbing it a bit.

Nicole was everything he had left... His parents and his best friend died, and even though he tried something with Amy, it didn't led anywhere... He was pretty much on his own now.

"That same day, I decided to leave and walk around for a while... To empty my mind.

The whole city was greeting me, thanking me for saving their lives 9 years ago, for doing what all of them wished to do for so many years... I only smiled as truly as I could, but deep inside... I wasn't in the mood to be happy. I don't remember what it feels like, anyways..."

FS soon arrived to the same alley where he lost his eye, where he started his journey to become the man he is today, even though he didn't knew it.

But then, he heard the people from above the underground screaming in panic, and even some cars crashing, which made his eyes widened in panic. So, he quickly moved around the roofs and over the cars of the underground, before spindashing through the ceiling and appear on the surface.

"When I heard that strange sound, I went to investigate... But I didn't found anyone in danger."

However, once he did, he felt confused when he saw everything back to normal... So he quickly went to his home, the tallest tower in Station Square, since he took over it after killing Eggman.

Once there, he checked the cameras, and his eyes widened when he saw a recording of a massive X-shaped portal opening in the sky, while at the other side could be seen a giant robot with Eggman's face, raising a multi-colored crystal that was opening the portal in the first place.

But then, the portal suddenly closed, even though FS saw everything.

"When I saw that machine, I made my investigation... And I discovered everything: The multiverse, the Canon and how our lives are connected by specific events... And what the anomalies could do."

Nicole started to work on the first prototype of the watch that could make him travel across the multiverse, while FS kept investigating more about the Canon and how it affected every reality. He finally could feel less guilty for his parents' and Tails' death...

"The Canon made me realize that my tragedies make me the man that I am today... That they had to happen. So, when I had the chance to travel to any reality I wanted, I took it.

No questions needed to be asked. I was ready for the job."

"Okay, so we're just gonna roll the dice on this?" Future Sonic asked, as he started to adjust the watch on his wrist.

"So what do you say, pal?" Nicole retorted with a mocking smirk, as she appeared right on Sonic's side. "Where do you wanna go first?"

"Let's go back to the very beginning: Universe 140484." Future Sonic replied with a confident smirk.

Universe 140484

A multi-colored portal opened in the middle of nowhere, as Sonic came out of it and landed in the grass.

Far behind could be seen a big light pink castle with several towers (each containing a blue cone shaped roof), lots of windows and a drawbridge.

Sonic looked at said castle with narrowed eyes, before hearing a gasp behind him, so he turned around and found a pink pegasus mare with a purplish blue mane, purple eyes, and two purplish blue lightning bolts as her Cutie Mark.

"Whoa! Where did you came from? Who are you?" The pegasus asked with a surprised tone.

"My name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog..." Future Sonic presented himself with a frown. "And I need to talk with you and your friends..."

"The Firefly from the very first pony dimension was just the beginning. I recruited more, and more, and more..."

In the present, we see FS looking down at the Society, while Twilight stood at his side.

"...And here we are today... Still looking after the multiverse, and hoping we soon catch Opaline before she makes her move to conquer every reality..." Future Sonic finished his narration.

"...Right..." Twilight muttered, not so convinced on why the whole Society was formed.

"We do what has to be done, Twilight... Even if we don't like it..." Future Sonic reminded. "Don't think I feel happy with what I do all the time, because I don't."

"And yet you're so stuck in the past that you still choose to release your anger over someone that did nothing personal to you..." Twilight said with no shame and straight up frowning.

Future Sonic's eye opened wide, and he looked at Twilight at his side with disbelief. "What?!"

"Do you seriously don't see it, Sonic?" Twilight asked him with anger. "We did what had to be done at first, but the moment you saw some people braking their Canon and still living happily on a world unlike you, you started to capture them to make sure they're as miserable and pitiful as you!"

Future Sonic frowned in anger, and his eyes turned red. "Twilight, we've talked about this. The Canon cannot be broken––"

"But it can!" Twilight snapped, and that startled FS. "The Canon doesn't matter unless someone that's not from that universe brakes it! That's why the other you's universe raveled, that's why Firefly's universe raveled! You and 220822 Sonic broke someone else's Canon, but Sonic broke his and his world is intact, right?!"

FS was surprised that Twilight, his right hand, his pal, his... His lover... was snapping at him like this. He never liked it, and worse of all, he had no idea on what to tell her, nor how to prove that she's wrong... Perhaps because she isn't.

"All this bullshit about protecting the Canon made sense when Opaline moved monsters to the wrong worlds, but is time you face the truth, 'chief': You aren't protecting the Canon, and you are not capturing anomalies anymore. You're just capturing people that broke their canon and managed to have their happy ending unlike you!" Twilight said with anger.

After that, she turned around and started to walk away, and even though FS wanted to stop her and prove her wrong, nothing came out of his mouth again, so he limited himself to sigh and look ahead.

"Just for the record... I'll stay at your side because I know you need me... But when all of this is over... You must be prepared to never see me again..." Twilight said from her place, before keep walking away.

That was the straw that made FS groan and facepalm, because with those words, he confirmed that he screwed it really bad this time, and that he better think of a way to make it up for her, event though he has absolutely no idea on how he's gonna do that...

"Marital problems?" Nicole asked, as she suddenly appeared with a mocking smirk.

However, the fact that FS didn't replied nor felt annoyed by her presence clearly told her that he was actually feeling bad, so she let aside her cocky and sassy attitude to sigh and touch his hand, even though she was still a small hologram.

"Hey... I know that is hard to deal with Twilight when she's mad, but... Just give her some time, alright?" Nicole told him with a sweet smile. "After all, she has lost as much as you back in her universe..."

"...I know..." Future Sonic replied. "Doesn't really means she's wrong about me, though... Sonic did saved the multiverse last year... I guess I'm just mad he got the chance I wished I had..."

"Whoa! You? Admitting you were wrong?! Am I on an alternate reality or something?!" Nicole exclaimed out loudly in a mocking way, and that actually got a chuckle out of FS.

"...Thanks, Nicole..." Future Sonic told her with a smile. "You're everything I would have left if I'd ever lost everything else..."

Nicole smiled, then teleported and reappeared on a regular size, wrapping FS into a hug, which surprised him, but he still let himself get hugged.

"Anytime, Sonic..." Nicole replied.

Meanwhile, over the anomaly cages, MC was whistling a happy melody to distract himself.

At his side, Sonic was meditating and trying to keep his mind busy with random thoughts, just so he wouldn't think about all the crap he's been through over the past two days.

Well, he feels that it's been two days, at least. MC's been here for Chaos knows how long, and he lost count after three days, and he probably lost it like three hours ago. Still, he went back to meditate so he could forget all the bad things for a small and peaceful moment... Hopefully.

"How's the meditation going?" MC choose to ask.

"Horribly wrong..." Sonic replied with honesty. "I've never been good at staying still for so long, but since I literally can't touch my own cage, I guess I should try and relax until FS' emo face is over."

"You think he'll stop being out of his mind?" MC asked confused.

"Insanity has a cure. You just gotta dig in for it..." Sonic pointed out. "Besides, fake powers of not, if everything you told me about him is true, he's still a Sonic at the end of the day! I know he'll find the way back to the light! Is just as matter of time."

"I seriously wished everyone could be as optimistic as you, Sonic... I guess you and mine are the same in that aspect..." MC said with a nostalgic smile. "No matter the universe, you're always the one that has a heart of gold!"

Sonic was taken a bit off guard when MC said this, because Longclaw said something similar on the message she hid on the Blue Chaos Emerald a long time ago, but he still smiled with joy, then stood up on his cage and sighed, looking back at MC for a moment.

"I guess I just like to believe there's something good on everything bad... Unless we're talking about Opaline!" Sonic replied with a smirk.

MC snorted, and Sonic himself chuckled at his own joke.

"Well, if FS really has a good side, I really hope it starts to shine soon..." MC confessed. "This place is boring as heck!"

"Ugh! Don't mention it..." Sonic agreed with a smile.

Outside, not so far from the Society's HQ, a heptagon-shaped portal opened in the ceiling of a building.

Then, from said portal, Team Anomaly came out and landed in the ground, while Boom Sonic closed the portal behind by pressing a button on his watch.

Soon, the 6 members of 8 from Team Anomaly stood over the ceiling and stared at the Secret Society's HQ in the distance. Their mission? Infiltrate the HQ and cause enough chaos so they could free all the none-villain anomalies from their cages, including Sonic.

"Alright, Team. We're here!" Boom Sonic declared with a smile, as he also held Aurora on the kangaroo to make sure she wouldn't fell. "Everybody remembers the plan?"

"Get in and free'd some actual anomalies to cause chaos on the HQ!" Firefly said excited and determined, as she hoof bumped with Dr. Hooves, because this part of the plan had to be done by them both, together.

"Keep FS busy and make sure he won't try to stop any of this!" Tails X declared confidently, while Classic Sonic jumped over his mech's shoulder and raised his thumbs up to the young fox.

"And free the non anomalies from their cages..." Boom Sonic declared. "Ready to brake some rules, Buffon?!"

Buffon smirked and made sure his jacket was in place so it could make him look cool. "I thought you'd never ask!"

With this, the three sub-teams of the Team spread out, with Boom and Buffon moving across the street, while Firefly and Hooves went straight towards the HQ, leaving Tails X and Classic moving on the air.

Back in the HQ, FS was checking the state of the 'anomalies' from his office.

He was just making sure that Sonic wasn't attempting to escape, and he was actually surprised to see that he was still on his place. Sure, the first few tapes showed him actually trying to escape, but now it seems that he has accepted he can't go anywhere with the cage being built to avoid this.

FS nodded, satisfied with this result, but just when he was about to leave and do something else, all his digital screens sent off the alarms, which called his attention.

"Sonic? We have a problem!" Nicole informed, suddenly appearing and moving wildly across the screens.

"What kind of problem?!" Future Sonic asked with concern and a frown.

Instead of using words, Nicole showed FS footage of Firefly and Dr. Hooves in the panel control room that not only makes the 'Go Home Machine' work, but it also helps to control the cages of all the anomalies.

"What the heck?!" Future Sonic exclaimed with a wide eye. "These two's watches stopped working a month ago! How the heck are they back?!"

"No clue!" Nicole replied with concern. "Should I alert the HQ about this?!"

"No. I'll take care of this!" Future Sonic stated, as he started to run towards the control room.

However, he never noticed that Boom Sonic and Blue Buffon were waiting for him to leave, hiding on the ceiling of his office, and once he did, the two Sonics looked at each other and nodded, before Boom Sonic turned to his watch.

"Alright Tails, Classic. The boss is out of the box. You know what to do!" Boom Sonic instructed.

"Roger!" Both Tails X and Classic Sonic replied.

With this, Boom and Buffon approached FS' computer, as Boom began to look on the security cameras of the office in which sector was Sonic located, since there were several ones across the HQ where they contained anomalies.

"You better hurry up, Humble Hog, before Nicole realizes we're here at all..." Buffon pointed out with a concerned frown, as he watched over Boom's back.

"I'm searching as fast as I can, don't pressure me!" Boom Sonic replied a bit annoyed, but then, he finally found what he was looking for: The camera that pointed at Sonic's cage, being guarded in Sector 6. "He's on Sector 6, right in the middle of all the other encaged ones!"

"Let's go!" Buffon cheered loudly, as the two Sonics boosted out of there.

Meanwhile, Firefly and Dr. Hooves were messing with the anomalies' cages.

"Are we completely sure that freeing the anomalies is a good idea?" Hooves questioned. "I'm all for extreme solutions in extreme problems, but what if they manage to escape to other realities?!"

"That's why we're just freeing the less dangerous anomalies we have!" Firefly replied with a smirk. "Zavok, Fang, Cozy Glow and Nightmare Moon should be a good distraction enough!"

"...Actually, that's pretty impressive and logical!" Hooves said with a smile. "Alright! Leave Zavok and Cozy glow to me!"

"Then I'll free Fang and Nightmare Moon!" Firefly declared with a smile.

And so they did: Hooves opened the cages of the Zavok and Cozy Glow's anomalies, while Firefly opened Fang and Nightmare Moon's cages. Once the four villains were free, they looked at each other confused, before grinning and then run away, ready to cause a lot of chaos around the HQ.

"Yes!" Hooves declared with a smile.

"Mission accomplished!" Firefly cheered loudly, and they both hoof bumped, before they both left the control room and head towards their exit, which is a hole in the ceiling, the exact same place they entered here in the first place.

The alarms started to sound all across the HQ after the anomalies were free'd.

FS was running across a corridor on sector 7, on his way to sector 5, since there's where the 'Go Home Machine' and the anomalies' cages panel control was located, but when the alarms sounded, he stopped and looked upwards confused.

"All stations: We have a Code 325! I repeat: We have a Code 325!" Nicole informed, and that made FS' eye widen.

He looked around, and he saw all the other members of the Society being just as concerned as him.

"Four anomalies have escaped from their cages! Forget anything you're doing and put them back on their rooms!" Nicole informed.

Once that was over, Future Sonic frowned and pressed a button on his watch. "All stations: You heard Nicole! Stop what you're doing and go capture those anomalies!"

"Yes, sir!" All the members around said.

However, FS decided to let the others take charge of that, because he had a feeling on why was this happening.

So, instead of taking the stairs to go towards sector 5 and help to capture the anomalies, FS instead took the path that goes towards Sector 6.

Once Future Sonic was running down the corridor that leads where the non-villain anomalies were located, he turned his watch again. "Twilight. I'm where the minor anomalies are located. Think you could give me a hoof here in case anyone tries to free them?"

"I'm a bit busy right now dealing with Cozy Glow over here!" Twilight replied. "Besides, I think you already know my position over those 'anomalies', Sonic."

FS was about to reply something to her, but before he could do so, he was suddenly hit by a blast that sent him flying away, as he crashed several floors down and ended up landing on his back against a wall in Sector 2, as he groaned in pain and then fell facewards.

He shook his head and then painfully began to stand up, but once he looked ahead, he frowned slightly: Tails X, on his mech, was the responsible one for shooting, as he landed on the floor in front of him.

"...You've gotta be kidding me..." Future Sonic said with anger, as he held an arm in pain.

"Sonic?!" Twilight's voice spoke through the watch. "I heard you groaning in pain, a-and I saw you flying to Sector 2! Are you okay?!"

"Define 'okay', Twilight..." Future Sonic replied. "If by okay you mean that I was punched by Tails from universe 060403, who's watch stopped sending any kind of sign just like Boom Sonic's, 180994 Sonic's, Hooves' and Firefly's, then no, I'm not okay!"

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed. "H-Hang on! I-I'm coming!"

Twilight cut communications, while FS glared daggers at Tails X.

"What? You really thought I was going to keep being part of this clubhouse?" Tails X asked. "I'm disappointed... On both myself and you, Sonic. If myself from this universe could see you right now? He'll definitely be disappointed on you!"

That made FS' eye go red, and then he launched himself against Tails X with his claws, but Tails X blocked the attack with one of his mech's arms.

"DON'T YOU DARE TO USE YOUR OWN NAME AGAINST ME!!!" Future Sonic shouted in rage.

"Is the truth!" Classic Sonic spoke next, as he arrived and punched FS right on the face, sending him backwards and crashing on his back against a wall.

Finally, to ensure that FS wouldn't recover so quickly, Tails X grabbed a massive piece of ruble and smashed FS with it. He didn't killed him, but he did won some time to make sure they could run away and get out of there with Sonic without FS' intervention.

So, once they made sure that FS wouldn't wake up, Classic Sonic and Tails X looked at each other and nodded with smiles, before they left the scene as well, with Classic riding over Tails X's mech's shoulder.

As soon as they did, Twilight arrived and saw all the destroyed zone completely horrified, because it meant they would spent some time fixing it... But when she saw one of FS' arms under the piece of ruble Tails X smashed him with, her eyes widened in panic and she started to tear up in panic.

"SONIC!!!" Twilight screamed in horror, and she immediately began to retire some of the rubble with her magic, in a desperate attempt to get him out of the rubble.

On the other hand, the non-villain anomalies were confused on Nicole's warning.

"Someone released anomalies?" Sonic questioned confused. "But we've been all here for the past 15 minutes!"

"I don't think they're talking about us, Sonic..." MC pointed out. "I think Nicole is talking about the anomalies they capture before sending them back to their respective universes."

"Wait... The anomalies in Sector 5? That's odd..." Sonic pointed out confused.

And then, two blue blurs passed by the cages and released some small balls in the ground, that rolled and then stopped, as they attached to all the cages where the non-villain anomalies were trapped into.

"What the hell?!" Both MC and Sonic said, but they couldn't question anything further, because the cages suddenly stopped working and free'd them all.

All the other anomalies looked around confused, and nobody knew if it was a trick or not... But then MC decided to be the first one to test it out... He got down of the platform he was over, and when he touched the ground and nothing happened, he knew that this was legit: He was free.

"Guys... Is not a trap!" MC said happily. "We're actually free!"

This made all the other anomalies around feel happy and exit their places as well... Except for the Sonic variant that kept giving his back and let out another strange laugh.

"That guy still sounds like a weirdo..." Sonic commented, and MC once again nodded in agreement.

But then, everyone heard someone whistling, and they turned their heads to see Buffon standing right in the entrance of the Sector. "If you guys stopped wondering around, is time to go!"

"Buffon!" Sonic exclaimed with a smile, as he immediately boosted towards her and gave him his right hand in a 'bro' salute way. "My man, I'm so glad to see you again!" He said happily, before suddenly gasping with sparkling eyes. "Did you free'd us all?!"

"Kinda. This wasn't my plan. It was Bacon-head's and Humble Sonic's," Buffon replied, turning around and running away to an exit, while Sonic, MC and the other anomalies decided to follow... Except for the other Sonic, he stood on his place.

"Bacon-head and Humble––" Sonic tried to question confused, but then his eyes widened when he realized who he was talking about. "Wait a second... Sunset and Boom planned this out?!"

However, before he got a reply, his shoes started to act on their own again, and that's because the Prismatic Energy of his arm and feet was out of control again... The cage has been containing it this whole time.

He still managed to regain control of it, though, just before Buffon stopped over a door and opened it, indicating with his head to everyone that they had to enter, and enter they did. Then, Buffon used his guitar to sent a sound wave that blocked the path so they wouldn't be followed.

Buffon himself entered into the place right before the exit got blocked, and then he found Boom Sonic opening a portal for every anomaly to go home.

"I apologize for everything the Society made you all go through. Now you're free to go!" Boom stated.

All the other anomalies thanked him, as each one of them crossed the respective portal that Boom was opening so each one of them could go back home.

The last one remaining was MC, but before crossing the portal, he turned to see Sonic and smiled. "Well, these two last days were very interesting... I'm kind of going to miss being encaged and have someone to talk to."

"Dude, if that's your way to say you're gonna miss me, you've got a lot of work to do," Sonic said with his arms crossed and a mocking smirk.

MC rolled his eyes with a smile, then made a salute, and then crossed the portal back home.

Once every anomaly was sent home, Sonic looked over at Boom Sonic with a deadpan and his arms crossed. "So... Sunset and you planned this out?"

"I know, I know. We screw it big time with the whole 'Canon' thing..." Boom Sonic confessed. "We realized our mistake of joining the Society, and... We wanna make it up to you and Sunny."

"And you don't happen to have anything to do with the anomalies that escaped from Sector 5, do you?" Sonic questioned again.

"It was Firefly and Hooves who free'd them," Buffon replied instead, with his hands on his pockets. "Our mission was to take you and the rest out."

"And where's Sunset?" Sonic asked with a frown. "If she wants me to be free and apologize, she should be here."

"She's already apologizing, but with Sunny back in your universe..." Boom Sonic replied. "Look... We're sorry, okay? And we know words won't be enough, so we're taking action by helping you out!"

"He's still 'too cool' to say he was selfish by not telling you everything," Buffon said with a smirk, and Boom glared daggers at him, but then sighed.

"Yeah, he's right..." Boom Sonic confessed. "Sonic, if you're still mad with me, I won't blame you... But I know that you're not a man of having a grudge against anyone... Because none of us are..."

Sonic actually found himself surprised, because... Even after all that happened, Boom was right... He didn't had a grudge against them... Against none of them... Not even against FS.

"...You say you're trying to prove you have changed, right?" Sonic questioned, and Boom nodded. "Then you better prove it by helping me save Tails, Hitch and stop Opaline!"

Boom Sonic smiled and nodded. "Consider it done!" He stated, and Aurora on his chest babbled happily.

Twilight kept levitating ruble away, but then she finally managed to get it off entirely from FS.

"Oh, thank hoofness!" Twilight said with a smile, even wiping away her tears and slowly approaching a hoof to FS. "I-I was so worried that you wouldn't––"

However, right when she was about to caress his cheek, FS snatched her hoof away and quickly stood up... His eye was still red, meaning his power effect wasn't over. That concerned Twilight a lot.

"...The anomalies... Did you guys captured them?" Future Sonic asked.

Just then, Nicole appeared at his side. "U-Um... The Anomalies from Sector 5 have been already captured, sir..." She replied, and that made FS calm down a bit, as his eye went back to be green. "B-But... A-All the anomalies of Sector 6 have escaped... Sonic included..."

That woke up some primal instinct on FS, so he grabbed a piece of ruble near by and launched it against Nicole, who teleported away and then quickly appeared again with a panicked expression.

Soon, FS started to curse her and everyone in the Society in Japanese, but unfortunately for him, Nicole could understand everything and covered her mouth in horror, while Twilight looked at FS even more concerned now, but she was also frowning at him.

"I can't believe you can't do ONE SIMPLE JOB the way it HAS to be DONE!" Future Sonic shouted in rage. "We should had got rid of those anomalies, BUT YOU CONVINCED ME NOT TO!!!" He pointed at Twilight in anger. "You are as much of a liability as your pitiful student! I should had got rid of you along––"

However, he couldn't finish his sentence because he was slapped by Twilight, and that made him get back into his senses... His power got the best of him, and when he looked over at Twilight, she was crying, but still frowning at him.

"...T-Twi... I-I'm so––" Future Sonic tried to apologize.

But Twilight stepped back and shook her head, before pressing a button on her watch that opened a portal back to her universe, then she removed her watch and launched it in front of FS.

"You need help, Sonic... And I'm so, so sad that I cannot be the one to help you..." Twilight said, crossing the portal and disappearing from sight.

FS felt his heart braking, and he fell to his knees, soon starting to cry through his only working eye.

He hurt her, he yelled lies at her, he destroyed her little hope she had on him to stop doing all of this... And now she's gone because of him.

Author's Note

Sonic is now free, baby, WHOOOOOO!!!

I'm actually really happy on how these last three chapters (counting this one) have turned out so far! I honestly thought that they would be so hard to make, but I'm so glad I was wrong!

Now, in today's chapter: The Anomaly Zavok is from this story by MetalJrock, Fang the Sniper is from this story's universe created by Battwell, Cozy Glow comes from this story made by RainbowDoubleDash, and Nightmare moon is from this one-shot written by Undome Tinwe.

We're now officially half-way through Part 2, and through the whole story... That was fast...

Thank you guys so much for reading up to this point! Next time: We head back to the Mushroom Kingdom! Will Sonic see his friends again? Stay tuned and find out for yourselves!

Bye! :twilightsmile:

16. Back in Business

Universe 220822

Sunny was sitting down at Green Hills' beach, looking at the sun rising in the horizon.

Whenever Sonic talked about Mobius and all the wonderful places it had, he always did it with so much pride for his home, as well as with a huge smile. Now she understands why: This place was, in fact, very beautiful, and she wonders why he never presumed it more.

Speaking of Sonic... She was concerned for him. It didn't mattered if Buffon, Firefly and Hooves were looking after him along Classic, Tails X and Boom: She was worried that they could fail and even get captured as well.

If that was case, then how could she help Sonic, then? And how could she face Opaline? Sure, she's an Alicorn, but considering that Opaline has probably gotten more powerful at this point, she couldn't imagine herself fighting against the Fire Alicorn on her own...

Like it or not, she needed help, and said help was better if it was from Sonic, because he has taken down Opaline along her... They were a great team together, and she really missed her teammate.

Suddenly, she felt like somepony was behind her, so she turned around slightly, but then smiled sweetly when she saw Hitch and Sparky approaching her.

"Mind if I make you some company?" Hitch asked with a mocking smirk. "Or you wanna stay alone?"

Sunny fake-gasped and pretended to be offended. "And miss the chance to spent some time with my handsome coltfriend?! How crazy do you think I am, Sheriff?!"

Hitch rolled his eyes, then approached her and kissed her lips for a moment, before sitting down at her side, while Sparky got down of Hitch's back and moved over with Sunny, nuzzling his head against her chest, while Sunny giggled and hugged Sparky in a motherly way, and Hitch wrapped a hoof around her, making her rest her head on his shoulder so he could rest his head over hers.

"I've known you for pretty much my entire life, Sun... And I can tell when you're not feeling, well, so Sunny..." Hitch said with a slight chuckle, and Sunny chuckled too, but then Hitch looked at her with concern. "So tell me... What's bothering you?"

Sunny sighed and caressed Sparky's head with a hoof, while she also looked ahead to the sunrise. "...I'm worried for, well... For everything... For Sonic's safety, for how's Tails doing wherever he is, for Shadow tracking down Eggman, for Opaline taking over the multiverse... All of that."

"Yeah, I'd figured that..." Hitch confessed with a smile. "If I have to be honest? I'm also concerned about all this stuff. I mean, is one thing having to save Equestria from Opaline, but saving entire universes from her?! It's completely nuts! And yet here we are, doing our best to make our part so we can help out to stop her..." He pointed out, and Sunny smiled at him, even kissing his cheek. "You know? This kind of reminds me of when of when we went to Bridlewood to get the Unicorn Crystal. We never thought how far we'll come, nor if it would work out... We just followed our hearts."

"Yeah... And even if I got disappointed at first, finding out there was a third crystal gave me so much hope..." Sunny smiled. "But then I realized that we had to get together, not the Crystals... I wonder how the solution will show up this time around..."

"Well, it hopefully doesn't involves anyone's home getting teared down with a giant robot with its creator's face!" Hitch said with a mocking smirk.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny, Mr. Trailblazer~" Sunny mocked him back with a smirk, also slightly pushing him on his shoulder.

Hitch let out a chuckle, and then they both looked back at the horizon, while Sunny sighed relaxed and happy again.

Suddenly, she heard Sparky babbling and yawning, so she looked down at him and smiled, before taking him on her hooves and start to rock him to sleep, also humming a little tune that made the baby dragon yawn again, before he slowly closed his eyes, until he fell asleep.

"I never knew you were this good with taking care of Sparky, Sun!" Hitch told her with a smile. "Is this another of your Alicorn powers, or is this just you being the most amazing pony I know?"

That last comment made Sunny blush madly, and she looked away from Hitch embarrassed, even though she still smiled and felt flattered at his words.

"Did you just blushed?" Hitch asked mockingly.

"N-No!" Sunny replied in a defensive way.

"Yes, you did!" Hitch remarked with a grin.

"N-No, I didn't!" Sunny complained, looking back at him and still blushing.

Hitch rolled his eyes at her stubborn attitude, but he'll be lying if he said he didn't found it attractive... After all, her stubbornness is the very reason why he followed her when she became a "criminal", because he needed to make sure that she'll be fine.

Well, that, and he wanted to bring her to justice since back then helping out a unicorn was considered illegal, but you already know how that story ended.

"I've also been thinking about... us..." Sunny confessed one more time.

"Huh?" Hitch said confused, looking down at his marefriend with a raised eyebrow.

Sunny giggled at Hitch's obliviousness, although she also found it quite charming. "What I mean to say is... I've been thinking on what's next for us. You know, once Opaline is defeated and the whole ordeal of our Mobian friends staying in Equestria or not is solved."

"Oh!" Hitch said again, now getting what she's talking about. "Well... I may be saying something controversial, but... I believe we all will go on our own paths... For real this time..."

Sunny's ears perked up, and she looked at Hitch confused. "What do you mean?"

"Considering all the crazy stuff we've lived for the past three years, maybe when all is over, each one is taking their own route... But permanently," Hitch explained. "I'm not saying it will happen, but... It could..."

Sunny didn't liked to think on the idea of separating from her friends so they could all make their lives on their own... But she had to admit that maybe Hitch was right. After all, with Opaline defeated, and with Eggman as well hopefully, maybe everyone would want to go on their own, make their own lives.

"...Do you think that means we'll get married?" Sunny asked with a playful smirk, as she looked at Hitch at her side.

Hitch deadpanned at her, instead of freaking out or blushing a lot like she expected him to.

"What?" Sunny asked, still smirking playfully, but all Hitch did was raise an eyebrow. "Aw, come on, Hitchy. You can't say you haven't thought on the possibility!"

"I have, that's true, but it doesn't mean I completely believe we will," Hitch replied. "Besides, don't you think getting married when the journey is over is kind of a cliché at this point? I'm not saying it'll be bad, but... Maybe we should avoid until we're both ready?"

"Huh?" Sunny said with wide eyes. "A-Are you not ready?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, Sun. I love you, and I love Sparky, too. Nothing would make me happier than call you my 'Ms. Trailblazer'~" Hitch said with a flirty tone that made Sunny go red. "But... I don't wanna rush things out. Sure, it took us a long time to get together as a couple, but thinking about marriage? Are you absolutely sure we're ready for that?"

Sunny opened her mouth to reply, but then she closed it when she realized Hitch's point. Yes, they were together now; and yes, they took a long time to do so... That didn't meant they had to get married immediately. They could take their time still, and no one could tell them otherwise.

It was their decision, at the end of the day.

So, Sunny smiled and looked at her coltfriend. "...You're right, Hitch. There's no need to rush our relationship. We can take as much time as we need!"

"And I'll be glad to come at you with the question in the right moment, when we're both ready for it," Hitch assured her with a smile.

They shared another kiss after that, and they didn't cared for anything else in the world, or in the multiverse in general. Right here, right now? It was just them and their baby dragon. Nothing else mattered.

In another random zone of Green Hills, a portal suddenly opened up.

From it, Team Anomaly and Sonic came out, arriving to their destination after successfully saving Sonic from the HQ, and he could confirm they were in his universe, because neither his arm nor his shoes were glowing with any Prismatic Energy out of control.

Sonic seemed glad that his energy was under control, but then he looked ahead and noticed that, instead of appearing in Equestria, they were back in Green Hills.

"Wait a second... Why the hell are we in Green Hills?!" Sonic asked, confused and a bit startled.

"Because this is the last place we were before going to save you," Tails X pointed out. "Your friends were here last time we were here."

"Okay, I understand that, but why do I appeared here if I was in Equestria last time?" Sonic was more specific with his question.

"That's how dimensions and multiversal travel works!" Dr. Hooves replied with a smile. "Our watches not only allow us to travel to different universes, but also to different dimensions among that same world! Why do you think we came here to Mobius and not to Equestria when we wanted to talk with your friends?"

"Or why are we here instead of Equestria!" Classic Sonic pointed out as well.

"...Wait... Are you guys telling me that this is still my universe... Just another dimension?" Sonic asked confused and startled, but also feeling hopeful about something he thought that was impossible.

"Pretty much," Buffon replied uninterested, as he walked pass him.

Sonic stopped walking ahead to let this information sink on his brain. He always thought that he knew about the multiverse, that he has travelled to other worlds either to participate on the Olympic Games with Mario and company, or to represent his 'universe' in the Super Smash Bros. tournaments... But now, he's learning that he's always been in the same universe, and he only travelled to other dimensions... That includes Equestria.

It was hard to describe how he was feeling. Happy? Confused? At the edge of tears? All the above?

These mixed feeling also made him remember when Chip talked about the Nexus Events... A universe could either collide against another, fuse, or both could stop existing... But none of that applies to his world.

The reason why Chip could never tell what kind of thing was happening to his world was not because they were probably before a new kind of Nexus Event, but because his world and Equestria aren't different universes, but instead they are different dimensions...

"...I can stay in Equestria... And nothing bad would ever happen..." Sonic muttered to himself, still not knowing if he should be happy or confused on how it is possible... But it is, and that's all that matters.

"Yeah, I supposed you'll react like that." Boom Sonic said with a smile, as he approached him. "I honestly thought you knew that, so you can't be mad at me for not telling you something this time around!"

Sonic looked over at him, and instead of feeling mad or anything, he simply wrapped Boom into a hug, even including Aurora as well on it.

The baby babbled happily and placed her small hands on Sonic's face, while Boom ended up wrapping his arms around Sonic, and that made the Blue Blur smile and let out some tears of joy, not giving a damn for crying out in public.

"I'm still mad with you for not telling me about the Canon stuff..." Sonic muttered under his breath, but never broke the hug.

"Yeah, I know... I deserve it, anyways." Boom Sonic admitted with an eye roll, but also still smiling.

Soon, Sonic broke the hug and wiped his tears away, then he looked down at the floor with a smile... Just knowing that he could stay in Equestria, with his new friends, with Pipp... It was hard not to feel happy... And yet, he came to notice how dirty his gloves and shoes looked now.

"Okay, why the heck does this still happens?" Sonic asked with a deadpan, grabbing one of his shoes and looking at it with concern. "I seriously gotta tell Tails to check on that polymer... Is loosing its effect..."

"Question out of curiosity, but where are going, exactly?" Firefly decided to ask. "If you guys haven't noticed, we're just in the middle of Green Hills... Where do we have to go, again?"

"To reunite with the rest," Buffon pointed out, then he looked at Sonic. "Your friends are expecting you."

"Right... I, uh... I still don't know how to thank you, guys, for saving my butt back there," Sonic said with a smile. "I thought for a second that I'll never see the light of day again... I'm grateful for you all."

"Well, we made the little mistake of joining a Society that we thought was doing the right thing, but letting a bunch of people die just because "it had to happen"... Yeah, that's pretty messed up..." Classic Sonic pointed out.

"Besides, you went to our worlds and helped us against our Eggmans!" Tails X pointed out from inside his mech with a smile. "We had to repay your help somehow!"

"It wasn't necessary to repay me, you know?" Sonic said with a sheepish smile, also scratching his neck a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, but it was!" Classic Sonic said, as he zoomed at his side. "Thanks to you, my universe is safe from Robotnik, and now we don't have to worry for him ever again! Sure, I missed doing hero stuff before FS went to recruit me, but knowing I'll be happy with Sally? Sign me in!"

"And you helped my world to face off Eggman, even if he wasn't the same Eggman from your universe!" Tails X pointed out as well, as he got out of his mech and approached Sonic. "You may feel we don't owe you one for helping our universes, but we did! And now you're free and can take charge of the situation, right?"

Sonic felt a lot better after hearing Classic and Tails X's words, so he smiled and nodded with a determinate look. "Right! Can't leave any of you guys hanging on your own! Besides, there's still an Opaline we gotta catch! And if Sunset is as willing to you to make up for me, then we better get to Tails' lab and start planning out our counter attack!"

"Now that's the spirit!" Boom Sonic said with a smile, but then he smelled that something was off, then he looked down at Aurora on his kangaroo and cringed. "Ugh... And I hope you have a really well secured trash can, 'cause this baby needs a change of diaper..."

Sonic chuckled and rolled his eyes at Boom's father attitude, although he'll lie if he said he didn't felt happy for him. Who knew, maybe he'll be on his place one day, but married with Pipp instead.

Suddenly, though, his quills vibrated, and he took out his phone from there, but then his quills vibrated again, so he took out his other phone, the one that allows him to talk with anyone from within any dimension of that said universe, and he saw he got a message from Mario.

"Huh... That's weird..." Sonic muttered with a raised eyebrow.

Soon, he opened the message and started to read it... But the more he advanced on it, the more his eyes widened, and the more panic he felt.

"What the heck is Tails even thinking?!" Sonic exclaimed out loud in horror.

"Huh?" Boom Sonic said confused.

"What's the matter?" Tails X asked.

"You are the matter!" Sonic replied, before realizing what he said, so he shook his head and corrected himself. "Well, not you... The you of this universe! He's doing something so stupid that could get him killed if I don't go right now!"

After saying that, he was about to boost away, but Buffon stopped him with an arm.

"Don't forget your friends are expecting you, Hedgehog..." Buffon reminded him, at first without looking at him, but then he did. "You can't just pass by them without explaining yourself."

"Then hopefully they're not there!" Sonic said with a frown, as he moved Buffon's arm away, but before boosting, he turned to Team Anomaly. "I'm really sorry to leave like this, but my best friend could be in danger, and I'm still on time to avoid he dies... If you guys see my friends here in Green Hills in case I don't, tell them I'm sorry for not saying hi, but I really need to help Tails!"

After that, he boosted away and waited for no response, leaving Team Anomaly confused and concerned for him.

Sonic himself knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he seriously wanted to avoid Tails' death if possible. After all, if he changes his own Canon, nothing bad is supposed to happen.

As he ran through Green Hills, he couldn't help but smile. Yes, he likes Equestria and wants to stay there, but his own dimension, this place, is still his home. And he missed it... Maybe he never said it out loud to not concern anyone, specially Pipp, but he missed it a lot.

Running over loop-de-loops, across several forests, and even over the falling spaces whenever he simply stood over them... He missed Green Hills, no doubt.

Too bad he can't stay to appreciate his home so much, because he needed to go and see that Tails is fine. So, once he reached Tails' lab, he went over the frame of Longclaw, Tails and him when they were kids, and even if Sonic smiled at the sight, he still moved the frame aside and pressed the Super Mushroom button.

When the piano appeared, he quickly played the happy little melody for 40 seconds, and then, the green pipe appeared in the ground.

He didn't thought twice, curled into a ball and then jumped into the pipe, while the pipe made a strange sound and then disappeared. Once it did, though, the door that leads to the kitchen opened, and Pipp popped her head, confused on what the hell she just heard.

"Huh... I could swear I heard something..." Pipp told herself confused.

She decided to shrug it and then went back into the kitchen, since she was there with the rest of Team A... None of them noticed Sonic was there, and now he's on his way to the Mushroom Kingdom...

Meanwhile, in another dimension...

Bowser's Castle was one of the most dangerous places that anyone could ever imagine.

From the outside, the Castle has a gloomy appearance that could give anyone with the slightest ability to see a bad feeling. Just above the main gate of the castle, there is a statue with the face of the Koopa King, and the top of the tallest tower resembles the shell of a turtle. Surrounding the towers are gigantic replicas of the spiked bracelets Bowser wears.

The top of the other towers was green and pointed, like a stake ready to pierce anyone, and there were also several windows surrounding the building. They were probably the only thing not so scary about this castle.

And to make it clear that this is Bowser's Castle, several koopas were positioned on the towers with Bullet Bill cannons, ready to be launched in case they were under attack. Of course, the koopas find this unnecessary, but they also know that some smartass will always try to take on Bowser... Even if they die trying.

Now, the koopas have seen a lot of crazy stuff in their lives, no doubt... But seeing a sudden Yellow plane fly up in the air and approach still freaked them out, specially because no one ever approached the castle like... ever.

"Uh... Should we... shoot at it or something?" One of the koopas asked confused.

"No clue... Someone go and tell the boss that we might have company!" The koopa in charge of the cannons informed. "We gotta be ready for anything..."

One of the koopas nodded and jumped off his position, before moving towards the inside of the castle and move across the alleys as fast as his feet allowed him, also deep breathing to make sure he wouldn't loose his breath.

Once he reached the doors to the throne room, two of the koopas guarding it blocked him the way, but when the koopa explained that they might be in danger of being attacked, the koopas' eyes widened, so they let him in, but not without wishing him good luck.

The koopa slowly walked down the throne room, and he did all the possible to not tremble in fear, as well as to not look at all the Bowser Statues around that seemed to face him.

Bowser implemented those statues as a psychological test for his subjects, so they could always remember who they came to see, and who they are about to talk to. The koopa gulped and hid all his face but his eyes inside his shell, and when he finally approached the throne, he stopped.

The throne was turned around, and if Bowser was sitting there, the koopa couldn't see him.

"S-Sir?" The koopa called out nervously.

"..." No voice replied, but the koopa could hear a breath, so he gulped and choose to continue.

"I-I'm sorry to be b-bothering, sir... B-But we m-might be... U-U-U-U-Under a-a-a-a-attack?" The koopa said completely nervous, still hiding all his face but his eyes.

"...Is everyone in position?" A deep, menacing and echoing voice spoke, one voice that could sent shivers down anyone's spine, and that could make anyone wet their pants in fear.

"Y-Yes, sir!" The koopa replied, getting his head out of his shell and trembling while making a salute. "W-We're just waiting for your orders!"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence in the Throne Room. But then, the throne at long last started to turn around, just to show the monstrosity sitting over it, frowning down at the koopa.

A gigantic turtle with horns, red hair and eyebrows, blue eyes, several spikes on his shell, several spiked bracelets on his arms and neck, scales covering his entire body, and huge, sharp claws on his hands and on his feet... It was Bowser, King of the Koopas.

"Then go back to your formation, soldier... And take that thing down from the sky!" Bowser instructed with a frown, also smashing his fist on his own chair.

That startled the koopa, who at first entered entirely on his shell, before immediately get out of it. "Y-Yes, sir!" The koopa replied, and he soon got out of the room while screaming in panic.

Bowser, on the other hand, stood up from his throne and smiled. "It seems like Princess Peach is willing to take the lead with the attack, huh?" He muttered to himself with glee. "Well... Good thing I'm always up for a battle!"

After that, he clapped his hands, and soon, the entire throne room began to rumble...

On the other hand, we have Tails piloting the Tornado IV... or a replica of it.

He used his powers to create the plane, and while he piloted it, Misty and Izzy sat on the same place behind him, and behind the two mares, Princess Peach was sitting. That left Knuckles riding the plane's wing, Zipp flying, and the Mario Bros using tanooki suits to fly as well.

"We're just arriving to Bowser's Castle!" Tails instructed. "Be prepared to jump if necessary!"

"Jump?!" Misty exclaimed in panic. "Why would we need to jump?!"

However, before Tails could give her a proper answer, the koopas down in the castle pointed the cannons at them.

"FIRE!" The koopa in charge instructed.

With this, all the bullet bills in the cannons were launched against the group of heroes, but Tails knew this was going to happen, so he started to make evasive maneuvers in the air.

"Does that answers your question?!" Tails told Misty, as he kept dodging the Bullet Bills.

Soon, he made the plane dive towards the Castle's frontal zone, and he crashed it against the koopas and the Bullet Bill's cannons, but that also made the ones on the plane jump before it crashed, as Misty and Izzy levitated with their magic, Tails used his tails to fly, Knuckles glided in the air, and Peach used her dress to float, before politely landing on the floor as well.

Then, Zipp and the Mario Bros. landed as well, and they found themselves facing off a bunch of koopas, goombas, spikes, lakitus, more Bullet Bill cannons, and even Piranha Plants coming out of some pipes.

"Why are there so many pipes in here?" Zipp deadpanned.

"Come on, Luigi! Let's-a-go!" Mario said with a smile, as he flew towards the enemies.

"Okie-dokie!" Luigi replied with a smile as well, following his elder brother towards the battle.

Peach also followed along, while Tails smirked and looked back at the mares of the group. "Remember what Mario did with that mushroom back in the training course?!"

"That he became big after eating it?" Misty questioned, and Tails nodded. "Yeah... Why is it important?"

"Because those boxes have thousands of power-ups like that mushroom!" Knuckles pointed at all the Mystery (?) Boxes floating across the Castle.

"No matter what they do: Pick them up and start attacking those things!" Tails added as well.

"If it's gonna help us recruiting that Bowser guy, then I'll do it with pleasure!" Zipp stated.

"Please give me a red mushroom, please give me a red mushroom, please give me a red mushroom!" Izzy begged silently.

And so, the group of heroes began to fight against Bowser's minions.

On one hand, Mario and Luigi used their Tanooki suits to fly around and flip their tails to hit enemies constantly, even coming to a point where they made a combo that gave them both a 1-Up.

As they did so, Peach hit one of the Mystery Blocks and got an Ice Flower, which changed her dress to color blue and gave her a ponytail, while she started to launch ice balls against the enemies, and even made a small ice road on the lava around to dodge enemies and even trick them to fall in the lava.

Meanwhile, Tails used his powers and created a big explosive barrel that he launchd to the air, while Zipp flew, made a twirl, and then pushed the barrel so it would roll ahead against the enemies, even exploding and making them fly in the air in panic.

Then, Knuckles moved ahead and jumped, hitting a Mystery Box that gave him a red mushroom. He then saw a Mystery Box in the ground, so he kicked it to the air.

Tails hit the Mystery Box this time around, making a Fire Flower came out, so he clapped his hands on it and got the power-up, turning his yellow fur into red, while his shoes turned fully white with a yellow zone.

"Oh yeah!" Tails cheered, before extending his arms and creating a pair of fire balls. "FIRE!"

Meanwhile, Knuckles ate the Super Mushroom and grew significantly, before the two Mobians moved ahead and started to attack enemies as well, with tails flying and throwing fireballs like a maniac, while Knuckles jumped over the enemies, kicked some koopas when they hid on their shells after getting hit, and even made a ground pound.

"Guess we gotta try, too!" Zipp said with a smile, as she flew ahead, while Izzy and Misty followed along.

Soon, Zipp hit a Mystery Box with her hooves, which released a Cape Feather, and when she grabbed the item, a cape appeared around her.

Of course, this both confused and disappointed her, but as soon as she figured that when she spins in the air, the cape moves like some kind of whip and attacks, she smirked, and soon, she started to fly around to hit all the Lakitus and Paratroopas she could with her new power-up.

Meanwhile, Izzy levitated a green koopa shell and hit a Mystery Box as well, which released an orange mushroom with eyes that had a propeller on the head and flew around.

Izzy jumped and grabbed the item, squeezing it with her hooves so it would transform her as well, but as soon a she got a purple suit and a helmet with a propeller, she panicked when she noticed that she was heading towards the lava, so she spin and... elevated in the air.

Her new power-up allowed her to fly, and thanks to it, she could levitate enemies and make them twirl in the air along her, which of course made them all dizzy.

The only one left was Misty, who managed to jump and hit a Mystery Box with her hoof as well. The item that came out of it was a brown leave that tried to fly away, and even though Misty tried to grab it but missed a few times, she eventually clapped it with her hooves and transformed.

She got a similar suit to Mario and Luigi's, although it still showed off her horn, but she didn't seemed to mind.

"Uh, what does this does again–– Whoa!" Misty exclaimed surprised when her tail started to twirl around and elevated her in the air, just the same way Tails' tails elevate him off the ground.

However, as her Tanooki suit moved her wildly, she hit some Paratroopas and Lakitus in the air by mistake, until she finally got some control of her new power-up and twirled her tail by will, hitting a Lakitu and launching him off his cloud, which made Misty smile and giggle at her accomplishment.

"Hey, nice suit, Mist!" Tails complimented her with a smile, as he kept flying around and hit some spikes and goombas with fireballs.

"Really?!" Misty asked excited, as she followed him and twirled her tail again to hit a Paratroopa away.

"Who needs flying when you can smash... LIKE A GIANT?!" Knuckles said suddenly from the ground with a smirk, as he jumped highly charged his electrical powers and then dived to the floor, punching it and causing the whole castle to rumble, but also sending many of the enemies flying away.

"Can someone tell me why you never brought us here before?!" Izzy asked in excitement, as she kept twirling around thanks to the propeller mushroom. "This place ROCKS!"

"Blame the writer of this story for taking so long, not us!" Tails said, as he threw another fireball to a Piranha Plant that tried to bite him.

I'm doing my best here, okay?!

"Well, is not enough!" Knuckles said, punching a goomba out of his way, and I'm going to ignore he said that.

Soon, the group kept getting enemies out of their way, until they reached a giant door inside of the castle, the door that lead to Bowser's throne room.

Peach and Mario stood in front of the group, while the former looked at the rest of the group over her shoulder. "Be ready to knock down a very ugly turtle..."

Luigi simply nodded with a determinate look, Knuckles cracked his knuckles and charged his powers, Tails deep breathed and then looked ahead with a determinate look, also making two fireballs appear. Zipp grabbed her cape and adjusted it, while Izzy twirled the propeller on her helmet.

Misty limited herself to gulp, but then she took a deep breath and looked ahead determined, even lightening up her horn despite having the tanooki suit over.

Seeing that the rest were ready to keep going, both Mario and Peach looked ahead with frowns, as Mario stood ready for a fight, already used to deal with Bowser on his own, while Peach made two iceballs appear on her hands, before Mario began to approach the door.

He placed his hand over it, and the pushed it open and revealing the throne room, which had changed significantly compared to how it used to look when the koopa came in earlier.

Before, the Bowser Statues were all in a row along the path that lead to the Throne were Bowser sits... Now? The statues surrounded a massive lava pool that at the same time had a small wood bridge that led to the throne, which was in the middle of all this lava.

"Keep your eyes open..." Mario warned. "Bowser could be anywhere, waiting for attacking..."

"Which would be a very Bowser move to do, if you ask me..." Knuckles deadpanned, as everyone slowly started to walk over the bridge to cross at the other side.

They all went in tippy toes, making sure not to make any loud sound that could alert the koopa king of their presence here, even though Mario already suspected he knew that if the throne room was looking like this.

"So, uh... I know you have mentioned this "Bowser guy" can be intimidating, but... How intimidating, are we talking about?" Misty asked a bit nervous.

Luigi opened his mouth to reply to her, but before he could do so, the bridge behind them broke and fell into the lava, which was bad enough already, but they soon also started to hear a maniac laugh echoing around the room, and everyone positioned to fight.

Well, everyone except Luigi and Misty, who were incredibly scared and even positioned on each others backs to, well, be scared together, I guess.

And then, a loud stomp that also made the ground rumble was heard behind Luigi and Misty, and they both panicked even more, even gulping nervously. However, when the rest turned and felt panicked too, while Zipp and Izzy went pale, they got even more nervous.

So, they choose to start turning around slowly, and they went pale as well: Bowser appeared right behind them, and he looked down at Luigi and Misty with a sinister grin.

"How intimidating I am, you ask?" Bowser told Misty with a chuckle, before showing his sharp teeth. "Well... Judge for yourself, little pony!"

There was a minute of silence, and as soon as Misty and Luigi looked at each other, and then back at Bowser... They ended up hugging each other in fear and then running back to hide behind Tails and Mario respectively, while Zipp and Izzy were as pale as Misty to see Bowser.

They've seen creatures that had genuinely scared them before, but this guy? He definitely was the most terrifying monster they've ever seen, and if he really breathes fire... They're done.

"What a lovely surprise to have you all in my humble residence!" Bowser said with a huge grin. "And here I was planning to kidnap you in a few days, Princess... But I see that won't be necessary!"

"I'm not here because I want to, Bowser!" Peach said with anger, as she made an iceball appear on her hand. "If it was for more, I would take any possible chance I get to avoid even passing near your kingdom!"

"Don't play so rude with me now, Peach," Bowser said with a frown. "Or should I remind you how many times you've been the damsel in distress before training yourself to finally be useful?!"

"Bowser, don't make me go and kick-a your f––" Mario tried to say in anger, but while Luigi stopped him by grabbing him from his arms, Tails stepped in and covered his mouth.

"We're here because I told them to come with me!" Tails spoke with a frown.

Bowser's grin and menacing look faded away to show now a very confused expression, staring at Tails up and down. Last time he saw him, he still had red shoes and the high pitched voice... Now he sounded older, mature... And the fact that his shoes looked different even with the power up also confused the Koopa King.

"...What the hell happened to your voice?" Bowser asked confused.

Tails deadpanned and facepalmed annoyed. "Why does everyone has to ask me that?!"

"Dude, you sounded like a 5 year old girl up until a year and 4 months ago..." Knuckles deadpanned as well. "I don't judge him for questioning your sudden change in voice actor."

"C-Can you guys top breaking the fourth wall and focus?!" Zipp shouted in panic.

Tails rolled his eyes annoyed and shook his head. "Look, Bowser... There's a really important reason why I wanna talk with you, but first let me ask: Do we have to beat the crap out of you so you will listen, or can we try to be polite for once and talk like persons?"

However, this last take made Bowser deadpan and then raise an eyebrow at him, which made Tails deadpan as well.

"...That means you want a fight first before listening, don't you?" Tails asked.

"You already have power-ups and have beaten the crap out of my army..." Bowser pointed out, crossing his arms. "Bold of you to assume I don't want a fight, too."

"I should've seen this coming..." Tails rolled his eyes again, before cracking his knuckles, his neck, and then frown at Bowser, while making a pair of fireballs appear on his hands. "Let's get this over with!"

With this, Bowser grinned, and then he prepared to launch a massive breath of fire.

Noticing this, Tails immediately moved Misty and Zipp apart while Knuckles did the same with Izzy, and the rest moved away on their own, just in time for Bowser to launch his breath of fire.

Seeing that the Koopa King was serious, the rest decided to take it serious as well, and even if the mares were still shocked by how Bowser looked, they knew that they still had to fight back as well, so they choose to let their fears aside and confront the giant turtle.

Speaking of him, Bowser tried to hit Knuckles with his bare fists, but the Echidna blocked the attack and punched him on his face, which made Bowser step back and groan.

And still, the Koopa King shook his head and launched fireballs from his mouth against Knuckles, which made the echidna dodge the balls and then block another attack from Bowser... But that was a distraction, because the turtle then used his tail to make Knuckles loose balance by twirling and hitting his feet with his tail.

Now, just before Knuckles could hit the ground, Bowser punched him in the face and sent him backwards, which made the echidna crash against a wall and loose his power-up with a a strange sound.

Bowser grinned and laughed at this, but then he got smashed on his head, and he groaned again in anger, so he saw upwards and noticed that Izzy was using her power-up to fly around the room and hit his head. So, Bowser launched several fireballs to the air.

Izzy noticed this and began to fly around the room with her propeller, even hitting Bowser on his head several more times, but this only made the Koopa King get furious.

Eventually, Izzy couldn't fly anymore, and she was falling towards the ground, but she never hit it, because Bowser jumped and smashed her away with his tail, making her crash against the wall as well, as she fell painfully to the ground, right besides Knuckles, also loosing her power-up.

But then, Zipp and Misty came by flight as well and began to twirl so they could hit Bowser as well, Zipp with her cape, and Misty with the Tanooki suit's tail.

And yet, this only made the Koopa King get even madder, because he grabbed Zipp from her cape and then launched her out of the window. She landed on ground, thankfully, but she also lost her power-up. Then, she tried to get up, but fell once again when Misty fell over her.

Of course, Misty also lost her power-up, and what happened is that Bowser also launched her from the window next to the one he launched Zipp before.

The warp pipe that leads to Green Hills started to shine.

Out of it, a blue ball rolled in the ground, and then said blue ball showed to be Sonic, who accelerated and turned into a Blue Blur that got lost in the distance, heading towards Bowser's Kingdom.

As he did so, her jumped and hit a Mystery Box he found near by, which made a Penguin Suit come out of it. Sonic smashed the suit with his hands, and soon the suit got on him. Then, he launched himself to the water and started to swim at fast paste under it.

One of the blesses of the Penguin Suit is that whoever puts it over gains abilities they usually don't have... Like swimming, even if they don't know how to do it.

Mario and Luigi were attacking Bowser together.

They were used to this, they're experienced on the job. They flew around with their Tanooki suits and dodged all the fireballs and breaths that Bowser was launching at them. After that, they always made sure to stomp over his head, and even tackled him down with their tails.

At some point, Mario and Luigi grabbed Bowser from his tail and twirled him a bit around. "So long, King Bowser!" Mario commented, as the brothers let him go towards one of his statues.

Bowser crashed against the statue and destroyed it, also groaning in pain, but right when the Mario Bros. landed in the ground and high-fived, they heard the power-up sound, their eyes widened in panic, and they slowly turned their heads to the place where they launched Bowser.

And then, the rubble of the statue was moved away when Bowser launched himself and landed in front of the brothers, now looking like a cat thanks to the Super Bell.

"What's the matter?! Are you two scared?!" Bowser asked with a mocking tone and a grin.

Luigi was, in fact, very scared, but even if Mario did felt intimidated, he was used to deal with Bowser. This wasn't nothing new for him, so he simply frowned and stood ready to fight. Luigi saw this and did the same, but he was still trembling a bit in fear.

"Well, then... Maybe doing this will finally put you on your damn place!" Bowser shouted in rage, before bringing out his claws and try to hit Mario and Luigi.

Both brothers jumped backwards and then landed in the ground, but then Bowser moved ahead and jumped, then stomped on the floor right in time before the brothers could move away, and that stunned them, as they vibrated while standing on one leg.

Bowser took advantage of this, so he crossed his arms like an X, and then extended them towards the brothers, hitting them on their backs and sending them towards opposite directions.

The two Mario Brothers hit the wall and painfully fell to the ground, loosing their power-ups in the process, while Bowser laughed and felt victorious... But then, he was suddenly hit in the head by Tails, who was flying around and launching fireballs on his face.

This didn't damaged Bowser a lot, but like with any power-up, one hit made him loose the effect of the Super Bell, and he groaned in rage when this happened, so he tried to hit Tails, like if he was trying to kill a big mosquito.

Sonic came out of water and jumped back in earth.

He purposely hit himself to loose the Penguin Suit power-up, and then he started to run towards Bowser's Castle, but not without hitting another Mystery Box that released an Ice Flower. So, Sonic clapped his hand on the flower and transformed with a new power-up.

His fur changed to light-blue, his shoes looked like if they were freeze'd and allowed him to skate on ice. His warm ivory chest, arms, mouth and ears changed to a sky blue color, and his quills were straight while also looking freeze'd.

With this new transformation, Sonic launched iceballs to the lava round, then began to roller skate over it as he head even faster towards Bowser's Castle.

Tails and Peach were doing their best to dodge Bowser's attacks.

The young fox recently lost his power up, so he's trying to use his own weapons against the Koopa King, while the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom managed to freeze Bowser's legs and arms for a very short moment, which always allowed Tails to hit him with Spin Dashes and a boomerang he made.

However, this also made Bowser loose his patience, and so, he got free from the ice and hit Peach with his tail, sending her backwards, as she crashed into a wall and lost her ponytail and her power-up.

Tails, on the other hand, let out a warrior cry and headed towards Bowser, but the Koopa King grabbed him from his tails and twirled him around constantly, making Tails feel dizzy, then Bowser launched him against a window, and since Tails had no control over his flight, he was heading towards the lava.

Zipp and Misty, who were still outside the castle, saw this, and they both panicked at the sight. "TAILS!!!" They both shouted desperate, tears forming in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Tails screamed in fear and panic, as he seriously couldn't make his tails work, and just when he was about to hit the lava in the ground, he closed his eyes... Just to feel that he was being saved in the last minute. This confused him, so he opened his eyes and looked around.

However, as soon as he noticed that Sonic was charging him in bridal style, also having the Ice Flower power-up, he couldn't believe it: Sonic was here, safe, free, alive.

"S-Sonic?!" Tails asked with disbelief, but also with infinite happiness.

"Tails!" Sonic replied with a huge grin, happy to have saved his friend from dying.

Of course, the vision he had along Sunny about Tails and Hitch dying said that Opaline was the responsible, but he didn't cared for that detail... He saved him, and that's all that mattered to him.

Soon, Sonic jumped in the air, but then he accidentally let Tails go, and they both rolled in the ground, although they landed in their feet. Then, they looked at each other and didn't even thought twice before embracing each other into a tight and brotherly hug.

They definitely missed each other so much, and this hug was therapeutic: Sonic was glad to have his little brother alive, and Tails finally felt like he could breath again, because Sonic was fine.

"Are you okay?!" Sonic asked, as he cut the hug for a moment to check on Tails.

"Y-Yeah!" Tails replied, at the edge of tears.

"No bones broken?!"

"N-No!"

With that out of the way, they embraced each other into a hug again, like if they never wanted to let the other go ever. They didn't cared for anything else right now, just embracing each other. After all, they'll always be at the other's side, no matter what.

They broke the hug and Tails sighed in relief, but then he noticed Sonic with the Ice Flower power-up. "Man, why do you always look cooler than any of us when getting power-ups, huh?!" He complained, although he was still smirking.

"Sonic?!" Zipp and Misty spoke behind them, and the two brothers turned to see the two mares.

"Dude, is that really you?!" Zipp asked with shock, specially by how different he looked thanks to the power-up.

"The one and only!" Sonic replied with a grin. "You can thank Boom and his pals for getting me out of the Society!"

That confirmed that he was the same Sonic, and the two mares rushed to embrace him in a hug as well, while Sonic chuckled and hugged them back. Then, they broke the hug and hugged Tails now, since they were glad that Sonic managed to save him.

However, Sonic heard a roar coming from inside the castle, then he looked at Tails with a frown. "I got a message from Mario saying you wanted to recruit Bowser! Are you nuts?!"

"Bowser has a big army, Sonic!" Tails pointed out. "And he's powerful with his fire breath! He could help us fight against Opaline!"

"And how are you so sure?!" Sonic asked.

"Because he could loose it all... And you know what I mean..." Tails replied with a determined look.

Sonic's eyes widened, and he got what Tails meant, so he looked back at the castle and then boosted inside.

There, he found Bowser holding Knuckles from his neck and showing off his claws, ready to finish him off, but Sonic charged up a Spin Dash that combined with the Power Up he had, and then he launched himself against Bowser.

Once he hit the Koopa King, Bowser let go of Knuckles, and his whole body began to get massively freeze'd because of Sonic moving around at fast paste and constantly launching Ice Balls, until the head was the only thing not freeze'd.

"Sonic?!" Everyone in the room exclaimed with wide eyes, but Knuckles and Izzy also did it with happiness.

"Sup!" Sonic said with a smile, even though he was only looking at Bowser, as he walked up to him. "Let me guess: These guys entered to your Castle, wanted to ask something, you refused because you wanted to fight, and now here you are..."

"...Yeah..." Bowser deadpanned.

"Well, I cannot blame you for wanting a fight after your army got beaten up..." Sonic confessed with his arms crossed, before frowning. "But I cannot get why you attack us when we are not the ones you should be aware of."

"What do you mean?" Bowser asked.

"There's someone out there that's taking over the entire multiverse, and if she gets powerful enough, she'll come to our reality and erase everything as we know it!" Sonic explained. "That includes you, your castle, your minions, Peach... And your son."

That last thing made Bowser's eyes widen in panic, and he felt something he never thought he'll ever feel... Fear, but not for his safety: Fear for his subjects, for Peach, and for Bowser Jr., who was out for today, training with Kamek to become the future ruler one day.

"...How do I know you're not lying?" Bowser asked with a slight frown.

"Bowser, when have I been so desperate that I have to ask for your help instead of Eggman's?" Sonic pointed out with a concerned expression.

Bowser saw that Sonic had a very good point, so he let out a sigh, and then looked at him with a determinate look. If the entire multiverse was in danger, and that danger could reach his son and his Kingdom, then he'll gladly will face off this foe and take her down.

"...As long as my son has a place to rule, I don't care what I have to do!" Bowser declared. "I'll join your cause, Hedgehog... But this seriously better not be a trap!"

"Again, when have I been so desperate to need your help?" Sonic repeated with a mocking tone.

With that out of the way, Knuckles came by and grabbed Sonic, messing up with his quills in a friendly way, while Izzy arrived and hugged him tightly. Then, he fist bumped with Luigi, he grabbed his hand with Mario's in a friendly way, and he made a small bow to Princess Peach.

"Welcome back, Hedgehog!" Knuckles cheered loudly with a smile, still rubbing his head, while Izzy continued hugging him.

Sonic chuckled and smiled happily. "Well, is good to be back, Knucklehead! It really is..."

Author's Note

Oh yeah! The Blue Blur is back, and Bowser is now part of the team!

I've been doing really good on these few chapters! I honestly feel that chapter 11 could've been a better comeback from the hiatus, but ever since chapter 13, I feel like I'm doing great with this story!

Using the Mario power-ups on the characters was really fun, and it was hard to define which one each character was going to use... But I like how it turned out in the end. And who knows. If you guys are loud enough, maybe one day you'll get a Super Mario x My Little Pony story from me. But only time will tell! :raritywink:

I couldn't find a good picture of Tails with the Fire Flower, but I did found Ice Sonic!

Like Tails said: Sonic always looks bad-ass when he's got the Mario power-ups.

Thanks so much for reading so far. Next chapter: Opaline and Eggman keep collecting shards, but Team Dark might be right on their tails...

See ya! :twilightsmile:

17. Team Dark Strikes

Universe 260822

Izzy leaped into the cave and dashed towards Sunny as she ran towards her unicorn friend. The two met in the middle and pulled each other into a hug.

Over by the entrance, three more pony heads poked into the opening, which belonged to Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals, and Hitch Trailblazer. Pipp flew over to Sunny immediately, while Zipp, hovering just above the ground, helped Hitch into the cave.

"Sunny!"

"What are you guys doing here?" Sunny asked, letting go of Izzy to embrace her other friends.

"Did you seriously think that we would let you just disappear like that?" Pipp asked, holding up Sunny's note that she had left in the Crystal Brighthouse. "Zipp did some investigating and used her spy gear to find some kind of magical energy leftover from whatever took you, and Izzy cast some kind of finder spell, and we've been following you ever since." She looked around, just noticing where they were for the first time. "Um… where exactly are we?"

"And who is that?" Zipp asked, pointing behind Sunny to where Twilight Sparkle was standing, looking at the group of friends with a forlorn look on her face, like she remembered having something like this but had it taken away from her.

Hitch tilted his head at the alicorn. "Is it just me, or does she look kind of familiar…"

"Oh!" Sunny shook her head, and her wings and horn disappeared in small bursts of golden light. "Guys, this is Twilight Sparkle. She's the pony my dad told me about, who saved Equestria with her friends and created the crystals. She lost her friends and was so sad that she basically forgot who she was, but I think she's okay now. We've been talking for a while." She grinned bashfully. "Twilight, these are my friends that I told you about: Hitch, Izzy, Zipp, and Pipp. If it weren't for them, magic never would have been brought back, and ponies would still be divided, and I wouldn't be an alicorn."

"And…" Twilight's emotions flashed across her face, and she firmly held them back. "They followed you all the way out here? Because they care about you?"

"Yeah!" Hitch said at the same time Pipp said, "Of course," Zipp said, "Totally," and Izzy said, "Abso-tooty-lootly! Sunny's our friend!"

Twilight looked from each of their shining faces to the look in Sunny's eyes that hadn’t been there when she first met the earth pony, but had begun to show when she was talking about her friends, and now her face was practically glowing with love and affection for these four ponies. It reminded Twilight so much of how she and her friends used to be that she almost sank into the nothingness again, the loneliness again, but she held herself back. Her friends were still with her, even if she couldn't see them. They loved her too much and she loved them too much for that to ever happen.

Izzy leaped towards the cave exit again. "Come on, Sunny, everypony's been wondering where you've been! And it's going to be Maretime Bay Day in, like, two weeks, and we have to be getting back!"

Twilight was about turn around when she saw Sunny getting disappointed on Izzy's words... But right when she did that, her eyes widened, because she felt something wrong... Something strange she couldn't explain just like that, but she did knew that whatever it was, it was wrong...

"M-Maybe we could stay a little longer?" Sunny stepped towards Twilight, and her voice took the Alicorn out of her thoughts.

However, she didn't turned around, and that confused and concerned Sunny.

"...P-Princess?" Sunny called out, confused and concerned for her idol.

"...Something's wrong..." Twilight muttered.

"Huh?" Sunny said confused.

"Something's wrong... Something's out of place, something's not––"

Yet whatever Twilight was going to say, it died the moment the whole ground rumbled and startled the six ponies inside of the cave, as they almost lost their balance.

Then, the "ceiling" of the cave began to crack and rumble, which made Twilight had some instinct that made her create a shield not only around herself, but also around the group of five ponies, since they all huddled together when the rumble began a few seconds ago.

Not so long after the rumble ended, the upper place of the cave was now exposed, and the ponies felt horrified when they saw the sky broken, showing the shape of an X.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in that same universe, Opaline was keeping the portal in the sky open, with the objective of startle everyone in that universe. If she was lucky enough, someone's Canon Event will get altered, and said universe will unravel while she leaves.

Now, at the same time, she was following a green line launched by her horn, because she tracked down a green Shard of the Paradox Prism to this universe.

Finally, after at least two or three hours of following her own horn's trial, she found her price buried in the sand of this universe's Maretime Bay. She levitated the shard and attached it to her left frontal bracelet, feeling the energy of the Prism spreading around her body with glee.

Soon, she heard screams coming from town, and she was going to check on what was happening, but just with seeing that one of the poles was glitching, she grinned sinisterly.

The Canon was broken, and her mission in this universe was over. So, she lightened her horn again and made a yellow portal appear, which she crossed to exit this universe forever. Soon, the portal closed, while the universe was left behind to unravel and die.

Opaline exited that universe, as it began to unravel because of its Canon getting altered.

She was beyond happy with all the catastrophe she has unleashed across the multiverse, and now that she has obtained her 15th shard of the Paradox Prism... And she wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.

Soon, she lightened her horn, and it shot a blue line against one of the universes, meaning that a blue shard of the Prism was located in there. So, Opaline grinned and headed towards said universe, entering in by making a blue portal with her Prismatic Magic.

Universe 151222

"I can't believe I let you girls talk me into this," Anon said with frown.

"Come on, Anon," Sunny pleaded. "You have to do it! The three pony races are nearly at war over this! Friendship and harmony in all of Equestria is falling apart because of this! You are the only one who can put an end to this question once and for all!"

"It just seems weird. And more than a little creepy."

Zipp snorted. "You let my sister sit on your face. And you think this is weird and creepy?"

"Zipp!" Sunny and Pipp said at the same time. Both cast a glare at the pegasus. Anon could only guess his own glare at Zipp was just as intense.

Sunny sighed and turned her attention back to Anon. "Look, all you have to do is smell me and let me know if I really do smell like rotten sardines or not."

"I thought Izzy already settled that question and said you didn't?"

"But they all think Izzy is biased because she's my friend. You are the only unbiased pony … I mean human in all of Equestria. We need your unbiased opinion."

"I'm your friend too. But I'm not gonna sniff your ass if that's what you want."

"You don't have to sniff my ass!" Sunny said, rolling her eyes. "All you have to do is smell my neck or something."

"Fine … I'm still not sure how I let you talk me into this. But I'll do it to save Equestria from total war." With a deep breath, he put his nose close to Sunny's neck and inhaled, then pulled back. "You do not smell like rotten sardines. Are you happy now?"

"Unfair!" Zipp shouted. "I mean I know Sunny used to be an earth pony, but she's an alicorn now! Of course she wouldn't smell like rotten sardines anymore! Go smell Hitch!"

"Oh, no no no," Hitch said, taking a couple of steps backwards. "Like Anon said, it's weird, and more than a little bit creepy."

"Come on Hitch, it's for the good of Equestria," Sunny said.

Hitch looked around. All of the mares were staring at him now.

"Ugh … Fine … Just make it quick."

With a heavy sigh, Anon walked over to Hitch. The stallion winced as if the human were holding a whip or something. Hitch closed his eyes as Anon leaned in towards his neck and once again, inhaled deeply. Pulling away, he looked at the mares.

"Hitch doesn't smell like rotten sardines either. Are you all happy now? Can I please go back to doing … just about anything other than this?"

Sunny suddenly produced a notebook that seemed to come from nowhere. "Not quite yet. I have questions. If we don't smell like rotten sardines, what do we smell like? Strawberries? Or maybe blueberries? Or maybe roses? What does an earth pony smell like to a human?"

Anon's heart sped up as he got more and more nervous... But before he could form any kind of reply, the entire ground started to shake violently.

This wasn't the first time that it happened something similar. Even if they didn't felt anything a few weeks ago, they did knew that it rumbled all across Equestria when Sonic came around. The ponies were mad with him and wanted to make him face consequences for what he did to Anon...

Yet Sonic managed to free himself from that by running away, taking advantage of the fact that the ponies were too stunned to react back then. But now, if the ground trembled again, it could only mean that he was back...

But they were wrong. They were very wrong.

While yes, the sky has opened with a massive X, Sonic wasn't the reason why it opened in that way, but instead a Fire Alicorn that was planning to soon conquer the entire multiverse.

She flew down towards a lake, and she saw that her horn was pointing at the very deep zone of the lake. Yet Opaline wasn't in the mood to go and swim, so she simply rolled her eyes and then lightened her horn with regular magic, catching the shard from underwater and levitating it towards her.

She grinned for ear to ear once she looked at the blue shard, then she attached it to her bracelet, and once she felt its power running through her veins, she felt glee once more.

Then, Opaline kicked a rock near by, and that was enough to make this whole universe unravel, meaning it was her time to leave. So, she opened a green portal with her Prismatic Magic, and then she crossed said portal, which closed behind right before the glitching effect of this universe reached it.

Opaline came out of that universe, as it glitched in sign that it was unraveling.

She couldn't believe how easy it was to make worlds destroy themselves by just entering them, but it was also a great sensation, to be above anyone else and see how they hopelessly tried to save themselves.

What made everything even better is the fact that she now had 16 shards of the Paradox Prism. It was also draining trice as magic as in the beginning when she first found the first red shard, but she didn't minded. She stole enough magic across the multiverse, she could resist the effects.

Now she only had to find 4 shards more, one of each color of a fragment... Once she had all the Paradox Prism completed, she would take over the entire multiverse and be every reality's queen...

Soon enough, however, her horn lightened up on its own, and then, it shot a red line towards another universe near by, meaning that the last red shard of the Prism was there. She grinned sinisterly at this, then she flew towards said universe and made a red portal to enter it...

Universe 170119

It was later in the afternoon at the Canterlot Mall.

The mall itself was busy as many young customers go to one store to the next, getting their shopping done for the day. Somewhere in the mall was a food court, where some shoppers hang out to get a bite to eat or to rest. One particular group who were sitting around the table at the food court was seven teenaged girls from Canterlot High, known as the Rainbooms. They were known to have Equestrian Magic and used them to save the day whenever something weird is going on at their school or around the town. But today, the girls decided to shop around the mall to do some 'Retail Therapy', as Rarity likes to call it, after their tough day at school to do a big test after days of preparing for it. It was thanks to Twilight of not only help them study, but also able to pass with a high grade.

Rarity took a sip of her soda through a straw and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah… there's nothing better than to do some retail therapy after studying for days!"

"I hear ya Rares!" said Applejack before she took a quick sip of her own drink. "And a little splurging at the food court doesn't hurt either."

"Except maybe our hips," Rarity commented, causing others to chuckle at her joke.

Sunset turned towards her spectacles wearing friend with a warm smile. "On behalf of everyone here, we wanted to thank you again for helping us studying for that big test Twilight. I don't think we could've pull off easily without your help."

"Oh it's not that big of a deal," Twilight responded modestly with a blush on her cheeks.

"Are you kidding? Of course it's a big deal!" Pinkie chirped, nearly leaping out of her seat. "You used the things we love to do normally as a way to help us studying! Your method even helped Rainbow Dash!"

"HEY!" Rainbow cried indignantly. "I have you know, I got As in the past before Twilight came along!"

Applejack smirked. "Yea sure did… one time when you made that tree painting back at second grade!"

"It was supposed to be a person!" Rainbow argued, not helping her case as the others laughed at her expense before she laughed as well with no hard feelings.

While they were laughing, two more teenaged girls were walking by their table, only to stop and waved at them.

"Hello girls!" greeted Bon Bon.

"Oh hey Lyra and Bon Bon!" Pinkie greeted back on behalf of the group. "Doing some retail therapy after that big test?"

"You know it Pinks!" Lyra responded before walking away with their best friend. "Catch ya later!"

They only took a few steps away from the gang, only for them to suddenly stop and then turned to face them again. "Oh, and Twilight?"

"Yes Lyra?"

"Be sure to tell Spike we said hi and that we requested him to open up packages of those cute swimsuits for pets next!"

"Yeah, and maybe we would like to see him wearing them too! I bet he'll look sooo cute!" Bon Bon gushed.

Twilight nodded. "Oh okay, sure thin––" She stopped for a moment after she registered what they had said. "Wait… what?"

Before she could ask them what they mean, her attention and her friends' was dragged away when they heard people screaming outside of the mall, as well as some cars crashing.

That freaked out the Rainbooms already, but the cherry on top came when one of the walls of the mall was suddenly blown up and pushed down, which made everyone in the mall panic and either cover themselves or run away, in case they just heard the explosion and didn't straight up saw it.

Soon, from the massive hole made in the wall, a floating girl came and looked down at the ground with a stoic expression, as she looked around at all the chaos that her explosion caused, before floating ahead.

From behind her, several machines that looked like animals entered to the place as well, and after the animal-robots came in, a giant robot with a face and a mustache came in as well. This last machine was definitely the most menacing and concerning of them all, specially since who was riding it didn't gave a damn about all the damage they were causing.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Rainbow asked freaked out, as she and her friends hid behind their table, which they purposely pushed to use as a hiding spot.

"I have no idea!" Sunset said with concern, before she took a moment to look over the table and see the animal robots do all the dirty job, while the big robot and the floating girl did nothing. "But I bet those two are behind this!"

"W-What do we do?!" Fluttershy asked with concern, trembling in fear and being only slightly comforted by Applejack, who side-hugged her and rubbed her back to calm her down.

"How about you 7 start with showing up?!" A male voice spoke suddenly, startling the Rainbooms.

Soon, their table was levitated in the air by the floating girl, who simply used one hand and then tossed the table away, as she looked down at the 7 teenagers, still with the same stoic expression she had when she arrived.

"Well, well, well!" The male voice from before spoke, this time from inside the robot. "Look what the Egg had found, right, Sage?!" The robot's head turned to the floating girl, who simply nodded. "And here I thought that some nasty talking rats got into my suit... But it was you!"

"Stand back, pal!" Rainbow spoke with anger as she stood up. "We literally have magic and we can kick your butt hard enough if you don't retreat!"

As Rainbow frowned and stood to fight, her friends imitated her action, although Fluttershy hid behind Applejack out of fear, but the cowgirl didn't seemed to mind.

"Ugh... Why is there always some stubborn pain in the ass that wants to get in my way?" The male inside the robot asked with a bored expression. "New universe, same ol' problem..."

Twilight's eyes widened after hearing that last sentence. "New universe?"

"Who the heck are you? Who is she? And why does she has magic?!" Sunset asked in panic, pointing at the floating girl, which the man referred to earlier as Sage.

"This is Sage, my daughter," The man explained. "She has no magic, but she does posses an extraordinary power that can put you all on your places! As for me?" The capsule of the robot slowly opened to reveal who was inside... It was Dr. Eggman himself. "Name's Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but everyone calls me Dr. Eggman!"

"Eggman?" Pinkie snorted, but Rarity slightly pushed her from her shoulder and denied with her head, obviously saying that now wasn't the time for jokes, even though they all found the name 'Eggman' pretty funny.

"Eh... Feel free to laugh, if you want..." Eggman said with a bored expression, before grinning sinisterly again. "It could be the last time ever you do it, anyways!"

After that, Eggman closed the capsule of his robot and turned around.

"Sage... I detect they have magic... Take it. Catch up with me later!" Eggman instructed, as he walked on his robot away.

"Wait... He told her to do what?!" Twilight asked with panic and wide eyes.

However, her answer came when Sage snapped her fingers, and just like that, she made the Rainbooms' geodes appear in front of her, as she began to extract their magic thanks to her Phantom powers.

Of course, this made the Rainbooms panic and even scream at her, trying to make her stop, but it was a hopeless effort. In the end, Sage left the geodes with no magic, then she let them fall to the ground and shatter into a million pieces, right before turning around and float after her father.

This was bad enough for the Rainbooms already, since now they lost their magic and all possible chance to fight against upcoming Equestrian magic's problems... But the worse was yet to come.

Meanwhile, Eggman walked on his machine across the mall, and while he did encountered the amazed expressions of kids that looked up at his robotic suit like if it was the best real life-sized action figure they've ever seen, there was still people running away from him.

This is what he needed, anyways. After all, his mission is to find the red shard of the Prism that's located in here, since he has one already.

But then, as he passed by a toys' store, his sensors started to send alarms like crazy, and Eggman looked down at his computer, noticing that the signs of Prismatic Energy had increased significantly after passing by that store. He slowly turned to it, but he also raised an eyebrow confused.

"...Why would there be a shard in a store where they sell toys?" Eggman questioned.

"The multiverse works in mysterious ways, father..." Sage pointed out, as she appeared suddenly at Eggman's side. "You never know in which strange way it is going to surprise you."

"I guess that makes sense..." Eggman admitted with a sigh. "Did you stole their magic?"

"Affirmative!" Sage nodded constantly.

"Splendid job, Sage!" Eggman congratulated, before turning again to the toys' store. "Let's start to search for the shard on this place... Still feels odd that such a powerful artifact ends in such a place, but I guess I cannot judge the methods if the results are acceptable."

Sage nodded, and soon, she entered the toy store to look after the red shard.

Not so far from the Canterlot Mall, a heptagon-shaped portal opened over a hill.

Soon, Team Dark came out of same portal, as Shadow wore the watch that Dr. Hooves gave him earlier when Team Anomaly explained the whole plan to track down Eggman and Opaline, as well as to save Sonic.

"I'm impressed you learned how to use that thing, Shadow!" Rouge confessed with a mocking smirk.

"The technology used on it isn't so different from the one I used to see all the time in the ARK," Shadow replied. "I guess that FS guy also has one if the watch controls in such a similar way."

"While I'm glad our mission is to track down Eggman, I'm concerned on how the hell we're going to do it." Omega informed, before he turned to see his teammates. "The instructions of our task are quite incomplete."

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree... They sent us blindly to a mission where there's no guarantee that we'll succeed..." Shadow confessed with a frown.

"Just say that you're mad you were not paired with Sunny, Shadow~" Rouge mocked up with a smirk. "We won't judge!"

Shadow rolled his eyes annoyed and crossed his arms. "Let's say for a second that such a thing is true... Knowing me, I'll be regretting not coming to kick Eggman's ass as well. Besides, I promised Sunny that I would kick him hard for her if we do encounter him... Expect me to be the second one to hit him right where it hurts."

Shadow began to walk ahead, while Rouge felt confused by his declaration. "Why second?"

"Because I will be the first one to do it!" Omega declared, as he followed Shadow along.

Rouge smirked, rolled her eyes and shook her head, before following her teammates as well by flight.

As they walked towards the Canterlot Mall, even though they had no idea of how it is called, they decided to talk to kill some time as they approached the place.

"Is crazy to think that all this time, we've been visiting dimensions among our same universe, and not actually traveling the multiverse as we thought..." Shadow commented.

"Is crazy that we've been and seen a lot of crazy stuff on our lives, yet knowing that there are more of us out there gets the reward of the rarest thing..." Rouge pointed out. "We literally had to deal with two Sonics before Boom and Young, remember?"

"Doesn't make finding out about other realities' existence any less weird." Omega pointed out. "I always thought I was the only one in my kind... Now I have what you would call a "existential crisis"."

"Don't be so dramatic..." Rouge deadpanned at him, before smirking mockingly. "I'm pretty sure Eggman has a bunch of Omegas hidden somewhere as well... You just have to find it still."

"And I know I will one day!" Omega declared with confidence.

"Good for you, Meg..." Shadow said sarcastically, also rolling his eyes.

"Don't be a party pooper, Shadow," Rouge mocked him up as well. "Or are you too jealous to know there's other "Ultimate Life Forms" out there?"

"If there truly are, they're probably even more emo than me..." Shadow commented with a bored expression.

"Dude, I know we all wanna be better in life, but don't be so ambitious on wanting to brake a record..." Omega kind of deadpanned as well, and while Rouge tried not to burst out laughing, Shadow rolled his eyes again, but he also smirked.

Once they went silent again, Rouge looked concerned at the ground for a moment, before looking back at Shadow. "...How are you feeling? Regarding this whole thing of the multiverse, whatever the "Canon" is supposed to be, Sonic being the first anomaly... All that stuff."

Shadow felt a bit strange when Rouge asked that, but he still decided to reply. "Well... There isn't anything I can say about the multiverse... Is just you but from other world. Remember what Boom Sonic said the first time he saw me? I thought for a second he was going to attack me..."

"I'm actually convinced he wanted to, but decided not to just to be polite!" Rouge confessed with a smirk.

"If that's the case, he did good. I don't think he'll had won, anyways." Omega commented.

"For once, I agree with Omega." Shadow said with a smirk, and Rouge rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile. "Jokes aside, I don't feel anything knowing there's other Shadows out there. As for the "Canon" thing? I'm convinced is just a stupid excuse so those who had a tragedy can justify it and feel less guilty about it... Besides, how is FS so sure that altering Canon is bad if he's been proved wrong several times already? And how does he even knew the Canon didn't had to be affected before doing it himself?!"

"Sunset told us that when she explained the plan, remember?" Rouge pointed out. "She said that he never wanted to change any Canon because he wasn't sure how good or bad it could be, then he did it himself, and that led to that universe to unravel... I think you know the rest..."

"While I do see the tragedy behind it, is still not a good excuse to stand there and let others die just because of his own experience." Omega pointed out. "He wants to justify his mistakes so badly he cannot see the flaws on his own theories."

"I'm agreeing with you too much today, Meg... Maybe I should see a doctor..." Shadow mumbled, and Rouge chuckled, while Omega deadpanned at him. "As for Sonic being the first anomaly... I've been tolerating that hedgehog for years. He might be stubborn, too selfless and happy for my liking, and he gives his enemies way too much second chances..."

"But?" Rouge said, knowing very well what he was going to say next.

"...But... I know for a fact that Sonic can't be a mistake... If he was, he would've died long time ago... Specifically the moment he was supposed to die... But he's to stubborn, even for that..." Shadow pointed out, surprisingly even for himself, with a smile. "I don't know what is that FS guys baffling about, but I know that the Sonic of our world is anything but a mistake... is just a matter of time before he realizes that."

"And here I thought you didn't had a soft spot for Sonic!" Rouge mocked up with a smirk.

Shadow rolled his eyes and shook his head in disappointment after hearing that. "I respect that hedgehog, but it doesn't mean I like him..."

"It doesn't mean you dislike him, either," Omega pointed out and made a fake laugh, while Rouge did bursted out laughing.

Shadow had to gain strength from Chaos knows where to not strangle his teammates, so he placed his hands together and took a deep breath so he could calm down.

Suddenly, however, Team Dark heard a lot of screams of fear coming from the mall, and Shadow didn't even thought twice before boosting on said direction to see if anyone got hurt. Of course, Omega and Rouge immediately followed after him to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

When they arrived to the mall, they saw that the whole place was destroyed, there was ruble around, and they even saw a group of girls huddling together around some broken things on the floor.

That was weird for Shadow, but he decided to ignore it for now... What he couldn't ignore, thought, was the fact that he could see the Egg Breaker in the distance, as it had its hand on a toy shop, before pulling it out to show that it was holding a red shard of the Paradox Prism.

Having Eggman and the Prism in one place was enough to let Shadow know that trouble was sure going to take place, so he boosted away again.

This confused Rouge and Omega, but as soon as they saw that Shadow was heading towards Eggman, Omega immediately followed by boosting with his own rockets. Rouge rolled her eyes at their lack of thinking when they got mad, but still decided to go after them.

Meanwhile, Eggman himself took out his so desired prize from the toys' store and looked at it with a huge happy grin. "Ah, my beautiful treasure... At long last you're in my hands!"

"Father..." Sage called out, as she stared into certain direction with a frown. "We should go... Now!"

"Why?" Eggman asked confused.

"Because we have very undesired company..." Sage replied with anger.

Eggman was about to ask what she meant, but then she teleported away, and right then, Shadow jumped and hit the Egg Breaker with his shoes, sending the machine a bit backwards.

Eggman groaned and shook his head a bit confused, but when he looked ahead, he first felt surprised and startled to see Team Dark in front of him, with Omega pointing his weapons at him, but then his surprise shifted into anger, and he approached the Mobians with a frown.

"Great... Just great!" Eggman groaned. "When I finally can be away of rodents that get in my way, they still find the way to get in my way anyways! WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?!"

"How stupid do you think we are to let you conquer the multiverse, Doctor?" Shadow asked with a frown. "Because if you believed we wouldn't come, then see how wrong you are!"

"You think I'm afraid?! Oh, no, no, no, no!" Eggman said with a grin. "I know for a fact I'll win! Doesn't changes the fact that I hate you for coming here and mess with my plans! And where the heck is Sonic? I honestly expected him more than any of you today!"

"Sonic is busy with more important stuff than you, Eggman!" Rouge declared with a frown as well. "Is just you and us!"

"And we're gonna take you down, stupid, rotten egg!" Omega declared confidently.

"Then BRING IT ON!" Eggman shouted with a smirk, before preparing the Egg Breaker to fight.

Just like Shadow said before, the first one to launch against the doctor was Omega, who launched a bunch of homing lasers against the Egg Breaker.

This did little to nothing, but it was just a distraction, because Omega's real objective was to jump and beat the crap out of the robot's face, as it twirled around wildly and made Eggman feel dizzy. He still stopped the face from moving and then aimed the spiked ball at Omega.

To this, Omega jumped backwards and then moved aside, dodging the ball right in time, before switching his arms to launch fireballs against the Egg Breaker.

These fireballs hit the spiked ball and made it turn on in flames, startling Eggman a lot, as he shook the ball to try and turn it off, while Omega came and jumped again, before charging up his flamethrowers and then burn down Eggman's vision radar on the face.

This was a big problem, so Eggman had no choice but to open the capsule that protected him and frowned down at Omega, who prepared to charge his regular rotary cannons.

However, Eggman moved the normal arm of the Egg Breaker and began to move Omega wildly across the room, as he smashed the Ultimate Weapon against several walls and even swept the floor with his body, finishing off this combo by throwing Omega against a window, which the robot shattered in lots of pieces.

Of course, Omega tried to stand up and keep up the fight, but all those hits the Egg breaker give him left him on a very damaged state, so he simply lay on the ground painfully.

Eggman laughed out loudly when he saw this, but then, his face suddenly got hit, this time by Rouge, who flew right in front of him with a frown and then launched herself towards him with a warrior cry. Eggman tried to block her attack with the spiked ball, but Rouge made a smart move by moving aside and then hit the robot on the back with her feet.

Friendly reminder for you, readers: Much like Knuckles, Rouge possesses enormous strength, but Knuckles' strength lies in his upper body, while Rouge's strength lies in her lower body, particularly in her legs and feet, which provides her with incredible kicking power.

Taking advantage of this, Rouge simply flew around the Egg Breaker like an annoying mosquito, and she always took any change she could take to use her feet and kick the Egg Beater where it really hurts.

Eggman groaned in anger and attempted to get her off, even multiplying the spiked ball on his right hand on some occasions to try and hit her. "You know what they say: The more, the merrier!" He mocked up, but that didn't seemed to irritate nor take Rouge out of her focus.

Now, she decided to replicate a bit of Sonic and Shadow's arsenal of moves, like charging up a Spin Dash while still being in the air, and even making a Homing Attack that could sent Eggman backwards.

This last thing was because anytime she made her Homing Attack, she kind of "cancel it" on the last second, just to use her legs instead and kick the Egg Beater backwards, making it crash against the wall and take damage on multiple occasions that irritated and angered Eggman even more.

So, the doctor tried to make the exact same thing he did before with Omega... But here's the thing: Rouge is flying, meaning she's more agile and can dodge Eggman's attempts of grabbing her like nothing.

She even made fun of it by dodging, and then making a Spin Attack, followed by a single kick that sent Eggman so backwards, to the point he even tripped with a fountain that was in the mall and fell on his back on the ground, also groaning in pain as he did so.

"Seems like you're getting rusty, Doctor!" Rouge mocked up with a confident smirk.

Yet it was her confidence what finally settled her doom, because Eggman launched the spiked ball against her, and she couldn't think twice to dodge it.

She wasn't hit by any of the spikes, thankfully, but she was still sent backwards against a store, and she crashed against the crystal, then rolled in the ground painfully, and then hit her back and head with the counter, falling unconscious in the ground after said hit.

Eggman stood up with his Egg Breaker and grinned, but he knew the thing wasn't over, so he started to walk around the mall, waiting for the last member of Team Dark to show up.

"Come here, Shadow... I know you wanna do it!" Eggman called out with a grin and a maniac laugh.

And then, Shadow teleported right over the shoulder, before charging up a Chaos Blast and then release it over the Egg Beater, causing a massive explosion that left the mall even worse looking, but it also sent the Egg Beater flying and crashing against another wall.

Tired, Eggman made the Egg Beater stand up, and then he looked ahead with a frown: Shadow was standing in front of him... But then the doctor got scared when the Black Blur retired his Inhibitor Rings.

Shadow adjusted his gloves and then looked at Eggman with anger. "My turn!" He stated with a determined look.

After that, the Ultimate Life Form boosted towards the doctor, and even if Eggman was still freaked out at the fact that he had to fight against Shadow using all his power, he still frowned and got the Egg Breaker moving. If he was going down, he wouldn't do it without a fight!

First off, Shadow jumped and created several Chaos Spears in a row, which he launched wildly against the Egg Breaker, which managed to dodge them all but one that scratched the left side.

Still, Eggman managed to make the machine jump, which made it create several shockwaves that were sent against Shadow. Of course, Shadow dodged this like nothing and proceed to launch a powerful Homing Attack that sent the Egg Breaker traverse several walls in one row.

This was bad enough already, but Shadow didn't stopped there: He stood on his place, ducked down, then charged up his Spin Dash, and then boosted against Eggman.

Speaking of the doctor, he had barely any time to get back into his senses, because the Spin Dash that Shadow launched against him was now pushing them both across more walls in the mall, until they ended up exiting it and rolling down the streets of Canterlot City.

Eggman groaned again, but then Shadow charged against him again by kicking the Egg Breaker's chest and sent him rolling backwards, crashing with several cars and damaging the machine even more.

The doctor was reaching a desperate point, although he wasn't surprised that he couldn't fight back. After all, Shadow is the Ultimate Life Form, and when he unleashes his true power, no one can stop him, not even a genius like him. That doesn't mean he isn't going to try, though.

So, with effort and pain, Eggman got the Egg Breaker back to stand up, and he glared daggers at Shadow, who was now rolling skating at top speed towards him, while a barrier was formed in front of him.

Eggman made the Egg Breaker jump higher this time, and when he made the machine go back to the floor, it released a very powerful shockwave, one that managed to brake Shadow's barrier and finally sent him backwards, but it also made several more cars and windows around brake because of the impact of the shockwave.

Still, Eggman grinned victorious and sighed in relief, thinking that he was done. The machine couldn't keep fighting back, anyways, since it was starting to shut down.

It was at this point when Eggman realized how he was looking physically: His suit was ripped apart in the arms and some zones of the chest, half of his googles over his head was broken, and he was bleeding on his left arm, as well as through his mouth.

Every scar was worth it, in the end... He cancelled Shadow's attack, and he knows for sure that he gets tired when he removes his Inhibitor Rings and uses more power than he's used to...

But he couldn't be anymore wrong if it was possible.

Shadow suddenly teleported right in front of him and started to growl in anger, before he began to charge up energy on his body... That was bad enough of already, but when he started to charge more power than his body can support, Eggman was already regretting all his sins in life.

As for Shadow, he knew that he was doing something reckless, but he wanted to make sure that Eggman stood defeated, so he didn't minded using more power than usual.

Rouge, on the other hand, did minded, because as soon as Omega and her arrived and saw what Shadow was doing, her eyes widened in panic.

"SHADOW, NO!!!" Rouge shouted desperate.

Yet it was too late to go back: Shadow had already so much energy that he could feel like if his body was going to explode at any second. Then again, he's willing to go beyond his limits if that means he can defeat Eggman, and he was more than glad to be the one making the killer punch.

"Chaos.... BLAST!!!!" Shadow shouted.

With that, he released his energy, and caused a massive explosion that reached 20 yards across Canterlot City. It's safe to say that his attack killed a bunch of people, as well as destroyed everything on its way.

As for Eggman and the Egg Breaker, well, the machine slowly leaned ahead, falling in front of Shadow, who was breathing heavily after that attack, but he was also smiling at his accomplishment. Yet that smile didn't lasted, because he soon collapsed in the ground.

He used more energy than he's used to, and now he had no strength left to keep fighting.

Rouge and Omega rushed as fast as they could to him, and Rouge kneeled to grab Shadow and place him on her legs, which made the Ultimate Life Form open his eyes slightly.

"D-Did... Did I did it...?" Shadow asked weakly.

"Kinda..." Rouge replied, before frowning at him. "What were you thinking?! You know you can't use more power without getting killed, you idiot!"

"Not to mention, your full strength drains all your energy..." Omega pointed out with concern.

Shadow chuckled and sat down painfully in the ground. "I did what had to be done... Anything to get the job done, right?"

"Yeah, about that..." Eggman's voice spoke, and Team Dark's eyes opened wide.

They turned upwards and saw Eggman, intact and alive, over his Eggmobile, while Sage floated at his side, and Eggman grinned from ear to ear.

"Thanks to my daughter, I've survived!" Eggman said with glee. "And even better: I have two shards of the Paradox Prism now! Once I have finished you three, I'll leave this universe and will invade the next world!"

"Not if I can do something about it!" A female voice spoke, one that Eggman recognized, and it made him growl.

Not so far from Team Dark and Eggman, Opaline landed in the ground and showed off her ignited horn and wings, as well as the sixteen shards of the Paradox Prism she has obtained so far.

"If you truly believe you can get in my way, then let me remind you who I am, Ivo!" Opaline declared with anger.

"Like if I gave a damn!" Eggman said with anger, before grinning again. "Although, thinking about it, this is perfect: I can kill two birds in one shot!"

"W-We'll see about that, doctor..." Shadow said, as he placed his Inhibitor Rings back and then stood up.

Now a massive battle approached in this universe: Queen Opaline Arcana, Team Dark, and Dr. Eggman against each other for the control of the Paradox Prism's shards... This cannot end well, can it?

Author's Note

Things are getting bad, people...

We have three sides: Team Dark, Eggman and Opaline's... This cannot end well...

Anyways. Let's see which stories were featured today: The first universe Opaline invaded is this story made by bookhorse125; and the second one is this story that Melody StormRunner created. As for the world that Eggman was invading, well, it's this one-shot written by sonicfan05.

Thanks so much for reading up to this point! I'll see you all next chapter, where Future Sonic finally snaps and decides to take care of Sonic once and for all.

Bye, bye! :twilightsmile:

18. Is a Sonic Thing

Universe 220822

Sonic really wanted to heard everything about what Tails and company have been up to.

After finally getting Bowser to be on their side, everyone but Bowser went back to the Mushroom Kingdom, and Peach prepared a big dinner for the guests.

Of course, Sonic felt in haven when he ate for the very first time in two long days... The HQ never bothered to approach any of the prisoners and feed them, which makes him wonder how the hell MC and the other "anomalies" survived in that place for so long.

Still, he choose to let the fact sink and instead enjoyed his first meal in two days. It was like flying in the sky with a huge and goofy grin.

Once dinner was over, Sonic and Tails went to the ceiling of the castle and sat there to see the sun hiding in the horizon, while Tails talked about all the things he's been up to with the rest ever since Sunny and him left with Sunset to be a part of the Society...

We know already how well that went, don't we?

Still, Sonic also told all he did ever since he left, and even though a big portion of his story was the very same thing that Sunny told him and everyone else the other day, hearing it from Sonic's point of view made Tails realize how important he really is for him, and he smiled at that fact.

After that, Tails decided to show him the watch that Firefly gave him earlier, the very same one that he never managed to figure out how it worked, but maybe Sonic would.

And of course, Sonic didn't knew it, but he still grabbed the watch and looked at it with curiosity. To think that he wanted one of these to travel across the multiverse whenever he wanted... Now he was glad to be home with his friends, and he didn't wanted to leave ever again.

"Is crazy to think that this thingy is the very reason why FS and that bunch of weirdos can move from universe to universe..." Sonic said with a smirk. "Wonder how many failed attempts it took him before it finally worked out."

"Considering you have energy that allows you to go into any world you want, while FS had to try and fail with technology... I'll say it was more than 20 attempts..." Tails said with a smirk as well.

"Wonder in which universe he hit his head so hard that made him make up the whole "Canon" thingy..." Sonic said with a smile, even though Tails could see through his eyes he was not happy.

"His words are really stuck on you, aren't they?" Tails asked with concern.

Sonic sighed and looked ahead to the sun hiding. "Well... How would you take the news if they told you one day that you were supposed to die long time ago? I always thought that I was the luckiest man alive for arriving into Equestria and make such amazing friends! I felt even luckier when you and Knuckles showed up... But when FS said that I was a mistake, that none of it should've happened... For a fraction of second, I really thought that I was better off dead..."

"Sonic!" Tails said with horror and wide eyes.

"I said "for a fraction of second", dude..." Sonic deadpanned at his little brother. "I don't believe it anymore! I mean, considering in how many things FS is contradicting his own words, I know for sure that I wasn't supposed to die... Doesn't mean I feel any better, though..."

"Well, the whole "Canon" stuff sounds like a way to excuse his tragedies," Tails pointed out. "He lost many people in life, and? It happens, it was going to happen one day, anyways. He could've avoided a lot of things, but he didn't. He cannot change the past, and he shouldn't even if he could."

"I kind of understand him, though..." Sonic confessed.

"You what?!" Tails asked in panic with wide eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, little bro!" Sonic quickly said, while raising his hands in defense. "I'm not saying he's right for wanting to justify his tragedies and then wanting everyone else to be miserable, too, just because his dumbass AI told him to! But I understand how it feels... To want to excuse yourself from your tragedies... To want to make something up that justifies them..."

"...You mean... Like with Longclaw?" Tails asked concerned.

"When she died, I blamed Eggman..." Sonic said. "It was his badnik what made the fire in the first place... If only I was there, if only I was a little faster... Maybe she'll be here... But trying to blame me or anyone else won't bring her back... And blaming Eggman to the point I almost killed him didn't made me feel any better..."

"Even though Eggman deserves it..." Tails pointed out with a smirk.

Sonic snorted. "Yeah... Is it... weird that I don't want him dead, even after all he has done to us and Equestria?"

"...Elaborate..." Tails asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He killed my whole family, if you think about it; he killed Longclaw's as well, he tortured Sunny and our friends, he created a virus so dangerous that even I fell to its effects..." Sonic pointed out. "And yet, I don't hate him... I know he has done so much damage... But I can't hate him..."

"Well, I don't find it weird at all..." Tails said with a smile. "Is just who you are! A guy that forgives everyone despite their sins. You may forgive Eggman way too much, and more than he actually deserves... But that only speaks wonders on who you are! Because, between you and me, we know that if Shadow was on your place, he would kill Eggman without doubting, right?"

Sonic snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't mention it... I guess that's just who I am... a Hedgehog that forgives no matter what you do or say to me."

"Not even with Chip, who told you that you can't live in Equestria?" Tails asked mockingly.

"Eh, I know he just wanted to help, even though he failed miserably!" Sonic replied, and Tails laughed at that... But then, Sonic's eyes opened wide in panic when he remembered something. "...Chip..."

Tails noticed his sudden change of attitude and raised an eyebrow confused. "Uh... Sonic? A-Are you okay?"

Sonic remembered that, back when he was running away from FS, He saw that Chip was trapped inside of a bubble, rolling on the ground and crying, because he tried everything to get out after Opaline trapped him there, but he couldn't.

"CHIP!" Sonic realized with wide eyes, as he stood up and grabbed his head.

Tails stood up as well and looked at him concerned. "S-Sonic?! Man, what's the matter?!"

"Chip is the matter!" Sonic replied with wide and panicked eyes. "He was trapped when I last saw him... Opaline probably did something to him! I have to go and help him!"

After that, Sonic put the watch on his left hand, and he was about to run away... But Tails grabbed him from his hand.

"Sonic, wait!" Tails said with concern.

"Tails, I know that I just came back and that you're worried for me, but there's no time to chat!" Sonic pointed out with a concerned frown. "If the guardian of the multiverse is trapped, then who knows what other tragedies await! I gotta go and help him!"

"No, that's not what I wanted to say!" Tails said, and Sonic felt surprised. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like the idea of you leaving after you just recently came back... But I know you have a duty with the multiverse, and I know that the multiverse guardian is your friend."

"...So what did you wanted to tell me?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That you can't go without something to hold your Prismatic Energy!" Tails pointed out with concern. "FS removed the Inhibitor Bracelet I gave you when chasing you, remember?"

Sonic looked with wide eyes at Tails, then he looked at his right arm and remembered that, in fact, FS grabbed his Inhibitor Bracelet back on the chase while trying to stop him, which made the bracelet fell off and the energy of his body get out of control again...

However, as much as he wanted to control that energy, there was no time to make another one. He had to check on Chip first, since he's really concerned for him.

"I would like to keep it under control... But I must go now, there's no time to think!" Sonic stated. "If I'm not back in two hours, start to panic!"

Tails didn't liked the sound of that last thing, but he still nodded at Sonic. "I got your back, man!" He stated with his thumbs up.

Sonic nodded with a smile, then they embraced each other on a hug, just in case this was the last time they'll ever see each other. And then, Sonic boosted away, running fast enough to make his Prismatic Energy work and open an X-shaped portal, which he crossed to leave his home universe.

Sonic exited the white line that consisted of his universe.

As he did so, the Prismatic Energy of his shoes and his right arm began to get out of control again, as his feet moved wildly, and his arm shifted constantly into other critter's extremities.

That wasn't going to stop him from moving towards Chip, though, who he could already see in the distance. He wasn't crying anymore, apparently, but he definitely was trying to get out of the bubble where Opaline encaged him. Sonic's feet kept moving alone, but he was still heading towards Chip.

Once Sonic was in front of the bubble, he placed his hands over it. "Chip!"

The flying chihuahua's ears perked up, and then he turned around to see Sonic, which made him smile.

"Sonic!" Chip said happily. "Oh, I'm so glad that you are here!"

"And I am glad to be here, but... What the heck happened to you?!" Sonic asked concerned.

"Opaline happened!" Chip replied with a concerned frown. "I tried to stop her from moving across the multiverse... Look how well that plan ended!"

"Yeah, I can see..." Sonic replied with a concerned frown. "Do you have a magic shield or something similar?"

"Uh, yeah... Why do you ask?" Chip asked confused.

"Maybe you wanna activate it!" Sonic declared, as he placed his full palms on the bubble and began to extract the Prismatic Energy of it, because that's what the bubble was made of after all.

Seeing what Sonic was trying to do, Chip stepped back and went to the middle of the bubble, then activated a shield of his own and protected himself.

As for Sonic, he kept absorbing the Prismatic Energy of the bubble, until he finally managed to absorb it all, so he sent it back to the bubble itself, making it explode and sending a massive wave around that made Chip shake a bit, while Sonic managed to somehow not fly away as well.

He then looked over at his flying friend, and smiled when he saw that the bubble was gone, and that his friend was free, even if he was protecting himself with his own shield.

"You can open your eyes now, man!" Sonic told him with a smile.

Chip first opened and eye and looked around, then he made his shield fade away. Seeing that he was free, he smiled and cheered, before starting to fly around at top speed, feeling more free than he has ever feel for the past thousand years he's been watching over the multiverse.

After he stopped cheering, Chip went with Sonic and stretched his hand with his. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sonic! I'm finally free!"

Sonic chuckled and smirked. "I'm just helping a friend out!" He declared with his thumbs up. "How you doing, besides the fact that you've been trapped in that thing for Chaos knows how long, I mean."

Instead of immediately replying, Chip clapped his hands and made his boat appear again, while Sonic sat down on one of the passenger seats and looked at Chip with a raised eyebrow.

"Well... It's been around two, maybe three months ever since I last saw you?" Chip asked.

"It's been a year, Chip..." Sonic deadpanned.

"Eh, same thing for me..." Chip rolled his eyes. "Everything was kind of quiet... Until another Sonic variant began to recruit a bunch of people from other worlds and made my alarms go off for, like, twenty minutes!"

"You have alarms for variants that travel to the wrong world?" Sonic asked confused.

"I'm a man of standards!" Chip said, before shaking his head and focus again. "But just when I was about to interfere, Opaline began to travel from world to world, moving villains to keep the Society busy!"

"And why didn't you tried to stop her?!" Sonic asked with concern and a slight frown.

"I tried, Sonic... But everytime I finally found her, I lost track of her again!" Chip complained with a frown. "And the only time I finally found her and tried to take her down on my own... I wasn't fast enough, and I ended trapped on that bubble... And before you dare to ask why I didn't tried to escape: I did, but that thing blocked my powers!"

"Huh..." Sonic said confused. "That is weird... The Prismatic Energy must had blocked your powers..."

"But that's impossible!" Chip said with wide and panicked eyes. "I'm the guardian of the multiverse! No power should be above me..." He pointed out, but then he gasped in horror. "Unless..."

"Huh?" Sonic said confused and concerned. "Unless what? What's the matter?!"

"...Unless the Paradox Prism is the container I haven't seen in so long..." Chip replied.

"Container?" Sonic questioned. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Sonic... There's something I never told you because I just suspected this when we first met... But now I think that my suspicions are true..." Chip said with concern.

"...What is it?" Sonic asked with a slight frown.

He was tired of secrets. In fact, he was starting to hate them, but he also knew that sometimes they were necessary... And now, he was willing to listen to whatever Chip was about to confess.

"When the multiverse was first created, I was more powerful than I am now..." Chip began to explain. "I could literally just touch a universe and destroy it! But... That meant that I was too powerful, even for the multiverse's sake... So I sealed part of my power on container."

"How did you did it?"

"I remember being visited by a pony..." Chip replied. "I don't remember her name, but I do remember how badly she wanted to help me contain my power as well. So, she used a spell that created a container for my power, and then she launched it against a random universe... I barely saw the container, but... I do remember it looked like a prism... I think you know where I'm going with this..."

"...You're saying that the Paradox Prism is the container... And Opaline has been stealing your power..." Sonic realized with wide and panicked eyes. "If she gets the whole thing, she'll become the ruler of the multiverse for real..."

"Which is why we have to stop her and get the Prism back!" Chip said with concern. "If she gets the 20 shards... The entire multiverse will fall on her hooves, and we'll lost everything..."

"FS was right all along... Enough unraveling universes could make us loose everything... And Opaline has already unraveled so many worlds just to get power..." Sonic muttered with concern, as he looked around at all the universes that were in danger.

"We gotta find Opaline!" Chip stated. "It has to be or top priority!"

However, judging by Sonic's conflicted expression as he looked around, Chip could already tell that finding and stopping Opaline wasn't Sonic's top priority. Not now, at least.

"Now what's going to be your excuse?!" Chip asked in anger.

"...The Sonic variant that you mentioned... The one that's been recruiting people from all the multiverse... I met him... He told me so many things... Some good... Some bad... Some very bad..." Sonic confessed. "And we're not in good terms for now, but... I think I know how to make him snap back to reality. How to make him help us against Opaline!"

Chip's eyes widened after he said that last thing. "Wait... you wanna ask his help to defeat Opaline?"

"I know you might find illogical that I wanna ask the help of someone who's not in good terms with me, and he also tried to kill me..." Sonic pointed out with a smirk, while Chip deadpanned, rolled his eyes and facepalmed. "But like I said: I know how to get him to help us out!"

"Ugh... Sonic, sometimes I wonder why I appreciate you..." Chip muttered to himself. "Look, I'm not all that on board with this idea, especially because you know I hate to see the wrong people in the wrong universe! And I seriously don't trust that Sonic variant because he has been in way more universes than you! But... If that guy can really help us out... Then I'll help you anyway I can!" He stated with a determinate look.

Sonic smiled and extended his fist to Chip. "I knew I could count on you, pal!" Sonic said with a smile.

Chip rolled his eyes, but he still smirked back and fist bumped with Sonic, while the Blue Blur started to look all around the other universes again.

No matter how hard it'll be, no matter how long it'll take: He was going to save the whole multiverse, he was going to get FS' help, and he was going to make sure Opaline regrets even having starting her invasion, whenever it even started, that is... He didn't really cared.

"So? What's the plan?" Chip asked.

Soon, Sonic looked down the boat, and then saw something that made him smirk. "Oh, I think you might like it!" Sonic declared with a smirk.

Universe 250954

FS was watching the city that saw him growing from his room's window.

The futuristic vibe that Station Square always used to give FS a sense of comfort whenever he felt down or lost... Today, however, the sight of his home city made him feel... Confused.

Just a few hours ago, Sonic and many more anomalies escaped from Sector 6, and that enraged him... But said rage lead him to scream to the only pony he had ever loved for real ever since Tails died... He promised to look after her always, no matter what... And now, she left, because of him...

FS let out a sigh and rubbed his eye, trying to calm his thoughts down... But they always returned to Twilight, one way or another. She was his happy place... Or used to be, anyways.

Soon, Nicole appeared as a regular-sized lynx at his side, but she was also facing at the city instead of him.

"...You know that it could happen if you didn't controlled yourself, don't you?" Nicole reminded, although she was smirking mockingly.

"You always have to call me out?" Future Sonic asked with annoyance. "It's really frustrating and bugs me out..."

"If I didn't messed with you, will I still be the same Nicole Tails created?" Nicole pointed out, but now with a regular smile.

That made Future Sonic's eye widen, and he let out a sigh, smiling back and looking at her. "That's what makes you charming, Nicole... I just wished I had better control of my emotions back there... Otherwise she wouldn't had left..."

"Eh..." Nicole stuttered after FS said that, and she even looked away.

That made Future Sonic's smile fade away, and he frowned slightly at Nicole. "...Is there something she told you that I'm not aware of?" He asked with concern, and a bit of anger.

Nicole had no idea on what to do at first. After all, she promised Twilight to keep her mouth shut... But she was in a very hard position right now, so she let out a sigh and looked at the city again.

"...She planned to leave the Society way before what you did today happened..." Nicole confessed, and that made FS' eye widen in shock and disbelief. "Your little action today was everything she needed to finally make up her mind and go..."

FS stared for a good while at Nicole, reading her expression. He knew that Tails built her in a way that she could be as real as possible, even if she was just an hologram, hence why she can feel, she has a personality, and she even can make physical contact with him.

However, sometimes he couldn't read her expression, no matter how hard he tried. Twilight always told her he was good at reading people when not even they knew what was up with them... Nicole seemed to be the strange exception.

"...And judging by how you're only telling me now, she asked you to keep a secret, right?" Future Sonic asked with a concerned frown, even though he wasn't that mad with Nicole.

"Yeah... She said something about making one of our Tails' shut down my program for a week if I told you anything," Nicole replied with a smile.

"Yeah, that's Twilight for you..." Future Sonic replied with a snort, before suddenly getting sad again. "I really screw it big time, didn't I? My obsession with capturing 220822 Sonic got to a point that it made me brake the very same promise I made her when we fell for each other... That I wouldn't let the job get the best of me... Look how good I kept that promise..."

"If it makes you feel better... You're not the reason why she wanted to quit." Nicole said with a smile, and now she caressed one of FS' cheeks with her hand.

Future Sonic's eye widened again, but this time in surprise. "R-Really?" He asked with a hopeful smile, that faded away as he felt confused again. "But then why did she wanted to quit?"

"As much as she loved to be in the Society with you... She missed her home, Sonic..." Nicole pointed out, caressing FS' cheek a bit again. "Being here, tracking anomalies and making sure you wouldn't let your duty get to your head... It took her away from her home, from her friends. In fact, many members of the Society feel that way..."

"...Why did she never told me that?" Future Sonic questioned confused. "If she told me that she wanted to visit her home and quit for a few days... heck, even a few weeks, she could've asked me!"

"I know, and I told her that, exactly in that order, with the same words!" Nicole revealed with a smile that slowly faded away. "But she was concerned that you'll take it as you leaving her behind, and... She decided to wait until the whole thing with Opaline and 220822 Sonic was over..."

"For the love of God..." Future Sonic muttered, closing his eye and groaning frustrated. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

Nicole felt bad for him at seeing how harsh he was being on himself, but them her eyes widened when she suddenly got an anomaly alert, and that made her smile.

"Well... I cannot convince Twilight on coming back... But you know what I do know is going to cheer you up?" Nicole said with a smile.

"A Yakitori?" Future Sonic asked with sad puppy eyes.

Nicole rolled her eyes and smirked. "No, you goofball! Making your job!"

"What do you mean?" Future Sonic asked confused.

Instead of replying with words, Nicole made a screen appear, one that showed an image of a strange place that never had any anomaly before, and the universe number was just odd.

"We have an anomaly!" Nicole declared with a smile.

"An anomaly? On a universe so far away from here?" Future Sonic asked with suspicion. "This sounds like a trap... Unless we're before a similar situation than Universe 151222... But this doesn't looks like that space where you can access the five universes this one split in..."

"I already made my own analysis, boss... It doesn't seem to be the case." Nicole pointed out, before smirking. "But I do know that it can cheer you up!"

Future Sonic deadpanned at Nicole, before rolling his eye and rubbing it again. "Sometimes I don't understand how the hell do I manage to live with you..." He groaned, before turning around and grab his bracelets, since he retired them earlier, then put them back. "Alright, alright... I'll go and check what's going on in there."

"Yes!" Nicole cheered with a smile, before standing like a military and make a salute. "I'll keep an eye around for you boss!"

"I know you will..." Future Sonic replied, before making a portal appear that leads to the universe where the anomaly is located, but before leaving, he turned to see the digital lynx. "And Nicole?"

"Yes?" Nicole said curiously.

Future Sonic smiled at her. "Thank you."

Nicole smiled back and nodded, while FS nodded back, before he crossed the portal.

Universe 000000

Whatever this place was, it was empty.

Nothing but an infinite purple void was visible... Well, except for an immense layer of gray earth that extended as far as that purple void. What was it supposed to be? It was hard to tell.

Suddenly, a heptagon-shaped portal opened in the middle of the grey layer, and FS came out of it, while the portal immediately closed behind. The blue hedgehog frowned slightly when he saw nothing but the grey layer and the purple void, extending as far as his eyes could see.

Maybe the only other thing he could see was a few rocks here and there, but nothing else. This was a massive place full of emptiness and boredom.

FS opened his mouth to say something, but before doing so, his ear twitched when he heard something from the distance, so he quickly turned around and saw... nothing. That was odd, but then he heard it again and boosted in said direction, hoping to find the source of the sound.

However, all he found was more rocks, more grey dirt, and more purple void, which confused him a lot more than he already was.

"I was starting to think that you'll never show up, chief!" A voice spoke behind him... his voice.

But of course, he didn't spoke, so he frowned, and then he slowly turned around and looked upwards, finding Sonic sitting over a rock and waving his legs like a happy little kid, while he looked down at FS with a smirk and waved his hand on a mocking way.

"Sup, Future me!" Sonic said with a mocking smirk. "It's been... What? A day? Maybe two ever since we last saw each other?"

"I've should suspected it was you, hedgehog..." Future Sonic said with anger. "What the hell are you doing here? Heck, where even is here?!"

"You like it?!" Sonic asked with a smirk, as he pointed at their surroundings. "Welcome to the place that started it all! The very first universe that ever existed... Universe 000000!"

FS felt surprised to hear that, and he actually looked around this universe a bit more... Proud... Maybe because he respected the universe that started it all, although he still looked mad at Sonic.

"What's the trick here, Sonic?" Future Sonic asked with a frown. "I'm honestly not in the mood to talk with you, and I have better stuff to do."

"Stuff like lie and keep telling your Secret Society that you're not crazy nor have any grudge against those that changed their Canon without destroying their own universe?" Sonic asked, still with a mocking smirk.

"Your worlds haven't unraveled yet!" Future Sonic pointed out with a frown, while his eye turned red for a moment.

Sonic, however, laughed loudly and waved his legs like a kid even more. "Dude, making you loose your temper is so easy and funny!"

"You laugh now, Sonic... But when I get you in a cage where you cannot change destiny, then you will finally––" Future Sonic tried to say with anger.

"Oh, but Tails almost died when I arrived home... And I saved him already!" Sonic revealed with a victorious smile, and whatever FS was going to say, it died, because his eyes widened in shock after hearing that. "And as you can see, I'm still here! Alive, and ready to kick your ass if you refuse to listen!"

He said this last thing with a frown, then got down of the rock he was sitting over and approached FS, also cracking his knuckles and making some electricity come out of his body.

"You think I'm afraid of a mistake like you?!" Future Sonic asked with anger.

"Let me turn into the Riddler for a second: If I'm a mistake that was never supposed to happen, why is my world still intact? Why am I intact?" Sonic asked with a frown. "I'm sure you're gonna say something about "the multiverse does what it does" and then proceed to punch me in the face..."

Future Sonic was surprised to hear this, specially because of how accurate that description was, but he still looked over at Sonic with anger and a frown. "Who cares why your world didn't unraveled?! Doesn't changes the fact that your existence is the reason why our homes are in danger!"

"If you start quoting the same crap you said 10 episodes and an intermission ago, I might as well skip the fight and leave..." Sonic deadpanned. "Besides, that still doesn't explains something: If I broke my Canon, yet my world is still intact, then why am I an anomaly? Why isn't Sunset, who planned my escape from your clubhouse and even avoided her world's Hitch's fate? Why isn't Boom Sonic an anomaly, considering his visit to my universe is the reason why he married Amy, the reason why Aurora exists in the first place?"

"I swear if you don't shut up..." Future Sonic muttered in anger, as his eye turned fully red this time, and he prepared to activate his blades from his bracelets.

"Riddle me this, Sonic: If I'm an anomaly because I'm alive, wouldn't that make you an anomaly since you aren't a Sonic by nature?" Sonic asked with a frown, but also with a smirk.

Sunset told Tails about FS being a fake Sonic that uses a special liquid to get the super speed, and of course, Tails shared that information with Sonic, who was now using it against FS himself.

However, that was the last straw that made FS growl in anger, before he launched himself against Sonic by trying to attack him with his claws, but Sonic moved aside just in time to dodge the attack and even smirking mockingly at his counterpart of another universe.

After that, Sonic switched his right arm to a Knuckles one and then punched the crap out of FS, sending him several yards backwards.

Of course, this made the other Sonic groan in pain, but as he slowly stood up, he frowned in anger at Sonic. "Oh, it's on, you bastard!"

Sonic smiled seeing that he managed to provoke FS, and then he launched himself at him, while FS also launched himself at his counterpart from another universe. As they collided with each other, they locked fingers and began to push the other to gain some ground if possible.

However, it didn't take long for FS to gain the upper hand and push Sonic far enough, and though the other hedgehog rolled on the ground and groaned in pain, he still smiled as he skidded to a halt.

Soon, FS took out his blades from his bracelets and sped towards Sonic, who also sped towards FS. Sonic ducked to avoid a side attack that the opposite of him wanted to throw at him with one of the blades, in turn he used an arm to make him stumble, with FS rolling on the ground and groaning in pain, but also skidded to a stop.

Unfortunately, FS wasn't as lucky as Sonic, because the hedgehog from the future collided backwards into a rock that made him grunt in pain, and on top of that, disable his blades.

This in itself was bad enough, but then it got worse when Sonic lunged at him with his right arm transformed into one of the Werehog, and then hit him hard, sending him crashing through the rock and rolling on the ground several miles away, only slowing down when he managed to activate his right blade.

FS snarled in rage, then brought out the other blade and lunged at Sonic, trying to hit him multiple times in areas that would leave him with a fatal, or even mortal, injury.

FS had reached a very low point where his power filled him with so much anger that it was impossible for him to think clearly, and worse, he was at the point where he could not have peace until Sonic was dead, because he was the real disgrace of the multiverse in his eyes.

The problem with FS, which was a blessing for Sonic, was that the hedgehog from the future was trying to attack himself, the fastest thing alive... He was definitely blinded by anger if he couldn't see the flaw in this plan.

Sonic just took advantage of this and managed to attack back whenever he could, having fun teasing FS for not being able to hit him. Soon, Sonic used the Cyloop around FS, causing a mysterious wave of air to hit the other hedgehog from below and sending him flying into the air.

Sonic smirked at this, then jumped up and performed several combos against FS: Homing Shot, Wild Rush, Loop Kick, Spin Slash, and finished the combo with a Stomp Attack, fully charging his Phantom Rush.

With his charged attack, Sonic didn't even think twice and started to land multiple punches at FS, multiplying himself into even interspersing the appearance of his right arm to make sure FS got a hit from every universe, finishing the hit with a Cyclone Kick, then with another Stomp Attack.

FS growled as his back hit the ground, but as Sonic landed on it, FS growled in anger and charged at Sonic, this time grabbing his feet and spinning him around.

Sonic yelled in terror as they began to spin him, then groaned in pain as FS threw him into a rock, crashing backwards. But the pain was just beginning, because then, FS came over and punched him in the chest, then took him, burying his face in the ground, and then sprinting in a random direction.

Sonic groaned in more pain as his head was buried and dragged along the ground, but FS didn't end there: He soon launched Sonic into the sky, then slashed his right arm three times before charging a Spin Dash that threw him to the ground again.

Sonic groaned in pain as well and shook his head, then noticed the three cuts on his right arm, but he didn't minded them. In fact, he shifted his arm again to look like MC's, getting instant healing.

Once his arm was good as new, Sonic stood up again and smirked confidently at FS, who still looked at his counterpart of other universe with anger, breathing heavily and growling.

"Well... It seems like we're on the same level..." Sonic said with a smirk.

"Do you ever stop smiling like a complete idiot?!" Future Sonic asked in anger, as he made his blades retract back to his bracelets.

"Nah. Is part of my charm!" Sonic said happily. "Is something you'll never understand, because you aren't a Sonic by nature, remember?"

That made FS angry again. His eye turned red again, and his blades doubled in length, to the point that it looked like there were blades on the blades. However, this did not cause any effect of fear or uncertainty in Sonic, since his smirk was still intact, which prompted FS to attack his counterpart from another universe.

FS tried to slash Sonic again, but this time in various areas of his body, which Sonic found ironic again, since FS kept making the mistake of trying to hit the fastest thing alive.

Sonic, for his part, grabbed one of FS's blades at one point, then slashed his future self's left cheek, before doing a break dance move that kicked FS in the face and sent him flying back, grunting and groaning in pain as he cursed at Sonic in Japanese.

"Geez... Thank Chaos this story is Rated E and you said that in other language... Otherwise, idiots in the internet would had cancelled you already!" Sonic mocked up.

"Shut it!" Future Sonic shouted in rage, before ripping apart his other blade and then launch himself against Sonic.

Soon, a 'sword fight' began between the two Sonics, with one having fun during the duel, while the other only convinced himself that he was doing this out of duty and not out of a grudge of his own making.

And even with FS being 17 years older than Sonic, which clearly indicates that he has more combat experience, Sonic was the only one of the two with experience using a single sword, and thanks to that training that Caliburn gave him years ago, he had advantage in the duel.

But FS was not one to give up. Even if his powers were made up and not natural, he shared something in common with all the other Sonics: He was stubborn as a mule, and he didn't give up that easily.

However, Sonic decided to take advantage of this: He soon tripped FS, and then disarmed him using his blade, sending FS's flying. This made the older hedgehog snarl in fury, to the point where he ended up ripping off his bracelets in an act of fury, tired of the games.

Sonic was surprised by this change in attitude, but he smirked and threw his own blade away. If he was going to beat FS, he would do it in a fair fight.

"Well... Here we are, other me!" Sonic said with a mocking grin. "You wanted to get rid of me: Come and do it!"

"You have no idea how long have I been waiting to do that!" Future Sonic said with anger. "The original anomaly, the first mistake of the multiverse... The outcast of every other Sonic!"

"Dude, I thought we were talking about me, not about you!" Sonic said with a mocking smirk, but also frowning.

That made FS growl in anger and then launch himself against Sonic once again, but Sonic blocked the attack with his right arm, which he didn't even switched to other one this time around.

"You wanna get rid of me, but I think you haven't realized the real problem, man... And is that I am not an anomaly," Sonic said. "You are just a really sad and lost man that wants to blame someone for all his tragedies, and since no one on your clubhouse fit the role, you choose to get mad over me, because I accomplished more than you in one trip than you had in a whole year!"

"SHUT UP!" Future Sonic shouted in rage, and he tried to punch Sonic.

However, Sonic grabbed his punch just in time, then grabbed his whole arm, twirled on his own place, and then launched FS against a rock, where FS crashed on his back and groaned painfully, before getting grabbed by Sonic, get his face smashed in the ground, and then dragged away as Sonic boosted.

"Let me remind you, Chief: My name is Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic began with a frown. "I was born with an extraordinary power, I had the bless to find a family in the world my people comes from, I got an incredible hot pony girlfriend, and I'm more of a Sonic than you'll ever be in your sad, pathetic and miserable life!"

After saying that, Sonic launched FS to the air, then Homing Attacked against him, then used a Stomp Attack, and then launched him against another rock, where he crashed on his back again.

"PRETTY SURE YOU KNOW THE REST!" Sonic declared in anger, as he boosted with his electrical powers on against FS.

With this, Sonic made FS traverse the rock he crashed into, and then he began to run at top speed across this empty space. He kept running, and running, and running more, until the Prismatic Energy of his body began to react, as a white line was formed in the ground and moved ahead of the two Sonics.

Then, an X-shaped portal opened, and Sonic positioned FS in a way the latter's back was facing the portal, before they both crossed it, as it closed behind.

The two Sonics exited the first universe ever, as they headed upwards.

They were both in the realm that connects to every single reality, but FS couldn't see anything because Sonic was making sure he was still backwards, while Sonic growled in anger as he pushed his other self across this plain of reality, while his powers showed up more and more.

"NOW, CHIP!!!" Sonic shouted suddenly.

With that being said, several of the purple floating crystals aligned perfectly, and Sonic began to smash FS against all those crystals, while making his other self groan and growl in pain.

As they crashed against all those crystals, they shattered them and spread them around, but everytime it seemed that any of them was about to enter a universe, the crystals seemed to move on another direction, like if a barrier prevented them to enter that universe, which was very good.

Back with the two Sonics, FS kept crashing against crystals and groaning in pain, until he eventually got tired of Sonic and got him off by launching him away.

However, once he did so, FS finally realized where they are, and his eye widened: The same white lines he's seen on Nicole's simulations are here, but instead of a simply black background, there was this combination of red and blue as well, which he found absolutely beautiful.

"What... Is this place?" Future Sonic asked in disbelief.

"This is all of us..." Sonic replied, as he soon arrived by floating, and FS looked at him. "Your simulations were pretty accurate to the real thing!"

"What?" Future Sonic asked confused. "You know about this place?"

"Way before you, actually!" Sonic said with a wink and a smirk, which made FS deadpan. "This is... I honestly don't know how's it called, but let's just say this is the reality where you can access every single other universe that exists!"

FS' eye widened again, and he started to look around with disbelief... It was one thing to see a simulation, but the actual thing? Nothing could compare to this.

"...Is more beautiful than I could ever imagined..." Future Sonic confessed with a smile.

"And this is what we must protect!" Sonic stated with a serious expression now.

Future Sonic's eye widened, and he turned to see completely confused at Sonic. "What? We literally just beat the crap out of each other, and now you want us to walk out of it like if nothing happened?!"

"That's precisely what I told him, but did he listened?! No!" Chip came by as well with a frown.

FS got freaked out and yelped in fear, specially because he wasn't looking at Chip like Sonic: Instead, he was looking at Tails, his Tails, the one he lost so many years ago while fighting Eggman... His "Canon Event", if you wanna mock him up with his own words.

But now, he was convinced that he was looking at Tails, his best friend, the one friend he regrets deeply he couldn't save from dying...

"...T-Tails?!" Future Sonic asked with disbelief.

"Huh?/What?" Chip/Tails and Sonic said at the same time.

"Dude, let's be clear here: Whoever you're looking at, they're not really them!" Sonic explained.

"They're not... What?" Future Sonic asked, extremely confused by what he just heard.

"Is what you hear, pal!" Chip/Tails replied with a frown. "I'm the guardian of the multiverse! Not Tails, nor Chip... I have no name nor form. Your mind just creates this one so you can talk with me!"

This was a massive disappointment for FS, and all his excitement faded away after learning this.

"If it makes you feel better, I also though he was my friend before he explained that..." Sonic confessed with a sheepish smile, also scratching his neck in embarrassment.

Future Sonic frowned slightly, but then his eye widened. "Wait... You are the guardian of the multiverse?!" He asked Chip/Tails with surprise, and he nodded. "...I thought Nicole was crazy when she theorized about your existence..."

"Eh, I don't blame you for thinking I was a myth," Chip/Tails said with a smile. "Now, could you please be polite and explain me... WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN JUMPING FROM ONE UNIVERSE TO ANOTHER?!"

Chip/Tails grabbed FS from his coat and shook him violently with a frown, but then Sonic rolled his eyes, and separated them.

"Now's not the time to discuss, Chip!" Sonic reminded him with a deadpan, before turning to FS with a frown. "Listen, man... From all the crazy bullshit you baffled about when you explained the whole "Canon" thing, you were only right about one thing: Enough broken Canon from anyone that isn't the person the Canon affects has caused many universes to unravel... All because Opaline altered the story in said worlds."

Future Sonic's eye widened in shock after hearing that. "And now, the multiverse is in big danger... If she gets the shards she's missing, is Game Over not only for us, but for the entire existence as we know it... She could even conquer other multiverses beyond this one..."

"And that's what concerns me the most!" Chip/Tails said with a frown. "We must find her and take the power of the Prism back! It is my power, after all."

"Wait, really?" Future Sonic asked confused.

"Is a long story..." Sonic said, before letting out a very heavy sigh. "Listen, man... I know we're not in the best of the terms, and like you said, we were trying to beat the crap out of each other a few minutes ago... Although I do believe you wanted to kill me..."

"I find myself guilty!" Future Sonic replied with a mocking smirk.

Sonic rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Even if that's true, I have to admit something: I–– We can't do this without your help... You and Chip, or Tails if you keep looking at him like that, are the ones who have more knowledge about the multiverse than anyone! Sure, I'm the first guy that traveled the multiverse in a very long time, but my knowledge is limited to know there's other mes out there... I never knew that the multiverse would be so complicated and fascinating at the same time."

"...You just wanted to go home... There was no need for you to know all this crap..." Future Sonic said, and he finally realized why everything went wrong.

It wasn't Sonic's existence the problem, it was FS' obsession with capturing him what make everything go wrong... Yes, he genuinely wanted him and Sunny to join, but he also knew that it could go wrong... So why did he even sent Sunset to recruit them?

"And I still did..." Sonic said with slight concern, before taking a deep breath and looking at FS with a smile. "I know for a fact that you won't forgive me, specially because some of your Society's member rebelled just so I could escape home... But I also know that you are a Sonic, just like me, just like any other one that there is in the multiverse!"

FS limited himself to listen to Sonic, something he found surprising even for himself, since he never imagined he would be hearing whatever 220822 Sonic had to say.

"We all had made mistakes, we all had made decisions that we regret... We all want to find something to justify our tragedies..." Sonic kept telling, and FS' eye widened in surprise when hearing that last thing. "But just because tragedies forge the people we are, doesn't mean we have to let them happen all the time... After all, the only person that can write your story... is you."

FS never felt so conflicted in his life. On one hand, Sonic was right about how stupid the Canon really is, and the fact that he referred to it as an excuse to justify his tragedies really hurt, but maybe it hurt because is true... But on the other hand, he's been doing this for a whole year...

Can he really stop now, when he's gotten so far? Maybe he could... Sonic was giving him a chance, after all.

"So? What it'll be, future me?" Sonic asked. "Because I'm willing to make a clean slate, but I know you're not. So... How about this: Until we have defeated Opaline, wanna make a truce?"

Sonic extended his hand to FS with a smile, and FS looked back at Sonic, like analyzing him to see if there was a trick in all of this... But he only saw the same Sonic he's been hating for the past year for... for no reason... Not a logical one, anyways.

Future Sonic sighed and looked at Sonic. "I still think that Opaline wouldn't be doing this if you were not here..." He confessed, and Sonic deadpanned. "...But fighting against the other one when we have a common enemy makes no sense... I'll make a truce. We'll see what to do after we're done with Opaline."

With that being said, FS stretched Sonic's hand, and the Blue Blur smiled.

"Well, now that we have that out of the way... Let's focus on another important subject..." Tails/Chip declared. "How the hell are we gonna stop Opaline to begin with?!"

Author's Note

I know that some of you might believe is lame that FS tried to kill Sonic, yet Sonic still wanted his help.

That's Sonic for you, though. No matter what you do, he won't have a grudge against you. And yes, what he said at the beginning is true: He has no grudge against Eggman, but is till willing to give everything he gots in order to stop him.

Now, Universe 000000 is the designation I gave to our real world, just in another dimension where we never came to exist and there's only... Well... What you saw in the story.

Just 2 chapters left before another hiatus. In the next one, Opaline will cross a line that pushed Eggman to edge of his anger. This cannot end well, can it?

See ya later! :twilightsmile:

20. The Nightmare Begins

Universe 220822

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT AGAIN?!" Pipp shouted in rage.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to react like that..." Tails cringed and scratched one ear after Pipp shouted.

Team B came back from the Mushroom Kingdom and left their citizens, and Bowser, get ready for the fight against Opaline. Of course, Team's A and C were expecting them to come back with Sonic... But they didn't.

Tails had to explain that he wanted to check on something regarding the guardian of the multiverse which made him left... You already know what happened, don't you? Yup: Pipp got furious again. As if being concerned for him in the previous chapter wasn't enough, now she has no idea where he is at all.

She did was glad to see that Tails was fine and that Sonic managed to save him, as well as to see Zipp back. Sunny was also very happy to see her friends again, specially to see Tails alive.

But just like Pipp, Sunny was concerned and mad with Sonic. She understands that he has a sense of duty that never fades away, not even when he seems to have selfish thoughts considering how depressed he's been the past year with no adventures to have.

Now that he was back to his normal self, that meant he was back with the reckless decisions that concerned his friends, and that could get him killed of he isn't careful enough... or at all.

Amy was also upset. Just an hour ago, that is last episode, she was comforting Pipp and telling her that Sonic would be back, that everything would turn out fine in the end... Yet Sonic had to pull a Sonic move and prove her wrong, because he should be right here, not doing whatever he's doing.

"This is exactly what I didn't wanted to happen... But it still happened!" Pipp screamed madly, even groaning loudly and grabbing her head with her hooves.

"Well, she's gonna complain for the next ten minutes now..." Zipp deadpanned.

"I said that I'm tired of waiting, that I'm tired of just standing here and hope everything will be fine in the end while doing nothing!" Pipp said in rage. "I don't care what he's doing, why is he doing it, or for who! I don't want to wait for him to come back either intact or all beaten up!"

"So far I just see Pipp being as Pipp as she can be..." Knuckles muttered, and Izzy chuckled slightly, but she also covered her mouth with a hoof so her laugh wouldn't be heard.

"The moment that son of his owl mother comes here, he's gonna hear me!" Pipp said with anger, also breathing heavily. "I won't be the cute little princess that just nods at him whenever he has to put his life in danger! NO! He's gonna hear me loud and clear! I won't let him get away with this anymore!"

"And I thought only my Pipp was dramatic..." Sunset mumbled with a bored expression.

"I guess is a multiversal thing..." Sunny muttered back with a smirk, and Sunset smirked back while rolling her eyes a bit.

"Pipp, I think you're just overreacting––" Zipp tried to point out.

However, Pipp was not in the mood to take any kind of attempt for comfort, not even from her own sister, because she turned to her and glared daggers.

"Overreacting?!" Pipp shouted, before she suddenly zoomed to Zipp. "Listen here, Zephyrina! For the past 3 years, I've been living with the best thing that ever happened to me, a thing that's constantly risking his life because he feels that he has a duty with everyone when he doesn't! And I'm so tired of waiting for a miracle to bring him back while doing nothing! I'm tired of feeling useless whenever he's doing something that's for the greater good!"

Zipp was taken aback by her sister's outburst, as well as her friends around, because none of them expected her to snap like that. Sure, they know she has attitude, but this was still concerning, although it also showed how much Pipp cares for and loves Sonic.

Buffon, on the other hand, whistled amazed. "She's got attitude. I like that."

"Huh... Was I that intense anytime I got concerned for Sonic?" Amy asked Tails in a whisper out of concern.

"Kinda..." Tails replied with a sheepish smile.

Soon, however, and heptagon-shaped portal opened not so far, and while some noticed it, some others didn't, and Pipp was one of the latter group.

Those who noticed's eyes widened too once they saw who came out of the portal, but the royal sisters were not a part of that group, because Pipp kept letting all her frustration out on Zipp, while the older pegasus limited herself to listen and looked concerned at Pipp

"I don't care if he's doing something amazing! I just want to see him fine, not risking his life every damn minute!" Pipp shouted in rage and concern.

"Well, if I knew you were going to get this panicked, I wouldn't had left in the first place!" A voice spoke behind the group, and Pipp's eyes widened, because she could recognize that voice anywhere.

Those who didn't noticed the portal finally did, and Pipp slowly turned around, just to gasp and cover her mouth with a hoof, as she also began to tear up by the sight.

The one that came out of the portal was none other than Sonic. The portal closed behind, and there was a better look at him: Other than his gloves and shoes getting dirty and messy, he seemed to be fine physically speaking. He had his perforated ear, which made clear it was the same Sonic they knew.

However, the final assurance was when they saw his right arm, still a bit burned out because of last year's events, but not so damaged compared to how it looked at first.

Sonic looked over at the whole group and smiled. It was the first time he saw them all together in one place. He was glad to see that Hitch was fine, too, and he was very glad to see Sunny in here as well... But his sight stopped in Pipp, who was tearing up and looking at him a bit confused.

"What's the matter, Little Pipp?" Sonic asked with a mocking tone. "You've seen a ghost or something?"

That was the last confirmation she needed, and she rushed to him so incredibly fast that it could literally match his own speed, as she wrapped him into a very tight hug.

Sonic was not even startled, and he had his arms open already, so he made sure to embrace her back into the hug and even lift her to twirl her a bit in the air. Even though Pipp seemed to be crying, she still giggled slightly when Sonic lifted her and twirled her around.

Once he put her back in the ground, he sighed in relief and caressed her mane with a hand to try and calm her down a bit. He has missed her as well, after all.

"I-I thought I'll never see you again..." Pipp sobbed as she kept hugging him.

"I know, Little Pipp..." Sonic replied, then he looked at her with love and caressed her cheeks. "And I'm sorry for letting you down with my reckless actions..."

"No, no... I'm sorry for saying all of that..." Pipp apologized, sorbing a bit from her nose and trying to wipe her tears off, which ended up ruining her makeup as usual. "I-Is just that I didn't wanted to loose you... A-And I said all that stuff out of anger... I-I'm really sorry if you felt attacked..."

"Doesn't mean you're wrong..." Sonic replied with a sad smile. "I had made so many promises... Promises I can't keep up, and sometimes is not even because I can control what happens... You don't deserve to go through any of this..."

"...And even despite my words... Even despite my concerns... I'm still willing to get through all of this, over and over again if necessary... Because I love you, Sonic the Hedgehog... I love you for who you are..." Pipp said with a smile. "The day Metal Sonic gave you that scar on your back... Remember what I said? "You love to run freely, to help others, to defeat evil forces, and I don't want you to stop doing all of that just because I'm worried". I meant every word I said, Sonic... I really did. And I keep my words up to this day, no matter what I had said... I don't want to change you... But I do want to be there with you."

"Pipp, I appreciate the offer, but––" Sonic tried to argue, but Pipp shut him down by placing a hoof on his mouth.

"I know you'd rather have me here because I'm safe... But in case you don't remember, I'm no damsel in distress!" Pipp stated with a smirk. "I can kick some flanks on my own, you know? And I can be of help if you let me be. That's the only thing I want you to change, Sonic: Stop thinking the weight of the world is in your shoulders and let me help... Let us help! We're your family, no matter where you go."

Sonic felt surprised to hear that, and once Pipp removed her hoof from his mouth, he had no idea on what to say... What could he say? He felt touched by his girlfriend's words. And he had to admit she's right: He feels the weight of a world... of every world on his shoulders...

But who said he had to carry it alone? Who said he had to do this on his own? He had his friends, his family with them. They could carry that weight along, make it weigh less...

Sonic smiled down at Pipp and kissed her, while Pipp kissed him back. Yes, her lips are still his favorite thing ever, a flavor that goes beyond his love for Chili Dogs. This pegasus was really something if it made him like her more than he loves his favorite food ever, huh?

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, Pipp... But I'm so glad I did it..." Sonic said with a loving gaze for the pegasus on his arms.

"Oh, you didn't did anything, Blue Star..." Pipp replied with the same gaze. "You only arrived into my life~."

Sonic chuckled and kisses her again. He didn't wanted to miss his favorite flavor ever anymore, and the same thing goes for Pipp, who was beyond happy to have her Blue Star back on her hooves.

But of course, once they separated, Sonic looked at the rest, before smirking and boosting towards them. He embraced Tails and Knuckles first, and even if he greeted them before, he was still happy to see them. Amy ended up joining into the hug so it could be a full group hug for Team Sonic.

After that, he separated and went over to hug Sunny, his little sister from another dimension who he sent to this world again out of concern, and Sunny hugged him back, so glad to see that he was fine.

Soon, the rest of the Mane 6 and Sparky joined into that hug as well, and Sonic was glad to be hugging all his pony friends from his home universe. After all, they're the reason why he loves Equestria so much, and why he wants to stay there once the whole deal with Opaline is over.

He also grabbed Sparky and cooed him a bit. Maybe he hasn't interacted with the baby dragon that much, but Sparky has definitely won over Sonic's heart as well

Now, he went over and hugged Boom Sonic again, with Boom hugging him back and chucking. Sonic also took his time to coo Aurora a bit, before noticing that Young Sonic was back, and his eyes widened in surprise, before the two Sonics embraced each other into a hug as well.

They both had thousands of questions to make for the other one, no doubt, but with hugging and seeing that each other were fine was more than enough so far.

He soon went with Buffon and made a little secret handshake they made for each other, then he side-hugged Firefly and Dr. Hooves, then he fist bumped with Classic Sonic, and then he fist bumped with Tails X... That just left one member of Team Anomaly left, one he hasn't fixed things with.

Sonic stood in front of Sunset Shimmer, who gulped nervously once Sonic stopped in front of her with a slight frown. She was already fearing the worse, so she sighed and looked up to him.

"I won't try to excuse myself, Sonic..." Sunset said with concern and shame for her actions. "What I did was wrong. I hurt you, I hurt Sunny, I almost made FS get you killed! And I'm really sorry for having messed up so badly."

Sonic said nothing. He was frowning, true, but his gaze said nothing to her, and that concerned her even more.

Still, Sunset decided to keep talking. "I know that you're upset, and I know Boom told you everything... Sunny hasn't forgiven me at all, and I know that..." She looked over at Sunny, who was slightly concerned for how Sonic would react with Sunset, even though she really is still upset with her. "So I'll understand if you can't forgive me, either... Is not like I deserve it, anyways... But I want you to know that I seriously and truly regret what I did!"

Sonic crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her, which only made Sunset feel even more nervous, but she still continued talking.

"I... I'm really sorry for not telling you everything. You simply couldn't expect me to say "Hey, you're a mistake!" and call it a day, though..." Sunset pointed out with an awkward chuckle, before sighing again and look back and forth between Sonic and Sunny. "I'm sorry for everything. Neither of you deserved all of this crap..."

Sunset looked away from Sonic, already accepting that he probably was going to yell at her in anger... Big was her surprise when Sonic extended his hand to her and smiled. She looked up at him, and felt even more surprised when she saw no signs of anger or hate on his eyes.

"I'm not a guy that holds a grudge against anyone, no matter who they are..." Sonic said with joy, surprising Sunset even more. "You screw it up big time... So? Is not like your life has no meaning now that we're on the same side!"

"...Y-You're... forgiving me?!" Sunset asked with wide eyes and disbelief. "B-But why?!"

"You formed this whole-ass operation to get me out of that cage in the HQ, and you even went as far to warn my friends about FS!" Sonic pointed out with a smile. "I'm still upset you lied to me... But your actions to make up for your mess speak volumes of who you are, Sunset. And in my book? That's a really good start. So, while I cannot forgive you at a 100%, I'll say we're in good terms for now!"

Sunset couldn't believe what she heard. While she would had preferred to be forgiven, she was more than happy to be in good terms with Sonic for the time being.

So, she extended her hoof and stretched it with Sonic's hand, as the Blue Blur smiled at her. They were now on the same side, after all, and they needed to work together if they wanted to take down Opaline... However, Sonic's eyes widened suddenly when he remembered something.

"Right! I, um... I had a little "conversation" with FS... Right after we beat the crap out of each other..." Sonic confessed with a sheepish smile.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Boom Sonic asked in panic, grabbing Sonic from his chest and shaking him violently.

"You didn't invite me to watch the fight?!" Buffon asked offended, also grabbing Sonic and shaking him violently as well.

Sonic hit the other two Sonic's faces and frowned. "Yes, yes... I fought FS, but we're good now!"

"Wait... You are?!" Sunny asked with wide eyes. "As in... You two are in good terms?!"

"Yup!" Sonic replied with a smile. "We finally had a conversation like normal people, and we're on the same ground. He still has a grudge for me, but he agreed on fixing our differences with the Canon stuff later, since stoping Opaline is the top priority!"

After saying that, he removed the watch on his left wrist and gave it to Firefly, since it was hers, and she caught it, before putting it back on her left hoof.

"He also said he wants a chat with you, Sunset." Sonic told her with a smile.

Sunset's eyes opened wide in surprise. "W-With me?!"

Sonic nodded. "He wants to be more polite and give you an apology for kicking you out so abruptly! And don't worry, he already had someone else to scold him in case he doesn't cooperates!" He assured with a wink.

"He does?" Sunset asked confused with a raised eyebrow.

Universe 250954

In the Secret Society HQ, FS was rubbing his head in pain.

Twilight decided to come back after learning that Sonic and FS had made a truce, but she still punched him on his head for all his decisions and actions against Sonic.

"Tsugi wa ude o otte yaru!" Twilight told FS with anger, saying "Next time, I'll break your arm!" in Japanese.

Future Sonic rolled his eyes annoyed. "Kirujoi…" He mumbled, saying 'Party pooper' in Japanese as well.

That made Twilight punch his head again. "Sore ga kashikoikara koso e rareru monona nodesu!" She said with anger, saying "That's what you get for playing smart!" in Japanese.

Universe 220822

Sunset blinked after Sonic explained that.

"...Yeah, that makes sense..." Sunset deadpanned and shrugged.

After saying this, Sunset opened a portal that could get her out of there with the watch that Buffon gave her, but right before crossing it, Boom stopped her.

"If you think you're going alone, then you're massively wrong!" Boom Sonic stated. "We trust on Sonic's word, but we don't trust FS."

"We're going too. To look after you," Buffon stated with a smirk, as he crossed the portal without asking.

Firefly, Hooves, Classic and Tails X nodded in agreement, and Sunset smiled at them all.

"Can I go, too?! I've never been in that HQ!" Young Sonic pointed out with excitement.

"Join the Club, 3!" Boom Sonic replied with a smile.

With that, Young boosted towards the portal and cheered, while Boom also crossed it, and Sunset was the last to traverse it, before the portal closed behind, only leaving Team Sonic and the Mane 6.

However, that didn't lasted long, because another heptagon-shaped portal suddenly opened, and Team Dark came out of that one. Sunny smiled and immediately rushed to hug Shadow, who allowed himself to smile and wrap an arm around her as well.

But then, Team Dark's eyes widened when they saw that Sonic was fine, and the blue blur crossed his arms with a mocking smirk, while Shadow and Rouge smirked back, and Omega made a salute.

"Well, took you long enough to show up!" Sonic said with a mocking tone.

"Same goes to you, hedgehog." Shadow replied. "I was wondering when would you show your face around."

"You know how I am, Shadow: I like to make an impression!" Sonic said with a smirk.

Shadow rolled his eyes, but his smirk never faded away. Deep down, and even if he didn't wanted to say it, he was truly glad to see that Sonic is fine.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're ready to roll again, Sonic." Rouge said with a smirk, before it turned into a serious expression. "But we may had made a mistake while you were out..."

That confused Sonic. "Mistake?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of?"

"The kind were we make an alliance with the last person you'll expect..." Shadow replied with a slight frown.

"No, seriously. None of you are expecting it." Omega assured.

That made everyone wonder what was Team Dark talking about, but then, from the portal that hasn't closed behind them, Orbot and Cubot came out with saddened expressions, followed by Eggman, who despite being frowning and having his eyes covered with his glasses, seemed to be depressed.

This made everyone's eyes open wide, but Knuckles, Zipp, Sunny and Amy ended up frowning in anger.

"...Okay, but when you said you made an alliance with someone unexpected, a part of me believed you brought Silver or Blaze... Guess I was wrong..." Sonic confessed with an amused expression.

"What the hell is Eggman doing here?!" Knuckles asked with anger, activating his powers.

"And why did you guys made an alliance with him?!" Zipp asked in anger as well, opening her wings.

"...Opaline has gone too far..." Eggman muttered with sadness, an emotion Sonic's never heard in him, but he got actually concerned for Eggman when he looked at his hands... which were trembling. "...She has taken away my most precious thing ever..."

"Your most precious thing?" Sonic asked confused, but then he noticed the absence of someone, and his eyes widened in panic and horror. "...Sage..."

Once Sonic said that, everyone else but Eggman, Team Dark, Orbot and Cubot turned to him with the same wide and panicked eyes than him.

"She took her life with her horn... I'll make sure she pays for it..." Eggman muttered with anger.

Eggman has shown to be menacing before, but the way he said that this time around... It sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Suddenly, the blue Prism shard that Tails found last year floated out of his tails, while the red one that Amy had floated out of her dress. And then, the two shards boosted towards the sky, and everyone looked at this with panic.

"Damn it!" Shadow said with anger. "Opaline was only missing two shards... Now she's got them!"

"WHAT?!" Sunny shouted in panic.

"Shadow, this is not the time for jokes!" Sonic said with anger.

"DO I LOOK LIKE JOKING TO YOU RIGHT NOW, SONIC?!" Shadow said with anger as well.

"W-What happens if Opaline gets all the shards?!" Misty asked concerned.

"Then pray to our creator that she doesn't hits out universe when she starts her armageddon..." Sonic muttered with a frown.

Everyone looked at the sky concerned, as it opened with the shape of an X for a split of second, before it closed again... This meant that the two final shards were now on Opaline's power, and that she'll began her conquer for the multiverse soon... It was the time to panic.

"Dang it, dang it, dang it!" Knuckles said with anger as well. "That daughter of her Alicorn mother is going to kill us all!"

"What do we do?!" Izzy asked concerned, hiding behind Knuckles in fright.

"We find her and finish her off..." Eggman muttered, still with that sinister tone that scared everyone else, while the doctor approached a rock taller than him near by. "I will burn down her wings, rip her horn apart... Destroy everything she loves and make her watch!"

"Uh, Eggman?" Sonic called out, now genuinely concerned for him.

"I'LL TAKE IT ALL FROM HER LIKE SHE DID WITH ME!!!" Eggman shouted, then he started to hit the rock once and caused a crack on it, "I'll..." Then hit it again and made the crack bigger, "I'll..." hH hit it again to make a bigger crack, "I'll..." He hit it with both fists and made a bigger crack.

Then, he finished off the rock by punching it one last hard time, and that made the entire rock tear apart in two, but that also made Eggman grab his hand in pain after doing this.

However, this action left everyone else completely stunned, wide eyed, and with their jaws dropped, as they all stared at Eggman with disbelief, as well as to the rock that he just destroyed with his bare hands. Sunny now understood why it hurt when he used his hands when he beat the crap out of her that one time.

"Boss! Your hands!" Orbot said with concern.

"As long as I can still strangle that witch, my hands are fine!" Eggman declared with anger.

His tone once again sent chills down everyone's spines, but Sonic was probably the one most concerned for him... Opaline really did him dirty if he was this mad with her.

Universe 160521

MC was moving back and forth on his own room with concern.

Upon returning from his sudden 2-month imprisonment by the Secret Society, MC was greeted with joy by his friends, by the Freedom Fighters, and especially by Twilight.

This last one kissed him slightly, and of course, everyone asked him what happened, who took him away, why didn't he asked for backup, and who was that creepy Sonic with an eye-patch. He explained it all the best he could, and after being done, everyone was shocked by the story, but they were glad to hear there's a Sonic out there that's planning to fix it all for everyone.

And now, he's trying to relax his body and simply enjoy being in his home universe... A sensation he couldn't have, because ever since he arrived 3 days ago to his home world, he's been feeling that something's wrong.

He hasn't told anyone about it, and he's been really good at keeping a secret to himself for 3 days in a row, but today? He can barely stay on his place, because a growing fear of something going terribly wrong is growing and growing inside of him, and he can't stop walking back and forth on his room.

He eventually sat down on his bed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. He had all kinds of abilities: Dragoon Force Physiology, Super Strength, Vocal Manipulation, Self-Density Manipulation, Mind Sight, Elemental Mimicry, Super Speed, Chaos Claw, Wall Crawling, Longevity, Regenerative Healing, Enhanced Senses, Lie Detection, and Telepathic Immunity...

You see why FS wanted this guy locked away, right?

Yet no matter if he had so many cool superpowers... He still lacked a sight to the future without dreaming about it, a small nitpick of what could happen. Maybe he cannot prevent it, but he can be ready for it...

So many weird things that he has seen, so many crazy stuff that he has lived, so many tragedies that he has been going through... Yet his biggest concern and fear right now wasn't about someone from his own universe, but from another one that was as dangerous and crazy as his...

Soon, Twilight opened the door, and just when she was going to ask him something, she noticed his expression.

"MC?" Twilight asked with concern.

He didn't said anything at first, but he eventually turned to see Twilight with concern.

"...Something terrible is going to happen..." MC replied.

Universe 250954

An heptagon-shaped portal opened in FS' office on the Secret Society HQ.

From it, Team Anomaly came out and looked around confused, since they arrived to the office, yet it was empty, because neither FS nor Nicole could be seen around.

"Sunset?" Young Sonic called out concerned. "You should've told me that this place is creepy..."

"I mean, it usually isn't, since there's usually people around..." Sunset pointed out.

"Yeah, but this place is empty and creepy..." Boom Sonic pointed out with concern, as he covered Aurora's head with the Sonic mask so she wouldn't feel afraid. "Although, thinking about it, this place always felt creepy, anyways."

"Which is what makes it cooler," Buffon said with a shrug and a blank look.

"Dude, you manage to be the coolest yet the creepiest Sonic out of all of us, and I don't know how that's possible..." Young Sonic said with a bored expression.

"With that, I can agree!" Future Sonic's voice spoke suddenly, and everyone's eyes widened, before they all started to look around confused, until they eventually saw him standing over the floating platform where he always operates.

Yet big was Team Anomaly's but Young Sonic's surprise when they saw FS... smiling, instead of frowning.

"You're Sonic 3, or Young Sonic, right?" Future Sonic asked Young Sonic with a smirk. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! But you can call me FS if you want!"

Young Sonic's eyes sparkled, and he gasped amazed once he saw FS from top to bottom. "Why did no one told me this guy looks so freaking cool?!"

Boom Sonic knew what was coming, and his eyes widened in panic. "Sonic 3, don't––"

However, it was too late, because Young Sonic boosted away and ran around FS, checking all his body and how he was dressing, although FS didn't seemed to mind, which confused the others.

"You have an eyepatch? A coat? Cooler gloves and boots than me?!" Young Sonic exclaimed in excitement. "You're everything I wanna be one day!"

"I hope is just the looks, because trust me kid: Life-wise? You don't want to be like me..." Future Sonic said with a smile, as he carefully got Young Sonic off his head, since the younger Sonic was there, and then placed him back on the floor. "But I'm flattered you think I look cool!"

"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" Sunset asked freaked out.

"Yeah! We were expecting the same grumpy FS that wanted to beat the crap out of Sonic, like, two days ago! Not... well, you..." Firefly pointed out confused.

"Are we sure we're not in the wrong universe?" Hooves muttered to Tails X with concern.

Tails X checked his watch for a moment, but then his eyes widened in surprise. "No... This is the right universe..."

"Are you sure? I honestly don't feel like we are in the right place..." Classic Sonic pointed out.

"No, no... You're in the right place," Twilight spoke next, as she came from flight and soon landed at FS' side.

"Twilight?" Sunset said confused, and also frowned slightly after seeing her again.

She still has a grudge with Twilight for not defending her against FS before.

"Look... I'll be frank and go right to the point, okay?" Future Sonic spoke next, as the platform descended and he got down of it, with Young Sonic following close behind, before boosting back with Team Anomaly and stand at Boom's side, as they all turned to FS and payed him attention. "The reason why I wanted you all in here today... Is to apologize."

Okay, this was it. Team Anomaly's jaws dropped in complete and utter shock and disbelief, while Young Sonic stared at the others with a confused expression.

"Guys, he's just apologizing for... Well, I don't know, but he's saying he's sorry!" Young Sonic pointed out. "What are you guys so shocked about?"

"Because he never apologizes, even when he knows he's wrong!" Boom Sonic exclaimed out loud in panic.

"Geez, I didn't knew I scared you all that badly..." Future Sonic deadpanned.

"I told you that being that cold would have consequences~" Twilight said with a mocking smirk, and FS blushed embarrassed, as he also looked away from her, surprising and panicked the rest but Young Sonic even more.

"No, seriously: What's gotten into you?!" Sunset asked to FS in panic.

Future Sonic sighed and looked at Team Anomaly. "I... I've seen that I've been an idiot... And I'm really sorry for not being a good example of a leader... The whole thing with protecting the Canon, capturing anomalies and treat them like mistakes... It made me realize how messed up our job actually is... And... Canon can be changed, as long as the one the Canon Event belongs to is the one that changes it, of course... My anger and frustration lead me to make questionable things..."

He slowly looked over at Sunset, who wasn't so shocked anymore, but still found surprising that FS was willing to apologize for his mistakes.

"You were right all along, Sunset..." Future Sonic told her. "And I still kicked you out... If you all wanna stay out of the Society, I'll respect your decision."

"But if you wanna come back, then you're most than welcome!" Twilight assured. "And I'm also sorry for not defending you back then... I hope you can forgive me..."

Sunset was touched by this, and she smiled. Then, she looked behind to the rest of Team Anomaly, and they all nodded in agreement with her.

Despite FS' antics, they were willing to give him a second chance.

"Well... I hope cafeteria's food is still good!" Sunset said with a smile.

FS and Twilight smiled back, knowing this mean they were willing to give second chances all together...

But then, FS' alarms set off, and Nicole appeared at his side. "Boss! We have a problem! A really big one!"

"Report!" Future Sonic instructed her.

"Opaline has begun to destroy universes... S-She's getting really powerful!" Nicole replied.

Future Sonic's eye widened, then he frowned and looked at Twilight. "Sent everyone to the stations and tell them to get ready! I'll go check on Sonic and tell him the news!"

"On it!" Twilight replied.

As FS opened a portal and disappeared through it, Twilight and Team Anomaly decided to follow orders, and they left the office to prepare everything for the battle against Opaline.

In the realm where all the realities connect, Opaline floated in the middle.

Then, from her home universe, since she was staring at it, the two final shards of the Paradox Prism approached, and she looked at them with pure glee and joy.

Soon, she attached the two shards to her bracelets, and her eyes glowed in the four colors of the Prism, as well as her wings and horn ignited with them all as well... This was it. She was now powerful enough to take over the multiverse, and no one could stop her now.

Soon, Opaline's horn was changed into the four colors of the Prism, and she began to transform as well: Her hooves were now each glowing on the respective color of the shards attached to the bracelet.

Her wings' feathers also changed to red, yellow, green and blue feathers. Finally, her veins were not glowing anymore, meaning that her body has adapted to the power of the Paradox Prism. She was now a conqueror, a better Queen, a ruler meant to dominate the multiverse.

To test out her power, she shoot a blast that also combined the four colors of the Prism towards a universe near by, and said universe began to glitch out and collapse.

At least the other times it was doing so because she interfered with these worlds directly... But right now? This one was collapsing, and she only shot a blast at it...

Universe 230215

"Little Lulu seems rather attached to you. You must be a really good teacher! Starswirl's been trying to teach her for as long as I've been here, but he has problems keeping her focused I think." A brief pause was filled only with Solaria's failed attempt to twist Prancer's head from his neck. He continued to talk, oblivious to the ongoing attempts on his life. "You're way too young to have been a teacher before all this happened. Were you a student in the capital?"

A spike of annoyance drove into Solaria's concentration as another of the mortals made an assumption based on her appearance. "I am older than you," she said, and some of her aggravation must have bled into her voice as the stallion actually winced at the words.

"O-of course you are! I didn't mean to imply that you're inexperienced or anything!" Prancer said hastily, before apologizing again and floundering with his words. Solaria began to tune out his rambling as the pair continued their patrol of the fields.

What happened next? Didn't mattered... This universe suddenly shone bright with a flashlight, before getting reduced to be nothing...

The universe itself collapsed entirely and Opaline laughed with glee.

So, she slowly turned to other universe and launched another blast against it, as it began to glitch out as well...

Universe 070923

"How could a silly BOARD GAME make ponies upset?" Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy said softly, "It isn't silly. To some ponies, chess is very important. Chess can be an all-consuming intellectual obsession."

Rainbow laughed. "Pfft! Whatever. Silly eggheads."

Twilight put a foreleg around Pinkie's shoulders. "Pinkie, if you don't want to play chess, you don't have to. Even though I was really hoping somepony like you, who's really good at making things fun, could help to make the library's new Chess Club a success."

Pinkie shook her head. "The Equestrian Chess Federation asked me not to play chess anymore, and not to say why. But if all of you can promise to keep it a secret, I guess it's ok to tell YOU."

Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy promised.

"It all started one summer when I was a filly. I was in Ponyville, visiting my Nana..."

However, before Pinkie could continue her tale, a flash light shone bright above them all, and then, everything was gone...

Seeing another universe glitching and unraveling filled Opaline with even more joy.

She grinned sinisterly, then she launched four blasts more in four opposite directions, all of them hitting different universes that also began to unravel...

Universe 121117

"Princess Celestia. Welcome." She greeted, keeping her staff planted on the top step and lowered her head in a formal bow. When she brought her head back up, she noticed that the surprise had not left the Princess' eyes.

"Tempest." Celestia greeted in kind, though she could not hide the surprise in her voice, and thus, the first curve ball had been thrown.

"Fizzlepop Berrytwist, Your Majesty. My given name. Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist, if you please."

"Of course. My apologies. Lead the way, Captain."

As Fizzlepop performed an about face, tilting her staff towards the front doors, right now she'd bet ten bits that nowhere in the paperwork Twilight submitted did it say her name, or the fact that she had anything to do with the guard.

She lit up her horn, the staff glowed, and the front doors opened, revealing the eleven other guards, who snapped from parade rest to attention... their last action ever before their world glitched out, and then got reduced to nothing.

Universe 300823

Sunset looked at Adagio and quickly made her way beside her, joining her in watching as the sun fell deep into country on the other side of the sea. Sunset was the first to break the silence.
"This is beautiful, Adagio." She said as she looked into Adagios eyes.

"It really is." Adagio said, returning Sunsets gaze.

"Well?" Sunset said as she gestured towards a quiet path that surrounded the beach. Adagio smiled and nodded and they both began to walk the path.

Soon enough, the ice began to break and small conversations consisting of gossip and sarcastic jokes broke out between the two. Occasionally, they would stop to simply take in the scenery that surrounded them, the birds that flew freely though the sky and the autumn leaves that were pulled along by the cold breeze.

I hope they enjoyed their company, because it is the last thing they'll ever live, since a light glowed above their world, and then, just like that, their world also disappeared.

Universe 030823

At the Castle of Friendship, Twilight, Sunset, Spike, Midnight and Blaze were exploring the halls.

"Okay, is it crazy that their clubhouse had our clubhouse blown through the roof?" Blaze asked in surprise at how Twilight's castle is and how big it is compared to the outside.

"Trust me, it got us by surprise when it was first created." Sunset commented with a small smirk, knowing how they are feeling when one first step hoof inside the Castle of Friendship.

"And the Castle of Friendship isn't a clubhouse. It's my home and a symbol of friendship, thank you very much." Twilight said with her head raised, feeling proud of her castle.

"A castle that I had to do all the cleaning." Spike muttered in annoyance.

"What was that, Spike?" Twilight questioned while turning his head towards her assistant with a brow.

"Nothing!" Spike quickly said as he gave a nervous smile.

"Eh, a castle is just a castle. I've seen better." Midnight claimed as Twilight scowled at him, "Especially ones that were a lot more full." He added.

"There's just no pleasing you with anything, isn't there?" Twilight growled in annoyance.

"It would take more than a pretty castle to surprise me." Midnight said with a blank expression.

Twilight growled as Sunset and Spike raised an eyebrow at his attitude as they turned to Blaze.

"Is he always like this?" Spike asked Blaze.

"Don't take it personally. Midnight's like this when he tends to be serious as the leader of the Swords." Blaze pointed out.

Soon, they were all approaching the library, and yet none of them would even get in, because this world also began to unravel, and in a matter of seconds, nothing was left behind by the glitches.

Universe 090819

"Twilight," said Ms. Flask. "This is Tempest Shadow. She's joining our class today."

"Mm hmm," Twilight said, not even looking up as she turned a page with her magic.

"And Tempest," said Ms. Flask, "this is Twilight Sparkle. She's one of our best students. If you have any questions she should be able to help you."

"Uhm... yes, ma'am." Tempest nervously ran a hoof through her plume-like mane, carefully avoiding the stump of her broken horn. Then she reached out for one of the textbooks stacked in the center of the table. It was a little too far away to grab, and she gritted her teeth angrily, straining to get her hoof onto it, all the while trying to shut out the looks of smug amusement from the unicorns seated at the other tables.

And then the book suddenly gleamed with magenta light and slithered off the pile, falling neatly within her grasp. Thankfully, she grabbed it and pulled it over.

"Page 54," Twilight whispered idly, still not looking up from her book. "We're reading the chapter on the differences between physical and thaumic materials."

"Thanks," Tempest whispered back.

You know what happens next, right? Yep: This world unravelled, and then disappeared entirely.

Opaline started to laugh like a complete maniac once the four worlds disappeared.

Her power was so beyond imagination now that only one shot was enough to make an entire reality reduce to nothing, and she loved her new ideal.

Soon, both Sonic and FS came out from the former's universe, as he ran with his feet making the shape of an eight and carrying FS on his back, but once they both saw what Opaline was doing to the multiverse, their eyes widened, and the feeling of terror got over their bodies.

"Ah crap..." Sonic said with concern.

"You said it, buddy..." Future Sonic agreed with a frown.

Opaline was now the most powerful being in the multiverse, even more powerful than Chip, who was hiding on his floating boat far from the Fire Alicorn so he wouldn't be spotted... And Opaline's conquer was just starting.

To be continued...

Author's Note

And that's a wrap! Part 2 of "The Final Act" is done now as well!

Once again, we leave with a huge cliffhanger. Opaline is taking over the multiverse, and several worlds had died before her new acquired power thanks to all the Paradox Prism's shards...

But now, we have enemies working together! Besides Mario and Bowser having to team up, now Sonic and Eggman have to work together on the same side of the battlefield against Opaline, but Eggman's intentions are clear: He's gonna beat the crap out of her next time they see each other, because she took Sage away, and he won't let that slip.

Remember what I say about this second part being more chaotic and having no sense sometimes? Well, I mean it, because now that I'm done, I still don't know what the hell happened in this second part, but I still think it was worth it. I do promise, though, that Part 3 will have more consistency. Really!

I wanna remind you all that MC and his world, both having a small cameo in today's chapter, belong to Mister E-Nonymous and his story's universe.

As for the world's that Opaline destroyed in this story are: this story made by Arad; this two-parter by Mockingbirb; this story written by milesprower06; this one-shot by Newtimestonight; this story created by HarryBuilder; and this other one-shot by Lets Do This.

And brace yourselves, people... This is only the beginning for all the catastrophe she's about to make...

The next interlude is coming on July 14th, while Part 3 will premiere on August 4th. I hope I'll see you all on "Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: The Final Act - Part 3: Game Over."

Bye, bye! :pinkiehappy:

Part 3: Game Over

Universe 220822

Sonic and FS went back with the group and explained that Opaline was already taking over.

In a desperate attempt to fix everything, Eggman suggested to use his factory at Green Hills' South as an operation basement so they could calculate their next moves against Opaline.

First off, however, Hitch and Zipp decided to go back to Equestria, since Sunset arrived and commented that Opaline has stolen all the magic from their universe's Equestria, and that the Mane 6 were the only ones with magic left because they didn't depended on the Crystals outside of Equestria.

Of course, this meant that Hitch and Zipp would had to deal with tons of questions about where have they been, why did they disappeared, why did magic died again, and a long and tiring etcetera.

Sunny would've gone as well, since she didn't wanted that anything bad happened to Hitch, but Zipp assured her that she'll keep an eye on him while they're in Equestria, and that brought a sense of peace and joy to Sunny. She trusted Zipp, and she knew she could watch for Hitch's back.

Right now, it was Eggman, the remaining of the Mane 6, Team Sonic, Team Dark, FS, Twilight and Sunset in the main room of the factory, discussing what to do regarding Opaline.

They had to think and act fast, considering several universes are being destroyed as they speak.

"Well... I honestly have no idea what the heck to do..." Sonic spoke first with concern. "Normally I have an idea of what I'm facing and how to destroy it. True, I act on the fly, and I never think before acting, but it doesn't take away from the fact that I know what I'm facing... This time, however, I have no clue on how to beat the crap out of Opaline..."

"That's because you're still missing the full picture, Hedgehog." Eggman spoke with a slight frown, before quickly making an improved draw of the Paradox Prism on the table. "The Prism was divided in 4 fragments. Said Fragments split up in 5 shards each. Opaline traveled far and wide across the multiverse to get them all and attach them to her bracelets. That's where the power to travel across the multiverse and destroy it comes from."

"It also amplifies her magic..." Shadow pointed out next, since Team Dark also fought against Opaline. "Usually she limits herself to launch blasts of fire, but now she can do a lot more than just that."

"And we saw how one single blast from her horn is more than enough to destroy the reality it hits..." Future Sonic pointed out as well with concern. "We're running out of time here..."

"Okay... So we have 5 shards per hoof, amplified magic thanks to the Prismatic Energy, and the ability to blast an entire world out of existence with one single shot..." Sonic listed out. "...Is hard to act on the fly with all of this... Anyone else here knows or can think about what the heck are we supposed to do?"

"We should head straight to her as a distraction while someone else goes and attempts to get the shards from her!" Knuckles suggested first.

"And risk any of us getting killed?! Not happening!" Amy stopped him.

"No, no... Knuckles actually has a good point..." Shadow said while rubbing his chin. "If the most skilled out of us can distract Opaline long enough, maybe the rest could work together and get the shards away from Opaline. One shard off is more than enough to make her power unstable."

"Yeah, or she could, I don't know, get us all KILLED instead!" Pipp shouted in anger as well.

"But stand here and do nothing is not an option!" Omega said with anger as well.

"Our reality is at stake here! We can't just sit around and hope for a miracle to show up!" Misty joined the argument as well, although no one but Eggman seemed surprised about it.

Perhaps staying with Sonic and company has make a lot of good to her, good that Eggman refused to see until now.

"We can't risk anymore lives, either!" Izzy argued as well. "I'm all for physical intervention, but that doesn't changes the fact that we could all get killed if we're not careful!"

"This is war, and when it comes to war, one must come to a point of acceptance that some have to loose in order for everyone else to win!" Eggman said with a frown. "Is not a matter of wanting, is a matter of acting!"

"That's rich coming from the guy that just a year ago wanted to do exactly what Opaline is doing right now!" Sunset said with anger. "You literally tried to kill Sonic, and if I didn't stopped you, he'll be dead right now!"

"I'm never hearing the end of this, am I?" Eggman deadpanned.

"Just because you wanna help us now doesn't erases all your sins!" Twilight told Eggman as well with a frown. "And Sunset has a point: You tried to do the same than Opaline last year. Don't come to act like an angel now!"

"I'm suppose to be trying to help!" Eggman said with anger as well. "And I agree that distracting Opaline to take the shards from her is the best option we have if we want to defeat her!"

"We're not exchanging lives!" Pipp said with anger again.

"But we can't just stand here, either!" Knuckles countered with anger, too.

And so, a fight to decide which was the best option began. Well, it wasn't a fight, since no one was launching with punches at each other... not yet. They're at the edge of reaching that point, though. Instead, this was an argument about morality.., The kind of argument both Sonic and Sunny hated.

Which was the best option? Throw some of their friends to the battlefield as bait for Opaline while others go and steal the Prism's shards from her bracelets, or stand back and plan something else when there's no time?

None of them liked these kind of situations where they had to choose between staying neutral or take a hard decision. They both glanced at each other for a moment, and Sonic moved his head so they could head outside and take some air. Sunny nodded in agreement.

They both made sure that everyone was still fighting among themselves on what to do, before quietly stepping back and then head towards the exit. They didn't wanted to hear their friends, and Eggman, arguing.

Nobody seemed to notice this... Nobody except for one person. For one hedgehog.

The two of them eventually reached an area with a balcony.

Once there, Sonic leaned over the balcony and placed his arms in there, also burring his face on his hands, while Sunny leaned as well and placed her hooves and head on the balcony, like a saddened dog in need of attention.

None of them liked when their friends broke into an argument that always led to everyone discussing with everyone. And when it comes to make a decision that will make some happy and satisfied, but not others, it was even worse, because they wanted to please everyone.

They know is impossible, but that has never stopped them from trying.

"Is in times like this that I wished Longclaw was here..." Sonic commented suddenly. "Whenever Tails and I broke into an argument, she always managed to make us fix our differences... Never knew how she did it. She just... did..."

"I get ya..." Sunny said with a sad smile. "When we were foals, Sprout and I always got into arguments regarding the veracity of ponykind being together so long ago... My Dad always managed to make us all get into an agreement, despite our different ideologies..."

"I guess it's true what they say: No matter your age, you always need your parents, even if you don't want to admit it..." Sonic said with sadness.

"Yeah..." Sunny agreed with a sigh.

Suddenly, they heard someone approaching, but they didn't had to turn around, because said someone stood at their side... It was FS, who also leaned in the balcony.

None of them said anything. They all just choose to believe they were there to take some fresh air and get away from the noise inside the factory.

"...One of my biggest concerns ever since I formed the Society was that... That I had to see so many people loosing their loved ones just because it was "Canon"..." Future Sonic eventually spoke. "It was so stupid from me thinking that they had to let it happen... Maybe if I knew that Canon can be changed, I would've told them to save them... But I didn't..."

"Well, you cannot fix your past mistakes..." Sonic said. "But you can learn from them, be better than you already are."

FS chuckled and smiled, then they all went into silence again... Which didn't lasted long.

"You know? I never got the chance to ask, but... What happened to your other eye?" Sunny asked FS out of curiosity.

Future Sonic chuckled after hearing the question. "...I loose it because of my world's Eggman's badniks. They shot at my eye while I was running away from them... I think you know the rest..."

"You didn't had your powers back then, did you?" Sonic asked.

"No... I was just a regular citizen until Eggman killed my parents for an unpaid debt they had..." Future Sonic replied with sadness. "Then I saw a kid dying right after I saved it... That's what impulsed me to be the guy you see right now."

"A grumpy Sonic with anger issues?" Sunny mocked up with a smirk, and Sonic snorted.

Future Sonic deadpanned at them and rolled his eyes. "And then Twilight asks me why I'm not open with my emotions..."

Sonic chuckled, before sighing and looking ahead, beyond the balcony. "I have no idea on what to do anymore. Opaline is the most dangerous she's ever been right now... Our world could get hit, although that would kill her, so I doubt she'll destroy it for real..."

"And yet our friends are arguing if risking some lives to save every other one is the best option..." Sunny said with concern. "I know that every life is at stake in general, ours included, but... Isn't there a way we can all win where we don't have to throw some lives as bait?!"

"Well, unless we can find another Paradox Prism which we can use against Opaline's, I don't think we'll be saving anyone anytime soon..." Sonic deadpanned.

However, once Sonic said that last thing, FS' eye widened... Because he knew perfectly that there is another Paradox Prism.

It doesn't works the same way as the one from this universe, true... But its power split one reality in five. Maybe, just maybe, it could be the key to defeat Opaline... Although that also meant that they would had to travel to the Forbidden Universe, and idea FS despised with his soul.

"Ah crap..." Future Sonic groaned.

"Huh?" Sonic said confused. "What's the matter?"

"...There is another Paradox Prism... But I don't like where we have to go to get it..." Future Sonic replied with concern and annoyance.

"Wait... really?!" Sunny asked with a hopeful smile. "WE HAVE A WAY TO DEFEAT OPALINE STILL?!"

"Don't get excited, Sunny... I hate where we have to go in order to get that Prism, and maybe also some help from the inhabitants of that universe..." Future Sonic stated with a frown. "But desperate situations require desperate solutions, and I have reached a point where I don't care what we have to do... If we're gonna stop Opaline, we'll take all our chances to win. Whatever it takes... right?"

FS smiled at Sonic and Sunny, and they smiled back at him. FS seriously hated this idea, but like he said, they were running out of time... And they needed to act fast.

"Whatever it takes!" Sonic stated as well with a smirk.

"Whatever it takes!" Sunny declared as well with a confident smile.

Back with the rest, they were still discussing what was best to do.

However, once they all heard a whistle, they turned to see FS, Sonic and Sunny, as they all approached back to the table with serious expressions, but the most intimidating one was FS'.

"Alright, if you're done talking crap, I want you to listen: We are NOT approaching Opaline!" Future Sonic spoke with a frown.

Of course, this made some like Pipp and Amy sigh in relief, but others like Knuckles and Shadow wanted to protest.

"But––" Knuckles tried to argue.

"HOWEVER!" Sunny raised her voice, and silence filled the room again. "We are not standing here either!"

"Huh?" Izzy said confused, and the rest seemed as confused as her.

"Then what are we gonna do?!" Eggman asked with a frown, tired of waiting for orders to just come along.

"Instead of standing here and wait for something to happen, we're gonna go and bring our own miracle!" Sonic said with a smirk.

After that, FS removed his watch and placed it over the middle of the table to show footage from a certain universe, the world where there's another Paradox Prism.

"Whoa!" Some among the group said amazed.

"Where is that supposed to be?" Misty asked confused.

Twilight and Sunset, however, gasped when they recognized the footage FS was showing.

"Wait a minute... Isn't that...?!" Twilight tried to ask.

"It is!" Sunset said in shock.

"That's right!" Future Sonic said with a smirk, looking at the footage. "To assure victory and defeat Opaline, we're going to Universe 151222, The Forbidden Universe..."

Author's Note

Hello! Once again, I'm back with an interlude!

In case you forgot what they are: The interludes are bridges between each part, working both as an Epilogue for the previous part, and as a Prologue for the next one.

This way, you can all see what awaits the next part, and I don't leave you without content for a month.

No universes were featured today, but we did heard about Universe 151222, which is (as you should know already since I've mentioned it, like, 3 times in Part 1) Sonic Prime's universe, which will be relevant for Part 3's first half!

Don't worry, Prime won't get all the spotlight. We still have to see what's up with Opaline and how she's still fucking up the multiverse. This is going to be fun! :rainbowwild:

Thanks for reading up to this point. You have no idea how much it means to me that we're so, so close to end the saga, and I'm really thankful with all of you for having reading up to this point. If you commented or if you didn't, doesn't matter: You are the reason why this saga is coming to an end, and I can't thank you enough for being here.

See ya on August 4th, when Part 3 releases. Ciao! :twilightsmile:

21. The Forbidden Universe

Universe 220822

It's been 2 days since Opaline began conquering the multiverse.

In those two days, around 50+ universes have been destroyed, some of them being native worlds from some members of the Secret Society, whom died as as soon as their worlds did so.

This, of course, worried FS and Twilight a lot, so they both choose that it was best for them to go back to the HQ and be there to help the remaining members to prepare everything for the inevitable final battle against Opaline for the fate of the entire multiverse.

However, they didn't left without leaving instructions to the others, of course: This time, there's only two teams.

One one hand, we have Sonic, Sunny, Tails and Sunset with the mission to go to the Forbidden Universe, gather all the information they can about said universe's Paradox Prism, and ask for help if necessary.

On the other hand, we have literally everyone else that wasn't mentioned sins Hitch and Zipp. Everyone else's mission is to stay here in this universe and help Eggman to build up all the most craziest machines he can imagine to use them against Opaline in the final battle.

Of course, knowing that Eggman wanted to finish off Opaline as much as everyone else, it wasn't so much of a problem working along the doctor, even though some felt awkward with it, like Pipp and Knuckles.

Still, they were all in the same side now, and considering what Eggman has lost against the Fire Alicorn, and what he can still loose against her, they all knew they were going to work hard together to stop her from conquering the multiverse, no mater what.

As for Hitch and Zipp, they had been popping every 3 hours between Mobius and Equestria, because the situation on the ponies' native home is even worse than they all imagined.

Around 60+ deaths, over 100 injured ones, and the tribes are all in fear, although not from each other, but from Opaline, because Hitch had to finally come out clean and tell everypony about her, how they fought her in silence to not cause panic, and how she's the reason why magic is gone.

They know that Opaline is the culprit because Zipp went to her Dark Castle, which wasn't protected by a barrier anymore, and she found the destroyed Unity Crystals on her studio.

With shame and fear, but also determinate, Zipp went back and told this to Hitch, while both ended up telling all on ZH News, also explaining their absence, where they've been all this time, why their magic still works even with no Unity Crystals left, everything...

This did caused panic and fear among ponykind, but the Sheriff and the Princess still asked for everypony's help in the battle against Opaline, telling them that it didn't mattered if their experience on the battlefield didn't existed: At the end of the day, they'll be fighting for their home.

Back with our heroes in Mobius, FS and Twilight already left to the Society HQ, while Sonic and his friends were getting ready to travel to Universe 151222.

Tails had some of his weapons ready, although he didn't equipped that much considering he can literally materialize any kind of weapon with his powers. Still, he was making sure to get the most important ones considering this will be his first time out in a completely different universe.

Sunny and Sunset were training themselves with some badniks Eggman let them use for their training, as both Alicorns wanted to be ready for anything that could happen in the Forbidden Universe.

Finally, Sonic didn't seemed any nervous. Instead, he was trying to use Tails' polymer on his gloves and his shoes due to them both being so dirty for reasons he still couldn't understand, but no matter how much he applied the polymer on them, they still looked dirty.

"Dang it!" Sonic muttered with a slight frown. "Now how am I suppose to save the multiverse with these things looking so ugly and dirty?!"

"Are you sure you're applying it right, hun?" Pipp, who just arrived and stood near the door of the room he's in, asked with concern.

"I'm applying it the same way I always do!" Sonic replied. "Last time it worked when I cleaned them, why isn't it this time around?!"

"I think you're worrying too much for things that don't really matter, Blue Star..." Pipp deadpanned, as she stepped in and approached her boyfriend. "Instead, you should worry on how are you gonna do what you're supposed to in that "Forbidden Universe"."

"Is a matter of act on the fly, Pipp..." Sonic pointed out with a shrug. "We'll know what to do once there. However, I'm not concerned for what we might find there..."

Pipp raised an eyebrow, so she sat at his side and wrapped a wing on his back, also resting her head on his shoulder. "May I ask what's bothering you, Sir Knight of the Wind?" She asked with a playful tone.

Sonic blushed slightly after hearing that, then rolled his eyes and wrapped and arm around her neck. "Well, Miss Petals... I'm worried to fail this mission..." He replied honestly with a concerned look. "I'm used to go from one universe to another and know that something can go wrong, but... This time we cannot fail... The destiny of the multiverse is literally on our hand and hooves... I don't wanna disappoint anyone..."

Pipp understood his concern now, so she smiled and leaned to kiss his cheek. "Blue Star, even when you have been close to defeat, you never gave up. I've been there when you stood weak in the ground, unable to keep fighting..." She reminded him, as Sonic remembered when the Death Egg Titan was about to crush him. "And I've seen how you still fought back, no matter what..."

He also remembered how Sunny and Pipp stood to protect him, and he stood up to bring them some protection as well, even if his whole body was begging him to stop and take a rest.

Sonic smiled after remembering that, so he looked at Pipp and kissed her cheek lovely. "And here I thought I couldn't love you anymore, my Princess~"

Pipp blushed slightly, but she also purred and smiled, dragging Sonic into a hug that he immediately returned.

"Jokes aside... Thanks, Pipp." Sonic told her happily. "I honestly don't know where I would be if you were not here in my life."

"And I don't wanna think what would've been of me if I never met you either, Blue Star~" Pipp replied happily, leaning to kiss him on the lips, and Sonic returned it gladly.

However, with their conversation over, they both heard someone clearing their throat, and that made them separate from their kiss and widen their eyes. Then, they looked over and saw that Tails was laying on the door with his arms crossed, since Sonic and Pipp were on a guest room that Eggman had for reasons not even he understands.

"Sorry to brake your moment, guys, but Sunny wants to know if you're ready to roll out, Sonic." Tails said with a deadpan, not even bothered by Sonic and Pipp being this affective at this point.

He's like that with Zipp, anyways. Why should he be bothered?

"Wish I could say I'm ready, but my shoes and gloves are still a mess!" Sonic complained, showing his messed shoes and gloves to his little brother.

Tails rolled his eyes annoyed, then went over and grabbed a box near by, since everyone was staying in this guest room until they would fight Opaline.

"Well, I knew you were going to say that. So, I brought you these!" Tails said with a smile, extending the box to Sonic.

Sonic looked at the box with a raised eyebrow, but he still smiled and grabbed the box on his hands.

When he opened the box, however, his eyes widened: Inside the box were a pair of shoes identical to his, but in aquamarine. Inside the box was also a pair of gloves with a black wristband, gray palm, white fingers, and a white line on the back.

"Are these the shoes I got on our first Secret Canter for Wishday, and new gloves?!" Sonic asked with a smile.

"Yup!" Tails replied with a proud smirk. "I hope that whoever gave them to you doesn't minds that I gave your shoes an upgrade on aspect and to contain your body's Prismatic Energy. You know, since FS got rid of the Bracelet."

Sonic smiled at this. "These are perfect, man! Just what I needed! I've been thinking on changing my style, anyways, and this helps with that!"

After saying this, Sonic used his super speed to put the new shoes on, as well as the new gloves, and he couldn't help but feel like if he was a kid again when Longclaw gave him his first speed shoes for the very first time.

"Well? How do you feel, Blue Star?" Pipp asked him with a smile.

"As if I had a brand new car!" Sonic replied with a smirk, running a bit on his place to make sure the shoes were fine. "And I love it! Now, let's get us a new Paradox Prism!"

Sonic, Sunny, Tails and Sunset were now in the realm that connected all the realities.

After saying their respective goodbyes to their friends, as well as getting dragged into hugs by them (Izzy, Shadow and Hitch with Sunny; Pipp, Amy and Knuckles with Sonic; and Zipp and Misty with Tails), the group was ready to go and accomplish the mission that FS assigned them.

They exited Universe 220822 through Sonic's powers since nobody had direct access to the Universe they needed to go, but Sonic knew who's help to ask for in order to reach it.

However, as Sonic jumped on the crystals floating around: Tails, Sunset and Sunny were flying, but they stopped to notice how beautiful this place was in sight. The blue, red and black background, as well as each universe moving on its own like a river stream, was definitely a sight to remember.

"Whoa..." Sunset said with amazement. "To think I've been traveling through heptagon-shaped tunnels and not appreciating this place as I should've..."

"This is the place you've been coming all this time after you got launched to the multiverse last year?!" Tails asked Sonic with disbelief, also amazed by this place.

"Yup!" Sonic replied with a smirk. "I still have no idea how's this place called, but is pretty beautiful, isn't it?"

"It sure is!" Sunny said with a huge smile, but then her eyes widened in panic at one thought. "Wait... Aren't we in danger of being spotted by Opaline?!"

"Not if we move fast and find who we need to in order to reach that Forbidden Universe!" Sonic replied with a confident grin.

"Forbidden what now?" Chip suddenly asked, as he appeared at Sonic's side.

That made the other three scream in panic, but their screams all stopped when they noticed who the creature in front of them really was.

"Chip?/Twilight?/Dad?!" Tails, Sunset and Sunny all exclaimed with wide eyes, and Chip deadpanned at them.

"No, no, and no..." Chip replied, before smiling. "I'm the guardian of the multiverse! I have no form nor name, which is why your brains form a friendly image you're familiar with so you can talk with me! Sonic and Tails can see Chip, but it seems like you two see someone you lost, too... Perhaps this spell is actually torturing ya'll and I'm just realizing it..."

"Uh-huh..." Sonic said, looking around confused, with Tails and Sunset relaxing a bit once Chip explained himself, while Sunny felt disappointed to know that she wasn't talking with her Dad, but with someone that looks like him.

"Anyways... So, what can I do for you?" Chip asked the group with a smile, before deadpanning and crossing his arms. "I know for a fact that you guys are not here to say a quick hello..."

"That's because we aren't. You have any idea about a universe that's odder than the others?" Sonic asked.

"Odder... than the others?" Chip blinked confused. "You'll have to be more specific, Sonic. Every world is odd in its own way."

Sunset rolled her eyes a bit annoyed, since they were on a hurry. "A universe that's actually, like, four messed up realities, all mixed into a single one?"

"A universe where five realities coexist in the same one!" Tails pointed out as well.

"Is a world that's been, well, shattered..." Sunny pointed out as well.

With all that context, Chip's eyes widened in shock. "...You're... Talking about the one universe I haven't approached because I have no idea what happened to it?! Are you guys completely nuts?!"

"We know that is crazy visiting that world in specific, but we seriously need their help, Chip!" Sonic pointed out with concern. "That world also has a Paradox Prism. If the one from my world can shatter the walls that separates every reality, maybe the one from this other universe can help us defeat Opaline!"

Chip wasn't so sure about this plan, and he rubbed his chin, feeling conflicted on what to do.

"Dude, please help me out here. You don't want the multiverse to collapse, do you?" Sonic asked him. "I mean, I still don't know how this place is called, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect it."

Chip looked back at Sonic and saw the fear in his eyes, so he let out a sigh and denied with his head. "...This place is called the Multiversal Wasteland, and it's my home. Just like all of you, I wanna avoid what Opaline is doing! But I can't do much now that she has the full Prism with her... I'll guide you to that universe and leave the rest in your hands!"

With a determinate look, Chip started to fly in a certain direction, and Sonic smiled at the rest, before he started to jump over the floating crystals to follow Chip.

"Multiversal Wasteland, huh?" Sonic asked with a smirk. "That's actually a catchy name!"

The other three, however, were not so sure about this, but they still followed Sonic along. Tails and Sunny didn't knew Chip of anything, but they trusted Sonic, so they didn't minded following his idea. Sunset, however, wasn't so sure if they could trust Chip, at all.

Yet, she knew they were on a rush, so she choose to let her doubts aside and follow along.

Soon, they started to dodge several white lines and curves that lead to other universes, until Chip finally stopped in front of one, one that made the others gasp.

Unlike the other realities, this wasn't a white line: It was a line that combined red, blue, yellow, green, and purple colors, all indicating that five universes coexisted in just one, one universe that was shattered, and that hasn't been repaired nor unravelled so far.

"Sweet Chilidogs..." Sonic muttered with concern.

"This is the place?" Tails asked, and Chip nodded.

"The universe that has been stuck on such a strange position that I cannot define what is happening with it..." Chip said with a concerned frown.

"The Forbidden universe..." Sunset muttered with wide eyes.

"If you truly believe there's an answer to stop Opaline, then go on!" Chip said. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on her from the distance to make sure she won't mess with your plans!"

"Thanks, Chip!" Sonic said with a smile and his thumbs up. "I knew I could count with you!"

After saying this, Sonic jumped, charged a Spin Dash, and then boosted towards that universe, while the rest followed him by flight, and Chip waved his hand in goodbye.

But once the heroes entered the universe, a shadow appeared over Chip, and he turned around with panic.

Universe 151222

An X-shaped portal suddenly opened, and then, four figures came out of it.

When the portal closed and the heroes looked down, however, they all felt confused. Sunny, Sunset and Tails started to fly immediately to stop their fall, while Sonic landed over... a floating purple crystal.

This place didn't looked so different from the Multiversal Wasteland where Chip lives. Maybe the only big and noticeable difference was that the background was fully purple, and there was no white lines to indicate that there are other universes around.

Other than that? Is almost the same, since it has floating purple crystals as well.

"This is the Forbidden Universe?" Sunset questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"...Uh... Did we entered the universe at all, or are we still on the Wasteland?" Sonic asked confused.

"No clue..." Tails said honestly, as he carefully landed on the crystal, besides Sonic. "This seems almost the same than the Wasteland... But I can tell something's different at the same time..."

"Is almost like if this universe knew how the Wasteland looks like, so it adapted to look almost the same when it shattered..." Sunny pointed out with concern. "I wonder why this universe's Sonic broke that Prism..."

"According to FS, it was a desperate attempt to stop his Eggman from taking the Prism, but instead of defeating Eggman, he ended up destroying his reality, and turned it into... this..." Sunset explained, looking ahead at this universe with a concerned look.

"Hmm..." Sonic muttered, rubbing his chin and placing a hand on his fist. "I wonder, though... How is this universe separated, exactly? Like, I guess you could consider this zone the "lobby" to enter each universe. How do you enter one?"

Tails began to look around, in search for an answer to Sonic's question. Eventually, his sight stopped when he noticed a red glow not so far from their position.

Without wasting a second, Tails flew ahead and stood over one of the floating Crystals, then gasped in shock, and then turned back to the others. "Guys! Come up here! You've got to see this!"

None of them wasted a second either, and they soon moved upwards as well to see what Tails was looking at: A giant and strange structure of red heptagons, all placed together to look like a diamond, while a white portal with the shape of a diamond was open in the middle.

This made the other three feel amazed, and Sonic finally got his answer for where to access all the universes in this shattered one.

"Okay... So a giant structure with a portal leads to each universe..." Sonic said. "I wonder where this one leads to..."

"Well, only one way to find out!" Tails said, as he took out his Miles Electric and then pointed it at the red structure ahead, as it made some beeping sounds, and as he read the data he got, he smiled. "Oh yeah!"

"What is it, Tails?" Sunny asked him.

"I detect Prismatic Energy coming from there! It has... Three different sources!" Tails said with a smile. "Maybe that's where The Paradox Prism is located!"

"Well, this world's prism was shattered as well, so... Maybe that's just 3 shards from the five there are," Sunset pointed out.

"Our mission is only to get info on the Prism!" Sunny reminded with a confident smile. "I'm sure whatever we encounter in there won't be bad! And, we don't need to take the Prism with us! We just wanna make sure there's a weak point we can use against Opaline!"

With that reminder in mind, Sunset smiled and nodded, before they all looked back at the portal ahead.

Then, taking a deep breath, Sonic jumped and charged another Spin Dash towards the portal, then he uncurled and simply dived towards it, with the rest following behind by flight.

Universe 151222 - New Yoke City

In the sky, a red portal suddenly opened, and from it, four figures came falling down.

Three of said figures took fly immediately since they could, while the fourth one spin in the air, before he landed on the ceiling of a building and slide on it to stop.

Sonic was panting a bit because of the adrenaline running through his body. He looked at his gloves and shoes, looking the exact same they did when leaving his universe, but not releasing Prismatic Energy, meaning Tails' adjustments worked, which made him smile.

However, said smile faded away when he looked ahead and noticed a very recognizable loop-de-loop from Green Hills... but this one looked metallic.

"What the––" Sonic tried to ask confused, but then he heard grunting noises, so he looked down and noticed that there was a bunch of anthropomorphic animals, pretty much citizens, fighting against orange robots with green eyes, gray legs, gray shoulders, and shoulder-mounted laser cannons.

This was making him panic a bit, but then he looked upwards, and his sight turned anxious: Right beyond the metallic loop-de-loop, there was a giant orange building shaped like an egg.

However, this wasn't the worse part: The real worse part is that, in the middle of said building, there's this giant logo with Eggman's face... And it could only mean that this entire city was ruled by him. His fears got confirmed when he looked around and saw several emblems with the same logo.

Sonic stepped back with an anxious look and felt sick, like if he was going to vomit at any second now, while his friends arrived as well and stood at his side, looking at the city with horror.

"So this place is... Pretty much Eggman's place..." Tails said with concern, before looking at Sonic. "Does this, uh, looked like that universe you were stranded first last year?"

"No... At least in that other place, nothing told me it belonged to Eggman..." Sonic replied with concern. "This one is even worse... It looks... Sad, and hopeless... Even the guys down there seem to be struggling with those machines..."

Once Sonic said this, the rest noticed the citizens struggling to fight those robots and panicked.

"We should help them out!" Sunset suggested, opening her wings to dive down there.

However, before anyone could do or say anything, the ground suddenly began to rumble, and while the ones that could fly started to do so to not loose their balance, Sonic jumped and grabbed Tails from the hand to not loose his balance as well, while the young fox grabbed Sonic's hand back.

Then, they all looked upwards to the egg-shaped building, and they noticed that the top of the building was shooting a green laser and opening a portal in the middle of said place.

"What in the name of Celestia is that?!" Sunset exclaimed confused with wide eyes.

"It seems like... a portal to another of the universes that was born after this reality shattered!" Tails pointed out.

"How are you so sure?" Sunny asked him with concern.

"Remember that the line to access this universe is red, blue, yellow, green and purple instead of just white?" Tails asked, and the rest nodded.

"Yeah..." Sonic replied directly, before his eyes widened in realization. "Of course! That green portal must belong to the green structure that leads to that universe! I mean, if there was a red structure for this one, there must be one of the other colors for the rest!"

"And now it seems like the Eggman of this universe is opening a portal to one of those worlds!" Sunset said with concern.

"It must be the power of this universe's Paradox Prism..." Sonic muttered with concern and a frown. "Of course that other Eggman was going to be as ambitious as ours..."

Then, in the distance, the device on the top of the building moved, this time facing to the other direction, and then it shoot a blue laser in the air that opened a blue portal in the sky. Now, there was three universes connected within each other, and when Sonic realized that, his eyes widened in panic.

"Oh no..." Sonic said with concern.

"Huh?" Sunny said in panic, looking over at Soni. "What do you mean with 'Oh no', Sonic? What's happening?!"

"If two or more universes interact within each other, it could make a Nexus Event..." Sonic pointed out. "It means said worlds can either converge as one, or..."

And then, the portals were suddenly surrounded by a purple aura, as the ground began to rumble again. It stopped after a few seconds, but the group's concerns only grew.

"It can destroy it..." Sunset muttered with concern. "If we don't shut down that thing, this universe and the two it's interacting with are going to collapse!"

"But how are we going to stop this?!" Sunny asked concerned.

"By deactivating the source!" Tails said, as he pointed with a hand at the egg-shaped building. "If we can get in there and shut down the system that activated the portals in the first place, maybe we can avoid the Nexus to happen!"

"Considering Eggman probably has the three shards that activated those portals, maybe we could also gather the information we need!" Sonic stated with a smirk.

"Then let's not waste more time!" Sunny said with a smile.

"Right! We have a Nexus to prevent!" Sunset declared as well.

And so, Tails let go of Sonic, as he landed in the building again and then boosted towards the egg-shaped building, while Tails did the same, with Sunny and Sunset following them by flight.

Meanwhile, inside the building, two figures were running at top speed.

One of said figures was the Sonic of this universe, whom I'll refer to as Prime Sonic, while the other figure was a robotic copy that was as annoying as him, named Chaos Sonic.

Prime Sonic ended up entering the room where this universe's Eggman controlled everything in the city, then he came to notice New Yoke universe's Tails, although he called himself Nine, at the other side of a crystal that showed a room with a strange machine.

Said machine seemed to be the one controlling the power of the red, blue and green shards of this universe's Paradox Prism, because the shards were contained on a bubble.

"Lead him this way!" Nine said and pointed to the machine.

Prime Sonic nodded, then looked at Chaos Sonic for a second with a frown, and then ran again, with Chaos Sonic imitating his moves, as the two of them entered the zone Nine was in. Once there, Prime Sonic jumped in the air, and Chaos Sonic did the same... which was a big mistake.

Once they did that, Tails pulled a lever on the panel control that makes the machine with the Prism's shards work, and then, the shards shot a blast towards Prime Sonic.

Yet Prime Sonic ducked down and dodged the blast, while Chaos Sonic's eyes widened, as he got hit by it and sent backwards, braking the crystal that point to the city in the process and falling down to a platform, where his body got separated into pieces and he died.

Soon, a giant robot that actually seemed like a baby toy with arms and legs came by and grabbed the dead robot. Then, whoever was inside began to cry like a baby.

Here's the thing, folks: In this universe, there isn't a Eggman... There's five of them: Mr. Doctor Eggman, the leader; Dr. Deep, the one that tries to be chill and fails miserably; Dr. Don't, an emo teenager that's obsessed with video games; Dr. Done It, the old man... And Dr. Babble, the baby.

This last one was piloting the machine that hold Chaos Sonic's corpse, as the other doctors approached to see their recent creation all beaten up with sadness and concern.

"I-I-I'm the best!" Chaos Sonic managed to say for the last time, also raising his thumb up.

After that, the robot finally died and shut down entirely.

And as these guys, naming themselves together as the Chaos Council, mourned their creation's death, Prime Sonic and Nine placed the three shards of the Paradox Prism inside a case to contain their power. They high-fived after that, although Nine hesitated at first... But their joy didn't lasted long.

"Aha!" Mr. Eggman's voice spoke, and both Prime Sonic and Nine's eyes widened as they looked at the entrance of the lab and saw the Chaos Council but Dr. Babble with a bunch of Egg Forcers surrounding them.

"Stop right there, varmints!" Dr. Done It said with anger, before extending his walking stick to them, as its bottom began to twirl and charged, because it was actually a weapon disguised as a walking stick.

"I hate this place!" Prime Sonic muttered with a frown, also standing ready to fight.

"Destroy them!" Mr. Eggman said with anger, as he pointed at Prime Sonic and Nine, while the Egg Forcers moved ahead and prepared to crush down the two friends.

However, just when Prime Sonic was about to move and Nine headed towards a panel control, a Blue Blur and a Yellow one passed by Prime Sonic, surprising him and making stop before he could charge the Spin Dash he wanted to.

"Huh?" Prime Sonic asked confused and with wide eyes.

Soon, we see the Blue Blur curling into a ball and hitting one Egg Forcer, before uncurling in the air and charge a Homing Shot against one robot, followed by a Wild Rush to dodge some robots, and then making the final kick to one of them, before jumping in the air.

On the other hand, the Yellow Blur kicked one of the robots' face and ripped it off with that foot, then he threw a boomerang that cut the other robots heads, until just one was left, and so, the Yellow Blur jumped as well.

With the two figures in the air, they then headed downwards and destroyed the last Egg Forcer together with a combined punch, which finished the machine off for good. The two figures then landed in the floor with superhero poses, before slowly stand up and look ahead.

Because of everything they just did, there was dust covering their identities, but once the dust was gone, it was revealed to be Sonic and Tails from Universe 220822.

The sight of another Sonic and another Tails shocked Prime Sonic as his jaw dropped in shock and disbelief, while the Chaos Council stared at them with wide and panicked eyes.

"What do you say, Tails? Should we kick their butts until it really hurts?" Sonic asked with a smirk, also cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, I'm down with that idea!" Tails replied with glee, making a plasma gun with his powers.

After that, Sonic charged a Spin Dash that sent one of the Egg Forcers backwards, and it also sent the Chaos Council backwards.

Meanwhile, Nine hasn't realized that there's other Sonic and other Tails, because he went over to a panel control where he introduced a password that made the doors to the lab began to close, so both Sonic and Tails boosted inside, before looking at the Chaos Council with mocking smirks.

"Thanks for stopping by!" Sonic said with a salute, while Tails pulled out his tongue and closed an eye mockingly, as the doors to the lab closed entirely.

Soon, Sonic and Tails looked at each other and fist bumped for their accomplishment, but then they turned to see that Prime Sonic was staring at them, pointing at one and the other back and forth with shock.

"And you must be Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic told Prime Sonic with a smirk, also crossing his arms, then he zoomed on his face and winked. "Nice to meet ya! I'm also Sonic the Hedgehog! Just from another universe!"

However, this made Prime Sonic to lean backwards and faint, making both Sonic and Tails look at him with concern.

"Maybe I approached too soon..." Sonic muttered.

"You think?" Tails told him with a bored expression.

Suddenly, they heard steps from behind, and they turned to see Nine coming to them. Tails felt surprised and also confused when he saw that his variant had 7 mechanical tails aside from the two natural ones.

"I've locked the Chaos Council out of the system, but it won't last long––" Nine tried to explain to Prime Sonic, but as soon as he noticed that he was talking with Sonic and Tails instead, he stopped moving and looked at them with surprise, shock and wide eyes, but specially at Tails.

He couldn't stop staring the other fox up and down, noticing how he didn't seemed to have any trait that indicated his life wasn't easy, but that's just him making assumptions.

"W-Who are you?!" Nine asked with shock.

"Me?" Tails pointed at himself. "Technically I'm you, but not at the same time... I am you, from another universe."

"Me too!" Sonic told Nine with a smirk and a wink. "Hi! I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, although you already know that if the unconscious guy at my side is anything to go by... And this is Miles Prower! But we all call him Tails! Just like you!"

"Uh, no..." Nine said with a slight frown. "No one calls me "Tails". Everyone calls me Nine."

"Nine?" Both Sonic and Tails asked confused.

"That's... Weird... It rings a bell to me for some reason..." Tails said, rubbing his chin with concern, before shrug it off and look at Nine with a smile. "Well, whatever it is, it can't be important. If you want us to call you Nine, then Nine it is!"

He extended his hand to his counterpart, and while Nine looked at Tails suspiciously at first, he ended up stretching his hand with him all the same.

Prime Sonic, on the other hand, slowly started to wake up from his unconscious state, and when he did so, he shook his head, feeling dizzy and like if he was drugged down to sleep, only to look at Sonic and Tails, which made his eyes widen, and he gasped.

"...You... You look like me..." Prime Sonic muttered, pointing at Sonic, who looked down at him confused. "Well, almost... Your shoes and gloves are different, a-and your ear is perforated! W-What happened to you?"

Sonic smirked and extended him his hand so he could help him stand up. "Is a long story..." He replied, now moving his fingers to indicate Prime Sonic to give him his hand.

Prime noticed this and gave him his hand, as Sonic help him stood up, and now that they had their hand stretched together, Sonic shook it as a way to greet him.

"Like I said, nice to meet ya! I'm you, but not at the same time!" Sonic told Prime Sonic with a smile.

"Y-Yeah... I noticed..." Prime Sonic said with wide and surprised eyes. "Are you... Me, but from this shattered-space?!"

"Shattered-what?" Sonic asked confused once they let go the other's hand.

"If you are Sonic, but from this world, why do you appear just now?" Nine questioned him with a frown.

"None of you heard when we said we come from another universe, did you?" Tails deadpanned.

"Tails?!" Prime Sonic asked with wide eyes and disbelief, before grabbing the fox into a hug. "Dude, I missed you so much! What happened to your clothes, though? And what's with that deeper voice? Are you trying out some new voice modulator or something? Man, this is insane! Oh, does Amy comes with you, or Knuckles?!"

As Prime Sonic said this, he moved around Tails, leaving the young fox confused and making him feel a bit awkward, but with every question he made, he also felt bad, because he didn't knew how to tell him that he isn't the same Tails he knows without disappointing him.

Tails looked at Sonic with concern once he asked about Amy and Knuckles so excited, and Sonic looked at him with the same concern. Nine noticed their expressions, and he soon understood what they meant with coming from another universe... They're not part of the Shatteredverse.

"Uh... Sonic..." Tails called Prime out, and he turned to him with a smile. "I don't think you understand..."

"Huh? What are you talking about? What should I understand?" Prime Sonic asked confused, but still smiling.

Sonic deadpanned and scratched his head. "I know I can be oblivious, but this guy takes it to a whole new level I didn't even knew that existed..." He muttered with concern. "Dude, I don't know what is a Shattered... Whatever you call it, but I do know what is the multiverse, and we come from another universe that has nothing to do with this one."

"A multiverse?" Prime Sonic asked confused, before his eyes widened for a second. "Honestly, that sounds way cooler than "Shatteredverse"... No offense, Nine!"

"Uh... None taken..." Nine replied confused, before looking at Sonic and Tails. "So, you two come from an alternate reality that's not accessible through any Shattered-space. Instead, you come from a whole new universe?"

"That's the perfect summarize!" Tails said with a smile, before getting serious. "And now, we're here because––"

However, they were interrupted when they suddenly saw the robot controlled by Dr. Babble punching the crystal that sees outside to the city, and even though Babble did noticed that there were two Sonics and two Tails', that only angered him more, and he punched the crystal even harder.

"Forget about it! We have to get the hell out of here!" Sonic said. "Where are the Prism's shards?!"

"Inside of this thingy!" Prime Sonic replied with a smile, as he pointed at the case where the three shards were contained.

"Then let's get out of here before they make us hedgehog puree and fox omelet!" Tails said with a frown. "We'll explain what are we doing here later!"

Just then, Babble shot the rattle that works as a weapon from his machine through the hole Prime and Nine made before when they defeated Chaos Sonic.

The four of them moved aside, and the weapon hit the floor instead of any of them.

"Okay, our luck might be running out... Let's roll!" Sonic said, as he stood at one side of the case with the shards and pushed it, while Nine sit over the case, Prime lead the way, and Tails followed along.

Soon, the machine controlled by Babble was about to shoot lasers from the space left by the rattle, but then, the machine was surrounded in a magic aura, and then thrown against the crystal.

Sunset then came flying and smiled when she saw that she got rid of one of them, then Sunny came by to her side and smiled at her. But their job was far from over, because the doors to the lab opened, and so, the remaining members of the Chaos Council entered.

All of them were making karate poses for some reason, which made the two Alicorn mares cringe, then they looked at each other and smirked, before diving towards them.

In such a quick move, Sunset made them all trip and stay down in the floor, while Sunny came to use her magic and surround them, eve taking Babble out of his robot, then tied them all tightly together in a rope. She also removed Done It's walking stick, just to be sure.

"What the––" Dr. Don't said with concern, before frowning at the sight of the two ponies. "What is the name of this?! Why are there colorful ponies in front of us?!"

"Correction: Colorful and talking ponies!" Sunset remarked with a smirk, and Sunny at her side snorted, as they both hoof-bumped, before turning to head towards the exit.

"Ha! A pair of stupid equines with wings and a horn won't stop the Chaos Council to conquer te entire––" Mr. Eggman tried to say.

Yet before he could even finish his sentence, Sunny returned, kicked him in the face really hard, made him fall unconscious, and then walked away from him with a satisfied smirk, while Sunset looked at her with amusement, but also with pride.

"Wow, Sunny!" Sunset said with a smile. "Didn't knew you had that in you!"

"That's why you shouldn't mess with me when I mad!" Sunny replied with a giggle and a wink, before flying out of the building.

Sunset chuckled and decided to follow along, while the Chaos Council stood there, groaning in anger that they were all tied together, while Mr. Eggman stood unconscious.

On the other hand, the Sonics and Tails' were still running away.

Suddenly, Sonic got a message from his watch on his right, since he removed it when the whole journey started, but now he has it back, so he pressed it to talk with Sunny.

"Sonic! The Eggmans are down! You're free to go!" Sunny informed happily.

"Roger that, Sunny-bunny!" Sonic replied with a smirk.

"Who's Sunny?" Prime Sonic asked, still leading the way out.

"Somepony that comes with us! She just tied the Eggman family so we can get away!" Sonic replied.

"Dealing with one Eggman was bad, dealing with three was a nightmare, but dealing with five?! That's crossing a really terrifying line!" Tails pointed out with concern.

"Fortunately, we won't have to deal with them!" Sonic said with a smirk. "Now let's get us out of here!"

"Take another turn to the left, Sonic!" Nine told Prime. "That should led us back to the ship so we can get out of here!"

And so, they turned to the left and entered a zone where they saw a red ship, being guarded by a pair of Egg Forcers.

Of course, the Egg Forcers turned to them and were preparing to shoot, but before doing so, Sonic boosted towards them, jumped in the air, then charged his fists with electricity and hit one of them right in the face, sending it backwards and shutting it down.

Then, he turned to the other Egg Forcer and jumped to stand on his head, before making a triple Stomp Attack, with the last one releasing some electricity around that deactivated the Egg Forcer entirely.

"The coast is clear!" Sonic told the rest with a smile, a wink, and his thumbs up.

"Way to go, Sonic!" Tails told him with a smile, as he pushed the case with the shards towards the ship.

Prime and Nine, however, stared in pure shock and disbelief at what Sonic just did, and how he solo'd those robot with nothing but his bare fists and electrical powers that Prime lacked.

"You... Are the coolest person I've ever met!" Prime exclaimed out loudly with a huge grin. "How did you did that! Did anyone teach you that! Oh! Can you teach me?! Will I ever do that kind of stuff one day?!"

Sonic was not liking this attitude regarding this Sonic, and he stopped him in front of him by placing a hand on his chest when he started to run around in excitement.

"Dude... If you don't mind me asking: How old are you, again?" Sonic asked Prime with a forced smile.

"Uh... I'm 15?" Prime Sonic replied a bit ashamed, also rubbing an arm nervously.

Sonic deadpanned. "...Yeah, I have no excuse for the way you act, unfortunately..."

"Forget about that!" Nine said. "We gotta take the shards away before the Council finds a way to escape!"

"Nine is right!" Prime Sonic agreed, before looking at him with a smile. "You are full of surprises!"

"If you like surprises, wait 'till you see what I've got going on the Grim!" Nine told Prime with a smile, then he picked the blue shard from the case, and then he got inside his ship.

"Grim? Cool, can't wait to hear more!" Prime Sonic replied quickly, then he placed the case under the ship. "But right now, we gotta get to Ghost Hill."

"Ghost Hill?" Nine questioned.

"That sounds like a rip-off of Green Hills, but with ghosts..." Sonic deadpanned.

"Well, it's kinda that, to be honest..." Prime confessed. "And, it's got a fourth shard and this blueprint "thingy"."

"Blueprint?" Nine muttered and scratched his head.

Tails apparently noticed this, and he looked at Nine with suspicion, while the case with the other two shards of the Prism attached to the lower part of his ship.

"That's the key to putting the Prism back together!" Nine realized with wide eyes.

"Exactly!" Prime Sonic replied.

"Hmm... There's something about Nine that I don't like..." Tails muttered.

"You noticed it, too?" Sonic asked him with a frown.

"Yeah... We should keep an eye on him, just in case!" Tails declared, and Sonic nodded in agreement.

"How do we get to this Ghost Hill?" Nine asked Prime, but just then, the doors to enter the room suddenly opened, and several Egg Forcers entered the room to stop them.

"Ah, crap..." Sonic and Tails both muttered with deadpans.

Author's Note

We're back, people!

Welcome, everyone, to "Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: The Final Act - Part 3: Game Over", where Sonic cannot stand himself being so childish and making reckless decisions because he's young and stupid.

I don't think I have to say it, but I still will: Yes, this entire chapter, as well as the three upcoming ones, are based in Sonic Prime, and as you can see as well, there'll be some slander against this Blue Blur's variant, so... If you hate me for that, sorry, but I won't apologize.

Now, you wonder what Sonic looks like now? Watch it:

The aspect Sonic has on the image above is Sonic's new default look. As in, this is how he'll look like from now on. The edit was made by me, by the way.

I'm really sorry to finish this chapter so suddenly, but I promise you that this is for the best! Next chapter will be longer than this one, and hopefully, it won't end this abruptly.

Speaking of next chapter, Prime Shadow meets our heroes! Oh, and they met Sunny and Sunset, too.

See you next chapter, and is good to be back! BYE!!! :pinkiehappy:

22. A Hurtful Betrayal

Universe 151222 - New Yoke City

"Right now, we gotta get to Ghost Hill!" Prime Sonic pointed out with concern.

"Ghost Hill?" Nine questioned.

"That sounds like a rip-off of Green Hills, but with ghosts..." Sonic deadpanned.

"Well, it's kinda that, to be honest..." Prime confessed. "And, it's got a fourth shard and this blueprint "thingy"."

"Blueprint?" Nine muttered and scratched his head.

Tails seemed to notice this, and he looked at Nine with suspicion, while the case with the other two shards of the Prism attached to the lower part of his ship.

"That's the key to putting the Prism back together!" Nine realized with wide eyes.

"Exactly!" Prime Sonic replied.

"Hmm... There's something about Nine that I don't like..." Tails muttered.

"You noticed it, too?" Sonic asked him with a frown.

"Yeah... We should keep an eye on him, just in case!" Tails declared, and Sonic nodded in agreement.

"How do we get to this Ghost Hill?" Nine asked Prime, but just then, the doors to enter the room suddenly opened, and several Egg Forcers entered the room to stop them.

"Ah crap..." Sonic and Tails both muttered with bored expressions.

"I'll clear the path, you guys get the Shards out of here!" Prime Sonic stated.

Nine nodded and prepared his ship, while Tails decided to ride the ship from the ceiling, and Sonic decided to help Prime against the Egg Forcers to clear the path.

On one hand, Prime Sonic Spin Dashed against the three Egg Forcers that came in front of the ship, destroying them in the process. On the other hand, Sonic made a Wild Rush against one of the robots, then made a Cyclone Kick against the second one, and finally finished off the last one with a Loop Kick.

With the Egg Forcers out of the way, Prime Sonic got inside of the Ship, which was already moving, while Sonic got over it as well and looked at Tails with a smirk and winked.

"Go, go, go!" Prime Sonic cheered with a smile, while Tails made the ship take fly and leave the building.

"Next stop: Prism blueprint!" Nine declared with a confident smile, while Prime smiled back at him.

Sonic and Tails, however, looked at each other with concern, then back at Nine with frowns, because there was something about him that they didn't liked in the slightest.

As they flew away from the building, they were coming near the green portal that the Chaos Council opened earlier.

"The portals shouldn't have been left open this long." Nine said with a frown, then moved the ship to avoid the portal. "They're decaying."

"Do you think we can go through them?" Prime Sonic asked.

"I-I don't trust them, they look unstable." Nine replied with a frown, but in his sight you could also tell he wasn't truly being honest.

Well, Sonic and Tails could notice this, anyways, because they still didn't trusted Nine at all.

Suddenly, more Egg Forcers began to head towards them, so Nine began to move the ship around, while Tails used some of his own weapons to finish off the Egg Forcers that were close to hit them.

At the same time, Nine made a flip in the air and started to head away from the building, while Prime cheered.

"Whoo-hoo! That was epic!" Prime Sonic told Nine with a smile.

Nine chuckled with wide eyes, then smirked confidently. "Yes, it was!"

After this, he shoot a pair of blasts from his ship that opened a purple portal ahead.

Prime Sonic laughed happily at this. "Nothing's gonna stop us now!"

"Thanks for nothing, other me!" Sonic said with a deadpan.

After saying this, the towers from the Chaos Council's shot at them and hit them, making them start to twirl around wildly.

"Will you stop saying stuff like that?!" Nine asked Prime with a frown.

"For once, I agree with the emo kid!" Sonic said with a frown, as he hang onto the ship to not fall.

"I'm ashamed of what could've been of me if I never met you!" Tails said with no regret nor shame over his words.

And then, an Egg Forcer flew by and shoot one of the ship's wings, making it fall into the floor.

"Ugh. We're going down!" Nine said with panic and wide eyes.

To make things even worse, the case with the other two shards separated from the ship and fell to the ground, something that Nine, Sonic and Tails noticed.

"The shards!" Nine said with wide and panicked eyes.

Sonic and Tails, however, didn't thought twice and launched off the falling ship to head towards the case with the shards, with Tails carrying Sonic by flight, before Tails twirled in the air and then launched Sonic towards the case.

Sonic landed over it, then he lay on it, and when the case hit the ground and made a twirl, Sonic took this as the chance to extend his feet and touch the ground while holding the case over his back, so he could keep them at one place and avoid the Egg Forcers from getting the case.

On the other hand, the ship was about to crash in the floor, until it was suddenly surround by a magical aura that made both Nine and Prime Sonic look around confused.

But then, their confusion just incremented when they saw an Alicorn, a.k.a. Sunny, using her magic to catch the ship just in time, before carefully placing it on the ground, as she landed on it as well with Sunset soon joining by landing at her side, while Prime and Nine looked at the two Alicorns with wide and confused eyes.

"Sunny!" Tails called out, then he came over and wrapped her into a hug with smile.

Sonic soon joined as well with the case that had the shards, and he fist bumped with Sunset as saying "Good job", before he moved over to see if Prime and Nine were fine.

"You two okay? No one hurt?" Sonic asked them with a smirk.

"Uh... no, we're... fine..." Nine replied, before his eyes widened in panic when he remembered something, and then he frowned. "But the Shatterdrive is down!"

"Bro, we don't know what's anything that starts with "Shatter", so don't expect me to panic..." Sonic deadpanned at Nine.

Nine rolled his eyes annoyed, then he took the shard in the ship with a hand and exited it along Prime Sonic, who kept staring at Sunny and Sunset like if they were aliens.

Well, they technically are.

"Who the hell are they?" Prime Sonic asked confused.

"These are Sunny Starscout and Sunset Shimmer!" Sonic replied with a smile. "They come with us!"

However, before they could explain themselves further, more Egg Forcers were approaching, and they started to shoot at them with their lasers.

"Crap!" Tails said with a frown. "Again, we'll chit chat later, we have to get out of here!"

"Right! We still gotta get the shards to Ghost Hill!" Nine agreed. "Once there, I really hope we get an explanation on what's going on, and what's this multiverse you guys are talking about!"

"I can get us to the Void." Prime Sonic said with a smirk, also laying on the case with the shards.

"The what?" Sonic asked confused.

"You'll see it when we're there. Right now, we need to move. Come on!" Prime Sonic replied confidently.

Then, as Nine got over the case, Prime pushed it away at top speed, with Sonic and Tails following along, while Sunny and Sunset did the same by air.

As they ran away, more Egg Forcers arrived and began to shot at them again, with all the intention of destroying them. Seeing this, Sonic made a lasso with his watch and surrounded one of the Egg Forcers, then launched him against the other two to destroy them all.

"Dude, just when I think you can't be cooler, you prove me wrong!" Prime Sonic said with excitement.

Sonic, however, raised an eyebrow. "Uh, thanks..." He replied. 'If I was like this guy when I was 15, I am so glad I have changed...' He thought with concern and a frown.

Soon, more Egg Forcers arrived and began to shoot at the group even faster than before, so this time, it was Sunny who turned around and shoot a blast against them all, although some robots dodged the attack and kept shooting.

"Can someone tell me why those robots are still on even though we knocked and tied up the Eggmans?!" Sunny asked with concern.

"Their robots have the order to get the shards back! And they won't stop until they accomplish their mission!" Nine replied with a frown, before looking at Prime Sonic confused. "How can you get us to the Void?"

"Well, I don't want to get all science-y, but basically I run fast and boom! A portal opens!" Prime Sonic replied with a smile.

"And you've done this before how many times?" Tails asked this time with a raised eyebrow.

"Turn right!" Nine told Prime, as he did so, while everyone else followed along.

Soon, more Egg Forcers began to shoot, so this time, Tails himself turned and made two giant metallic gloves with his powers, which he used to fight on a 1v1 against the Egg Forcers, hitting one by one with all of them, before straight up grab the head of the last one and rip it off.

"Not exactly lots of times..." Prime Sonic replied to Tails' question once he came back.

"Okay, but how many, then?" Sonic asked with a frown. 'No, seriously: Was I this stupid when 15? Because if I was, dear Chaos, I'm glad that phase is over...'

"Make a left!" Nine told Prime again, and Prime and the rest turned in that direction, still having some Egg Forcers on their tails.

"Once on purpose, and I wasn't pushing a giant shard case... But it was super cool!" Prime Sonic replied with excitement.

"Turn right!" Nine said suddenly, and everyone turned in said direction while Sunset turned around and levitated all the Egg Forcers following them with her magic, then made them all crash against the walls, exploding in the process.

"So we are basing our only escape from this place on something you have done once?!" Sunset asked Prime with a frown. "I start to get why FS don't like you..."

"Yeah, me too..." Sonic said with a frown, and Prime looked at them both confused.

"Who's FS?" Prime Sonic asked.

"Long story short: He looks like us, but with white boots, a cot, and an eyepatch." Sonic replied quickly.

Of course, this made Prime Sonic gasp excited, since he couldn't imagine something cooler than a Sonic with an eyepatch, but that excitement died as soon as they saw that there were more Egg Forcers following them and shooting at them, so they began to dodge the lasers.

"Ugh, I'll never get up to speed with all these Egg Forcers on us!" Prime Sonic complained with a frown.

"So the Egg Forcers are the problem, huh?" Sonic asked with a smirk, as he looked backwards, before suddenly stop moving and look at the Egg Forcers with glee. "Give me 30 seconds!"

After saying this, he boosted towards the Egg Forcers, while the rest stopped moving and looked back at him.

Sonic Spin Dashed at top speed over the ground, then launched himself against the first machine with a jump in the air, as he made an electrical lasso again to surround one of the machines and pull it closer.

Then, Sonic made a Stomp Attack over the Egg Forcer and hit him on the ground, making it pieces and destroying it, before looking over at the next one, as he made a Wild Rush and kicked one of the robots in the air, then charged a Homing Shot against that same Egg Forcer.

Finally, with only one machine left, Sonic jumped in the air and hit the machine with a Stomp Attack, then with a Sonic Boom, then with Cross Slash.

With all the attacks done, Sonic's Phantom Rush was charged, so he went over to the Egg Forcer and began to hit it in all the places possible, multiplying himself to prove that he is the fastest thing alive, and that he can take care of this situations in no time.

With the last Egg Forcer demolished, Sonic finished it off with a Spin Dash and sent him to the ground, were the Egg Forcer's body separated, while it deactivated completely.

"Problem solved!" Sonic said with a smirk, then he turned to the rest and raised his thumbs up. "The path is clear, guys!"

Of course, being used to him doing that stuff, Tails only raised his thumbs up back, while Sunny and Sunset smiled and nodded at him... Nine and Prime, on the other hand, had their jaws dropped after seeing all that Sonic just did.

Well, Prime also thought it was incredibly cool, and he wondered if he'll ever be as skilled as him one day.

"No more Egg Forcers!" Tails said with a smile, before turning to Prime. "Does that fix the problem?"

Prime shook his head to get out of his admiration-shocked state and looked at Tails with a sheepish smile. "Uh... Yeah! That fixes the entire thing!" He replied, before starting to push the case again and towards another direction.

Soon, Prime started to run top speed, with his feet making the shape of an eight, while Sonic hold into the case, then Tails grabbed Sunny and Sunset from their hooves to accelerate. The three of them soon stood over the case, and Sonic stood over it as well.

"Gotta. Go. Fast!" Prime Sonic said out loudly, as a strange purple aura surrounded him and the case.

However, as he kept running, Sonic looked ahead, but then his eyes widened when he saw that they were running straight towards a wall.

"Dude! We're gonna crash!" Sonic told Prime with concern.

"No, we're not!" Prime Sonic replied with a smirk.

After that, they almost crashed against the wall, but the effect of the portal that Prime wanted to open finally kicked in, and so, they exited New Yoke City and went back to the Void.

Universe 151222

Outside of the red structure, the case with everyone but Prime Sonic was pushed away.

Meanwhile, Prime Sonic let go the case because he was tired from all the running, and he was even panting heavily, but at least he was still fine.

"Sonic?" Nine said confused when he noticed that Sonic stopped moving.

"Dude, you good?" Sonic asked Prime, as he jumped off the case and head to him by jumping on the crystals.

"Yes, yeah... I'm good..." Prime replied with his thumbs up. "I just need a moment to recover myself..."

Then, Tails got off the case as well and flew to the front to make it stop moving, while Sunny and Sunset got off as well to fly around the Void.

But then, Tails' ear twitched when he heard something behind, so he turned around and saw that a figure was approaching them. Nine noticed this too, and the two Tails' narrowed their eyes to see who was approaching, just for them to gasp when they noticed who it was.

The one approaching was none other than Shadow, the Shadow from this universe. However as he came close to the case, his eyes widened when he noticed that there were two Tails' variants.

"It's about time!" Shadow said with a frown all the same, since he simply supposed another Tails was tagging along.

Prime Sonic noticed this and smiled, so he headed towards the rest, while Sonic raised an eyebrow at this universe's Shadow's presence, before moving towards him as well. I won't refer to him as "Prime Shadow" due to the fact he's the only Shadow around.

"Nine, meet Shadow. Shadow, meet Nine, Tails, Sunny, Sunset, and me!" Prime Sonic presented everyone else.

Shadow came to notice the two mares' presence, but he didn't seemed to mind them. However, he did seemed to mind that there was another Sonic around, and that made him frown and growl a bit.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm 28. Whatever this guy here has done to you, I'm not that stupid..." Sonic told Shadow with a bored expression.

That actually made Shadow's eyes widen a bit. "You've got to be a whole different Sonic if you can't stand yourself..."

Then, he used his air shoes' rockets to move to the other side of the case and then start to push it into a certain direction, while everyone else followed him.

"You're not another version of Sonic... But you could be twins!" Nine pointed out with surprised and wide eyes.

"Hardly. I am the Ultimate Life Form." Shadow replied with a frown, and he had to get some strength from Chaos knows where to not punch Nine for comparing him to Prime Sonic.

"Don't listen to him..." Prime Sonic said with a mocking smirk, as he jumped from a crystal to another. "Come on!"

As they moved ahead, Sonic decided to approach Shadow. "Dude. I know you probably don't want to talk with me, not with any version of myself, but I still gotta ask: How badly did he screw things up to the point this universe turned into... this?" He pointed at the Void around.

"Dr. Eggman wanted to steal the Paradox Prism to accomplish his dream of the Eggman Empire..." Shadow began to explain.

Sonic rolled his eyes annoyed. "Tell me something about Eggman I don't know..."

"And Sonic, instead of listening to his friends when they told him not to touch the Prism, destroyed it!" Shadow said with anger. "Look around you, Sonic 2. Because this mess is his fault!"

"Wait a second..." Sonic said, and he looked down with concern before looking back at Shadow again. "Are you telling me that he was warned not to do something, and he still did it?!"

"Which is why our home is no more..." Shadow muttered with anger.

Sonic looked back at Prime Sonic, who kept jumping happily from one crystal to the other, like if he didn't literally destroyed his home because he couldn't listen.

"I told myself this once, and I'll say it loudly now: If I was that stupid at 15, I am so glad that I have changed..." Sonic said with a frown.

Shadow looked at Sonic with a raised eyebrow, and once again, he felt surprised to see that not even Sonic could stand himself, specially if he keeps remarking how glad he is to not be like Prime.

Meanwhile, as they were approaching a yellow structure with a portal in the middle that looked exactly like the red one that leads to New Yoke City, Tails was telling Nine about the whole thing on why they're here, on what's the Secret Society, on who's Opaline, what's the Multiverse, everything.

Of course, it took Nine some time to process the fact that the Shatteredverse is nothing but a small fraction of everything the multiverse can really be.

Even worse was to find out that his entire reality was in danger, and that there was a FS guy that hated this same reality because of what Sonic did when he destroyed the Paradox Prism. Nine didn't liked the sound of that. Why ignore five realities melted in one that are as real as the others?

"So you came here to ask for our help?" Nine asked with a slight frown. "Even though that "FS" guy ignored us for so long?"

"FS barely mentioned this universe because of what happened..." Tails pointed out, before he smiled at Nine. "But shattered or not, I know that these 5 realities are as real as all the other ones out there. I mean, look at us! We're the same guy from two different places, yet that doesn't makes the other one any less real! You have your own dreams, aspirations, wishes, your own life, your own mind! Just because we look so alike doesn't mean we are the same, and that's cool! It just comes to show how big the multiverse really is!"

That answer actually caught Nine off-guard. Just a few seconds ago, he was beyond mad with FS and these guys for coming right when they needed something from their world... But after hearing Tails' word on what he thinks about the multiverse, and even about him, he wasn't so mad anymore.

Maybe he was wrong about the others, maybe he was wrong about Prime Sonic... Or maybe he isn't. Tails understands him because they're the same guy, even if he doesn't likes the idea...

Prime Sonic, however, hasn't stopped talking about Green Hills ever since the day he met him. Nine is aware that Prime Sonic looks at him like if he was Tails... But he isn't, and what everyone else seems to understand, Prime ignores it entirely because he trusts anyone way too fast.

"...How do I know that we can trust the information on the power of the shards with you, guys? We literally just met about 20 minutes ago..." Nine pointed out with a concerned frown.

"I know that... And honestly? I cannot tell you to trust us just like that..." Tails said with a little smile. "Sometimes, you just have to make a leap of faith. Even if you're insecure, even if everybody seems like a piece of crap... All it takes to change the world is that. A leap of faith."

Now that, that was definitely unexpected. Nine still believed that Tails had it easier than him, that he met Sonic and was never bullied ever again because of that, even thought he doesn't know how wrong that take really is.

Still, Nine could feel that Tails said all of that because he genuinely wants to help, he actually wants to save this place, that he cares for the Shatteredverse, even though he didn't explicitly said it like that.

"Hey, uh... Tails..." Nine called him out, and Tails turned to see him. "...Do you really wanna protect every reality? Even ours, that FS considers a mistake?"

Tails felt confused with this question, but he still smiled at Nine. "I don't think this universe is a mistake!" He confessed, and that made Nine's eyes open wide. "Sure, what happened to this world was unexpected, but I don't think is that bad to the point one would call it a mistake. If anything, I think is pretty cool having five realities interacting! Well, not directly 'cause it could mean something bad, but being able to move from one world to the other? I don't see why that's a bad thing!"

Nine actually smiled a bit, and felt kind of jealous for Tails' optimism. Sure, his life sucked and turned him into the guy he is today, but... Maybe if he kept being the same optimistic child he was as a kid, then maybe he would be somewhere else... Who knows, maybe he would even be a part of the resistance against the Chaos Council.

In the end, Nine was still Tails, he simply had different ideas, and one could call him a bit misguided, but... Was that really it? Nine had it rough. Doesn't justifies his coldness towards Prime Sonic at times, but he couldn't help it.

Perhaps his entire idea of taking the Shards to the Grim once he has analyzed how they look on the blueprint wasn't the right way to go... Then again, restoring Green Hill is what Prime Sonic wants, not what he wants, and he hasn't done any of that so far.

Listening to Tails was softening him, and he couldn't allow that. He needed to keep his plan going: Get the shards, analyze the blueprint, betray Prime Sonic, go back to the Grim.

Soon enough, they were entering the portal on the yellow structure, and Nine smirked to himself, because everything was going according to the plan. And once he had the full picture of how the shards are supposed to go together, he would leave to the Grim.

There was no turning back now. Not when he was so close to create the perfect home for himself...

Universe 151222 - Ghost Hill

A yellow portal opened in the sky of what once used to be Green Hill.

Then, from said portal, the group of Mobians and the two ponies came out, with Tails and Nine using their tails and grabbing the Case with the shards to land it carefully, while the Sonics landed in the ground, and the rest landed as well.

"As long as I'm around, you'll always have a wingman!" Nine's voice spoke, but it wasn't Nine who said that.

It was this universe's Tails, or rather, Ghost Hill Tails, since he was a ghost and was flying with his tails, also having some kind of controller with buttons on his hands.

Prime Sonic heard this and immediately ran towards him and the other Ghosts of his friends, with Shadow rolling his eyes annoyed. However, Sonic had a huge deja vu by seeing Tails and Knuckles like ghosts, because the last time he saw them like that, they were trapped on Cyber Space in the Starfall Islands.

"Ugh... That's the worse kind of Dejà Vu I've could ever had..." Sonic muttered with annoyance.

"Yeah... I don't like this, either..." Sunny said. "Is like seeing Tails and Knuckles being ghosts again, but why do I feel that we cannot interact with them?"

"So that's what it feels like to see yourself as a ghost..." Tails muttered with concern and an anxious expression.

"The forest is the most beautiful place on Earth!" Ghost Hill Amy said, as she was sitting on a rock with a smile.

Prime Sonic smiled with so much joy at the sight of his friends, while Shadow came to his side and looked at them with concern. Even if he didn't wanted to admit it, he was worried for them as well.

"I don't need the details. Just tell me who to smash!" Ghost Hill Knuckles said confidently.

Yet Shadow also noticed Prime's look to his friends, so he growled in anger. "Sycophantic wish fulfillment..." He said, and Prime Sonic turned to look at him, but he didn't seemed bothered by his words.

"The what now?" Sunny said confused when she heard Shadow.

"He thinks that other Sonic is daydreaming with his friends being fine." Sunset explained.

Nine, on the other hand, he was analyzing Ghost Hill around. "This world, it's like an embryonic Shatterspace, like it got stuck in the blueprint phase while forming..." he pointed out, before having a deep thought on something. "Hmm... Perhaps it would be useful in finishing the Grim––"

"...But I get things done!" Ghost Hill Rouge's voice was heard in the background, but it didn't pulled Nine out of his mind.

What did pulled him out, though, was when he heard Ghost Hill Tails repeating the same thing he said before.

"As long as I'm around, you'll always have a wingman!" Ghost Hill Tails said.

Nine approached Ghost Hill Tails and looked at him confused. "This is the friend Sonic thought was like me?" he asked, before scoffing on disbelief and frowning. "We're nothing alike."

"Now keep telling yourself that until you believe it..." Sonic said with a bored expression, as he walked pass Nine.

Nine deadpanned and rolled his eyes annoyed after hearing that, before he moved away.

Shadow looked at Nine with distrust, and despite the conversation they had earlier in the Void, Tails also looked at Nine with suspicion.

"He looks like me, but he isn't me..." Tails said with concern.

"At last, someone else here gets it..." Shadow said with concern, before his eyes widened a bit. "And why is your voice deeper?"

Tails deadpanned and rolled his eyes after hearing that.

"Hang on!" Prime Sonic said, as he suddenly dragged Tails and made him stand at Ghost Hill Tails' side, then he looked back and forth between them, and his eyes widened in shock and panic. "Y-You... But I thought... You are not... my Tails?"

Tails' eyes widened even wider now, and he facepalmed with both hands this time. "You are realizing that... Just now?!"

"I-I thought you two were from the future!" Prime Sonic confessed, as he looked at both Tails and Sonic.

Of course, this also angered Sonic, but he took a deep breath to not explode in anger yet. "...And where the hell were you when Tails explained that we are from other universe?"

"Right there with you two! Although I probably didn't payed attention because I was too busy feeling happy that my home is finally getting restored!" Prime Sonic pointed out with a smile.

Sonic's electrical powers began to show off because of his anger, but then he took another deep breath to calm himself down, even though Shadow felt startled when he saw that the other Sonic can do something Prime can't.

"...No wonder why this world is the way it is. If it has you as their Sonic, it was doomed since the beginning..." Sonic muttered to himself, but Prime Sonic ended up hearing that all the same, and of course that those words hurt him, specially when they came from another version of himself. "Let's just get these stupid shards back on their place already..."

However, right after saying that, the ground suddenly began to rumble, startling the entire group as they tried not to loose their balance from the rumbling.

Once it stopped, Shadow was the first one to speak. "What just happened?!"

"Another reality quake!" Nine replied with a frown. "We don't have much time. We need to hurry."

"Follow me!" Shadow declared, before he boosted away at top speed.

Soon, Nine and the two mares got over the case with the shards, while Prime Sonic pushed it and followed Shadow, with Sonic and Tails following them close behind.

It didn't took long for the group to move over a mountain before reaching a cave.

Inside said cave, there was the blueprint and the yellow shard of this universe's Paradox Prism that Prime Sonic mentioned earlier, and Tails came to notice how much Nine was analyzing said blueprint.

He knew what his counterpart was planning to do, and he didn't liked it a single bit.

Then, Prime Sonic placed the case with the other three shards in front of the yellow one, and then he opened the case with the green one, while Shadow opened the case with the blue one, and finally, Nine opened the case that had the red shard inside, then they stepped back.

They all looked up at the blueprint that already had the yellow shard on it, and Prime Sonic smiled.

"It's finally over. Now we just have to rebuild the Prism!" Prime Sonic said with confidence.

He was ready to grab a shard and put it back on its place, but before doing so, Nine stopped him, which confused Prime, but it only made Sonic, Tails and Shadow more suspicious of him.

"It's not that simple..." Nine pointed out. "The alignment must be perfect. The slightest variation could have massive repercussions."

Even if he hated to admit it, Tails sighed and closed his eyes. "He's right..." He said, and now everyone turned to him. "One wrong move, and something or everything could die. People, places, and things can be ripped from existence."

"One small mistake, and poof!" Nine pointed out as well. "Reality is changed forever."

Prime Sonic looked at Nine with concern, before smiling sheepishly and scratching his head embarrassed. "Tiny details are not my thing..."

"Again, explains why this place is the way it is..." Sonic muttered to himself with a frown and thankfully Prime didn't hear that this time.

"I can do it." Nine assured, before turning back to the shards. "I just have to make some... calculations."

Seeing that he struggled to say that, Shadow, Sonic and Tails frowned at him, knowing that he didn't needed those calculations.

Prime Sonic, however, was still being oblivious. "How can we help?"

"I-I need to be left alone to work..." Nine replied, and that confused Prime a bit. "No distractions. Too many in a tight space. I don't want anything to go wrong..."

Shadow frowned after hearing that. He still didn't trusted him, but he still decided to leave him alone. "I'll take our Sonic outside. Best to keep him away."

"...I'll stay" Tails said.

"Uh, what?!" Nine asked confused.

"Two minds think best together." Tails pointed out with a smirk that told Nine "I've got you!". "Besides, we still need to get that info on the Prism's power to defeat Opaline, so while you work on how to put the shards together, I'll be gathering said information."

"Then we'll go outside as well!" Sunny said with a smile, before approaching Tails and place a hoof on his shoulder and mutter to him. "I know you suspect him as much as we do. Be careful."

Tails nodded in agreement, then he looked back at Nine with an acted smile, which made Nine growl, because this complicated his plan of taking the shards away a lot.

"Thanks for putting it together, buddy!" Sonic told Nine with a smile and a thumbs up. "This is why we're a great team."

Nine smiled, then they both high-fived. Deep down, Nine hated this idea of betraying Prime Sonic, but he also knew Prime Sonic couldn't tell the difference between Nine and Tails, not even having them both together, so he was willing to hold on that thought to keep going.

With this, everyone left the two Tails alone, as Prime waved his hand to Nine, and he waved back, while Sonic looked at Tails and nodded, trusting him with his plan, and Tails nodded back with a smile.

"First things first..." Nine said, as he pushed the case with the shards closer to the blueprint. "I've got to stabilize the shard energy..."

Tails didn't said anything and limited himself to take out his Miles Electric to start and scan the energy of the shards. Hopefully he'll find the weakness he's looking for in order to defeat Opaline.

Outside, Shadow looked ahead to Ghost Hill with a frown.

The rest but Prime Sonic did the same. None of them trusted Nine, not even Sunny nor Sunset. Ever since he talked about how unstable the portals are back in New Yoke, they've been having a bad feeling about him.

"How do you know you can trust him?" Shadow asked Prime with concern.

"Trust is an issue for you, Shadow..." Prime Sonic deadpanned, before smirking mockingly. "That's why you don't have any friends."

"Trust is an issue with you too if you put blind faith on someone that's not who you think they are..." Sonic added as well with a frown.

"That guy looks like Tails... But he is not Tails..." Sunny pointed out as well. "I mean, he's too cold hearted. He barely trusts you!"

"Pff! No way!" Prime Sonic said, and that made Sonic growl. "Nine would never do that. Sure, he's grumpy, but he simply had a hard life! I'm sure he'll get used to trust in others!"

"I don't think your "friend" wants the same thing we do," Sunset said with a frown.

"I agree with the bacon-head. He's acting too suspicious..." Shadow said with a frown as well.

"Cheer up, guys! We're so close to all of this being over!" Prime Sonic said with a smile. "Once Nine rebuilds the Paradox Prism, and Green Hill reforms, everything will finally be back to normal!"

"And have you considered what's gonna happen with the Shatteredverse when the Prism is restored?" Sonic decided to ask Prime, as he growled in anger.

Prime Sonic's eyes widened, and he turned to see Sonic confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

That made Sonic growl even more, as he looked at Prime with anger. "You cannot be this dumbass, for Chaos' sake! When the Prism gets restored, the Shatteredverse will stop existing! New Yoke City and all the other places I don't know their names, and honestly don't care either, won't exist anymore! Neither will their inhabitants!"

This made Prime Sonic let out a squeak of fear, and he stepped a bit back. "W-What?"

"Ugh! You cannot be more stupid even if you tried, can you?!" Sonic shouted in anger. "You caused this whole mess, but still can't understand in how much danger you're getting yourself! Green Hill stopped existing because you couldn't listen! Now you trust your life to someone that's pretending to be your friend just to stab you in the back! You keep cheering and acting this childish and reckless, thinking everything will be fine, WHEN IT WON'T BE!"

Prime Sonic was beyond scared to see a version of himself this mad, specially because his electrical powers made him look more intimidating.

Sunny didn't liked that Sonic was acting like this, but she also knew that Prime Sonic needed a reality check, and if this was the only way, then so be it. Sunset, on the other hand, knew this was the right thing to do: Telling him the truth now before he gets stabbed in the back.

As for Shadow, he said nothing, but he was glad to see that Sonic put Prime on his place. He had to admit that not every Sonic was annoying or stupid, surprising even himself with that thought.

"Your world is shattered because of you. Your friends are gone because of you. And, if you don't understand the difference between Tails and Nine, even having them side by side in front of you..." Sonic said in anger, also pointing at the cave to prove his point. "Then all the Shatteredverse will be in danger and collapse because of you, and you'll never go home."

Prime Sonic had to resist the urge to cry after hearing this. He's been happy and confident all his time, and very trustful... But it seems that this last thing was going to kill him if he kept doing it so often.

"When Nine betrays you, do yourself a favor and don't. Cry.' You have no right to." Sonic finished, then turned to give him his back and look ahead.

Prime wanted to say something, anything, but everything that came out of his mouth was a strange high pitched sound that could count as an attempt to whimper, so he simply shot his mouth and enclosed himself in silence, hugging himself to calm down the urge of crying.

Sonic didn't liked to do this, but he knew it was necessary...

Inside the cave, the Tails' were analyzing the Prism.

Nine began to place the shards on their place, and even at some point, he almost placed on in the wrong way, because it restored Green Hill to it's glory before turning it into Ghost Hill again.

However, Tails was keeping an eye on Nine, staying silent and collecting all the data he needed... But just when Nine was placing the green shard right on its place, Tails put his Miles Electric aside and then sent a quick Code Morse message to Sonic on his Watch.

Now, Tails approached Nine and stood at his side. "So you did it..."

"Pff. Of course I did." Nine replied with a proud smile.

"You must be a really smart guy, aren't you?" Tails asked him.

"Indeed." Nine replied, nodding and still smiling.

"Smart enough to lie to Sonic and not tell him about the fifth shard?" Tails went straight to the point.

That took Nine off guard, and he slowly turned to see Tails at his side.

"...W-What?" Nine asked confused. "H-How did you––"

"Because I'm you, dumbass." Tails replied with a frown, then he looked over at him and grinned. "And the only one able to outsmart you... is yourself. Besides, FS told us everything about this universe, at least everything he knows, and if there's 5 universes co-existing, but we only have four shards... Do the math, genius."

Nine got concerned after this, but then he showed up his 7 mechanical tails.

This made Tails deadpan, before he made some metallic gloves with his powers. After that, he punched Nine backwards and made him crash against a wall in the cave, which also made the whole cave rumble.

Author's Note

Yes, I don't like Sonic's personality in Sonic Prime. How could you tell? :pinkiesmile:

Jokes aside, I don't regret anything. In fact, I'm really glad that Tails is the one that's gonna destroy Nine's ego, while Sonic gave Prime Sonic a reality check that he's been needing ever since the show started. His childish attitude and reckless actions have consequences, and it was time someone told him so.

I know that you might believe Sunny and Sunset are doing nothing here, but trust me: In the next chapter, you'll get how important it actually is to have them here.

See you next time, when Nine gets his crap beaten. Ciao! :twilightsmile:

23. Friendship on its Prime

Universe 220822

Eggman was on his main lab, checking that all the new machines being built were ready.

His desire to kill Opaline was so big that he wouldn't allow anyone to stop him. And, considering that everyone else that asked for his help also wants her dead, then killing her was going to be an easy job.

However, he still was concerned for something... Or rather, someone, someone that he lost, and that is the reason why he's gonna kill the Fire Alicorn in the first place: His best creation, his daughter, his everything... His dear Sage, who died on his hands.

Eggman knew for sure that she loved him like any child loves their parents. Yet her love was more than just admiration, it was genuine. She genuinely loved him as a father, not only as a guy who had big aspirations.

She wanted to be part of his dream so badly, to see his wish come true, to see the world chanting his name as he walked down the street, even if it was by force. She didn't cared for the methods, although she did questioned them, but she still was comfortable with the results.

Now, that same joyous girl is gone, and Eggman was a broken father that missed his daughter, but that wouldn't rest until she was avenged.

Besides, he has something else to protect from Opaline, or rather, somepony he's willing to protect with his life if necessary. He already lost a daughter figure that loved him for who he is, he wouldn't loose the other one, even if his relationship with her isn't what it used to be.

He was staring at the screen, and even if he did had the data to see how's the robots' construction going, he was also staring at some funny quirks he managed to had with Sage on the last year.

He gave her a phone on her "birthday" as a gift, and ever since, she always made sure to sneak on him and make pranks. She took her job seriously, but when it came to be a jokester, she was an annoying gremling... But she was his annoying gremling, and he loved when she pranked him.

All the videos she recorded of herself making him pranks were embarrassing, but he was smiling and tearing up at the sight. He wanted to remember her for the good memories they made, after all.

Suddenly, the doors to his lab suddenly opened, and Eggman quickly switched the image of his computer to be once again the images of the data on how are the robot's constructions doing. He even rubbed his chin and began to hum a song to try and hide the fact that he's been crying.

"Boss?" Cubot called out, as he entered the lab.

"Y-Yes, Cubot?" Eggman replied with a bit of a trembling voice, something he quickly tried to hide. "I-I'm in the middle of something important. Whatever you wanna say, it better be fast!"

"And it is!" Cubot assured. "Um, some, uh, what's the term, again... Somepony wants to talk with you."

That made Eggman jump a bit on his seat, then he wiped his tears away as much as he could, and then he turned to face Cubot. "...Let them in..."

Cubot nodded, then exited the room and nodded to the pony waiting outside to get in.

Once Cubot disappeared from sigh, a light blue unicorn with a dawn-painted mane and tail entered the lab, also having a Butterfly as a Cutie Mark... This pony was Misty, who came here to see Eggman.

Of course, this made Eggman's heart jump nervously, and he started to sweat. Heck, he even gulped nervously, then he looked away from the Unicorn Mare and back to his computer. He knew that it was going to be hard facing her, specially considering how unstable their relationship is now.

For a second, Misty considered to turn around and not say anything... But that would be running away from her problems, and she learned a long time ago that it wasn't an option, that running was not the right thing to do.

So, taking a deep breath, Misty decided to give herself some courage, and then she walked to Eggman.

"...Doctor..." Misty called out.

"...Good afternoon to you too, Misty..." Eggman replied, not looking at her.

Misty took another deep breath after getting that response. She was expecting this conversation to be a really hard one, anyways, but it still required some extra courage to not to run away from there, no matter how much she wanted to do that right now.

"...How are you doing?" Misty kept talking.

"...I'm... As fine as a father that lost her daughter can be..." Eggman replied.

"...I see..." Misty limited herself to say.

What else could she say, anyways? It was so awkward trying to make a conversation with the same guy that promised to never hurt her, yet broke that promise twice.

Eggman could still hear Misty being behind him, and since he felt she wouldn't leave anytime soon, he sighed, then decided to be truly honest with her, so he made the videos and images taken by Sage with her phone appear in the screen again, something that Misty noticed.

She walked up ahead and sat on Eggman's side, seeing how happy Sage seemed to make pranks on her father. Even Eggman seemed happy, even if in almost all the videos it seemed like otherwise.

At first, Misty smiled at seeing this, and even felt surprised when she realized that she felt a bit jealous of Sage for having this much fun with Eggman, but then she looked at her side and noticed that Eggman was looking at this videos with sadness on his eyes.

"I spent so much time with her as father and daughter..." Eggman began with a smile. "I never got along with anyone from my family... My dad was the only one that always supported me, but he also gave me his back eventually... When I began to saw you as a daughter, I felt complete again after so long... Then you also gave me your back, although it was justified... And then Sage came."

Misty listened closely, and while she felt surprised that he felt hurt when she left him and Opaline, she would never regret that decision, considering everything she has obtained ever since.

"Sage was... A really different case..." Eggman started. "I created her as an AI to hack into Cyberspace, to help me get the secrets behind the Ancients' technology... But then Cyberspace turned her into a real girl, a girl that was so dedicated to protect me..."

"Well, you programmed her to be like that..." Misty pointed out.

"I also thought she did what she did out of her program... Never in my life I've been more wrong..." Eggman said.

"Huh?" Misty said confused with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure, I created her to be loyal and protect me, but... None of what she did was ever out of her code... She did what she did because... Because she loved me..." Eggman said, as he let out a chuckle with a broken voice, and he started to laugh...

But it was actually him crying, because tears were falling down his cheeks, and now Misty found herself surprised to see him of all people crying, specially since he rarely showed any emotions around Opaline, even though he was more open when he was only with her... like right now.

"I-I tried so hard to treat her like just any other badnik I've ever made, but... She kept being so nice and polite with me... She kept being my daughter... My family... And I lost that because I didn't reacted fast enough..." Eggman began to cry. "I loved her with my soul, and now... Now she's gone..."

Eggman's confident shell broke right in that moment, and so, he began to cry uncontrollably, sobbing loudly and even removing his glasses not to wet them with his tears.

Misty saw Eggman with genuine concern for him. In all the time that she has known him, he never dared to show this much emotion. Sure, he limited himself to say how much he'll care for her, and even hug her whenever she was the one that did so... But she never saw him crying.

It was... Awful... To see a man with such a strong confidence, to brake like this, to cry his lungs out for the lost of someone he cared so deeply for, and now that someone was gone.

"I-I wasn't a good father..." Eggman cried and sobbed, while Misty's ears lowered and she looked away. "I wasn't a good father for Sage... And I was a terrible father for you..."

That made Misty's eyes widen, and she slowly turned to see Eggman, who has turned around now to face her. His eyes were red from all the crying he's been doing, probably even before she arrived, while she could also notice the sad look on his eyes, despite the red irises.

"I promised to never hurt you, no matter if we were on opposite sides of the line... And I attacked you twice..." Eggman said, more tears falling down. "The Death Egg Titan, my Eggman allies and I last year... I attacked you, I hurt you... And I failed you..."

Misty was shocked by this. Never did she ever imagined that Eggman would apologize for attacking her after promising that he'll never do so, no matter what.

The truth is that said action did hurt her and disappointed her. She spent awake at least one or two nights after what happened with the Titan. She wasn't exactly traumatized, but she was definitely hurt for what Eggman did to her... And she still couldn't come to hate him.

She was angry with him for his ambitions to conquer the world, no doubt, but it was never on a level where she would attack Eggman and call him a disgrace, a menace... An enemy.

She slowly approached him, once he looked away from her... And then she wrapped her hooves around him.

This surprised Eggman, as his eyes opened widely, while he looked down at Misty with surprise.

"...Misty?" Eggman asked confused.

"...You never failed me, Eggman..." Misty said with honesty in her voice, as she tightened her grip a bit. "I... I was just scared that your desire would lead you to a place that would hurt you... That would get rid of you... And I was afraid to never see you again... To never see my friend again."

Eggman's pupils moved, and more tears fell down his cheeks, as he felt his heart shattering at Misty's words.

"I found a family, a lot of friends to grow with, I even found my blood father..." Misty narrated with a smile, before stepping back and look up at him, as some tears formed in her eyes as well. "But I also got you in my side now... We're together again... Dad..."

That was it, Eggman was a mess. His feelings were mixed, and his heart beat like it never did before... But he also smiled. He genuinely smiled and wrapped Misty in a hug back, keeping her close to him, as he feared to loose her like he lost Sage... Because in reality, he did.

So he hugged her and didn't dared to let her go, not again, while Misty cried, but also smiled and hugged him back with all the physical strength she could gather.

She missed him so much, just as much as he missed her... And they were together again.

"I'm really sorry, Misty... I've should never had pulled you away from me..." Eggman apologized, as he broke the hug. "I didn't knew that I already had everything I'd ever needed until it was too late... I lost you to those I once called my enemies, and I lost Sage to the worse of the worse... But I still have something to loose... And I won't rest until I defeat her so I can protect it. So I can protect you."

Misty smiled after hearing that, and she hugged Eggman tightly again, with him hugging her back again.

He lost it all at this point: His family, his beloved daughter, and now he has no idea on who he is... But he's willing to protect Misty, the only thing he has left, from the very mare that kidnapped her from her family.

He'll make sure to make Opaline pay, even if it costs his life...

Universe 151222 - Ghost Hill

Inside the cave, the Tails' were analyzing the Prism.

Nine began to place the shards on their place, and even at some point, he almost placed on in the wrong way, because it restored Green Hill to it's glory before turning it into Ghost Hill again.

Now, Tails approached Nine and stood at his side. "So you did it..."

"Pff. Of course I did." Nine replied with a proud smile.

"You must be a really smart guy, aren't you?" Tails asked him.

"Indeed." Nine replied, nodding and still smiling.

"Smart enough to lie to Sonic and not tell him about the fifth shard?" Tails went straight to the point.

That took Nine off guard, and he slowly turned to see Tails at his side.

"...W-What?" Nine asked confused. "H-How did you––"

Nine got concerned after this, but then he showed up his 7 mechanical tails.

The rumble was heard from outside the cave, and everyone turned to see in said direction.

"Is that the shard making a weird glitch again, or is that just rumbling?" Sonic asked confused.

"No. It sounds like something else..." Shadow said, before boosting inside the cave.

Sonic, Sunny and Sunset followed the example, while Prime hesitated at first, since he didn't wanted to feel like a burden considering everything Sonic told him... But he then shook his head and nodded to himself, before entering the cave as well behind the others.

Nine fell on his knees in the cave and coughed, also groaning in pain.

He shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy after getting that punch, but then he looked upwards and frowned slightly when he saw Tails, looking down at him with a frown and still with the metallic gloves.

"How did you know there's a fifth shard?" Nine asked, standing up and looking at his counterpart with anger.

"Are you deaf or something?" Tails asked with a frown. "FS told us everything we needed to know about this universe: How it shattered into five different ones after Sonic destroyed the Paradox Prism, and I'm literally you. When you started to talk about "the Grim", I knew you were hiding the last shard from your Sonic."

"That's because I don't trust him!" Nine said with anger, as he started to walk with his mechanical tails and approached the other fox. "He goes from one Shatterspace to the other, thinking he's friends with everyone when in reality he's just a stranger that one day came into my life and claimed to be my friend, BUT HE'S NOT!!!"

After saying this, Nine jumped in the air with a warrior cry and aimed at Tails, who simply moved aside, then grabbed Nine from a mechanical tail, then tucked him in the ground and then held his neck with a hand, which still had the metallic glove around.

Nine grabbed the glove painfully, but then Tails launched him to the air, grabbed him from his metallic tails again, twirled him around, and then launched him against a wall.

"Ugh!" Nine groaned in pain, but then he separated himself from the wall and stood on his mechanical tails again, looking back at Tails and glaring daggers at him.

"You think you're the smartest guy in the room, but when someone else outsmarts you, you convince yourself that they will pay for messing with you, don't you?" Tails asked him, but with a mocking smirk.

Nine frowned and growled in anger. "Oh, I know I'm smarter than you!" He said, before pointing the tip of his mechanical tails towards the Paradox Prism and shoot lasers towards it.

However, Tails smirked, because he knew Nine was going to do this, so he made a pair of sticks with electricity appear and put them on the way between the Paradox Prism and the lasers that Nine shot. This made the lasers to absorb the electricity instead of the Prism's energy.

Nine realized his mistake too late, because when he tried to cancel the attack, his tails began to release electrical sparkles that indicated they were failing, and Nine quickly managed to stop the process.

He looked at his tails, releasing some sparkles, but still functional. Although Nine sighed in relief, he then looked at Tails and glared daggers at him. "You're gonna regret having done that!"

"Suit yourself, Miles!" Tails replied with a smirk.

That made Nine shout in anger again, and then he attempted to launch against Tails, but just as the two counterparts where about to clash against each other and start a fight...

"Hey!" Prime Sonic's voice called out.

That made both Tails' stop, their eyes widening, and then they looked in the direction of the cave's entrance, where they saw everyone else but Sonic staring at them with wide eyes, while Sonic simply raised an eyebrow confused at the match. He definitely didn't expected to see this today.

"Nine, Tails... What's going on? What's the meaning of this?" Prime Sonic asked confused and concerned.

However, before replying, Tails glanced at Nine, and then punched him towards the wall again, as Nine crashed on his back and groaned in pain again.

"Nine!" Prime Sonic asked with wide eyes, but just when he was going to check on him, Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him, which made Prime frown. "What comes?!"

"Nine's not your friend, Sonic. He's been using you to obtain the shards for himself" Tails replied instead, looking at his counterpart with anger. "I knew that some Tails across the universe would fall low, but you are a disgrace to our variants!"

"And I doubt he planned to tell you about the fifth shard..." Sonic pointed out with a concerned frown.

It was a concerned one because he was looking at Prime with concern, despite still being frowning.

"What?" Prime Sonic asked with shock and wide eyes.

"There's a fifth shard?!" Shadow asked with shock and wide eyes as well.

"The hole in that blueprint doesn't ring a bell to you?" Sunset deadpanned at both Prime and Shadow, as she pointed at the incomplete Paradox Prism.

The two inhabitants of this universe turned to see the Prism, and they in fact saw that there was a hole in the middle of the other four shards, confirming Sonic's word on the subject and Tails' word on Nine.

Prime Sonic couldn't believe this, then he slowly turned to see Nine. "No... No, that can't be true, right Nine? Y-You were not planning to..." He tried to ask with a nervous and sheepish smile.

However, as Nine slowly stood up and grabbed a shoulder painfully, he looked at Prime's hurt expression and actually felt bad, before looking away from him. It was the truth, but he didn't wanted to face Prime anyways.

Yet that single action confirmed it: Nine was a traitor. He was never his friend. He used him to get the Prism's shards, just like Tails said. And worse of all, he lied about having the full Prism, because there was a shard missing in the Grim... And he couldn't believe that this was happening.

"He tricked you, Sonic..." Sunny said with low ears. "He was never your friend."

"No... No, you guys are lying..." Prime Sonic said, since he was still in denial. "Hey Nine! Come on, little buddy––"

However, that made Nine's eyes widen, and he frowned. "Stop calling me that!" He said with anger, as he stood on his mechanical tails. "You just assumed I'd go along with you no matter what. Did you even consider what I wanted?!"

"I-I assumed that after everything we've been through, you'd see things the way I do..." Prime Sonic replied with concern and emotional pain. "Just like the real Tails would."

"I am real!" Nine said with anger, and that made Prime's eyes widen.

He finally realized his mistake: He always talked to Nine as if he was Tails... But he never was. He's Nine. He's real... And he's someone else. Someone with dreams and aspirations... Someone that manipulates those who can be useful for his goal.

"I'm just not your real friend." Nine finished with a cold glare.

That was the final straw that awakened something deep inside of Prime, as his eyes moved, before his eye began to twitch in anger... And then, he finally snapped.

In the blink of an eye, Prime went from being with the rest to appear right besides Nine, and then punched Nine in the chest, before kicking him in the air, then jump and kick him towards deeper inside the cave, which made Nine groan in pain, but it also made everyone's eyes widen.

"About damn time you did something useful!" Sonic said with a smirk.

"Agreed!" Shadow said with a smirk as well, before he boosted towards Nine in anger, with Prime doing the same.

Nine slowly stood up and shook his head dizzy, but then, he felt pain on his face and on his chest again, because both Sonic and Shadow were soloing him and punching him constantly, not giving him a chance to fight back.

"Well, this is truly gonna be an interesting fight..." Sonic said with a smirk, before turning to his friends. "You guys think you can go out and find the last shard while we hold back the emo Tails? I also want a word with him..."

"As long as you're not doing it while thinking that is me, go on!" Tails said with a smirk, before he ran away.

Sunny and Sunset nodded as well, then they headed towards the exit to follow Tails.

Meanwhile, Sonic turned back to Nine and frowned, as he walked towards him, with Shadow and Prime not hitting Nine anymore, as they stepped back at top speed and stood on Sonic's side, while Nine coughed and spitted some blood, but then cleaned some from his mouth and frowned at the two Sonics and Shadow.

"Three speedsters against an emo kid with seven mechanical tails..." Sonic muttered, before cracking his knuckles with glee. "This is gonna be fun!"

Nine growled in anger, and then launched himself against the speedsters with a warrior cry, while the speedsters did the same and jumped against Nine, ready to fight.

Universe 151222

Tails, Sunny and Sunset exited Ghost Hill and returned to the void.

However, as they flew around, Sunset looked back at the yellow structure they came out from with a raised eyebrow. "How's that accessing this strange universes works, again?"

"You run fast enough until enough energy has been gathered around your body before exiting said world!" Tails replied.

"Oh! So that's why you grabbed us both from our hooves!" Sunny realized with a smile.

"Yeah? I know you're not as fast as Sonic and I, but I also did that because we're on a hurry!" Tails pointed out with a frown. "We've gotta find that fifth shard before Nine manages to find a way to outsmart the Sonics and Shadow to steal all the shards!"

"But how are we gonna do that?" Sunset asked with concern and with a frown. "We literally have no idea on where the hell we are! We barely could guide ourselves on that place with the red structure!"

However, after Sunset said that, Sunny's eyes widened, and she gasped. "That's it!"

"Huh?" Both Tails and Sunset turned to her with confused expressions.

"We know that there's 5 shards, correct?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah?" Tails and Sunset replied.

"And we know that there's a red, blue, yellow, and green shard as well, right?"

"Uh-huh..." Tails and Sunset said in unison, still a bit confused.

But then, Tails' eyes widened as well. "Wait! I get it now! You're right!"

"She is?" Sunset asked a bit confused.

"If there's a shard of those colors, then the fifth shard must have a structure that doesn't has said colors!" Tails explained to Sunset with a smile.

Sunset's eyes widened, then she blushed embarrassed and scratched her neck a bit ashamed. "Okay, yeah... That was actually pretty obvious..."

"We've gotta reach the Shatterspace with a different color!" Tails declared.

"Hmm..." Sunny muttered, as she began to look around for the different colored Shatterspace. "Red... Blue... Green... Yellow... Then we're missing..." She soon looked down, and then gasped with wide eyes when she saw a purple structure with a portal in the middle. "Purple!"

She pointed down with a hoof, and when Tails and Sunset looked down, they gasped as well when they saw the purple structure with a portal as well.

"There it is!" Sunset cheered.

"Come on!" Tails declared. "The Sonics and Shadow are counting on us!"

With that being said, Tails boosted towards the portal at top speed, with Sunny and Sunset following close behind.

Universe 151222 - Ghost Hill

Nine grunted as he was suddenly sent out of the cave and towards the ground back in Ghost Hill.

However, as he fell, he managed to act quickly and spin his tails to rise back to the cave... Which didn't work, as Sonic left the cave and jumped into the air, heading towards him at full speed on a dive, then grabbing his neck and pushing him directly to the ground, also charging some electricity into his body.

Nine growled in annoyance, so he managed to get Sonic off of him, but that didn't stop him from hitting the ground with his tails. That these same ones had "cushioned his fall" did not help with the pain.

Soon, Prime Sonic arrived and pulled Nine by his tails, dragging him along the ground and making him eat dirt, but also passing through areas with trees and hitting his body against them, although he did this more to vent his anger for having lied to him, and for planning to betray him.

Nine growled again, but then he realized it wasn't over when Shadow also arrived at top speed and then punched him on the chest, sending him several meters backwards, until he crashed on his back against a tree's trunk.

He groaned for what felt like the millionth time in the past 10 minutes, but he still stood up and looked ahead at the Sonics and Shadow with a frown, as he cleaned some mored blood of his mouth, and then he smirked confidently. Prime didn't liked to see that, but his frown remained.

"Okay... You three had your fun... Is my turn!" Nine declared with glee.

After that, he showed his nine mechanical tails, while the three speedsters boosted towards him.

However, that's exactly what Nine wanted them to do, because as soon as Sonic tried to punch him, Nine used one of his tails to push him aside, then did the exact same with Prime and Shadow.

Seeing that he was changing his strategy, the speedsters choose to do the same. So, they each decided to attack him on different directions instead of going all towards the same place, but Nine was way ahead of them, as he used six of his mechanical tails, two for each speedster, to stop their attack.

Then, he pushed them backwards by releasing some green lasers that paralyzed Shadow and Prime, which made Nine smirk... But Sonic was not paralyzed, and he punched Nine backwards with one single punch.

Of course, this made Nine rub his cheek in pain, but then he looked ahead at Sonic with a confused expression, although it also made him frown. "What?! How did you––"

However, before he got the chance to ask, Sonic smirked and showed off his electrical powers, then winked at Nine mockingly.

"Ugh. Of course..." Nine groaned, but he still launched himself against Sonic and tried to hit him with any of his mechanical tails. Heck, he even brought out his weird gun he used to scan the Grim when he first arrived and attempted to shoot at Sonic.

However, the Blue Blur barely had to make an effort to dodge the attacks. In fact, he wasn't even trying: Nine was so mad and blinded by anger that he was just shooting for shooting, not even aiming in the right spot against Sonic, who didn't mocked up Nine for that, either.

"Wanna know why I'm the fastest thing alive?" Sonic asked, and then finally smirked.

His eyes turned neon blue, as well as his quills, then he started to run across the field and hit Nine at super speed. He did it once, then twice, then thrice, and finally started to do it until he charged his Phantom Rush.

Then, he wasn't stopping time anymore, and then he punched Nine several more times thanks to his Phantom Rush, before sending him backwards in a single punch. But before doing that, he grabbed one of Nine's mechanical tails as he launched him, and then ripped it off from the young fox.

Shadow and Prime finally recovered from their paralyzed states, while Sonic came to them and showed them the ripped off tail, which made their eyes widen.

"If we wanna win this for sure, we'll have to "rip off" some rules!" Sonic said with a smirk.

Prime actually chuckled and then laughed after hearing that. "Okay. I see what you did there. Good one!" He said with a wink.

Shadow, however, rolled his eyes annoyed. "Great. Now there's two of them."

"Complain later, beat Nine now!" Sonic said, tossing the tail he already ripped off away and then boosting towards Nine.

Prime and Shadow nodded, before following along to keep the battle going.

Universe 151222 - The Grim

Tails, Sunny and Sunset carefully landed in the Grim.

As they looked around, they saw that there was absolutely nothing around here. Well, there was no one, but there was definitely some purple rocks around that were hard to tell if they were from space, or if they belonged in this Shatterspace.

In any case, Tails pulled out his Miles Electric and began to detect Prismatic Energy around. Soon, he started to hear higher beeps coming from a certain direction, which made him smile, so he decided to fly as fast as he could in said direction, with Sunny and Sunset following close behind.

It didn't took them long to reach a strange lab-looking like place, but the entrance seemed to be blocked with a password... One that Tails introduced at first try, since it was the exact same one from his own workshop.

"He might be a jerk that looks like me, but I guess some things never change!" Tails said with a smile.

As they entered the place, they looked around and noticed that there were several palm trees decorating the place, as well as a zone deep inside the lab with a huge container.

And, inside said container, was the fifth and last shard to complete the Paradox Prism.

"There it is!" Tails said with a smile, as he quickly flew around upwards to access the computer that controls the container with the shard.

Sunny was about to approach Tails by flight, but then, she looked at Sunset at her side and noticed that she was looking at something with concern, so Sunny saw the same thing, and she saw that Sunset was staring at the couple of palm trees in front of the door.

"What's the matter, Sunset?" Sunny asked her.

"Don't you see something... off with this palm trees?" Sunset asked with concern.

"Off?" Sunny asked confused, then she looked back at the palm trees, back and forth between them both, but she still saw the same palm trees... Or at least at first, because she then soon started to see them a bit more... artificial than what they should look like. "Now that you mention it... These palm trees seem kinda fake compared to real ones..."

"Right?!" Sunset asked. "I have no idea on what is this place, or who made it, but they were clearly trying to make something here... And I don't like it..."

"This place is Nine's..." Tails' voice spoke, and both mares turned to see him.

"What?" Sunny asked.

"Nine did this?!" Sunset questioned as well in shock.

"According to some data here, this place is called "the Grim", and Nine created this place to forge his ideal home using the power of the shard he found in here..." Tails explained. "He wanted the full Prism to create a new home from scratch... He didn't wanted to betray Sonic, though, since his notes says he wanted this place to be their home."

"Hang on... So Nine wanted to steal the shards to make a whole new reality from zero, instead of restoring the one Sonic wanted to live in?" Sunny asked with shock. "That doesn't makes Nine a better person, but... It makes his motivations seem less extreme, even though he still told his Sonic he's not his friend..."

"This perfectly lines up with what Sonic said, about what would happen with the Shatteredverse once the Prism is restored..." Sunset pointed out with a concerned frown. "Nine must know that if the Prism gets built together, then the Shatteredverse won't exist anymore, nor the Shatterspaces and their inhabitants."

"And he's making a fake home to convince himself that it'll be real, and that it will work... But he doesn't realize how much damage he could cause if he does so..." Sunny said with concern and sadness.

"So Nine is afraid of disappearing..." Tails realized. "Maybe we're doing this in the wrong way..."

"Well, Nine didn't seemed up to chat back in the cave..." Sunset deadpanned.

"That's because I punched him against a wall... Four times..." Tails said with an eye roll, then growled in anger as he kept trying to access Nine's computer, but couldn't do so. "Darn it! I can't access the code to open that thing! Nine must have placed a code I've never had come up with..."

"Then what do we do?!" Sunny asked with concern.

Tails thought for a moment, before his eyes widened. "I have an idea... But you're not gonna like it, girls..."

Sunny and Sunset looked at each other, before looking back at Tails with concern. "What kind of idea?" Sunny asked with a sheepish smile, while Sunset gulped nervously.

Universe 151222 - Ghost Hill

Nine was having a hard time defending himself.

On one hand, it was three speed demons against a kid that could barely keep up with their crazy speeds. And on the other one, Sonic ripped off one of his mechanical tails. He couldn't let them approach and remove the other ones.

Yet that plan wasn't working, because with Shadow constantly hitting him on his weak spot to put him in the ground, fighting back seemed impossible. Worse of all, it was Shadow himself who ended up ripping off another one of his tails, which worried him.

And then his status became even worse when Prime came by and punched him right on the nose, stunning him for a good moment, while Prime himself came again and ripped off two more tails.

Nine shook his head and still felt dizzy, but then gasped in horror when he saw only three mechanical tails left, which made him look at the speedsters with pure hate and anger.

"That's four down. Three to go!" Sonic declared.

This enraged Nine more, as he launched himself against the speedsters once again.

Universe 151222 - The Grim

Tails explained his plan to Sunny and Sunset.

Of course, the two mares were beyond nervous with what they had to do according to everything Tails explained, but they were still willing to go until the end with the idea.

The plan in question is to use their magic in sync and retract the shard out of the capsule. Basically, Tails wanted to use their magic as a magnet to pull the shard out, since he couldn't discover which was the code to unlock the capsule that Nine used on it.

"I know we already agreed to do this, but are you absolutely sure that there is no other way?" Sunny asked Tails with concern.

"Unless you can think on something in less than a minute, nope!" Tails replied with a bored expression.

Sunny gulped, but then Sunset placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Hey. I am nervous for doing this, too... But is our best shot."

Sunny was still nervous, but she took a deep breath and then nodded at Sunset.

Sunset nodded back, and then they both made their horns glimmer brightly, as they started to attract the shard out of the capsule, making it clash with the crystal and made it crack a bit.

They spent several minutes trying to pull the shard out, but eventually, they managed to take it out, and Tails caught the shard on his hands with a smile, as he looked down at it.

"We hit the jackpot!" Tails declared, as Sunny and Sunset cheered at their accomplishment. "Now come on! We've gotta go back to Ghost Hill and finish off the Paradox Prism!"

With that being said, Tails grabbed Sunny from her hoof, and Sunny grabbed Sunset, since Tails could only grab one of them because he had to carry the shard as well. With all of them ready, Tails boosted out of the lab and ran fast enough to make them leave this Shatterspace.

Universe 151222 - Ghost Hill

Nine was hitting the speedsters with everything he had left.

It was until now that he remembered he learned the Spin Dash thanks to Sonic, so he began to use that same attack against them, which seemed to be effective with Prime, since he sent him backwards.

Shadow was more difficult to deal with, but Nine still managed to sent him back and knock him out for a split of second, as he made him crash against a rock with his head, which sent the "Ultimate Life Form" to sleep. Nine smirked satisfied, but then he turned to Sonic with a frown.

"Is just you and my 5 tails now!" Nine said with anger.

"Correction: Is me, and your 4 tails!" Sonic said with a mocking smirk, as he showed another ripped tail from Nine.

That pushed him to the limit, and so, he launched himself against Sonic again, trying to hit him with his bare fists and the two remaining mechanical tails that he had.

Sonic wasn't even trying, however. He simply walked backwards (yes, walked), and looked down at Nine with pity. He has no idea on what makes him act the way he does, but he definitely suspects that it is the reason he began to act this way so long ago.

Maybe this Tails' variant wasn't saved by Sonic when bullied for his extra tail, which explains his attitude even more.

So, with a sigh, Sonic stopped time again, then ripped of the last two mechanical tails, and then grabbed Nine from his natural tails, before launching him backwards against a Palm tree.

Nine groaned as he hit the palm tree, but then he looked back and saw that he only had his natural tails left.

Of course, this made him panic, but it also made him mad, and so, he looked at Sonic with hate an anger, before slowly turning at Prime, who was sitting in the ground and rubbing his head painfully. Nine groaned, then grabbed two of his ripped off tails and headed towards Prime.

As soon as Prime noticed this, his eyes widened in panic, then he covered himself... But no attack ever came.

Confused, Prime opened his eyes, which widened when he saw that Sonic came by to protect him from Nine's attack, using the shield of his watch to protect his counterpart.

Nine, however, kept hitting the shield with his tails, not doing anything, but releasing all his anger and frustration... Which soon started to show as his punches slowed down, and as tears began to roll down his cheeks, until he eventually kneeled in the ground and let go his tails.

"...You actually liked me, didn't you?" Nine asked with a broken voice, more tears falling down his cheeks. He then looked at his trembling hands, and then covered his face in shame. "What am I doing? Why do I wanna hurt you so bad?!"

Both Prime and Sonic were surprised by this outcome, then they looked at each other, and Prime nodded, which made Sonic understand what he wanted, so he deactivated the shield and allowed him to look at Nine.

"I-I'm supposed to be your friend! I... I just wanna be your friend..." Nine said in-between tears.

Prime Sonic stood up, then approached Nine and kneeled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nine... I honestly don't know why you did what you did... But if you really wanted to be my friend, then why you didn't told me since the beginning what you wanted? I know I wouldn't had liked what you told me, but we could have been spared from this fight. We could've talked things out and find a solution... But I guess this is part of why you didn't trusted me..."

"Is not that, Sonic..." Nine confessed, whipping out some tears. "I... I was afraid..."

"Afraid? Of what?" Prime Sonic asked him concerned.

"Of disappearing." Tails' voice replied instead, as he approached along Sunny and Sunset, the latter levitating the fifth shard of the Paradox Prism.

"Of disappearing?" Prime Sonic asked confused, but this time, his eyes widened when he realized what they meant. "Oh, Nine... You were scared of what would happen with you and the Shatteredverse if the Prism was restored, weren't you?"

Nine nodded, whipping out some more tears. "I wanted to build a new home for us because... I didn't wanted to die... But even if my intentions were good, my actions are not justified. I lied to you, I-I said things that aren't even true... And now it might be too late to fix everything..."

Sonic looked at Nine with concern, but a glance at Tails and Sunny made him saw them smiling, so he smiled back, because he knew exactly what to do.

So, Sonic looked back at Nine. "Is never too late to start from scratch." He declared, extending his hand to him. "Sure, you made some mistakes that many would consider unforgivable... But we're not the kind of guys to hold a grudge against anyone, even if they deserve it."

"Yeah!" Prime Sonic agreed. "You did hurt me with your words and actions, but we're still friends! I did punched you a bit too hard on the fight, but... Now that we have calmed down, I realize that I should never had treated you like Tails, but instead like Nine. Because you are as real as Tails is... Or used to be... Eh, you get the point!"

Nine chuckled and nodded, then Sunny came by and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Look, Nine. I find it sweet that you wanted to share a home with Sonic, to feel he's your friend and vice versa... But pretending to be someone you're not is not the way. Why try to be Tails when you can be Nine?"

"Right? Tails is great by just being Tails. Why can't Nine be great by just being Nine?" Sunset pointed out as well with a smirk.

"Well, I'm starting to think you may have to call me "Tails", considering I have no mechanical tails anymore..." Nine deadpanned.

"Nah! Nine suits you best. Nine tails or none, you're my buddy, one that is his own persona. And that's okay." Prime Sonic told Nine with a smile, and Nine smiled back.

"Well... If I can start fixing my mistakes, then let's get started by finishing that Prism!" Nine declared, as he saw the shard that Sunset was levitating. "Is the least I can do to start and fix the mess I made in the first place."

"As long as you don't stab me in the back again, just go for it!" Prime Sonic told him with a smirk and a wink.

Author's Note

Thank god! For a second I thought that I'll never finish this.

This is probably one of the few chapters in Project Endgame I'm not satisfied with the final result, but I think is also better having it finished than never finish it.

I really hope next chapter is gradually better than this one, because seriously: I struggled five days writing it down, and I still don't like the final result... Oh well. It is what it is. The next chapters will be better, because I already know what happens on them.

To tell the truth, from chapters 24 to 30 I know what to do. These first three chapters of Part 3, I had to improvise on a lot of stuff, and I know is pretty noticeable.

Also, yes, I went in a completely different route than whatever Sonic Prime did because I wanted to experiment by making more drastic changes to the original story than leaving everything as it is. I hope I made myself clear...

I'll see you next chapter, which will be better handled than this one. See ya! :twilightsmile:

25. She's Coming

Universe 250954

Twilight and FS were supervising everything on the Secret Society's HQ.

With the constant fear of knowing that Opaline was going to attack them at any second, FS didn't wasted time and made every single one of the members in the HQ, to the very last one, to get ready for the fight. Those with mechs or any kind of battle machinery were ordered to prepare every single weapon they have in stock.

Those that were skilled in 1v1 combat where ordered to prepare as well, training hard and pulling themselves to the limit so they could be ready to do so in case it's necessary during the final battle.

As for FS and Twilight themselves? They were busy supervising that everyone was ready for the war that awaits, because this is precisely what they've been preparing themselves for the whole year: Taking down a real menace that can destroy the entire multiverse, and therefore, their existence as a whole.

Soon, Future Sonic approached SatAM Sonic. "How's the sniper group doing?"

"Not a single one of them has failed a shot!" SatAM Sonic replied.

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Future Sonic instructed, then he walked ahead and whistled to Tails X. "Are those mechs ready, Tails?!"

"55% of capacity has been reached so far, but we're all updating to reach the 97%, boss!" Tails X replied.

"You better!" Future Sonic instructed, then he approached Boom Sonic with a frown, because he was changing Aurora's diaper for what felt like the millionth time ever since they got back to the HQ. "Didn't I told you to get her back with your wife and then supervise the 1v1 Combat fighting group?!"

"Amy's busy with something she didn't told me about when I told her, so here you have me, being a father, and making sure that these guys are doing their job, which they are." Boom Sonic replied. "Opaline won't know what hit her!"

"For your own good, and for everyone's, I hope so, Hedgehog." Future Sonic warned with a glare.

Meanwhile, Twilight was near another sector were she supervised the ponies from the team.

The Alicorn approached Firefly, who was checking that the pegasi were ready for air combat. "How are we doing here, Firefly?"

"Every pegasi is giving their 70%, but I wanna push it to a 95%!" Firefly instructed with a smirk.

"Good. Just try not to overwork them, we still need them in the fight against Opaline." Twilight instructed, and as Firefly nodded and got back to her job, she moved ahead and approached Dr. Hooves. "Are those machines ready, hooves? We need all the machinery on our hands and hooves to defeat that wacky Alicorn."

"I still need 10 minutes more, boss. This won't be ready with so much pressure." Hooves replied with concern.

"Is better than nothing, I guess..." Twilight muttered with concern, but then as she moved ahead, she saw a Zipp variant jumping over a device that was supposed to help Unicorns to get a small boost on their magic for a limited time, and she approached her with a frown. "Zephyrina! What the hell are you doing?!"

"The device is not working anymore!" The Zipp variant replied. "I'm trying to put it back on place, but it won't. Push. Down!" She added with anger, still jumping over the device in an attempt to close it.

Twilight rolled her eyes, then she turned to see everypony else: The Unicorns were blasting all kind of objects, the Pegasi kicking them, and the Earth Ponies were either using what they had close or their magic.

Everything seemed to be coming together, so she nodded to herself and spread her wings, then flew away towards a higher sector so she could watch both Mobians and Equestrians. It didn't took long for a blue blur to be seen, and so, FS was standing at her side after just a few seconds of running.

"Seems like everything's going well so far." Future Sonic pointed out. "Let's hope it stays that way."

"If not, it really doesn't matter." Twilight said with a determinate look. "Opaline's just another variant more we have to stop from getting out of hand, right? Nothing we haven't done before."

"Actually, it is." Future Sonic said with concern, and Twilight turned to him with a panicked expression. "What Sonic and I saw out there... This is totally out of hand for us, Twi. Like it or not."

"What?!" Twilight said in shock and fear.

"Doesn't mean we have lost without fighting." Future Sonic quickly added, then looked over at Twilight and smiled. "We're gonna show that damn witch that messing with the multiverse was a big mistake."

"If we live to tell that tale, that is." Twilight said, now frowning a bit. "I just hope that no lives have to be exchanged..."

"I would like to be that optimist, Twi... But I can't assure you that no one will die when I don't know that for sure..." Future Sonic said with concern and sadness.

Twilight frowned and was about to scold him, but before she could do so, the Tails variant with 9 natural tails arrived and landed in front of them with wide eyes and a surprised and urged expression.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, bosses, but you have to see this!" The Tails variant said, then he handled his own version of the Miles Electric, which was the exact same than our Tails' but in red, to FS.

FS grabbed the device, and Twilight approached to see what was the whole noise about, but then, their eyes widened: Universe 151222, once having five different colors on the line that represents its universe, now only had the regular white line like every single other one.

"This... This is not possible..." Future Sonic said with shock and wide eyes.

"But it is!" The Tails variant said. "I already ran all the calculations, and... It's real!"

"The Forbidden Universe... Has come back to normal?!" Twilight said with shock, as she levitated the device in front of her and stared with surprise at the image.

Future Sonic, on the other hand, smiled to himself. "This has to be 220822's Sonic's doing... That lucky rascal."

"So they might had succeeded on finding a weakness on Opaline's new power?!" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Well have to ask him and Sunset once we see them again." Future Sonic stated with a smile.

However, just as he was going to open a portal to Universe 220822, a random portal that leads to said universe opened up, startling the three of them. Then, from said portal, Sunset came out while breathing heavily.

This should be motive of joy, but when they noticed that she was a bit beaten up, that little joy faded away.

"...Chief..." Sunset said as she looked at FS. "...Time's up... She's coming."

Universe 220822

Sonic, Sunny, Tails and Chip bursted thought the doors of Eggman's lab in Mobius.

Of course, nobody expected them to arrive all beaten up and with a creature that resembled different characters for each one of them. But the moment Zipp's eyes lay on Tails' burned chest, she couldn't care less about the strange critter that looked like her father anymore, and instead focused on him.

Eggman was quick on bringing over some cold water to ease the burn a bit, and even though Tails did grunted in pain, it started to fade away thanks to the water's effect.

Meanwhile, Chip explained himself on what happened with Opaline: After he made sure that the four in charge of entering Universe 151222 actually entered there, Opaline ambushed him and tried to make him talk about where was Sonic, because to be at her full power, she needed Sonic's Prismatic Energy.

Chip refused to talk, and so they confronted each other across the multiverse, but even if he never said a thing, Opaline still won and damaged him, accidentally guiding her to Sonic and company on Universe 100711.

They already know what happened after that, and now, Sonic felt weak because of what Opaline did to him.

After that, Eggman proceed to place some wet towels over Tails' burn for around 10-15 minutes, and once the burn was eased (not cured), he proceed to check it over. The burn left an X-shaped scar over Tails' body, but beyond that, Eggman found nothing to worry about.

"It seems like the burn only left that big scar." Eggman pointed out. "But he'll be fine. He just needs to rest for 10 minutes, I think. However, I can't assure you that he'll survive a similar kind of blast if he gets shot at again."

"But he'll be fine, right?!" Misty asked with concern, while Sunny and Zipp stood close to Tails, who was resting over a bed.

"So long as he rests for the next 10 minutes, that is." Eggman pointed out.

"Well, sorry to brake your bubble, but we don't have 10 minutes!" Sonic said with an angry frown, also sitting on a bench since he felt tired because of Opaline draining his Prismatic Energy. "Opaline attacked us, Egghead. Whatever chance we had to plan is over. A massive war is coming, and if we don't move now, is Game Over!"

"But what can we do?!" Knuckles asked with anger, as he approached Sonic with a frown. "You said it when you arrived: The plan was a failure! We have no idea on how to beat Opaline, and now one of our friends almost died! You really want us to go into a blind battlefield when we already lost without even fighting?!"

"Knuckles has point." Shadow agreed, approaching Sonic as well. "If Opaline has a weakness, we have no idea of what is is, meaning this is a lost cause."

"Standing here and do nothing won't help anyone, either." Amy pointed out. "If we have a chance to fight back, I say we take it! Lost cause or not, I won't stay here and watch our home die without doing something about it!"

"Even if costs your own life?!" Knuckles asked with panic.

"It never stopped us before. Why should it now?" Amy pointed out with anger, crossing her arms.

"You are nuts!" Knuckles said with anger.

"And that's precisely why we have to do something." Sonic said with a frown. "Fighting here, between each other, is precisely what Opaline wants. She wants us to destroy ourselves before go and destroy her. We can't let her have that, at the very least!"

"Sonic, as much as I'll like to be optimistic, don't you think that getting straight to Opaline might not be the best?" Hitch pointed out, joining the conversation while Sparky on his back just watched concerned. "Is like literally putting yourself in the middle so they can shoot you."

"And look how Tails ended up!" Misty added, also joining the conversation, but she also seemed incredibly mad at Sonic, probably because she thinks he could've done something to protect Tails. "You want the rest of us to end like him? At the edge of dying?!"

"You're exaggerating things, Misty." Eggman deadpanned. "He's not going to die, he's fine!"

"Which side are you on, Eggman?!" Misty asked him, while glaring daggers at him.

"There's no sides in this story!" Sunny snapped as well. "We're all in the same team, and we're all against the same enemy here. Blaming each other and shouting won't solve a thing. Yes, Tails is hurt because of Opaline; and yes, we have no clue on a possible weakness for that damn Alicorn, but for hoofness' sake, stop fighting! This won't guide us anywhere!"

Everyone immediately shut up once Sunny started talking. It was like her super power along Sonic's: Just one call of attention, and everyone would be looking up at them.

"If you want someone to blame, then blame Opaline herself!" Sunny continued. "She's the cause of everything that's been happening for the past few days! Tails' burn, those universes dying, the little chance of winning... Is all because of her! She's the enemy, the one you should lead your anger to. Not Sonic, not me, not Tails, not even Sunset or the Secret Society... HER, OPALINE!"

After shouting all of this, she took a deep breath to calm herself down, then looked around at everyone.

"I know you're all afraid." Sunny kept going. "I know I am. We couldn't even touch Opaline when she came out of nowhere, and I know she's gonna be a very thought enemy to deal with... But it can't stop us from trying. Our home, our universe, every single one of them is in danger. You're gonna back down because you feel afraid? Or you're gonna stand up and try to confront the challenge?"

Once Sunny finished saying this, Sonic let out a sigh. "You guys have all your right to be afraid. To be mad. To feel hopeless. Which is why I won't ask you to come and beat an enemy we are not sure can be defeated if you don't want to."

"...I'm sorry, what?" Knuckles asked confused after he heard Sonic saying that.

"There's no guarantee that any of us is coming back alive from this." Sonic pointed out. "This battle goes beyond ourselves. Every single reality is at stake, and that's bad as it is, but Opaline knows we'll try to stop her, and she won't hesitate on killing us, guys. She simply won't."

"She has taken a lot already." Sunny added. "She brainwashed lives..." Misty flinched after hearing this, and she looked away in concern. "She has tried to steal lives..." Sparky hid on Hitch's neck after hearing this, and Hitch brought him over to coo him and call him down. "She has taken lives away..." Eggman frowned after hearing this, but he also looked away in case he started to tear up again.

"And considering that we couldn't even touch her... Is clear this is a suicide mission." Sonic added with a frown. "But that won't stop me from fighting."

"You are nuts..." Shadow muttered to Sonic with anger.

"No, Shadow. I'm just not in the mood to joke this time." Sonic said with a serious tone that actually startled the Ultimate Life Form, because he has never seen or heard Sonic being this serious about something. "Our lives are at stake here, and as long as they still are, I'm gonna fight. I have faced world-ending threats before thanks to someone..." He looked at Eggman, and Eggman simply shrugged. "Opaline won't intimidate me. She doesn't, anyways, not even with all that power."

"So you really are willing to go into a fight that could get yourself killed?" Pipp asked, finally interfering after staying quiet for so long.

"I have to." Sonic stated, not even flinching when Pipp glared daggers at him. "I won't rest in peace if I just stand here and let her do whatever she wants with the multiverse. I simply won't. That's why I'm fighting. And if die, then I'll die. Nothing can be done about that."

"So that's it?!" Knuckles said again with anger. "You're just going to launch straight into danger without measuring the consequences?!"

"Knuckles––" Sonic tried to counter back in anger as well, but Knuckles cut him off.

"I'm not talking about the consequences about Opaline, you idiot! I know she's gonna trash it all." Knuckles pointed out. "I'm talking about the consequences for you!"

That actually made Sonic's eyes open a bit widely and look at Knuckles confused.

"The End almost got you that time, remember?!" Knuckles said with a frown. "What if Opaline takes control over you instead of killing you? You think any of us would like that? To face a friend mind-controlled? To face the chance that we might have to kill you if we want to defeat Opaline?!"

"...I know none of you are prepared for that." Sonic said. "Like I said. If I die, then I'll die. Is it nuts? Reckless? Stupid? All of them? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I don't know, I don't care."

Knuckles growled in anger at Sonic's attitude, but Sonic had some kind of determinate look that clearly said he was willing to keep fighting until the end. Of course, Knuckles should already know that Sonic can reach levels of stubbornness never reached before, so he should not be surprised Sonic's acting like this.

So, Knuckles ended up sighing and rubbing his face with a hand. "You are gonna get yourself killed and you know it, yet you're still heading into danger... Might as well be there to pick up your corpse when you die."

Sonic smirked after hearing that. "What a weird way to say you care about me, Knux. But, suit yourself!"

Knuckles just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes annoyed, still thinking this is a bad idea.

On the other hand, Amy pushed Sonic on his shoulder slightly. "Count with me, too! I've been seeking to have a good fight in a while, anyways!"

"This is stupid... But I refuse to let you have all the attention." Shadow said, looking at Sonic. "If I can crush down Opaline's wings, then I'm down."

"Me too. I was planning to come along, anyways, but I'm glad to be a part of this as well!" Sunny stated.

"Well, if we're actually getting ourselves killed, then there's no point on standing back if everyone else is going. Count me in." Rouge said with a determinate expression.

"I will join the cause as well." Omega stated, closing his robotic hand into a fist.

"...Guess there's no point on standing back." Hitch said with a resigned sigh. "Fine. I'll go, too. I want a home where Sparky can grow. If taking Opaline down is gonna help, then so be it."

"I'll go too!" Izzy declared. "As long as I have my friends at my side, I don't fear anything!"

"Count with me as well!" Zipp stated. "I know for sure that once Tails wakes up, he'll agree to go, and since I know I won't convince him to not go, I'll be there to protect him, and to protect everyone else that's going."

"Count with me as well." Pipp declared. "I was serious when I said that I won't let you ran into danger without me, Sonic. This time, we'll face that Alicorn together."

Sonic smiled and nodded at her, although deep down he hated the idea, but he also knew that trying to convince Pipp into not going was a waste of time, so he wasn't going to bother.

"I'll go as well." Misty stated. "Like Zipp said, if we have the chance to at least protect everyone else, is the best that we take it. Besides, Opaline and I go way back, maybe is time I finally face her as I should've ages ago!"

"And I'll be there to make sure you won't get yourself hurt." Eggman said, standing at Misty's side. "I already lost one daughter. I won't loose the other one so long as I can protect her."

"Then it's settled." Sonic said, standing up a bit painfully while grabbing his belly. "We're about to head into the lion's dent. And if we're getting real, maybe one, many, or all of us are gonna die. Are you ready to risk it all to save it all at the same time? Because there's no turning back if we keep moving."

"We have come this far to back down, Sonic..." Tails' voice spoke, as he finally woke up and sat down on the edge of the bed. "We knew since the beginning that this wasn't going to be easy. I say let's just get this over with."

Sonic smiled after seeing Tails fine, then nodded. "Gather up everything you'll need. Because we're gonna take that Alicorn down, no matter what."

"Whatever it takes, right?" Sunny asked with a smile, while Sonic nodded with a determined look.

"Well, since we must take everything we have in ur power to take Opaline down, perhaps you'll like to hear what I have in mind, Sonic." Eggman said suddenly.

"Which is?" Sonic asked with half a glare, but also with a raised eyebrow.

Eggman only grinned confidently, which already told Sonic this could be either very good, or very bad.

Eggman was flying across the sky at top speed.

Sunny, Zipp, and Tails, this last one carrying Sonic, followed behind, and all of them were back in Equestria, now heading as fast as they could towards a place that none of them have visited in a very, very long time: The Starfall Islands. More specifically, Chaos Island, where the Death Egg Titan remained inactive.

Sunny felt a shiver running down her spine after seeing the inactive Death Egg Titan on the ground. It's been 2 years since Eggman used it, but even with her therapy sessions, plus the fact she beat the crap out of Eggman already, she still didn't liked to remember.

Soon, they descended and... Passed by the Titan. Eggman didn't even turned to see it, but the rest did, and they did it with confused expressions, specially Sonic and Tails. The brothers though that he dragged them towards Chaos Island to reactivate the robot and use it against Opaline, but it seems that's not the case.

"Uh, Eggman?" Sonic called out with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell are we doing here?"

"I thought that we came here because of the Titan." Tails confessed. "I mean, it is one your most powerful badniks you have ever created."

"Maybe too powerful..." Sunny rolled her eyes annoyed.

"While I agree that my magnificent Death Egg Titan is powerful, it is not powerful enough to take Opaline down." Eggman said, surprising the rest in the fact that he didn't praised his creation that much. "It might be a good distractor for her, but not to take her down. We need something more powerful than a giant robot with my face."

"Okay, what's with this change of attitude?" Zipp asked with a raised eyebrow. "You barely talk low about your own stuff... If anything, I don't recall you ever talking bad about your creations unless they're AI's that aren't Sage."

"Even a genius like me knows when he makes a mistake, Zephyrina." Eggman said. "Our trip to this place is for not other thing than what I believe can saves us all: Cyberspace."

"Huh?/What?!/No way!/Should've seen it coming." Sonic, Tails, Sunny and Zipp all said in that exact order.

"You wanna use Cyberspace against Opaline?!" Tails said with shock and wide eyes, then frowned and looked away. "Should've trademarked the idea..."

"I don't want to use Cyberspace in the same silly way you wanted, Tails." Eggman replied, and just when Tails was going to question him, Eggman spoke quickly again. "Yes, I knew about your plan. It wasn't going to work, because Opaline knows what that thing is. She had books on Cyberspace and the Ancients for a reason."

Tails was surprised that Eggman guessed so fast what was he going to ask, so he just shut his mouth.

"Then what do you want from Cyberspace?" Zipp asked. "Because the last time that thing was activated, these three were dragged into it and had to make challenges to get out." She pointed at Sonic, Tails and Sunny.

"I'm gonna use Cyberspace to turn online the islands defensive measures, then hack them into my EggNet and make sure I can use the Ancients' tech against Opaline." Eggman explained, as he finally came to a stop in front of one of Chaos Island's Cyberspace portals, while the two Mobians and two ponies landed behind him.

"Hold on... Using the Ancients' tech?!" Sunny exclaimed with wide eyes. "You want to use all those guardians and enemies to fight against Opaline?! That... That's actually cool and very useful!" She smiled eventually.

"Wait, wouldn't this mean that you can use the Titans as well?" Sonic questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Because if so, that would also be cool and useful!"

"That's exactly the game plan here." Eggman replied, getting off his Eggmobile and then pulling out some wires from below it that he connected to the Cyberspace portal. "Now, I should put this thing back online, and then we're good to go."

But as Eggman started to hack into Cyberspace, Tails remembered something that made him gasp.

"Hang on a second!!" Tails called out suddenly, then he turned to Sonic. "Remember what we told you long time ago? About there being a way to turn the Cyber Corruption into a new power?"

"Um, yeah?" Sonic said confused at first, but it didn't took him long to realize what he wanted to do. "Wait, hold on... You want me to go back into Cyberspace to get corrupted again?!"

"And then turn that corruption into a power-up!" Zipp realized with a smile, then she looked over at Sonic and smirked. "Tails has a very good plan here, dude."

"Oh, yeah! A great plan! One that involves me getting corrupted again! And for what, exactly?!" Sonic asked in panic.

"Sonic, don't you see? Maybe this new power can be the key we need to take Opaline down!" Sunny pointed out, also smiling. "We're not fans of the idea of you getting the Cyber Corruption again, if that's what worries you, but we think we know how to help you keep it under control, and then redirect it as a new power."

"Doesn't makes me any more eager to get controlled by Cyberspace!" Sonic pointed out with a frown. "What if he controls me again?!"

"He won't!" Tails assured, but Sonic still seemed to be unsure. "Do you trust us, Sonic?"

"What kind of question is that? of course I do!" Sonic said, almost offended that Tails seemed to believe he didn't trusted him.

"Then trust us with this, bro." Tails pled, now making sad puppy eyes. "Please?"

"Oh, no. Don't you dare to pull that to me!" Sonic warned with a frown, but then Sunny approached and same a similar expression. "Oh, now you too?! Come on, guys! You know I can't resist those sad puppy eyes! Please don't torture me like this!"

But it didn't mattered how much he wanted to resist those sad puppy eyes, because in the end, he let out a long resigned sigh and looked down to the floor in defeat.

"What am I doing with my life?" Sonic asked, passing his hands over his quills, and then looking at his siblings with a bored expression. "Fine... I'll let the Cyber Corruption get over me again. But if I die, I'll be waiting on the other side for you two so I can smack your heads harder than I'll ever done alive!"

"You still agreed to this, so we win!" Sunny said cheerfully with a smile.

"If I didn't loved you as a sister, I'll smack you right here and now." Sonic deadpanned.

After saying this, Eggman grinned while staring down at his Eggmobile. "Yes! I have access to Cyberspace's network again!" He cheered, then turned to see the group, and then raised an eyebrow when they were looking at him expectantly, although Sonic was doing it with a bored expression, his arms crossed, and desperately stomping a foot on the ground. "Do I have something in my face, or...?"

"No, no... We just wanna know if... If you can corrupt me again with Cyber Energy..." Sonic deadpanned and let out a long and resigned sigh. "I don't get paid enough for all this crap..."

"The what now?!" Eggman exclaimed in panic with wide eyes. "What do you mean with that?! Why would you want to get corrupted again?! You are one of our key members to take Opaline down! And you know that I'm not talking lightly when I of all people admits something!"

"We know this is confusing, Eggman, but we know how to turn the Cyber Corruption into a power up!" Tails explained. "Of course, he first needs to get corrupted again if he wants to transform said energy!"

"Turn Cyber Corruption into a power up?" Eggman asked with a raised eyebrow. "You said that like if someone else already tried to make such a thing... Or rather as if someone else already did."

"That's because it has happened before!" Sunny revealed. "We found a book about Cyberspace that told the tale of an Ancient that also got corrupted with Energy from Cyberspace, but that Ancient managed to train themself hard enough to transform the Corruption into a new super power!"

"We think that, if an Ancient could do that, maybe Sonic can, too!" Zipp added with a smile. "After all, you know better than anyone that if someone can become an impossible odd like survive Cyber Corruption without actually getting corrupted, is him!"

"Aw, you guys! Stop it! You're gonna make me blush." Sonic said mockingly, but also acting like a diva for fun.

Eggman growled at Sonic's attitude, but then he looked over at Sonic's friends and sighed defeated. As much as he hated to do it, he had to admit that they were right: Sonic has overcome impossible odds in the past, and it was very accurate to assume that he could turn the Cyber Corruption into a power without sweating.

So, with another sigh, Eggman looked over at Sonic and frowned slightly. "You better survive whatever's coming your way, hedgehog, because if you actually die after I turn the corruption back, then it won't be as satisfying as I thought it'll be..."

"You've tried to kill me before, Eggy. You failed miserably. So don't worry. I won't kick the buck just yet!" Sonic said with a confident smirk.

"For the whole multiverse's sake, I hope you don't." Eggman warned with a frown, then turned his Eggmobile so it could point only at Sonic.

Everyone else stood back, allowing Sonic to be the only one getting corrupted again by Cyber Energy. Then, Eggman charged a small ray with said energy and shoot at Sonic.

Of course, this didn't killed Sonic, but it did made him groan in pain and then kneel down while grabbing his head, as his entire body started to glitch with red and black colors that clearly indicated what happened: The Cyber Corruption was back, and now Sonic was in danger.

Or so it seemed at first, because after a few seconds, Sonic's body stopped showing that strange effect, and then Sonic opened his eyes to look ahead, feeling good and not in pain anymore.

Sonic stood up and looked at his friends with a smile. "Okay... That wasn't as bad as I thought it'll be."

"Yeah I honestly thought you'll be suffering in pain, but I'm glad I was wrong!" Sunny said with a smile, but her words made Sonic deadpan.

"Well, now that the corruption is back, we have to move into the next thing: Getting yourself ready to turn that into a new and cool super power!" Zipp declared confidently.

"I can guide him on that aspect. You two should keep an eye on mister "I'm on your side now, but just you wait until Opaline is done so I can take her place"." Tails said with a frown, glaring and pointing over at Eggman.

"What a way to treat a teammate." Eggman deadpanned as well.

With that, Tails boosted away and Sonic followed behind, while the mares stood with Eggman.

Universe 010921

A heptagon-shaped portal opened over Maretime Bay.

From it, Sunset came out flying, and she then headed towards the Brighthouse as fast as her wings allowed her.

She explained the entire situation to FS and Twilight, about how not only they got nothing regarding a weakness against Opaline, but also how she has all the Prismatic Energy of the Paradox Prism, and how she was now basically unstoppable because they had nothing against her.

This made FS and Twilight panic a lot, so they rushed into making everyone in the HQ stop training and finally go to their stations to prepare, because it was finally time to go and take Opaline down.

Knowing that this was getting serious, Sunset asked if it wouldn't be best for some members to go and get extra help from their respective universes, and FS actually agreed without hesitating, even telling her to be one of the many members to go and recruit their friends to participate against the war for all the realities' destiny.

Sunset didn't hesitated into accepting, and now here she is, back into her universe and heading towards the Brighthouse, where she burst through the door without thinking and startling her friends inside.

"She's coming! She's coming to kill us all!" Sunset yelled in panic.

"Sunset?!" Sunny asked, surprised to see Sunset back so soon, as she was sitting next to Hitch, both cooing Sparky like the parent figures they are to him.

"What's going on?!" Zipp asked, since she and everypony else noticed Sunset's expression.

"Opaline! Gone insane! Multiverse in danger! Paradox Prism!" Sunset cried out in panic, then she started to hyperventilate, so her friends rushed up to her in concern.

"Give her some water!" Sunny cried out, as she and Izzy guided Sunset into the Brighthouse.

"Give her some room!" Hitch added with concern for his friend.

It took some minutes, but the group managed to calm Sunset down a bit.

As the Alicorn sat on a couch with Sunny and Pipp on her sides, Misty and Izzy approached her, with the former levitating a cup of tea that was letting out a bit of smoke because of how hot it was, while Izzy was levitating a teapot that also released some smoke, pretty much with more of the cup's content.

"Here, Sunset. This should help you calm down." Misty said, extending the cup to Sunset with her magic.

"It's a special blend we made together." Izzy added with a small smile.

Sunset levitated the cup close to her and took a sip of the tea slowly, then she sighed, now feeling more calmed. "This... Is delicious." She smiled a bit, then looked at the two Unicorn mares. "Thanks, girls."

"You're welcome Sunset." Misty said with a smile.

Now that she was a bit more calmed, Zipp flew up to Sunset with concern. "Okay, now that you have your tea and you calmed down, mind telling us why you were panicking so much?"

"Yeah, you came in faster than when Misty rushed in to tell us what Opaline was planning." Pipp noted, which made Misty blush sheepishly from that, rubbing her hoof and feeling a bit embarrassed.

"And you did said something about Opaline." Sunny pointed out with concern. "What happened? Because the last time we saw each other, you left to help Sonic and his Sunny to stay away from the Society after your friend gave you that watch." She pointed out again, also gesturing to the dimensional watch on Sunset's hoof. "And now, you just came back all anxious and worried."

"Sunny's got a good point, Sunset. What happened that cause you to get like that?" Hitch asked concerned.

Sunset took a deep breath after taking another sip of tea, and then she stared down at her reflection on the tea for a while before finally speaking. "After some twists here and there, we managed to take Sonic out of the Society. Well, my dimensional friends did. I more of stayed with the other Sunny because she was fine, and I wanted to gain her trust back first before we could focus on anything else."

"And how did that went?" Izzy asked curiously.

"I still feel that she doesn't trust me, but she seems to be comfortable around me. I think that's good progress." Sunset replied with a little smile.

"Very good progress if you ask me!" Pipp agreed with a smile, and everypony else agreed as well.

Sunset smiled a bit more after that, but then she looked down in concern. "After that, Sonic eventually ran into us, then he told me we're on good terms, which is good, then we tried to get more info on the artifact that Opaline stole from his universe––"

"The Paradox Prism?" Zipp asked.

"Yes, that thing." Sunset nodded. "And after that, we could not get that info, but we still did something very good in the end, and then... And then Sonic was suddenly attacked and thrown into a random universe. We followed and checked on him, but even if he was fine, we didn't counted with the fact that... That the same Opaline variant that's been causing a mess around for months would show up. She came to us with an unfamiliar power I've never seen before..."

"What do you mean?" Hitch asked with concerned frown.

"This Opaline's power was beyond anything in her wildest imagination, or even in ours!" Sunset said in dread. "We tried to fight her, but she swatted us like a bunch of flies, that not even my magic could beat her. By a miracle she didn't killed any of us, but she did stole Sonic's energy and left..."

The rest of the Mane 7 and Sparky all gasped in shock, while Sparky even released a dragon fire in fear, which turned a plant near by into cookies, and Izzy started to eat them, but she was still in shock.

"Okay... That's a thought I wish I never have to hear nor imagine." Misty said in fright, because she never imagined that any Opaline variant could get any more crazy with power.

"Isn't there anything your friends or the society could do?" Sunny asked in concern.

"I... I don't know. This is beyond even to what FS and his Society can throw at her." Sunset said uncertainly. "I don't think all the preparations they're doing will be enough to stop her. If defeating our Opaline was already tough when we faced her, this new one might be impossible to defeat with all the power she has gathered!"

"Isn't there something to stop her? A plan? Magic? Maybe even––" Zipp tried to say, but then Sunset cut her off.

"Zipp, right now, no one has any idea on how to defeat her." Sunset said seriously, interrupting Zipp into questioning. "We were lucky that she simply let us live. And right now as we speak, she is starting to drain the magic of every single universe to be more powerful than any other Opaline has ever been. She will not stop until she's the one ruler of every reality. She's been traveling between worlds, draining their magic and causing them to tear apart until they become nothing. I've seen many worlds she's been to fall into flames or destroyed. This new Opaline has no morals, no hesitation, and she's more cruel than the one we faced." She said, now giving a solemn look. "Not even Sonic stood a chance against her."

The others all looked shocked, and they started to feel the same dread than Sunset after what she told them.

"This pony sparkle is cruel to bone..." Izzy muttered.

"I never knew that Opaline could get this cruel in my life." Misty said, as she rubbed her mane nervously.

"That's just messed up!" Zipp exclaimed loudly in shock.

"And scary." Hitch added with a frown, as he clutched Sparky protectively, while the baby dragon whimpered in fear.

"Yeah, that's something I'd rather not record for anyone." Pipp said, really glad she's not using her phone at the moment.

"Opaline is more powerful than we last saw her. How do they expect you to fight her now?" Sunny said with concern, because it was hard for them to beat their Opaline, but now from what Sunset explained, this variant seems impossible to beat.

"I have no idea." Sunset said, but then she shook her head and gave a determined look. "But this isn't over. Even if Opaline has got more powerful than ever, I know that there has to be a way to defeat her."

"What are you saying, Sunset?" Sunny asked, as she and the rest of them look at Sunset in wonder.

"We've done the impossible before, and we've gone through so many adventures, always discovering new ways to make the impossible, possible." Sunset said seriously with a determined smile. "I don't know when or how we'll defeat Opaline, nor if we'll live to tell such a story, but just because she's more powerful doesn't mean she's undefeatable. Everypony has a weakness, even Opaline. We just have to find it."

"Yeah, but what if she's too strong to be defeated?" Misty asked concerned.

"If we're going down, I'd rather go down beside my friends." Sunset said with a warm smile, and they all smiled back at her. "I don't know when is Opaline going to strike against the Multiverse, because it could be at any second, when we least expect it... But when she does, we'll be prepared for her and whatever she throws at us. And we'll face it together with our friends and allies."

"As a team." Sunny said with a smile.

"No, as family." Sunset corrected, and they all smiled before gathering into a group hug, a hug they decided to preserve for as long as they could, because they didn't knew how much time left they had, probably none, but they were ready to counter back at Opaline together, as one.

But then, just when they broke the hug, the entire ground started to rumble violently, even more violently than when an earthquake happens around, which barely happened anyways. Still, it was hard enough to make the Mane 7 and Sparky look around in concern, but Sunset did it more out of panic.

"Oh no..." Sunset muttered, then she rushed outside of the Brighthouse, while her friends followed behind.

Once outside, they all gasped in horror, because the sky literally has broken with the shape of a giant X, and at the other side, they could see a figure floating in the middle of the Multiversal Wasteland.

Said figure was none other than Opaline, who was already draining magic from several universes at a time, and it seemed that Sunset's world was one of those poor universes to get affected by the Fire Alicorn's new and strange power, as several white lines came from several universes and all of them landed on her horn.

This was granting her more and more power by each passing minute, and she couldn't help but grin sinisterly, then she opened her eyes, which were fully white in power now, and laughed maniacally in glee.

Her laugh made Sunset and her friends panic, but it also made Misty duck down and feel so small, since she was getting terrible flashbacks on how her life used to be with her, while the other six ponies and baby dragon were terrified, and Sparky even hid behind Hitch in fear.

Sunset, on the other hand, stared anxiously at Opaline's variant.

"...She's not coming anymore, ponies..." Sunset informed terrified. "She's here."

Author's Note

This is getting more and more serious.

I did ended up implementing aspects from "Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon" into this story, like turning Cyber Corruption into a power up... But that's still gonna have to wait one more episode, because in the next one, the Secret Society and an unexpected ally will deal with Opaline first.

I wanna thank JesusG0987 once again for helping me write the Sunset bit of this episode. You seriously saved my butt, man.

I'll go and cook something with the next chapter. Bye! :twilightsmile:

26. One Last Sacrifice

Multiversal Wasteland

Several universes were getting destroyed in the span of seconds.

Even if Opaline was doing nothing but absorbing magic from several worlds at the same time, some of them could not resist the drain, and therefore, it didn't took them long to die and be reduced to nothing.

Of course, those who could approach to the open door that allowed them to stare at Opaline had to watch in horror how she was draining so much magic from so much worlds, and even worse: Killing said worlds in the process. Heck, some even had to see themselves turned into dust after their world's magic was drained.

Opaline, however, didn't seemed to mind so much destruction. All the opposite: She enjoyed it, she liked it so much that she wasn't going to stop now until she had drained enough magic to be unstoppable.

And once she is unstoppable, then she'll rule over every single universe, and nopony would be able to stop her no matter how much they tried... Or so she believes, anyways. But if we're being honest: She didn't got a single hit, like, two chapters ago, so maybe she isn't so wrong on the "unstoppable" department.

Noticing how bad this situation was getting, Sunset had no option but to communicate with FS. "Um, boss?" She called out through her dimensional watch. "We have a massive problem: Opaline's striking right now!"

"I already noticed that, Sunset!" Future Sonic replied from the other side of the watch with concern.

Universe 250954

In the Secret Society's HQ, all the alarms were sounding in red, meaning they were at maximum alert.

The entire place was a chaos: Every single member was trying their best to stay on their stations and prepare themselves for the battle, but now that Opaline already arrived, they were a mess into preparing everything.

"Our alarms have been sounding like crazy for the past five minutes, and I'm already running out of patience!" Future Sonic told Sunset through his communicator. "Heck, even some of our members have died by turning into dust because their universe was destroyed! This is going beyond ourselves, and I don't know how longer I can take before snapping!"

"Can't you sent anyone here to hold her back for a bit until everything's ready?!" Sunset asked with concern. "Maybe Team A, or even Team T?! Someone has to at least try and pull her back before this gets even more out of control!"

"All the teams are busy right now, Sunset." Twilight interfered in the call. "All of them are on their stations, but like FS said, this is a mess we're not used to deal with! It seems we're not as ready as we thought we were."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!" Sunset asked in panic.

"That critter you mentioned that guards the multiverse. You'll have to go and ask him yourself, Sunset." Future Sonic instructed. "If he knows anything about holding his own power back, then he must know a way to at least distract Opaline long enough before we arrive."

Multiversal Wasteland

Sunset's eyes widened in panic after hearing what FS just said.

"What?! B-But Chip is in 220822 Sonic's universe!" Sunset pointed out with concern and panic.

"Then pray to your gods that Opaline is dumb enough to not attack unless she feels attacked." Future Sonic stated, then cut off the call, leaving Sunset and her friends on disbelief.

"That is the same guy that took down Tirek with just one kick on his face?" Zipp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been wondering the same crap for the past year, Zipp..." Sunset said with wide and concerned eyes.

Suddenly, the ground in their universe started to shake violently, and that's because the X portal that suddenly appeared started to move onward, with the intention of swallowing their world or make irreparable damage. This made the ponies and baby dragon panic, but Sunset decided to stay calmed and serene.

Then, she lightened up her horn and surrounded the massive portion of earth where they were standing, which made her grunt in pain since she was pretty much using magic in excess, but she didn't cared.

Soon, the portion of earth was separated from the rest, startling the other six ponies and Sparky, but Sunset did not faltered and kept pushing herself to the limit, then levitated the portion of earth to cross the portal, and so, they entered the Multiversal Wasteland in the process.

Once Sunset realized this, she stopped using her magic and fell on her belly onto the ground, exhausted of using so much magic, while her friends rushed to her in worry, specially Sunny.

Yet Sunset was also smiling despite feeling so tired, because just like she expected, the portion of earth she levitated was still floating even without magic. That's because there's no gravity in the Wasteland, which means that they would still afloat so long as nothing hits them and makes the portion of earth fall.

"Sunset!" Sunny said in panic, kneeling down and checking that she was fine. "A-Are you okay?!"

"As okay... as I can be..." Sunset replied, panting heavily for air, then slowly sitting down on her place. "I just need to catch my breath... That is, if Opaline won't spot us..."

She looked up with a frown at the Fire Alicorn, and even if she had her eyes closed while still draining magic, Sunset felt that any wrong move could make Opaline attack them with no mercy.

She also started to look around, and she noticed that there were other inhabitants from other worlds doing something similar to her: Some were ponies that also stood on massive portions of earth floating in the wasteland, others were Mobians either flying or standing over the floating purple crystals around.

It seems that Opaline has opened enough doors across the multiverse, and now, all these world have access to the Wasteland, which only exposed how powerful she has become thanks to the Paradox Prism.

"Well, FS said that Opaline has to be hold back while he arrives along the Society." Hitch pointed out, then he looked at Sunset. "Isn't there anything that you can do to contact that guy he mentioned?"

"I have no idea on how to contact the Multiverse Guardian." Sunset said with concern and a frown. "They looked so weak and defeated when Opaline launched them against Sonic. I... I honestly don't know if there's any way for us to contact him and ask for his help. Not right now, anyways."

"Well, we're out of time, if you haven't noticed!" Zipp pointed out with concern. "There's gotta be something, anything!"

"Our homes are at stake here!" Pipp pointed out as well in fear. "Isn't there, I don't know, a magical object from Ancient Equestria that can save our flanks right now?!"

Sunset was so conflicted right now. Her friends seemed to be looking up at her for an answer, a clue, anything that could make them feel safer, because they were all scared, scared that their reality could be wiped out by this new Opaline at any second now.

And yet, Sunset had nothing. No clue, no answer, no anything. The entire multiverse was dying, and she had nothing to make them feel safe or hopeful.

She couldn't save her friends this time, and that hurt her soul in ways no from anything burn could ever do.

However, and just as she started to feel more and more hopeless by the minute, the entire environment was suddenly covered by a the color purple, and that confused the Mane 7 and Sparky, as they all started to look around themselves with startled expressions.

"Okay... This is new." Sunny muttered. "Sunset? Anything happening that you're familiar with?"

"No... Not at all." Sunset replied with concern.

Yet a dramatic gasp from Izzy as she looked up called the others' attention, and when they all looked in the same direction than her, their eyes widened, and they all gasped as well

What were they watching? A giant, purple moon slowly descending from upwards, until it stopped moving right behind Opaline. The Fire Alicorn opened her eyes once she noticed the moon's presence, so she turned around and prepared to face it... But she found nothing there anymore.

That confused her a lot, but then her eyes widened, and a gasp was cut from her throat when several purple spears appeared out of nowhere and traversed her back, her hooves, and her throat as well.

This made everyone's eyes that were staring at Opaline widen in shock, but it made Sunset's jaw drop as well, because whoever was the moon that was there a moment ago and now disappeared seemed to be powerful if they stabbed Opaline that badly out of nowhere.

Opaline, on the other hand, was also terrified at whatever just attacked her, because she never saw it coming, and even if she was not bleeding, the stabs didn't stopped from hurt.

"You dare to take away my job?" A sinister voice that mixed a male and a female tone spoke, and soon, the moon from before suddenly appeared, but it started to glitch and shift its form, until ti turned into a familiar hedgehog without being him. "You must be a special one if you wanna take Death's place."

Opaline's eyes widened in terror at the figure in front of her. "...S-S-S-Sonic...?" She managed to mumble weakly.

However, that only made the figure in front of her's eyes widened, then they frowned in anger. "Sonic?!" They said, then they closed their right hand into a fist while pointing it at Opaline, which made the spears in her body get deeper and make her groan in pain. "I have the power to wipe out planets with just a single snap, and you dare to low it down on a power level of the ones like Sonic?!"

After shouting this in anger, they closed their other hand in front of the Alicorn, making the spares go even deeper in her body, which made Opaline groan in pain, while everyone else that was watching this cringed in disgust, and Misty even ducked down to cover herself from watching such a thing.

"I am the all-consuming void. I am oblivion. I am nothing." The figure said with anger and a glare towards Opaline. "I've been named in many ways for the past 30 thousand years. To you? I am The End."

Once The End revealed himself, his body started to glimmer in an intense white light that made Opaline close her eyes for a moment. And when she opened them again, she panicked.

The End has now adopted Supreme's form, the final Titan of the Starfall Islands that Sage used to sacrifice herself against The End before he blew up Equis. Now, The End was going to use the same weapon that defeated him once to finish Opaline... But he knew the Titan needed an upgrade.

So, still controlling Supreme, The End ducked down, and from Supreme's rockets, 5 extra arms came out of nowhere and revealed themselves, marking this way a new upgrade for the already powerful Titan.

With this upgrade done, The End looked over at Opaline with anger through Supreme's face, then he grabbed her with one hand, and then wiped her away towards a group of rocks that came floating, because they were rubble from some universes that ended up crossing the open portals.

Opaline rolled painfully in the ground, while the spears around her just got deeper inside of her body. Of course, this made everyone else smile, since it seemed that the distraction to keep Opaline busy has arrived.

"I have no idea who's this guy or where he came from, but I'm glad he's here!" Hitch said with a smile.

"Looks like someone's gonna give Opaline a battle to remember!" Zipp added with a smirk.

"Let's hope that "The End" knows what he's doing. Also, I might as well ask him later about what he meant with "Opaline taking his job"." Sunset said with concern, but also smiling at what The End was doing.

Yet, Opaline growled in anger from her place, then made a massive explosion just by releasing some energy, which startled everyone but The End. Then, Opaline used more energy to heal herself and burn down the spears incrusted in her body, then she cracked her neck and grinned sinisterly at The End.

However, The End roared in rage through Supreme and stood ready to fight, while Opaline herself took fly and made her horn and wings light up in fire.

A massive battle for control was approaching, and many people were going to witness it...

Universe 220822

Tails guided Sonic back to Ouranos Island, the last of the Starfall Islands.

There, Sonic found himself surprised when they approached the zone where the final fight against Supreme took place 2 years ago. But not only that was surprising: The fact that there was now a tower were Supreme appeared was it, because that tower wasn't there before.

"Uh... What's with this giant tower?" Sonic asked confused once Tails and him stopped in front of the tall building.

"This tower is where the trial to turn Cyber Corruption into a power up resides." Tails replied. "Or so that Cyberspace book said. It mentioned that whoever managed to defeat the Titans had to come here and put his own strength into a test, to see if they're worthy of this new power."

"So not only I have to climb this big ass tower that seems as tall and tedious as the ones from Rhea Island, but now I also have to pass as test?" Sonic said with a frown. "I really hate tests..."

"Come on, Sonic. Give it a try!" Tails told him with a smile. "Look it like this: If you pass the test, you'll have a new power on your sleeve, and you can take Opaline off-guard!"

"I know this is good and convenient for us, buddy, but it doesn't makes it any less stressful to know that I have to go through whatever that thing has in store for me!" Sonic pointed out with concern. "Do we even know if I'll get a power-up for sure? What if I'm actually heading towards a trap instead?"

"If it is a trap, then I'll know you'll be fine." Tails said with a confident look. "You have been though worse, anyways. Why not enjoy the sense of adventure for a minute before getting serious against Opaline?"

"Because I fear that she might hurt our universe while I do this." Sonic said, now looking down worried, and Tails noticed his expression with worry as well. "Tails, she has gotten so powerful, and you almost died because of it. Just look at your chest! She left a giant X scar on it!"

"Well, yeah, but you gotta admit that it looks kinda cool!" Tails said with a mocking smirk.

"Oh, I know. It looks dope as heck." Sonic agreed. "But what it represents... Buddy, I almost lost you today. I couldn't live with myself if Opaline attacked this place, and you guys are all facing her while I'm busy with something that, while being necessary to take her down, still leaves me out of the battlefield for a moment. I can't loose you, nor anyone else. Not knowing that my "Canon Event" can still happen..."

Tails could definitely understand Sonic's concern, so he went ahead and hugged him, which confused Sonic a bit at first, but he still smiled and hugged back.

"Sonic, we are all afraid as hell of Opaline." Tails pointed out. "It is true that she has gotten powerful, but like you said, that's precisely why we're doing this, why you're doing this. You might be the multiverse's only hope. And if any of us dies, I know you'll be devastated, but also impulsed to finish the job and save all the other worlds in the process."

"...You might know me better than I do, man." Sonic said mockingly with a smirk, then he looked back at the tower and sighed. "Climbing that thing won't be easy... But it only makes it funnier for me!"

Now that Sonic was smirking, Tails smiled, because he could tell Sonic's confidence was getting back.

"I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me, bro." Sonic told Tails with a wink. "Here. We. GO!"

With that being said, Sonic boosted towards the tower, and he began to use the platforms around that only he could see, because in Tails' perspective, he was just floating around, but that didn't stopped the young fox from smiling and nod firmly at his brother's determination to get that new power to defeat Opaline.

"Good luck, Sonic. You might not need it, but our fate is in your hands..." Tails said with a determined smile.

It wasn't any difficult for Sonic to climb the tower.

If anything, it was harder to climb the fifth tower on Rhea Island. Gosh, he hated that tower with his soul, there was no doubt about it, but he couldn't complain right now. He had a job to do.

Sonic walked ahead and looked around confused, though, because there was nothing at the tower's top.

"Enter, hero." A voice suddenly spoke, startling Sonic a lot, so he started to look around confused and with a frown.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed, standing ready to fight if necessary. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

Suddenly, a white light shone brightly and almost blurred Sonic's sight, but when the light faded away, he looked ahead surprised: There were two giant grass statues with the form of the Ancients around. And in front of him, there was a giant Koco with a golden seat and a golden belt around.

Behind said Koco, there was an Ancient, one who's body could not be seen from their hips to the top.

"You may call me "Master King"." The Ancient, Master King, told Sonic with a deep and bossy tone. "It is as close as your limited language will manage."

"Wow. Somebody's feeling high and mighty." Sonic said with a mocking smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, my friends say you're the one that can turn the Cyber Corruption into a new power? Is that right?"

"Your companions are correct." Master King replied. "I am loath to give them any reason, but I must if I am to preserve my legacy."

Sonic crossed his arms and looked at him confused, but decided to let him keep talking.

"I was the leader of my people. I led them away of their doom. I oversaw the colonization of this planet." Master King revealed and continued. "I directed the installation of Cyberspace, I ordered the construction of the Titans. I have been the guiding voice of my people for longer than you can imagine. I even ordered the retreat to Mobius if everything failed."

"And now you're a rock in a chair." Sonic told Master King with a bored expression, because as much as he liked to meet the Ancient's leader, he was on a rush right now.

"You are insolent!" Master King said with anger and offense.

"Yeah, and I'm short on time." Sonic pointed out with anger as well. "There's a crazy witchy Alicorn that's gonna kill us all if I can't get this power up, so if you want me to save your legacy and the home universe your people grew in, you're going to fast-track this new power process."

Master King closed his eyes and thought about something after Sonic spoke. "You remind me much of another. They vexed me then just as much as you do now. They also gave everything to stave off a bigger menace."

"The End..." Sonic muttered with a frown, and for some reason, he wasn't as mad as he thought he would by mentioning his name.

Master King opened his eyes again and looked down at Sonic. He was very hesitant about this, but if the menace that Sonic was talking about was that dangerous, then he had no choice but to comply.

"...Very well. Step forward, and I shall temper you into my finest weapon." Master King declared.

Sonic nodded, then stepped forward and waited for a few seconds, and then he suddenly disappeared.

Sonic suddenly re-appeared on an empty room, where several Silver Guardians appeared.

"On your mark.... Start!" Master King's voice echoed suddenly around the room, startling Sonic.

Yet that didn't startled him as much as the sudden attack of one of the Silver Guardians that sent him backwards. He stood up again and shook his head, then felt surprised that all the Silver Guardians were moving faster than usual, but Sonic knew he was against time and couldn't waste any second.

So, instead of planning out a strategy, he just jumped in the air and constantly spammed Cross Slash, one of his many skills, until he defeated all the Silver Guardians without sweating.

Once this first trial was done, Sonic was teleported out of that room.

In the next room, Sonic encountered himself on a very similar one.

Yet that's not what bothered him: The fact that there were four Shells on every corner of the room did.

Sonic frowned, but then he remembered that he had the ability to make time stop around him, and considering he was short in time, he decided to use said ability and extend it a little longer. Now, with time going slow, he analyzed his surroundings: The Shells were always vulnerable without the shell.

This meant he needed to make those shells come off of their bodies, and he already had pictured an strategy on how to make them fly away, while he takes down the rest of the enemy.

So, Sonic resumed time to normal and put his plan in action. He approached close enough so the shell could open and act like a saw while trying to hit him. Sonic used his homing attack against the robot the second the shell opened, and then started to hit the machine with everything he got.

However, the shell was coming back fast, so he parried in the last second the attack, then kept punching. The shield tried to hit him other three times, but he still parried and punched the machine until he destroyed one of them.

He repeated this same process with the other three Shells and won, meaning the second challenge was over.

With that, Sonic was once again teleported out and onto the next trial.

Sonic reached the zone of the next trial, but he immediately disliked it.

You see, there's this set of six enemies that look like Soldiers, but they walk like wolfs. These pieces of crap had the objective of surround Sonic in a massive tornado before attacking him one by one, so Sonic has to parry every single one of them in time to make the tornado stop and then hit them all once they're in the ground.

These enemies were, unironically, called Wolfs (no, that's not badly written, go and Google it), and they were probably the enemies Sonic hated the most to deal with in the Starfall Islands.

Still, they were not going to stop him from getting his new power up, so he parried them all and then proceed to destroy them with his Homing Attack. After repeating this exact process at least three times (these wolfs were faster than the regular ones), Sonic cleared this third stage, and he smirked confidently.

After that, he shone brightly once more and got teleported into the next challenge to beat.

The fourth challenge was something Sonic was very familiar with, and he even smiled.

This next challenge was a Ninja, one of his favorite enemies to beat down because they always represented a challenge, even though he knows their moves pretty well.

However, the moment this Ninja moved in front of him, so he parried him, and then the Ninja teleported away to hit him in another zone, Sonic felt surprised, but he still smirked, because this was the kind of challenge he was expecting: Something familiar, yet totally new and unexpected at the same time.

So, Sonic parried another attack, and before the enemy teleported away, he quickly charged a Spin Dash, then charged against the Ninja's face, then jumped to the air and kicked the ninja backwards.

He had to repeat the process four more times, and he had to be fast, because the Ninja could recover some energy, and even hit him when he less expected it. Still, he managed to come out on top and defeated the Ninja, clearing the fourth stage and now being teleported to the next and final one.

Spoiler alert: He's gonna hate it.

The final challenge was upon him, and guess what it is about?

Well, Sonic's gonna tell you, because he suddenly didn't appeared on the same room than before, but instead in Kronos Island... Not so far from the zone that marks the beginning of the battle against Giganto.

"Aw, crap!" Sonic said out loud with a frown. "I have to take down that thing again?!" He rubbed his face and passed his hands over his quills. "Fine! But let's make it quick! And please, Kellin, don't you dare to start singing out of nowhere!"

With that being said, Sonic boosted away towards Giganto, ready for the fourth round against it.

Multiversal Wasteland

Universes rumbled hard enough as the fight between The End and Opaline unleashed.

Still controlling Supreme, The End launched a bunch of purple spheres of energy towards the Fire Alicorn, sending her backwards and crashing against another floating crystal. Yet Opaline used this crystal to impulse herself towards The End, then she used her magic to materialize daggers that she throw at Supreme.

The daggers all sticked on Supreme's chest, but The End didn't seemed to suffer. Instead, he just opened the Titan's mouth and launched a massive laser beam towards Opaline.

However, Opaline didn't felt intimidated by this move, and she even received the attack with glee. She literally flew through the laser, and then she prepared to hit The End with her front hooves... Just to be suddenly grabbed by Supreme's right hand, as the Titan tried to crush her with its bare fist.

Opaline grunted painfully as she pushed her back and her four hooves to make the hand stop crushing her, but then she reminded something that made her feel a bit stupid, so she simply teleported away.

After that, the Fire Alicorn charged up another beam with her horn and shot it towards Supreme, pushing the Titan backwards a bit, but he took advantage of this to shot more purple spheres of energy to her, which made Opaline's eyes widen, so she redirected the laser to be divided in multiple and hit the spheres.

The spheres were destroyed, but The End didn't finished there: He approached Opaline and grabbed her with Supreme's teeth, then once again tried to crush her down.

However, Opaline didn't wasted time in this occasion, and she teleported away immediately, then reappeared, multiplied herself multiple times, and then she made all her clones spin and turn themselves into drillers, then all the clones launched themselves in sacrifice against Supreme's protected body.

Of course, all the clones died, but they also managed to make a lot of damage to the machine, although The End kept not flinching, and he even started to charge up the laser of the mouth, something Opaline noticed.

So, instead of trying to stop him, she charged up her own laser and blasted against him, while The End shot as well, and both lasers crashed and made everything around rumble violently, even making some of the watchers of the battle almost fall from their place, Sunset and her friends included.

"This is already way too intense compared to our battle against our Opaline!" Pipp managed to scream in fear.

"And I feel is just going to get more violent!" Sunset said with concern, also shouting.

Soon, both of them stopped launching their lasers, but Opaline didn't wasted time and traversed Supreme's chest, grabbing The End and pushing him outside of the machine.

Of course, this made Supreme explode in thousands of pieces and be reduced to nothing, although the Titan's sniper fell off and started floating around, while The End and Opaline started to punch each other in the air, as they headed towards a floating Crystal, were they ended up crashing and separating from the other.

However, The End quickly recovered and shifted his form, once again looking like that giant snake with hair and purple deadly eyes, staring down at Opaline and roaring in rage at her.

However, Opaline didn't flinched, and she launched herself against The End. The snake and the Fire Alicorn kept fighting, hitting each other, shooting laser beams, and even "accidentally" hitting other universes in the process, which made the entire multiverse rumble, but that didn't stopped the fight.

Yet Opaline eventually grow tired of this fight, so she simply decided to stop holding back and made a bunch of chains surround The End and trap him.

The End thought this was nothing and tried to brake free... But he couldn't. He tried to focus his energy on getting himself free... But all he did was make the chains tight even more, and that made him panic. Everyone else around looked at him with worry, but Sunset specially looked absolutely terrified.

And then, Opaline appeared right in front of The End's face. "You call yourself "The End", don't you?" She asked. "I've read about you. About all the planets, civilizations, all the stars around the cosmos of my universe that you destroyed. I admire your work... Or used to, anyways. They said you are a powerful force, but I have you tied into my magic with no chance of escaping. You're not so powerful anymore now, are you?"

The End just frowned and glared. "So what? Are you gonna destroy me?" He asked and then snorted. "I am nothing. You can't destroy nothingness itself."

"In other words: You are dead incarnated on a physical form." Opaline raised an eyebrow. "That'll explain why you said I was taking your job away... Oh well."

With that being said, Opaline approached The End, then stabbed his forehead with her horn, and then started to cast a spell that made her eyes glow brightly in white.

With this, The End's eyes also glowed in white, and then he started to constantly shift his form: The purple moon, Supreme, Cyber Sonic, a wolf, the giant snake, an Ancient, and finally Cyber Sonic again, which's body started to crack like an egg, which only made everyone else around panic at the sight.

"Oh no..." Hitch said concerned, covering Sparky's sight.

"Sunset, please tell me he's not going to––" Sunny wanted to plead.

Yet the inevitable was coming, and just before it happened, Opaline grinned. "You said I took away your job, didn't you? Well, it happened now: Mr. "Death", you've been replaced!"

With that being said, The End's body cracked more and more. He was screaming in pain and fear, because unlike when Sonic and Sage defeated him, he couldn't feel his presence anywhere else on his home universe or in another one... That meant that if he exploded now, he was dying for real.

And dying he did, because the cracks on his body shone brightly, and then, he exploded on a big scale explosion that made everyone around the Multiverse Wasteland duck down to not fall from their places.

When the explosion was over, everyone looked ahead, and they all gasped in horror when they saw that The End was gone, while Opaline was still intact even after The End literally exploded on her face. Even worse was when Opaline grinned and started to laugh loudly like a maniac because of her success.

"Ah! The feeling of being over everyone is... Simply divine!" Opaline said with glee. "To think I spent years trapped on that damn castle... Now here I am, ready to drain 'till the last drop of magic in every single universe!"

Or so she believed, because suddenly, a bullet passed by and rosed her skin, making her eyes widen in panic, so she turned around and looked at who shot at her.

Behind, and standing over one of the floating crystals, FS came out of a heptagon-shaped portal and pointed at her with one of his bracelets, which made a gun, that immediately retracted back, and FS just stared up at Opaline with anger, while the Alicorn stared back with the same anger, and the portal behind FS closed.

"I just take my time to make sure I can take this witch down, and all I find is chaos." Future Sonic said, before lowering his hand and smirk. "Oh well. I didn't wanted this to be easy, anyways."

After saying that, FS removed his coat and threw it away, indicating that he was serious on this battle, something Sunset noticed with widened and panicked eyes.

"Isn't that FS?!" Zipp asked with shock.

"...Yeah... He is..." Sunset replied in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Future Sonic removed his dimensional watch and then pressed a button over it. "Nicole?"

"Yes?" Nicole appeared as a small hologram.

"Evacuate the HQ. Put everyone in line and give Twilight the leadership role now." Future Sonic instructed.

"Hang on, hang on... What do you mean give Twilight the leadership role?!" Nicole asked with panic and widened eyes.

"Activate protocol "Hedgehog's Failure". That's an order." Future Sonic stated, but not looking at Nicole. Instead, he just stared up at Opaline with anger.

"Wait, no! Sonic––" Nicole tried to say, but FS turned his watch off, and then threw the watch away as well, while it simply started to float around the Wasteland.

Then, FS jumped to a piece of rubble floating by and stood over there, still glaring at Opaline.

Opaline glared back. "And who are you supposed to be? Besides a pest of the Secret Society."

"I am the pest that started the Society, Opaline." Future Sonic replied with a frown. "The one that's been too close to catch your tail so many times, and yet still failed."

"Oh, so you're their leader?" Opaline asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"And I've been hunting you down for the past year." Future Sonic replied, then he made a pair of golden with white swords come out of his bracelets, showing them off to Opaline. "Today, the hunt comes to an end!"

"Then show me what you got, pretty boy!" Opaline said mockingly with a laugh.

With that being said, FS growled and launched against her, while Opaline launched at him as well, as the former's swords and the latter's horn crash between each other, before they started to fight around at the speed of sound, jumping over and hitting everything but themselves.

Meanwhile, Sunset watched what FS was doing, and she felt completely terrified, also having a bad feeling.

"...This cannot end well, can it?" Sunset muttered anxiously.

Universe 220822

In the end, Sonic didn't had to take only Giganto down: He also had to defeat Wyvern and Knight again.

Defeating Giganto wasn't hard, thankfully. Defeating Wyvern, on the other hand... It was freaking torture, specially because he barely could calculate his parries, but at least he managed to, anyways.

Now, he just defeated Knight, because he raised the sword and split the Titan in half with a warrior cry.

The Titan split, and one of the half's began to descend slowly, making the entire Titan's body explode. Knight turned into another one of those giant spheres that reduced little to little, until it exploded completely, leaving no trail of what the Titan once was.

With the Titan defeated, Sonic completed Master King's trial, and so, he was teleported back with him.

Once Sonic returned with Master King, he smirked as he looked at his own body.

"I can feel it!" Sonic said confidently, with the Cyber Corruption around him turning now into a new hidden power deep inside of him. "Oh, I can't wait to let loose!"

However, even if he passed the trial, Master King didn't shared Sonic's enthusiasm. "But you most." He ordered, regarding of the fact that Sonic wanted to go all out with his new obtained ability. "That power is a fragile thing and It was not meant to you. It has been synchronized to your form as best it can, but if used recklessly, the power will leave you entirely."

"Huh." Sonic said amused, as he looked back. "Well, I'm used to hold back, but if I go Super Sonic to try this new thingy out, I won't make any promises." He stated with a smirk.

Suddenly, however, Master King closed his eyes, then opened again and looked at Sonic seriously. "I feel that your enemy's approach is nigh. Go. You have been given all we can give you. I... can do nothing more for this universe's people. I entrust the rest to you, chosen one."

Sonic smiled after hearing that, and as usual, he was ready to reply in a mocking way... But he regret it and decided to just clear his throat and nod at Master King, then he turned around and left the room.

Sonic opened his eyes, and now, he was back at the top of the tower.

He started to look himself around, and while physically speaking he was still the same, he also could feel more powerful, something he liked it, because that's precisely what they need in order to defeat Opaline. Maybe this new power could be the key to her definitive and inevitable downfall.

So, with a huge smile, Sonic charged up his Spin Dash, and then launched himself from the tower, skydiving towards the ground, before curling into a ball and then land in the ground like a Super Hero.

With that, Sonic then boosted away and towards the center of Ouranos Island, where he had the feeling he would meet his friends and Eggman again after completing the trial. And he was right, because as he approached at top speed to the center of the island, he saw the four figures in the distance and smiled.

When he was close, Sonic slid to a stop and smiled. "Sup, guys!"

"So? Did you did it?" Sunny was the first one to ask with a smile.

Sonic snorted and placed his fists on his hips. "Naturally!" He replied confidently.

"Good." Tails nodded, then he got serious. "If you have that new power ready, then we should go back with the rest to Mobius and head out there to the Multiversal Wasteland. I feel that Opaline's actually moving as we speak!"

"I agree. The more time we spent here, the more we waste! We have to be out there, beating Opaline already!" Zipp said with concern.

"Well, you four should go. Cyberspace is still not ready, but I'll have it!" Eggman stated, then he turned around and prepared to boost away.

"Eggman––" Sonic tried to warn with a frown.

"Hedgehog, that Alicorn took away from me something I loved with my soul, and I didn't appreciated it enough until it was gone." Eggman cut him off. "I'm on your side, for real this time. I don't desire to conquer anymore. I just desire to burn that pony's bones until nothing remains!"

With that being said, and after sending a ver uncomfortable chill down the heroes' spines, Eggman closed the capsule and boosted back to Chaos Island, leaving the heroes behind.

"You guys really think he's on our side?" Zipp asked with a frown.

"He did worked out with us in these islands before to help Sonic defeat The End, but... I don't know." Sunny said with honesty and a slight frown.

"I say we let time speak for itself and tell us if he's helping for real or not." Sonic said with a shrug.

"But if you ask me, I think he actually is helping." Tails confessed. "I mean, why would he want to help the very same Alicorn that killed his daughter?"

"Hmm... I guess that's a good point." Zipp confessed.

And then suddenly, an heptagon-shaped portal opened to reveal Boom Sonic, coming out from it.

"Uh... Sonic 2?" Sonic asked confused. "The hell are you doing here?"

"The hell am I doing here? The hell are you doing here?!" Boom Sonic replied with anger. "I thought you guys would be out there already, planning something against Opaline or fighting with her!"

"Wait... Planning or fighting with Opaline?" Sunny asked with wide eyes. "What do you mean? What happened?!"

"You guys don't know?!" Boom Sonic asked concerned, but then realized something and facepalmed. "Of course you don't! Opaline would never attack her own universe knowing it could kill her..."

"Dude, what the hell are you talking about?!" Zipp asked with concern and wide eyes.

"I'm talking about how Opaline is fighting against FS right now!" Boom Sonic replied with a frown. "She has started her conquer already! And she killed the one that previously fought her!"

This concerned the others, and it also made Sonic frown. "Where are they?!" He demanded an answer.

Multiversal Wasteland

Yeah, regarding Sonic's question: They're still fighting across the Multiversal Wasteland.

Future Sonic was making sure to make a good use of all his weapons he had at hand. The swords were just the beginning, but he was very skilled with them, because even if Opaline was more agile now and could dodge his attacks easily, that didn't made her untouchable, because FS managed to cut her chest twice.

Yet Opaline could regenerate, a new ability she gained recently, and now she was a pain in the ass for FS, but that wasn't making this fight any less fun for him.

If anything, it's making him feel more alive than ever, because it's been years since he has fought for the last time, more specifically to kill the Eggman of his world. Well, he also fought MC through his mansion when he went to capture him, but that was like a year ago. Still, it wasn't the time to focus in the past, but rather stand in the present, and the present needed him to hold back Opaline for a bit.

So, he launched one of his swords like a boomerang, trying to hit the Fire Alicorn, but she burned down the weapon, so FS jumped and attempted to hit her again with the sword he was holding on his hand.

That, however, only lead to Opaline lightning her horn up and then melting that other sword as well. But that's what FS wanted her to do anyways, because as soon as he was face to face with her, FS made a dagger with his bracelets, and then proceed to cut her throat, then jump backwards after that.

However, FS felt terrified when, instead of blood, fire came out of the cut, and then Opaline coughed a bit, before looking ahead at FS with anger, then shooting a massive fire blast against him that sent him backwards.

This caused FS to roll over a piece of earth rubble floating near by, and he then kneeled painfully, as he tried to look over his body and see how badly injured he was... But he had not time to, because Opaline suddenly teleported in front of him with a sinister grin, and then she blasted him away again.

This made FS crash against a floating crystal and groan in pain, as he painfully held his stomach while trying not to vomit in pain, something Sunset noticed from her place with wide and panicked eyes.

"CHIEF!" Sunset shouted from her place, also extending a hoof to him.

FS heard her voice and slowly looked at her and her friends over their floating portion of earth. They were all looking at him scared, because he was loosing for a lot, and he has barely done anything to fight back... But despite everything, he smiled at them, then he slowly stood up and grabbed his arm.

"...As long as I can still breath... I won't stop fighting. And neither should you." Future Sonic told them, but more specifically to Sunset, with a smile.

After that, he jumped in the air, brought out a pair of daggers with his bracelets, and then stopped time for a minute, which would consume a lot of his energy, but he didn't cared anymore.

Soon, FS jumped ahead and started to cut Opaline's body through several zones that'll usually would be lethal, but he only wanted to slow her down. Then, he made time go back to normal, and Opaline groaned in pain when she felt all the cuts on her body, but then she found herself shocked when FS cut her head off.

This also made everyone else around that witnessed that gasp as well, and Misty even had to resist the urge to vomit by looking away because of what happened.

Sure, Opaline was not bleeding, but instead, fire was coming off the two sides of her neck. Yet this is exactly why Opaline's head growled in anger, while the two lines of fire coming from her head and her body connected again, then made Opaline's head got back in place, and she looked at FS with anger.

"...Guess I'll die..." Future Sonic said mockingly with a smile.

"Oh and you will!" Opaline replied with anger, then she made metallic and resistant chains attach to FS' extremities.

FS noticed this, but the didn't fought back. He had no energy left to do so, anyways, and he was also very burned in several zones to even stand up and walk away.

And then, Opaline did exactly what she wanted to do: She made a giant spear appear in front of FS' chest, and she slowly approached it to it, but FS didn't flinch a single but, which surprised Opaline as she raised an eyebrow, but it made everyone else panic, specially Sunset, because she knew what was coming.

"TWILIGHT!" Sunset called out from her dimensional watch. "FS! H-He's about to––"

However, before she could speak, a heptagon-shaped portal opened not so far from where Opaline had FS tied up, 220822 Sonic and Twilight came out of it, just for their eyes to widen in panic at the scene before them.

"Any last words, One-eyed Sonic?" Opaline asked FS with a sinister grin.

"Yeah... Get a new haircut. That thing you dare to call a mane style is a crime for fashion." Future Sonic replied with a mocking smirk, not afraid at a single bit of the fact that he's about to die.

That was the last straw in Opaline's already lacking patience, so she didn't waited anymore and launched FS against a rock, and right before he had time to react at the attack, Opaline also launched the spear to him... And since FS could not react in time, the spear traversed his body, passing right through his heart.

The weird thing is that FS didn't made any sound when the spear finally killed him, or at least, he had no memory of if he screamed in pain or not. He simply felt weaker, and a bit sleepy, but not that much in pain.

Yet everyone else around was a different story, because Sunset, Twilight and Sonic stared at FS with disbelief, terror, and widened eyes. They just witnessed how he was killed, how Opaline had no mercy over him, and yet FS didn't seemed to mind. Opaline, on the other hand, started to laugh maniacally at her win.

Misty noticed this, and she looked up at the variant of the mare she defeated along her friends with fear and some tears, because it was one thing hearing that Opaline has killed before, but actually see it? It was horrible.

Sonic and Twilight didn't wasted time into rushing down to check on FS, and neither did Sunset, while her friends stood behind, and Sonic's friends came out of the portal he came from with Twilight as well, but the moment they saw what happened to FS, they all gasped in shock and horror.

"Chief!" Sonic called out, and soon, Twilight and Sunset caught up, with 220822 eventually coming down as well. "What the... How did this... What happened?!"

"...Took you... long enough, Sonic..." Future Sonic replied to Sonic weakly with a smile. "I just... held her back as much as I could... Stupid, right?"

"Stupid?! That was straight up the most idiotic thing you've ever done!" Twilight shouted in anger, but also with some tears flowing off her eyes.

"You... You knew you were going to die, didn't you?" Sunset asked, tears also falling from her eyes.

"Did I know? Maybe." Future Sonic replied with a chuckle, then he coughed some blood while laughing hysterically. "I did knew that the chance of dying was pretty high, though. I just thought that I could change my fate."

"Wait... You knew this was going to be your way of dying?!" Sunny asked in shock with wide eyes.

"I've known for a long time that my corpse would lay in the ground after giving my life for a bigger cause." Future Sonic replied with a little smile. "That's not a Canon Event, if you wonder. That's just how I die... I always knew it'll be like this, even before killing my Eggman with my bare hands."

Sonic's eyes widened after hearing that. "Y-You... killed your Eggman?"

"Yeah..." Future Sonic replied weakly, then he cough again, and then he removed his eye patch, showing of a massive scar over his dead eye that was grey instead green. "This scar was made by his machines... After those things killed my parents."

"...That must be Canon 'cause it happened to me..." Sonic said with a snort, but he also started to tear up.

"I... I don't know how brave or dumb this was... But I don't regret doing anything." Future Sonic said, then he opened his hand to Sonic, and Sonic knew what he wanted to do, so he grabbed his hand with both of his. "I'm just sorry that I wasn't the kind of leader you expected. All that chasing was... Stupid. But at least I could do a few good things in my life... Now you have to finish the job, man."

"B-Boss..." Twilight called out with a trembling voice, also tearing up harder.

And then, Nicole suddenly appeared, kneeling and looking down at FS in horror. "S-Sonic... N-No..."

"...You are... the best of us, Sonic..." Future Sonic told his variant, and then he smiled weakly. "You're going well so far... Now... Don't... stop... fighting..."

Those were FS' last words, before he let out his last breath and closed his eyes, but his smile never faded away even as he left this world. In the end, he died as a Sonic: Smiling 'till the very last second of his existence.

It didn't took long for Twilight to let out a very painful scream of sorrow that also sent a massive energy wave around, while Sunny and Sunset just let out silent tears at someone's death, and Sonic... Sonic just stared at his lifeless corpse, not believing that he was gone forever... If only he got here earlier, maybe he'll still be alive.

Even with all his flaws, Future Sonic died as a hero that gave his life for the multiverse's sake.

Author's Note

So long, FS. You might have been a jerk at times, but you were still a Sonic at heart.

Oh, and yes, The End came back just to be destroyed again. Would we ever see him/she/them ever again? Hell no, since this is the end of the saga, so... Farewell to you too, The End. You came here to stand your place, and still died out anyways.

Next episode: Sonic unleashes the hidden potential of Super Sonic. Stay tuned! :pinkiehappy:

28. It's Showtime

Multiversal Wasteland

Opaline looked down at Sonic's friends, and to Sunset, with a bored expression.

They witnessed FS' death, and they literally just saw their friend falling after giving his life to try and kill her. They both failed, lost their lives in the process, and yet these guys were willing to still fight back.

"I've gotta handle it to you..." Opaline told her enemies with a mocking grin. "Despite what you witnessed, you're still willing to fight back if necessary. Is so foolish and stupid, but is also something I respect. You guys won't back down, even when you all have lost already. I guess that makes a fight more interesting."

No one replied anything. They all pretty much learned from Sonic that when is time to get serious, then is time to get serious. No jokes, no sarcastic comments, not even a mocking sign. He went all out on Opaline without sharing a single word, so now they were all doing the same.

"No comments, huh?" Opaline raised an eyebrow. "That idiot's death truly got to you. Oh well, guess killing you all will be incredibly easy, then––"

But just as she said this, Tails growled and suddenly made a sword with his electrical powers that he launched towards Opaline. The sword stabbed her back, although Opaline only rolled her eyes at that action.

However, the Fire Alicorn failed to notice that the sword had a Warp Ring attached, and the ring launched itself from the sword the moment it stabbed Opaline, opening a portal behind her, where Knuckles came from. Of course, Opaline realized the portal was there, but failed to dodge Knuckles punch surrounded in fire.

The echidna sent Opaline upwards after punching her like that. And, as Opaline traversed several rubble, she was suddenly surround by a yellow lasso, Tails' one.

The young fox twirled the Alicorn around and hit her against several crystals and pieces of earth floating around, then let her go. Opaline headed towards Amy, who jumped, quickly twirled like a tornado, and then used her Piko Piko Hammer to sent the Alicorn flying away towards Shadow.

The Ultimate Life Form removed his inhibitor rings for a moment, then launched himself against Opaline using his air shoes, while also placing his fists in front of him so he would hit Opaline right where he wants to hit her.

He managed to punch the Alicorn so hard that he definitely got a painful groan out of her, then he pushed her backwards towards a bunch of rubble. There, Opaline tried to stand up and recover despite feeling dizzy, but her eyes opened wide when she saw Omega not so far from her.

And why? Well: Omega had all his weapons pointing at her, and by all his weapons, I mean all of them. Heck, even his chest was open and showing off weapons he usually keeps hidden to not alarm anyone.

Then, Omega started to shoot all he had against Opaline, and even though fire came out of her body instead of blood when the bullets reached her, she still groaned painfully because of the hits. It got even worse when Rouge literally came out of nowhere and started to hit her Knuckles' style, but with her feet instead of her fists.

As Opaline was sent backwards because of this, she suddenly was grabbed by vines of Earth Pony magic, and then she was twirled across more rubble and crystals. This was Hitch's doing, by the way.

After this, Hitch let her go in the air, where Opaline was hit on her face several times by Zipp and Pipp, both flying constantly to hit the Fire Alicorn with their hooves, both front and hind. Surprisingly, the one hitting Opaline the hardest to the point she sent her backwards was Pipp.

"Whoa..." Zipp said when she noticed this. "Remind me to never make you mad again, sis."

"Mess with the ones I love, consider yourself death." Was all Pipp replied with anger.

She was still shocked that Sonic was gone, but just like Twilight was doing with FS, she'll wait until Opaline has kicked the bucket as well to mourn her boyfriend properly. That's what he'll want, anyways.

Back in the battle, Izzy surrounded Opaline with her magic when the Fire Alicorn was close, then Misty came by and helped out by holding her on place, but she also went the extra mile by trying to tight her hold on Opaline. It may not be much, but for her, it felt like proper payback for all those years she used her and lied.

Next, Sunny came by flight and pushed Opaline out of her magic, then started to hit her against more crystals and rubble. Their plan was to stun her so they could get more shards off her, hence why they're barely fighting.

And finally, Sunset was waiting for Sunny to guide Opaline towards her, with her horn lightened up and charged. Sunny let go of Opaline and flew away, while Opaline headed towards Sunset. And then, Sunset released a massive blast of magic against the Fire Alicorn, sending her towards the ground.

How did this end for Opaline? Her shape got literally marked in the ground after Sunset's blast.

"That's the most cartooniest, yet also coolest way to be defeated." Knuckles commented when he noticed this, as Sunny, Tails and the sisters landed besides him.

"I don't think she's been defeated." Shadow said with a frown, also putting his inhibitor rings back in place.

"But we did took these!" Sunset said, showing a yellow shard and two blue ones from the Paradox Prism, as she levitated them to Chip, who grabbed the three crystals and absorbed their power.

The crystals turned into dust after Chip did this, but now, his corporal form also changed, and he was as big and tall as Knuckles, which made him smile.

"My long lost power is coming back!" Chip said with a smile. "Just 14 more shards, and I'll be back as new!"

"Unfortunately for you, that's not going to happen." Opaline's voice suddenly spoke behind them, and Chip's eyes widened, so he quickly teleported out of there and left the rest behind... or so they believe.

In reality, Chip made himself smaller and hid behind Tails' ear something the young fox noticed, but he knew that he needed to stay quiet if he wanted to keep Chip safe, as well as his powers away from Opaline, so he simply shut his mouth and looked at Opaline with a frown, and so did the rest.

"Seems like your friend is a coward if he's not going to face me." Opaline said mockingly. "Such a guardian... He was easier to defeat than I'll like to. However, I feel he's got some more energy I still haven't stolen... And I need it all!"

"Like if we're gonna tell you how to get it!" Knuckles said with anger.

"Oh, I know you won't speak." Opaline said calmly, but also with a sinister smirk. "Not so easily, anyways. So, how about we make a little exchange?"

After saying this, Sparky was suddenly teleported from Hitch's back to Opaline's side, and now, the baby dragon was encaged on a bubble, which startled everyone else, Sparky himself included.

"SPARKY!!!" Hitch shouted loudly in panic.

"No, no, no, no, not again!" Sunset cried out when she also noticed this.

"This lizard... So many trouble just to get your power, little one..." Opaline told Sparky with a sinister grin of glee, but even if Sparky was scared, he still tried to act intimidating, growling in anger at Opaline and standing on his fours.

"You stupid witch!" Knuckles said with anger. "If you dare to put one of your dirty hooves over my nephew, I swear to Chaos that I'll––"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Opaline said with a mocking grin, as she looked down at the group of heroes. "That's not how a deal works, darling. If you fools want your baby dragon back, you'll have to tell me where's the multiverse guardian first. Or else..."

"Or else what?!" Sunny asked with anger.

Opaline grinned after Sunny did this, then she looked at Sparky's bubble, and soon the bubble started to shrink. In other words: Opaline didn't cared for Sparky's life, so if Sunny and company were not going to tell her what she wants, then it's Game Over for Sparky. That simple.

"No, no, no, Sparky!" Hitch cried out, some tears falling from his eyes, but he also looked over at Opaline with anger.

"If you don't give me what I want, say goodbye to your stupid dragon." Opaline stated. "I won't take his dragonfire because, honestly, I already have so much power that it'll be pointless to steal it from a critter that's useless for me. So, I'll kill him instead! Isn't it fun?!"

"You are messed up, Opaline!" Zipp said with anger. "We have no idea where did they go!"

"Lies." Opaline said calmly, as the bubble around Sparky shrink a bit faster.

"B-But it's the truth!" Tails added with a frown, but also sweating nervously because he didn't wanted to give Chip to her, yet he didn't wanted Sparky to die, either.

"Right, and I founded Canterlot." Opaline rolled her eyes annoyed, while Sparky attempted to burn the bubble he was trapped over, or even use his claws on it... But it didn't worked.

"No... Please... This has to be a nightmare..." Misty muttered to herself with concern, covering her face with her hooves in fear for what could be Sparky's fate.

"Stop it... Stop it, stop it, stop it... STOP IT!" Hitch cried out loudly in pain and concern.

His voice echoed all across the Multiversal Wasteland, clearly releasing his pain and fear for loosing Sparky forever. He thought that almost loosing Sparky to Opaline before was bad when she only took his dragonfire... But now she was trying to crush him down, and it was definitely a lot worse.

Hitch didn't knew, however, that his voice echoed so hard across the multiverse, it ended up reaching Sonic's corpse's ears. You might think this means nothing... You're wrong.

???

Sonic could not remember how long it's been since he fought Opaline and died.

Days? Weeks? Months? Maybe even years? It was hard to tell, because he could see nothing. This is like when he thought he died along Sunny and Pipp by Eggman's Death Egg Titan's foot, when he only entered a strange realm where he could talk with Longclaw one more time, and he also meet his real parents.

It was really nice to see his adoptive mother again, and to meet his real parents, who only sacrificed themselves for him, something he'll forever be grateful for, even though he'd like to spend more family time with them.

Now if only he knew where he was, or what was happening right now...

...

Well, he seems to be drowning again. Yeah, he's definitely back on that strange place. Would Longclaw save him again like last time? He never learned how to swim, and he's so sure that if he tries to right now, he'll only look stupid. Nobody would know, true, but it was still embarrassing just to think about it.

However, he suddenly was being dragged to the "surface" again... But nothing was touching him unlike last time. It was as if some kind of external force he has no knowledge about was pulling him back.

Soon, he was out of the water, but he just lay over it. He didn't felt like catching his breath, probably because he didn't felt it was missing while he "drowned". Why did he felt like drowning, though? That didn't made sense, but since Sonic's still new to dying permanently, perhaps he'll never know.

He started to look around, and he found himself surprised when he saw clear and blue skies instead of the same darkness from before... Was this a sign he was dying for real? Or is he already dead? He didn't know.

But then, he suddenly heard something that made his eyes widen, and so, he started to move his ears around. He was hearing a melody, and some lyrics he could recognize anywhere. He stood up over the water, which he didn't found strange anymore, and then headed in a certain direction to follow the sound's origin.

After what felt like 10 or 15 minutes, Sonic saw in the distance some kind of altar. In front of said altar, there was a bench, and over said bench, a light blue hedgehog girl with a blonde fringe and a white dress was sitting over.

Said girl was singing loudly Sonic's lullaby, or rather, the same one he always heard as a baby, which made his eyes open widely. Yet they widened even more - if that was even possible - when Sonic noticed that the one singing the lullaby was no other one than his biological mother; Bernie the Hedgehog.

"...Mom?" Sonic called out in disbelief, as he approached her slowly.

Bernie's ear twitched, but then she turned and saw Sonic, then she smiled warmly. "Well, took you long enough to get here!"

"I guess..." Sonic said with an awkward chuckle. "I just wish I... Knew where's "here" exactly... And that song... I've heard it before. When I was very little. I always thought Longclaw was the one that taught me that song."

"Well, not exactly." Bernie said with a smile, then she tapped the empty spot at her side, and Sonic hesitantly approached to sit there. "You see, I always sang that for you before sleep. Even if I only had you in my arms for 2 months, those were the most beautiful months of my life. And you always slept so peacefully after I sang you that. I guess Longclaw heard me one or two times enough to learn the song for you."

"So you made that song for me..." Sonic said with a weak smile, then he looked around again. "What is this place, exactly?"

"The path between life and death." Bernie replied. "A place where you can have a chance to choose if you want to leave the living world behind, or go back."

This made Sonic's eyes open wide. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"This plane of existence was created for those who are not alive, but are not dead either." Bernie explained. "They're giving you a chance, Sonic. A chance to finally rest, stop running, be with those who you miss dearly every day of your life. Or, go back and stay with those you feel you cannot just abandon."

"...So I can choose if I either die here, or if I go back with my friends..." Sonic summed up, and Bernie nodded. "I... I..."

"I know that it might look like a difficult choice." Bernie said with honesty. "I don't really know you, despite that you're my son." She gently lifted Sonic's head up so he would look at her in the eyes. "But I know that you feel conflicted. You want to return with your friends, help them take down a menace that goes beyond your own reality. Or die, and finally be with Longclaw once more, and meet your parents properly, be a full family again. Your heart is divided, as well as your mind, aren't they?"

Sonic only limited himself to sigh and nod at his mother. She was right on everything she said after all.

"Then know that, whatever you choose to do, no one will judge you." Bernie assured him with a smile, then she caressed his cheek gently, which made Sonic smile a bit and close his eyes. "Your friends are fighting with everything they have to make sure you didn't used that Chaos Blast in vain. But if you choose to live, it'll be okay too. Your father and I waited 26 years to finally meet you. We can wait a little longer."

With those words being spoke, Sonic looked down to the ground conflicted. Die or live? Go back with his friends, with his beloved Little Pipp, or stay and finally meet and hug his family for eternity?

Opaline was a menace that was too powerful to stop. Judging by Bernie's words, he just slowed her down, but she hasn't been defeated. That meant his friends needed help... But he was tired. He didn't wanted to fight anymore, and resting for eternity while meeting his family sounded very nice.

"You seem tired, my son." Bernie said with concern, caressing Sonic's head a bit.

Sonic sighed and instinctively rested his head on his mother's chest, which filled an empty space on his heart that's been that way for so long... It felt really nice, and he liked it a lot.

"...I am tired..." Sonic replied. "I've been fighting against a world-threatening menace against another one non-stop ever since I was 5... I just want to take a little nap, Mom. Rest my body a few minutes, hours if possible, and forget my problems in the living world for a minute."

"...But?" Bernie asked, feeling that Sonic was not done yet.

"But I don't want to leave them behind. My friends, my lover... My family..." Sonic replied with a sigh. "I wanna meet my blood relatives like you can probably imagine... But leaving my friends behind because I'm being selfish for once... I can't. I could never do that to them."

"So you made your mind up?" Bernie asked, a bit sad he choose what she knows he choose, but still smiling down at him.

"Maybe... I just have one question to make before I go." Sonic said, then he looked up at his mother. "When you went after dad to fight Eggman's machines in order to protect me and Longclaw from dying... Did you... regret it? Sacrificing your own life knowing those who love you won't ever see you again, even if you did something good?"

Bernie's eyes widened. She was surprised with the question, no doubt, and also a bit excited if we're being honest. Her own son is asking her something very important that might be a life-changing subject for him, and yet she was afraid to answer that specific question... But she still did it, anyways.

"I was terrified, Sonic." Bernie said with honesty. "Never before have I felt so scared like that day... But I was giving my own life away in order for you to grow up, to have a life. As scared as I was, I don't regret it. I would do it a million other times."

Sonic smiled after hearing all of this, then he hugged his mother, and Bernie didn't hesitated on hugging him back with a smile and some tears, while Sonic patted her back.

Once they broke their hug, Sonic sighed and look at his mother with a smile. "Well... I don't regret having used that Chaos Blast, either. And also... I have made my choice."

"So?" Bernie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mom... I choose to..."

Multiversal Wasteland

Opaline's patience ran out a long time ago, even before Misty and Eggman both betrayed her.

However, and somehow, that same Misty, along with a bunch of fools that she calls her friends, has managed to make her run out of more patience, and she already lacked it! It was frustrating and annoying that all the effort she put into conquering, Misty wasted it on useless friendship.

"Alright, you idiots. I'm starting to wish I had just wiped you all out, but since I want a good fight before finally declaring myself on top, I'll give you one last chance to respond..." Opaline declared with a frown, lightening her horn and shrinking Sparky's bubble more, making the baby dragon cry in fear. "Where. Is. The multiverse. Guardian?!"

As Hitch and Sunny's fear for what could happen to Sparky incremented, Amy had to grab Knuckles from his arms to ensure he wouldn't attack Opaline when that's precisely what she needed to kill Sparky.

Meanwhile, everyone else just frowned at her with anger, Misty included. She knew that Opaline could get lower, but this was way too much, even for her. And Tails? He was between a rock and a hard place, because he didn't knew what was worse: Giving Chip and his power to Opaline, or let Sparky die.

The fact that Chip was grabbing Tails' ear so hardly while hiding behind it wasn't helping the young fox.

Opaline, however, only enjoyed seeing her enemies so desperate and not knowing what to do, and now, she was ready to make sure that it stayed that way.

"Fine. Then let's make things easier for you, fools." Opaline declared, then she lightened her horn up and made Sparky's bubble shrink almost to the limit. "One..."

"No, no, please no!" Sunset begged with horror.

"Two..."

"This is a nightmare..." Sunny muttered, closing her eyes and looking away in case the worse happened.

"Two and a half..."

"No, no, no!" Hitch cried out loudly. "SPARKY!"

Hitch's cry once again echoed all across the multiverse, and it once again reached Sonic's corpse's rang. He still lay almost dead in the ground, but when Hitch's echo reached his ears, a heartbeat suddenly bumped from his chest, making his body jump a bit because of that...

And then, his eyes blinked to show his pupils again, now charged with his electrical powers.

Sonic woke up, and his whole body released electrical sparks, followed by him launching himself towards the air, then booting at super sonic speed over several rubble pieces floating around, until he reached Opaline.

The Fire Alicorn never saw him coming. She was so convinced he died, just like everyone else, that when he Spin Dashed over her face and took her off guard, she was stunned, and so were Sonic's friends. Opaline was sent backwards, crashing against a crystal, while she released Sparky from her magic bubble.

The baby dragon cried as he fell, but Sonic then caught him in the air, still curled into a ball, and then rolled on the same gigantic piece of earth where his friends were standing, as they all rushed towards him.

Meanwhile, Sonic rolled in the ground painfully, but never letting go of Sparky on his arms. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the baby dragon. However, as he finally stopped rolling, the pain didn't faded away. It's probably because the entire pain of his Chaos Blast from earlier was finally kicking in, and he hated it.

Everything hurt so damn much that he could not want anything more than some ice to ease the pain... Or that could probably make things worse, so he actually thought twice on that last option.

Still, he kneeled down and placed a hand on the ground, panting heavily and groaning painfully. His eyes went back to normal, but his body was begging him to stop and take a nap, just like he told his Mom he wanted to do before finally deciding to come back alive and help his friends.

He didn't regret it if it meant he could help to defeat Opaline, but a bit less of pain would've been nice.

Just then, he remembered that he caught Sparky earlier to save him from falling, so he looked down at him, and then smiled when he saw that the baby dragon was more than just fine.

Sparky giggled and hugged Sonic's face because of his save, while Sonic chuckled and nuzzled with Sparky. "H-Hey there, buddy. H-How you doin'? 'Cause my whole body is begging me to g-get killed again..." He chuckled painfully.

"Sparky!" Hitch's voice called out, as he strangely was the first one to arrive along Sunny, but even thought they were glad to see that Sparky was fine, they were more shocked and surprised over the fact that Sonic was here, safe and sound.

Sonic looked up at the Earth Pony couple, and he smiled, before stand up with effort and extend the baby dragon to his parents. Hitch immediately grabbed Sparky carefully and hugged him tightly, afraid that he'll disappear again from his hooves, while Sunny joined in the hug and gently kissed Sparky's forehead.

The Earth Pony couple's tails were wagging happily because of their adopted son being fine, but then they turned to see Sonic, who was barely standing on his feet and grabbing his left arm painfully.

However, Sonic was smiling down at his friends despite everything. "W-What? Never saw a hedgehog so b-beaten up?" He snorted, and then coughed a bit in pain. "Y-You guys act like if you were s-seeing a ghost..."

"SONIC!" Pipp's voice spoke, as she suddenly went ahead and hugged Sonic too tightly, or maybe not. Sonic's body was so fragile right now that any kind of force felt like way too strong, anyways.

"Sonic!" Tails joined the hug, and if Pipp's hug didn't make Sonic say anything, Tails' definitely did, because Sonic cried out in pain. "You are not death!"

"...No... But I wish I was..." Sonic groaned painfully, and that was Pipp and Tails' sign to let him go, as Sonic let out a relieved sigh, but he remained grabbing his left arm in pain.

One by one, Sonic's friends all were approaching him, glad to see that he didn't kicked the bucket, although Shadow wondered how's that he still lived if he sensed he wouldn't make it earlier, but then he remembered we're talking about Sonic. It was foolish of him to assume he'll die just like that.

Sunset, however, was a complete different story. "How the... But this is not... How are you..." She said, looking at Sonic up and down, not being able to believe what she was looking at. "We literally saw you dying! How's that you're still standing?! Or barely..."

Sonic looked over at Sunset and smiled, then chuckled. "Bold of you to assume death's gonna free you of me."

Sunset looked at him with wide eyes, but not because of what he said. FS died smiling, despite everything he did wrong, and despite how serious he acted. In the end, he died like a Sonic, smiling no matter what.

Now, the Sonic in front of her literally died in a very similar way, but he was still standing (or barely), and he was also smiling, despite the fact that he pretty much lost against Opaline. Yet he smiled, he smiled, and Sunset had no idea if that was something to admire, or something completely stupid... Probably a line in the middle.

"Sunset makes a good point, though..." Pipp agreed. "How... How are you still here...?"

"Let's just say that I was given a choice: To die or to live." Sonic replied with a smile. "I choose what I choose."

"...So you choose to live, right?" Knuckles asked with a mocking smirk, making some in the group just roll their eyes with smiles, or actually feel annoyed by the question. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I know I can be an idiot, but is not that worry-some!"

"Can't say I missed your terrible jokes, Knucklehead..." Sonic said with a mocking smile, making Knuckles deadpan. "But I definitely missed you, and everyone else. There's pending business to take care of. I can't die yet as long as Opaline's still around."

"Sonic you can barely stand up!" Tails pointed out with concern. "And if using a Chaos Blast as Super Sonic––"

"Which is the stupidest thing you've ever done, Sonic." Shadow said with a frown. "Seriously, not even I am bold enough to do that!"

"––Only left you on a state where you could choose between living and dying, I don't wanna imagine what can happen now that you're back!" Tails pointed out with a worried frown.

"I agree with Tails." Amy said with concern. "You are alive by a miracle, Sonic. We're not loosing you just because you wanna play the superhero! Not again..."

"And we appreciate what you did for Sparky." Hitch called out, as Sparky nuzzled happily on Sunny's mane, sitting on her back instead of Hitch's. "But we can clearly see that you cannot fight the same way you went against Opaline! Is dangerous, and it can cost your life."

"My life over the lives of thousands of inhabitants in the multiverse doesn't matter." Sonic said with a frown. "It may to you, but not to me. I can't even believe I wanted to be so selfish a few days ago with wanting more adventure. The more adventure I seek, the more danger I unleash. I cannot allow that anymore. Opaline started this quest because I destroyed the Paradox Prism, and she collected all the shards. So it's because of me she does this, and it's because of me she'll stop."

"Yeah... About that..." Tails said while chuckling.

"You accidentally discovered the way to defeat Opaline!" Misty said with a smile. "After you, well, released all that weird stuff from Cyber-whatever it's called."

"Huh?" Sonic said confused.

"The shards in Opaline's bracelets are what's giving her so much power!" Zipp revealed. "So, if we take off the shards, we take off her power!"

"And we've been able to retreat six so far. We still need the other 14!" Izzy added.

"That's why Twilight went to the HQ and made every member go back to their universes to get us back up!" Sunset added.

"So you guys have a plan?" Sonic asked with a smirk. "Distract Opaline long enough and attack her as much as we can until all the shards are of her bracelets?"

"And then they have to give them to me!" Chip added, making himself become Tails' size again and floating in front of Sonic.

"...Did you got taller?" Sonic asked him confused.

"All thanks to my restored power!" Chip replied with a smile. "And I can get more, but first, I need you and your friends to help me out on defeating Opaline."

"Chip, Sonic can barely stand––" Tails tried to argue, but Sonic placed a hand on his chest, right over his X scar.

"I appreciate that you guys worry for me." Sonic said with a smile, before looking at Chip with a determinate look. "But there's a job that has to be done. Like I said back in Eggman's place: If I die, I'll die. This is bigger than me, than any of us."

Sonic then stepped forward, and then turned around to face his friends with a determinate look. "I know that's been rough, that Opaline has become really powerful, and that everything is scary..." He approached to his friends again, placing his hands over Pipp and Tails' shoulders. "But I need you guys to just follow my lead. No time to loose."

He stepped back and looked at all his friends again, all looking at him uncertainly, while Sunset looked at Sonic concerned, because just like his friends, she didn't wanted him to die again.

However, it didn't took long for one of them to brake the silence. "I stated this earlier: Someone's gonna need to pick up your corpse when you fail." Knuckles told him first with a mocking smirk, then stepped forward and place his fist on his chest. "Count me in."

Sonic only smiled and nodded, right before Amy stepped forward and made Knuckles' gesture as well. "I would follow you to the end of the world, Sonic. I used to do it years ago, and now I'm ready to do it again!"

Tails was next to repeat the gesture. "I came all the way here to be like you. I won't step back and leave you alone when you need me at your side!"

"Me neither!" Sunny stepped in next, making the same gesture wit her hoof over her chest. "We cannot fail, not when you need us the most."

"You saved my son from getting killed. I'm following you, no matter what." Hitch stated, repeating the gesture.

"You were there with me to be my very first friend." Izzy called out next, also making the gesture. "I'm going, too."

"You were the one that gave me a chance to fight for something real for once." Zipp said with a smile, then she repeated the gesture. "Count with me."

"Before meeting you, I could barely focus on anything that wasn't me..." Pipp said, before smiling. "Now, I cannot think on what I want without thinking on others first. I'm going too, Blue Star." She made the same gesture.

"And you never stopped believing in me, not even after I revealed the truth of who I used to be." Misty added with a little smile, then made the same gesture. "It's time I pay you back for that."

Team Dark took a moment to choose, however, but once they all did, they made the same gesture. "Everyone's lives are at stake here." Shadow pointed out.

"We cannot let Opaline get away with her plan." Rouge added.

"We'll bring that witch down to ashes!" Omega stated confidently.

Sonic smiled brightly after all his friends agreed, and he turned around to see Sunset. "So? What do you say, Sunset? You're gonna back up and watch, or stand up and fight?"

Sunset was surprised that Sonic even turned to see her. She didn't even belonged in the same universe than him, why does he seems to have faith and trust on her even after what she did? It was hard to understand... But she couldn't help but kind of feel inspired by his will to keep going, so she smiled.

"I said that I wanted to prove I was wrong before..." Sunset spoke. "I'll stay at your side as well, so I can finally do so."

Sonic nodded, pleased with this answer, then turned back to Opaline, who looked down with anger at the blue blur and his friends. "You think you can stop me? Please! No one in the multiverse is powerful enough to defeat me!"

"...You're right." Sonic agreed, surprising everyone but Shadow. "Just us as usual, with how much power you currently have, this is a lost fight." He pointed out, then grinned. "Luckily, is not just us against you!"

Soon, on his left and right behind some of his friends, an heptagon-shaped portal suddenly appeared. From it merged three figures: Boom Sonic and the Amy and Knuckles from his universe. Amy carried her own Piko Piko Hammer, while Knuckles and Boom had the same watches that everyone in the secret society wore.

Sonic smiled at the arrival of his friends from Boom's universe. As he said to Opaline, he's not going alone into this battle, none if his friends are. It felt like a massive weight has been removed from his shoulders. After all, defending the whole multiverse wasn't a task one could take lightly.

As Sonic and Boom Sonic looked at each other, they nodded with smirks, just before a blue plane, piloted by Boom Sonic's Tails, passed right behind the trio and through the portal. It is here when Sonic could witness more and more heptagon-shaped portals open one by one across the Wasteland.

All Opaline did as she watched this happening was raise an eyebrow, as if she couldn't take serious what's going on. Little does she know, she should actually fear what's coming.

The first group to emerge from one of the portals was the first Classic Sonic that Sonic met while traveling through the multiverse and his Freedom Fighters, all of them looking ahead at the enemy with frowns. Looking at the portal to their right, Twilight Sparkle and her friends - including some Sonic never got to meet - presented to fight against Opaline as well. In the portal next to them, a Mane 6 variant from Modern Equestria appeared as well, with their Sunny having her Alicorn form ready.

From other portal, emerged new Mane 6 from modern Equestria with a group of huge Dragons behind them, as well as an army of all the pony races. Curiously enough, the Sunny of the group seemed to be wearing a necklace that hold a small ring with her Cutie Mark and Zipp's together in the middle. Next, from another portal, emerged Young Sonic and his Tails and Knuckles. Unexpectedly, though, new figures seemed to join him: Variants of Shadow, Rouge and Amy arrived as well to his side.

Now we see some ponies coming from another of the portals. They looked a bit chubbier and more "horsey" than Equestrian ponies, as well as more bright and colorful, but they were not happy. In the portal at their side, the Sonic Underground emerged with frowns. They soon made their necklaces shine bright and make their instruments appear, ready to use their powers to save the multiverse.

From another portal, MC and the Freedom Fighters from his universe followed through, as well as multiple allies from Crayton's reality, all ready to bring this new Opaline down for good. At their side, another portal opened up, and from this one came out Prime Sonic, Prime Shadow, and pretty much every single variant of the Shatterverse, which includes Nine.

Everyone from universe 220822 seemed surprised at all the forces that kept popping up from each open portal, everyone but Sonic, who smiled in pride as he saw that the whole multiverse was coming together as one.

"...You are... the best of us, Sonic... You're going well so far... Now... Don't... stop... fighting..."

FS' last words echoed on his mind, and Sonic nodded with a determinate smile. "I won't fail you, chief."

Then, as Sunset choose to go and look after her friends from her universe to fight along them, the Twilight that now leads the Secret Society approached Sonic. "I think that's pretty much everyone."

"Like if we could get more!" Sonic said with a slight chuckle.

Oh, and more he got, because soon a giant heptagon-shaped portal opened from the ground, which from the Death Egg Titan, now rebuilt to its glory, emerged to the surface, as well as thousands of ponies from 220822 Equestria, including Queen Haven and her army of pegasi guards, as well as Alphabittle and the unicorns. The Chaotix also came along for the ride, and Eggman extended the right arm to the ground and opened it, releasing Bowser's army as well as Bowser himself.

The King of the koopas let out a loud roar of war, indicating his troops to get ready, while Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach showed up with power ups: Fire Flower, Ice Flower and Bubble Flower respectively,

The whole multiverse, for the first time in probably forever since Chip can remember, was united by a common goal, as they all aligned and prepared for what's coming. Sonic himself smirked at the sight, then turned to grin at Opaline, who watched in a mix of horror and confusion at the massive army that had formed to take her down. Seems the multiverse has her destiny written, and of course that it's the one where she looses.

Everyone was waiting for orders, not moving an inch from their positions. Tails used his powers to create a sword and gave it to Sonic, who decided to step forward and rise his sword to the air.

This was the only sign the entire multiverse needed to stand in fighting positions, all preparing for what truly promised to be the biggest fight in their lives. And it truly is, considering that they're all gonna fight against what seemed to be the most powerful being in the multiverse.

Everyone knows what's at stake; everyone knows what they're fighting for; everyone knows what to do. Opaline knows it too, so she limited herself to frown and prepared to wipe out thousands of asses across the multiverse.

It's showtime.

"This one's for you, Future me..." Sonic muttered with his eyes closed, then opened them and pointed the sword ahead at Opaline. "FOR THE MULTIVERSE!"

Knuckles was the first one to react with a powerful and loud rallying cry, which was followed by thousands if not millions of similar cries. With this, everyone took charge against Opaline, most anthropomorphic creatures taking the lead with mostly pegasi following behind, while the Death Egg Titan began to run towards Opaline.

Just the loud stomps of the massive robot seemed to be intimidating Opaline, yet all she did was frown with a seething hatred. She ignited her horn and then proceed to make a massive army of her own appear. Since she's a massive narcissist, this army resulted to be a bunch of clones that could feel pain and die, but they also had a fraction of her power. These clones only had one task in mind: Kill these insolents for daring to go against Opaline Arcana, and they wouldn't rest until they fulfilled their role.

Meanwhile, Sonic led the massive multiversal army towards battle. His body was begging him to stop because it still hurt as hell, but he had a mission: To lead this army into the battle of their lives, and to win at all coasts necessary. No matter how long it takes, Opaline's going down today.

The two sides of the conflict finally collided one against the other one, starting the fight. The stronger members of the whole army, such as Bowser, any Knuckles or Omega and buffalos smashed the Opaline clones like pancakes into the floor, while Earth Ponies and ground fighters such as any Amy, Vector and Shadow wrestled with the clones to beat them down. The unicorns seemed to be doing a great job at slashing in half some of the clones as well.

Some changelings from several universes shape shifted into Opaline to confuse the army and either make them crash into each other or straight up slash them with their horns. Mario and Luigi had teamed up to use their opposite abilities against the clones: Luigi freeze them with his ice balls, and Mario melted them with his fire ones.

In the skies, many Tails' variants, the Koopa Paratroopas, pegasi and dragons used their spears, weapons, fire breath... Anything they had to kill down as many clones as possible, with a Spike variant and our main Tails even flying back to back and pulling a laser-fire blast combo towards many Opaline clones.

Meanwhile, we have Sonic limiting himself to punch, to use his electrical powers, and to use his Homing Attack, because he still felt incredibly in pain after the number Opaline pulled over him earlier. If not for that, he'll be slashing down clones.

Suddenly, however, Sonic found himself not so far from the real Opaline, who looked over at him with a frown, and Sonic frowned back, but he also smirked mockingly.

"How in heaven's name are you still standing?!" Opaline asked in rage.

"I'm more stubborn than a mule!" Sonic replied mockingly. "I'm what you could call a "hedgehog-roach". Try to kill me as many times as you want, I'm always coming back."

"Then I'll make sure you wished I killed you the first time!" Opaline declared with anger, as her eyes turned in fire... literally.

Soon, the Fire Alicorn attempted to blast Sonic, but the blue blur was quick and moved away, dodging the blast. The Fire Alicorn started to chase Sonic around, trying to kill him with any of her fire blasts, while Sonic himself just smirked mockingly and taunted Opaline while dodging her attacks.

"Stop. Moving. So I. Can. KILL YOU!!!" Opaline shouted desperate.

"Nope!" Sonic replied with a chuckle, jumping over another blast, because even when everything's at stake, Sonic's still as Sonic as he can be.

Opaline growled enraged, and so, she surrounded Sonic with her magic, which did startled the Blue Blur and made his eyes widen, then she twirled him around and launched him against a floating Crystal.

Sonic crashed against it and groaned in pain, while he slowly opened his eyes. "O-Okay... I-I still don't regret having lived... But my body differs..."

He slid down and fell facewards on the ground, something Opaline noticed with glee. "About time you lay on the ground, where you belong!" Opaline said with a laugh. "And now, to make sure that you won't stand up, I'll––"

But right before she even charged her next attack, she was suddenly grabbed by a giant hand. And whom's hand was this? Well, it was actually Giganto's hand. The Titan from Kronos Island has made it's act of appearance, and he roared loudly in rage, also announcing its arrival to the battle.

"Ah crap, that thing's here too?!" The very first Sonic to exist in the multiverse exclaimed when he noticed this, since he was part of the battle along his friends.

Soon, Giganto made its twirl attack, but instead of hitting something, it did so it could launch Opaline far upwards, startling the Fire Alicorn and making her scream.

Then, Wyvern suddenly appeared, as it descended from the sky at top speed while spinning, then hit Opaline and sent her backwards, where she crashed against Knight's shield. Then, Knight launched her slightly in the air, took out his horn - sword - and then used the sword to hit Opaline like a baseball.

Opaline screamed in fright and rage as she got sent backwards again, but then she met with a familiar face: Supreme, the real one. The Titan had its sniper out, then it pointed it at Opaline and shoot.

The laser that Supreme shoot hit Opaline, and as she was ready to activate a shield to not crash against anything, a sudden laser from the Death Egg Titan sent her towards the "ground", or rather, a massive portion of earth floating by. Opaline lay in the ground, but she quickly stood up. Despite feeling pain, she didn't wanted to show it.

She glared daggers at the five Titans that attacked her. Turns out Eggman managed to reactivate Cyberspace and bring back the Titans to use them against Opaline.

Sonic noticed Eggman's arrival, and he smiled weakly, standing ip while holding his arm again. "Took you long enough to act, Egghead..."

"Ivo." Opaline muttered with anger.

"Arcana." Eggman said from inside his Death Egg Titan with glee. "You took away from me what I loved the most... Now you should pay the consequences!"

After declaring this, Eggman launched the chest and eye lasers from the Titan towards the Fire Alicorn, but Opaline created a shield to protect herself this time... Took her long enough. However, Giganto also launched its mouth laser, followed by Wyvern's, Knight's, and finally Supreme's, all in that order.

But even if the six lasers were mighty and powerful, Opaline still managed to fly through the lasers thanks to her shield, and then, she sent the Death Egg Titan a bit backwards with one single kick.

This did surprised Eggman, but it didn't made him flinch or feel terrified. He was very convinced that, if he couldn't defeat Opaline, at least he could beat the crap out of her. She killed his daughter, after all, and he knew she would try to hurt Misty, so now, it was time to avenge Sage and protect his other daughter.

This only irritated her a lot more, so she once again multiplied herself to keep everyone else busy with her clones while she deals with Eggman, whom's punch from a fist of the Death Egg Titan she couldn't dodge. However, she did know how Sonic defeated the machine previously, so she simply blasted through the arm.

"Oh, come on!" Eggman groaned with anger. "I should've known this would happen!"

"Even at our side, Eggman never learns from his mistakes..." Knuckles deadpanned, as he grabbed an Opaline clone and broke her neck, making her poof.

Eggman decided to be a bit more cautious, so he instead instructed Giganto to grab Opaline with its teeth, but Opaline didn't choose to try and get out like when The End took Supreme's form.

Instead, the Fire Alicorn flew inside if Giganto's mouth, making the Titan grab its neck, and then, Opaline flew through Giganto's chest, making the Titan explode in a giant sphere of Cyber Energy. Noticing this, Eggman told Wyvern to use its tail attack against Opaline, but the Fire Alicorn surrounded Wyvern in her magic.

Then, she started to tight her grip over the Titan, like if she was squeezing some kind of giant ball or plushie, until the Titan exploded on a sphere of Cyber Energy just like Giganto did.

Eggman was running out of options, so instead, he activated the laser of his eyes, then he pressed the eject button, as he was sent downwards inside of his own creation. Meanwhile, as the Death Egg Titan launched its lasers against Opaline, she didn't even bothered on creating a shield around herself this time.

Instead, she flew ahead and traversed the Titan's face, making the entire machine explode in the process.

"EGGMAN!!!" Sonic shouted in panic with wide eyes.

They were enemies, true... But Sonic didn't wanted him dead. Of course, he has no idea that Eggman still lives, but it didn't stopped him for feeling concerned that he might've kicked the bucket.

Meanwhile, Opaline looked back at the two remaining Titans. With Supreme, she did the same from earlier, traversing the Titan from one side to the other and making him explode. With Knight? The Titan tried to use his sword against her, but she used her magic to teleport the Sword and, instead, cut Knight itself in a half.

With the Titans out once more, and even faster than Sonic did earlier, Opaline looked down at the group of heroes from her home world, all of them standing over a portion of earth in fighting positions.

Opaline growled, then teleported in front of them with anger. "I cannot understand why you all desire to fight for this multiverse so much. Specially you two!" She pointed at Sunny and Sonic. "I'm aware of how your so called "friends" from across every reality attempted to chase you down and encage you for literally just exiting. Why are you still fighting for them?!"

"Because we all have the same enemy, Opaline, that being you!" Misty said with anger, for Opaline's surprise, but not so much for Misty's friends.

She's learned to stand her ground when necessary thanks to them, hence why this is not shocking for them.

"You have a big mouth, for a little pony, Misty." Opaline said with a frown, although she soon grinned. "I'll feel proud if it we weren't on different sides of this game. Oh well, guess it's time I put you on your place, young lady."

After saying this, Opaline levitated Misty's friends, and then she thew them away in different directions, as they all rolled painfully in the ground and got some brushes, as well as a bit dirty because of the earth. This made Misty panic, but it incremented when Opaline landed and approached her.

The Fire Alicorn was lightening her horn up and looking coldly at her. "I'm going to show you, Misty, what happens when you try to fight a goddess figure."

Misty stepped back, but even if she was afraid, she still decided to show and frown and a determined look. No matter what, she wouldn't fear Opaline, not even when her life was on the line. Not anymore.

"Say your last words, Misty." Opaline declared. "You might want to remember them forever."

"...I'm so glad I ran away from you. You're the worse Alicorn that's ever lived, and you wished you were half the pony Twilight Sparkle was." Misty replied with smirk.

That made Opaline's blood boil in rage, and she was ready to shot a massive fire blast against Misty, while the Unicorn mare closed her eyes and accepted her fate, but still smiling. However, the blast never came, because Opaline was suddenly pushed backwards by a metallic arm.

Opaline screamed, and then she slid in the ground, before looking ahead with a frown at the Egg Beater, being controlled by Eggman. This is the machine he was ejected off the Death Egg Titan.

Misty opened her eyes when she never received the blast, and when she looked up at Eggman, she gasped.

Eggman, on the other hand, was frowning in rage inside the machine. "I already lost one daughter because of you. I won't let you put one of your dirty hooves over the other one!"

Opaline scoffed after hearing that. "Daughter?! I knew you were weak, Ivo, but this goes beyond my expectations!"

"You'll find out what this weakling is capable of when you mess with his family!" Eggman declared in anger, then he made the Egg Beater boost towards Opaline.

Opaline growled in rage and boosted towards him as well. With that, the two villains started to fight once more, but this time, none of them was going to hold back. Eggman was willing to put Opaline on her place and avenge Sage, while Opaline wouldn't rest until Eggman's skin burned in hell.

Author's Note

I'm starting to run out of author notes, probably because I'm saving most of what I have to say and share on the last chapter and Epilogue.

To mention some of today's cameos: We got the Sonic Boom AND Sonic SatAM crew; the OG Mane 6 and company; some G5 Mane 6 variants that come from this story by bookhorse125; other G5 Mane 6 coming from this one-shot made by Flamewarrior02; the G3 ponies; the Sonic Underground crew; MC and the Freedom Fighters of his universe, which was written by Mister E-Nonymous; and the cast of Sonic Prime.

Anyways, this is all for today. Not much can be said beyond me apologizing for not focusing so much on the battle for the multiverse, but I'm not that good at describing more prolonged fights, hence why I barely did that. :twilightblush:

However, what I have in store for the next episode might compensate the lack of battle in here.

Stay tuned to find out what I mean! See ya! :twilightsmile:

29. The Final Act

Multiversal Wasteland

Eggman didn't wasted a second and launched the wrecking ball of the Egg Beater against Opaline.

Opaline was sent backwards with a painful grunt, but she's been learning from her mistakes: Even if she rolled in the ground, she quickly stood on her fours and slid over the ground, before boosting herself against Eggman, levitating several crystals floating by and pointing the sharped tips against her enemy.

Eggman, however, only grinned inside of the Egg Beater, and then he twirled the wrecking ball around to make a shield that cut the crystals in million of pieces, and not a single one affected him nor his suit.

Next, Eggman launched the wrecking ball against Opaline again, but the fire Alicorn teleported in the last second and dodged it, before heading straight towards Eggman with her horn lightened up. This is what Eggman wanted, because just when she was some meters away of him, he brought the other arm and punched her.

Opaline groaned painfully, but then she still shot her beam against Eggman, and that took the evil genius off guard, so he had to protect himself with the same arm he used to punch her backwards.

After this, Opaline launched herself against the Egg Beater and tackled it down, then literally used her Prismatic Energy to make some claws grow from her hooves, and she started to move her hooves around to try and tear the machine apart, which made Eggman realize that he was in trouble.

"This is Egg Papa to Dad-a-bittle!" Eggman informed from a communicator he had inside the machine. "Do you copy?!"

"Here's Dad-a-bittle!" A male and bit raspy voice replied. "What's the matter, Egg Papa?!"

"I require reinforcements!" Eggman stated. "This Alicorn witch is gonna kill me, and I can't die without giving payback for my daughter's death, nor our daughters enslavement!"

"I can see you from my position." "Dad-a-bittle" replied. "Want me to take her from behind by surprise?"

"Even better: I'll sent her to you!" Eggman replied, then grinned and pressed the eject button, which caused the capsule of his Eggmobile to close.

After that, the Fire Alicorn and the evil doctor were sent in the air, until the Eggmobile crashed in some rubble and rolled ahead, while Opaline rolled in the ground and then slid to a stop.

She never noticed that four more shards fell off her bracelets, nor that Chip took them and teleported away.

She shook her head and felt a bit dizzy, her eyes moving around crazily. She attempted to recover her composure, but all she managed to do was feel even more dizzy, so she grabbed her head painfully and looked around, until she was suddenly hit with something metallic in her face.

Opaline groaned and placed a hoof over the zone that got hit... And then her eyes widened in panic, because when she looked at her hoof, it had some blood, meaning that whatever hit her made her bleed for real.

"...This is not possible..." Opaline muttered in panic. "I-It shouldn't be possible!"

And then, she got hit again and sent backwards, as she crashed on her back against some rubble. She groaned painfully and shook her head again, but when she looked ahead, all she saw was a metallic pipe hitting her face again, making her spit some blood, and then groan in anger as she looked ahead again.

Right in front of her, Eggman stood tall and menacing, holding the same metallic tube he used to hit her, as he had his suit a bit ripped apart, as well as some brushes. And yet, he was smirking sinisterly at Opaline.

"Let me lecture you about two things, Opaline..." Eggman started. "The first one: Never mess with someone that's not only unstoppable, but also unpredictable. That goes to me, and to that Blue Hedgehog that you were so sure you killed."

"And the second one?" Opaline asked in anger, as she lightened her horn up... Only to be blasted away with a magic blast.

"Never mess with a father and his daughter." Alphabittle added, since he was the "Dad-a-bittle" Eggman was talking with earlier, and he also wanted payback for all those years Opaline had Misty under her wing.

"And you, Arcana, made the mistake of messing with two daughters, and two fathers!" Eggman stated, slamming the tube on his palm with anger.

Opaline stood up and looked over at Eggman and Alphabittle with anger. "So you two are willing to die while I burn your skins down until nothing but ashes remain?!"

"We're willing to make you see what happens when you ruin three lives: One of a father that lost a daughter, one of a misguided child, and one of a father whom's child died on his arms." Alphabittle declared with anger.

"This old man and I never saw each other before, and he knows who I am..." Eggman added. "But we share one thing in common..."

"You ruined our lives by taking our daughters away!" Both Eggman and Alphabittle said in anger, then the former hit Opaline again with the pipe, while the latter levitated her and throw her away.

With this, a fight between Misty's two father figures and her former mother figure began, with the two males giving it all they've got against her. Eggman enjoyed every single time he hit her, getting his sweet revenge for Sage's death; while Alphabittle was excited to get some justice against the monster that fillynapped Misty.

However, as this happened, Sonic soon arrived to the destroyed Egg Beater, and realized that Eggman ejected off the machine, which made him start to look around with concern.

"Sonic!" Chip said suddenly, as he appeared to Sonic's side. "I have half of my power restored. Literally! But we still need the other 10 shards!"

"I know, but I can't see the real Opaline anywhere!" Sonic said with concern.

Then, Tails arrived at his side, just after blasting an Opaline clone away. "I think I saw them both flying away."

"I literally just saw Alphabittle and Eggman teaming up against her!" Hitch said out of nowhere, arriving right after using his vines to twirl an Opaline clone around and then launch her far away.

"I'm sorry, did you just said that Alpha-freaking-bittle was helping Eggman to beat the crap out of Opaline?" Knuckles asked in shock with wide eyes, arriving just after launching several Opaline clones towards a cliff. "And they didn't invited me?!"

"My dads are doing what to who?!" Misty asked in shock, as she arrived with them as well.

"Seems like your old mans are willing to make justice against Opaline for "taking care of you"." Sonic told her with a little smile, before frowning in concern. "But they're as mortal as any of us. Like it or not, they won't be enough against Opaline. We need something powerful to finally get those remaining shards from her."

"How powerful are we talking about?" Zipp asked, as she arrived along everyone else from the stablished Equestrian-Mobian group of this story.

"Powerful enough to knock Opaline down." Sonic stated. "More powerful than Super Sonic, more powerful than Cyber Energy... Heck, even more powerful than an Alicorn."

After Sonic clarified all of this, Knuckles' eyes widened, and then he smirked confidently. "Then why didn't you said anything sooner?! I know precisely what might help!"

"You do?" Sonic asked with a bored expression, but seeing that Knuckles was very confident, he realized that the echidna was talking serious. "Hang on, you really do?!"

"Yeah, but first things first: We need the Chaos Emeralds!" Knuckles declared, as he took out the Red Chaos Emerald.

Seeing what Knuckles did, the others didn't took long to act as well: Sunny took out the Silver Chaos Emerald, which made her Cutie Mark shine in a silver color, although no one noticed; Zipp took out the Light Blue Emerald; Shadow the Green one, Tails the Yellow one; and Izzy took out the Purple one.

"Oh you guys are the best!" Sonic said with a smile, but then he noticed something that confused him. "Wait... That's only six Emeralds. Where's the Blue one?"

"Well, we took the Emeralds after they left your body and landed in front of us, but the Blue Emerald is missing." Sunny explained.

"It didn't landed with the rest when you used that Chaos Blast." Shadow replied. "We have no idea what happened to it."

"Crap..." Sonic muttered with a frown, then he noticed that Boom Sonic was near by and approached him. "Hey, Sonic 2! Over here!"

"Huh?" Boom Sonic said confused, before punching and Opaline clone away and then approach Sonic. "What's the matter?"

"You can contact Twilight and anyone on the HQ, right?" Sonic asked hopefully.

"Well, not anyone. Only Twilight since she's the new leader, plus anyone that's close to the same are I am." Boom Sonic explained. "Why?"

"Knuckles might have something that can finally put Opaline to sleep, but we need the Chaos Emeralds, and we're missing the Blue one." Sonic explained. "It has to be somewhere around here. Can you please tell Twilight to tell everyone in the HQ that we need that last Emerald? It could literally be our savior from Opaline, and it also seems to be our last chance."

Boom Sonic was very aware of how dangerous and desperate the situation is. He literally just has to look around. However, seeing that Sonic was talking very seriously, he knew that he had to take this serious as well.

So, Boom Sonic looked at his dimensional watch and pressed a button. "Twilight. This is Sonic from Universe 081114. Sonic from 220822 seems to have a killer weapon for Opaline, but he needs a Blue Chaos Emerald that's spread across the wasteland."

Twilight was currently blasting several Opaline clones, even making others explode.

Yet when Boom Sonic called in and told her about Sonic having a plan, her eyes widened, but her hope also seemed to have increased. If Sonic had a plan to stop Opaline, then she had no other choice but to follow instructions. Besides, FS trusted him to succeed, so she needed to do the same.

"He wants us to find that Emerald and toss it to him." Boom Sonic added. "Should we help out, or...?"

"Oh, we're definitely helping out!" Twilight replied with a grin, then she pressed a button on her watch, and then she melted various clones of Opaline with a laser blast. "Listen up, every member of the Society. Sonic the Hedgehog from universe 220822, the very same universe this threatening Opaline comes from, needs our help. If any of you, or any of your back-up companions, see a Blue Chaos Emerald floating around, pass it to Sonic from universe 081114. This is a strict order!"

After Twilight shared her instructions, many members of the Society proceed to follow them.

Some decided to focus on the fight to open the path for those who were going to focus on the task of looking after the Chaos Emerald and give it to Boom Sonic so he can give it to Sonic.

However, Sunset's eyes widened when Twilight mentioned the Emerald, then she opened her left wing and took out of it the same Blue Chaos Emerald that Sonic was looking for. Said Emerald landed right in front of her by accident after Sonic used his Chaos Blast, and she took care of it in case it was important.

Sunset did the right thing, it seems, and so, she looked at her dimensional watch. "Um... Twi? I, uh, I have the Emerald Sonic's looking for... It sort of found me instead of me finding it, just in case."

"Then what are you waiting for?! Give it to 081114 Sonic!" Twilight instructed from the watch.

"Right... Right!" Sunset said loudly with wide eyes, then she took fly and started to move towards him.

However, in the way there, several Opaline clones launched themselves against her, probably because even if they're clones they still think like Opaline, so they're gonna stop anyone that tries to stop the original one.

"Ugh... This is... Gonna be complicated..." Sunset groaned annoyed, but she still managed to get a hoof free from the clones, and she saw that Firefly was fighting against a clone not so far. "Firefly! Catch!"

Sunset tossed the Emerald to her, and right after Firefly heard Sunset, she defeated the Opaline clone while also noticing the Blue Emerald, so she flew up and caught the jewel, but then noticed that several clones were heading towards her, so she tossed the Emerald away.

This time, Tails X caught the Emerald with his mecha, and he blasted against several clones that stood on his way, destroying them all in the process. Next, he tossed the Emerald to Dr. Hooves.

The Earth Pony immediately started to move away as fast as he could right after getting the jewel on his hooves, but when an Opaline Clone launched over him, he accidentally let the Emerald go. Fortunately, Blue Buffon was passing by, and after using his guitar to sent a bunch of clones away, he grabbed the Emerald.

Next, he boosted away and and jumped over several crystals and rubble, not to dodge clones or anything, but simply because it was fun to do for him. And then, he tossed the Emerald to Young Sonic.

"I've got it, I've got it!" Young Sonic exclaimed, and once he grabbed the Emerald, he almost fell backwards, but instead choose to roll in the ground and then run away towards Boom Sonic.

He started to jump over several clones, allies, and even passed below Sunset's Sunny to avoid crashing against her, until he saw ahead that he was going to crash against some rubble, so he barely stopped himself, then curled into a ball and boosted upwards, where he got a better view of the battlefield.

But as much as he'd like to enjoy the view, he choose to focus again, and fortunately, he saw Boom Sonic in the distance, waving his hands so Young Sonic could see him and toss the Emerald to him.

"Oh, there you are!" Young Sonic said with a smile, and so, he tossed the Emerald far away towards Boom Sonic.

The older hedgehog jumped in the air and caught the jewel, looked at it with a smile, and the started to run away. He jumped over several Opaline clones, had to fight against some in order to keep going, but then was suddenly surrounded by several of them, so he frowned and snapped his tongue.

"Seems like I have to do it old-school style!" Boom Sonic declared, then he charged a Spin Dash on his place, and then he boosted upwards, before seeing Sonic in the distance and then toss the Emerald to him.

Sonic jumped to the air as well, then caught the Chaos Emerald, and then barely landed on his feet, almost loosing his balance, but when he managed to stand still, he looked at the Emerald with a smile.

"Well, that's seven Emeralds down!" Sonic declared with a smirk, then he boosted back with his friends, as they all hid behind some rubble to avoid being spotted by the real Opaline or her clones, as he put the Emerald down along the other seven. "Okay, Knux. We have them all, what now?"

"Now, we use this!" Knuckles stated, reaching out to his quills and pulling out a fragment of the Master Emerald.

"A fragment of the Master Emerald?" Amy asked confused.

"You broke it again?!" Rouge asked in rage, as she flew to Knuckles and grabbed hims from his arms, while glaring daggers at him.

"No. I just took this before leaving Angel Island a few days ago." Knuckles replied with a smirk.

Universe 220822 - A few days ago...

Knuckles, Izzy and Hitch were leaving Angel Island to head towards Tails' workshop.

However, before doing so, the echidna quickly went back and looked for an area in specific of the giant Emerald. Despite the fact that Knuckles has destroyed it and repaired it several times in the past, there was this one part of the Emerald that never assembled again, no matter how hard he tried to do it.

That specific zone is what he was looking for, and once he found it and separated it from the Emerald, he smiled, put the fragment on his quills, and then left the Altar of Emerald along Izzy and Hitch.

Multiversal Wasteland - Present

Back in reality, everyone looked surprised at Knuckles, while he just smiled.

"One single fragment contains the same amount of power than the whole Emerald put together." Knuckles explained. "Hence why I'm always so over-protective with it. Besides, I thought it could be useful eventually!"

"Well, it's cool that one fragment has as much power, but what are we going to use it for?!" Pipp asked confused.

However, Sonic and Tails seemed to be the only ones that immediately understood what did Knuckles wanted to do. "The Super Emeralds!"

"The Super what now?" Hitch asked confused as well.

"When the power of the Master Emerald is combined with the Chaos Emeralds' power, the Super Emeralds are born!" Sonic explained with a smile. "We could never use them again because Knuckles refused to let the Master Emerald get out of the island, as well as to use just a fragment like back when we first met! What changed?" He turned to Knuckles.

"Our entire existence is at stake here." Knuckles pointed out with a frown. "Saving our butts is a thousand times more important than a stupid bow I made of protecting that damn piece of rock."

After saying this, he extended the fragment of the Master Emerald to Sonic, who grabbed it with a smirk.

"And the Super Emeralds can turn me back into Hyper Sonic..." Sonic declared with a smile. "But I know for a fact that I cannot do this alone. So..." He turned around and looked at Sunny, extending the fragment to her with his hand open.

"Wha–– Me?!" Sunny asked confused with wide eyes, while Sonic just nodded with a smile. "B-But I don't... I can't... I-I could barely handle one Emerald's power, remember?"

"Yeah, about that... There's something I haven't told you, Sunny." Sonic confessed with a sheepish smile.

After that, he grabbed the Green Chaos Emerald and hold it close to Sunny, which made the Emerald glow and vibrate a bit. This surprised Sunny, but then she looked over at her Cutie Mark, since she feel it vibrating as well, and she noticed that it was glowing on the same color green.

At first, she panicked, because she immediately remembered when she got infected with the Chaos Pocks, but then she looked at herself, at her body, and felt a bit confused when she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I... I don't understand..." Sunny said confused.

"Your Chaos Pocks seems to have awakened a connection between the Chaos Emeralds and you, Sunny." Sonic explained. "I noticed that your Cutie Mark and the Emeralds always reacted together whenever you were close to one. I figured that, after what happened with the Chaos Pocks, now you had a connection with the Emeralds as well."

"I actually noticed that too." Shadow confessed. "And considering we were training you to resist their power, I think that you might be ready now. Well, that, and our lives are at stake, but eh. Details."

"W-Wait! H-Hold on a second..." Sunny said, as she shook and held her head in shock, then she looked at Sonic. "So you're saying that I... That I can use Chaos Energy? That I.... That I can used the Chaos Emeralds? Like you do?!"

"In a little bit of a slump? Yes! Yes, you can." Sonic said with a smile.

"Wow..." Sunny said with a chuckle, and then she smiled a bit awkwardly. "I... I don't know what to say... Is just that... Why me? Why would you want me to fight at your side when you're the one that's been through a lot worse than I during this whole journey across the multiverse?"

Sonic smiled after hearing that, and then, he reached for something that was on Sunny's saddlebag. Soon, he took out the ruby heart necklace that one breezie gave to her, and he put it on her neck again.

Confused, Sunny looked down at the necklace, and then at Sonic. "We are "the ones", remember? You're the hopeful pony that breezie talked about. Maybe is time we fulfill that purpose the breezie gave us." He explained with a smile.

Sunny was still doubtful at first, but then she looked around at her friends for guidance. They all seemed to agree with Sonic's words, and that made her smile. She then looked down at the necklace, thought about it for a moment, then took a deep breath, and then looked at Sonic with a determinate look.

"Let's do this, Sonic!" Sunny declared confidently. "I just hope I won't turn into a strange lizard again..."

"Oh, trust me, Sunny." Knuckles interfered this time with a smirk and his arms crossed. "You'll turn into something much cooler, and it won't affect your pony form!"

With that confirmation, Sunny actually smiled, then she looked at Sonic and nodded. Sonic nodded back, then he extended the Master Emerald shard with his palm open again, while Sunny touched the shard with her hoof.

"At the count of three, we're shouting "Master Control", okay?" Sonic instructed.

"Okay!" Sunny nodded.

"One... two... three!" Sonic counted down.

"Master Control!" Both Sonic and Sunny shouted.

After saying this out loud, the 7 Chaos Emeralds suddenly elevated in the air, while the shard of the Master Emerald did the same. Soon, it's power fused with the Emeralds', and then, the 7 jewels shone brightly, and they all got bigger in size, until they were just as big as the Master Emerald.

It was like having 7 Master Emeralds, but instead, they were the Super Emeralds. And to prove this point even further, the Emeralds floated over Sonic and Sunny, before uniting as one right over them.

Then, a massive blast of energy was sent in one straight line that only hit Sonic and Sunny, because everyone else stepped back to ensure none of them would get accidentally transformed or affected in any way by the Super Emeralds, especially since not all of them could resist their immense power.

Meanwhile, Opaline was busy launching Eggman and Alphabittle backwards. They both had brushes, some cuts, and were bleeding a bit, but they still choose to keep fighting.

Opaline only growled. She also had brushes, was bleeding even more, and her mane was a mess, because it wasn't tied anymore. However, just when she prepared to launch a blast against Eggman and Alphabittle, the energy blast of the Super Emeralds called her attention, so she took flight and looked ahead.

Eggman and Alphabittle noticed this, so they moved ahead as well, noticing the blast of energy was slowly shrinking. Well, everyone in the Wasteland noticed this, since the massive energy blast called their attention.

Soon, the blast of energy dissipated, now showing Sonic and Sunny, both floating in the air, but with noticeable changes: In Sonic's case, he had purple eyes and multicolored fur that constantly changed colors, while Sunny had silver hooves, white fur, multicolored mane and tail that also constantly changed colors, and purple eyes.

Sunny also got silver wings and a silver horn... But here's the thing: They were solid and not ethereal.

They turned into Hyper Sonic and Hyper Sunny, both looking at Opaline with frowns, while Opaline growled again and made all her clones disappear, since she was willing to focus all her magic on her enemies.

Noticing this, Eggman grinned and chuckled. "About damn time, Hedgehog and Starscout!"

"I'm tired of your games. Let's finish this once and for all!" Opaline declared with rage.

Sonic and Sunny only limited themselves to look at each other, then they nodded and looked back at Opaline.

Don't look down! (Don't look down!)
Don't look down! (Don't look down!)

Both Sonic and Sunny boosted against Opaline, and so did the Fire Alicorn against the hero siblings.

I've been here waiting for the longest time
I can't believe it's real

However, once Sonic and Sunny were close to Opaline, they split up, with Sunny going for the right and kicking Opaline on said side, while Sonic waited for her to approach, then grabbed the Fire Alicorn from her tail and twirled her around, before launching her against some rubble.

You lose the battles that you never fight
Can't hide from what you feel

But instead of crashing, though, Opaline stomped said rubble with her hooves and impulsed herself backwards, pushing Sonic a bit backwards... Yet that made her fail from seeing Sunny kicking her away again.

Opaline recovered quickly, though, and then she launched herself against Sunny, as the two Alicorns started to have a 1v1 brawl in the air, but while Opaline tried to hit Sunny and failed with an enraged and maniac expression, Sunny remained serene and calmed, yet frowning and showing a more serious side of her.

(Come on!) No more compromise, this is do or die
And now you've crossed the line
You'll wake the beast inside

Soon, Sunny teleported away, while Sonic suddenly appeared and hit her face hard enough to sent her against a crystal, but Opaline impulsed herself towards the Blue Blur and moved her hooves crazily.

She attempted to hit Sonic, but the Fastest Thing Alive dodged her attacks with no problem, almost taunting her even. It was just a tactic to provoke her even more than she already was, a tactic to ensure that she'll be so blurred by rage she would never think carefully on her next moves.

No more compromise, this is do or die
I'll warn you one last time
You'll wake the beast inside

And the plan worked so well, that when Sonic teleported away again, Opaline did crashed on her face against a massive portion of earth that was floating by, burring her face on it.

But this only enraged her as well, because she soon surrounded said portion of earth with her magic, then transformed it into a massive hammer that she moved against Sunny and Sonic. But the Hyper siblings just teleported away behind her, and together, they twirled and kicked her downwards.

She crashed against some rubble, loosing three shards more of the Paradox Prism. Noticing this, Chip quickly teleported, absorbed the shards' power, and then teleported away.

Don't look down! (Don't look down!)
Don't look down! (Don't look down!)

Opaline roared in rage, then launched herself upwards and surrounded several pieces of rubble with her magic, then crushed down Sonic and Sunny with them with a sinister grin... A grin that faded away when the rubble cracked and then exploded, because Sunny used her now solid horn to blow the rubble away.

So break through it all, and don't look down
You won't fade out, 'cause the fire in you never dies

Opaline growled for the millionth time today, then she launched herself against Sonic and Sunny, with Sunny teleporting away, while Sonic simply placed his hand in front of him to stop Opaline.

Then, he only snorted and pushed her backwards with no effort, but to Opaline, it felt the opposite, because she traversed several portions of earth, then crashed against some crystals, and finally hit some rubble that made her groan in pain and in effort, yet she wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

It comes around to light the flame
They'll know your name, burned into their memory

But before she could launch herself again, Sunny suddenly appeared at her side, then surrounded her with her magic, and then started to twirl her around while hitting her against more rubble and crystals.

Her serene and calmed look with a frown remained the entire time she twirled Opaline around, until she finally let her go towards Sonic, who simply snapped his fingers once Opaline was close enough. Once this happened, a massive laser came out of nowhere and hit Opaline, making her groan in pain again.

(So break through it all)
Don't stop we're on a mission
Overdriving over all the competition
Counting up the damage when it's done

This laser stunned her and made her loose other three fragments, which made Chip quickly teleport again and grab them all, absorb their power, and then leave again to leave the battle for Sonic and Sunny.

Now Opaline only had four remaining shards, one of each color of a Prism fragment. Sonic and Sunny knew what to do, so they charged up some Chaos Energy before going 2v1 with Opaline. Still stunned in the air, Opaline never noticed when Sonic and Sunny arrived.

The siblings started to move at the speed of light to hit Opaline in her weakest spots: Hooves, head, nose, face, stomach, crotch, and even her throat to ensure she'll be very stunned.

(So break through it all)
We can't pretend to listen
Sorry if it puts you in an imposition
We won't stop until the battle's won

Opaline groaned and teleported away, then united several pieces of rubble and launched them over Sunny and Sonic like if it was a shower of meteorites against them. Yet this was nothing for the Hyper siblings, because they flew thought the rubble with no trouble, and then they double punched Opaline.

What goes around comes back around again

But this seemed to be a small mistake, because Opaline quickly recovered and punched them both backwards, making them groan in pain as they crashed against some rubble.

And if we don't come down, we'll be lost in the wind

They shook their heads painfully, but then they saw that Opaline launched a massive portion of earth over them, which could have crushed them and kill them... But then, a white blast passed through it, and then it revealed to be the Hyper siblings, who simply combined their strength to escape together.

(What goes around comes back around again)
(I know that we) I know that we will find our way
(We'll do whatever) We'll do whatever it will take

Opaline frowned in rage, then she charged a massive blast of energy against Sonic and Sunny. Sunny shot a laser back to counter Opaline's attack, and even though she was stronger now, she was struggling a bit.

(And if we don't come down, we'll be lost in the wind)
(And if we) And if we never reach the crown
(We'll take) We'll take the whole thing down

Thankfully, she wasn't alone, because Sonic soon shared some energy as well to make the blast stronger than Opaline's. Yet, when the Fire Alicorn noticed this, she frowned in rage and shoot a bit more of energy, which made the blasts to cause an explosion that sent the three of them backwards.

They all shook their heads, and then looked ahead with frowns. However, Sonic was running out of patience now, so he touched Sunny's shoulder, calling her attention.

"You keep her busy. I have something in mind that might finally stun her." Sonic instructed.

Sunny nodded, then boosted towards Opaline, while Sonic teleported away without saying anything else.

(So break through it all)
Don't stop we're on a mission (What goes around)
Overdriving over all the competition (Comes back around again)
Counting up the damage when it's done

Opaline boosted against Sunny as well, as the two Alicorns started another brawl. This time, however, Sunny made absolutely sure that she was hitting Opaline. She didn't wanted to miss a single punch on her face, and she's been waiting for doing it anyways, so she was also enjoying it a lot.

(So break through it all)
We can't pretend to listen (And if we don't come down)
Sorry if it puts you in an imposition (We'll be lost in the wind)
We won't stop until the battle's won

Now, Sunny multiplied herself and launched several blasts against Opaline, and then returned to be the only one once again to hit Opaline right on her nose, stunning her for quite a bit once more.

No more compromise, this is do or die
And now you've crossed the line
You'll wake the beast inside

Sonic teleported right over the stunned Opaline, and then smirked, before he extended his arms and opened his hands, now absorbing Chaos Energy from all across the multiverse over his hands. Two massive spheres of Chaos Energy were being created as this happened, while Sonic just stared down at Opaline with anger.

Everyone in the multiverse watched this amazed, but they also did it with smiles, smirks, or determined looks, because they all know that Opaline was so finished if Sonic was willing to got all-out on her again.

No more compromise, this is do or die
I'll warn you one last time
You'll wake the beast inside

Then, Sonic closed his hands, still charged with Chaos Energy, then placed them together and on his right side, slowly opening them to show how big the sphere of energy was now. And, as Opaline was recovering her senses, Sonic teleported behind her, then released the attack over her.

Don't stop we're on a mission (What goes around)
(I know that we will find our way)
Overdriving over all the competition (Comes back around again)
Counting up the damage when it's done (We'll do whatever it will take)

The attack sent Opaline several meters back, and at the same time, it gave Sonic and Sunny the perfect chance to move at the speed of light again and launch her against a rock passing by.

(So break through it all)
We can't pretend to listen (And if we don't come down)
(And if we never reach the crown)
Sorry if it puts you in an imposition (We'll be lost in the wind)
We won't stop until the battle's won (We'll take the whole thing down)

Opaline painfully stood on her fours over that rock, looking upwards at the Hyper siblings with rage, but then she noticed that they had combined their energy once more, with Sonic preparing to hit her with a foot, while Sunny was ready to hit the Fire Alicorn with her forelegs.

Opaline tried to launch a fire blast, but Sonic and Sunny's combined attack passed through it, and then, the Hyper siblings hit Opaline, causing a massive explosion of Chaos Energy across the Wasteland.

Everyone else had to cover themselves from the explosion, while Chip simply looked at it with a smile. If I had to bet, he probably knows who won the battle already. Still, he quickly approached the place where Sonic and Sunny crashed against Opaline and caused the explosion.

Once said explosion dissipated, Sonic and Sunny's friends quickly approached as well, and soon, various allies of all across the multiverse joined them, while others stood behind and waited to see who won.

Near the place the explosion happened, the three creatures that fought lay on the ground unconscious. Opaline lay on one side, Sunny over her stomach with her mane not tied anymore, and Sonic lay over his back. The Chaos Emeralds, Master Emerald shard, and remaining shards of the Paradox Prism also lay in the ground.

As Sonic and Sunny's friends approached, Pipp and Hitch quickly rushed to their lovers, with Pipp kneeling down to Sonic and gently shaking him, while Hitch sat down and grabbed Sunny, placing her on his knees.

However, before any of them could worry, the two siblings soon started to open their eyes, with Sonic also groaning a bit in pain. But as soon as he saw Pipp at his side, he smiled and chuckled a bit. Sunny also opened her eyes entirely, and when she found herself on Hitch's hooves, she smiled, and the Sheriff smiled back.

"Ugh... Man..." Sonic groaned. "Does anyone has an ibuprofen? If Opaline didn't killed me, my body sure will..."

"Ugh... I'm with Sonic on this one..." Sunny said with a chuckle and a groan. "Everything hurts..."

This made some in the group laugh, and some others just shook their heads.

"And here I thought you two would get killed." Eggman said with a mocking grin, as he also arrived. "Oh well. I guess I'll just deal with you two still being around."

"You know you can't get rid of me, Egghead." Sonic said mockingly, as he stood up with help of Pipp and Tails, while Izzy and Hitch helped Sunny to do the same.

Pipp even kissed Sonic's cheek lovely, which definitely got a reaction out of some Pipps from the multiverse, specially Sunset's Pipp, who's blush could already tell she didn't expected to see that.

Meanwhile, Chip grabbed the four remaining shards of the Paradox Prism and absorbed their power. This made his eyes shine brightly in white, and soon, his entire body was covered in a white flashlight.

When the light was gone, Chip left too, and instead, what remained behind was a Phoenix bird, which spread majestically its wings, both burning down in fire. Soon, said Phoenix bird started to fly across the Wasteland for a while to feel free once more, before landing in front of Sonic and company.

"...Chip?" Sonic asked confused and in shock.

"I'm afraid I don't possess such a name, Sonic." Chip replied. "I kind of lied to you on our first encounter: I do have an original form and a name. What you see right now is who I truly am. And, my name is Dandelion."

"Well, this crap escalated quickly." Knuckles pointed out.

"I've been guarding over every reality for as long as I can remember... But I'm afraid that getting rid of my power in the Paradox Prism wasn't the smartest choice." Dandelion said with concern. "Is because of my decision that Opaline did what she did. Now, it'll be me who restores the multiverse to it's old glory."

After saying this, Dandelion spread his wings once again, and then moved ahead to start the restoration of the multiverse. First, he flew by empty spots where universes used to be, and soon, said universes were restored.

Then, he returned all the stolen magic from the universes where Opaline stole it, both the worlds that glitched and disappeared, and the worlds that didn't. Finally, Dandelion cleaned all the rubble and portions of earth floating by, as well as closed the X portals to ensure no other universe would collapse.

Once the job was done, he flew back with the group of Universe 220822 and looked down at Sonic and Sunny, who now could stand on their own again.

"I wanna thank you two, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sunny Starscout." Dandelion smiled. "If not for you, all these realities would've died at the hooves of that monster." He pointed a wing to Opaline, who still remained unconscious. "From the deepest sincerity of my heart, thank you."

Dandelion kneeled in sign of respect, but even thought that already was a bit too much for both Sunny and Sonic, they found themselves surprised when they turned around and saw that not only their friends repeated Dandelion's action, but the entire multiverse was doing the same. Heck, even Eggman himself kneeled, and he hesitated at first!

They were all thankful with the two siblings. If not for them, their realities would've fallen on Opaline's hooves, just like Dandelion said. They all will forever thank them both for their courage against Opaline. And despite still feeling the kneeling was too much, Sonic and Sunny still smiled at everyone they saved from Opaline.

Speaking of her, she finally made a grunt noice, meaning that she was waking up. Noticing that the Emeralds and the Master Emerald shard were still in the ground, Sonic quickly went to grab the shard.

Meanwhile, Shadow and Tails went to grab the Chaos Emeralds and put them aside, while Sonic and Sunny approached Opaline, who slowly tried to stand up again, just to fail and lay on the ground again. However, as soon as she looked upwards at Sonic and Sunny, she felt more panic than anger.

"S-Sunny! S-Sonic!" Opaline said with wide eyes and an awkward chuckle. "U-Um, perhaps I got a bit too carried away with my new powers and all that stuff. Ah, how about we forget this and just move on while laughing about it, huh?"

"How stupid you think we are to let you walk this off just like that, Opaline?" Sonic asked with anger.

"There isn't a punishment worthy of all you've done!" Sunny added with anger as well.

"Agreed." Dandelion said, as he appeared right behind the siblings, and that just made Opaline's eyes widen in pure and genuine fear, something that Sonic and Sunny found strange, but they were not complaining. "Now, what kind of punishment would fit a little piece of $&@# like you?" Dandelion asked, although the third to last word was censored with a bip and the word "SEGA" covering his mouth.

Opaline attempted to stand up and at least run away, or even use her magic. However, both plans failed.

The first one failed because Eggman arrived and stepped over her back, looking down at her with a grin. The second one failed because she had no strength left to use magic, so she was getting punished all the same.

Suddenly, an idea crossed Sunny's mind, so she smiled, and then she came over to Sonic and whispered something on his ear. "Hmm..." Sonic muttered as he listened. "Uh-huh..." He added, then his eyes widened. "Whoa!" He exclaimed, and once Sunny was done, he looked at her unbelieving. "Sunny, are you sure you're not a maniac in secret?"

"What? What did she said?" Dandelion asked confused, and Sonic made a sign to him so he would approach and whisper what Sunny said to his ear, and once he did, his eyes also widened. "Girl, you scare me... But what you suggest might be the perfect punishment for her."

With that being said, Dandelion opened his mouth and charged a laser, which Eggman took as a sign to move out of the way, while Dandelion shoot the laser to Opaline, making the Fire Alicorn scream in fear and pain... But soon, nothing was coming out of her mouth, and then, Dandelion stopped.

When the laser was gone, Opaline was still there... But with a twist: She had no horn, she had no wings, she had not even a Cutie Mark, and she was looking around like a confused horse... Then she neighed like one.

This seemed to confuse the rest. "Uh... What happened exactly?" Tails asked first.

"Opaline's punishment is up!" Sonic replied with a smile.

"Well, yeah, we can see that, but... What is her punishment?" Zipp asked, still confused.

"I have trapped Opaline in her own body. With no magic to use, and no Cutie Mark either, Opaline's nothing but a regular horse." Dandelion explained. "Her body might act like an actual horse, but in reality, she's screaming her lungs out inside of that body, because her brain is still the same."

"...That actually is a very fitting ending for that damn Alicorn." Eggman said with a grin. "If there's something the ones like Opaline deserve more than dying, is to live and see themselves be the butt of the joke."

"It's still a pretty hardcore way to go, but is the least she deserves." Shadow said with his arms crossed.

"Yeah..." Sonic said with a smile, then he turned around and looked at all the multiverse, before taking a deep breath and then shout his lungs out. "WE WOOOOOOON!!!"

After shouting this, the entire multiverse began to cheer out loudly for their victory, as some hugged each other, some couples kissed, and Sonic just sighed in relief. This was a very tiring battle, and he knows that some lives were lost along the way... But it was worth it in the end.

Finally, Opaline was defeated, the multiverse was safe... It was over.

Author's Note

Welp... Just one chapter left.

Guys, I cannot believe that we're done with the saga... I seriously can't. I'll be more emotional on Thursday, but I'm still getting emotional right now.

Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you in two days with the end. Bye! :pinkiesmile:

30. In The Future

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Epilogue

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Part 1: Back to the Multiverse

Universe 220822

Opaline spent the last 4 months trying to recover her lost power.

After Sunny and Tails wiped the floor with her, she's been hiding on her Castle with a barrier that costed half of her powerful state. Now? Even if she still had some power left, it wasn't enough for her to go back outside. Worse of all, the Dragonstone has no dragon fire left, which means that if she's gonna spare her remaining magic, she has to do it wisely.

"I can't believe those fools defeated me! Queen Opaline Arcana!" Opaline shouted in rage, as she paced back and forth in her throne room. "I should have burned them down... Left nothing behind the chance I had control over that virus! What was I even thinking?!"

Unlike Eggman, Opaline lacked patience to do stuff if it didn't went as planned at the first try. Where Eggman could take a brake and relax his mind as he schemes his next big plan, Opaline shouts in rage and brakes stuff with her fire magic just to feel better, but the eternal reminder that she lost wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

"How's that Ivo does it?!" Opaline asked out loudly with rage. "He gets his ass wiped out and beat up all the time, and he still comes back, better, smarter, wiser and stronger than the last time! He never looses the touch! WHY AM I LOOSING MINE?!" She shouted, stomping her hoof on the ground and making a massive wave of fire expand across the castle.

Her voice echoed as it repeated the last sentence she said, while Opaline herself breathed heavily and started to calm herself down.

The Alicorn mare sighed and rubbed her face with a hoof. "Why... Why can't I simply make anything I do work?! Allies or not, I still loose! Am I EVER going to get what I deserve?!" She shouted, but more with a broken voice and not so much with anger.

Suddenly, however, the entire castle shook violently, and Opaline yelped surprised, so she saw herself obligated to flap her wings and fly in the air to not feel the earthquake.

Yet, it didn't changed the fact that she was curious on what caused the earthquake, so she took a quick glance outside of her window... Just for her eyes to widen at the sight: A giant portal open in the sky with the shape of an 'X'; while a red, black and blue background, as well as white lines that conformed every universe on their own, could be seen at the other side.

"What in the name of Equestria is that?!" Opaline exclaimed confused, before using part of her magic to teleport herself out of the lair.

She appeared in the sky, above her own castle, looking up to the giant portal and feeling both intrigued and fascinated by all the lines that could be seen at the other side of that portal.

Nodding to herself, Opaline spread her wings and boosted towards the portal, traversing it in the process.

Opaline opened her eyes to realize she was in some kind of black void.

"What the hell?!" Opaline exclaimed confused. "Where did that stupid portal took me to––" She tried to ask, but then a white light shone bright... just to reveal the same scenario that she was looking at before at her castle, as well as thousands of white curves and lines moving like a river's stream.

She gasped, both amazed and delighted at the sight. She had absolutely no idea where the hell that portal she saw took her, but she could feel her magic flowing without problem, something that wasn't happening back on her castle.

"What is this place?" Opaline asked with a wide and amazed smile. One could say she almost looked like a filly amazed by something extraordinary... But let's not forget who are we talking about here, okay?

"Yes! The multiverse is now mine!" A voice spoke suddenly. Or rather, four voices combined and distorted within themselves.

That made Opaline turn around and see a figure in the distance. This figure was a robot with red arms, green legs, yellow body and a blue head that resembled Eggman's face.

"Of course..." Opaline deadpanned, before quickly teleporting herself around the place.

She came to notice purple crystals floating in the middle, so she used one of them to approach the robot, as well as use it to hide so the machine wouldn't notice her.

"So many worlds... So many possibilities!" The robot said with a huge grin, and Opaline felt confused because of how his voice sounded distorted. "Now, which universe take first?"

Opaline got even more confused with the term 'worlds'. What was Eggman talking about? And why did he sound so weird?

It wasn't until she saw the right arm of the machine that she gasped, and her eyes widened again: A massive prism with red, yellow, blue and green colors was attached to the machine's arm, and Opaline immediately recognized the jewel.

"T-The Paradox Prism?!" Opaline muttered to herself in shock. "B-But I thought that was just a legend!" She added, before gasping in realization. "Wait... If the Paradox Prism is real, and Ivo is accessing to its power... Does than means that––"

However, another voice cut her off before she could say what she was thinking. "How about the one were you never win?!" Sonic's voice asked suddenly.

Both Opaline and the machine turned around, frowning at the image of... three Sonics instead of one.

This last fact made Opaline's eyes widen, so she rubbed her eyes and looked again, but there was still three Sonics instead of just one.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Eggman exclaimed with anger.

"Game's over, Eggman!" Sonic stated with a frown. "We'll settle this right away! The definitive battle for the multiverse is here and now!"

"That's a battle you have lost, rodent!" Eggman stated with confidence. "I won this one! The multiverse is mine!"

"Oh, is that so?" Sonic asked with a grin, before turning on his electrical powers and let go a massive shock over the machine, while the Eggmans and Sage's voices shouted in pain as Sonic electrified them. "Then recover from this and go get us, you bastard!" He challenged with a frown, before boosting away from him.

Grabbing the other two Sonics, Sonic boosted through a white line and entered a universe, while Eggman finally recovered from Sonic's sudden shock.

He frowned and shouted in anger, before turning on his rockets and boost towards the same line that the Sonics got through, also traversing said line.

Opaline saw all of this, and after Eggman and the Sonics were gone, she rubbed her chin in though, while the three Sonics and the robot kept jumping from universe to universe, never noticing Opaline being there, scheming her next move.

"Hmm... That Prism has the power to allow its user to travel to any world they want..." Opaline muttered to herself. "If I could get a glance at that power, not only could I travel to any world I want, but I also could steal all the magic from said worlds! I would be unstoppable!"

"We gotta stop that thing!" A voice said suddenly, and Opaline popped her head from behind the crystal she was hiding.

Not so far, Sonic was laying weakly on a floating boat with a mysterious pony figure, as Sonic's shoes and gloves seemed burned out, while he had a weird disc over his right glove.

"If it keeps reacting in that way, the entire multiverse is gonna get destroyed! I can feel it!" The pony said with concern, and Opaline felt she had heard their voice before.

"...Chip... We don't have to recover the Prism... We have to destroy it..." Sonic pointed out with a determinate look.

"The what now?!" The pony, who Sonic called Chip, asked in disbelief.

"I must do what's better for both dimensions... and for the entire multiverse..." Sonic stated confidently.

"Wait... Please don't tell me he's going to––" Opaline tried to say, but her answer came when Sonic launched himself against the Paradox Prism in the distance, that was now floating in the air, while Eggman couldn't be seen anywhere, but that didn't mattered to Opaline. "NO!" She screamed, before she started to use part of her power to teleport around.

Soon enough, she managed to be a few meters away, but she also noticed that Sonic was ready to destroy the crystal, since he had his right fist charged in electricity.

Knowing that she had to act fast, Opaline thought quickly on a tracking spell, and she launched it as a blast towards the Paradox Prism.

Thankfully for her, it managed to hit the Prism just a second before Sonic hit it and destroyed it, splitting the Prism in four fragments, each one of them also splitting up in 5 pieces, as they all spread across the multiverse, with two blue fragments and one red one falling right towards her universe.

However, Opaline's tracking spell was a bless for the Alicorn, because now her horn could track down all the fragments, but she needed something first before going to get them.

So, smirking, Opaline quickly flew back to the remaining open portal and traversed it, returning to her universe.

Universe 220822

Now that she was back in her universe, Opaline could feel her horn tickling her a little.

She also could see Sonic and a blue piece of fragment from the Prism falling into the sea, but her horn tickled her again, and suddenly, it created and invisible path that only she could see thanks to her magic.

Opaline turned to see the path created by her magic, and she saw that it lead to the forest near Maretime Bay, so she teleported right in front of it. Once there, she started to walk across the forest, burning down some branches that got in her way to clear her path.

After a few seconds, she saw a red glow in the distance, so she charged a fire blast with her horn and launched it through the forest, burning half of it down and making a massive whole in the middle of the trees.

The Alicorn proudly flew deeper into the forest, then she landed and looked down at the piece of fragment from the Paradox prism, the red one. She used her magic to levitate the piece closer, but as she did so, the prism vibrated a bit, and it sent a small red trial to her horn.

"What the..." Opaline muttered, just for her eyes to turn white all of a sudden.

She was now having a vision, one where she was sitting at a throne, while she was staring down at a large crowd of not only ponies, but also Mobians, humans, robots... All kinds of creatures, bowing and cheering her name loudly.

When the vision was over, Opaline opened her eyes widely and took a deep breath, since that vision came out of nowhere, as the red trial from the Prism fragment's piece went back to the shard. This left Opaline confused... A confusion that faded away as her grin grew big.

"I knew it..." Opaline muttered happily, now looking at the Prism shard happily. "It's just one shard from a bigger Prism... But it's still powerful enough to sent me through the Multiverse!"

To prove her theory, Opaline looked at the bracelets on her hooves, then looked again at the shard and smirked.

She levitated the Prism's shard and attached it to her bracelet on her right foreleg. As a result, a red shockwave was sent though Opaline's body, making the mare's eyes to glow bright in red electricity, as well as causing her horn and wings to light up with red fire.

Soon enough, Opaline shook her head, and her wings and horn went back to normal... But she felt different, less weak and more... powerful than ever.

"Huh..." Opaline muttered, looking down at the red Prism's shard attached to her bracelet. "That's... new... It's just one small shard, but... It gave me more power than any flame of Dragon Fire has ever done it before... I wonder..."

Wanting to test another theory she just had, Opaline lightened her horn and focused all the energy of the Prism's shard to her horn, before shooting a laser in the air that opened a red portal. She looked at it hesitant at first, but she needed to be sure she wasn't crazy, so she nodded to herself and traversed the portal, as it closed behind her.

Universe 080819

A red portal opened in the middle of a field.

Soon enough, Opaline came out of it and landed, as she looked ahead of herself, just for her eyes to open wide for what felt like the millionth time today: Not so far from where she was located, she could see Canterlot's Castle in all his glory, back when Celestia and Luna were still rulers of Equestria.

This made Opaline smirk widely and start to laugh like a maniac. "I cannot believe this! It worked!" She cheered happily, as she looked down at her bracelet with the Prism's shard. "Now I have access to any reality I want! Which also means... That I can take over all the magic I want from any universe, any age and any magical creature... Who needs Dragon Fire when you have the whole multiverse in the sole of my hoof?!"

She let out a maniac laugh. Opaline's journey across the multiverse was starting, and it promised bad news...

Author's Note

Ladies and gentleman... Welcome to the beginning of the end! :pinkiehappy:

This is it. My last story, where I put everything I have at stake. This is the story where we're gonna see our characters struggling the most, specially with Sonic being... a special case, to put it in some way. Of course, giving context to what I'm talking about is a spoiler, but I know you guys won't mind.

By the way, the universe Opaline visits at the end of this prologue is from this story by Jade Ring, in case you wanna go and check that out.

Now brace yourselves, because the first chapter... is not about the main universe, but it is about an important character. Soon, you'll see what I mean :raritywink:

3. The Call for Adventure

Universe 040222

Izzy was running as fast as her hooves allowed her to run.

It's been a week or so ever since her whole reality started over, and now, she was stranded on the Ancient Equestria Sunny always fan-girled about... It wasn't as beautiful as she expected it to.

Although the problem isn't the setting, to be honest, because she's been here before. After all, she came to this world several times to meet with her friends from this era. The real problem is who is chasing her... Somepony she believed was defeated in the previous reality she changed.

"S-She shouldn't be here... She was defeated!" Izzy muttered to herself as she kept running as fast as she could. "H-How did she survived?! This makes no sense!"

Suddenly, some kind of sixth instinct shouted her in her mind to move left, and move left she did so, because at her right, a massive blast of fire was shoot and could have killed her. With a yelp and eyes open wide in panic, Izzy forced her hooves a bit more to keep running, since she really didn't wanted to die.

Soon, she started to dodge more and more of those fire blasts, as she seriously wanted to escape alive and simply hide somewhere, anywhere where she could be safe.

Unfortunately, a figure flew over her, and just when Izzy finally spotted a cave and started to head towards said place, a figure landed in front of her, stomping their hooves loudly and showing off their open wings, which were both flaming in fire, as well as their horn.

Izzy stopped moving and looked with wide and panicked eyes at the figure in front of her: Queen Opaline Arcana, who seemed intact, menacing, alive.

She also had a small red crystal attached to her right foreleg's bracelet, one that looked just like the one she collected right before the entire universe shifted and sent her in here... Maybe that's how Opaline survived and was chasing her now? It was hard to tell.

"Going somewhere, little pony?" Opaline asked Izzy with a sinister grin.

Hearing her voice gave Izzy huge PTSD, as she started to remember the fight she and her friends had against the Fire Alicorn, right before she killed...

Shaking her head, Izzy reminded that last thing, and fear faded away to let in the feeling of hate and anger, something she rarely felt before, but it was justified with Opaline. After all, she killed one of her friends, and she wasn't going to allow the Fire Alicorn to hurt her or anypony else ever again.

So, with a warrior cry, Izzy charged up her horn and shot against Opaline, but the Fire Alicorn's grin never disappeared. In fact, she even let Izzy launch her powerful and devastating attack.

She was letting go all her frustration and hate with this blast. For everything Opaline ever did she was getting revenge: To Misty, to Sunny, to those poor souls that Opaline killed with no mercy, and to herself and her friends, who fought until their last breath to keep Equestria safe.

Izzy started to tear up as she launched this attack, but she didn't cared if it was hurting her. She only wanted to make sure Opaline felt in pain for everything she did.

And so, after several seconds where she used all her strength into that powerful blast, Izzy finally let go, before falling on her tummy over the ground and start to pant painfully and exhausted, but also smiling, because she felt a huge weight get off her shoulders now that she launched that attack...

An attack that did nothing to Opaline.

The Fire Alicorn's maniac laugh was everything Izzy needed to hear to understand that she used all her strength in that attack for nothing, and that weight came back, as well as the PTSD.

Soon, the dust left by Izzy's blast dissipated, and it showed that Opaline was completely fine. She didn't even used a shield to protect herself, and she was still intact. Izzy was so confused, but a part of her felt that she should had expected an outcome like this one.

Suddenly, Opaline disappeared, like if she was just a ghost, and that confused Izzy even more, but then, she felt something on her back, and her eyes widened in panic again, while she gulped nervously.

So, she slowly turned at her side, and she found Opaline right there, grinning sinisterly at the unicorn mare.

"You really thought you had me there, didn't you?" Opaline mocked up.

Of course, Izzy's first instinct was to try and get up to run away from her, but Opaline had no mercy on her and kicked her really hard, sending her rolling over the ground, until she crashed on her back against one of the walls of the cave she initially tried to escape to earlier.

Izzy fell painfully into the ground, but then, she grunted in pain when Opaline suddenly zoomed to her and kicked her again, this time even hitting her face and making her nose bleed.

Izzy rubbed her nose with her hooves, and she started to tear up again, but then, she was surrounded by a magical aura and lifted in the air, then abruptly approached to face Opaline again, as Izzy now felt scared, because she couldn't move at all surrounded by Opaline's magic.

"You truly are a stubborn pony no matter the universe, aren't you?" Opaline said with a frown.

"U-Universe?" Izzy said, both confused and scared.

"Yes. Universe. U, N, I, V, E, R, S, E!" Opaline replied with anger. "Did you understand it, or is your little brain presenting problems to process this information?!"

Izzy gulped nervously and looked around, not knowing what to do to escape alive from this.

"I've been traveling countless worlds for a full year now, and thanks to you, not only I finally have enough strength to start looking for all the fragments of the Paradox Prism..." Opaline started.

After that, she levitated the green piece of the Prism's shard, before attaching it to her left foreleg's bracelet, which sent a green shockwave across her body, even making her eyes to glow bright in green electricity, as well as causing her horn and wings to light up with green fire.

"But now, I can travel even FURTHER into the multiverse!" Opaline shouted with pride, followed by her maniac laugh that made Izzy remember all the Fire Alicorn did again.

"W-What are you talking about?!" Izzy shouted confused. "H-How did you managed to survive the reset?! How are you still alive?!"

Opaline stopped laughed and deadpanned at Izzy, then rolled her eyes annoyed and shook her head in disapproval. "Oh, Izzy, Izzy, Izzy... In case you haven't understand: I'm from another universe, and soon? YOU AND ALL YOUR PATHETIC FRIENDS FROM THIS WORLD WILL KNEEL TO ME!!!"

After saying this, Opaline absorbed Izzy's magic by opening her mouth and turning her eyes white, while Izzy screamed in pain, as her Cutie Mark slowly disappeared, meaning that she lost all her magic.

After this, Opaline released Izzy, who fell unconscious in the ground, while the Alicorn started to laugh like a maniac once again, before turning around and now open a green portal, as she traversed it to leave this universe.

Universe 220822

Sonic decided to bring Sunny over to Canterlot and explain her everything Sunset explained.

Of course, hearing that an Alicorn Sunset Shimmer from another universe that personally knows Twilight Sparkle was a massive shock enough for the Earth Pony mare, but hearing that she wanted her help and Sonic's to save the multiverse from Opaline? Now that blowed her mind.

"Oh my gosh..." Sunny muttered with wide and shocked eyes.

"Are you prepared for what's coming?" Sonic asked Sunset with a playful smirk, also laying over a wall with his arms crossed.

"Yeah. I'm used to it." Sunset replied.

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" Sunny exclaimed loudly in excitement. "Sunset Shimmer... T-Twilight Sparkle, too... T-They want my help to save the whole multiverse?!"

After saying all of this loudly, she squealed in excitement, still finding hard to believe that she could be helpful for Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle to face off Opaline and stop her from conquering the multiverse.

"Well, yeah!" Sunset replied with a smile. "Since you and this giant blue rat have faced her in the past, we're really convinced that you guys can help us out!"

"Blue rat? Is that going to be my nickname now, bacon head?" Sonic asked and mocked up with a smirk.

"W-Well... Yeah!" Sunny said in excitement. "I would love to join the cause! I mean, whenever else you get a chance like this one to meet freaking Twilight Sparkle herself?!"

"See? I told you she'll say yes!" Sonic said, before zooming to stand at Sunny's side and wrap an arm around her neck. "So, now that we both accepted to help. What's this test you mentioned before about?"

"Wait, test?" Sunny asked confused.

"Yeah, I was getting to that..." Sunset said with a sheepish smile and a chuckle. "You see, to join the Secret Society, there's a total of 2 tests: One physical, and one verbal."

"Well, that doesn't sounds so bad!" Sonic said with a smile.

"Yeah! We've been doing a lot of physical stuff the past three years. I say we have this!" Sunny agreed.

"Well, the physical test isn't that difficult, and I'm convinced you two will pass it with no problems." Sunset admitted with a smile. "The verbal one? That's gonna be hard..."

"Why, exactly?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because the verbal test is made by..." Sunset started, before looking around and then look back at Sunny and Sonic. "The chief!"

"...Who?" Sunny asked.

"FS!" Sunset replied with concern. "He makes sure everyone passes the verbal test while pressuring them to answer! But trust me when I say this: With you two, he won't have mercy."

"Why with us, specifically?" Sonic asked confused, but also frowning and crossing his arms.

"Sonic, FS hates Universe 151222 because it disrupted its own universe, remember?" Sunset pointed out. "What do you think he's gonna say to the guy that travelled through the multiverse and fought the guy that almost made it collapse?"

Sonic's eyes widened, and he clearly understood Sunset's point. Worse of all, considering Sunny is from the same universe, he was convinced that FS won't be nice with either of them.

"Yeah, okay. I see your point..." Sonic muttered with concern. "But we don't have to let him intimidate us! We've been through a lot of crap the past three years. We can deal with this guy!"

"Right!" Sunny agreed once again with a determinate look and smile. "FS thinks he can scare us? Well, then let's hurt his ego by passing his tests!"

"That's the kind of attitude we expect in the Society!" Sunset said with a smile. "Oh, but before we move to that, there's another thing I should tell you, and this one isn't related to the multiverse, but... It is something you have to know!"

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

To this, Sunset pressed a button on her gizmo, and showed footage of Eggman in Mobius, building up his machines in one of his factories.

"I still don't know who sent this, but I received this footage from this universe's Mobius." Sunset explained. "I think Dr. Eggman is there, and whatever he might be planning, I don't think is good."

"So that's where Eggman's been the whole year?! IN MOBIUS?!" Sonic screamed with disbelief, also grabbing his quills and messing them up a bit.

"And he's building more badniks?!" Sunny said with concern.

"Among other stuff, I think..." Sunset replied with concern, stopping showing the images. "I'm telling you this because I know that Mobius is also your home, Sonic. I know you guys want to help us save the multiverse, but I'll understand if you'd rather stay here and––"

"No, no, no!" Sonic and Sunny said in unison.

"We're still going to help to save the multiverse!" Sonic stated.

"However, we're gonna have to stay and explain this to everyone else." Sunny pointed out.

"Oh..." Sunset said with wide eyes, while her ears lowered and she scratched her neck a bit nervous. "W-Well... The thing is, uh... I was hoping this was going to remain a secret between us three? You know, because the Secret Society is named like that for a reason..."

"We can't lie in the faces of our friends, Sunset" Sonic pointed out with concern. "Otherwise? I don't think I could consider myself a good friend anymore..."

"Me neither..." Sunny said, agreeing with Sonic's words.

Of course, hearing this made Sunset feel even worse because of what she's hiding from them both, but she still refused to tell them, specially since they still need to learn about something that FS will explain them.

So, Sunset sighed and rubbed her head a bit. "...FS is gonna kill me if he ever finds out about this, but... I'll let you guys explain what you have to."

The next day, Sonic and Sunny had to explain the whole thing to their friends.

Or at least summarize it: They told them that Mobius was in danger, as well as the multiverse, and they explained why they needed them to go to Mobius and stop Eggman from whatever he is doing.

"So Eggman's been in Mobius the whole year?!" Knuckles exclaimed in anger. "Ugh! I should've known that son of his egg mother was going to move eventually!"

"Well, the good news is that we have the Chaos Emeralds, and that first machine to open a portal I made in Season 1!" Tails pointed out with a smile. "However, I still don't get why you two specifically can't come with us?" He confessed, pointing at Sonic and Sunny.

"Since the multiverse is at stake, we cannot go with you guys." Sonic pointed out.

"Sunset said her boss only needs us two, and trust me when I say I hate leaving you all behind!" Sunny added with concern. "But if we wanna join the cause... We have to follow their rules."

"I find it pretty strange that this 'Secret Society' has existed for a full year, but they're showing up just now..." Shadow said with a frown.

"Hate to admit it, but I'm with Shadow on this one..." Amy said with concern. "Why this Secret Society didn't tried to communicate with us before? O-Or recruiting Sonic earlier? He literally travelled through the multiverse and is one of the reasons why they made the Society in the first place!"

"This smells really fishy..." Zipp said with concern, also rubbing her chin, before smiling. "But, I do admit that I'm curious on meeting Mobius! And, we're doing this for a greater cause too, remember?"

"Yeah! Eggman is also dangerous, and while Sunny and Sonic deal with Opaline, we deal with Eggman!" Izzy pointed out cheerfully.

"I think this is a win-win situation!" Misty agreed with Izzy with a smile.

"I really don't like how this all sounds, but... If it's for a greater good, then I'm down!" Hitch said, before he walked over to Sunny and wrapped her on a hug, while Sunny giggled and hugged him back. "Just be careful wherever you two are going, okay?"

Sunny broke the hug and smiled warmly at Hitch, before tenderly kissing his lips and then pull away. "I'll be back in one piece, Hitchy. I promise~"

On the other hand, Sonic approached Pipp, who was flying and looking down at him with her hooves crossed and a frown.

"I know, I know... Another broken promise, but this time around is not my fault!" Sonic said defensively, but Pipp's posture remained the same. "Look, Pipp, sweetie. I'll make it up to you, I promise... But after a whole year wondering what was next in my life, I finally have the chance to actually do something and not just stand on the ground, waiting for my arm to recover."

Pipp's frown seemed to be shifting, but Pipp herself wanted to remain mad, although she was failing.

"I have the chance to do something bigger, something that's gonna help everyone in the multiverse!" Sonic pointed out. "I won't make any more promises because, at this point? We already know something's gonna happen that will make that promise brake... But I do know I can make it up to you..." He added with a little smile, now extending his hand to her.

By some instinct, Pipp slowly descended and landed in the ground, placing her hoof on Sonic's hand, while he caressed it tenderly, and even if Pipp wanted to keep acting mad, her frown was disappearing at this point.

"I'll come back as intact as I can. No extremities will be compromised!" Sonic assured with a wink. "The only promise I'll make... Is that I'll be back with you. No matter what it takes."

After saying this, Sonic kneeled and tenderly kissed her hoof, the same way he did back when they first met, and Pipp's heart melted. She even blushed slightly, but then quickly shook her head and looked at Sonic with a frown.

"...I really hope... That you come back." Pipp limited herself to say. "Intact or not, I don't care... I just want you back with me, Blue Star... Understood?"

Sonic smiled and nodded, before kissing her hoof one last time. "Hai, hai, senchō~" He replied, saying 'Aye, aye, captain~' in Japanese.

Pipp smiled, before tenderly kissing Sonic's lips and then separate, while Sonic walked back to see his Mobian friends.

"And you three? Better quick Eggman's ass so hard that he can't sit in a month at least!" Sonic told them with a smirk.

"Let's triple it to three months, and it's a deal!" Knuckles said, extending his fist with a smirk, while Sonic snorted and fist-bumped with him.

"I'm with Pipp, Sonic: Intact or not, you better come back!" Amy warned with a frown.

"Yes, Captain Rose!" Sonic said with a salute and a wink, before looking at Tails. "Little bro? Can I trust you to lead the team while I'm out with Sunny saving the multiverse?"

"As long as Knuckles behaves himself, we'll be fine!" Tails assured with a smile and a wink.

"Hey! Why am I always the butt of the joke?!" Knuckles complained.

"They love messing with you, Knux. You should know that already!" Amy pointed out with a chuckle, but Knuckles still groaned and rolled his eyes annoyed.

"As for you three? Trash down Eggman as usual! I know you guys won't disappoint me in that department!" Sonic told Team Dark with a mocking smirk.

"Destroying Eggman is my top priority!" Omega informed, as he changed his left hand to his weapons and charged for a second.

"Take care of Sunny, Hedgehog." Shadow told Sonic with a frown and his arms crossed, but when he opened his mouth to say something else...

"I know what are you gonna say, faker, and let me assure you that I'll be the first one to hit myself if Sunny gets a single scratch." Sonic said with a calmed smirk. "After me, is Hitch, then Tails, and you can have the pleasure to hit me the hardest if that happens!"

"The you better make sure she comes back intact, faker." Shadow warned, but smirking as well.

"Have fun, blue!" Rouge told Sonic with a smile.

"Not as much as you three with Eggman!" Sonic stated with his thumbs up.

On the other hand, the mares of the Mane 6 were all hugging tightly Sunny in a goodbye manner, but as Zipp, Pipp and Misty let her go, Izzy kept hugging her tightly.

"Um... Izzy? This is the part where you let me go, you know?" Sunny pointed out with a sheepish smile, but still not braking the bear hug Izzy was giving her.

"I'm gonna miss you so much!" Izzy cried out dramatically with some tears on her eyes.

"Aww! I'll miss you too, Iz..." Sunny said with a smile, before looking over at the rest. "In fact, I'm gonna miss all of you! But we're all fighting for a greater cause here. And you all have it easier than me!"

"Yeah... We face a coo coo crazy Alicorn that can move across the Multiverse, you guys are facing Eggman and his robots..." Sonic pointed out as he zoomed in. "Nothing you guys haven't done before!"

However, after saying this with a wink, he was wrapped in another tight hug by Izzy, and Sonic chuckled, hugging her back.

"I'm sure you guys will have more excitement than us, though..." Zipp said, rolling her eyes and smirking. "Still, be careful out there."

"Take care of each other!" Misty added with a smile.

"And please come back with us!" Pipp reminded with a little smile, although she was still really worried, both for Sonic and Sunny.

"Like if you could get rid of me that easily!" Sonic joked with a smile.

Meanwhile, Sunny was hugging Sparky tightly like a loving mother would do with her child, and even kissed his head tenderly, while the baby dragon babbled happily. Then, he jumped and landed on Sonic's head, hugging him and nuzzling over him, while Sonic chuckled, grabbed Sparky and messed his head a bit with a fist.

After that, he gave the baby dragon back to Hitch, while Sunny was being hugged tightly by Tails and Shadow, the latter not even caring if he was showing some affect in public.

After this, Sunny and Sonic looked at each other, nodded, and then prepared to run away.

"Whoa, wait, Sonic!" Tails said suddenly, and both Sonic and Sunny turned to him. "I forgot something!"

After saying this, Tails took out some kind of gear-like bracelet that had an Inhibitor Disc at the top, which Sonic used recognized immediately, because it looked exactly like the ones rotor made for him last year.

"I have the feeling that you still have Prismatic Energy inside of you, so I made this!" Tails explained with a smile, giving Sonic the bracelet with the Inhibitor Disc. "I call it Inhibitor Bracelet!"

Sonic grabbed the bracelet and looked at it with a smile, before put it on his right hand, since he did knew that he still had some of the Prism's energy inside of him.

"You just have to let it calibrate a bit once you arrive to any universe, and then, you have to press the disc like a button!" Tails explained with a smile.

"Well, this will certainly be useful! Thanks, little bro!" Sonic told him with a smile.

With this ready, Sonic turned around, then positioned to run, took a deep breath, and when he opened his now electrical blue eyes, he smirked, before both him and Sunny boosted away, since the Earth Pony mare activated her Alicorn form to keep up the pace with Sonic.

And where were they running to? Well, they moved towards Canterlot again, since Sunset was waiting for them in there.

Once they came back to Canterlot's Castle, Sunset looked at them with a smile. "Well, took you long enough!"

"Sorry for the delay, Sunset. We took a while saying goodbye to our friends..." Sunny said with a sheepish smile.

"And Tails give me this so my Prismatic Energy won't get out of control, in case you wonder what is it." Sonic explained with a smirk.

"Oh!" Sunset said with wide eyes and a chuckle. "Well, that does gets out of the way why you have that on your arm... Anyways!"

After this, Sunset pressed a few buttons on her watch, and then, an heptagon-shaped portal opened behind her, as it glitched a bit and made some rubble around float in the air, while Sunny stared at the portal in awe.

"Our next destination is the universe where your physical test will take place" Sunset explained with a smile. "Come on, you two! Try to keep up!" She mocked up, before crossing the portal.

"Hey, that's my line!" Sonic said playfully, but before he could follow Sunset, Sunny grabbed him from an arm.

"Sonic, wait!" Sunny said with concern, and Sonic turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "I... I know you have done this thing of traveling through the multiverse before, but... I'm... I'm still nervous and unsure about this..."

"What do you mean?" The Blue Bluer asked with concern.

"I know this is all for a greater good, but... What if we don't fit in among the Secret Society? I mean, there's a bunch of variants from ourselves there already!" Sunny pointed out with wide and panicked eyes. "I know that Sunset says is Future Sonic the one who believes we are the key to defeat Opaline since she's from our universe, but... What if he's wrong? What if we don't belong with them?"

Seeing what concerned her so much, Sonic felt sympathy for her, but he still smiled warmly and kneeled to face her. "Sunny, I understand your concern... But I have a really good feeling! You think that if this FS didn't believed we can help, then he wouldn't had sent Sunset to help us?"

Sunny looked up at him with surprise, then thought about his words for a second. "...I... I guess you have a point..."

"And what's that crap about not fitting in? Sunny, we'll be going to a place full of more Sonics, more Sunnys, more Twilights... More everyone!" Sonic pointed out with excitement. "These guys are us from all across the multiverse! Not fitting with them is like trying to pull out a blue ball from a bag of red balls... It makes no sense! Trust me, Sunny-Bunny: We belong with them!"

After hearing all of this, Sunny smiled, and now, excitement filled her as well. "Okay. I feel better now. Let's go and take that test!"

With this statement, they both decided to traverse the portal together, while a white flash blurred them for a moment, until their vision was now switched like if it had static from an old TV...

Soon, the Static effect came to end, and now, Sonic was narrowing his eyes.

The blue hedgehog was traveling at top speed across some kind of heptagon-shape tunnel, but while he was positioned like if he was diving at first, soon he loose control over his own body, which resulted on him screaming in panic and moving wildly across the tunnel, until he reached the end of said tunnel with wide and panicked eyes.

Sonic screamed again, and one more time, his vision got blurred by a white flashlight.

Universe 271213

Once his vision cleared again, Sonic was now falling towards a city with massive buildings.

Sonic screamed in panic as he did so, and soon, he was bumping into a bunch of carps and cables hanging in the air, until he was sent upwards again because of some of said cables pulling him away.

Sonic screamed in panic as this happened, but he also noticed that both his right arm and his feet were glowing with the energy of the Paradox Prism, which made his eyes open wide. But then, he started to fell towards the ground again, so he quickly curled into a ball and launched himself towards a building.

Once he landed on the building, he slid a bit, but managed to stop. Then, Sunny came by and landed right at his side with a little smile.

"Well, that was quite the number!" She said with a giggle.

"I agree!" Sunset spoke, as she also landed near them. "You know how to make a show, blue rat!"

"Oh, ha-ha. So funny." Sonic deadpanned at the two mares, but then, his feet tried to get out of control, until Sonic decided to stand on his hands for a second.

"Uh... What's with your shoes and your arm?" Sunset questioned confused.

"Yeah... That think seems a bit dangerous..." Sunny pointed out with concern.

"Well, the Prismatic Energy inside of me allows me to travel to any universe I want by will, but it's out of control, so it ends up doing whatever it wants..." Sonic explained with a bored expression at first, before smiling. "Thankfully, Tails made this for me!"

After saying this, Sonic pressed the Inhibitor Disc like a button, and then stood up normally again. After this, the Prismatic Energy started to tune with the Inhibitor Bracelet, and so, Sonic's shoes changed to look red with grey sole, also having some yellow and black lines at the sides. His gloves also changed, and now they were grey with white fingers.

"Haha! There it is!" Sonic cheered with a smile. "No more energy overflow, no more slipping and sliding, an awesome look, and no smoke will come out for sure!"

"Whoa!" Sunny and Sunset said surprised.

"So this is what happens with your clothes thanks to the bracelet?!" Sunny asked amazed.

"Yup!" Sonic replied with a smirk. "But let's not focus on how cool my clothes look right now! We have a physical test to pass!"

"Right!" Sunset said, since she almost forgot why they moved here in the first place. "Follow me!"

With this, Sunset dived down from the building they were standing over and started to fly over the city, with Sunny following her example, while Sonic began to run over the buildings at top speed, before starting to run over the streets to follow the two Alicorns.

"So, what's our first test about, exactly?!" Sonic decided to ask.

Before replying, Sunset checked the information she had to make sure she wasn't wrong. "According to this data, there's a variant of a really dangerous enemy named King Sombra from Universe 240214 that has been dragged here to Universe 271213 by Opaline. Your test is to help us neutralize the enemy!"

"So we're fighting a guy that runs with smoke... Great..." Sonic deadpanned.

"Don't underestimate someone like Sombra, Sonic!" Sunny said with a frown. "I have read from him... He's a really dangerous threat, and we must stop him!"

"So we don't have to underestimate that guy. Understood!" Sonic said with a smirk.

However, Sunny's eyes suddenly widened when she reminded something that Sunset said. "Wait... Sunset, did you said 'help us' or 'help me'?"

However, before Sunset could explain herself, they all heard and saw a massive explosion, around 10 miles away from them.

"Less talk, more work! Get to it, rookies!" Sunset said, as she headed upwards to approach faster towards the explosion.

"Rookie? Me?! I literally explored the multiverse before this whole 'Secret Society' even existed, remember?!" Sonic shouted with a frown.

"She's just trying to see how good you work under pressure, and right now? You're not making a really good impression, Sonic..." Sunny pointed out with a deadpan, before following Sunset's example.

"Oh, great. Now she's judging my methods, too..." Sonic said annoyed and rolled his eyes.

Shaking his head from those thoughts, Sonic accelerated and moved towards the explosion's zone.

Meanwhile, at the place where the explosion happened, King Sombra was moving at fast paste, turned in some kind of black cloud that moved on its own.

"Haha! This is incredible, isn't it?!" King Sombra said with a smirk, while Sunset flied around and tried to see where he was going, since she had her horn charged and wanted to shot at him, but he simply kept moving around. "I feel like a complete new pony!"

"Where the heck is he going?!" Sunset explained with concern and rage.

Soon, Sunny joined her and charged her horn as well, but seeing how fast and randomly Sombra moved on his cloud, she groaned frustrated eventually.

"Can you please stop moving like that?!" She groaned in anger.

Soon, Sunset pressed a button on her watch, and a small screen that showed Twilight appeared. "I have eyes on the anomaly!"

"Then go and get him!" Twilight said with an annoyed tone. "You better not screw this up like with the last guy you were testing, Sunset. You know how the chief treated you..."

"Stop pressuring! You're being kind of nosy!" Sunset replied with an eye roll.

"Aw, come on, girl!" Sombra said with a laugh, before appearing on full body over a building. "You've gotta admit that this looks way cooler!"

"In your dreams, Sombra maltrecha!" Sonic spoke, and so, he kicked King Sombra's jaw since he appeared literally out of nowhere to surprise him, before throwing him from the building with a charged Spin Dash. "You forgot to watch your back!"

Sombra groaned in pain and cracked his neck a bit, before turning into a cloud again and start to move over and away from the trio.

"How did you did that?!" Sunset exclaimed.

However, Sonic began to run away at top speed, following Sombra close enough.

"Sonic, wait!" Sunny called out, as Sunset and her followed the blue hedgehog.

"Sombra isn't watching his back!" Sonic pointed out. "Two of us have to distract him the same way you two did, while the third one attacks him by surprise like I did! And because of that last part: Sunny, you're up next to kick his jaw!"

"Roger that!" Sunny said, as she stopped flying for a moment and turned to other direction.

"Sunset? You and I have to distract him and make him stop again!" Sonic told the other Alicorn.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Sunset replied with a smile.

Soon, Sonic was running over the buildings again, while Sunset flapped her wings like she never did before.

"Sombra!" Sunset called out with anger, and the cloud stopping moving for a second, before moving upwards to dodge Sunset, who tried to kick his face with her forelegs.

"Hey, Ponyfied Shadow! Missed me?!" Sonic spoke next, but just when he jumped and prepared to hit Sombra with a fist charged in electricity, the cloud Sombra used to move dodged the attack as well.

"Hahaha!" Sombra cheered, returning to his normals self in the air for a moment. "You failed this time!"

However, he couldn't cheer any longer, because Sunny literally appeared right over him and blasted a powerful laser beam that sent the unicorn towards the ground, as he groaned in pain because of the hit and the crash.

Still, Sombra wasn't planning on giving up, and so, he turned again into the cloud and started to move far away, but now, he was using his powers to destroy some buildings in the process to distract the trio from him.

Of course, seeing what was his plan, Sonic's eyes widened in panic, because he saw thousands of ponies in danger, and even if they belonged to other universe, they were still innocent beings at the end of the day, and he wasn't going to allow them getting hurt.

"You two take care of Sombra!" Sonic said with anger. "Leave the citizens to me!"

"Sonic, wait! We can't let the anomaly escape!" Sunset pointed out with concern.

"And we won't!" Sunny assured her with a determinate look. "Didn't you hear what he said? He's gonna save all the citizens from the falling buildings and over the streets! He's the fastest thing alive in all the senses, he can handle it! We gotta take charge of Sombra before he makes the multiverse collapse for staying too long, right?!"

After Sunny said all of this, Sunset looked at her and blinked a few times, completely surprised and speechless by everything she just heard. "Wow... FS truly knows why he choose you two..." She commented with a smile. "You two really are perfect for this mission!"

After hearing this, Sunny couldn't help but smile and feel proud of herself and Sonic, before shaking her head and focus again. "Thanks for the compliment, but we have work to do!" She stated, before flying ahead and keep following Sombra.

Sunset smiled proudly, before following her example, while Sombra himself kept smashing buildings to try and distract them, but thankfully, Sonic was being twice as fast as ever, and he was getting everyone in danger out of it, also making sure that he wasn't leaving anyone behind.

After that, Sonic rushed towards Sunny and Sunset, then ran at top speed over a building, and then charged up his Spin Dash with electricity, before jumping over and try to hit Sombra again, but the cloud moved.

Then, Sunny came along and tried to hit him with other beam again, but Sombra dodged that one too and then materialized over a building. "I'm really getting tired of you––" He tried to say with anger, but he was cut off when Sunset launched a blast herself that sent Sombra flying away.

With this, Sunset rushed and tried to make the last hit, but...

"Haha, yes! You've got this, Sunset!" Sonic cheered, as he literally came out of nowhere, but still smiled at her with his thumbs up.

"Uh, thanks? I gue–– UGH!" Sunset yelped in pain when Sombra hit her in the face with his hoof and made her fall towards the ground.

"Oopsies!" Sombra said with a mocking tone. "Didn't expected that, did ya? I honestly didn't either."

Sunset tried to flap her wings, but before doing so, she hit her head against a ceiling and fell a bit dizzy, not able to think straight nor fly upwards.

"Sunset!" Sonic screamed in panic, before launching himself from his place and dive towards her.

"Oh no!" Sunny exclaimed in panic, but since Sonic was taking charge of rescuing her, she decided to take charge of deal with Sombra by herself.

"Woo! I'm in the zone!" Sombra cheered, before moving away happily.

Meanwhile, Sonic was diving towards Sunset, but he was not going to make it, and he wasn't close to a wall to use his super speed to reach the ground early and save her. So, he checked if his Inhibitor Bracelet allowed him to use the electrical lasso... but it didn't.

This made Sonic open his eyes widely in panic, and he also looked down at Sunset, who still felt dizzy and was falling towards her death.

"S-Sunset..." Sonic muttered with panic and an anxious look, before he finally extended his right arm at her. "SUNSET!!!" He screamed out loudly this time.

And suddenly, as his scream echoed across the entire city, Sonic's right arm started to glow brightly, before it transformed Sonic's arm with glitches, and soon, he now had the Werehog arm. Of course, this confused him a lot, but he had not time to question how it happened.

So, he extended the Werehog arm and grabbed Sunset, before pulling it back and grab Sunset in bridal style, curling into a ball and rolling on the ground, before sliding a bit and finally stop.

Once they were both safe, Sonic carefully placed Sunset in the ground, and then, he checked on her to make sure she was safe. "Are you okay, Sunset?"

Sunset groaned a bit in pain and shook her head, since she was still feeling a bit dizzy. "I... I guess I am..." She replied, before looking over at Sonic and smile. "Thanks for the save, but... How did you do it?"

Sonic looked over at his right arm, still turned into the Werehog one, before it glitched out again and restored it to the normal one.

"...I honestly don't know..." Sonic muttered. "Perhaps my arm has Prismatic Energy too, but... I have no idea how that one works..."

Suddenly, though, they both heard Sunny grunting, and so, they both looked upwards, just to panic at the sight of Sombra playing with Sunny in the air, before throwing her towards the ground.

"SUNNY!!!!!" Sonic shouted desperately in panic.

However, Sunny was soon saved by a strange figure that quickly moved in the air and zoomed right besides Sonic, leaving Sunny safe and sound at his side, which surprised Sonic, but still made him smile, and he hugged her tightly, while Sunset sighed in relief and smiled as well.

"Oh, thank Chaos you're fine, Sunny!" Sonic said happily. "Are you okay?"

"Uh... Yeah... I'm fine..." Sunny replied, feeling a bit dizzy and lost. "I... I was one second falling over, and now I'm here..."

"Yeah... Remember you asked why I said 'help us' before, Sunny?" Sunset reminded with a smirk, before pointing up in the air.

Both Sonic and Sunny turned, and what they saw truly amazed them: A pink pegasus with light blue hair, dark blue eyes, and two light blue lightning bolts as her Cutie Mark was flying at top speed towards Sombra, who didn't even had a chance to react at her first attack, then at the second, and then at the third one.

For the fourth one, though, he turned into a cloud again and moved aside, which made the pegasus groan, as she accelerated to chase him down and try to hit him.

"Who the heck is that?!" Sonic asked with a smile and amazement.

"Sonic, Sunny: Let me introduce you to Firefly!" Sunset said with a smile. "She's technically a Rainbow Dash variant." She explained, before she took flight away.

Sonic prepared to run behind, but then, he noticed that Sunny was with her jaw dropped, looking at the direction where Firefly flew away, and he rolled his eyes with a smirk, because he knew she was internally fangirling after hearing that she's a Rainbow Dash variant.

"Come on, Sunny! We have a multiverse to save!" Sonic reminded her, before boosting away.

Sunny shook her head and finally got out of her fangirling zone. "Oh, right... Right!"

After this, she took flight again and followed everyone else, while Sonic began to run over buildings again.

On the other hand, King Sombra was still trying to get away by demolishing several buildings, which was enraging Sonic.

So, both him and Firefly moved at super sonic speed to get everypony out of the streets, as well as out of the buildings that he was demolishing.

"Hey, you move really fast!" Firefly told Sonic with a smirk, as she flew in the air, while Sonic ran over the buildings.

"Yeah, well, it's kind of my thing!" Sonic said with a huge mocking smirk. "I guess you are Firefly, the fastest pegasus in Equestria?"

"And you are Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing alive!" Firefly replied with the same mocking tone.

"Oh, you've heard about me?" Sonic kept mocking up.

"Dude, I have interacted with at least 40 versions of you!" Firefly replied with a snort.

"Well, I have met other versions of you as well!" Sonic stated. "Although it was actually Rainbow Dash, but... You get it!"

As these two talked, Sunny saw the whole scene, and she couldn't help but smile, because Sonic's attitude during this whole chase was 10 times better than it has been for the past year.

Sunset noticed where Sunny was looking and raised an eyebrow. "Girl, keep your focus!"

That took Sunny off guard, and she shook her head a bit confused. "What? Oh! Right! Sorry... I just, uh... Sonic's been distant and a bit depressed the past year... Is nice to see him as himself again."

Sunset raised an eyebrow confused after hearing this, but she decided to let the subject die there.

Soon, the group jumped up and headed towards a building that had a pool on it, since Sombra decided to stop there and use his powers against the group, stomping his hooves on the ground and making several dark crystals come out of it and head towards them.

"Okay... That's new and weird." Sonic muttered, as he started to slide over one of the crystals, before curling into a ball and then charge against Sombra, hitting him on his face again.

Of course, this made Sombra groan in pain, and he tried to escape from there, but before he could even turn around, Firefly appeared from the other side and hit him on the face with her forelegs.

Groaning in pain, Sombra shook his head and tried to make more crystals come out, but this time, Sunny appeared and hit his chest, which sent Sombra backwards and made him crash against the door that leads downstairs in the building, falling to his knees in pain.

And finally, Sunset came out with her horn charged and launched a powerful blast against Sombra that sent the dark unicorn flying across several roofs, until he crashed on his back against a wall.

Sombra groaned even more and fell to his knees in pain again, groaning loudly after that blast. Then, Sunset quickly appeared in front of him using a teleporting spell, then pointed her watch at him and shoot a red electrical net that surrounded Sombra in the ground.

After this, the net slowly started to contract itself, until it wrapped Sombra entirely and leave him trapped. The net also deactivated his powers, because he tried to turn into a cloud again but couldn't.

"Don't bother, Sombra." Sunset said with a smirk. "That net won't let you use your powers until I say so."

Sombra groaned in anger, while Sonic, Sunny and Firefly arrived and looked down at Sombra with smiles.

"So, any last words before we kick you to your comfy cell until you get back to your own universe?" Sonic asked him with a mocking smile.

However, while Sombra growled in anger at first, it soon shifted into a sinister grin, and then into a maniac laugh, although it only confused the small group in front of him.

"I know I can be funny, but even I know I didn't said anything to make him laugh..." Sonic pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

Sunset, on the other hand, called Twilight again. "Twi. We have him. King Sombra from Universe 240214 has been captured. I'll sent you all the recordings of the test later."

"Good job, Sunset. No incidents happened? No canon events disrupted?" Twilight asked.

"No..." Sunset replied, before deadpanning once she heard that King Sombra was still laughing. "Just an anomaly that can't stop laughing for some reason..."

"It's King Sombra we talk about... He's just out of his mind." Twilight pointed out with an annoyed tone.

"Hey, Alvin, how about you stop laughing and share the joke with the class, huh?!" Firefly said with anger.

Soon, Sombra stopped laughing and let out a pleased sigh, but he still was grinning sinisterly. "Oh, no, just ignore me, I'm laughing at nothing. I just can't believe that you idiots never found the bomb I left behind during our little brawl!"

"BOMB?!" Sonic, Sunny, Firefly and Sunset all exclaimed in panic.

"What? A bomb?!" Twilight's voice spoke through Sunset's communicator. "Sunset?! Sunset! Did he really said something of a bomb?!"

However, before Sunset could reply, not so far from the building they were standing over, a bomb in fact exploded, and it started to make the building lean a bit towards the ground.

"Shoot!" Sonic shouted in panic, before boosting towards said building, with Sunny and Firefly immediately following behind.

Sunset planned to join them as well, but first, she had to deal with King Sombra. So, she opened an heptagon-shaped portal and grabbed Sombra by surrounding him on her magic, before she put him right in front of her and glared daggers at the unicorn, like if she was staring at his soul.

"Listen to me closely: If any of those citizens dies because of your stupid bomb, I not only won't sent you to that waste of space you call your home universe, but I will go there personally and destroy the canon, which will lead to your world collapsing, and to your inevitable destruction, as your whole body starts to fade away slowly, painfully, extremity by extremity, atom by atom, bone by bone, until nothing of your pathetic and miserable existence is left." Sunset threatened him with anger, and of course, King Sombra swallowed very nervously after hearing this. "Understood, pal?"

Of course, Sombra started to regret having put that bomb after everything Sunset told him, so he simply nodded his head and closed his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't get hit.

Yet, it was a pitiful desire, because Sunset left him on the ground, and then used her hind legs to hit him inside the portal, as Sombra screamed in pain and fear, while the portal closed, and Sunset let out a relieved sigh after telling him everything she needed to say.

"Wow..." Twilight's voice said, and Sunset's eyes widened, because the call never ended and she didn't realized that. "Remind me to never make you mad, girl... Ever. Even I felt goosebumps!"

"I know, I know... I can get really upset sometimes..." Sunset recognized. "But now is not the time for that! There's a bunch of citizens that need to be saved!"

After saying this, Twilight ended the call for real this time, while Sunset flew in the air and then boosted towards the leaning building.

Inside of the building, everypony was panicking a lot.

However, this was not only because the building was leaning, but also because there were a bunch of ponies trapped inside the other side of a massive crystal, which was reinforced with magic.

Soon, Sonic, Firefly and Sunny entered the building by braking a window, and while Sunny used her Alicorn magic to levitate some ponies and teleport them out of the falling building, Sonic and Firefly teamed up to used their super speed to get everyone else out.

Once they were all out and safe, the only missing ponies to rescue were the ones at the other side of the crystal reinforced with magic.

So, when Sunny came back, she tried to blast the barrier out by using her magic, while Sonic charged his fists with electricity and hit the barrier as well, with Firefly kicking it with her bare hooves, but nothing was making the barrier move or banish.

"Ah shoot!" Sunny said with concern. "This thing is stuck! We can't brake it!"

"Is reinforced with magic!" Firefly pointed out, but still tried to kick it. "Is destructible, but doing it is gonna take us a good while!"

"Then what do we do?! We don't have a good while!" Sonic exclaimed in panic, hitting the barrier even harder and very desperate.

Soon, Sunset arrived as well and saw what the others were doing, so she rushed and tried to blast the barrier down as well, but not even her magic was doing anything.

"What kind of reinforcement spell is this one?!" Sunset said with panic and anger.

"A really powerful one if not even Alicorn magic can take it down!" Sunny pointed out with concern.

"Don't you girls have something on your fancy watches that can help?!" Sonic asked with concern.

"Don't look at us, dude! We know as much as you do!" Firefly said in panic.

Sonic looked at the barrier with a frown, but then he looked at the ponies at the other side desperately trying to help on taking out the barrier as well, because the controllers for it got damaged due to the explosion.

Sonic had no idea on what to do, but then, his eyes widened, and he saw his right arm, remembering how it changed to the Werehog one back when Sunset was falling. "I wonder if..." He muttered, before focusing on the Prismatic Energy of his arm, which made it glitch before it shifted into a Knuckles' arm. "Yes!"

After seeing the transformation worked, Sonic looked back at the barrier and charged red electricity on the Knuckles' arm, before starting to hit the barrier again, and this time? It was doing something.

With each punch, the barrier cracked a bit like an egg, and it started to vanish from time to time, meaning that his plan was working.

Sunny noticed that Sonic's arm shifted to look like one from Knuckles, and her eyes widened in surprise. "S-Sonic?! H-How did your arm––"

"The Prismatic Energy of my arm is different than the rest of my body!" Sonic explained. "Apparently, it not only makes me travel across the multiverse: It also shifts my burned arm. I can have an extremity of anyone in the multiverse by just thinking about!" He explained with a smirk, still punching the barrier.

After hearing this, Sunny smiled, but when the whole building shook violently, because it was still falling.

"Gotta get them out of there, and fast!" Firefly said desperately, still kicking the barrier with her hooves. "Where the heck is my Twilight when you need her?!"

"We. Need. To move. NOW!" Sonic shouted, as he kept hitting the barrier with the Knuckles arm, but no matter if the crack in the barrier was getting bigger, it simply wasn't enough. "CRAP!" He shouted, hitting the barrier one last time in defeat.

There were a bunch of ponies about to die because he couldn't hit the damn barrier, and that was making him not only panic, but also having huge PTSD of when Longclaw died... He wasn't there so save her, now he is herd and can't save them... It was a loose-loose situation...

But he was Sonic the Hedgehog. He never takes a no as an answer, and he wouldn't begin today.

"I think is time to face it, Firefly..." Sunset said, tired of using her magic. "We cannot save them..."

"There has to be a way!" Firefly cried out desperately, still hitting the barrier.

"The barrier isn't braking, and the building is about to collapse!" Sunny pointed out. "We... We cannot do this..." She added with sadness, as her ears lowered.

Sunset's and Firefly's ears lowered as well, but then, Sonic shifted his right arm back to normal, then placed the tip of his fingers in the barrier and started to extract the electricity from the barrier, with his arms, quills and eyes glowing in neon blue electricity in the process.

"To everyone at the other side of the barrier: Stand back!" Sonic shouted.

The ponies immediately did that after Sonic started to charge, but they still wanted to keep their distance just in case.

"Sonic, what are you doing?!" Sunny asked with wide eyes and concern.

"I'm trying to sent the barrier's energy against it! It should destroy it because of an overcharge!" Sonic explained.

"Dude, you can do that?!" Firefly said with wide eyes, but also with a smile, not only because she found his powers impressive, but also because there was still a chance to save the ponies at the other side of the barrier.

"I didn't knew he could do that..." Sunset muttered, but Sunny managed to hear that, and she looked at the other Alicorn with suspicion and a raised eyebrow.

"Come on..." Sonic muttered, as his arms started to tremble because of the energy he has absorbed so far. "Come on!"

And so, without further ado, Sonic placed his full palms and sent the electricity back to the barrier, but even if it did made the crack in it bigger, it also sent Sonic backwards, as he landed on his back in the floor and groaned in pain.

"Okay... That didn't worked..." Sonic said in pain.

"You think?!" Sunset shouted.

But then, a figure jumped above him and surprised him, as he sat on the floor and looked in the direction the figure was running... It was a variant of himself, just that he had his quills in one row, and he also had a red guitar behind him.

This Sonic was running while moving his arms, before jumping ahead, bring out the guitar, his guitar pick, and then started to play a song at fast paste, as he finally traversed the barrier and destroyed it, all thanks to his guitar.

"Blue Buffon!" Sunset said with a smile and sparkling eyes.

"Buffon, my man!" Firefly cheered with a smile.

"Buffon?!" Both Sunny and Sonic said confused, the latter zooming at the former's side.

However, Sonic also noticed how happy Sunset seemed to be at seeing this variant of himself, and so, he realized who he truly is, which made him smirk mischievously.

"The coast is clear, people!" Buffon said with a smirk, but then, he noticed the other Sonic in the room, and his smirk grew bigger. "Lemme guess: Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic replied with a proud smile. "You must be the fella from 200113!"

"And you're the one from 220822!" Buffon replied. "A piece of advice: Use the palms, not just the fingers."

After hearing this, Sonic looked over at his palms with wide eyes, and he almost felt like if he discovered all the secrets of the universe.

"...Yeah, that makes more sense..." Sonic said with amusement.

"How you know about me, by the way?" Buffon asked.

"Sunset talked about you." Sonic replied, zooming at Sunset's side with a smirk, while the Alicorn blushed at the reminder. "She seemed really happy when you showed up!"

Buffon smirked after hearing this, but then, he got slightly punched on his shoulder by Firefly, because she came by and pushed him playfully, so Buffon smirked and messed up her mane a bit.

"Firefly, my girl! My soul mate!" Buffon joked around, still messing her mane a bit.

Firefly snorted and got free of his grip, before playfully try to punch him on the face, while Buffon protected himself with his own arms.

"I don't get it... What is he talking about?" Sunny asked confused.

"Is his language to say that we get along well and we're close friends!" Firefly replied, before almost hitting him on his chest.

"Are you guys in the middle of your strength test or whatever is called?" Buffon asked with a smirk to Sonic and Sunny.

"Yup!" Sonic replied. "And I'm gonna be honest with you: You look cooler than Sunset said you'll look!" He added with a mocking tone.

Of course, Sunset chuckled and looked at him with a frown and a forced smile. "Sonic, what are you doing?!"

"She also said she crashes at your place sometimes!" Sonic kept mocking up.

"Oh, speaking of that: Sunset, you left your jacket at my place." Buffon told Sunset with a bored expression. "And your teeth brush, too."

"Ooh!" Sonic said with a mocking smile, and Sunset's face was completely red at this point. "Are you sure you just 'crash' on his place, Sunset~?"

"Can we focus on saving everypony now, please?!" Sunset said with a forced smile, also glaring daggers at Sonic, while her right eye twitched.

"Right!" Firefly said, realizing that she almost forgot why they're doing this in the first place.

And so, Sunny and Sunset used their magic to levitate some ponies and get them out, while Sonic, Buffon and Firefly used their super speed to get everyone else out of the building.

With them saved, the group exited the building and jumped towards the roof of another one, but they seemed to forget that the building was leaning, and it was heading towards citizens and more buildings.

Sonic's eyes widened in panic, and Firefly grabbed her mane with her hooves in panic. "This is bad... This is really bad!" She cried out.

However, Sonic nodded to himself with a determinate look and placed a hand on Firefly's shoulder. "We clear the path!" He stated to her with a determinate look, before looking at Sunny, Sunset and Buffon. "You slow down that building!"

After saying this, he immediately jumped ahead, and Firefly decided to follow without questioning him.

Then, Sunny and Buffon did the same, and since Sunset was the only one left behind, she groaned and rolled her eyes, before jumping ahead to follow the rest as well.

"I'll do it, but not because you told me to!" Buffon replied with a frown.

And so, Sunny, Sunset and Buffon started to move as fast as they could around the falling building to slow it down.

Sunny and Sunset used their Alicorn magic to surround the whole building with magical lassos coming out of their horns, both were orange colored; while Buffon used his guitar and touched the same melody from earlier, which made the guitar glow and release a blue lasso that started to surround the building as well.

With the three lassos ready, Sunny, Sunset and Buffon all jumped into three different buildings and started to pull the building up, although they were struggling because of how heavy it is.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Firefly were saving all the remaining ponies that kept falling from the building as fast as they could, and they also started to move all the ponies in the streets out of the way, while Sunny, Sunset and Buffon kept struggling to keep holding the building up.

But then, as Sonic and Firefly took the last few ponies and fillies out of the way and told them were to go, they both noticed that the falling building's strings were starting to weaken...

And then, the inevitable happened: The lassos all broke, which made everyone's eyes widen in panic.

The building was tarting to fall once again, and it was close to crash against more buildings.

Sonic and Firefly looked at each other, before nodding in agreement. And so, they both ran and flew at top speed towards the other buildings, with Sonic entering them and taking all the ponies he could out, while Firefly came and grabbed all the ponies she could that Sonic was launching out of the building.

And then, Sunny, Sunset and Buffon joined to the rescue team, which made Sonic launch them more ponies to save, until he grabbed a couple of Earth Ponies and jumped off the window.

However, as he did this, he sensed that something was about to hit them, so he turned around, shifted his right arm to a Knuckles' one again, and then destroyed a piece of rubble that was about to hit him and the Earth Ponies with one single punch.

After this, Buffon came by and grabbed the two Earth Ponies with a lasso made from his guitar, then grabbed Sonic's left arm and placed the Earth Ponies to safety over a building's rooftop with more rescued ponies.

After that, they both impulsed themselves towards the still falling building and ran over it, with Sonic shifting his right arm back to normal, before jumping ahead and making a little pose in the air, while the ponies from the group joined them by flapping their wings and staying in the air.

And yet, this was beyond to be over, because when the building hit the other one, that same building started to fall as well, now heading towards a bridge that had many ponies walking over it, until all those ponies panicked when they saw that the building was heading towards them now.

"It's going to destroy the Manehattan bridge!" Firefly exclaimed in panic.

"Manehattan?!" Sonic questioned with wide eyes, because that's the name of the city he visited back when he wanted to recover the Chaos Emerald from the human world. "Honestly, that name makes more sense here considering is a world of ponies..."

"We've got to save them before the building falls over them!" Sunset pointed out with concern.

"Uh, just to be clear about this: Are we still doing our physical test?!" Sunny questioned.

"Depends on how fast we can save them all, girl!" Sunset replied.

With this, Sonic curled into a ball and launched himself against the floor, while Buffon repeated this action, leaving the flying ponies to dive towards the ponies as well.

Once Buffon reached the ground, he jumped over a bus, before grabbing two fillies and get them out of the way, while a giant piece of rubble fell over the bridge and cause a big hole, making the bus start to fell into said hole, which made the ponies trapped inside scream in fear.

Inside said bus, there was a white unicorn filly with a lavender bow, green mane and tail, a red streak on her mane, teal eyes and five maple leaves as a Cutie Mark trapped.

Firefly noticed this, and her eyes widened in panic. "Gusty?!" She questioned with fear, before diving towards her, while her Cutie Mark started to glow and made some string come out of it. Said strings attached to the back part of the bus, and Firefly stomped her hooves hardly on the ground.

She was doing this to keep her balance and also to keep the bus from falling, since not only Gusty was inside, but also a bunch of other ponies in danger.

Meanwhile, Sunset grabbed some ponies that were falling towards the ocean with her magic and brought them to safety. Once they were out of danger, she sighed in relief, but then, her watch made a beep sound, and then, Nicole showed up as a small hologram.

"Sunset, heads up!" Nicole informed, as she had small screens around her to control some stuff. "My receptor predicts an incoming Canon Event. Search out carefully."

Sunset nodded, and so, she launchd herself towards another citizen to get him out of the way. "I'm on it!" She informed before flying away with the recently rescued citizen.

Suddenly, however, a filly was crying in the middle of the chaos, but nopony bothered to help her out, since they were too focused on saving themselves and run away.

"Hurry, everyone!" Buffon informed with a serious expression, as he guided a bunch of people towards an exit. "This way, quickly!"

But as they ran away, a white pegasus with yellow mane and tail, purple eyes and four red balloons as her Cutie Mark heard the cry from the filly, and so, she immediately turned around and moved towards the filly to help her out. "Don't be afraid, I'm coming!" She shouted, running towards the filly

Meanwhile, Firefly was still struggling to keep the bus from falling, but then, she heard the pegasus' voice, and so, she turned to see that she was moving towards the filly in danger, but she also noticed that a bunch of rubble was about to fall over both of them.

"SURPRISE!" Firefly shouted with wide and panicked eyes, and now, she didn't know who she had to save: If Gusty and the ponies on the bus, or Surprise and the filly.

Still, she tried to pull the bus up and tied it up on on the border of the cliff she was holding to.

"I-I can do both!" Firefly told herself, trying to tie up the string from her Cutie Mark and then go to save Surprise and the filly.

On the other hand, Sonic, Sunny and Sunset put some last ponies in danger to safety, but then, Sonic felt that something was wrong, and so, he turned to see that the rubble was about to fell over Surprise and that filly, but he wasn't going to allow it.

"I got them, I got them!" Sonic stated, launching himself towards them.

"Sonic, wait!" Sunset said, grabbing tightly his hand and shaking her head with wide and panicked eyes.

"Don't worry about me! I'm the fastest thing alive, remember? I'll be fine!" Sonic said with a smile.

"It's too dangerous!" Sunset pointed out with concern.

"I've done worse things, Sunset. Everything's gonna be okay. Promise!" Sonic assured with a smirk and a wink, before jumping of and get free from Sunset's grip.

"Sonic!" Sunset shouted with concern.

"Hey, Sunset!" Sunny called out. "He has a point. He'll be fine! Now come on! We've gotta get out of here!"

Sunny flew away immediately after saying this, but Sunset stared at Sonic with concern, because he isn't supposed to save Surprise, but now there he goes...

Meanwhile, Sonic arrived with Surprise and the filly. "Hey! I know you don't know me, but if you don't come with me, we're all gonna die!"

Surprise's eyes widened, but she still nodded in agreement at Sonic's words, and he nodded back with a smile.

Then, Surprise hugged tightly the filly, while Sonic grabbed the pegasus mare in bridal style and started to run away, as the rubble of the bridge getting destroyed fell over him even faster now, but he wasn't going to allow himself to give up, nor let this ponies die.

Unfortunately, the building ended falling over the bridge, and the rubble covered Sonic, Surprise and the filly.

The entire ground rumbled, and as Buffon stood over one side of the bridge, Sunny and Sunset stood flying in the air... But then, they noticed the building, and Sunny felt her heart running in panic.

"SONIC!" Sunny shouted desperately, as she launched herself towards the rubble, while Sunset and Buffon followed behind.

Soon, Sunset and Buffon helped out Firefly to get the bus back on the street, while Sunny immediately moved towards the rubble and moved it aside desperately. She didn't find Sonic in one of the sectors, so she moved to the next one and used her magic to move the rubble aside.

Then, she gasped when she saw something, and so, she lifted the rubble a bit more with her magic, while Sonic helped her out, because he was using his right arm, shifted like an Omega one, to lift the rubble as well, using the rest of his body to protect the filly.

Then, both Sonic and Sunny launched the piece of rubble away, while Sonic's arm shifted back to normal, and the filly was hugging Sonic's left arm as if her life depended on it.

"Y-You're fine!" Sunny said happily, not being able to contain her tears of joy.

"I promised it." Sonic pointed out with a smile.

And then, right at his side, some rubble lifted up, showing Surprise as well, who had a dizzy expression, but then she shook her head and smiled.

On the other hand, Sunset, Buffon and Firefly finished lifting up the bus, and as everypony exited safe and sound, Firefly immediately ran to Gusty and hugged her tightly, while Gusty hugged her back with a smile and tears of joy.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay, Gusty!" Firefly said with a smile.

Gusty smiled back, but then, she noticed that Surprise was also fine behind, and so, she rushed towards her and hugged her tightly, while Surprise hugged the filly back, while Sonic was holding the other filly on his arms to calm her down.

Sunset came by and noticed this, feeling conflicted on how to feel at the fact that Surprise didn't died. Still, she looked over at Sonic and Sunny with surprise.

"Not bad for a pair of rookies, huh?" Sonic mocked up with a smirk, and Sunny at his side smiled, bumping him slightly with a shoulder.

Sunset didn't knew what to reply, then she looked at the watch and saw a big sign that said 'Canon Event Disrupted', which made her eyes open wide.

Still, she looked back at Sonic and Sunny with a smile. "...Yeah... It was great..."

Sonic and Sunny smiled, and Sonic placed down the filly carefully, while she ran away and hugged her parents tightly, who hugged her back.

Suddenly, though, Sunny hugged Sonic tightly. "You scared me for a second, you idiot... I thought you died!"

"Sorry for that, Sunny" Sonic apologized with a smile, hugging her back. "But hey! Look at what we just did!" He added, now pointing at their surroundings.

Sunny looked around and smiled at the sight of so many ponies hugging each other and being glad to be fine, then she looked over at Firefly and Surprise, who were both hugging each other tightly after the scare they passed through.

"We saved them. All of them!" Sonic said with a smile. "Isn't it rewarding? The feeling of knowing you did something so right?!"

Sunny smiled warmly and let out a sigh. "Yeah... Is a really good feeling..."

And then, Firefly came by and grabbed one of Sonic's hand, stretching with a happy smile and a few tears of joy. "Sonic... I can't thank you enough for saving my friend and that filly... I seriously can't..."

Sonic smiled back and made a little reverence. "I'm just doing my job!" He stated with a wink.

And then, Buffon came from behind Sonic and Sunny, placing his hands on their shoulders and shaking them a bit. "My. Lads. Sonic. Sunny. My. Guys!"

Although a bit startled at first, Sonic and Sunny smiled at him, and soon, Sunset stood at their side, with Firefly joining as well by hoof-bumping with Sunset and then they bumped each other's shoulders.

"Easy!" Firefly said with a smile.

And then, everypony across Manehattan started to cheer at the five heroes that saved them, while the heroes felt proud of themselves and smiled brightly.

"So..." Sonic called out to Sunset at his side. "What do you think?"

Sunset looked over at Sonic and Sunny with a raised eyebrow at first, before smiling warmly. "I was right about you two... You guys are amazing."

After hearing this, Sonic smiled proudly of himself, and Sunny even left out a little gasp for the compliment, but still smiled back.

"Yeah, well..." Sonic started, before looking at Sunny. "We make a good team!"

Sunny smiled after hearing this and nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

Author's Note

Wooo! Another chapter done! :pinkiehappy:

I'm really liking how this is going so far. And yes, in case you didn't noticed: This first part of the story is an adaptation of "Across the Spider-Verse", although from Part 2 on I'll be doing my own thing, so don't expect me to wait until "Beyond the Spider-Verse" comes out, because I won't.

Now, we met two new characters today: Firefly from this story made by Darkened Lightning Storm (who's world was also were half of the chapter took place), and Blue Buffon (a SatAM Sonic variant) from this story by Arcing Light. Yes, they're the Pavitr and Hobie of this story. Also, I wanted to use Firefly instead of Rainbow because this is a multiverse story.

As for the universe Opaline invaded at the beginning of the chapter, that's a story that once took place on this story and all its sequels made by Admiral Producer, while the universe King Sombra comes from is this one-shot written by Headless.

Anyways. In the next chapter, I won't put all the stories I'm taking characters from because it's TOO DAMN MANY!!! :pinkiegasp:

See ya! :twilightsmile:

19. When the Eggman Cracks

Universe 170119

Shadow used more energy than he's used to, and now he had no strength left to keep fighting.