Tails wasn't really expecting a clear flight, but this turbulence was a little too much. It was a short time before Eggman's forces had detected the shuttles' departure… and even shorter after that when they discovered that they were being flown by organics.

After that, it was like the entire Egg Fleet was out to stop them. Everyone was holding on tight as the shuttle rocked from exterior blasts, along with several of the ponies whenever a scream of engines passed by. From the viewport, puffs of smoke and flashes of light could be seen from nearby battleships. No direct hits, thankfully, but enough to cause the shuttle's course to waver…

…and soften it up for the attack runs.

"Incoming!" yelled Amy just as a squadron of fighter ships soared in from straight ahead. Lasers flew from their forms, followed by sharp smacking and hissing sounds that indicated contact. Everyone not seated nearly fell over, and Tails struggled to keep the ship flying without being thrown out of the pilot's seat.

He turned his eyes to the ship's display, darting between it and the viewport. Engines were stable, shields were holding, thrusters were still good… Eggman had been sure to make these transports armored, but he certainly didn't design them for intense combat. And speaking of combat, the fox's eyes rested on a small cannon stationed atop the shuttle.

He tore his eyes from the viewport for a moment. "Knuckles! Gun turret!"

"What?!"

"The ladder near the back! Climb it and start shooting!"

"Uh, okay! Got it!" The echidna made a break for the rear of the cockpit, carefully making his way past the ponies and excusing himself as he went. Silver helped clear the way for him, his golden eyes trained on the still-unmoving Twilight Sparkle. "How is she, Star?"

The unicorn's reply was halted by another shudder, one that almost made Knuckles lose his footing and nearly collapse on top of Applejack had the earth pony not scrambled away in time. "She's still breathing, but she's showing no signs of waking up yet!"

"Perhaps I would prefer her to awaken once we touch down!" Rarity butted in while Spike rested his head on the princess' chest. "I wouldn't want her to exhaust herself with another of her panic attacks!"

Knuckles threw open a door that revealed a ladder behind it, and he started to ascend. Another vibration caused the echidna to fight for his balance, yet he continued his climb until he reached a glass dome with nothing but a seat and targeting controls. For a moment, Knuckles gazed out through the dome at the zipping fighters and bursts of smoke… before he snapped out of it and plopped into the seat.

"Alright, Knuckles…" he muttered, slowly figuring out how to switch the thing on. "Just like punching! Sorta… come on, how does this thing- whoa!" The turret jolted to life and his chair reared like a bucking bronco determined to toss him out. The echidna grabbed the controls and wrestled with the turret, bringing the gun to a full stop. He stared at a small monitor that lit up between the grips, displaying a scanner of all nearby craft.

Hold on a minute…would the systems mistake this for friendly fire? This was an Eggman ship, after-

Knuckles had to beat himself on the head. Get it together, man! Less thinking, more blasting! Alright, here we go… Swiveling the turret towards the fighters that were coming in for another run, Knuckles hovered his thumbs over the triggers, waiting for them to come into range like a predator waiting to pounce…

Gritting his teeth, the echidna pressed down on the triggers. With thumping impacts that rattled his seat, the main barrel fired powerful lasers that detonated against the fighters. The ships blew apart in heaps of burning metal, and Knuckles couldn't resist laughing with joy when one burning chassis spiraled past him with a missing wing.

"HAHA! I got 'em!" he whooped, punching the air victoriously.

"Don't relax yet!" called Tails over the communicator. Knuckles just glared through the dome and sought out his next target. "Relax?! Not a chance! Come on, Egg Fleet! Gimme all ya got!"

Back in the cockpit, Amy turned her eyes to Tails. "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves some covering fire. What now?"

"I'm gonna start lowering our altitude!" the fox replied, making some adjustments on the controls before he gently nudged the controls downward. "The sooner we get out of range from the fleet, the better our chances at getting down to ground level!"

"And the other ships?"

"Keep an eye on them, Amy! I'll need to know if-"

THUD! Something hard landed right above them, cutting off the fox's sentence. Alerted by the impact, Silver, Spike, and the ponies all rushed toward the viewport to investigate. "What was that?!" gulped the dragon.

"M-maybe some unwelcome guests?!" Applejack guessed. Multiple scenarios were running through Tails' head. Were they about to be boarded? Had they been hit? If so, the ship's technical readouts should've-

From outside, somebody vaulted down from the roof and smacked against the glass, disrupting the fox's train of thought. Everybody cried out in alarm… before Sonic the Hedgehog gave them a welcoming wave. "'Scuse me, is this the flight to Angel Island?"

Rainbow Dash zipped up from beside him, giving her friends a quick salute. Tails just gave his best friend a delighted smile while behind him, the ponies were equally relieved. "Rainbow!" Applejack gasped. "Thank goodness you made it outta there alright!"

"Duh! Was there really any doubt?" The pegasus soared out of view while Sonic turned back to his buddy. "We'll keep you covered, Tails! Just focus on flying!" Before the fox could respond, the hedgehog climbed back onto the roof, the thuds of his footsteps ringing through the cockpit.

"Hold on, everybody!" Tails shouted, pushing forward on the controls. The shuttle surged forward into the assembled group of battleships, its turret blasting wildly at any fighter that came close. Rainbow circled the shuttle and drove herself into Balkiries that threatened to get a lock on the ship while Sonic stood steadfast atop the roof, the wind rushing through his quills. The hedgehog jumped and launched a series of Homing Attacks on more fighters, slicing off one's wing before puncturing another.

Landing on a third, he rode that one like a flea on a dog while another fighter acquired a target lock on the hedgehog. It fired two missiles, and the projectiles exploded against the other ship as Sonic shot away. With a scream from its engine, the fighter ship dropped from the sky.

Sonic grabbed onto a Balkiry that passed by, riding it like a runaway rocket as it dove and weaved through the air. The robot flew past Team Dark's shuttle, with Shadow, who had just caught a missile with his bare hands and redirected it, glaring daggers at the blue hedgehog. "Could you not show off for five minutes?!"

"Aw, come on! Where's the fun in that?!" Sonic pushed himself off the Balkiry just as it crashed against one of the battleships, breaking off into a run along the deck as Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters opened fire on him. Spotting an opening, Sonic shot for an open spot on the deck…

…and he let the ship's cannons handle the rest. Turning away from the shuttles, the battleship's guns blasted the aircraft apart while trying to blow the hedgehog to bits. When the ship slowly started to sink, Sonic jumped off in a relaxed pose, freefalling along burning bits of metal. Rainbow swooped in to catch him before beating her wings hard, taking them both back to action altitude.

The pegasus threw Sonic at another fighter squadron, which he proceeded to bounce off like a pinball hitting bumpers. Once the last fighter was downed, Sonic set his sights on another squadron flying right for the shuttles. Spinning up, the hedgehog shot for it with the pegasus diving after him, the latter using a hoof to knock a turtle-like robot off its perch.

Broadside cannons of other battleships turned to face the stolen shuttles, already blasting out high-powered ammo. Tails carefully steered the shuttle around the explosions, smoke from one of them temporarily clouding the viewport until he passed through. On the gun turret, Knuckles blasted like there was no tomorrow, downing Balkiries that swooped by, Nebulas that pelted the turret with lasers to no effect, and fast-moving fighter ships that fired streams of lasers at the ship.

"Heads up, fox boy!" Rouge's voice came in from the shuttle's comms, the other shuttle a short distance ahead and off to the left. "Hope you haven't gotten rusty around the Egg Fleet!"

"Don't worry!" Tails replied, grunting as he struggled to evade more flak. "This is nothing! Mostly!"

"Warning!" beeped Omega from the other ship. "Enemy targeting detected! Descend! Descend! Descend!"

"I see it, I see it!"

Before Tails could ask what was happening, he heard Amy gasp from beside him. "Tails, look out!" To the right, a large battleship was pointing its heavy cannons right at them! With a yelp, Tails moved the controls down and forced the shuttle into a small dive, taking it out of the line of fire just in time.

With thundering booms, the battleship unleashed a full salvo of explosive rounds that streaked through the air. One of them shot past Knuckles, who temporarily tore his eyes from the targeting controls to watch. At the same time, another battleship off to the left fired off a broadside barrage… and both ships were lit up with explosions when their missed shots collided with each other.

The battleships were consumed by discharges that both erupted from their cannons and kicked up from successful impacts. Their engines gave out and critical parts went up in destructive blasts, shaking the sky with cloud-shattering roars. The ponies watched with awe and amazement on their faces, and Tails himself was unable to look away. As the last of the cannons went off, both battleships moaned as they started to drop as burning, flaming wrecks far beyond saving.

One ship's portside engines completely shut down, sending it veering off in the direction of the other ship. With a loud, metal-rending crunch followed by more explosions, both warships collided viciously in a tangled mess before they continued to drop.

"YEEEEAAAAH!" Rainbow cheered, looping around the shuttle victoriously while Sonic watched the ships descend with the wind blowing in his quills. "Take THAT, otherworldly invader!"

"Just like old times!" the hedgehog sighed before looking back ahead. "But there's still more-WHOOOOAAAA!" The shuttle suddenly surged to the right violently, barely avoiding a squad of fighters that came at it head-on. Sonic was sent tumbling along the roof, with Rainbow unable to react due to her being caught by surprise. The hedgehog rolled across the shuttle, dangerously close to the edge…

…until the gun turret rotated in the opposite direction and caught him by the torso, knocking the wind out of the hedgehog. Turning back to the shuttle's roof, the gun's momentum dropped the exhausted Sonic down, where he gave Knuckles a thumbs-up from his lying position. The echidna returned the gesture with a nod before resuming his search for more hostiles and firing away.

In the cockpit, Tails sighed in relief. "That was a close one! Knuckles, how're we doing up there?!"

The echidna grunted between his words, the sounds of the blasting turret threatening to drown him out. "Tails, there's getting to be too many out here! We're gonna get swarmed and I can't hold 'em off for long!" To prove his point, a fighter ship streaked out of sight with blazing lasers, followed by a grunt of surprise from the echidna… and what sounded like cracking glass. "And any more close hits like that will take this bad boy out of action!"

"Incoming enemy vessels detected!" Omega alerted from the other ship. "Permission to man defenses, Rouge?" The bat was quick to respond. "Yeah, anything to keep them off our backs!" Within moments, the gun turret on Team Dark's shuttle was active and firing at just about anything the robot behind the controls could detect. One of Omega's shots blew a Balkiry out of the sky before the fighter had the chance to attack Knuckles' turret. Unaware of the save, Knuckles continued to focus on his own targets. A barrage of blasts awfully missed another Balkiry as it screamed through the sky.

"Argh, these things are moving too fast!" Tails was ready to deliver words of encouragement to his friend, but a sudden beep indicated a fast-approaching threat.

"Tails! Missiles!" Amy shouted, pointing off to the side. The fox spotted the incoming rockets and jerked the craft to the side, barely avoiding the projectiles before they roared past. The fox turned his head in all directions, peeling the sky for any more incoming dangers…

"Hey!" called an annoyed Sonic (his sudden appearance startling the fox) as he peeked his head through the viewport and banged his fist against the glass. "I'm! Still! Out! Here!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Tails quickly apologized before the Blue Blur ducked back out of view. In his place, Rainbow Dash shot past the viewport and tucked in her wings, barrel-rolling to draw the attention of several Balkiries (one of which was hit by the shuttle's turret). She soared overhead, the robots in tow. Seeing the pegasus' example, Silver's eyes lit up.

"I got an idea! Does anyone know how to fly?"

"Me!" answered Spike, raising a hand and showing off his wings. "And I think I like where this is headed!" Beside him, Starlight nodded. "Me, too."

"Okay!" Silver exclaimed proudly, looking over the group of ponies. "Anyone… else?" He spotted a winged figure in the very back; one that was shivering and whimpering under her breath. Silver stopped: he may not have been fully familiar with this one, but from what he did know, this one was terrified of… well, anything. Flying killer robots and humongous air fleets were probably one of them.

"Oh, Fluttershy, darling…" Rarity sighed. "I understand that this situation is extremely intimidating at first glance-"

"Mm-mm!" the pegasus shook her head. "I can't go out there! It was scary enough seeing one of those things from the inside. Now, out there with all the big ships with the big weapons, the flying robots who want to hurt everything they see, danger everywhere you look… ooooh!" She curled up tighter with another whimper.

Silver silently ushered the ponies back. "Why don't you let me handle this?" he whispered. "I… felt just like her when I first heard of the Egg Fleet. There was nothing like it where I came from."

"Okay…" Applejack replied. "Be our guest…"

Taking a deep breath, Silver approached the trembling pegasus and knelt in front of her. "Hey… are you alright?"

"No," came Fluttershy's barely-audible reply.

Silver sighed. "Neither am I." At his words, a cyan eye peeked through the wing feathers. Seeing the curiosity in it, the hedgehog continued. "When I come from, people live in fear all the time, including me. I remember being scared every day of my life… because all I knew was being afraid. Afraid that each day could be my last. Afraid for the safety of everything I knew. And once I went back in time… I was afraid I could ruin everything with just the slightest change."

Fluttershy slowly lowered her wings from her face. "And there was nothing like the Egg Fleet in my time. I didn't need to worry about flying battleships armed to the teeth with cannons and robots and… whatever else you can find on them. Because I was worried about something far worse every day."

Fluttershy rose to her feet, transfixed on Silver's words.

"I know how dangerous it is, despite not understanding enough about it. Eggman did build it to strike fear into his enemies… but you don't need to be afraid when you've faced something that's much, much scarier than flying ships."

"I don't know about that," Fluttershy quietly admitted. "One of the scariest things I've faced was a bunch of flying ships and an evil warlord."

Silver froze. "Y-you have?" If she was terrified of a fleet such as that, no wonder she was scared about this- "But…" Fluttershy whispered. "I do have a terrible fear of dragons."

Silver looked at Spike with a confused stare. "Uh, isn't he a-"

"Big dragons," Fluttershy corrected. "The ones who look like they could swallow me whole in one bite."

"Plus, we're on good terms," Spike added.

"And there was also a time where a bunch of pegasi had to take care of a massive storm, and I was frightened to get near it. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash managed to convince me to participate, and I didn't let it scare me. And then there was a huge centaur who nearly razed everything to the ground, and-"

"So you have faced things worse than this!"

Fluttershy paused. "Um… I'm not so sure if they're worse, but…"

"Oh, please, darling!" Rarity interjected. "Tirek was such a frightening foe! He destroyed everything he came across and battled Twilight to a standstill! He is definitely worse than what's out there, and he was defeated by our hooves!"

"Are you… sure?"

"Well, in my time…" Silver added. "Everything was burning. Cities were in ruin and creatures of fire roamed the wasteland. Lemme tell you, that was way worse than an air fleet." Silver wasn't even sure if what that vision had shown him was even true, but how else could he convince the pegasus?

"Ooh… that sounds much worse," Fluttershy replied. "And you didn't hide? You went out of your way to fight it?" Silver nodded with a smile on his face. "And fix it. No matter how many times it took until I got the future I wanted for everybody."

"Wow… I don't think I could ever handle that… and after hearing that, all of those things make all the robots sound like toys!" Before anyone had the chance to respond to Fluttershy, the shuttle shuddered with the force of another explosion.

Starlight turned to Silver. "Then how about we crack them open?"

Fluttershy glanced out the viewport, catching a glimpse of a rainbow-colored flash shooting past Balkiries and slamming into Nebulas. She may not have the courage to just go all-out like her, but the least she could do was stay close to the shuttle and protect it from any robot that directly went for it. "Okay. Let's go help them."

Silver spun and sprinted to the shuttle's main holding bay, with Starlight, Fluttershy, and Spike following him. Upon arrival, Silver had to carefully make his way through the crowd of unicorns and be super careful not to step on any animals. "Pardon me. Excuse me. Coming through. Watch yourselves. Sorry. All of you might wanna back up…" Flying over the crowd, Spike spotted a red button along the side of the wall… and after a confirmation signal from Silver, the dragon pressed a palm against it.

With a heavy whirring sound, the shuttle's ramp began to lower, revealing the bright blue sky and allowing rushing winds to flood the transport bay. Silver glanced over his shoulder, checking to see if the unicorns were safe from the roaring gales that threatened to pluck them from the ship…

After confirming that none of them were about to be dragged off, Silver surrounded himself with cyan light and shot out of the shuttle. Starlight hovered by his side and Fluttershy spread her wings before jumping out to join them. Spike punched the door button again and darted past them, allowing the entryway to close behind him.

Silver and Starlight banked to the right while Fluttershy and Spike made a hard left turn, flying alongside the shuttle's sides. The yellow pegasus stuck close to the ship while the purple dragon flew ahead to bombard several flying robots with green fireballs. A Nebula hovered towards the shuttle, only for Fluttershy to headbutt it hard enough to send it off-course… and into the sights of the shuttle's gun turret.

With a loud blast and an explosion of light and smoke, Knuckles blew the bot to pieces before turning the gun on a squadron of Balkiries. "Nice going, Flutters!" Rainbow called as she swooped past her friend. With a warm smile, the pegasus flew after her. On the opposite side of the shuttle, various flying machines were flung in random directions, crashing against each other or battleship hulls. An out-of-control fighter ship smashed against a gun battery, sending it up in flames just as it fired. The floating Silver threw a Balkiry into another fighter's path, taking them both out at once.

The hedgehog's ears twitched from the sound of an engine, and he spun around with a wave of his arm. The ensuing Psychic Knife sliced off the right wing of the approaching fighter, sending it careening out of control and past the shuttles. From the top of the ship, Sonic gave the other hedgehog a thankful salute; a gesture Silver didn't hesitate to return before flying off. Shadow, on the other hand, paid no heed to the assistance.

Starlight streaked through the sky like a comet, downing any aerial robot close to her with well-placed turquoise beams. Rapid magic blasts took care of some Nebulas while a concentrated stream sliced a Balkiry in two. The unicorn noticed that the battleships were beginning to notice the additional flyers, as some of the anti-air guns were turning their attention to them. She could almost hear Fluttershy yelp before Rainbow got them both out of the line of fire. To keep the guns off his back, Silver used his psychokinesis to jam the turrets' ammo, causing them to overload and self-destruct.

Starlight, however, could do one better.

She hovered alongside a ship's hull, her horn bright as her namesake. With a concentrated grimace, she fired a powerful stream of turquoise light straight into the metal, cutting it like a hot knife through butter. She flew along the ship's length, her magic leaving a huge gaping wound in the ship that groaned in pain. From the fresh opening, Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters were sent flying out, plummeting hundreds of miles to the ground below.

Starlight didn't stop until she reached the ship's stern, flying away to assess the damage she had caused. Part of the ship's interior was in full view, its only protection now pierced like paper. Looking back at the shuttles, Starlight noticed one of the gun turrets swiveling towards the newly-exposed airship. It opened fire with consecutive blasts, furtherly wounding the vessel by destroying its inner functions. Not one to just sit back, Starlight offered assistance by firing another magic stream at one of the ship's engines, detaching it from the rest as its light flickered out.

Silver smirked as the unicorn hovered to his side. "Showoff." The hedgehog was currently pointing several cannons at each other and letting their ammo fly, tearing up that battleship bit by bit. Once enough holes were blown in it, that ship slowly began to drop from the air.

Starlight smiled at Silver's attempt. "Mine was better!" The two of them flew back to the shuttles just as they cleared the doomed airships, black and blue blurs ricocheting off flying machines while two gun turrets blasted at anything and everything that flew within range. The latter landed atop a Balkiry and pulled on its wing with all his might, forcing the machine to spin around. Upon reaching maximum velocity, Shadow released the plane-like robot with a yell, sending it crashing into the hull of a plummeting battleship. He touched down on his shuttle's roof, not bothering to look back at the ensuing explosion as Omega's targeting system allowed him to easily down multiple fighters that passed. Nearby, a rainbow blur zipped around the other shuttle while a blue orb smacked against flying metal shapes while a turret fired wildly in each direction it faced. Inside, Knuckles mashed the triggers furiously while he moved back and forth, struggling to keep his eyes on the fighters before they shot out of view.

Rainbow slowed down to catch her breath and examine the state of the fleet around her. A handful of the ships were badly damaged and sinking out of the sky, smoke rising from their wounded structures. The pegasus thought back to Sonic's words aboard the central flagship; how he'd been fighting Eggman and his army for years both by himself and his friends. He'd been making dents the doctor found irritating to repair… so Rainbow felt only pride at the sight of the doomed airships. What Eggman would do to recover from this, she could only imagine.

She shared a satisfied and comfortable expression with the blue hedgehog, who appeared to have picked up on her current thoughts. He seemed to feel proud of himself for doing damage to the Egg Fleet, just like he had done in the past; a lone resistance fighter striking a major blow against a powerful enemy. It was a blow that could take some time before a complete repair. But the fallen number of the menacing airships wasn't the only good news: there were no more ships directly ahead of them, leaving a safe passage for the shuttles' pilots to safely continue their descent to the-

KABOOM! The shuttle shuddered as if flinching in pain, causing Sonic to briefly lose his footing. A Balkiry screamed overhead but was cut down by Starlight before it could circle. Inside the ship, everyone buckled from the impact until blaring sirens went off. A display flashed in front of Tails, showing a technical readout of the shuttle.

And it showed him that the port-side engine was offline.

"We've been hit!" he cried, the controls now starting to feel somewhat heavy in his grip. The ship felt like it could lean uncontrollably to the side, and the fox had to wrestle with the steering to keep it aloft. Their descent speed was also increasing, and he feared it would only get faster by the second. Trying to hold back her fear, Amy looked over her shoulder and called out to the passengers behind her.

"We're going down! Everyone grab onto something!"

Atop the shuttle, Sonic lowered his arm and opened his eyes to see the right-side engine was hit. Badly. It was burning and coughing up smoke, a trail of it already blowing from the wind. Rainbow flew up to the hedgehog, looking at the damaged-beyond-repair engine with concern.

"Um, that's bad, right?"

The engine erupted with a loud bang, the last of its remaining thrust power now spent. Nothing but fire and smoke was left.

"Very bad!" Sonic quickly added, his legs already buckling from the shuddering ship. The shuttle violently dropped a few meters, causing the hedgehog to lose his footing. While the pegasus moved to fly alongside the doomed shuttle, the rushing wind pushed Sonic along the length of the transport. Fighting to regain himself, Sonic grabbed a hold of the turret gunner's glass canopy. His eyes rested on Knuckles, who was still blasting away at fighter ships.

Either the echidna was unaware of the grave danger everyone was in, or he was aware and wanted to go down fighting like the warrior he was. Because of his stern, unrelenting expression, Sonic had to guess the latter. No way could he not have felt those vibrations. Knuckles had turned the turret's barrel to an incoming fighter, but his shots just grazed the ship as it sprayed the turret with lasers. Several bolts hit the canopy and caused the spiderweb-like patterns on the glass to spread further…

…until the canopy shattered and Knuckles was hit with a faceful of wind. Grunting, the echidna braced himself against the howling forces, clenching the turret controls for dear life. His struggle was ultimately a losing one, as the torrential gales proved enough to wrench the echidna from his seat and send him sailing out into the sky.

In a heartbeat's movement, instinct took over for Sonic. He lashed out with a hand and grabbed the echidna's spiked glove the instant the red form flew over him. "Gotcha, Knux!" Holding onto the hedgehog's hand for stability, Knuckles pounded the shuttle's surface spikes-first, lodging himself in place as if he was scaling a rock wall. Releasing his grip on Sonic, he did the same with his other hand and bolted himself down.

"Nice catch!" he called over the winds. "Thanks!"

Both of them turned to look at the burning engine, which was now starting to shake with the ship. "I take it this isn't gonna be pretty!" Sonic just shook his head and braced against the rim of the canopy. "We're in for a rough landing! Hold on!"

"Not like I can do much else!"

While the shuttle began to greatly drop in altitude, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Fluttershy looked on in worry. The trio dove after the ship, trying to keep up with its plummeting, stricken form.

"What do we do?!" shouted the dragon. "What can we do?!"

"Oh, I don't like this!" added the yellow pegasus. "Our friends are in there!" Rainbow didn't have an answer to that, and all her plans were getting blown away the moment she thought of them. She could form a barrier with some clouds, but the ship would just plow right through it. She and Fluttershy could try to push against it, but it was way too big and heavy for both of them; nothing at all like a cloud.

Suddenly, Starlight hovered up to the pegasi. "Leave that to me!" Before Rainbow could retort, the unicorn zipped away. The pegasi shared a glance, unsure as to what Starlight had in mind…

Inside the doomed shuttle, alarms blared through the cockpit and warning lights flashed. The sights and sounds did nothing to ease the ponies' panic, nor Tails' inner worries as he fought to keep the ship under control. The Crystal Empire was directly ahead of them, and their altitude was dropping faster than Tails would have liked.

"Can you keep it steady?! Level us out?!" shouted Amy.

"I'm… trying…!" Tails was pulling as hard as he could on the controls, but the stupid shuttle wouldn't respond. Without that second engine, steering it was proving to be way harder than normal. "We're doomed!" Rarity screamed from the back. "Doomed, I tell you!"

"I-it's not that bad!" Pinkie cried. "It's just like a roller coaster ride!"

"Yeah!" Sunset added, wobbling with the shuttle. "A roller coaster with terrible maintenance!"

Tails turned his gaze to the altimeter near the ship's controls. Already they were past a thousand meters and dropping into the 800s. With the alarms ringing in his ear, the fox bared his teeth and wrestled with the steering. "Come on… come on…!"

Outside, Sonic and Knuckles held on for dear life as the ship roared past clouds, the wind ruffling their quills. Sonic had to bring his body down to the roof every time he was lifted by the wind, while Knuckles' grip was starting to weaken. He was pushed back by an inch, the spikes in his gloves leaving behind gashes in the roof. "What's Tails doing in there?!"

Spike gasped when he noticed two blue and red figures huddled against the doomed shuttle. "Look! They're in trouble!" Rainbow noticed them as well, even after Knuckles slid back another inch and he struggled to adjust his grip.

"We gotta get 'em outta there! Come on!" She dove towards the ship with Fluttershy in tow, the pegasi trying to match the shuttle's frightening speed. Fluttershy tried to stay clear of the trail of smoke, coughing from a small bit of it. Rainbow narrowed her eyes, setting her sights on the struggling Sonic. She stood ready to grab him… only for something small and metal to zip past her face.

"Huh?" Before the pegasus could ponder this, she heard a loud noise that could only be described as wrenching, screeching metal. She looked back at the shuttle… and saw the damaged engine had gotten so weak that the winds had torn it off the rest of the ship! "WHOA!" With quick thinking, she rolled to the side just as the big piece of metal flew past her. Fluttershy yelped and dove down, just in time to avoid becoming squashed by the debris.

"Move those wings, Fluttershy!" Rainbow cried, racing for the ship at rocket speed. Aboard the stricken vessel, the hedgehog and the echidna could hear the groaning metal mixed with the howling winds. "Now what?!"

"This thing's coming apart!" Sonic realized, noticing the spot where the engine had once been. Before he could continue, another creaking sound came from the canopy he was latched onto. Nuts and bolts were coming loose, scattering from the wind. Once he learned what was to come of this, Sonic went wide-eyed.

"Oh no…"

With a loud snap, the rim of the canopy broke from the gunner's position and sent the hedgehog sailing into the air. "SONIC!" Knuckles released his hold on the shuttle and flew after his friend, who fought to balance himself out… until Rainbow Dash caught him in her hooves. Fluttershy moved to intercept Knuckles, but the echidna zipped past her as a red blur. With a startled yelp, the yellow pegasus moved to chase after him.

Instead, Knuckles straightened himself out in a horizontal pose and held his arms out in front of him. He began to turn in midair and sail back towards the shuttle with narrowed eyes, baffling the pegasi and the dragon. "Wait…" Rainbow spoke in shock. "He can fly, too?!"

"Oh, it's not really flying. He's gliding," Sonic explained. "Trapping air currents with his dreadlocks to control his fall. I doubt Shy could carry him, though. The dude's a million percent muscle." The gliding echidna breezed past them, heading for the shuttle. "And we should get back to it before I start to sound like Tails!" "Right!" Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike followed the doomed shuttle, with Sonic hanging onto Rainbow's forehooves.

500 meters and closing, and nothing was stopping this ship now. The steering controls were getting so frustrating to work with, Tails thought they could break in his hands at any moment. The sight of the Crystal Empire was rapidly approaching; the fox calculating the chance of the ship hitting any buildings during its crash landing.

The best he could do was manage a landing that didn't add to the destruction Eggman caused to this place.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" he cried over the alarms. Tails didn't look to see if anyone heeded his warning, as his eyes were glued to the rapidly-approaching city and the scattering populace that scrambled like ants from a grown man. The fox tensed up, awaiting the devastating crash that marked the ship's contact with the ground…

…but he instead felt the ship inexplicably freeze in midair.

"Huh?" He cracked open an eye he didn't realize was closed, noticing Amy lower her arms from her face. "T-Tails? What hap-?"

Something outside answered for them; something that the ponies rushed up to investigate. In front of the ship's viewport, two floating figures stood before the shuttle, their faces locked in concentration. Silver the Hedgehog held his palms out, his hands alight with cyan light. Not too far away from him, Starlight Glimmer's horn shone with turquoise energy; one that enveloped her entire body. Making eye contact with everyone inside, the unicorn gave her friends a wink while the hedgehog nodded.

"Whew!" Everyone let out a breath of relief, some of them chuckling in delight. The shuttle began to inch forward slowly, as Silver's psychokinesis and Starlight's magic propelled it towards the Crystal Castle. Onlookers were astounded at the sight, which also drew the attention of a lavender feline who smiled at Silver.

Tails went to work on the controls, powering down all essential systems and lowering the landing gear. The shuttle ceased its movements, and Silver was looking at Tails for confirmation. With an approving gesture from the fox, the hedgehog and unicorn slowly set the ship down with a satisfying thump.

"Wow!" breathed Amy. "That went way better than I thought it would!"

"Indubitably!" added Rarity. "I'm not a fan of rough transportation…"

"All right, guys…" Tails said after wiping his forehead. "Why don't we welcome our passengers back home?" He pressed one of the buttons on the control panel, prompting the shuttle's loading ramp to lower.

Sonic touched down perfectly alongside Knuckles, sprinting towards the shuttle with the pegasi and dragon behind him. "Silver! Starlight! Great save!" The other hedgehog floated down with a chuckle. "Ah, it was nothing! I've lifted bigger… I think."

"At least there were two of us if that was too heavy for you," Starlight added with a smile. "Come on, let's meet up with the rest of our friends." Sonic was already ahead of her, jogging towards the front of the ship where unicorns and animals were disembarking. Royal guards and other ponies were approaching the crowd, several of them calling out names and exclamations of safety. But out of all of them, a certain pair caught the crowd's attention.

"The prince and princess have returned! The prince and princess have returned!"

The crowd rejoiced at the sight of their rulers, who greeted them with smiles and waves. Within the crowd of unicorns and critters leaving the ship, the hedgehog spotted some familiar faces disembarking and rushed up to them. Grabbing a certain fox by the arm and giving him a noogie on the head, Sonic laughed in delight.

"Flying an Eggman ship? That's one to remember, Tails!" The fox just laughed and pulled away while Rainbow, Spike, and Fluttershy flew up to their friends. "Thanks! But I think I'll stick with the Tornado for a while…"

"And I'll stick with our balloon," Applejack added. "That was a ride bumpier than an uncooperative mule!"

"I'm just relieved nopony was seriously injured during the trip!" Rarity piped up before her face fell with a grim reminder. "Um… aside from-"

"Save your worries, young one," Star Swirl interjected, a grayish aura surrounding both his horn and the still body of Twilight Sparkle. "The princess will live, as your friend has explained. But she is weak; deprived of magic. We must see to her at once. Come."

With a happy Flurry Heart in her arms, Blaze approached the two royals with a warm smile. "Your Highnesses," she whispered, holding their smiling child out to them. "I believe this little one belongs to you."

With a smile of her own, Princess Cadence used her magic to lift Flurry Heart to her and nuzzle her daughter's face. The baby alicorn squealed before being placed in her mother's grip. Shining Armor turned to the cat with a thankful expression. "Thank you for keeping our daughter safe, Princess Blaze. These events could have been… difficult for her."

Blaze's smile did not falter. "Your gratitude is acknowledged, Prince Shining Armor. However, I'll have you know that I was not Flurry Heart's only guardian…"

"Yeah! I helped, too!" Silver called ecstatically. "I protected her from Metal Sonic! And she blasted him in the face, too! You should've seen it! She was-"

"Easy there, Silv," Sonic muttered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What my pal means is, he didn't let any of Eggman's bots near your kid. And he made sure of that."

Shining just chuckled. "I'm not sure how my wife and I could repay you and your friends. Protecting our daughter and rescuing our people from that tyrant. There hasn't been a day such as this since Twilight and her friends saved this kingdom from Sombra."

"Oh, it wasn't just us," Sonic interjected, his eyes turning to the sky. "I happen to have some friends- don't tell them I said that- who aren't too happy about Eggman." Everyone looked to where Sonic was pointing, and they spotted a second shuttle coming in for a landing right next to the damaged one. Shadow leaped from the top and landed gracefully in front of the crowd. Paying them no heed, the black hedgehog strode by and raised a hand to his ear.

"Rouge. Drop the ramp."

The entryway to the shuttle opened up, allowing more unicorns to pour out into the city. Shining Armor turned to his guards, who awaited instructions from their prince. "Get the wounded into the castle and begin reconstruction efforts. And give aid to anypony who needs it."

"Yes, my prince," The guard rushed off with the others while the rest of Team Dark strode down the ramp. At the sight of the surrounding city, Rouge let out a hum of satisfaction. "Oooh, would you take a look at this place? So marvelous! A girl could get used to this."

"It is rather splendid!" Rarity exclaimed delightfully. "Even I was similarly astounded when my friends and I first arrived!"

"Query," beeped Omega. "Would I look good with a crystalline chassis?"

"How would I know?" Rouge answered. "I don't look into such jewels for their durability. But I wonder… is there a place with souvenirs?"

"We're not here to sightsee," Shadow spoke up. "Rouge, meet up with me in the castle. Omega, guard the ship."

The robot triumphantly held up a steel fist. "Orders approved. I will protect the vessel like no vessel has been protected before!"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't antagonize the locals."

Nearby, Blaze placed a hand on her hip as she and Silver addressed Sonic and Rainbow Dash. "Another blow against the doctor, Sonic. I expect nothing less from you."

"Hey, one less animal for his schemes can make all the difference," the hedgehog replied before pointing a thumb behind him. "And fewer battleships, too." Off in the distance, a small number of destroyed Egg Fleet airships were sinking into the Crystal Mountains surrounding the city. The central battleship was already among them, its demolished surface easily identified among the snowy peaks. "He'll have new ones in no time, though…"

"...which means more toys for us to smash!" Rainbow shouted, pounding her forehooves together. At the pegasus' eager expression, Blaze made a face of confusion. "I… I do not understand. Shouldn't an armada such as the Egg Fleet be- and I mean no ill intent- overpowering for a small creature such as yourself?"

"Well… yeah," Rainbow scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "But just because it looks scary and unfamiliar doesn't mean it can be! Sonic taught me that!"

"Ah. He always was the inspiring type," Blaze reminisced. "Now then, with the doctor no longer a pressing issue… at least, at this moment… there are some unresolved matters Silver and I must attend to."

"Like what?" Sonic pondered.

"Ever since we came here," Silver explained. "Blaze and I have been… seeing things. Places I don't remember, but can recall like it was yesterday. People and events that seem… detached from the rest of my memory. A city of flames, a monster impossible to defeat, a manipulative mastermind that pitted you and me against each other… that kind of thing."

"Whoa…" Rainbow whispered. "That sounds like something my friends and I would go through."

"So, what do you plan to do about this?" Sonic asked. "And… does this have anything to do with you asking me about Soleanna earlier?"

"Yeah," came the future hedgehog's answer. "As I said, only Blaze and I are seeing this stuff. When I told Starlight, she offered a solution: an elderly mage named Star Swirl the Bearded."

"Wait, you mean that old dude with the wizard hat?"

"Yep, that's him," Rainbow answered. "He's the most legendary spellcaster in all Equestria, and Twilight's a big fan of him."

"Starlight told me that Star Swirl had a spell that could give us the answer we're looking for," Silver finished. "I don't know how he'll do it, but I'm willing to do anything for an answer at this point."

"Well, everyone's headed to the castle to check up on Twilight," Sonic informed. "Maybe he can lend a helping hoof while we're there. Let's go." He sprinted towards the castle with an airborne Rainbow behind him, followed by Silver and Starlight…

"Heh heh heh… that speedy little slimeball thinks he's got the better of me again…" chortled Dr. Eggman as his Egg Mobile flew through the skies of Equestria. "Little does he realize the pieces of my plan are in place!"

"Pardon me, boss," Orbot chimed. "But the magic samples Cubot and I salvaged for you are minuscule. Whatever you wish to do with them, I must warn you that you have a limited supply."

"Limited?" Eggman sneered. "Oh, I think not, my circular servant! I'll have you know that I made a little stop after Sonic, his friends, and those putrid little ponies were dealing with matters that required them to be elsewhere."

"A stop? To where, boss?" asked Cubot.

"Why, a return to the capital city, of course!" the doctor responded, bringing a camera feed online. "I decided to take a visit to the royal palace, play with the toys those stable-dwellers call guards, and BEHOLD!" He presented live footage to Orbot and Cubot, which showed two equestrian creatures in a machine similar to the magic drainers aboard his flagship. Metal clamps kept them in place, energy rings held their wings against their bodies, and tubes attached to their horns pumped arcane energy from them.

One of those prisoners was as bright as the sun, the other dark as night.

"Oh my!" Orbot gasped. "Do my optical sensors betray me?"

"Hey, who are those guys?" Cubot asked. "They look kinda important."

"Yes," Eggman answered. "Very important, mind you. Once that band of horses realize their beloved rulers are my hostages, they will stop at nothing to rescue them. No doubt Sonic will aid them, and when he comes knocking at my doorstep… I will be more than ready for him."

"Such a brilliant speculation, doctor!" Orbot congratulated. "But how do you plan to prevent Sonic and those foals from reaching your prisoners?"

"Yeah! They're gonna be pretty mad that you stole their queens from them!"

"Oh, don't worry," Eggman explained. "Unfortunately, none of my current robots stand a chance against those childish excuses for lifeforms… as much as it pains me to say it. Fortunately, I have an ace up the sleeve! Metal Sonic!"

Flying beside the Egg Mobile, the steel enforcer turned his head towards his master.

"Transmit the biodata of those horses you fought to me! With it, I can create a new masterpiece that not even those insolent mammals can overcome! And as for Sonic, his days of foiling my schemes for world domination are numbered! Hohohohohohoho!"

The Egg Mobile and Metal Sonic flew towards a crackling rift in the sky as the doctor laughed maliciously, vanishing within and returning to the world that would soon be his.

"Star Swirl… are you certain you can help my sister?"

Inside the Crystal Castle's throne room, everyone huddled around Twilight's unmoving form. All that could be made out was the gentle rise and fall of the alicorn's chest, though she showed no signs of awakening. "Calm yourself, Prince Shining Armor. Princess Twilight has been depleted of most of her magic within a short time. I should be able to regain her strength by lending my magic over to her."

"But…" Starlight spoke up. "Won't that weaken you as well?"

"Hardly," Star Swirl replied. "I have spent many years mastering the arcane arts, even discovering over two hundred spells. I believe it goes without saying that I have plenty of magic to go around."

The younger unicorn backed off. "Alright, then… do what you can."

The room went silent as all eyes turned to the motionless princess lying before them. Star Swirl stepped forth, his horn shimmering with bright gray light. Closing his dark gray eyes and taking a deep breath, he extended his magic outwards towards Twilight. The light enveloped her in its glowing aura, specks of it vanishing beneath her coat. Wrapping around her form like a blanket, the magic of the elder unicorn sank into Twilight's form like soil absorbing water. The rest of the Mane Six gathered around their friend, watching in anticipation that flashed across each of their faces.

Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart did not avert their eyes, the latter more amazed than concerned at what she was seeing. Standing beside the royals, Starlight and Sunset turned their eyes from Star Swirl to Twilight. Sonic and his friends were equally silent, wondering if Star Swirl's methods would truly work…

"GUUUUUUUH!"

Their answer came when Twilight's eyes snapped open and a sharp intake of air rushed through an open mouth. Everyone save for Star Swirl jolted from surprise while the princess of friendship jerked back to life with exasperated gasps. The magic surrounding her form and Star Swirl's body dimmed, leaving the alicorn to catch her breath.

"Wh… where… what…"

The princess struggled to her hooves, her violet eyes blinking in confusion. It didn't take long for her to realize her current location… and the fact that she was not alone. "TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie pounced on top of the alicorn, pinning her to the floor while everypony else surrounded her with a barrage of concerned-yet-relieved voices.

"Twilight, you okay?!"

"Darling, are you alright?"

"How do you feel, sugarcube?"

"Do you remember what that bad creature did to you?"

"Whoa, whoa! Take it easy, guys!" Sonic interrupted, placing himself between the ponies. "Give her some space!" The ponies hesitantly complied, but Spike remained by the princess' side. "Twilight… are you okay?"

"I… I feel…" Twilight shook her head and stood up, her face locked in a thinking expression. "...woozy. Like… like somepony woke me up with an air horn or a bell or… or something like that…"

"Twilight…" Sunset spoke up. "The doctor drained you of your magic and left you severely weakened. I almost thought you were a goner!" Twilight had to take a moment to ponder this before she came up with a response. "Eggman… where is he?"

"Don't worry about it!" Rainbow brushed off. "We sent that loser packing like the big, overweight baby he is! He had some other unicorns on board, but we got them all back home before we blew that enormous airship outta the sky! You had to have seen it, Twi!"

"Plus, several other airships," Sonic added, giving the pegasus a fist bump.

"So… you did it?" Twilight asked in disbelief. "You… you beat him? Even… without me? I… I thought that you would've-" Applejack was the one to butt in next. "-not know what to do without you? Twilight, you taught us everything we know about working together! And no way would we back down from a bad guy that had you in his clutches! Or did you forget when we charged into Canterlot to save you from the Storm King?"

"Eggman's fleet was way scarier than his…" Fluttershy meekly admitted. "But we didn't let that stop us! Thanks to our new friends!" She gestured to Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, who all had smiles on their faces while Sonic had his arms crossed with pride. "And you're not the only one who's taught some folks a thing or two about friendship and teamwork and everything else in between. Heck, I learned some things myself from my own friends!"

"The tyrant is defeated… for now," Star Swirl spoke up. Stunned, Twilight turned to face the elder unicorn as if seeing him for the first time. "Star Swirl? He… he got you, too?"

He nodded. "Indeed, princess. But had it not been for this fine fellow and the rest of your new friends, I would have remained a captive." He gestured to Silver, who just smiled in appreciation. Shining Armor moved past the hedgehog, looking upon his sister warmly. "But most of all… you're safe, Twily."

Twilight sighed in relief. "Thanks, Shining. Again… I'm sorry for everything that's happened here." The prince dismissed this with a shake of his head. "Don't be. Personally, I think he would've come here anyway sooner or later. So, what's next for you, sis?"

The alicorn turned to her friends. "We should get back to Ponyville. And when we do…" she turned to glance at Sonic and Rainbow. "You two are gonna have a talk with me." The hedgehog and pegasus froze in place, their eyes wide as dinner plates. A certain red echidna snickered and nudged Sonic in the arm. "Oooh, someone's gonna get it!"

Sonic nudged him aside. "Shut up, Knuckles…"

"Hey, foxy!"

Tails turned from his friends to a smiling Rouge, who was holding something in her glove. "Got ya a little parting gift, compliments of Team Dark. Enjoy." She tossed the item to Tails, who caught it in his hand to examine it. And once he got a closer look at the item, his face scrunched in confusion. "Wait… this is the flash drive that you copied Eggman's plans into, right?"

"Mm-hm," Rouge hummed. "Everything you need to know about what the doc's cooking up this time."

Tails still didn't get it. "H-hold on! You need these plans, too, right?! How're you gonna-" He stopped when he took another look at the bat… who was now holding a second flash drive in her hand. "Huh? A-another one? How did you-?"

"When you're in the spy business, kid, you can't be too careful," the bat explained. "This one was supposed to be a spare, but once I saw that the blue boy was on Eggy's trail, I figured your team could use the intel."

"You'll need it," added a stern Shadow.

"The best we can do is sabotage Eggman's operations, while you guys bring him down like you usually do. It's just another day at the office for you, right?"

"Uh…" Tails wasn't sure how to respond. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Rouge." As the fox turned away, he could've sworn he saw the bat give him a wink from the corner of his eye. He approached the rest of his friends to deliver the good news… until Silver stepped forth to address Star Swirl.

"Hey, Star Swirl?" he whispered with Starlight and Blaze by his side. "You, uh, remember what I said on the ship, right? That I needed your help?"

"Of course," the elder unicorn answered. "Lending assistance has become a specialty of my kind. Now, what is it that troubles you?"

"I've been… seeing things," Silver explained. "Memories that seem unfamiliar. Places I've been but don't remember. I both… know and don't know some things at the same time."

"Hmm…" the elder unicorn looked lost in thought. "That seems… rather peculiar. Tell me, Silver, what do you clearly remember about yourself?"

"Well… it's true that I come from another universe," Silver replied. "But I actually come from another time, too."

"Another time?" Star Swirl repeated in awe. "Intriguing…"

"Yeah. Two hundred years into the future, to be exact," Silver confirmed. "At that point in time, the world has fallen into ruin thanks to some catastrophic event in the past. I learned how to travel back in time to find these crises and fix them, thus restoring my home… and that's landed me in trouble with Sonic."

"And what do you believe was the origin of these visions?"

"There's no easy way to say this…" Silver sighed. "My future just… wasn't, I guess. Everything started to collapse in on itself. I tried going back into the past to escape… but something went wrong. Something I can't properly explain. It felt like all of time and space were being ripped apart and smashed back together. I must've passed out or something because the only thing I remember after that is the visions: a city of flames, a princess in peril, a strange being claiming he knows the solution to my predicament… it hurts my mind just trying to piece it all together."

"And he isn't the only one," Blaze elaborated. "Unlike Silver, I hail from a dimension parallel to Sonic's. Like Silver's time, my kingdom began to inexplicably tear itself apart. I was caught in the middle before I was pulled into some kind of dimensional tear… and I began to remember events that I could not recall. Ever since I awoke in this world, I have been searching for answers… are you certain that you can provide them?"

"Certainly, young creature," Star Swirl said comfortably. "It has been a long time since I have utilized a memory spell to this extent… but I shall see what I can do. Now, if you would be so kind as to hold still…" His horn lit up with a gray glow before a thin stream shot from it… and connected with Silver's forehead.

"Wha-" was all he could get out before he suddenly went limp, his arms dangling by his sides and his gold eyes staring off into space as if he was in a trance. Starlight and Blaze glanced uncertainly at Silver's still form before turning to Starlight, who appeared to be deep in concentration.

"Hmm… a city of flame, yes," he muttered. "But the cause of such devastation is… split. Ifrit… Iblis… perplexing. This requires further examination…" The stream vanished from sight, allowing Silver to snap back into a slightly-dazed consciousness. The hedgehog pressed a palm to his head. "Ah… a little warning would be nice…"

Star Swirl turned his magic to the ceiling and fired another stream. This one reached halfway towards the ceiling before it burst into a gray light show: one that aligned itself into two separate rows. Everyone went wide-eyed at the sight of what those rows revealed. In each one, whispers could be heard alongside flickers of certain events. The voices reached everyones' ears, drawing their attention.

"This world was devastated before I was born. A harsh, bleak place, where we live in eternal darkness.."

"COME ON, YOU MONSTER!"

ROOOAAAAAARGH!

"I've got something to ask you, about someone I'm looking for!"

"This is… surreal," muttered Rarity before she was quickly shushed by Amy.

"So, this is who you were warning me about in your transmission?"

"Hey, wait a second. I think you might be wrong here. I'm just here to ask him about someone named 'Eggman Nega.'"

"You need to find the being originally responsible for this catastrophe… to fix this present timeline, you need to change the past. You must eliminate the individual who has awakened Iblis: the Iblis Trigger."

"So that blue hedgehog's the Iblis Trigger?"

"Oh boy…" Sonic muttered. "Here's where things get ugly…"

"Psst! Look at this!" Tails pointed to another memory stream that showed something completely different.

"Eggman! I know you know something about that guy!"

"Ho ho ho! If you really need to know, I'll tell you… but only if you defeat that blue hedgehog!"

Silver nodded. "Okay… I remember that perfectly. So, then… what's all that?" He gestured to the stream that stood above it, which continued to reveal different and unfamiliar memories.

"I've been looking for you. You're the Iblis Trigger."

"Who are you?!"

"My name is Silver. For the future of this world, I will destroy you!"

Sonic frowned. "Hey… I don't remember this being our first meeting."

"Get out of my way. I've got some personal business with him."

"Hey! You sure have an attitude. Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Silver. I can't tell you why, but I need to get to him before you."

"Okay, Silver, bring it on! I like challenges!"

"This is getting weird fast…" muttered Rainbow. The memory streams continued to reveal events both familiar and unfamiliar to Sonic and his friends, with Silver watching them intently.

"To kill someone to save the world… is that really the right thing to do?"

"If we don't take this chance, the future will remain exactly as it is."

"He has this weird camera that changes things into cards…"

"That camera technology shouldn't exist in this time! How'd you get it?!"

"Mephiles… tell me. Who is the Iblis Trigger? Why does he want to destroy the world?"

"Why does that matter to you? Unless you complete your task, your future will remain the same… forever."

"While you've been wasting your time, I've been figuring out his next move…"

"You must be Eggman Nega!"

"Mephiles?! Why are you getting in my way?!"

"I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."

"The man that you refer to as 'doctor'... there's a chance that he's not the real Eggman."

"I came from the future to bring you back!"

"Mephiles isn't trying to help you create a better future. He's trying to eliminate the past."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"It's like you said before. He was only impersonating the doctor."

"It looks like you've realized who the true enemy is, Shadow."

"Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with a royal soul!"

"It's a lucky charm…"

"Hey! It's not wise to tackle everything on your own! Let me help!"

"Thanks!"

"The Iblis Trigger… wasn't Sonic the Hedgehog."

"What if his ultimate objective is to release Iblis?!"

"If I can't change the future, I'll simply destroy it! There's nobody who can stop me now!"

"I won't let you ruin the future!"

"Circumstances have changed. I need to rescue the princess."

"I'll make sure to change Elise's fate. And that, in turn, should change your future, too."

"A world of flames and destruction. It's just like the future our own world faces. If I can just stop the Ifrit, though, then that future will never come to pass!"

"No! Why won't it accept me as the vessel?!"

"Seal us into a different dimension."

"No! I can't do that to you!"

Everyone's gaze turned to the alternate memory stream, which showed a sadness-stricken Silver and a confident Blaze. "Didn't we already go through with this? We agreed to save the world at any price!"

"I can't! I wouldn't know what to do without you! You've fought alongside me to save the world… you're my friend…" Tears could be seen trickling down his face. "...right?"

"Wh…what?" Silver whispered, taking a step closer.

"You're so naive. But… I… I've always liked that about you."

"BLAZE!"
"Good luck, Silver…"

Whatever was happening on the other memory stream became ignored by the heroes, their attention focused on Silver's alternate memories. Silver himself was in shock at what he was seeing: Blaze was fading away with Iblis in tow, waving goodbye to her friends before vanishing completely. Then, Silver was alone, standing near the two Chaos Emeralds and completely silent.

"You… sacrificed yourself…"

Blaze wasn't sure what to say next. "It… it would appear so. I am a royal soul, am I not?"

"Y-yes, but-!"

FSHAM!

The two jerked their eyes back to the memory stream… where Mephiles had just fired a beam straight through Sonic's back, horrifying a human woman close by. As a devilish grin formed on Mephiles' face and the hedgehog collapsed to the ground, the woman wailed in despair as flames erupted from her being.

Sonic, however, was stone cold at what he had just seen. "Did… did I just…" His friends were equally shell-shocked, with Tails taking a step back in horror, Knuckles in sheer disbelief, and Amy with both hands to her mouth.

"Finally, the seal is broken! At long last, I'll be able to join with you! Now, Chaos Emerald! It's time for the final curtain call!"

"Mephiles played us all for fools! His plan all along was to cause the princess to be consumed with despair that she'd cry."

"So that's why he wanted me to kill Sonic before…"

"It is a trandescent lifeform that exists in the past, present, and future. Defeating it here, now, would do nothing."

"No, I won't give up. There has to be a way. If you say it exists in the past, present, and future, I'll destroy them all at once!"

"Certainly, it might have been possible… if he was still alive."

"You should be able to use the gems' power to rescue Sonic's soul!"

"I wish to save this world. I wish to cleanse my father's sin. And I wish to talk to Sonic… once again!"

"This is the end! Prepare to meet your doom!"

"That is the true Solaris…"

"If we put out this flame, Solaris will never exist. And then we'll never have to worry about the Flames of Disaster, right? But our encounter... You and I will never meet. It will never have happened."

"Elise. Just smile…"

All went black as the woman blew out a tiny white flame… and the memory streams vanished.

"I have come to a conclusion," Star Swirl began. "It seems that the memories you and Blaze have experienced… have been erased from your world's timeline. Most inhabitants recall nothing… at most, a tiny portion of events."

"Well…" Sonic spoke up nervously. "Did I really need to know that I died, of all things? And that it was just wiped away?"

"You're freaked out about that?" Knuckles countered. "What about the fact that when you were brought back, you were kissed by a-!"

"Is that your primary concern?" asked an annoyed Shadow, interrupting the echidna. "The Chaos Emeralds resurrected you. You, me, and Silver vanquished an entity that consumed time itself, then prevented it from ever coming into existence. In my book, that's a win… whether I remember it or not."

"I still don't get it," Silver whispered aloud. "If all of that was wiped from history… then how come Blaze and I started to remember it?" Star Swirl began to ponder the hedgehog's words… until Tails offered a theory. "What if that was the work of the Element of Harmony and the Chaos Emeralds? The Emeralds can warp time and space…"

"...which must mean that the timestream broke when the energies of our worlds started to fuse together!" Sonic summarized in realization. "Or… something like that, right?"

"I think so," Twilight added. "Something like that could cause a creature to remember alternate events… especially if they were caught in the middle of such an interdimensional break. And if such destabilization across the space-time continuum has happened already…"

"...then we're in bigger trouble than we realized," Sonic finished for the princess. "We gotta get back. See you guys outside?" Tails met his eyes and nodded, already turning to the palace doors. "We're already far behind on the portal as it is. Let's hurry back and get it set up."

"Wait, what about Eggman?" Amy piped up. Rouge was the first to respond while Shadow was on his way out. "Don't worry about him, sweetie. That's our job. Speaking of, we should get back on his trail."

"And damage control," added Shadow just before he could slip out the doors. "I've been away from my own world for too long. It's time I rectify that." Sonic wasn't sure if he saw this right, but he swore he saw his black-red rival give Sunset Shimmer a knowing look before departing. Twilight, on the other hand, was turning to address her family one more time. "Shining… Cadence… I'm really sorry I brought all this right to your doorstep. These days, with me being the ruler of Equestria in Princess Celestia's stead… I feel like a trouble magnet."

"Twily, please don't worry yourself into a corner," the prince assured her. "According to your friends, you do that way too much as it is. Whatever it is you're doing with them right now, I'm sure you can handle it."

"But… what about the Crystal Empire?" she asked. "There's gonna be some reconstruction efforts, right? What are you going to do about that?"

"Twilight, your brother and I have been the rulers of the Crystal Empire for a while now," Cadence spoke. "We'll have this place back to its natural beauty before you know it." Before Twilight could offer anything else, Blaze stepped forth. "If you would not mind, your majesties… I wish to be of assistance. Far be it from me to sit idly by without properly responding to such a catastrophe."

"And I want to help, too!" Silver added. "I helped your kid, so I can help your kingdom, too!" Admiring the hedgehog's eagerness, Shining Armor just couldn't refuse. "Alright, maybe you two can help us get things done quicker."

"Sure thing!" Silver replied before glancing over his shoulder. "What about you, Starlight?" The unicorn looked hesitant. "As much as I'd like to… I can't, Silver. Now that we figured out your little memory problem…" she paused for a moment. "How are you feeling about that, by the way?"

Now Silver was the one to pause. "Uh… a little weirded out? I mean, remembering something that was erased from history thanks to a shattered timeline is… surreal. But I think my mind's cleared up a bit, so the visions shouldn't bother me… if I keep having them. You were saying?"

"I think I'm gonna stick with Twilight and her friends for now," Starlight continued. "Knowing her, she'll need all the help she can get. And I want to see what I can do on my part."

"Me too," added Sunset. "Shadow and his team are heading back to their world to track down Eggman and see what the world-merging is like over there. I'm sure that when they find what Egg-"

"Wait, what?!" Knuckles yelped. "They're leaving?! But Rouge still has that-!"

"Calm down, Knuckles!" Tails was quick to stop the echidna before he could charge out the doors. "I've got us covered! Rouge gave me this spare flash drive for us to look through!" He held it up in case Knuckles didn't buy it.

Sonic had an admiring look on his face. "And she downloaded the plans onto that in case she lost the first one, right? Smart. We'll see what the doc's cooking up as soon as we get back!"

"And as for me," Star Swirl piped up. "I shall escort the unicorn back to their hometowns, however long that shall take. Perhaps if several have been lucky to evade the madman's clutches, warnings are in order."

"I agree," Twilight replied. "Safe travels, Star Swirl." The old sage bowed his head. "And good luck to you as well, Princess."

After everyone had said their goodbyes, the heroes walked out of the castle and headed down the streets, where the ponies' balloon and the Tornado remained untouched from Eggman's rampage. In the sky above, Team Dark's stolen shuttle was already departing from the Crystal Empire, the craft now nothing but the lights from its engines. Spike flew ahead to get the balloon warmed up, but Rainbow Dash had a quizzical expression on her face. "Hey, Sonic? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"On the ship, you said you and Eggman had fought for years, right?" the pegasus began. "And you've been kicking his butt every time? So, uh… aren't you a little worried that he might… you know… beat you?"

Sonic's face slacked and he turned to stare at the ground. "I dunno, Dash… you could be right. Maybe one day, Eggman will make something that might just do me in. A robot even I can't beat, a jewel that can match the Chaos Emeralds… maybe Eggman will have the last laugh after all…"

The two speedsters stared at each other in silence, the weight of Rainbow's question weighing down on them. Everyone else froze in their tracks, their eyes locked on their blue friends as if what they had just heard were really spoken. Was it true? Could Eggman really triumph over his most hated enemy, even after so many-

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Both Sonic and Rainbow burst into uncontrolled laughter, the pegasus collapsing to the ground in her fit. "AHAHAHAHA! D-d-did you… Did you seriously just say that with a straight face?!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I-I know! If I… If I held that for a little longer, I would've blown up!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Pinkie got caught up in it as well. "I have no idea as to why we're laughing! Hee hee hee!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the speedsters. "I don't get it…"

"Uh, trick question," Tails answered for her. "Obviously, Eggman's never gonna be-"

"No, not that!" the alicorn interjected. "I've been thinking… Sonic and Rainbow Dash have grown to be such good friends, despite Rainbow's jealousy of him. After that fight they had earlier… I didn't expect them to recover so quickly. And yet there are still some unresolved questions as to why that happened!"

Tails put a hand to his chin in thought. "You know… I may have a theory."

"What?"

"When we were imprisoned on Eggman's flagship," Tails explained. "Sonic said that… something was responsible for manipulating him and Rainbow against each other. But he hasn't really told me what that 'something' is."

"And you think he can fill us in on the way?" Twilight asked. Tails didn't give her an immediate answer, his blue eyes turning to the blue duo up ahead. Rainbow was in the process of reminding Sonic of something, so the fox tried listening in. "But, seriously, there were times when you were down, right? What was that story you were telling me back on the ship?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Well, as I was saying before the Shoot-A-Tron Nine Thousand made his most epic dramatic entrance ever, I had seen this big capsule that Eggman keeps animals in and leaped before I looked. But it turns out the whole thing was a trap, so Tails tried to warn me, and…"

The memory of that particular event was rather unpleasant for the fox to hear. Sonic's recklessness had placed his best friend in danger, and Tails was turned into a robot because of it. Luckily, he had managed to keep his free will from being erased… but he knew how Sonic was so distraught and defeated about it. He'd said so himself after the whole adventure. How he was the fastest, yet too slow to save his best friend.

But here he was now, talking about it so casually and laughing at a time he was at his lowest. Tails wondered whether or not Sonic was adding in Eggman's life-draining machine that nearly sucked away everything he knew and loved… but he dismissed the thought and turned back to Twilight, who was still awaiting a response.

"Nah. Let him have this. He can tell us when we get back to my lab," A look of confusion suddenly crossed his face. "I mean, your castle. I mean, your… my… castle… lab? Man, this is always so confusing!"

He noticed the princess was chuckling at his words. "It's fine. But, yes, I agree. First, we get home. And then, those two can tell us about… whatever it is that caused them to have their little argument."

"Little?" Tails replied humorously. "They raced across half the continent!" Both of them laughed at that moment, the speedsters' exchange already rubbing off on them. Boarding their vehicles and starting them up with all their friends in tow, they rose into the sky and made their way past the mountains…

Back in Ponyville, a black anthropomorphic figure roamed through the place that was the fusion of the Castle of Friendship and Tails' workshop. Something that sounded like an ethereal growl escaped its nonexistent mouth as it threw a desk into the air with one arm.

HOW COULD THIS BE?! It roared, the sound loud enough to shake the building's foundations. IT WAS PERFECT! THE PEGASUS' HATRED AND THE HEDGEHOG'S PRIDE WERE THE MOST SUITABLE ELEMENTS! AND STILL, THEY FAILED TO DESTROY EACH OTHER! OUR HUNGER… IT MUST NOT BE… BE…

It came to a stop in front of a series of monitors and instruments surrounding six (seven if a smaller one were to be taken into account) chairs and a circular table. It stood in silence before bright purple orbs turned to an arched, mirror-like device nearby. NO… NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR SUCH CHILDISH TANTRUMS. THE PAST NEEDS TO BE JUST THAT: LEFT IN THE PAST. THIS DEVICE… NO DOUBT SONIC AND RAINBOW DASH SEEK TO USE IT TO TRAVEL TO THE SPACE BETWEEN DIMENSIONS. THEY WISH TO COME TO US THIS TIME. SO BE IT. THEY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH CHAOS AND ENERGY AND MAGIC FOR US TO FEED ON. AS DO THEIR…

It took a step back as if something in its mind clicked together. …FRIENDS. THEIR FRIENDS. OF COURSE. HOW COULD WE HAVE BEEN SO BLIND? THEY WERE THE REASON THEIR BATTLE HAD CEASED. THEY WERE THE REASON OUR WORK WAS UNDONE. THEY WISH TO COME TO US AS WELL, DON'T THEY? EXCELLENT. UNLIKE THEM, WE HAVE TIME. WE HAVE PATIENCE. AND ONCE THEY DO COME, WE SHALL FEED ON THEM ALL.

AFTER ALL… HOW DOES THAT SAYING GO? OH, YES. THE MORE THE MERRIER…

Elsewhere, three creatures strode through a metal hallway with a black, insectoid-like being leading them. She spoke in a commanding tone, occasionally looking back at her allies. "There is a concern. Princess Twilight is aware of my return. Now that she knows of my return, she will expect the two of you to be released as well."

"Duh," Cozy Glow answered. "So, that means she and her friends are gonna be ready for us, right?"

"No…" Chrysalis hissed. "With all sorts of unnatural phenomena happening across Equestria, Princess Twilight will waste no time merely defending her subjects. I believe that as we speak, she and her allies will be hunting for us all over the world. Hence my decision to retreat to this one… thanks to you, Tirek."

The centaur scratched his head. "But… all I did was fall through a portal."

"Yeah! And you nearly squished me!" Cozy Glow snapped.

"Silence!" Chrysalis barked, whirling around to face them before continuing onward. "I admit, I was unaware of the purpose of those cracks in the sky. But once Tirek showed me what they were, I realized we would need to formulate our revenge against those putrid ponies not in Equestria, but in this world."

"But what if they come to this world?" Tirek asked. "Won't they find us here?"

"That's my point," Chrysalis sneered with a wicked grin. "They won't."

"Er… how do you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chrysalis explained. "They don't know this world! They won't have the faintest idea where to start! And they'd have to deal with the Equestrian creatures that have made their way here… or whatever remains of them. I will admit I am impressed with this world's defenders. Some of them have managed to drive them away from heavily-populated areas, and most of the creatures have already returned to Equestria through additional portals that appear from thin air."

"And what if they do come across this place?" Cozy Glow pondered. "I mean, this is a great spot to plan our revenge, in this… this… uh, what is this place again?"

"From what I can tell, a military installation of some kind," Chrysalis answered, glancing down metallic hallways and making out signs that pointed to barracks, an armory, and other notable locations. "Long abandoned, of course. Perhaps several decades. If Twilight does find this place, my changeling scouts lurking in the darkness will inform us of her approach."

"Ha!" barked Cozy Glow. "Discord may have brought us together, but the joke's on him! We'll crush him, Twilight, the other princesses, and anypony else that tries to get in our way!"

"Yes!" Tirek roared. "And that hedgehog will learn he crossed the wrong centaur!"

The little alicorn and the changeling paused where they stood and slowly turned to Tirek with suspicious glares. The centaur noticed their faces and lowered his raised fist. "Uh… what?"

"Did you say…" Chrysalis hissed curiously. "...hedgehog?" Her disgraced defeat at the hands of that black and red creature, who had claimed to be a hedgehog, was still fresh in her mind. If Tirek had crossed paths with him…

"Y-yes?" Tirek whispered. "Why?"

"Was he white?" asked Cozy Glow. "Could he fly and use some kind of weird magic?"

"Huh? N-no!" Tirek stammered. "He wasn't white, he was blue! And he was super fast, faster than a dragon going for a horde of gems! Called himself 'Sonic'!"

Blue? Chrysalis could vaguely remember a similar creature within that cavern who looked almost like that black creature that beat her to a pulp. Maybe the two of them were allies… maybe even allies with the being Cozy Glow was describing. If that was the case, then…

"Hmm… it seems we have another common enemy…"