The open lands of Equestria

"Hey, Tails. Got anything on the Emeralds yet?"

"The signal's still scrambled, Sonic. But what's even more mind-bending is how… those things are made of both magic and chaos energy. Do you think the Emeralds and the Elements have something to do with that?"

"I have a hunch," Sonic answered. "The question is: if they're connected, how? What's their deal?"

"Why don't we cross that bridge when we get to it?" Applejack asked. "Right now, we need to find out how we're gonna find the Elements. But… how exactly are we supposed to get to somewhere between our two worlds?"

"The rifts in the sky are like portals," Knuckles theorized. "So far, we've only seen them serve as passageways to both our worlds… but not between them. We've hit a roadblock, guys."

"Maybe not…"

Tails turned to Twilight Sparkle. "What do you mean?"

"If we can't find a rift that could take us to the space between dimensions, we can just make one!"

"Make one?!" repeated the shocked fox. "How? I doubt your world has the technology to conjure such a rupture in space-time!"

"I'll admit," Twilight continued. "The machines I use can be a little… primitive in your eyes. And I've worked with a lot of them. But I've managed to learn something just before we met."

"And what's that?" asked Amy.

"The rifts are magical in nature," Twilight answered. "Given that both they and the strange creatures are similarly colored, they probably have traces of chaos energy in them as well!"

"Um… meaning?" Sonic didn't get it.

"My experience with magic isn't gonna be enough," Twilight said, turning her violet eyes to Tails. "If we're gonna reach the space between dimensions, we need to balance the scales.

Tails blinked in shock. "You… you want my help?"

"Exactly! I take it you have experience with chaos energy?"

"Uh oh…" whispered Rainbow Dash. "Egghead alert."

"I have been studying it, yeah. And I think I know what you're getting at. With a bit of my tech and expertise in chaos energy added with your knowledge of magic, we can build something that could open the space between dimensions like a tin can!"

"Haha!" Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, it is true what they say. Great minds think alike!"

"Well, at least we've formulated a plan," Rarity cut in. "But how exactly do you wish to start?"

"I'll need to get back to my workshop for that," Tails added. "And that's difficult enough. If I fly through any of those rifts, who knows where I may end up."

"And I'll need to head to my castle to prepare," Twilight said. "It may take a while, but we need to be as quick as we can before time runs-"

BURRP!

Everyone spun in Spike's direction, who had just puked out a scroll in a jet of green flame. Amy cringed and made a disgusted face. "Ugh! Did you eat that?!"

"Uh, no," replied the dragon as he unfurled the scroll in his hands. "It's a message from Princess Celestia. Weird… she knows we're capable of pulling this off, but… AUGH!"

The dragon yelped after his eyes skimmed the message, causing everyone to tense up in alarm. "What's the matter, buddy?!" Sonic stammered. "Is something wrong?"

"Twilight!" Spike stammered, hurrying up to the alicorn. "It's urgent! Celestia said Canterlot had been attacked!"

"Attacked?" Twilight repeated in shock. "Come on, everypony! We gotta-"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Sonic interrupted with a wave of his hands. "I'm going there my own way!" He reared back before blasting off in a trail of blue light, leaving everyone else in his dust.

"HEY!" Knuckles cried in desperation. "Wait for me! SONIC!"

But the hedgehog was already fading into the distance. The echidna dropped his outstretched arm and moaned. "Easy there, sugarcube," Applejack counseled as everyone gathered close to Twilight, who glared in the direction Sonic ran off in. "You'll get the hang of it eventually."

Knuckles facepalmed with an upset moan. "Oh… what did I do to deserve this?" Tails and Amy made small groans of their own before Twilight teleported everyone away in a flash of raspberry light.

They reappeared back in Canterlot, greeted by shaken citizens who fearfully whispered to each other. While Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all collapsed in a dazed heap, Twilight spun her head towards a pegasus guard with scratch marks on his armor.

"You there! What happened?!"

He turned to her with a stoic expression. "The city has been besieged, my princess. It was those mechanical monstrosities again."

"Eggman?" asked a worried Rainbow Dash. "Is anypony hurt?!"

"The citizens are alright," the guard continued. "But the royal guards who tried to intervene were greatly injured, and we have some guards unaccounted for."

"Did they try to take the castle?" Rainbow asked. At her words, the guard hesitated briefly. "Their… their tactics were… odd. Out of all the buildings in Canterlot, the invaders only assaulted one building and ignored everything else."

"Only one building?" Twilight repeated. "Where did they hit?"

The guard looked her in the eye. "The School for Gifted Unicorns, your majesty."

A gasp of horror left Twilight's throat. "The School for… oh no, no, no!" She broke into a sprint, allowing the others to follow her. They ran through the streets of Canterlot, making their way past frightened ponies.

"Hey…" said Knuckles. "Does anyone notice something different here?"

"Like what?" asked Fluttershy.

"I see ordinary horses and horses with wings…" the echidna explained. "But no horned horses! Where'd they go?"

Tails ascended to survey the city from overhead. "Knuckles, you're right! I don't see any unicorns anywhere!" There were no horned horses anywhere to be found. The streets were filled only with normal ponies and pegasi. Just then, Tails' eyes lit up when he noticed a large building that seemed partially damaged. "Over there!"

A squad of royal guards stood near the closed doors of the school, with some of them talking to somepony the group couldn't clearly make out. When they approached, an earth pony guard with captain's armor dropped into a bow. "Your majesty! Thank Celestia you've come!"

"What happened here?!" Twilight asked worriedly. "Are the staff and students alright?!"

"Those metal monsters attacked the school, Princess Twilight!" the captain replied. "They took everypony they saw! The unicorn guards tried to stop them, but they were taken as well!"

"They were ponynapped?!" gasped Pinkie Pie. Rarity looked like she was about to faint. "Oh, the horror!"

"They were led by… by what I can only describe as a literal speed demon," the captain continued with brief hesitation. "It took out each of the guards one by one, zipping this way and that like a flying pegasus."

"And it's not like it looked like it was flying!" retorted a pegasus guard with bruised wings. "It could fly! By Tartarus, it out-flew both me and every other pegasus guard it saw! And it didn't even have wings!"

"It was... everywhere at once," said another injured guard. "One single blink... and it was gone. By the time I discovered where it was, it was far too late…" He cringed in pain as others helped it lay back down.

"Ngh… I… I'm sorry, your majesty… we failed you."

"We suffered a great beating, princess," the captain sighed, gesturing to other guards lying on the ground in pain. "We arrived too late to stop the attack… but we have somepony here who can tell you more."

The weary guards moved away from who they were addressing: a greenish-cyan unicorn with tears in her bright orange eyes. Twilight took a cautious step towards the unicorn, her violet eyes trained on the unicorn.

"Lyra Heartstrings?"

The unicorn turned her head to the alicorn. "So… so fast… so horrible… so deadly… everypony didn't stand a chance…"

"Hey," Twilight whispered. "It's okay, Lyra. You're safe now. Are you… are you okay with telling us what happened?"

Lyra sniffled with a shaky nod. "It… it was just another day at the school, princess. Everypony was transitioning between classes… when something blew a hole in the wall. And from the wall… it came."

"What came, Lyra?"

"A… a monster," came the unicorn's shaky reply. "It roared like thunder and rushed through the halls in powerful winds. It commanded the other metal beings as it led the charge."

"What did it look like?" Rainbow asked eagerly. "I wanna know what its face looks like before I kick it in!"

"I… I couldn't see its face," whispered Lyra. "It was too fast. I only saw a blur. All around me, frightened unicorns went down as the creature slashed them with sharp claws. The faculty tried to fight… but the monster got them."

She fought back some tears. "Lemon Hearts… Moon Dancer… Twinkleshine… Minuette… even the visiting Chancellor Neighsay… all of them. Gone."

"Oh no…" whispered a worried Twilight.

"The Canterlot royal guards were called in to stop the monster… but they, too, were helpless. It tore through them with ease… and it took the unicorn guards as well."

"Hold on, just the unicorns?" Rainbow asked. "It didn't bother with anypony else?"

"The attackers ponynapped all the unicorns they could find," Lyra explained sadly. "All the earth ponies and pegasi… they just acted like they weren't even there. I managed to hide and get away from them in the panic… but I couldn't do anything else. All the school's unicorns… they're all gone…"

"If you tried to stop them, you'd be gone, too, Lyra," Twilight assured her. "Did you see where the unicorns were taken?"

"They were… locked in some kind of capsules…" Lyra finished. "...which were then taken away by the attackers. I didn't come out for a while after that… until the guards told me it was alright."

"This is weird, Twi," Rainbow whispered as she peeked through the hole made from the forced entry. She saw blast marks, overturned statues, shattered windows, and claw marks on the walls. "Those were totally Eggman's robots that attacked the school… but why were they after the unicorns?"

"And the one leading them…" Twilight muttered. "Lyra? What else do you remember about it?"

"It… It was a disastrous whirlwind…" the unicorn whispered. "A storm of blue, taking out anypony that crossed its path… it was deadly, precise, unstoppable-"

Something screeched to a halt behind Twilight. "Yo! Where's the fire?"

"AAAAAIIIEEEEEEE!" Lyra screamed in panic and bolted away as fast as she could, leaving Twilight and Rainbow shocked. The alicorn opened her mouth and held out a hoof… but nothing came out. Rainbow just looked over her shoulder, where a confused Sonic stood with a rising cloud of dust behind him.

"What's her problem?"

Twilight just sighed before addressing the hedgehog. "Sonic, we have a problem. Eggman came back to Canterlot and attacked this school."

"His robots kidnapped every unicorn in the whole city!" Tails added, making Sonic put a hand to his chin in thought. "Huh. So that explains why I didn't see so many horn-heads on my run in. What is this place, Twi?"

"This is the School for Gifted Unicorns. It's… where I went as a filly; before becoming Princess Celestia's pupil."

"You went to magic school here?" Sonic repeated. "Wow. What'd you get your degree in? Potions? Hexes? Charms?"

"I… don't think it works that way here," Rainbow commented with a weirded expression.

"Well, it was where I hatched Spike, if that counts for something," Twilight told him as she ascended the stairs and neared the cracked-open front doors. "Oh my… sweet Celestia, look at what they've done to the place!"

The others followed the shocked alicorn through the doors, where they were treated to the sight of a trashed and ransacked interior. The walls were significantly damaged with burns and claw marks. Floor tiles were scattered about and several of the windows were shattered. Even the classroom doors had been blown or ripped off their hinges.

Spike noticed a large amount of non-functioning Egg Pawns laying on the floor. Thanks to the magic of the unicorns that had tried to fight back, some of them had holes burnt through their chests. Others had their limbs blown off. The little dragon kicked one to make sure it was down. All it managed to do was roll onto its back, where Spike was met by unlit optic units.

"It looks like the locals tried to fight back," Sonic said, picking up a discarded royal guard helmet. "But it didn't seem like enough to beat the bots." He tossed the helmet over his shoulder, where it landed on the floor with an echoing clang.

"Even the examination hall is a mess," Twilight whispered sadly as she peeked into the room. "The place I hatched Spike's egg…"

Tails traced a hand across one of the claw marks, holding the Miles Electric in the other. "Trace amounts of turbocharged fuel… most likely jet engine-based," he muttered. "Hints of electromagnetic induction, too. And… there's only one robot in Eggman's entire army that can do such a thing…"

"Breaking out the big bots now, huh?" Sonic asked, turning to the fox with a knowing look. "But this still doesn't solve anything. Why's Eggman after unicorns?"

"I believe I can answer that," Rarity spoke up. "When he first attacked Canterlot, he said he was interested in the unicorns' magic. I think he spoke of… a power source?"

"So he's going back to square one," Sonic deduced. "Using living beings as batteries. Well, in this case, it's something in the living beings. Thankfully, I've seen this before with the Wisps."

"So, all we need to do is track down Eggman, crack him, and free the horn-heads!" Knuckles shouted, bumping his fists together. "Right?"

"As much as I want to agree…" Twilight sighed. "I can't."

"What? Why not?"

"Right now… our priority should be finding a way to get to that space between dimensions," Twilight said regretfully. "We don't have time to deal with Eggman. But… but I just can't leave those unicorns in his hands…"

"Hey, don't worry, Twi!" Rainbow replied as she flew up to the alicorn and placed a hoof on her back. "No, seriously, don't. You do that way too much. Anyway, we'll get everypony back! I promise!"

"How? Even if we could follow Eggman, we don't know where he is now!" Twilight told the pegasus with worried eyes. "Rainbow, I don't want to abandon those ponies as much as you do… but that's not our priority right now. I already have so much to do!"

The mare with the multicolored mane rolled her eyes with a groan. "Ugh, not this again… come on, Twilight! This isn't the time to freak out over every little thing that needs to be done! I told you, we got this together! You just worry about getting that dimension-thingie working, and we'll worry about Egghead."

"And if anything else pops up," Applejack spoke up. "We'll work our way around that, too. You go to your castle and get whatever it is you need. Let us worry about everything else."

"You needn't worry about anything else!" promised Rarity. Beside her, Pinkie Pie jumped up and down excitedly. "We can each do our part!"

"Um… go team?" whispered Fluttershy.

Twilight gave a small smile. "Thanks, girls."

"You guys have got this teamwork thing down pretty well," Sonic complimented. "I'll let the two brainiacs do their thing. In the meantime, I'm gonna do mine: hunt down Eggman and free your people!"

"Count me in!" Rainbow called, zipping to his side. "I wanna give him one for trying to burn Canterlot to the ground!"

"Well, as soon as I can find a way back home," Tails added. "I can start with my end. I don't know a whole lot about chaos energy, but I'm sure I can whip up something that can lock onto its unique energy signatures."

"Then, I guess it's settled," Twilight sighed happily. "Spike and I will head to my castle to gather some materials. Tails, why don't you stick with Sonic until you can find a rift that leads back to… uh, wherever you call home. Sonic and Rainbow, you go out and look for signs of Eggman. Any creature else who wants to tag along is free to do so."

"Can't let you have all the fun now, can I?" Knuckles asked the hedgehog. Beside him, Amy placed her hands on her hips with a confident smile. Pinkie gave another hop with the rest of the ponies. "And we're coming, too! We made some new buddies, so we're not gonna let them down anytime soon!"

"Then, I'll see you all later," Twilight finished. "Good luck!"

"Ha! When have I ever needed that, princess?" Sonic replied before he and the others rushed out of the school. As soon as they left, Spike walked up to Twilight, who blinked them both away in a flash of light.

Westopolis, Sonic's world

"This place is so weird," whispered Scootaloo. "Freakishly weird. Look at all these creatures roaming around. I've never seen anything like them."

"It makes me a little uneasy, too," added Apple Bloom. "Along with the fact that some of them appear to be… staring." She shivered. "It's kinda creepy…"

"Honestly," muttered Sweetie Belle as she turned her eyes towards a shocked bipedal creature who had dropped its newspaper. "Have any of these creatures even seen a pony before?"

"What's going on?" one of the creatures spoke in confusion. "Did something escape from the zoo?"

"The zoo?" laughed another. "More like the circus, if you ask me!"

"That one has a bow. Do you think a little girl lost her pet?"

"A pet? That? She's gotta be a pretty spoiled girl!"

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes in thought. "So, they can talk…"

BEEEEP!

The three ponies looked ahead and saw a strange metal vehicle screeching right towards them! Two lights shone as bright as the sun and its four wheels skidded along the road. The trio screamed in panic and darted away just as it passed by, vanishing into a nearby alley. The vehicle slowed down and came to a stop nearby while Scootaloo tried to catch her breath from behind a dumpster.

"That… was close…"

"What in Equestria was that?!" Sweetie Belle gasped. "And just… where in Celestia's name are we?!"

"Uh…" Apple Bloom spoke up. "Didn't that sign say West-"

"I know that!" the unicorn snapped. "I know where, but… where? Ugh, this is getting to be so confusing!"

"Tell me something I don't know…" Scootaloo muttered as she poked her head out from behind the dumpster. She saw strange posters on the neighboring buildings. One was an advertisement for something called "Chao In Space" while another depicted scary black monsters with the words "Remember The Fire In The Sky".

"Hello?" spoke a childish voice that sent the three ponies on edge. "Is someone there? I heard something!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders spun around to where the voice had come from, worry on their faces. And from the voice's direction, they heard a distant buzzing.

"Could this be one of the missing people? Oh, boy, the guys will wanna hear this! Hello? Don't be afraid, I'm here to-"

The speaker rounded a corner… revealing itself to be a big bee!

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

The trio of ponies screamed, causing the newcomer to scream in surprise as well. They hid behind the dumpster, quivering in fear. Apple Bloom had her eyes covered, Sweetie Belle was shaking, and Scootaloo didn't dare to blink.

"Wh-wh-what was that?" asked the trembling unicorn. "That was the largest insect I've ever seen!"

"Please, don't let it sting us…" Apple Bloom whispered. "Is it gone yet?"

"I-I-I don't know…" Scootaloo whispered back, slowly peeking her head into the alley. "Lemme check… wait, I don't see it."

The Crusaders quietly emerged from their hiding place, looking all around the alley. Fortunately, they saw no sign of the abnormally large bee. "Whew!" Apple Bloom panted. "What a-"

"WAH! Don't hurt me!"

Scootaloo whirled towards the far end of the alley, where the big bee had flown out from behind a pile of trash cans. And it seemed to be… cowering?

"Hurt you?" asked the dumbfounded Sweetie Belle. "You're the one with the stinger!"

The bee didn't open its eyes. Instead, it continued to shiver and said something to itself. "Okay, okay… I'm gonna open my eyes now. And I'm gonna see something that's not surprising and something that's not at all scary."

The bee peeked open an orange eye… and spotted the ponies. "Huh? Awww!" It flew a few meters above the ground, now completely calm and happy. "Hey there, little guys! Did you get lost on your way to the farm? Haha! For a second there, I thought it was something serious!"

"Uh, I would like to get back to my home," Apple Bloom said. "Which is also a farm. So… yes?"

The bee's expression turned stiff and he let out a childish yelp. "YEEEP! You… you can talk?!"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Of course we can talk! Just why are we doing it to a big scary-looking bee?"

The insect looked taken aback. "Scary? Me? I'm not scary! Well, not when I need to be…"

"And for a bee…" commented Sweetie Belle. "Your fashion sense is something even my sister would find questionable."

The bee looked at himself and laid a hand- since when did bees have hands?- on a helmet with goggles resting atop its head. "Uh… I have no idea what you just said, so… thank you? That is a compliment, right?"

"You sure you're harmless?" Scootaloo asked. At her words, the bee looked taken aback and made a "psht" sound at her. "Of course I'm harmless! Annoying, sure, but not harmless! Unless you're a robot, which I don't think you are. I mean, who'd make robot horses?"

"He doesn't look very annoying…" Sweetie Belle whispered to her friends.

"Anyway, my name's Charmy!" said the bee with hands on his hips. " Proud member of the Chaotix Detective Agency! Do you guys have names?"

"I'm Scootaloo," replied the pegasus. "And these are my friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle."

The bee made a face. "What kinda names are those?"

"What kind of name is 'Charmy' for a bee?" Apple Bloom replied.

Charmy just shrugged. "Okay, fair enough. What are you three doing in Westopolis? Are you lost or something?"

"You could say that," Scootaloo told him. "We're looking for a way back to…" She cut herself off, a realization dawning on her. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"Um, I asked if you were lost."

"No, before that! When you introduced yourself!"

"Uh…" Charmy scratched his head in confusion. "I'm a proud member of the Chaotix Detective Agency?"

Sweetie Belle gasped. "That's what the advertisement said on the sign! You're one of them?"

Charmy's confused expression was still there… until he shook his head and replaced it with a happy smile. "Yep! Charmy Bee, Chaotix flyer, at your service!" He gave the ponies a little salute. "Oh, wait a second… if you guys have a case, I'm gonna have to decline."

"What?! Why?" Scootaloo gasped.

"The Chaotix is packed!" Charmy answered. "Missing people, sightings of monsters, and world-renowned heroes nowhere to be seen! Plus, don't forget those spooky cracks in the sky! They're popping up everywhere!"

"Cracks in the sky?" Apple Bloom asked. "Just like Equestria?"

"We'll work out the details later," Scootaloo told her. "But can you please take us to your friends, Charmy? We need their help to get home!"

The bee thought about this for a moment. "Hmm…. okay! I don't see why not!"

"Really?" Sweetie Belle gasped. "You'll help us?"

"Sure! How hard can getting three baby horses with shield markings back to a farm be?" Charmy replied nonchalantly. "Come on! I'll take you to the office! I gotta be back there, anyway!" He took off buzzing down the street, motioning for the ponies to follow him. With renewed purpose for getting back home, the trio galloped out of the alley and after the bee.

Two lights shone in the sky like stars; one turquoise, the other cyan. High above the ground, two levitating creatures looked at the land and air around them. Below, expansive grasslands and a trailing river spread out for miles. Above, the sky was blue and covered with clouds… along with ominous cracks alive with energy.

"What is it that you remember so far?" asked Starlight Glimmer.

"Like I said…" answered Silver. "It's all a mess. I can try to put some pieces together, but it'll be like an incomplete puzzle."

The unicorn looked at the hedgehog, silently urging him to proceed.

"The earliest I can recall… well, it's actually the latest. As I told you before, my future was ruined. But I saw my time consumed by fire and destruction. I heard people choking on smoke and struggling to survive the intense heat. Food was scarce. Water? Even more so…"

"Sounds harsh," Starlight muttered.

"Then, one name surrounded everything," Silver continued. "Iblis. It's been burned in my head for a while now. But… I don't know who or what Iblis might be. Or how it came to be. I only have a clue for that: something called the 'Iblis Trigger'."

"You said you were trying to fix your time," Starlight said. "Did that mean you had to eliminate this 'Trigger' to stop Iblis from being born?"

"I… I guess," Silver said, clutching his head. "I… I don't know where I learned this information or who this 'Trigger' could be. I don't know if I even stopped him and succeeded in my mission."

Starlight hesitated for a moment. "Hey, Silver… can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you believe these dreams… visions… whatever they are… are real?"

Silver had a quizzical expression. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think they actually happened? Or… they will happen? Ugh, this is really hard to understand…"

"I don't know," came the hedgehog's reply. "I want to say they are, but… I have doubts. Sometimes, I can swear they happened to me. And other times… I'm lost. Until I can piece it all together, I can stop aimlessly looking and finally clear my mind."

"Trust me, we'll figure this out," Starlight said comfortingly. "I think I know just the unicorn to go to… but ever since this whole thing started, he's been holding up in-"

"Huh?"

"Silver? What's wrong?" The two came to a stop, hovering in the air. Silver's gaze was transfixed on… something. Starlight couldn't clearly tell. "Do you see that?" he asked in awe. Starlight saw nothing but grass, the river, and small hills as far as she could see. "Uh… see what?"

Silver flew down to ground level, ushering Starlight to follow. The two levitated close to the grass until their surrounding auras faded, making them touch the ground. Silver walked over to what piqued his curiosity and kneeled. Starlight approached from the side and got a glimpse as to what Silver was interested in.

It was a deactivated robot. But not one she had already seen in Equestria. This machine was humanoid in appearance, with a height Starlight believed to be two meters tall. It was slim with a pronounced chest, a disc-shaped head, and backward bending-looking knees. Its feet were hook-like with three toes and it had a black-and-white white color palette. And lastly, it had a machine gun and a missile launcher for hands.

Silver traced a hand across the chassis as he felt his mind pulse again. This time, he didn't fight it…

With a cry, Silver flung away an entire squad of the humanoid robots with his psychokinesis. The machines crashed to the ground in wrecked heaps of metal, some of them exploding on impact. As soon as they were dealt with, he turned to a confused Sonic a short distance behind him.

"You look like you're in a hurry."

Sonic seemed both wary and confused at Silver's appearance. While keeping his eyes trained on the other hedgehog, he spoke. "So… what's going on?"

"Circumstances have changed," Silver answered. "I need to rescue the princess."

Sonic nodded in approval before he dashed off, giving Silver a thumbs-up. The white hedgehog sprinted after him, running down the forest path.

"Princess?" Silver mumbled. "What princess?"

"What is it?" Starlight asked calmly. "Do you… know this machine?"

"I… I do," Silver replied. "This is an Egg Gunner, built by Doctor Eggman to serve as his robotic soldiers. Odd… normally, that's what the Egg Pawns are built for. So why…?"

"We'll figure everything out in time," Starlight said reassuringly. "For now, let's keep going. From what I last heard, the unicorn we're looking for was last seen somewhere near the mountains of the Frozen North."

"The mountains?" Silver asked as they levitated back into the air. "What's there?"

"Let me ask you something, Silver," Starlight replied with a knowing smile. "Do you like crystals?"

"Well, kind of. Why?"

"Because you're gonna see a lot soon."

Somewhere west of Canterlot, Equestria

"And that's why I believe that whales have it out for me!"

Sonic and Rainbow Dash sped across the open land like cars driving down a freeway, going at a steady, cruising pace instead of hitting full throttle. In the skies above, Tails and Fluttershy flew close to a hot air balloon carrying the rest of their friends.

"Oh, come on! You got jumped one time!" Rainbow shouted. "And aren't whales generally calm? Fluttershy says they're totally fine with other creatures' company!"

"Yeah, well, tell that to the one that demolished an entire boardwalk just to get me!" Sonic retorted with a wagging finger, his legs nearly resembling a blurred motion as they repeatedly hit the ground beneath him. "I tell ya, Dash, if one of those things does end up getting me, I'll show it that hedgehogs do not make good snacks! Particularly this one!"

"Sure, sure…" Rainbow sighed as she rolled her eyes. Her wings beat in a constant motion as if they were pumps, propelling the pegasus onward. "Where are we supposed to be going, anyway? Are we sure Eggman went this way?"

"That's what some of the townsfolk back in Canterlot said. Don't fret about it; chasing Eggman is what I do best. We just gotta stay on track and-" Sonic's words were cut off when he heard a swift whooshing sound from the sky. Curious, he looked toward the clouds.

"Did you hear something?"

"Yeah. And it sounds an awful lot like-"

SWOOSH! Something shot between the speedsters in a flash of blue and a cloudy trail, forcing Sonic to break off from his path. "Hey! Not cool!" Several other airborne figures shot past the balloon, causing Tails and Fluttershy to temporarily spin in place while everyone else reacted in surprise.

"Wha?!" gasped the fox.

"There you are, Crash! Gotta say, you're a hard pony to track down!"

Rainbow's eyes lit up and she came to a hovering stop. Right in front of her was a golden pegasus in a blue flight uniform, her orange eyes directed at the mare with the multicolored mane. Behind the pegasus, several more uniformed pegasi flew into formation.

Rainbow cracked a smile. "Well, what can I say, Spitfire? Sitting still just isn't my thing! So, what's-"

"Koff! Ugh! Hack!" Sonic waved away the gray slipstream and trudged into view. "Bleh! What is this, clouds of smoke?" He shook his head and opened his eyes, finally taking notice of the new arrivals. And they looked as confused as he was.

"Wow," Sonic said to Rainbow. "Who are these guys, your fan club?"

Rainbow only chuckled. "Uh, no. I was a fan of them once upon a time, though."

"What's that?" asked one of them. "Some kind of porcupine?"

"Porcupine?" Sonic retorted with an offended tone. "Oh, come on! Don't any of you know a hedgehog when you see one?"

"A hedgehog?" another muttered. "Looks a little on the tall side, if you ask me."

"The only hedgehog I know is that one who used to work for the Storm King! Wait a minute… isn't this the guy that made it onto the papers after the Canterlot invasion?"

"Soarin, Fleetfoot, take it easy," Spitfire addressed them. "Hey, little guy. Name's Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts."

Sonic cocked a brow. "The who?" Rainbow facehoofed with a groan. "Ugh! You've never heard of the Wonderbolts?!" Sonic only turned to her with a look. "Uh, no. Different world and all that?"

"Oh! Uh, right!" Rainbow awkwardly cleared her throat before continuing. "The Wonderbolts are the best aerial flyers in all Equestria, and it's been the lifelong dream of yours truly to be one of them! It wasn't easy to do, but I pulled it off!"

"So these are your other friends, then?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Rainbow answered before turning to the squad. "Fellas, this is Sonic! Maybe you've heard of him if you've caught up in the news?"

The one called Soarin seemed suspicious. "Sonic? What kind of name is that for a hedgehog?"

Sonic replied with a challenging laugh. "So, I guess around these parts…" he began as he crouched down into a starting pose, earning him confused glances from the pegasi. "...hedgehogs can't do THIS!"

BWOOSH! He shot right through the Wonderbolts in a blast of blue light, blowing them all through the air. The pegasi cried out in alarm and quickly righted themselves before their eyes went wide. Spitfire spun her head and watched with her mouth wide open in shock while Soarin lifted his goggles.

The Blue Blur raced around a nearby valley in a streak of blue light, weaving around rocky pillars and speeding through a stone arch resembling a loop-de-loop. From a breach high above the ground, chunks of checkerboard-style earth plummeted through towards the hedgehog's position. Without missing a beat, Sonic shot insanely high into the air and spun, smashing through each one like a bowling ball through pins.

After drilling through the largest chunk and shooting off, he spun towards the ground and bounced off in a rolling fashion. Sonic uncurled in the blink of an eye and sped back towards the Wonderbolts, circling them once, twice… and then coming to a full stop right in front of them.

"Ta-da!" he called with spread arms. The shocked aerial performers were left speechless while some of them tried to find words. "What the… I don't… how… how in Equestria did he do that?!"

"Where did this thing come from?!"

"It's magic! Does he have magic?!"

"He did all that in ten seconds flat!"

"I'd like to see him handle the Dizzitron!"

"How can anything without wings be that fast?!"

"I think he'd give Crash a run for her money!"

Sonic snickered and made a face. "Crash?" he repeated while trying to hold back laughter. Rainbow just rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Long story…"

Spitfire signaled for her fellow pegasi to be quiet before she touched down close to Rainbow and Sonic. "Where in Equestria did you come from?"

"Well, long story short, I don't come from around here at all," Sonic replied. "See those freaky breaks in the sky? That's where I come from."

"Turns out he's from another world," Rainbow explained to the Wonderbolts. "Sounds weird, I know. But the proof's right up there, ma'am."

Spitfire turned her eyes to the fractured air. "Yeah… I've been hearing about those things for a while now. More and more of them have started popping up, but unfortunately, we can't deal with them. Pegasi aren't meant to clear things like that outta the sky… but there's something we can."

"Whoa, hold on," Sonic interrupted. "Clearing the sky? What's that about?"

"Pegasi are in charge of the weather," Rainbow answered. "Changing the seasons, clearing clouds, making rainbows, the whole shebang."

"You…" Sonic stuttered for a moment. "Whoa. And here I thought manually raising the sun and moon was weird. I mean, artificial rainbows? How does that happen?"

"Eh, it's pretty complicated," Rainbow told him nonchalantly. "So, what's the problem, ma'am?"

"We've got reports of a huge storm coming towards Manehattan, Dash," Spitfire reported. "We'll need every Wonderbolt on deck to help clear it out. The clouds are big enough to cover the entire city."

"That bad?" Rainbow asked. "Is there something broken at the Cloudsdale weather factory?"

"Okay, that's even weirder," Sonic commented.

"We don't know where this storm came from," Spitfire said with a shake of her head. "Nopony knows. If it's too big to clear away, we can minimize its effects on the city. You up for it, kid?"

"Ha! Yes, ma'am!" Rainbow cried with a salute. With a surprised look on his face, Sonic held out his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second! We're supposed to be out looking for Eggman right now! We don't have time for this, Colors!"

"Actually…" spoke Tails as he hovered down with the Miles Electric in his hands. "I've been thinking about how we'd move on if something popped up. So I decided to send out a call."

"A call?" Sonic echoed. "To who?"

Tails held the Miles Electric outward to show Sonic something on the screen: a small robot modeled after a Chao with a propeller on its head. Rainbow tilted her head at it. "Is that a toy?"

"Hey, Sonic!" called the robot. "Omochao here! Tails brought me up to speed on your little Eggman dilemma and asked me to monitor his activities! Transmissions, fleet movements, deployments, I've got it all covered!"

Sonic gave Tails a thankful smile. "I knew I could count on you, Tails!" he congratulated, patting his buddy on the shoulder. "And Omochao? Find out whatever you can about Eggman, but stay outta trouble. Got it, little guy?"

"Alright! You can count on me! I'll look into Eggman's latest rotten scheme and get back to you as soon as I can! Omochao out!"

The call ended, leaving only a blank screen on the handheld. Tails placed it on his back while Sonic turned to the Wonderbolts. "Okay, then… where's this city?"

"Just follow us, blue!" Rainbow answered eagerly, taking off in a colored streak. The Wonderbolts and Sonic followed after at breakneck speed, prompting Tails to fly back to the balloon.

"Ugh!" Knuckles moaned at the sight of them. "We'll never catch them at this rate!"

"Then I suggest you hold on tight!" Tails replied confidently. He and Fluttershy nodded to each other before they flew into the balloon, pushing it with all their might to give it an extra push. Taken aback by this, Knuckles nearly tumbled out of the basket while Amy and the ponies all collapsed in surprise.

Rolling his eyes at the echidna holding on for dear life, Tails helped Knuckles back into the basket, where he fell flat on his back and tried to catch his breath. Propelled by the fox and the pegasus, the balloon began to accelerate after the hedgehog and the Wonderbolts towards Manehattan…

Chaotix Detective Agency, Sonic's world

"Here we are!" called Charmy as he and the Cutie Mark Crusaders approached a small building with the words "Detective Agency" above the door. "This is the place my friends and I work!"

"You're sure they can help us get home?" asked Scootaloo. "You did say they were kinda busy…"

"Relax!" the bee calmly answered. "There's no case my buddies and I won't pass up!"

The sound of a ringing telephone came from inside the building, followed by the sound of a receiver being snatched up. "Chaotix Detective Agency! Please hold!" SLAM!

Charmy winced. "Uh… then again, Vector does tend to get a little cranky when he's swamped with work. Which isn't very often, to be honest… it's more like the opposite."

"You said there are cases of missing people they were currently looking into," Sweetie Belle told him. "Perhaps we can help him with that?"

Ring-ring! The phone rang again and the gruff voice returned. "Chaotix Detective Agency!" There was a pause this time. "Yes, I'm the lead detective! Please hold!" SLAM!

"I suggest you clear your mind, Vector," said another voice, this one having a calm tone. "It won't kill you to take a break, you know."

"Keep your ninja-shticks to yourself, Espio!" the gruff voice snapped. "Now, quiet! I gotta-!" The phone rang again, interrupting him. With an irritated growl coming from the voice, Charmy and the ponies heard the phone being picked up again.

"Chaotix Detective Agency!" There was another silence, followed by another growl. "NO! I said a double extra-large, no cheese! Please hold!"

Charmy shrugged. "Eh, he'll cool off eventually. C'mon." He approached the doors and knocked on them with a fist. The ponies trotted up to the bee, eying the peculiar-looking building.

"Please hold! Uh, I mean, come in!"

Charmy pushed open the door and made his way inside, followed by the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The ponies were treated to the sight of a small office with a ceiling fan, a water dispenser, a couch, papers scattered on the floor (Apple Bloom shook one off with a hoof), a billboard, and a desk that a large green-scaled crocodile was sitting behind. The reptile- wearing a pair of headphones and a gold chain around his neck- turned his eyes to the bee and sighed in relief.

"About time, Charmy! Leave it to you to take your sweet time…" His voice trailed off when he spotted the three ponies. "What the-?"

"Hey, Vec!" Charmy cheerily called with a smile. "So, uh, I didn't find anything about the missing people, but I did find these!"

"Hmm…" Scootaloo looked towards a corner where a purple chameleon in the middle of meditation had opened an eye. He wore black arm bracers and purple shoes as he silently examined the ponies with a curious expression, remaining in his tranquil pose…

"Are you KIDDING me, Charmy?!" roared Vector as he leaned over the desk, startling both the ponies and the bee. "I asked you to do one simple thing! We're already swamped with so much work, and now you decide to get yourself some PETS?!"

"I-"

"You get these filthy foals outta here right NOW, or-!"

"PETS?!" roared an enraged Sweetie Belle, earning a look of startled surprise from the alligator. "How dare you! I'll have you know that we are not domesticated animals that rely on daily pamperings! Shame on you!"

"Uh…" Apple Bloom spoke up. "What she means to say is, we're kinda lost. We were hoping you fellas could help us find our way home?"

Vector made no reply. Instead, his eyes were wide and his jaw was hanging open. The chameleon looked more curious than before as he rose to a stand. "Well…" he spoke. "Today just got a whole lot more interesting. Where did you find these… things, Charmy?"

"We're ponies," Scootaloo answered with a look. "And your friend found us in the alley. And we have no idea where we are, and we need your help to get home."

"Uuuuhhhh…" Vector's eyes rolled back into his head before he fell behind the desk with a loud thump.

"Oh, dear," Sweetie Belle muttered. "He fainted! Perhaps I was a little too harsh on him?" Apple Bloom looked the unicorn in the eye. "You got as much a dramatic flair as your sister, y'know…"

The chameleon approached the ponies and examined them with a hum. "Where do you come from?" Scootaloo was the first to answer him, making her way past her friends. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! And we come from a magical land called Equestria. My name is-"

The chameleon shot up an arm to silence her. "I suggest you hold your introductions until after my friend here has regained consciousness," he said, gesturing to the passed-out croc. "Oh," Scootaloo muttered. "Heh heh. Sorry."

The chameleon pondered the pegasus' words. "Equestria. Hmm… that is an unfamiliar name. Perhaps this location and your appearance ties into a greater mystery..."

"Uuuugh…" A groan came from behind the desk until a gloved hand clasped onto the surface. "Espio?"

"Yes?"

"I just had the craziest dream…" moaned the alligator as he rose into view, a hand on his forehead. "Charmy came in with three weird-looking horses he wanted to keep as pets. And they could talk."

"They're not pets!" Charmy protested. "They're just… uh, lost!"

The alligator knocked himself on the head and turned to the bee. "Whatever… what's the situa- huh?!"

The reptile's goldenrod eyes went as wide as dinner plates when he saw the ponies for the second time that day. He stared silently at them, blinked a few times, then rubbed his eyes. When he saw they were still them, looking at him as if he had grown a second head, he lowered his arm and sighed.

"Nertz. That wasn't a dream…"

"So, um… if everyone's all situated," Scootaloo began. "We'd like to ask for your help. You're the Chaotic Detective Agency, right?"

"That's Chaotix to you, kid," the croc muttered as he placed his chair in an upright position and sat down in it. "Never turn down work that pays, detectives you want on your side, everything. Now whaddya want? And make it snappy, we're already packed as it is."

"My name is Scootaloo, and these are my friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. We need your help to get back home."

The alligator crossed his arms behind his head and put his feet up on the desk. "Eh, not interested."

"What?!" gasped the trio simultaneously.

"Besides, I don't have the slightest clue as to where tiny talking horses would come from. I ain't seen them around these parts before."

"They say they come from a place called 'Equestria'," reported the chameleon. "I'm afraid I don't know of such a location. Charmy?"

"Nuh-uh!" The bee shook his head. "No clue."

"So… we're just stuck here?" whispered Sweetie Belle.

"'Fraid so," answered the alligator.

"But you said you never turn down work that pays," Scootaloo said with a knowing expression. At this, the alligator opened an eye and made a confused noise. "Hm? You can pay?"

"Sure!" Scootaloo answered despite her friends' looks saying otherwise. "Scootaloo…" whispered Apple Bloom. "Are you sure this is-"

"I'm sure," she whispered back. The alligator suddenly shot up in his seat at full attention, acting as if he had been revitalized. "Well, why didn't ya say so! Ah, it doesn't matter! Scooter, or whatever your name is, you came to the right place!"

"So will you help us?"

"You bet your purple tail I can! Vector's the name and I'm the head of this here agency!" The croc announced, pointing to himself with a thumb. "I may be lean, mean, and green, but underneath that cool croc exterior, I'm just a big ol' softie."

"He… sure doesn't look like much of a softie," Apple Bloom muttered before Vector loudly interrupted her.

"But don't let that go to your little heads, you hear?! I got a reputation to maintain! A detective's gotta be tough, so let's just keep this between you and me, alright?!"

"Alright, alright!" Scootaloo huffed. "Sheesh, this guy makes Spitfire sound like a whiner."

"My name is Espio," said the purple chameleon. "I am the brains of this operation and a practitioner of the art of ninjutsu. I am smart, stealthy, and quick on my feet."

"He's also full of himself," added Charmy.

Espio flinched at the bee's words before glaring daggers at the insect. "It is better to be full of myself than to be an obnoxious pipsqueak."

"You're a ninja?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Hmm… you don't seem like much of a ni-EEEP!" A kunai shot past her face in a fraction of a second, barely close enough to graze the fur on her face. With a sharp thunk, it embedded itself in the wall across the office.

"Is this enough of a demonstration to convince you?" asked Espio calmly.

"V-v-verily," stammered the quaking unicorn. Apple Bloom just stared at the sharp projectile in awe.

"And it looks like you've already met Charmy," Vector said, gesturing to the bee. "Has he gotten on your nerves yet?"

"Hey!" snapped the bee.

"Well, not really," Scootaloo replied.

"If you haven't heard of Equestria… then how are we going to get home?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Oh, my sister is going to be worried sick!"

"Mine too…" sighed Apple Bloom.

"Mine three," added Scootaloo… which earned her a look from both the earth pony and unicorn. "What? Okay, so she's a sister-in-hooves! That counts, right?"

"Even if we could bring you back home, we couldn't," Vector explained as he held up a remote. "Have you seen the news lately?" He clicked the remote, prompting a small TV placed atop a shelf to buzz with static. Six pairs of eyes turned to the screen until an image popped into view: a view of a human woman with a microphone in hand.

"This is Scarlet Garcia reporting live from Station Square. Under the Guardian Units of Nations, Operation: Triage continues to proceed during this unnatural phenomenon. Citizens across the United Federation are continuing to evacuate highly-populated areas affected by the strange cracks in the sky and seeking shelter provided by the military force."

"Hey, those cracks!" Apple Bloom cried. "They look just like the ones we saw back home!"

"Sh!" shushed Charmy. "Listen now, talk later!"

"No one seems to know what these strange fissures are, or their point of origin," continued the reporter. "But odd architecture, objects, and most notably, creatures have emerged from these cracks, and some continue to roam in towns such as Soleanna, and even here in Station Square."

Behind the reporter, Scootaloo could see a pair of six-eyed frogs lying in the middle of the road. "Most of the creatures have proven to be hostile, as they keep both local police and G.U.N. occupied." The screen shifted to armed men and vehicles opening fire on a creature that resembled a mix of a tiger, a goat, and a snake. "That's a… a chimera!" Sweetie gasped.

"And that one!" Apple Bloom said when the screen shifted to a serpentine creature attacking an armed convoy in a desert village. "That's a grootslang!"

"These creatures continue to run rampant throughout numerous cities and villages," the reporter continued. "And without additional support from outside assistance, the Federation's forces will be overrun within the month. Which prompts me to ask the question that has been stirring in the minds of countless citizens: Where is Sonic the Hedgehog? This is Scarlet Garcia, signing off."

Vector switched the TV off. "So there ya have it! Fortunately, Westopolis hasn't been hit yet by these weird cracks. But G.U.N. isn't taking any chances out there! Word on the street is they're starting an evacuation now."

"This is terrible," moaned Sweetie Belle. "With Equestria's monsters running around, horrible things are bound to happen!"

"And many people have vanished since they started to appear," Espio continued. "Humans, animals…" he sighed. "Even Sonic himself has been lost. Without him, this world has lost its greatest protector."

"Wait…" Scootaloo muttered. "Who is this 'Sonic'?"

Charmy gasped in horror. "You don't know about Sonic the Hedgehog?! Where have you BEEN?!" He screamed right in the pony's face, making her flinch. "Um, anywhere but here, apparently? Now would you cut that out? You sound like Rainbow Dash when she meets somepony who hasn't heard of the Wonderbolts."

Charmy looked awfully confused for a moment before he shook his head and held up a finger. "You three are now officially behind the times! Be right back!" As fast as he could, Charmy buzzed towards the second level of the building.

"Is this Sonic… famous?" Sweetie Belle asked. "From the way your friend reacted, I'd say he's rather important."

"You could say that," said Vector. "Sonic's the best hero in the world! He's cocky, laid-back, a thrill-seeker, and quick-witted as he is quick-footed!"

"If there is someone in need, there is no doubt he will be the first to arrive on the scene," added Espio. "He has gained an impressive reputation over the years, one he has earned honorably."

Scootaloo said nothing as she drew her eyes to the floor. Her mind paced back and forth until Apple Bloom nudged her in the side. "Scoots? What's wrong?"

"I was there in Canterlot when the invasion happened," Scootaloo answered. "And what happened there was… surreal. Even after the-"

"Here it is!"

The ponies turned to see a gasping Charmy returning with a stack of newspapers. With a grunt, the bee set the pile onto the floor and picked up the very first newspaper. With a proud smile, he presented it to the ponies. "Take a look at this!"

"Hmm…" Sweetie Belle muttered. "'Sonic the Hedgehog: Hero of Station Square'? 'Station Square left in ruins after a huge flood'? Whatever has he done to deserve such praise?"

Scootaloo gasped when her eyes looked at the front page. There was a printed picture that stood out as the headline: a blue spiny creature posing for the camera. "Th… that's him."

"Hold on, you've seen this thing before?" Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo nodded, her eyes refusing to leave the image. "Y-yeah. He was in Canterlot when the invasion happened."

"Wait, Sonic was where?!" Vector gasped while Espio and Charmy took notice. "Can you start from the beginning?"

"Sure," the pegasus said with a trace of awe in her voice. "I heard that my best buddy Rainbow Dash was going to the capital city of Canterlot, so I headed there myself to see what she was up to. And when I got there… disaster struck."

"That's right," Sweetie Belle answered. "The city was attacked by a Doctor… Eggman? Did the papers get that right?"

"Doctor Eggman?" Charmy gasped. "Oh, no! That man's bad news!"

"He and his mechanical monsters nearly burned the city to the ground," Scootaloo added. "Rainbow Dash, even with all her friends, couldn't beat them. And then… he came."

Scootaloo cowered in fear as she was surrounded by other young ponies like her. The strange machines were closing in on anypony they could find, prepared to do Celestia-knows-what to them. All she knew was that it would be horrible. One of them, a big machine with a round, gray body, reached for the small, whimpering ponies…

...and suddenly stopped, making Scootaloo open an eye. She said nothing, for she was too shaken to speak. She stared at the motionless machine until it made a move, turning away from the ponies and marching towards the front gates with the rest of the steel soldiers.

"WHAT ARE YOU NINCOMBOTS DOING?!" roared the one called Eggman. "I COMMAND YOU TO GET BACK INTO POSITION RIGHT NOW AND DESTROY THOSE BLASTED-"

"UH, BOSS? I THINK YOU'LL WANT TO SEE THIS."

"WHAT IS IT?!"

"SENSORS ARE DETECTING AN ORGANIC LIFEFORM CLOSING IN ON THE CITY. IT'S ABOUT ELEVEN HUNDRED METERS FROM THE MAIN GATES… NO, WAIT, TEN HUNDRED. NINE HUNDRED. EIGHT HUNDRED. MAN, THAT THING CAN MOVE!"

Now curious, Scootaloo crept close to the street and peered towards the gates closing Canterlot off from the rest of Equestria. The machines were in assembled formation now, and the cannons on the floating airships were pointing right at the only entrance and exit to the city. There was a tense silence, for nopony dared to speak a word…

BAM! The portcullis crashed to the ground and a cloud of dust flew up from its impact. The machines took aim with their deadly weapons as the sound of footsteps came into earshot. Scootaloo and the other young ponies listened as close as they could… until a shape came into view.

It was like no creature the pegasus had ever seen before. It stood on two legs with spikes trailing down the back of its head. Whatever it had for front hooves were curled up, and any further details were shrouded by the cloud of dust.

The silence returned. Neither the creature, the ponies, or the machines made a single movement. The only sounds Scootaloo could hear were the cracklings of small fires that had been conjured from the previous battle. And if she was honest, the silence was excruciating.

"FIIREEE!"

The machines let loose a volley of lasers from the arms and the creature shot through the dust. As fast as a standard pegasus, it ran across the street and evaded the barrage of bullets with remarkable ease. Through its quick movements, Scootaloo saw green eyes and blue fur.

It spun into a ball-like shape and slammed into the horde of machines, knocking them down as if they were nothing to it. At this point, missed shots resulted in hitting other machines rather than the swift creatures.

It raced up buildings and smashed through machine after machine, its blue flashes reflecting in Scootaloo's irises. She was left completely stunned, as was her idol not too far away. Whatever this thing was, it could give the mare with the multicolored mane a real challenge.

As it blasted right by the young ponies, Scootaloo nearly fell to the street. "What is that thing?!" somepony gasped.

"I don't know!" said another. "But wow, it is fast!"

Scootaloo had to agree on that. It was almost as fast as Rainbow Dash herself! But nothing was faster than her… was there? The cyan pegasus seemed to be asking that herself as the blue streak raced around the six friends. Whatever words they spoke were drowned out by the roaring winds.

"HELLLLP!" a filly screamed near Scootaloo's location, prompting the sapphire streak to race towards the cry. In less than five seconds, it bounced off small machines and left them in pieces, leaving nothing behind but tiny animals. The fillies gasped in wonder before breaking into a wild cheer: a cheer Scootaloo realized she was part of.

"Nicechatneedtosaveyourtownbye!" The creature shouted as he zoomed away. As dust lifted into the air from his wake, Scootaloo continued to watch the creature with the same look she constantly remembered using whenever Rainbow Dash did something totally awesome…

"He tore through all of them like tin cans!" Scootaloo finished with a gleeful smile on her face. Beside her, Charmy giggled. "Yep! That's Sonic, alright! Quick to start a fight and quick to finish one!"

"At least now we know where he is," Vector said. "Along with the missing people, possibly. Now, the question is, how do we get to them?"

"Hm," Sweetie Belle muttered, looking through newspapers curiously with her magic. "Ah! Here's one! 'Sonic the Hedgehog Uncovered: How the Blue Blur Raced to The Top'. This should tell us all we need to know about him!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom approached the unicorn and looked at the article: one that had a picture of the blue hedgehog wagging his finger and looking at the camera. "Now let's see here…" Sweetie Belle cleared her throat before beginning.

"Sonic the Hedgehog is a remarkable individual possessing extraordinary amounts of stamina, endurance, and most of all, speed. His most notable trait is the ability to run at supersonic velocities, hence his namesake."

"Rainbow Dash can fly past the sound barrier, too!" Scootaloo added. "What makes him so different?"

"Sonic hails from South Island, a previously unknown trove of gems and ancient ruins. During his youth, he obtained an unquenchable thirst for action and adventure, which led to him journeying out of his archipelago home. His existence was revealed to the United Federation when he and his best friend Miles Prower (known as Tails by his closest allies) traveled to Station Square for what they believed would be a nice and relaxing vacation.

But everything changed when Sonic's longtime enemy arrived in the city with hopes of converting it into the seat of his global empire: Doctor Ivo Robotnik, better known today as Doctor Eggman. After unleashing an ancient being known as Chaos, Eggman sought world domination. But after Chaos rebelled against his master and flooded all of Station Square, all hope seemed lost until Sonic raced into action. He and his allies managed to vanquish the beast, and while Station Square spent many years recovering from the attack, history was made that day."

"How's that for a first impression?" Apple Bloom commented.

"This would be the first of many heroic deeds that would keep the speedy blue hedgehog in the news. Mayor Bullyani of Station Square himself congratulated Sonic for his efforts and the United Federation gained an interest in Sonic. That interest grew over time as Sonic continued to battle the dastardly Doctor Eggman and save the world from multiple disasters and catastrophes, including preventing a long-forgotten space station from crashing into the planet, fighting off an alien invasion with the aid of both his friends and the Federation, and restoring the entire planet after it was shattered into fragments by Doctor Eggman."

"How does that last bit even happen?" gawked Scootaloo.

"Today, Sonic the Hedgehog is a name known all across the globe. Adored by children and adults alike, the Blue Blur has shown an incredible aptitude for heroism against increasingly dangerous odds and continues to literally run headfirst into all kinds of adventures. Through his use of supersonic speed, agility, strength, and just plain smarts, this legendary hedgehog has gained an enormous reputation for daring deeds and fast-footed feats. He has shown that truth, honor, and goodness can and will triumph every time. And when the United Federation is in severe danger once again- be it from Eggman or other- the super-speedy savior will be on the scene to protect his friends, his home, and most importantly, his world."

"Woowwww…" the Cutie Mark Crusaders were entranced by the article. "He sounds so cool!" Apple Bloom gasped.

"He is cool!" Scootaloo agreed. "I saw him in action myself! Wait until Rainbow Dash gets a load of him! Man, she's gonna be so jealous!"

"Don't flatter yourself," Sweetie Belle retorted. "He isn't even here. If he was, we'd have gone to him for help." Espio just crossed his arms. "Your home and Sonic's current location are connected. I have a feeling we will be able to accomplish two tasks at once, but only if we find a way to-"

The chameleon paused, a look of concern on his face. He narrowed his eyes as Vector glanced at him. "What's up, Espio?"

"Something's not right… the air feels different somehow. I do not-"

The air suddenly flashed and crackled like sparklers, sending everyone into a startled state. The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled close to each other while the Chaotix took up stances. Amethyst lightning bolts flickered out of nowhere until half of the office building was engulfed in a bright light…

The light faded, revealing part of the Chaotix's office was replaced with a small classroom filled with scared fillies. "What the-?!" Vector gasped. "Wha- what just happened?! Where did-?!"

"Miss Cherilee?" one of the fillies whispered. "Wh-where are you?"

Another filly screamed at the sight of the Chaotix. "AAAH! Alligator!"

"I'm a crocodile!" an annoyed Vector shouted, pointing to his snout. "Can't you tell?"

"More of them?" Charmy gasped at the shaking foals. "Oh, they're like scared little kids!" He buzzed up to one of the fillies, holding out his hands in a calm gesture. "It's okay, little guys! We'll take care of you!"

"What?!" Vector growled. "Charmy, we're detectives, not babysitters!"

"I believe these creatures hail from the same place that these three come from," Espio deduced. "Somehow, they must have been teleported here; an event that has left them confused, uneasy, and terrified. I suggest we see to their safety."

"Ugh, fine! But if you tell Sonic or anyone else about this…"

"This is a classroom from the Ponyville Schoolhouse!" Apple Bloom realized. "How did… oh my gosh, Diamond Tiara!" A light purple earth pony with a tiny crown peeked open a blue eye and gasped at her new surroundings. "Apple Bloom! What… how… where am I?!"

"Don't worry! You're safe with us… and them," Sweetie Belle added, gesturing to the Chaotix behind her. The rest of the fillies now looked around the office until Vector's booming voice cut through the air.

"Alright, you mini mustangs! If you wanna get through this in one piece, you're gonna do exactly as I say!"

"Yeah!" Charmy added. "What he said!"

"The name's Vector, head of the Chaotix Detective Agency! And these are my pals, Espio and Charmy! Now I may look as weird to you as you are to me, but keep your questions to yourself. So here's the deal: until we can find a way to get you all back home, we're gonna need to find someplace to keep you for the time being. Unfortunately, safe places are hard to find right now, so we're gonna have to improvise. And right now, I'm thinking our best bet is to go to that new city by the Red Gate Bridge. That should be a safe enough shelter for you kids."

"The one with all the animals?" Charmy asked. "I only remember seeing maps of the place."

"An optimal choice, Vector," Espio added. "But the distance between that city and Westopolis is quite vast. How do you propose we go there?"

"I'll work out the details later! Right now, we gotta go before-"

KRA-SMASH! The door to the office was broken down, making it fall to the floor in a splintered ruin. "-something like that happens."

A monstrous creature forced its way into the office and roared: a beast resembling a mix of a panda bear and a bee. At the sight of the creature, the fillies and the CMC all screamed in horror. "Bugbear! BUGBEAR!" cried Scootaloo.

Espio was the first to leap into action, instinctively throwing a shuriken at the beast. With a ravenous snarl, the monster swatted the projectile away with one of its four muscular arms. The chameleon backflipped away from a downward smash that cracked the floor, tossing more of his weapons at the beast. As they bounced harmlessly off its skin, the monster roared again and lunged for the ninja.

Espio jumped over the monster and gave Vector the opening he needed to shoulder-charge the brute. "You ain't stinging no one today!"

"Yeah!" Charmy yelled. "That's my thing!"

Vector caught two of the monster's fists and grit his teeth, trying to hold it back. The remaining two fists slammed against the alligator's torso, threatening to cripple his grapple. The creature growled loudly in Vector's face, which the gator returned with a growl of his own. It drew a fist back… until a rope dart snagged around its wrist.

Espio wrapped the rope around his wrist and pulled back with a grunt, wrenching the limb away from Vector. Charmy threw himself atop the other one, struggling to pin it down.

"Everyone out!" Vector shouted to the scared ponies. "NOW!"

"This way! This way!" Scootaloo cried, hurrying the fillies out through the office's doorway. As the ponies ran outside, the bugbear rammed Vector's head with its own, knocking the crocodile off him. It smashed Charmy against the wall, knocking the breath out of the bee and making him loosen his grip. Lastly, it swung its arm around and slammed Espio into the floor, earning a pained grunt from the chameleon.

"YOW! Whoa!" Vector dodged the bugbear's stinger by leaning from side to side, letting it jab through the floorboards instead. With a grunt, he kicked the beast back and wrenched one of the boards free, holding it like a club. "Come on, you flying freak!" The bugbear roared and buzzed towards Vector, who promptly swung the plank of wood across the monster's face. With a satisfying smash, the board splintered to pieces and the monster collapsed, stunned.

"C'mon, boys!" Vector called, picking up the dazed Charmy while Espio climbed to his feet. "We gotta go before Mister Nasty here wakes up!" he bolted for the doorway with Espio in tow. "We'll hide…"

Once he got into the street, the crocodile's eyes went wide and he slowed to a halt. Espio and Charmy reacted in surprise while the ponies all stood in petrified fear. "...in the city."

The city was flooding with strange monsters that were terrorizing the townsfolk. Bats with fruit-like elements flew above the streets, a crocodile made of rocks snapped at screaming people, a manticore crashed into a truck and toppled it, and another bugbear swatted away a car with incredible strength.

"The monsters from the news… they're here!" Charmy cried. "Oh, this is like the Black Arms all over again!"

"Look! Up there!" Espio pointed to a widening crack in the sky that strange lifeforms falling out of it. "Those beasts are emerging from that breach! But I can't identify what lies on the other side…"

Vector turned down the street, where he heard distant shouting and sounds of gunfire. "Sounds like the cavalry's already here," he said as he saw an armored platoon of G.U.N. soldiers backed by jeeps and a tank march by. "But I don't think they're gonna be enough to stop those things!"

"What's the plan, what's the plan?!" shouted a panicked Charmy.

"What else? Get the heck outta here while we still can!" Vector grabbed a street sign and yanked it from the ground, running down the road with his friends in pursuit. "Follow us! Keep your eyes open!" Espio called while drawing his kunai. "Call out any of the creatures you see!" The ponies all broke into a run, some of them whimpering and gasping with terror.

Westopolis was being overrun by the second. G.U.N. patrols were locked in fierce combat with all kinds of supernatural creatures, some of which sent soldiers flying like ragdolls. A tank fired a shell onto a manticore, causing the beast to roar in pain before it swooped in to retaliate. Cars sped down the road in a frantic hurry, eager to flee the erupting chaos. Fires broke out every block or two as abandoned vehicles were destroyed or missiles missed their targets.

"LOOK OUT!" screamed Diamond Tiara as a yellow-eyed wolf made of nothing but wood lunged at Vector from atop an apartment building. Thinking fast, the alligator whacked the beast with his sign, sending it tumbling to the ground. While it was downed, Charmy buzzed all around the wolf, evading its attempts to grab him. "Over here, Mister I-Barked-Up-The-Wrong-Tree!"

Espio dropped into a slide and threw his kunai at an exposed spot in the creature's neck, making it yelp in pain. It collapsed to the street and the glow in its eyes faded as Espio resumed his sprint. "Do not stop! Keep going!"

Vector smashed a manticore over the head with his sign, bending it out of shape. Seeing how useless his makeshift weapon was now, he threw it towards an incoming combination of a bull and a snake. While it wasn't enough to deter it, Charmy flew all around the monster to disorient it until a well-placed kick to the head introduced its face to the asphalt.

A wolf's howl echoed in the distance. Espio noticed movement blocks away: soldiers retreating from an entire pack of wood-wolves that threatened to decimate the entire squad. A worm-like creature also burst from the road, toppling empty jeeps as it did so.

"This ain't a sightseeing trip, kids!" Vector called as he punted away a porcupine-like creature. "We gotta get to the city limit as fast as we can!" As the group continued, Espio dodged a chunk of debris thrown at him from a black creature with scarlet spots. All the while, the fillies called out warnings.

"Watch out for the pukwudgies!"

"Look out! Slingtails!"

"Ophiotaurus to the right!"

"TIMBERWOLF!"

"Weird names for weird monsters!" Vector shouted as he punched down one of the black creatures. "Fitting! Charmy! If anything comes at us from the air, stop 'em!"

"Roger that!" cried the bee. "Come on, Scoot!" At his words, the pegasus only hesitated with a sheepish blush. "Um… about that. I can't really… you know, fly? I never mastered it."

"Oh, come on! Then what's with the wings?" Charmy groaned as he flew above street level, keeping his eyes peeled for any flying monsters. "Nyah-nyah! Look at me!" he cried while making silly faces, earning him the attention of several rocs. The laughing bee started to flee from them as they pursued him across the sky, making Charmy weave between buildings in his attempts to lose them.

Espio threw three kunai at several Slingtails at once, downing them with ease. He kicked away a fourth just as he saw two Timberwolves charging for him. Placing his hands together and closing his eyes, Espio turned himself invisible to the eye. With their target now lost, the wooden creatures crashed into each other and crumbled to pieces. When Espio revealed himself, he was standing atop the pile.

"Hmph! Flawless!"

Vector punched away a bugbear, grabbed it by the stinger, and threw it into another. "HRGH! These guys are tough! No wonder G.U.N.'s having trouble!"

"How much further until the edge of the city?!" Sweetie Belle cried.

"Not for a little bit longer!" Vector cried. "But stay together and we'll all make it outta here!" The alligator let out an exasperated sigh. "Sonic, wherever you are, I hope you're having a worse time than we are!"

Manehattan, Equestria

"This place is awesome!" Sonic shouted as he looked around the bustling metropolis of Manehattan. "I feel like I'm back in Station Square!" Beside him, Rarity chuckled. "It certainly is marvelous, isn't it? There are lots to see and do in this fine city! You could go to a musical, a sporting event, or even sightsee! Of course, we could do those things if we weren't here on such urgent business…"

Amy noticed some pony-drawn carriages that served as the city's only means of transport. "Hmm… despite its architecture, I can't help but feel this place has a more historical sense."

"It does look like a popular tourist destination," commented Tails as he hovered above the streets. "But I agree with Rarity. We can sightsee some other time. Spitfire said there was some kind of storm coming here, right?"

"Yep," Rainbow said, watching the sky for any signs of meteorological activity. "Thankfully, we got here before it could hit." Knuckles also turned his eyes to the sky. "So… where is it now?"

"There!" Spitfire called, pointing her hoof out to sea. Everyone looked toward the ocean, where a huge mass of a storm cloud was hovering over the calm waters. It was so dark gray that one could easily mistake it to be black. Currently, no flashes of lightning or echoing booms of thunder came from the cloud's direction, but everyone knew it wouldn't stay that way.

"Yeesh," Sonic muttered to the cyan pegasus. "If clouds had faces, this one would be extremely peeved. Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Ha! The Wonderbolts don't back down from anything!" Rainbow replied. "And besides, there's no challenge I just can't say no to! That'll just be another cloud to kick!"

"Well, sure, if you think that'll do anything…"

"You guys knock yourselves out!" Knuckles said. "Hey, Rare! Do you know if there are any gyms around here?"

"Or any highly recommended shops?" added Amy.

"Or a hotel?" Tails finished. "I wanna know if the service is just like Station Square's!"

"Patience, darlings!" Rarity giggled. "You'll know all you need to soon enough!"

"But good luck finding somewhere to start," Applejack added. "Manehattan's huge, and I've seen it when I was a filly!"

"What are you gonna do, Sonic?" Tails asked. The hedgehog just smiled and looked around. "Me? Oh, y'know, I may take a little jog through the streets, get the best views in the city from various rooftops, then check out the commercial district! What can I say? I'm a sightseeing sucker."

"Sorry we didn't have time to get you into your uniform, Dash," Spitfire said. "But this situation looks serious." At the captain's words, Rainbow only laughed in amusement. "Don't sweat it, ma'am! Now, are we doing this or what?"

"That's what I like to see…" Spitfire spun to the other Wonderbolts with a stern expression. "Soarin! Fleetfoot! Thunderlane! You keep the cloud from going one more inch!"

The three pegasi saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Blaze! High Winds! Fire Streak! You're in charge of pushing this cloud apart and breaking it up!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Silver Zoom! Surprise! Misty Fly! Find anything intense in there and do what you can to keep it from spreading!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Wind Chill! Sun Chaser! Wind Waker! Keep an eye for any strong winds that could kick up! The last thing we need is that thing creating a waterspout!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Spitfire crouched down with widespread wings. "Alright, Wonderbolts! Wings-"

"Whoa, wait!" Rainbow Dash cried. "What do I do?"

Spitfire only gave the mare with the multicolored mane a knowing look. "What you do best."

"Oh, right. Gotcha."

"Wonderbolts, wings up!" The ace flyers rocketed into the air and screamed towards the looming dark cloud. They reached their target within seconds, spreading out on Spitfire's command. Breaking off into small groups of three while Rainbow Dash remained by Spitfire's side, the Wonderbolts went to work. They flew around the cloud to try and keep it in place, pushed apart pieces of the cloud, and dove right into it to attack it from the inside. Alongside their trademark slipstreams of thunderclouds, a colored blur stood out from them: one that shot headfirst into the cloud.

"Hi-yah! Take that! And this!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Yeah! Have some of this! Woo! Haha!" She sped throughout the cloud, using her hooves and head to strike through thick batches of water vapor, her fur slowly getting moist with each hit. Rainbow veered toward another dark patch, plowing through it at high speed while Spitfire zoomed past her. Of all the things she enjoyed, cloud-busting was certainly one of them!

Rainbow continued to fly through the dark cloud… wait, was it her, or was it getting darker? And was that wind picking up? If that was the case, she and the others needed to wrap this up fast! She began to beat her wings faster… and she heard it.

A gust of wind that felt like it traveled throughout the cloud. The powerful rush of air nearly blew her away, forcing Rainbow to right herself in midair. But it wasn't the wind that made her fur stand on end… it was what the wind sounded like. A howl. A long, dreadful cry that resembled a howl of anguish.

Rainbow's blood turned cold and she froze up, her wings being the only parts of her body to not cease moving. That cry… that wasn't what she thought it was, was it?

"Crash! What are you doing?!" Spitfire's tone snapped Rainbow out of her shocked state and she spun to see the other pegasus glaring at her. "Let's go!"

"Sorry, ma'am!" Rainbow called before she shot back through the cloud. She weaved this way and that, shooting through various parts of the cloud. After clearing a whole bunch of it, Rainbow looked back to admire her work…

...only to see the cloud remained unchanged.

"Uh… Spitfire? I think this cloud may be tougher than we-"

The chill returned, as did the howling wind. Rainbow Dash dared not look behind her… but she felt that something moved back there. "Um…" she began nervously. "Somepony there? Silver Zoom? Soarin? Nopony better be playing tricks on me…"

"Spitfire!" gasped High Winds. "Something's wrong with this cloud! It's not breaking up!"

"What?! Explain!"

"N-no matter how hard we try to hit it, the cloud keeps reforming! Like it's… fighting us or something!"

Misty Fly approached Spitfire next, seemingly out of breath. "It's getting more dangerous by the second, captain! I'm not sure if we can-" Another gust of wind, this one a lot more powerful than the last ones Rainbow felt, rushed through the cloud and sent the Wonderbolts spiraling through the air. The pegasi cried out in alarm as they tumbled, their hooves flailing and wings struggling to keep them aloft. Even Rainbow Dash had trouble keeping herself balanced in the strong turbulence.

"Hnnngh! Come on, come on, come-AAAAAH!" The pegasus was blown away by another strong gust, this one strong enough to send her shooting out of the cloud. Now in the open sky, she stabilized herself and shook her head, blinking at the cloud in disbelief.

"What in Celestia's name is this cloud made of?!" she asked aloud… before she felt the chill return. Rainbow shivered. "And why… do I feel so cold? I'm not at a very high altitude."

"Spitfire!" Soarin cried as he continued to loop the cloud over and over. He shot in and out of the Wonderbolts' views, gasping for air as he did so. "Something's… wrong! I can't… keep it… back… any… ngh… can't… rgh… my… uh..." The stallion suddenly dropped out of the sky with a final breath, plummeting towards the ocean below.

"CLIPPER!" Silver Zoom gasped in horror. "Wonderbolt down!"

"I got him!" Rainbow snapped into action, shooting towards the falling pegasus as fast as she could. The colored streak raced towards the sea, which was now starting to churn and bob. "Wonderbolts, pull back!" Spitfire cried. "Get outta here!" Everypony turned and flew away from the cloud, which was now starting to grow in size and cast a looming shadow over the waters below.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she closed in on her weakened teammate, who was completely limp during his fall. His eyes were closed, his mane was flapping wildly in the wind, and his wings were… Rainbow wasn't close enough to see clearly, but something was wrong with them.

"I… GOTCHA!" She grabbed the stallion just before he could impact the churning waters. Immediately, Rainbow changed course and raced back towards Manehattan, her wings beating themselves to the limit.

She closed in on Bridleway, the city's central square. As she thought, all of her friends were gathered there, with Knuckles arm-wrestling the muscular Bulk Biceps near one of the shops. She could even hear Sonic expressing disbelief to Rarity.

"Rock pouches? Who would go out of their minds to even sell those things, let alone buy them?"

"INCOMING!" she screamed, shooting right between the hedgehog and the unicorn as she began an emergency landing. She dug her back hooves into the road as hard as she could, grimacing at the friction. As soon as Rainbow Dash came to a stop, she set the unconscious Soarin down on the street and turned to him with a worried expression.

"Soarin? Soarin, are you okay?! Soarin!" She nudged his face with a hoof while she heard her friends run up behind her. "Whoa, Rainbow! What happened?!" Sonic called.

"What happened up there?" whispered a worried Fluttershy. As he approached the group while holding his arm, Knuckles grumbled under his breath and whirled his head back to Bulk Biceps. "REMATCH, YOU OVERSIZED RODEO BULL! REMATCH!"

"YEAH!" came the faint reply.

"What in Equestria happened to him?!" gasped Pinkie Pie. "Is he alright?"

Rainbow looked at Soarin's wings worriedly and let out a gasp of her own when she saw their state: the stallion's wings were covered in frozen water droplets and patches of frost. A single one of his feathers was cold to the touch.

"Oh my goodness!" Rarity gasped. "His wings… they're frozen solid!"

Tails gulped. "That's bad, right?"

Sonic grimaced as he leaned in close and snapped his fingers in the stallion's face. "C'mon, dude! Wake up!" When that didn't work, he lightly tapped the stallion's head. "Come on, man, move or something! You're starting to freak me out here!"

"Soarin, wake up!" Rainbow cried, shaking the stallion by the shoulders. "Come on…!"

"Ngh…" the stallion's reply was barely audible. Any breath he took came out as a puff of cold air. "D...Dash…" The mare leaned closer to the stallion, her magenta eyes full of anxiousness. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"C-can't… can't feel… my wings… so… numb…"

"Uh, who's gonna be the one to tell him his wings are completely iced?" Knuckles asked before his eyes lit up. "Oh, wait…"

"So… cold…" Soarin gasped as his eyes struggled to open more than two centimeters. "Can't… move…" Rainbow only placed a hoof on his head. "It's okay, Soarin… it's going to be alright. Spitfire can take you back to the barracks and fix you up. You'll be back in the skies before you…" Rainbow Dash trailed off when she noticed Amy had a hand on her hip and was staring at her knowingly.

"What?"

Amy only giggled as she gestured to the two of them. When the pegasus realized what the pink hedgehog was getting at, her face suddenly flushed pink. "H-hey! Don't-" she sputtered, struggling to speak in her sudden embarrassment. "I'm not-! H-He's just my-! W-we're not-!"

Amy rolled her eyes and giggled, her smirk not even close to fading. "Suuure you're not."

Rainbow grit her teeth, her mind going through many different ways to give the hedgehog what for… until something plopped on her head. "Hm?" Sonic felt a drop himself, making him look to the sky and hold out a hand. Everyone else looked up… and saw the cloud looming over all of Manehattan, rain starting to fall to the city below.

The ponies seemed to notice as well, some of them beginning to take precautions against the imminent shower. "It was just one cloud," Applejack told the pegasus. "What happened up there?"

"The cloud…" Rainbow began as the rain started to fall in concentrated drops now. "Something was off about it. There were strong winds and new parts of it forming. It was expanding, and it didn't seem to like the Wonderbolts getting in the way."

Rarity tried holding a hoof over her head to protect her mane. Fluttershy glanced at the cloud with worry, her wings dropping to her sides. Pinkie's mane was already getting drenched; something that made her face turn into a frown.

"And when I was in there," Rainbow continued. "I felt-"

"G-g-guys?" Everyone turned to Tails, who now had his arms crossed over his body and was shivering. "Is it just me, or did it get a bit colder all of a sudden?"

Sonic felt a chill run up his body. "Now that you mention it, bud… I do feel a little chilly."

"Then why are we still standing here?" Knuckles asked as he saw some ponies rush inside some buildings. "Let's get inside and dry off already!" Everyone turned to him as he spoke… and then their expressions turned into ones of confusion. Knuckles raised a brow at them. "What?"

"Hmm…" Pinkie Pie ran past Knuckles and up to the object that had everyone's attention: a fire hydrant. The earth pony looked at it closely with a gaze of suspicion, seeing it was starting to shake as the rain seeped into the pavement. A clap of thunder rang throughout the city as the fire hydrant's vibrations began to grow more and more violent.

"Pinkie?" called Amy. "Get away from-"

BROOOSH! Water burst out from the hydrant and into Pinkie's face, pushing the pony away before she could yelp in surprise. She slid along the road back to the group, her pink coat now soaked to the brim. Everyone gasped in horror as the hydrant was torn from the street and propelled into the air by a huge jet of water.

Similar jets burst from the streets like geysers, knocking manhole covers onto the road with loud bangs. Ponies gasped and cried out in panic as the jets rained back down to street level. One manhole cover nearly fell on top of Knuckles, who jumped back with a yelp.

"What in heavens?!" gasped Rarity. Before anyone could reply, a loud cracking sound echoed from beneath their feet… and horrified eyes looked down to see the road crumble apart. Cracks spread across the asphalt, with water seeping out from them like lava in a volcanic vent.

Sonic spun his head to the group. "EVERYONE INSIDE! NOW!" He grabbed Soarin without a moment to lose and raced to the closest building. Everyone frantically ran after him while behind them, the whole street crumbled and gave way to another rupture of liquid water.

Ponies were now in a full panic, rushing to get to safety before the floods consumed them. Some swerved around sudden jets, others ran through open doors, and ones attached to carriages ran as fast as their hooves could go, screaming all the way.

"What's happening?!" Pinkie screamed. "Did the city's water main break?!"

"Just keep running!" Amy cried as they reached the skyscraper Sonic had run into. Tails was the first one inside, quickly ushering his friends and the ponies inside. "Come on, come on, come on!" As soon as Fluttershy was inside, the fox slammed the door shut while Knuckles barricaded it with a service desk.

Right outside, ponies ran for their lives; their screams muffled by the glass windows. Other ponies sheltered in with the group were starting to get terrified. Sonic held the weakened Soarin over his shoulder, looking at the scene in concern.

A huge wave of water swept through the street, instantly flooding the entire road and turning it into raging rapids. Anypony unfortunate enough was swept away by the wave, their hooves kicking like mad and air bubbles bobbing towards the surface. Everyone gasped in horror as the windows started to creak under the sudden pressure. Pinkie and Fluttershy whimpered and held each other close.

With a small creaking noise, a part of the glass window suddenly had a crack formed in it: one that slowly trickled in water. The ponies all cried out while Sonic pointed to a staircase. "Get to higher ground! Hurry!" He and Rainbow raced up as quickly as they could with other ponies scrambling for their lives. Knuckles scooped up Applejack and Rarity while Tails took flight, carrying Pinkie Pie in his arms. Amy just ran as fast as she could alongside Knuckles while Fluttershy flew up the staircase. Just as everyone reached the second level, the glass gave way with a loud shattering sound. Water rushed into the lobby, instantly drenching everything in sight.

The group and the ponies raced up level after level, the water continuing to gain ground as they did. The liquid washed over anything in their path, swallowing them up like a hungry mass. Sonic looked over his shoulder while Rainbow Dash did the same, watching the rising tide rush through the building and pour out the sides.

"It's not stopping!"

"Then neither will we!"

Higher and higher they went, trying to catch their breath as the relentless riptides pursued. Sonic and Rainbow Dash reached the highest floor of the skyscraper just as a flash of lightning ripped through the clouds. Rainbow came to a stop just as Sonic did, her chest heaving in and out. "NOW what?!"

Sonic looked up. "The roof!" The hedgehog handed Soarin to Rainbow and shot upward, spinning right through the ceiling in a shower of debris and popping out onto the rain-drenched rooftop. The ponies remained on the top floor in a worried cluster, the pegasus and all their friends climbed up through the newly-made hole.

Both Sonic and Rainbow Dash were at a loss for words. Their green and magenta eyes went as wide as discs while their drenched blue fur rippled in the howling winds. They slowly walked to the edge of the roof… and saw Manehattan completely flooded.

Skyscrapers stood out like sea stacks in a huge ocean, tides pouring out of a select few like waterfalls. Broken parts of the city's roads floated atop the newly-formed sea like makeshift rafts. The Crystaller Building was leaning to one side and every sign in Bridleway had been washed away. The bridge leading into and out of the city was on the verge of crumbling, denying any creature who couldn't fly a chance to flee. One of the bridge's horseshoe-like supports appeared broken. The Mare Statue's head peeked out from the water, the island it rested on totally submerged.

One skyscraper was leaning against another with multiple windows shattered. The lights of floating lampposts flickered out underwater while carriages bobbed about. Ponies were either trapped on rooftops, using whatever they could as temporary safe havens, saving whoever they could from the flood, or fighting to keep their heads above the tremendous tides. Every road, every alley, every notable location was covered in gallons and gallons of water. All of Manehattan had been drowned, leaving the city a washed-away wasteland.

"Oh, no…" Rainbow moaned sadly as thunder rumbled in the distance. "This… this is awful."

"Is… is this a bad time to mention something?" Sonic asked with an embarrassed tone. Rainbow turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"I… I don't do water," Sonic sheepishly admitted. "I mean, I'm not afraid of it or anything, but… I can't swim."

"Great…" Rainbow sighed. "Just great."

"But hedgehogs are supposed to be great swimmers," Fluttershy added meekly. Sonic only groaned in response. "I know! So why am I the unlucky one?!"

Rarity looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "Saddle Row... the Manefair Hotel... the park... Madison Mare Garden... the Diamond District... the Museum of Art... ruined… it's all RUINED!" She broke into a sobbing fit and collapsed on the rooftop, her tears adding to the rain. The rest of the ponies were filled with horror while Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all looked on in complete shock.

The Wonderbolts flew in, dropping soaking wet ponies they had managed to grab from the tides. "What in Equestria is going on here?" Spitfire whispered. "Crash! How's Clipper?!"

"His wings are completely frozen!" Rainbow informed. Silver Zoom and Misty Fly ran up to Soarin and took the unconscious stallion under their wings.

Spitfire looked completely confused. "Frozen?"

"I don't know how! He's not gonna be able to fly for a while!"

"Not to mention it's getting colder up here!" Knuckles shivered. "These winds… brrr! They're giving me goosebumps!"

Sonic…" Tails whispered to the silent hedgehog, who was continuing to stare at the flooded city. "Is it me, or… or is any of this way too-"

"Familiar," Sonic answered blankly. "Yeah. It is."

"Wait, what do you mean, familiar?" Applejack asked as she tried drying off her hat. "You've seen something like this be-"

A noise came from both the sky and the sea, cutting the earth pony off. A noise that was not of the storm. A noise that did not come from a panicked whisper or scream of fear. And yet its presence was enough to send ponies into a worried mess… and Sonic to look out at the ruined city. The noise was not the strong wind, yet it sounded... familiar to the hedgehog. But at the same time, it was combined with a howl that he'd never heard before.

"Wh-wh-what was th-th-that?" peeped Fluttershy. The storm began to get more intense as the rain came down harder. The winds began to pick up and howl… with a trace of another sound riding their currents.

"Uh, everypony?" Applejack stammered. "There's… there's something in the water!"

"What? Where?" Amy asked, peering down at the depths. "I-I don't see anything!"

"G-g-guys…?" Rainbow stammered with undeniable fear in her voice. She couldn't look anywhere but straight ahead at something that also caught Sonic's attention. Like the pegasus, the hedgehog was nervous as well but was briefly confused. "What the…?"

A large mass of water was rising from the newly-made sea while the dark cloud above grew darker and more malevolent. The water mound grew higher and higher until it dwarfed the height of all the skyscrapers. On various rooftops, frightened ponies looked on with shaky eyes while fillies clung tightly to their parents.

Everyone was speechless and their jaws hung open as the water ceased its ascension… and two bright cyan orbs flashed open, breaching the murky water like lighthouse beams. The water began to shift around and form itself like clay guided by invisible hands. Rainbow slowly gulped and blinked rainwater out of her eyes while Sonic took a wary step back.

The water shaped into defining features as a primal noise reverberated from the sea: the living sea, as everyone realized. The water sculpted itself into a sleek body, spikes protruding from the back, and a pair of four equestrian legs that vanished into the water. A shimmering glow began to surround the shape as its head molded into view: horse-like in shape, but with small horns protruding from it, watery flaps just behind the cyan orbs that served as its eyes, and razor-sharp liquid teeth in its massive maw. A mix of transparent blue and translucent grayish cerulean, the creature stood at its full height, raised its head to the sky…

NEEEEEAAAAAAARRRGH!

It was a terrible cry that made everypony cover their ears and scream in sheer panic. The sound was like a ghostly neigh mixed with a screech of agony, a howl of rage combined with a shriek of hatred. The howl reached the heavens, where a flash of lightning and an explosion of thunder echoed in its wake. The screams of the horrified ponies- including those of Rainbow's friends- replaced it not long after the haunting screech faded.

"R-R-Rainbow Dash-!" Fluttershy squeaked as the rain progressed into a torrential downpour. "That sound-! It… It…"

"Sonic!" screamed Tails as the wind howled in his face. "Th-th-that roar! It's… it's…!"

Both Sonic and Rainbow Dash gasped in horror, now realizing what foe stood before them. "A… a… a Windigo?!" Rainbow cried in horror. "No… no, it can't be! There's no…. Nopony argued or fought or anything!"

"Ch-Chaos?!" Sonic shouted in disbelief. "What… what happened to him?!"

SCREEEEAAAAAAAARRRGH! The storm roared at the same time the beast did, water trailing from its open mouth. The screech died down… and two ferocious orbs rested on the bewildered hedgehog and pegasus.

Ready to flood. Ready to freeze. And ready to destroy them.