Sonic Rainboom: Chaos Within Harmony

by DareDreamer

After major events in their respective worlds, the seven Chaos Emeralds and the six Elements of Harmony collide and cause both Sonic's world and Equestria to go on a collision course! It falls to two speedy blue heroes on the ground and the sky- as well as all their friends- to fix things! But can they do it before both of their worlds are destroyed in the chaos? Piece of cake!

25. Full Throttle

Inside the fusion between the Castle of Friendship and Tails' workshop, things were taking a turn for the better. Despite the fall of Cloudsdale, most of the pegasus population remained safe thanks to the intervention of Captain Celaeno and her crew, but the now-homeless ponies were temporarily settling in Ponyville until something could be done. For the heroes, that 'something' was getting the transdimensional portal up and running so they could find the Chaos Emeralds and the Elements of Harmony, defeat the Combined to get to them, and use the jewels' energies to return both worlds back to normal.

There was just one tiny problem, though.

"Why are things never easy for us?" groaned Twilight. "I added my magic and plugged in the Chaos Drive, but now I need the proper adjustments?!" By the princess' side, Tails gave her an agreeing look. "Well, duh. Operating space-time gateways requires careful precision. You don't wanna actually transport us into the heart of a star or in deep space, do you?"

"Great," the alicorn sighed as she turned her violet eyes to the instrument-filled console in front of her. "Thanks for the confidence boost, Tails. Now I've gotta figure out how to make sure the portal leads to the portion of space-time that rests between our two universes without messing-"

"Uh, hold on, you gotta figure that out?" the fox butted in. "No way! You need somebody who knows his way around stuff like this! You don't know this kinda tech like I do!" At the fox's words, the purple alicorn lit up in realization. "Oh! Uh, right! Sorry, I just got a little caught up in the… hang on, what do you know about interdimensional portals?"

Tails just shrugged the comment off. "Ah, it can't be too bad. To me, it's no different than building a TV out of paper clips or reprogramming a supercomputer with dishwashing detergent and a toothpick. So…" The fox stretched his fingers out and turned his attention to the console and monitors in front of them. "Are we gonna do this or what?" The stunned alicorn snapped out of her daze when she realized Tails was waiting on her. "Uh, yeah! Let's do it! So, what…"

As she began asking Tails what they should start off with, two blue creatures rested near the wooden hangar doors and watched their friends go to work. A hovering Rainbow Dash blinked silently at Tails in complete shock. "He… he seriously did all that?"

"Uh-huh," Sonic added, nonchalantly leaning against the wall. "There was a time he wouldn't shut up about it."

"I don't even know what a TV or a supercomputer is, and I'm already blown away by how much of an egghead your friend is," Rainbow continued. "I swear that ever since this whole thing started, there's been two of me and two of Twilight, which is super strange now that I said it out loud."

"Surprising, isn't it? After all, when it comes to smarts, Tails compares to the other egghead in my life," Sonic explained before turning a disinterested pair of eyes away from his pal. "But I don't need you to tell me that you're also bored from all the science-y talk they're doing over there."

"You got that right."

"What can I say? Us blue speedsters have pretty much everything in common…" Sonic paused as he looked over Rainbow's form. "Well, almost everything. Anyway, is there anything you do around here to pass the time?"

"Hmm…" The pegasus went silent for a moment, the only sound being her wingbeats. "Whaddaya think about buckball, Sonic?" As she expected, the hedgehog raised a brow. "Buck-huh?"

"Buckball. It's a game," the pegasus explained as she turned to him. "It's played by two teams of three: earth ponies try to kick softballs into the opposing team's basket, which is held up by unicorn magic. Pegasi are on defense and try to block the ball from going in. I've been in a few games myself."

"Alright, that sounds fun," Sonic said approvingly. "I think Knuckles would fit perfectly for offense… but my only flier is stuck in smart mode for a while. Maybe I could get Cream or Charmy instead."

"The rabbit?" Rainbow repeated. "Why her?"

"She can fly by flapping her ears."

"..." Rainbow was left speechless again before giving Sonic a deadpan look. "Your world is super weird." Sonic just gave her a cheeky grin. "Likewise. And since the only person I know who can levitate stuff isn't here, maybe I can hold the basket?"

"You sure?"

"Trust me, I can move fast enough to get the balls before they hit the ground," Sonic assured. "You on?" Admiring the hedgehog's confidence, Rainbow smiled and opened her mouth to reply… when her peripheral vision picked up something zipping past her outside. Sonic took notice as well, and both creatures headed out of the castle to investigate.

Small figures shot across the sky in quick blurs, their shapes going too fast to properly make out. Several of the objects streaked through the air in a perfectly straight line while others flew in tight formations. One such airborne figure soared above Ponyville only to transition into a tight turn and come to a full stop before Rainbow Dash. Now that it had slowed down enough for Sonic to recognize, he saw a yellow pegasus in a blue flight suit with goggles: the sight of which proved vaguely familiar.

"Crash! Are you busy?!"

"Spitfire?" Rainbow asked in confusion. "No, ma'am, I'm not. Why-"

"Good! There's trouble in Canterlot! The rest of the Wonderbolts could use you on this one!" At the pegasus' words, Sonic's eyes flashed eagerly. "Trouble! Now there's a time-passer! What's up, does ol' Eggy think he has another shot at-"

"We've got reports of a disturbance," Spitfire quickly explained, not bothering to wait until the hedgehog had finished his sentence. "The Canterlot Carousel has been robbed!"

"WHAT?!" The horrified shriek didn't come from the cyan pegasus or the blue hedgehog, but from a white unicorn who looked like she'd seen a ghost. "What did they take?! Are the royal guards doing anything?! Did they get the-?!"

"Meet us there! And fast!" Spitfire had flown off at high speed before Rainbow could utter an accepting cry of "yes, ma'am". But while she looked ready to fly towards the capital city as fast as she could and Rarity appeared panicked to her core, Sonic was left scratching his head. "Uh… I don't get it. What's so serious about robbing from a carnival ride? I mean, what's there to steal? Cotton candy?"

"The Canterlot Carousel is the best clothing department in the city!" Rarity almost screamed in alarm. "Only the finest of dresses and other accessories are crafted there, just like the Carousel Boutique here in Ponyville!" The unicorn's explanation provided Sonic with a reminder. "Oh, that's right! Pinkie told me you were into fashion and stuff. Strangely. Do you ship there regularly, or-?"

"I own it, you simple-minded buffoon!" Rarity screeched in his face before running away as fast her legs could carry her, panting frantically all the while. The annoyed hedgehog rubbed at his ear with a grimace. "Y'know, if you started off at that-"

"We better see what's up!" Rainbow shouted, lifting off the ground and aiming in Canterlot's direction. "If those chumps managed to swipe something from Rarity's latest line, she's gonna scream loud enough to crack the Crystal Mountains!" The pegasus blasted off towards the capital city, prompting Sonic to chase after her. It took him one second to catch up to the sprinting Rarity, who he scooped into his arms with a yelp of surprise from the unicorn. The hedgehog raced past the town limits with Rainbow mere heartbeats away from him, both blurs racing for the elegant city with the hollering fashionista in tow.

"Faster! Faster, you fool!"

"I'm going, I'm going! Sheesh, keep your fur on!"

…

In the shopping district of Equestria's capital city, a flying figure smashed through glass with a handful of shining jewels and veered away from two shouting earth pony guards who charged his way. "Run your own derby, you jousting jokers!" Jet cackled, his Extreme Gear propelling him far from their reach. He shot past a pegasus guard at high speed, fast enough to send it whirling around in midair. "Hahahaha! Ya can't catch whatcha can't see, suckers!"

Wave ascended and accelerated away from a group of earth pony guards that surrounded her from the ground, tossing away an elegant dress picked clean of all its dazzling jewels. A chuckling Storm used a pair of scissors to snip one such jewel out from the garment, using the fabric to cover a shouting guard's face before blasting away. "Nice going, Rogues!" Jet congratulated. "Let's ditch these suckers and come back around for-"

"Hey, boss! They called in the big guns!" Storm cried out, pointing to something coming in fast. "More of the flying ones!" Jet quickly spotted what Storm was referring to: a squadron of pegasi that was closing in on them fast. Not quite who the plan was supposed to attract, but the hawk had a feeling he'd show up soon. "Let's put on a show for these bozos!"

"Wonderbolts!" shouted a yellow pegasus who Jet deduced was their leader. "Pick your targets and engage!"

The uniformed pegasi were on them in seconds and the Rogues broke their formation, flying off in separate directions. As Jet thought, the flying ponies did the same, splitting up to chase down his teammates. Wave took a small handful with her while Storm goaded a majority of the pegasi into chasing him. Only two went after Jet: the leader with a white one on her tail, literally speaking.

"Stop, thief!" The white one shouted over the wind. "Land your, uh, board-thing and surrender!"

"This is your only warning!" barked the yellow one in a strict, drill sergeant-like tone. Jet just replied with his usual snark. "You want me, hay-munchers? Then come get me!" He put his Extreme Gear into full throttle and rocketed down the streets of Canterlot at high speed, the two Wonderbolts giving chase just as fast.

From the corner of Jet's eye, he spotted Storm perform a perfect u-turn after five Wonderbolts tried to cut him off, blasting past the group that was pursuing him and leaving them in his dust. Wave's own pursuers were trying to move in close and knock her off her Gear, but the swallow nimbly evaded them and caused two Wonderbolts to crash into each other head-first.

"Soarin, take the alleys!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The white one darted out of sight, leaving Jet with the yellow one. With a cocky smirk, the hawk looked over his shoulder. "That's it, catch me if you can!" He drifted down an intersection and accelerated down the right street, the pegasus matching his movements easily before frantically beating her wings.

"Come on, step it up!" Jet taunted. "Unless you're too slow! Hahahaha!" The pegasus didn't answer his teasing with threatening shouts, but the hawk could feel her determination as she gained on him. Up ahead, a white blur flew out from the alleyways meters away from Jet, ready to collide with the Legendary Wind Master and throw him off-course. Unfortunately for him, Jet was ready for the flier thanks to the leader's mistake of relaying tactics within earshot. With a swift motion, he leaned to the side and bent himself backward…

…and with a sharp bang, the pegasus crashed into the Gear like a brick wall, the hoverboard blocking him from Jet. He collapsed to the ground in a daze, and a blast of wind from the Gear's engines ruffled his mane as Jet slammed his transport into turbo. A quick glance over his shoulder showed him that his current pursuer was hesitating; debating on whether to keep up the chase or tend to her fallen wingmate. Jet took the moment to give her a two-fingered salute and blasted away with his stolen goods in tow. "See ya, suckers!"

Back in the city's main square, Wave and Storm hovered in place near a fountain as the rest of the Wonderbolts surrounded them from all sides. Jet zoomed through the pegasi in a heartbeat and slid to a stop in front of his teammates. "Everyone having fun pushing these losers around?"

"You know it!" Wave answered. "Like these chumps think they have a chance of taking us down!"

"Yeah!" Storm yelled. "I made one of 'em hit a wall and he was out like a light!" The albatross' enthusiasm prompted a smile to appear on Jet's face… before a distant blue light and a faraway figure caught his eye. "Heh. About time." He tossed his loot bag to Wave, who caught it in a waiting hand. "You guys know the plan! Shake these fools!" Revving his Extreme Gear, Jet aimed the airboard at the Wonderbolts and blasted pressurized air at the pegasi, blowing some of them away and startling others. In the confusion, Wave and Storm made a break for it, launching into the air.

"See you at the round day view, boss!" Storm called, causing Wave to roll her eyes in annoyance. "Slipping up on single-syllable words is more embarrassing, Storm!"

"They're getting away! After them!" A Wonderbolt cried, flying after the birds. While the others started to give chase, Jet spotted a white unicorn galloping along the path and shouting her own enraged demands to the fleeing Rogues.

"STOP! DESIST! Unhand my creations, you feathered felonists! Come back here this instant! You won't-!" The green hawk looked away from the annoyance just in time for two familiar faces to come to a stop in front of him. "Took you long enough, slowpoke."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sonic cheekily responded. "A trio of thieves robbing a popular business? Did Wave suddenly get a fashion sense? Or are you more interested in the jewels inscribed into everything?"

"I don't care how good you are on those flying board things!" Rainbow spat at the hawk. "The Wonderbolts are the greatest flyers in all Equestria, so you and your little flock are gonna be grounded before long!" Jet just brushed off the pegasus' words with a wave of his hand while he stepped off his Gear and tucked it under his arm. "Please! Those flying freaks wouldn't catch me if they tried!"

"Clearly, you're underestimating us!" Spitfire shouted as she and Soarin flew into place above Sonic and Rainbow. "And we'd be happy to prove you wrong! That is if you and your accomplices don't stand down!"

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Soarin advised. "Spitfire can be very difficult when she needs to be. Now hand over the jewels!"

"The jewels?" Jet laughed. "You seriously think that's what I'm here for?" He laughed again when he saw the four puzzled faces in front of him. "Nah, that was just to get your attention for the real business."

"What bu-" Before Spitfire could finish, something blindsided her from out of nowhere and slammed her against a wall. Soarin had time to spin in shock before he was tackled as well. An aerial loop composed of a lightning-like slipstream flew low over the fountain, dropping the white stallion in with a splash. Without breaking its momentum, the speeding blur looped in the air again before landing perfectly on Jet's left side with a lowered head and widespread wings.

While Spitfire reeled from the hard blow and Soarin broke the surface with a gasp, Sonic narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the newcomer. As for Rainbow Dash, her ruby eyes were large in realization… and her face clenched in an angry scowl. The new flier lifted its head, and Sonic could now see that it was a bright turquoise-colored pegasus with orange eyes and an amber mane littered with gold lines. On her flank was a mark consisting of a white lightning bolt with three stars; two orange and one yellow. The orange orbs looked over Sonic for a second before they settled on the cyan pegasus beside him.

"Hello, Rainbow," Her voice was both taunting and satisfied, a smirk on her face as she addressed the other pegasus and took in the rainbow-maned pony's displeased expression. "Aw, why the long face? Aren't you happy to see an old friend?"

"There are many things I wanna call you…" Rainbow hissed in an uncharacteristically-serious tone. "...but a friend isn't one of them."

"So," Jet spoke to a confused Sonic, who stared at the other pegasus in curiosity. "I noticed you got a little flying pal, Sonic. Well, guess what? I went ahead and got myself one, too! Now… you remember that rematch I promised, right?"

"Uh-huh," the hedgehog replied, his eyes not leaving the newbie. "Who's your new pet?" The pony in question shot Sonic an offended look, but Rainbow gave an explanation before she could. "Her name's Lightning Dust. We were once Wonderbolt trainees, but we had a… difference of opinion that led to me kicking her out."

"The only difference between us is that you pay too much attention to others!" She snapped at Rainbow. "We both wanted to be the best Wonderbolt ever, but you used friends as an excuse to eliminate the only competition you had. But speaking of friends… How's your little fan doing?"

Rainbow snorted through her nostrils aggressively. "You leave Scoots out of this!"

"Alright… then how about we talk about you?" Lightning turned to Sonic with an unimpressed expression. "Jet told me all about you. You call yourself the 'Fastest Thing Alive'?" The hedgehog crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

Lightning just smirked. "Yeah. My problem is how you can move that quickly without your legs falling off. Reaching supersonic speeds on foot? Give me a break!" Jet shot Lightning a look. "Hey, I warned you about underestimating him! I wouldn't get cocky if I were you!"

"Oh, really? What's he gonna do, roll all over me?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna do if you don't quit it!" Sonic snapped before turning his eyes to Rainbow. "From what I've gathered, this jerk is your rival?" Rainbow nodded with a fierce blaze in her eyes. "Yeah. She put my friends in danger, nearly got Scootaloo badly hurt, and has no regard for safety whatsoever!"

"Who cares about safety when you can pull off all kinds of cool tricks at breakneck velocities?" Lightning snapped in annoyance. "All that 'carefulness' of yours is what made me question your ability to be the best in the first place, and it's what drives me to prove to you who's really the best flier in Equestria!"

"Yeah, I remember what you told me at the stunt show," Rainbow said as she glared daggers at the other pegasus. "Rivals for life, you said. And I said I didn't want it any other way. You want your shot at the title, Lightning? Come and take it." Both pegasi bared their teeth at each other while Sonic stared down Jet.

"This is the part where you challenge us, right? And the part after that is when Rainbow and I kick your butts."

Jet scoffed at the hedgehog. "Yeah, you got that first part right. But the second? I was thinking the opposite. Turn around and face the city gates and we'll get this show on the road. Lightning, give 'em the course."

The blue speedsters obliged and turned towards Canterlot's main entrance. Each of their green rivals lined up beside them with Jet next to Sonic and Lightning next to Rainbow, all four making eye contact. "Down the mountain and through Ponyville, then to White Tail Woods. After that, the Smokey Mountains and the Galloping Gorge, then to Neighagra Falls. Finally, the stretch back to Canterlot and up the mountain. First to the peak wins."

"Dust… get ready to eat mine," Rainbow snarled. The other pegasus growled before retorting with her own line. "You're a cloud-pushing rainmaker. You should know that a rainbow comes after lightning."

"Not this one."

"Hey, do you guys have more banter to trade, or are we gonna do this thing?" Sonic asked with an impatient tone. He got into a runner's starting position while Jet started his Gear and hopped on top of it. The hedgehog and the hawk shared a look before the latter pulled his goggles over his eyes.

"On three… THREE!" With an explosion of light and sound, four blurs rocketed through Canterlot's streets and shot out the gates, charging down the mountain path. Two of them, a rainbow streak and a blue-yellow thunderbolt trail, rose into the sky and frantically danced around in midair while two more, a blue blur and a green trail of light, roared along the ground neck-and-neck.

Twenty seconds later, the speedsters tore through the small town of Ponyville and zoomed down streets and alleys alike, the two pegasi swooping over the rooftops in their attempts to overtake each other. Reaching the town hall after crossing a bridge, Sonic spun around the building in a perfect circle before blasting over the same bridge, knocking over some startled ponies with Jet hot on his heels. Above, Rainbow and Lightning zipped back and forth across the skies before flying as fast as they could away from the town. Sonic and Jet raced out of there and zoomed down the open terrain ahead of them…

"Hey, did you guys hear something?" Tails asked, prying his eyes from his work. Knuckles just shrugged while Twilight peeked out of the castle. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned back to the console. "Probably just the wind…"

Miles from Ponyville- miles that were growing in number- the racers sped across open fields on their route towards a distant forest. Lightning bashed Rainbow aside and sent the pegasus tumbling in midair, allowing her rival to place some distance between them. Below the fliers, Jet blocked Sonic's path before kicking his Extreme Gear into turbo, leaving the hedgehog behind. "Whoo! Eat it, blue!" While the hedgehog coughed and sputtered from the dust, Rainbow glared daggers at Lightning and muttered something about hating last place. That was something Sonic had to agree with: when it came to tough competition like Jet and Lightning, they'd go to extreme measures to win. Especially if that meant cheating.

"Easy there, Colors!" Sonic aligned himself next to Rainbow before the pegasus could boost ahead. "We still have a chance to turn this around! We just gotta be unpredictable!" The flying pony nodded at the hedgehog's words. "Unpredictable… yeah, okay! I can do that!" The two blue blurs picked up the pace, chasing their green adversaries into the next destination on the course: White Tail Woods.

Rainbow remembered this place; mainly because of the fact that she raced here before during the Running of the Leaves and her eagerness to win got the better of her. But this time, it would be different. Making the leaves fall wasn't the top priority here (it wasn't even the right season, either) and the no-flying rule was revoked. Rainbow and her new best friend would show Lightning and the board-bird what they were really up against!

The racers broke through the tree line and found themselves surrounded by woodland. Trees blew past them and the path beneath them was a mere blur. Whatever leaves were blown off by the racers' intense speed were torn by the branch, and Rainbow wouldn't be surprised if entire trees were stripped of them.

Suddenly, something snapped Rainbow back to reality just as it snapped across her face, clotheslining the pegasus and making her collapse on her belly. A rush of wind signaled Sonic evading whatever had struck her, and Rainbow thought she caught a glimpse of the hedgehog hesitating before he took off down the path. There was also the sound of distant laughter… and the sight of a wobbling tree branch.

Now realizing what had happened, Rainbow snarled. "Lightning, you little-!" She was off again in an instant, fighting to catch up to the other racers. The back of Rainbow's mind told her it was karma for when she did the exact same thing to Applejack during their race here, but she shoved it away and forced herself to focus on the competition. She didn't waste any time in catching up to Sonic, who was steering away from tree stumps, fallen branches, and anything else Jet and Lightning were barricading the path with.

"We're falling behind!" Sonic called out, leaping over a stump in the middle of the path. "Any ideas?!" Thankfully, Rainbow had one in mind… if her memory of the area was correct. "There should be a fork up ahead! Take the right and keep 'em busy!"

"Got it!" The two shot down the path while keeping their rivals in their sight, staying their tail until the aforementioned fork appeared up ahead with a wooden arrow sign pointing to the right. Jet and Lightning took the indicated path further into the woods, prompting Sonic to chase after them. Meanwhile, Rainbow steered down the left path and flew up an elevated slope. Watching the pegasus leave to do her thing, Sonic took off into the woods.

"You're not gonna share your new horse, Jet?" he taunted. "That's too bad, I was hoping I'd take her for a ride!" Lightning Dust looked both offended and irritated at the hedgehog's words. "You wanna run that by me again, porcupine?!"

This time, Sonic ignored the possibly-purposeful mistake. "Oh, that's not gonna be the only thing that'll run by you!" Balling his fists and kicking up speed, Sonic continued chasing down the hawk and the pegasus, who positioned themselves to block him. This did nothing to deter the hedgehog, who simply leaped over the green racers and landed in front of them… and met them face-to-face while casually running backward.

"Still not too late for that ride!" He quipped, smirking at Lightning's stupefied expression and Jet's annoyed face. The former was probably wondering how long he could keep that up, but she was quick to snap herself out of it. "St-stop playing around and take this seriously already!"

"That's the problem with this guy!" Jet snapped back. "He never takes things seriously! But focus, he's just trying to get you to slip up!"

Sonic spread his arms with a confessing grin. "Guilty as charged! Is it working?"

"I'll tell you what's working; me winning this race!" Lightning shouted, barreling for Sonic with a burst of speed. Sonic easily spun to avoid the strike and positioned himself forward, keeping pace with Lightning Dust while Jet lagged behind. "Dang it, Lightning! Get back here! You don't know him like I-!"

"I can take this creep!" She shouted back. "Think of this as me taking care of your problem! Now you get to take care of mine!" The hawk lit up in understanding… before realization crossed his face. "Wait, hold on! Where's the-"

"SURPRISE!" A rainbow blur shot off a distant hill and swooped towards Jet like a bird of prey, nearly knocking him from his Gear. Yelping and fighting to stay on, Jet aimed his board skyward and pursued the pegasus, who rose into the air. All four speedsters reached the end of the woods at that point, once again meeting open terrain and fighting to be the first to their next location.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder to see Jet gaining on her, but she was far from worried about the hawk overtaking her. "So, the fox can fly, but the bird needs a hoverboard? How ironic is that?"

"Don't you diss me, you pastel pest!" he snapped at her. "This baby's faster than anything you've ever seen! And I'm gonna prove it!" To do so, he blasted the Extreme Gear towards the pegasus and shot past her in the blink of an eye. Yelping in surprise, Rainbow took off after the hawk and weaved through the air while the bird did the same to try and shake her off. Directly below those two, Sonic charged across the grassland until he reached the Smokey Mountains, Lightning staying on his tail.

While the pegasus pursued her rival and the board-flying bird weaved through the peaks, Sonic zoomed around the mountain bases and ran up one mountain's side. Launching himself off the side, he spun for Lightning, who rolled away and caused the blue ball to crash through another mountain. While the turquoise pegasus shot away with a lightning streak, Sonic exploded from the mountain's other side and hit the ground running. All four racers shot past two tall hills with settlements on both: a farmhouse surrounded by trees on one and a wooden fortress accompanied by empty stumps on another. If anypony was currently living in either of those places, the speedsters would be long gone before they could peek outside.

Upon exiting the mountain range, Jet and Lightning tightly banked to the right side and forced Sonic and Rainbow to follow their path. The two blue blurs started to pick up the pace, gaining some ground on their rivals. The hedgehog trailed behind the turquoise pegasus, whose eyes flashed mischievously as she noticed his approach. "Not bad…" she muttered to herself. "But I've already lost enough to that cloud-pusher! I don't need to lose to a wingless mouse, either!" Without warning, the pegasus came to a halt and spun around to face Sonic, who realized what was happening a split second after Lightning Dust's forehoof connected with his chin. As he sailed into the air, Lightning rocketed upward in pursuit and zipped behind the blue blur, still reeling from the blow and unaware of the rival behind him. With a triumphant shout, Lightning slammed both hind legs into his back and sent the hedgehog crashing to the ground. Tumbling along the grass, Sonic fought to recover and spun up, taking off in a spinning blue ball.

Lightning, snarling at the hedgehog's quick recovery, shot off after the hedgehog. Meters behind her, a startled Jet quickly blew Rainbow away with his Gear's air exhaust and blasted after Lightning. Reeling in midair, Rainbow Dash shook her head and took off in a colored trail, desperate not to stay in last place for too long. It took two seconds for Jet to get level with Lightning Dust, who figured his annoyed expression was focused on the hedgehog that was now ahead of them both.

"What the heck was that?!" he shouted over the wind. "That was completely uncalled for!" Lightning shot a glare at the hawk, hoping to spread the message that this wasn't the time for reprimanding. "You said you wanted to beat him at any cost!"

"I did! But I want him to be conscious when I beat him, otherwise, I'll miss the stupefied look on his face when I do!" The hawk's words irritated the turquoise pegasus further and she bared her teeth at him. "Well, maybe you should've added that in when we were discussing the plan!"

"It's a race, for crying out loud! The rules are self-explanatory!"
"Hey! What part of 'win at all costs' do you not under-!" The ex-Wonderbolt didn't get another word in when a colored blur shot between her and Jet, slipping into second place behind the hedgehog. "Argh! Shut up and quit distracting me!" Lightning growled before she let loose a burst of speed and gave chase. Jet had to snap out of his stunned state and give his Gear another boost lest he fell too far behind; no way could he lose to Sonic if his new partner was letting the competition get to her!

"Alright! The tables have turned!" Sonic whooped from his first-place position. "I went head-to-head against your troubles, Dust! You're small-time to me!" Rainbow laughed before turning around and sticking out her tongue at the other team, though she couldn't deny how quickly they were gaining... and the furious look on Lightning's face."Sheesh, she's persistent as ever! What do we do to keep our lead?" Sonic has a few ideas in mind… but he wasn't sure if they would work.

If he could describe Lightning Dust in one word, it would be "aggressive". She obviously had no qualms about her rival's safety and would go to great lengths to hurt them so badly they wouldn't be able to finish. Sonic still felt that last hit just thinking about it. Jet, on the other hand, didn't play fair himself. He and the Rogues had a knack for playing dirty, and Sonic could think of only one reason why Jet would allow Sonic to race him without a Gear of his own: he wanted to beat the Blue Blur at his best, and in more ways than one. If he and Rainbow wanted to stay in the lead, they needed to fight for it. They needed to get the upper hand on the rival team. But how were they going to do that?

As if the answer was given to them, Sonic spotted an upcoming landmark that connected to a large gorge up ahead. A familiar set of checkerboard ground, shuttle loops, corkscrews, dash panels, and long stretches trailed into the gorge below. The chasm itself was filled with bounce pads jutting out from the sides and orange hoops hovering in the air. Satisfied with his new result, Sonic locked eyes with Rainbow, who seemed to have a similar revelation. "Let's show these second-best suckers how real speed freaks do it!"

"Right!" Rainbow shouted, zipping towards the gorge at high speed. She briefly turned in mid-flight and blew a raspberry at Jet, who pursued the pegasus down into the gorge and out of sight. Sonic checked to see if Lightning Dust was still on him, and the sight of the other pegasus hot on his heels was enough of a message to get the party started. "You know, you certainly live up to your name! You're fast as lightning and like dust thanks to all the time you spend in it!"

"Grrrr! You're MINE, spike-head!" The furious scream only prompted a snicker from Sonic, who shot for a shuttle loop and sped through it with practiced ease. Lightning just shot through the center like a dart through a hoop, keeping her sights on the hedgehog while he transitioned from the loop to a winding corkscrew. That corkscrew's path dropped down at the end, sending Sonic careening into the chasm below. Lightning dropped into a dive and folded in her wings, fighting to keep pace with the sapphire streak while it neared terminal velocity.

The path gave way to a tight turn that fused with one of the gorge's walls, allowing Sonic's current momentum to carry over onto the side. While Rainbow and Jet sped by at the bottom of the gorge, Lightning tried to get ahead of Sonic and block him, hoping to have the hedgehog drop in speed so that he would fall to the stone floor below. But Sonic was ready for this kind of trick, as he easily weaved away from any of Lightning's advances. He charged towards a spring jutting out from the rocks, bounding away with a "boing" and leaving Lightning with a split second to comprehend the change. Bouncing off another spring on the opposite wall, Sonic flew through two orange Dash Rings that hovered over tall stalagmites; ones that Rainbow and Jet weaved through as if participating in an aerial slalom.

Sonic balled up and collided off one more spring, his trajectory propelling him onto a downward-slanted ledge with a Dash Panel resting at the edge. With the mechanism giving the hedgehog an additional burst of speed, Sonic charged down the slope and across a path that intersected across the bottom of the gorge, shooting Rainbow Dash a quick thumbs-up as she sped by with Jet meters behind her. Without breaking a sweat, Sonic blasted up a high slope that took him across the gorge's right wall. Lightning swooped low and kept pace beneath him, leaving the hedgehog to wonder how a pair of wings could beat that fast.

But then again, who was he to ask? His competition was probably racking her mind as to how a pair of legs could become a blurred wheel! Or better yet…

Kicking in the Super Peel Out, Sonic moved his legs in a figure-eight to mess with Lightning's mind some more and kept his high-speed wallrun. Propelling himself towards another corkscrew, Sonic looped through it in a spiral movement while Lightning just shot over it, gaining some ground on the hedgehog. He wasn't too worried about second place; many rivals have made the mistake of celebrating their win too early. Sonic raced out of the corkscrew and touched down on the gorge's floor just in time to see Jet standing backward on his Gear and giving him a mocking goodbye wave.

"Later, bloozers!" He laughed, readjusting his pose and rising out of the gorge just as Lightning disappeared from the top. An irritated groan drew Sonic's attention to Rainbow Dash, who glared in the rivals' direction. "Did you have any trouble with the bird?!"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing with the other pegasus!" Sonic replied. "She does not play fair!"

"I told you she can be rough! Any ideas?"

"Yeah, I got one! Here's the plan…" Sonic and Rainbow veered towards another pathway that led out of the gorge like a freeway exit, zooming across the top terrain just as the scar in the earth reached its end. While the two raced side-by-side, the green and lightning streaks up ahead laughed triumphantly. "HA! What a total pushover he was! Flying is always gonna be faster than running!"

"I can't believe that paintbrush-haired horse beat you!" Jet added. "How did you ever lose to somebody that lame?" Lightning glared daggers at Jet in annoyance. "Shut up and let's finish this thing!"

"Alright, alright! Your days of being the Fastest Thing Alive are through, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Jet cackled, his Gear blasting off at high speed. Unbeknownst to the hawk, Lightning's amber eyes were wide in realization… and they soon narrowed in determination and selfishness. "Fastest Thing Alive? If anypony deserves to be called that, it's ME!" With a loud boom reminiscent of a thunderclap, Lightning shot into the air and began closing in on Jet, a trail of lightning mixed with blue and yellow colors behind her.

A mile or two behind her, Sonic and Rainbow caught wind of Lightning's new tactic; one that baffled Sonic. "Uh… is it just me, or does Lightning look like she's willing to beat Jet instead of us?" Rainbow wasn't as surprised as the hedgehog, a sigh leaving her mouth. "Like I said before, Lightning doesn't care much about others, even if it means working with others. It's what got her kicked out of the Wonderbolts!"

"Hmm… well, if their cooperation's out the window…" Sonic and Rainbow shared a knowing look, each of them coming to the same conclusion. Both creatures then shot forward simultaneously, racing towards an approaching cliff raging with waterfalls and clouds that had rainbows leaking out of them. Jet was already en route and spotted the blue and rainbow streaks down below just in time to see them overtake him.

"Oh, no you don't!" he shouted, immediately diving down with the wind at his back. Like a rushing gale, he dove right between the duo and sent them scattering in separate directions while he rocketed low over the grass… as well as the surface of the water. "This one's all mine, slowpokes! Ha ha!" Thinking fast, Sonic shot behind the falls and blasted through a makeshift tunnel with the raging water on one side and the rocky cliffs on the other. On the opposite side of the falls, Rainbow drew dangerously close to the water and tilted her body parallel to the falls, skimming along the falling tides. The sight of the rainbow streak mixing in with the falling water caught Lightning's attention, who shifted her focus from the bird who was using his Gear like a surfboard to her old colored rival.

Lightning zeroed on in Rainbow, but her movement was picked up in the loyal flier's peripheral vision. After a quick glance, Rainbow dove away from Lightning before she could strike, and the other pegasus had to pull to a halt unless she wanted to crash into the falls. Growling at Rainbow (who was blowing a raspberry at her), Lightning broke into a dive to give chase… only for a blue ball to explode out of the water and smack her out of the air. "Surprise, Dusty!" Sonic hit the ground running alongside Rainbow, both of them catching up to Jet while Lightning splashed into the natural pool below the falls. A second passed before she blasted out with an angry roar, speeding after the two desperately.

A sharp whistle from Sonic prompted Jet to look over his shoulder, where he grew alarmed at the sight of the hedgehog and pegasus on his tail. However, a coy smirk crossed his face. "Well, well, well. You're more persistent than I remember. I guess I should've seen this coming from you, Sonic, but for a stupid horse to keep up for this long? Sorry to spoil your fun, bright-eyes, but those wings are gonna get tired soon!"

"Wanna bet?!" Rainbow snapped back. "I've still got enough left in me to beat you to the mountain. In fact, I'm gonna prove it right now!"

"And I'm gonna prove to you that speed comes natural to me, no Gear required!" Sonic added. "Hope you're ready for your tail feathers to be blown off, Jet!" The hawk just brushed off the hedgehog's words with a laugh. "Ha! I'd like to see you try!"

The three racers tore across the land in a mad dash for the mountain Canterlot called home, a flowing river guiding their way. Jet leaned back and forth to block off Sonic and Rainbow's advances, giving each of them taunting looks as he held his ground. Seeing as to how this was getting nowhere, Sonic silently signaled to Rainbow, who nodded in understanding. The pegasus flew up to the hawk and darted through the bird's line of sight, laughing all the while. "Ha ha! You can't catch what ya can't see, sucker!"

"Ack! Quit it! Cut that out!" Jet snapped, waving his arms to drive the pegasus away. The flier zipped ahead of the hawk with a silly face… right next to Sonic who shot Jet a cheeky look before taking off. Jet's eyes widened in shock as he realized the purpose of Rainbow's tactic: a distraction. "Hey! That's not fair! You-" Before Jet could continue his rant, he noticed something race up from behind him and let out a relieved breath. "About time you caught up! I need some help in taking these fools do-"

Instead of stopping alongside Jet to formulate a plan as he expected, Lightning Dust zoomed past the Rogue without a second thought, putting the hawk in a state of shock. "Wha-HEY! Get back here! We need a plan!" He kicked his Gear into full throttle to chase down the turquoise pegasus, who turned to look at him with burning amber eyes. "Listen here, feather-face! I don't need your help in beating Rainbow Dash anymore!"

Jet couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?! Of course you do! I help you beat her, you help me beat Sonic, and you can be the fastest thing around these parts!"

Lightning wasn't fazed by the hawk's words. "Why be the fastest thing in Equestria when I can be the fastest thing period? I'm gonna win this thing and have all those second-rate racers know their place!" Lightning took a moment to savor the shell-shocked look on the Rogue's face before she gave him an impish smile. "Thanks for giving me the idea, Jet. It's been a pleasure." The pegasus then shot away, leaving the bird behind on his still-speeding hoverboard… who clenched his fists and growled angrily.

"You back-stabbing, double-dealing, hay-munching traitor!" he cried, chasing after Lightning as fast as his Gear could go. Ahead of the pack, Sonic and Rainbow spied the summit of the mountain rise over the horizon like a beckoning beacon symbolizing the end of the competition. But before they could pick up the pace, a lightning-trailed blur shot past them both before rising into the air; a blur that Rainbow swore she heard laughter coming from. Her ruby eyes turned to Sonic, her gaze enough to ask a silent question to the hedgehog.

"Now!" he cried, balling his hands into fists and pushing himself further. It was as if Sonic had read her mind. Rainbow launched upward at a ninety-degree angle, soaring higher and higher into the clouds. Down below, a blue streak of light zoomed for the base of the mountain, a small mach cone forming around its form. The light caught Lightning's eyes, and the pegasus looked down to see what was going on…

"What?!" Her eyes widened in horror. "No, no, that can't be! That's im-"

The sky suddenly shook with the force of a hundred explosions, the blue air flooding with a shockwave of color. At the same time, the air surrounding the ground rippled like water as the cone surrounding the Blue Blur shattered like glass. At supersonic velocity, the blue streak of light touched the mountainside and charged upward at a rate faster than Lightning thought possible. She beat her wings as hard as she could in a frenzy, her mind already screaming that she couldn't outfly something that moved like that. She tried focusing on the peak, on the finish line, on the goal… but a colored blur was already zeroing in on it. Lightning's instinct told her that it was too late; that the blur would reach the top of the mountain way before she could.

But she didn't listen to it.

"No!" Lightning cried, flying for the peak with all her strength in hopes of the miracle that she would reach it before the colored trail or the blue comet. The high, windy screams of the supersonic speedsters were reverberating in her ears to the point where it was unbearable. She felt tears in her eyes; was it from the gale forces or her denial of what was happening before her?

"No! NO! NOOO!"

She fought, she flew, she screamed with an outstretched hoof, desperate to touch the snow-covered peak…

And then came the roaring wind from two streaks of light, the combined force enough to create a gale no pegasus could stand against. Lightning's scream of despair was lost to its howls, her body tumbling in the air as feathers flew loose. Three-quarters up the mountain, the gale nearly blew Jet from his Gear and left him hanging on for dear life with one hand. The tremendous shockwaves died down in seconds, as did the speed of the winners.

Jet was silent. His blue eyes glared at the distraught pegasus that was hovering in midair. This was all her fault. The Rogue chastised himself for taking up her offer back at the tavern. If they had stuck together and coordinated to beat both of their rivals, they would have won this. But no, the pegasus thought she- a horse, of all things- could claim the title of Fastest Thing Alive for herself.

A dream that shattered as soon as it was birthed.

The blue speck in the air reached the climax of its rise and slowly began to fall towards the splendid town below. Off in the distance, the colored blur arced around in a perfect moment, swooping for the hedgehog that had his back to the ground, his limbs crossed, and his eyes closed with a satisfied smile on his face. Instinctively reaching out a hand, Sonic allowed himself to be snatched up by Rainbow Dash, who flew both speedsters to the streets of Canterlot. Leaping off gracefully and touching down like an acrobat finishing their routine, the hedgehog struck a victory pose while the pegasus hovered beside him with a pose of her own.

"That was almost too easy!"

"Ha! Like there was any doubt!" Rainbow laughed. "We were awesome out there!"

"Yeah, I gotta admit," Sonic said, doing post-race stretches. "That was something. I kinda feel sorry for ol' Dusty. She was all like 'Oh, I can beat that stupid porcupine with my wings tied behind my back!'. And then I was like 'Uh-huh, heard that before, BOOM!'"

Rainbow let out another laugh. "If only I could've seen her face when I blew past the peak first! Man, it must've been priceless! I'm so gonna tell the others about this!" Sonic just crossed his arms with a smirk. "Uh, don't you mean when I blew past the peak first?"

"Whaaaat? You?" The pegasus replied mockingly. "Nah, you were going entirely uphill! Didn't you have drag to deal with?" Sonic just shrugged. "Pretty sure I got there first."

Rainbow raised an eye at him. "You sure about that, quillface?"

"Yep, pretty sure. I've had practice in scaling tall stuff, Colors. That mountain? A piece of cake."

"Well… if we each think we got there first…" Rainbow shot a smug look at the hedgehog. "Then maybe we need to go again to find out for real," Sonic responded with a similar smile and a challenging glint in his eye. "Yeah, and maybe without the rough opponents this time!"

Suddenly, an exhausted Lightning Dust collapsed onto the street, her legs on the verge of giving out from under her. Her mane and coat looked ruffled all over, and her voice came from shaky wheezes that sounded like it hurt just to breathe. "You…" she stared at the hedgehog with barely enough strength to sound mad. "How did you…"

"My name is Sonic," the hedgehog answered sternly. "It's pretty much a dead giveaway. And I take it you're never gonna look at hedgehogs the same way again after this."

Rainbow stepped forth to address her rival. "You're so confident in yourself that you never see the bigger picture, Lightning. You underestimate everypony else that you fail to see their true potential. You underestimated my friend, and that's why you lost!"

"Sh… shut… up…!" Lightning gasped, trying her best to stay standing. "This… isn't over… Rainbow Dash… one day… I'll…" The hedgehog and the pegasus didn't know if she had the strength to finish that sentence, even if it wasn't interrupted by the sound of an active Gear that descended to the street. His eyes locked on Lightning, Jet disembarked from the airboard and stowed it under his arm, marching up to the pegasus sternly.

"Oh, this oughta be good…" Sonic whispered to Rainbow.

"You," Jet began, looking over the exhausted Lightning. "This is your fault. I put my faith in you because you knew the hedgehog's new pal. I thought you knew how to beat her… but now, I don't think you do."

"I… I do know how to beat her…" Lightning growled. She opened her mouth to continue, but Jet stopped her right there. "Really? Do you know all her tricks? Is your way of beating her just throwing every kind of cheap move there is at her? I want to beat Sonic at his best, but there's no way I can do that without you knocking him out cold!"

Lightning glared at the hawk with fury in her eyes. "That's when you can beat him, you-!"

"NO!" Jet snapped. "That means the win is worthless! Even if he and the other horse weren't badly beaten up, your recklessness and belief that you could be the fastest cost us the race! Well, lemme tell you something: you think getting that title is as easy as winning a trophy? I've been fighting to get it for years ever since I first met Sonic, and I had to learn the hard way that it's a long, hard road to travel down. I had to practice, train, to get ready for every race I had with him the way every racer should! I don't slip weights into his shoes or sabotage his Gear or anything like that. And you know why? Because I want to know what he's got. And when I lose, I want to recognize my mistake and improve upon it for the next time!"

The hawk leaned in close and grabbed the pegasus by the mane, looking her in her weary eyes. "And I just made another one: trusting you to help me. You're no racer at all, Dust Eater. You're a scheming, selfish, snobby little brat who doesn't deserve to have any kind of medal around her neck! And don't give me that 'any means necessary' nonsense, either! I've got my own meaning for that!"

He tossed the pegasus aside like a doll, the flier landing on the street with a weakened gasp. "I'm going back to the people who I really trust. You keep doing this, and you'll never win against the one you're so desperate to beat. Heck, you won't even win a single race, let alone finish one before being disqualified. No wonder your stunt flying team kicked you out…"

"Sh-shut up!" Lightning snapped, struggling to her hooves. "You know what?! Fine! I don't need your help! Or anypony's help! I'm gonna beat Rainbow one day, and I'm gonna do it my way! Without some freaking bird who can't fly by himself!" With that, the pegasus took off and flew away from Canterlot as fast as her weary wings could carry her, leaving a glaring Jet alone in the street. "Good riddance," he muttered, ignoring the pegasus' last comment.

"You're right, Jet," Sonic added with a pitiful look. "You should just stick with Wave and Storm. You don't need anyone else to challenge me. Speaking of, we're doing this again, right?"

The hawk sighed before turning to face the hedgehog. "Yeah. The right way, this time. No tricks, no horseplay… literally speaking, and no funny business." He then glanced down at Rainbow. "And you? You deserve a better rival than her. Someone that'll push you to your limit. Maybe one day you'll find that someone and show them who's the fastest around."

The pegasus couldn't help but crack a smile. "Yeah… you're right. Maybe there's somepony out there who thinks they can take me and has the skills to back it up. Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it," Jet hopped aboard his Gear and started it up, sharing one last look with Sonic. "You better be ready for the rematch, blue."

Sonic smiled. "Since when am I not? See ya around, Jet." The hawk didn't give a verbal reply. Instead, he spun his Gear around and blasted off into the sky. He was out of sight in two seconds, leaving the hedgehog and the pegasus alone on the street. Rainbow was the one to break the silence with a sigh. "Y'know… he's right. It would be more fun if I had somepony willing to race me fairly. For all I know, I can blow all the good ones outta the sky."

"Same here," Sonic replied. "Jet is willing to go head-to-head with me, Shadow matches me step-for-step and Metal… Well, he thinks he can beat me, but he's just a copycat. You better find someone who can give you a good challenge, Dash."

"You mean besides you?"

"Well, obviously," The hedgehog snickered and the pegasus shared in his laughter for a moment. "Come on, let's head back. Tails and Twi must've finished that portal gizmo while we were having fun."

"Alright, sure," Rainbow smiled, already making her way to the front gates. Sonic walked down the street, looking around the city as he followed the pegasus through the suburbs. Some of the hooved residents were already out and about, almost as if four blurs tearing down the roads minutes ago never happened. Some of the younger ones waved at Sonic in greeting, and he decided that it couldn't hurt to wave back. They weren't kidding when they said friendship was a big thing here, and it seemed to spread all across Equestria and beyond. Speaking of which…

"Hey, Dash," Sonic said when the two walked out of the main gates, prompting the pegasus to pause and look back. "Yeah?"

"Earlier, on the flying pirate ship," Sonic queried. "You said you went to lands beyond Equestria, right?" Rainbow turned around with a nod. "That's right, why?"

"Well… did you ever think of doing that again? I mean, surely you must have thought that this wasn't all there was to your world," At the hedgehog's words, Rainbow thought of a reply. "After that adventure with the Storm King, it… may have crossed my mind a few times. But friendship duties and all that back home were kinda more important. One day, though, I think I'm gonna."

"Oh, cool," Sonic said. "Where do you think you're gonna go?"

"Um… east, maybe?" Rainbow guessed. "You know what, I don't really care. After all, my favorite book series is about an explorer- who also happens to be real, by the way- who goes on all kinds of crazy adventures! Maybe I can do that, too! I think I can discover new kinds of creatures, new ponies that need to be taught friendship… oh! Maybe some lost civilization with a ton of secrets!"

"There's a lot of possibilities out there," Sonic suggested. "And I've traveled around my world before, but there could be so much I haven't found yet. After all, I'm fast enough to go to so many places, but even I can miss stuff during my travels. And you now know that your world's a lot bigger than you thought it was. And that means that there's so much for me- for both of us- to discover in our respective homes. Who knows what new frontiers we'll come across later on? What discoveries we could make? What adventures we could find ourselves in? It'd be what you always wanted!"

"Yeah, it would," Rainbow agreed with a smile. "But I'd prefer to explore a world that's not destroyed, so should we make sure it stays that way?"

"You already know the answer to that," Sonic said, patting the pegasus on the head before drawing his arms back. "Race you back!" The two creatures shot down the path in colored blurs, speeding down the hill to the small town of Ponyville below. It took them a full thirty seconds to reach the town and race into the lab-castle combo, where their arrival alerted Tails to their presence.

"There you are! Where have you two been?"

"Just passing time the only way we know how," Rainbow answered. "But enough about us, how's that portal thingy coming along?"

"Uh, we're almost finished with the calibrations," Tails finished. "We would've finished it sooner, but Twilight was… insistent on triple-checking it."

"You mean double-checking!" the princess' voice rang out. This only prompted Tails to glance in the alicorn's direction. "Triple!"

"Aw, what?" Sonic groaned. "That's like a download stopping at ninety-nine percent! Did you ask her if she could speed it up a little?"

"I have!" Tails replied with a sigh. "But she only said that we needed to be extra careful and not let anything fly by us unnoticed! And I did such a thorough scan on the diagnostics, too…"

"That's the egghead for ya," Rainbow whispered to the fox. "She's such a perfectionist that she doesn't let any detail escape her. Even the itty-bitty ones you can't see with the naked eye! I swear, when it comes down to planning and analyzing stuff, she's like a-"

"Robot!" Pinkie Pie shouted from down the hall, earning the pegasus' ire. "Yeah, I got it, Pinkie! No need to finish my sentence like that!"

"No! Robot!" Amy clarified, charging into sight with her hammer in hand. "Incoming!" Rarity and Applejack hurried down the hallway with a frightened Pinkie and Fluttershy in tow. Sunset, Spike, and Starlight followed after them, shooting magic blasts and fireballs at something out of sight. Sonic, Tails, Rainbow, and Twilight whirled to see what was happening just in time to see a round flying robot with a black undercarriage, a dome-shaped head, twin jet engines, and plane-like wings fly around the corner with a yelling Knuckles hanging onto it. The flying machine sped down the corridor and came to an abrupt stop in front of the team hard enough to send Knuckles flying through the air. As the echidna crashed against a wall and collapsed to the floor, Sonic and Rainbow glared at the small drone.

"This is bad," the hedgehog muttered.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked. "It's just one!"

"That's not it," Sonic explained. "That's a Flapper, a surveillance Badnik. Eggman uses them to spy on places and stuff. He probably knows where we are thanks to this little guy!" Everyone stood before the small drone, anticipating any sort of move it might make. Each of them expected something like a spinning machine gun or a volley of missiles… but what they didn't expect was the drone's optic sensors to light up and project an image into thin air. It was an image of pure blackness with a single symbol in the foreground; a grinning red face with a mustache and goggles atop its head.

"OHOHOHOHOHO!" cackled a menacing voice. "Salutations again, Miss Sparkle and the foolish little foals who call themselves your friends! Did any of you miss me?"

"How can we miss you when you don't go away?" Rainbow snapped at the drone.

"If your answer is no, then TOO BAD! The Eggman is here to stay, and as I said before, all the 'love' and 'friendship' in this world won't be enough to stop me! For you see, I…" The doctor paused mid-sentence, casting the room in awkward silence. "Wait a minute… WHICH ONE OF YOU CLUNKING CLODS FORGOT TO TURN THE CAMERA ON?!"

"Not me, boss!" chimed a mechanical voice. "I was… uh… mopping up the brig!"

"Grrr… unbelievable!" Eggman muttered. "Lousy good-for-nothing piece of junk, how am I supposed to send a threatening message if my glorious persona isn't visually broadcasted?!" Suddenly, the image flickered until it revealed a new sight to the heroes: the mustached mad scientist leaning over with his arm outstretched to the camera. His eyes lit up and his mouth broke into a smile.

"Ah! Much better!" The doctor leaned back into a chair and brought his fingers together with a devilish grin on his face. "Now, where was I?"

"You know what would really make this better?" Sonic commented. "If that thing was widescreen!" This earned him a few giggles from the ponies until they were quickly shushed by Twilight.

"As I was saying," Eggman continued. "You miserable mammals may have deluded yourselves into thinking you have bested me when you decimated my air fleet over that crystal city. But you thought wrong if you believed that armada was my instrumental tool in my invasion of your world. Tell me, did any of you bother to notice something… peculiar upon your return to wherever your home sweet home may be?"

"This… this doesn't sound good…" muttered a nervous Starlight. Worry and concern washed over Spike and the ponies. Eggman looked like he could sense their current emotions, as the evil grin on his face grew larger. "Well, not to worry. I happen to know just the answer to that. BEHOLD!" The scientist grabbed the recording Flapper and spun it around…

…revealing a pair of white and black alicorns restrained by energy rings and their horns connected to a siphoning device. Cries and gasps of horror rang out among the Equestrians while Sonic and his friends took a step back with stern glances. Onscreen, the haunting evil laughter rang out again, this time accompanied by weak groans from the alicorns.

"I knew the magic within you was a vital component to my success, but what I already have was some I obtained from a limited supply. With my current sources drained dry, I turned my attention elsewhere. Now, I can siphon an endless amount of magic from these two beings, who have unprecedented magical potential after living for thousands of years! Like so!"

An ominous hum came into earshot and surrounded the princess' prison. Light and energy flooded the machine… and a sudden surge enveloped the princesses, causing both sisters to scream in pain. This prompted another scream from Twilight, this one of panic. "CELESTIA!" The flashing lights reflected off the terrified ponies' eyes, unable to do anything as their former rulers were drained right before them. Yellow and black magic seeped through tubes and flowed to a canister atop their prison. Soon, the process ceased and the weakened princesses slumped downward with exhausted groans. While the machine started swapping out the canister filled to the brim with alicorn magic for an empty canister, Eggman let out a bellow of laughter again.

"OHOHOHOHOHO! Isn't that wonderful?!"

"This guy has a sick definition of the word!" Rainbow growled.

Eggman centered the camera on him again. "And guess what the best part is? These creatures can regenerate their magic over time, giving me an endless supply of the stuff! Thanks to their cooperation- voluntary or otherwise- I've completed Project Myth ahead of schedule and now stand ready to take over not one, but two worlds!" Eggman pumped a fist triumphantly before raising a brow as if he heard something. "Oh, what's that? You want your pretty princesses back, you say? Well, my dear little dopes, I just have one thing to say about that: come and get them! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His laughter stopped short and Eggman leaned in close to the camera. "Oh, and if a certain blue hedgehog and his friends are listening, don't think you know what's in store. You may have beaten me in the past before, Sonic, but this time… This time will be different! Thanks to the large quantity of magic I now possess, I will finally be able to stomp you into the ground once and for all! Follow the Flapper, and it will lead you to my base. I'll let you have the pleasure of knowing one of my many strongholds across the planet will be the last thing you ever see! And the faster you run towards me, Sonic… the faster you run to your demise. Heh heh heh…"

The footage abruptly cut off and faded away, leaving only the airborne Flapper drone behind. It hovered silently and appeared to be watching the heroes, taunting them with its smiling face while waiting for their response. Out of everyone, Twilight was the one who was shocked the most. Her panicked and worried eyes uneasily shifted from the robot to the portal, the princess at a complete loss as to what to do.

"You heard him, Twi!" Rainbow called out. "We gotta help them!"

"B… but… the portal, it… I…" Twilight stammered out. "I-I promised no more distractions! W-we're this close to finishing it!"

"That's true," Sonic agreed. "But we can't just let those two suffer while we save our worlds! Eggman couldn't have picked a better time to play mail carrier."

"So… what do we do?" whispered Fluttershy. "Finish the portal and end this while we can? Or… go and rescue the princesses? W-we'd throw away a lot of time if we go after Eggman… but the princesses would be in so much pain if we went through the portal."

"Plus, rescuing princesses from evil madmen?" Pinkie piped up. "Hasn't that been done to death already?" Upon noticing Applejack and Rarity both giving her a warning glare, the pink pony sheepishly smiled and ducked out of sight. "Just saying…"

"I… I don't know what to do here…" Twilight whispered in a mix of panic and anxiety. "Yes, I want to save the world, but I can't just leave Celestia and Luna! B-But I don't want to neglect Equestria either! Ooooh, what would she do in a situation like this?"

"I think I've got an idea."

Everyone turned to see Sunset Shimmer near the portal controls, who had a determined expression. "You guys go get the princesses. I'll stay here and finish the portal." The unicorn's words brought confusion to the group, and Amy stepped forward. "You? Why?"

"I've spent enough time in the human world to know my way around technology," Sunset explained. "I'll look through Tails' stuff to get up to speed on chaos energy if I have to." Starlight Glimmer approached the orange unicorn's side. "I'll join you, Sun. I can help with the magical aspects. I picked up a thing or two from Twilight, and it'll be faster with the two of us."

"Are… are you girls sure about this?" Twilight asked them. The unicorns confidently nodded at their friend. "You should know to count on ponies you trust by now. Trust me when I say this… we can handle this."

"Plus, uh…" Spike scratched the beach of his head before turning to the princess. "They may need somepony to help coordinate them." Twilight blinked in shock. "You too, Spike?" The dragon smiled reassuringly. "Yeah. Saving the world's more of your thing, really."

"What? But… the portal is gonna help us do that!" Twilight protested in confusion. Spike stopped her right there with a raised palm. "True. But you're gonna be saving the world from Eggman if you rescue the sisters and ruin his plans! And you've got some creature who does that all the time!"

"Charmed," said Sonic.

"Twilight…" Spike continued. "You're right to assume that Celestia would want you to ignore her and focus on keeping the world from being destroyed. But if you do that, you'd go against everything she ever taught you. And everything they ever taught you, too!" He gestured at the other ponies, who were sharing a comfortable smile. "I don't need to burp out a magic letter from my mouth to tell you this, but you're more than Celestia's student, Twilight. And you're more than her successor and a fellow princess. You're her friend, and probably the greatest one she's ever had, at that. She trusts you- believes in you- to do what your heart tells you to do. So… what's it saying now?"

Twilight didn't answer at first, and her only response was her violet eyes moving about in deep thought. Soon, a smile of her own appeared on the alicorn's face and she stared down at the dragon proudly. "That my friends and I need to save the world from one danger before we can save it from another. Stay here and help Sunset and Starlight finish the portal, and… thanks, Spike."

"Hey, no problem," the dragon chuckled before pointing a claw towards the castle doors. "Now go crack Eggman and get the princesses back!"

"That's more like it!" Sonic shouted to rally everyone up. "Come on, we have an appointment to get to!" Spinning on his heel, the hedgehog sprinted for the entrance while his friends hurried after. The Flapper flew ahead of the group and hovered out of the castle, leading them to their destination.

"You wanna play, Eggman? Alright, then let's play!"

…

"Message received, sir. The Flapper is en route back to base… with Sonic and the others in tow."

"Excellent, Orbot," Eggman congratulated a tablet-holding Orbot, never turning his eyes from a monitor filled with status reports on defenses and magic energy levels. Metal Sonic stood silently behind the doctor, his form perfectly still as he observed the trio. "If those miserable mammals think pilfering my plucked princesses will be easy, they've got a big surprise waiting for them! Cubot! What's the status update on the weapon?"

"Project Myth is good to go, your rotundity!" replied the robot who greeted his creator with a salute. "But, um… you're sure this thing will stop them?"

"Oh, I'm sure," the man answered calmly. "It'll stop that hedgehog right in his tracks! But in case his new friends get any ideas… well, that's where the rest comes in."

"Wait, the rest?"

"Of course, you slack-jawed simpleton!" Eggman retorted. "I'm a genius, after all! My backup plans have backup plans! That weapon is just the first line of defense for this base! While I had your hands full with preparations, I had Metal Sonic assist me with another special project: another aspect of Project Myth."

"What a marvelous idea, boss!" Orbot elated. "Am I correct to assume that this second line of defense is also complete?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Eggman sneered before raising his hand and snapping his fingers. On cue, another screen appeared on the monitor; one that displayed a glass containment tube holding a strange machine in suspended animation. Upon closer inspection, Orbot and Cubot could make out the details of the unknown robot. It had a slick cyan paint job with Eggman's personal insignia on its hindquarters, multiple colors on its mechanical tail and hair, four hydraulic legs, a turbocharged engine in its chest, and twin thrusters and fan-like turbines in a pair of lightweight mechanical wings.

"Behold!" Eggman announced to his metallic minions. "The first model of my new vanguard! Sonic has gained new powerful allies during his time here, so I decided to make some of my own!"

"Wow…" said Cubot. Orbot, on the other hand, took the moment to congratulate his boss. "Such astounding craftsmanship, sir! It seems exactly like the design for Metal Sonic!"

"I utilized both Metal's design and the biodata he acquired from those putrid ponies to build the ultimate counter for them," Eggman explained. "It took careful planning and construction, but the time for the unveiling is nigh! It has none of the flaws the original possesses and has the speed and strength to easily overpower its counterpart! It is improvement and perfection incarnate!"

Eggman crossed his hands behind his back and allowed Metal Sonic to step forth. "I have one last task for you two. You need to oversee our guests and modulate both their magic and life signs. I can't stress enough that those two are essential to Project Myth's success. Now get to it!"

"At once, sir!" Orbot replied before he and Cubot hovered away, the latter mumbling something about what kind of harm two flying unicorns could do. Once they were gone, Eggman and Metal turned their eyes back to the still machine within the tube… and the doctor donned a wicked smile.

"Rise and shine, my little creation…" he spoke. "It's time to seek and destroy!"

A pair of cyan-plated eyelids shot open, revealing red optics that burned through the darkness like torches. Several more lights just like it flashed into view behind the robot's containment tube, their ominous sight and their maker's mad laughter providing a chilling atmosphere.

SYSTEMS ONLINE

SYNCHRONIZATION WITH ADDITIONAL UNITS COMPLETE

OBJECTIVE: DESTROY ALL PRIORITY TARGETS.

ALL HAIL THE EGGMAN EMPIRE