One moment, Station Square was suffering from a volley of dimensional waves that started fusing it to another city. The next, a giant rift appeared in the sky with that same city beyond it. The moment after that, things started falling while others rose towards the rift like a nail drawn to a magnet. As if Station Square needed anything else to happen to it right now.
While traffic was backed up down one of the city's main roads, something else blasted down the street at high speed with a colored trail right behind it. It slid underneath a truck blocking the upcoming intersection while the rainbow blur sailed over it in a perfect arc. Righting himself, Sonic took off down a left turn and past some more stalled vehicles. "Caution, hedgehog crossing!" He called out, shooting past moving cars that slammed their brakes on sight. Vaulting over one's hood and leaping off a roof, he bounced off a taxi cab before hitting the road running. Above him, Rainbow flew inches above the street without needing to worry about the traffic below.
She had her own problems to deal with, though. The pegasus weaved back and forth from falling debris that was coming from the other city, and a steel beam narrowly flattened her before she zipped away. The beam crushed an unfortunate car below, reducing it to crunched scrap. A chunk of cement was set to smash another, only to be obliterated by a spinning blue ball that reduced it to pieces. Up ahead, more collapsing debris forced the pair to take a hard right down a less-crowded road. Rainbow rolled away from a chunk of metal and fought to keep herself positioned.
"I don't think the weather forecast called for falling rocks and metal!" she cried, glancing up at the massive rift above the city. Sonic looked up as well before stepping away from a car that crashed onto the street. "It could be worse! We could be getting chased by a giant truck! With saw blades!"
"Great! Now you've got me thinking about what else might come through!"
"Well, only one thing to do now!" Sonic shouted before boosting down the stretch of road. "Come on, keep up!" The hedgehog tore down the road with the pegasus flying after him, both of them heading for a large skyscraper that seemed relatively untouched by the chaos. The blue streak spiraled up its length while the colored blur rose alongside it. Upon reaching a massive spire-like tower at the top, Sonic grabbed hold and hung off the side, raising his other hand to his forehead to scour the city around him. Rainbow hovered close by, her eyes peeled for a way out.
"Uh, you do know the quickest way outta this place, right?"
"Working on it!" Sonic replied before turning his eyes to the rift. "And it's not just this city that's getting hammered, either. I can't imagine what the people over there are thinking… they probably don't have any idea wha- hey, what was that?"
"What was what?"
Sonic blinked at the rift, where debris and similar objects from Station Square were being drawn to. "Did… did you see something? I could've sworn I-" Before he could finish, several pieces of buildings passed through the rift and plummeted down to the streets of the other city… before a series of pink explosions blasted them apart. A few more followed, only for them to be enveloped with violet energy and suddenly flung to the side.
"What's going on over there?" Rainbow asked, watching as buildings began to crumble apart and cars rose from the roads, all of them passing through the rift while others just like them fell down to earth. In the other city, those vehicles fell towards a busy intersection with specks the speedsters assumed were people… and a diamond barrier materialized out of nowhere, intercepting their descent. Something close by was launched into the air and collided with a chunk of wall, smashing it to bits.
Birds flew about the scene and directed several citizens to safety… but what got their attention the most was a rainbow streak racing across the roads, grabbing people and placing them out of harm's way before zooming back into the fray. Neither of them let up as the debris continued to fall, impressing the blue heroes. "Whoa… those guys are good!" Sonic complimented.
"Yeah!" Rainbow replied. "Almost reminds me of- uh oh!"
A curious Sonic looked to see what had grabbed Rainbow's attention… and saw that the horse-like figurehead he had seen atop one building had been torn off and was now coming their way! Thinking quickly, he jumped from the building with Rainbow in tow just as the golden figurehead smashed against it in a shower of glass and steel. The two heroes started to freefall toward the streets below, but a sudden crack in the sky opened up in their path.
"WHOOOAAAAA!" Two startled screams rang out as both creatures fell down the rift, tumbling through a shattered-like reality with fractured images from both worlds. They fought to regain their balance amongst the abyss, but another rift snapped open before them…
…and dumped them onto a sandy beach. Without hesitation, Sonic took off with Rainbow on his trail, sprinting for a distant aquatic ruin with shining seas and twisting roads. "Now where are we?!"
"Somewhere I'm gonna go when this is all over!" Sonic replied, dashing past palm trees and checkered hills onto a pathway of white stone with red patterns. From the distant water, an orca breached from the sea before spectacularly splashing down. The blue speedsters rushed past an island resembling a whale before reaching the ruins, where Sonic bounced off a series of springs embedded into the walls. Reaching the upper levels, he zigzagged around collapsing floors before dashing across a wall to make a hard right turn, coming up to a fork of three paths.
The hedgehog took the center path with Rainbow flying through one of the loops, the hedgehog going up and down through the path, which led to him leaping off the shell of a giant turtle. Bounding off another spring, the Blue Blur blasted across the surface of the water while kicking up droplets behind him, the cyan pegasus soaring inches above the surface with her own trail. Up ahead was another alabaster highway leading to an ancient sea temple… but something exploded from the water just beneath Rainbow Dash, knocking the pegasus into the air!
"Waaaah!" A giant robotic fish breached from the surface after the flailing pegasus, its massive metal jaws wide open to snap down on the pony. The panicked Rainbow tried spreading her wings to get away, but the mechanical mackerel was ready to bite down. A sapphire flash snagged the pegasus from midair, leaving the giant Chopper to chomp nothing but air before splashing back down. Touching down on the stone highway, Sonic gave Rainbow a thumbs-up and the pegasus nodded in thanks before taking off.
Up ahead, rolling wheels bounced along the path and crashed into the water, prompting the hedgehog to steer away from the stone circles and smash through one's center in his ball state. Rainbow let out a laugh as she rolled alongside another breaching orca, the marine mammal spinning in mid-flight. She weaved around whale statues as the orca came back down, flying right through a corkscrew that Sonic raced around. The duo reached a small courtyard at the end of the path… where another rift crackled into view. Without second thoughts, the speedsters charged through and felt themselves go weightless again, sailing through a seemingly-zero gravity environment before another rift deposited them somewhere else.
Somewhere with bright flashing lights and colorful attractions with a rollercoaster ride off in the distance. Sonic caught himself on a grind rail that zipped past a way-too-big slot machine and a big neon sign that read "CASINO". Taking in their new surroundings, Rainbow's magenta eyes sparkled with the lights of the place. "Is this… Las Pegasus?"
Sonic backflipped onto a parallel rail just as the current one reached a wall, crouching down to reduce wind resistance. He passed a building that looked part-hotel and part-resort, taking a moment to whistle at the scenery. "Got one heck of a makeover, that's for sure!" Leaping off the grind rail, the hedgehog bounced off bumpers that gave off a short "ding" sound before vanishing down a chute that deposited him into a giant pinball machine. After bouncing off a few more bumpers, a flipper launched him into a slot that lined up pictures of three rings in a row. Dozens of rings then exploded from the slots with satisfying bling sounds, the rolling hedgehog dropping onto another flipper that tossed him onto a path lined with fake lit-up palm trees.
The hedgehog raced into an elevator shaft that sealed up behind him, allowing Rainbow Dash to follow it to the higher levels. The second the door slid open on the rooftop of a stylish resort with a horseshoe symbol on the front, Sonic blasted out of there and startled several ponies in the process. Bouncing off a spring positioned at the edge of the roof, he grabbed onto a red pulley that slid down a long wire. Rainbow flew past a balloon port in pursuit while the hedgehog prepared to jump down to a fountain with a horse bust…
…until another rift appeared right in the pulley's path, the mechanism flinging the hedgehog inside with a surprised yelp. Rainbow zipped through and flew into the abyss alongside the hedgehog, both of them bypassing several locations that were merging with others just like it. The two creatures caught glimpses of a frozen tundra merging with an arctic sea bustling with penguins and humpback whales, a harsh desert overtaking a vast savannah home to a small village. Before they could examine a third, another rift flashed open and the two were suddenly racing through a mushroom-infested forest with tall straight trees. The surrounding forest was in the process of merging with a dark jungle filled with constellation-like bears and tiny, round creatures that buzzed about like bugs.
"I'm no expert on this stuff," Rainbow shouted as they sped through a giant toppled tree with Sonic running around the hollowed-out interior like a corkscrew loop. "But I think things are getting worse!"
"Oh, yeah?" Sonic shouted back as he rocketed out of the tree and narrowly avoided getting half of his body taken off by an Ursa claw. "How worse?" Before Rainbow could respond, another rift opened right in front of them and sent them tumbling through again. When the next rift came, the duo now found themselves in a sunny jungle bordering an expansive sea with a makeshift village built atop the waters. After speeding through the trees and leaping off some rock walls, Sonic landed on another grind rail that passed both an old temple and a waterfall that was taking on rainbow colors.
"Uuuh, worse than being stuck in a deep hole with no wings?" Rainbow shouted over the roar of the falls. Sonic leaped off the rail and raced down a stone path into a large ruin, winding through more pathways and outrunning a lowering ceiling that threatened to crush him. Upon reaching the open jungle and pressing on at full speed, he turned to Rainbow, who was easily keeping stride (or wingbeat, in this case) with him. "Okay, I may not know what that's like, but I'll take it! We gotta get-WHOOAA!" Another rift cracked open just ahead of them, sending the unprepared Sonic barreling through it and Rainbow following him in. Managing to right himself, the hedgehog's green eyes rested on a new rift that sparked into existence. Aiming for it, he dove through the crack with Rainbow plummeting after him.
The next rift revealed only an open sky and a flying airship, prompting Sonic to adjust his positioning and land perfectly on his feet. The hedgehog rose and brushed off his shoulder, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. After recollecting himself, Sonic decided to look around the ship…
"We've been boarded!"
…and immediately noticed that he was surrounded by green parrots with swords. Each of them was brandishing a cutlass and had scowling faces, with menacing eyes bearing down on the hedgehog… who gave a sheepish grin at the flock.
"A…hoy?"
"Get off me ship, foul creature!" one of the parrot pirates growled, swinging at the hedgehog with his blade. Sidestepping the blade with a panicked grimace, Sonic vaulted over the weapon and kicked the bird in the face hard enough to knock some feathers loose. "Yow! Whoa! Easy!" He yelped, narrowly avoiding other swords and striking the birds to give himself some elbow room. One bird charged at the hedgehog with a scream that sounded like a mix of a battle cry and a yodel… and that bird received a Spin Dash right to the gut. Sonic quickly bashed through the rest of them, leaving the birds sprawled across the deck.
"Where-"
"Yaaaah! Take this, thief!" Sonic spun to the sound of the new voice but was met with something lodging itself to his face. Stumbling around the deck in a blind frenzy and muffled cries, Sonic scrambled to get whatever it was out from his eyes as it pounded on him with tiny fists. Grabbing onto the thing, the blue hedgehog tossed the creature to the deck and gave it a hard punt. The creature rolled away before falling flat on his back, only to sit upwards and glare at Sonic.
"Hey! No fair kickin' a guy when he's down!" The thing shouted. It was small with dark-gray fur and an eyepatch over its face. An opal eye stared at Sonic while the thing scratched at its messed-up light-gray hair. Sonic stared back in bewilderment. "Who are you? And where am-"
Suddenly, an explosive blast from behind knocked Sonic off his feet. With a startled cry, the hedgehog tumbled across the deck until his back hit the mainmast. Stunned from the impact, Sonic shook his head and knocked himself on the temple… and his blurred vision picked up a small four-legged figure. He was just about to make it out before he heard something from above. "Chew on this, ya mangy vermin!" Acting on instinct, Sonic rolled away from the mast just as a wooden barrel smashed to splinters behind him. As the pirate above made a yell of annoyance, Sonic turned to the figure that had ambushed him: A dark-colored unicorn with a red mane and refashioned battle armor on its body. A scar rested over its left eye and the remnants of a shattered horn laid above its eyes. Narrowing its dark-blue eyes at the hedgehog, the unicorn's horn sparkled with unstable magic.
"You should've left when you had the chance," she growled. The tone in her voice prompted Sonic to rise to his feet with a glare of his own. "Lady, I may not recognize you…" he began, curling his fists. "But I recognize trouble." He dashed for the unicorn- who the small creature cheered on- while it prepared another blast…
"WHOA WHOA WHOA! HOLD IT!" Rainbow Dash screamed, flying right between the two and forcing them to a stop. "Time out! No need for that!" The unicorn's magic dimmed away, a surprised expression on her face. "You…?"
"Hey, you're the princess' pal!" the small creature added, hopping atop the unicorn's back. "You're the one who made that awesome rainbow!" The pegasus quickly nodded at the creature. "Yep! That's me! Sonic, Tempest Shadow and Grubber! Tempest Shadow and Grubber, Sonic! We're all friends here!"
"Uh…"
The hornless unicorn cocked a suspicious brow at Sonic. "He looks like the rest. Almost. How do we know he's not with them?" Rainbow was quick to respond. "He's not, trust me! He's a friend!"
"H-hold on, what others?" Sonic questioned. The one called Tempest gave no reply… aside from gesturing behind the hedgehog. Both Sonic and Rainbow turned around… and saw the rest of the ship under attack. More birds like the ones Sonic had just knocked the feathers off were converging on some cargo crates, where a big gray bird was shouting triumphantly. "DIVEBOMB!" he cried, launching himself at the pirates belly-first. He vanished from sight for a second before exploding back into view with both arms raised against his head, pounding a few parrots on the head. Grabbing two more by the necks, he body-slammed them to the deck before elbow-dropping one on the back. Another pirate rushed at him, but the muscular figure landed a fierce uppercut that knocked out a few teeth.
Sonic squinted at the joyous brawler in confusion. "Wait a minute, is that-?"
A feminine cry echoed from across the ship, where a cat with brown fur and a tuft of indigo hair was engaged with another bird, wielding two cutlasses. This one was small and lean with purple feathers and held nothing but a wrench to defend itself. And it was doing an exceptionally good job at that, blocking swings and retaliating with a smack across the face, staggering the feline. Vaulting on top of the cat's shoulders, the bird twisted gracefully and brought the cat tumbling down. The feline bounded back up and struck again, forcing the swallow to acrobatically evade his attacks.
"Off our ship, ye blige-rats!" a parrot cried moments before he was pummeled by a large fist. Another pirate was thrown away like a ragdoll and slid face-first along the deck. Right near where he landed, Sonic noticed two more figures clashing swords together. One of them was another parrot with a crystal peg leg and a hat… and the other was a smaller green bird with goggles and his head and wielding a cutlass of his own. The two traded strikes until the smaller bird hopped over a low swipe and kicked the other bird- the one Sonic assumed was the captain- away.
"Well, if it isn't the Gear-riding, treasure-hunting band of misfits," Sonic announced, breaking into a run for the hawk. Oblivious to the hedgehog's approach, the bird spotted a support rope attached to the rigging and snickered at the captain. "Come and get me, wingnut!" he shouted, cutting the rope and allowing it to carry him up to the higher portions of the ship. The captain sneered in determination and placed her sword in her beak, swinging onto the rigging and climbing it before Sonic had a chance to talk to her.
"Uh, what's the plan, Rainbow?" he asked, looking around at the ship-wide skirmish. The pegasus flew up to him with a battle-ready look in her eyes. "We gotta help these pirates! We're on good terms, so they'll know a friend when they see one! As for the others… you know them, right?"
"Yep!" Sonic answered, gesturing to the gray bird who continued to fend off what looked like the entire ship's worth of parrot pirates with nothing but his bare fists. After one socked him across the face, the bird pulled out a metal yellow board of some kind and proceeded to smack it on any pirate he saw. "These are the Babylon Rogues: three thieves descended from genies. The big guy who likes to punch first and ask questions later is Storm: more muscles than brains."
"YEAH! Who else wants some?!" the albatross howled before grabbing a pirate by the shoulders and giving it a hard headbutt. Another pirate swung at him, allowing Storm to reply with a shoulder bash.
"The purple one is Wave: an expert mechanic filled to the brim with self-confidence with no room for low standards. Trust me, she can get full of herself." The aforementioned swallow ducked under a double swipe from the cat and responded with a high kick to the face before slamming her wrench down on the cat's foot. "YOW!" he howled. "Now that's just rude!" The swallow suddenly swept out his legs, and the cat rolled away from another slam. "I'm a thief, pussycat! I'm not the kind to play nice!"
Sonic then gestured up the mast, where the captain and the green hawk were continuing their duel. "And that guy up there is the head honcho. Jet the Hawk, self-proclaimed Legendary Wind Master who wants nothing in life but fame and fortune. Oh, and he's a rival of mine. He thinks he's the one who should be the Fastest Thing Alive… as if."
"History, huh?" Rainbow said in admiration. "I like that. Got one of my own just like him." Above the main deck, the captain caught Jet's blade on her own and drove it downward, punching the hawk across the face. Jet responded with a spinning swipe that nearly sliced off some feathers and lunged with a thrust. Hopping away from the blade, the captain pressed the advantage with several more swings until Jet parried a strike and locked their swords together.
"Give it up, already!" he spat at the captain. "My crew's been in the business for a long time, and they're not as incompetent as yours!" The parrot held firm and pushed against the hawk, a focused expression on her face. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for my crew! And speaking of which, you're starting to lose your loot!"
"Huh?!" Jet tore his eyes to the deck below, his guard dropping. Taking the opportunity, the captain flicked her wrist and sent the cutlass flying out of Jet's hand, the weapon clattering to the deck. When Jet turned back, he immediately raised his arms when the captain's sword was pointed at his chest. "H-hey! No fair! You distracted me!"
"Don't you know of the saying 'no honor among thieves?" the captain chuckled at him. "Honestly, you should have expected such a trick." Jet slightly backed away nervously. "Yeah… but the thing about tricks? We always have more up our sleeves!" In a flash, Jet drew two fans covered with his own feathers and swung them in front of himself. With a surprised yell, the captain was swept off the mast and dropped to the deck below.
Rainbow swooped in to catch the captain, grunting from the bird's weight before setting her down. "Gotcha, Celaeno!" The stunned captain rubbed her head before catching sight of the pegasus, her raspberry eyes widening. "Rainbow Dash?" The cyan pegasus smiled happily. "Yep! Long story as to what I'm doing here, but I think you could use some help here!"
The captain returned the smile with one of her own. "You should know that your help is always welcome, Rainbow. Either from me or my crew." A distant thud signaled the sound of boots hitting the deck, drawing the attention of both the group and the pirates. Two of them rushed toward Jet with raised swords, who sprinted to meet them with his pair of Bashosens. Twirling his fans to conjure a gale around one pirate, Jet swung his arms upward and sent that parrot sailing. Rolling away from the second, the hawk spun himself around and hit the bird with the flat ends of his fans. He then sent a mighty wind its way and caused the pirate to fly away, crashing into other crewmates.
"Ha!" Jet cried, turning his eyes to Celaeno. "You call these lowlifes a crew? All they know how to do is- what the?! SONIC?!" The hawk's eyes went wide and he jolted back in alarm. "Wh-what are YOU doing here?!"
"Long time, no see, Jet," Sonic replied with a small wave. "Still making a living by stealing, huh? That's so you." The hawk stared daggers at the hedgehog, his fans at the ready. "Well, if you're here to stop me from getting this score, you're too late!" he patted his waist with one hand. "I already got what I… I…" Jet glanced down at himself as his words died down, frantically searching for something until a low whistle from Sonic drew his attention.
"Looking for this?" Sonic smugly asked, holding a small bag in the palm of his hand. Stunned, Jet looked from his waist to the bag and back again, sputtering in shock. "H-how did you-?!"
"Swiped it off ya while you were tangling with the other birds," Sonic replied cheekily. "A reminder that I'm still quick… and that I'm looking forward to our next dance." Shooting the hedgehog an annoyed look, Jet holstered his fans with a sneer. "Whatever! Later, fleet-feet!" The hawk then took off across the deck while Sonic tossed the bag back to the captain. "Rogues! Let's jet!"
"Aw, but boss!" Storm whined, pounding the head of a pirate he had locked in his arm. "I ain't done with these bozos yet!"
"NOW, Storm!"
"Aw, fine," the albatross whined, breaking into a run while Wave made her escape from the cat. The three birds neared the portside railing of the ship, turning around to face the pirates that now had them cornered. With a sly grin, the cat crossed his arms. "And where do you think you're going? In case you haven't noticed, you're on an airship."
"Oh, we've noticed," Jet snapped knowingly before pointing a finger at Sonic. "And as for you, Sonic, it was fun to catch up after so long. But we'll need to complete this reunion some other time. Catch ya on the flip side, groundhog!" Ending his words with a mischievous chuckle, Jet gave his comrades a hand signal…
…and the three of them jumped off the edge!
Gasping in panic, Celaeno and her fellow crewmates made a break for the railing and peered down, their eyes wide in alarm. The cat had a paw over his mouth and Tempest blinked in shock. Standing atop her back, Grubber just shrugged. "Welp, they're goners."
"Not yet, they aren't!" Rainbow cried, readying to sail over the edge and dive after the birds. But the moment she neared the railing, something rocketed into view with a green streak and blew the pegasus back with a yelp. Two more followed with yellow and purple trails, hovering inches away from the ship. Everyone aboard- save for Sonic- was unable to believe their eyes: each of the three birds was standing perfectly atop hovering metal boards with expert precision and skill.
"Sayanora, suckers! WOOOHAAAAA!" Jet howled as the trio turned around and blasted off into the sky, the gales from their devices nearly blowing Celaeno's hat off her head. Within seconds, the Babylon Rogues were reduced to specks on the horizon, each of them riding the wind currents and weaving through the air with echoed laughter. When all became silent again, the cat was the first to speak.
"Did those metal planks just… float?"
Tempest Shadow had a perplexed expression. "What in Equestria were those things?" Sonic turned to her with a ready response. "They're called Extreme Gear. I'm not gonna go into the specifics of how they fly and stuff, but they're the Rogues' trademark tool. They're known for being fast and agile in the air, and those things let them do it."
Rainbow had a hoof to her face and squeezed her eyes shut. "The irony is literally hurting my brain right now…" Leaving the pegasus to tend to her recovery, Sonic turned to Celaeno with crossed arms and a smile. "So, I take it you're the captain of this fine vessel, then." The parrot snapped out of her daze and nodded, sheathing her sword. "Captain Celaeno," she explained. "And you would be…?"
"The name's Sonic," the hedgehog answered. "I'm a friend of Rainbow's; which makes two of us if I've heard that right…" On cue, the pegasus hovered between the two with a happy smile. "Oh, you bet! She and her whole crew used to work for this evil dude, but yours truly returned them to their awesome ways!"
Sonic let out an impressed whistle. "You really got a knack for adventure, huh?" The pegasus quickly nodded before a curious Sonic turned back to the parrot. "So, uh, who was this evil guy, anyway?" Tempest Shadow was the one to answer that as she stepped forth to address the hedgehog. "The Storm King," she began in a serious tone. "A cruel and dangerous king, commander of a mighty fleet. He was the conqueror of a dozen lands… and the destroyer of a dozen more."
"Well, that's… ominous," Sonic commented. "I know I wouldn't wanna run into anyone who looks as dangerous as you working for this other conqueror I know."
"We all used to work for him," Tempest continued. Before she could elaborate, the cat in the coat abruptly cleared his throat and shot a look at the unicorn. She glanced at him for a single second before turning back to Sonic. "Most of us used to work for him. I was his second-in-command once, hoping he could restore my broken horn."
"Guess that didn't go so well."
"Yeah, he was kinda a jerk," Grubber added. "But now that he's nothing more than smashed stone, I don't have to worry about saying things like that out loud!" Narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the smaller creature, Sonic picked him up by the neck and held him up to the eyes. "Hey! Watch it!" Grubber yelped. "Don't touch the eyepatch, I like how it looks!"
"I'm sorry, what exactly are you supposed to be?" Sonic asked, ignoring the protests. Grubber just gave him an annoyed look. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a hedgehog!"
Sonic's only response to that was a ten-second silence, occasionally blinking in a mixture of confusion and disappointment. "What? Why're ya looking at me like that?"
Sonic ground and dropped the smaller hedgehog to the deck. "That's it, this place is too weird for me." He then turned to the cat, who was leaning against the railing. "But at least there's somebody here with a resemblance." The feline smirked at the hedgehog's words. "If that's supposed to be a compliment, then consider me charmed." He politely bowed at the hedgehog with an outstretched arm, a glint in his light green eyes. "Capper's the name, charming's my game."
"Nice to know not everyone in this place walks around on all fours," Sonic spoke. "And nice to run into some pirates who aren't robots facing off against a fiery cat princess." Remaining oblivious to Capper's intrigued expression at that statement, he reapproached Celaeno. "Hoping to get a quick score?"
"Actually, no," the captain replied. "We-"
"Wait, is Princess Skystar not with you guys?" Rainbow interrupted, her eyes searching the deck curiously. A worried expression dawned on her. "Uh, her mom's not still mad at us for the whole trying-to-steal-their-pearl thing, right?" The parrot shook her head at the pegasus. "The hippogriffs have their own matter to attend to, Rainbow Dash. It's no secret that a great crisis is unfolding around the world, and I've gathered the friends you've made on your journey to defeat the Storm King. We've set sail for Equestria to investigate further. Last I heard from Skystar, some sort of aquatic ruin had appeared in Seaquestria."
Rainbow looked at the parrot with concern. "Wh-what about Mount Aris?"
"It's… hard to explain," Celaeno continued. "The hippogriffs' old home was overtaken by a snow-covered mountain. Most of the town was blanketed by a sudden avalanche that followed its appearance."
"And I was in the midst of some business back in Klugetown…" Capper added. "When out of nowhere, this giant pyramid popped up in the middle of town! Not only did it scare off the buyers, but it also took out a great deal of the town. So, yeah, it's not going great."
Sonic turned an anxious eye to Rainbow. "It's getting worse. The fusions are starting to spread beyond Equestria!" Rainbow gulped at his realization. "We gotta get back to the castle and get that portal up and running!" Celaeno turned to the pegasus with shock. "Hold on… do you know what's causing the sky to break?"
"She's a friend of the Princess of Friendship," Capper explained. "Of course they'd have figured it out by now!" Rainbow took a deep breath and looked the pirate captain in the eye. "Do you want the long version or the short one?"
"Um… short, I guess?"
"Seven jewels with powerful energy called the Chaos Emeralds have encountered the Elements of Harmony, and both of their energies are causing this world to combine with another: a world that Sonic and those thieves you fought earlier call home."
Tempest raised an eye in confusion. "Last I heard, the Elements were destroyed."
Capper just shrugged. "Still don't get it." Rainbow sighed and dropped her head. "Okay… long version it is." As she began to explain, Sonic turned to the open sky and stared out at the blue. It looked calm and clear with clouds covering the horizon, but he knew it wouldn't last. Before long, dimensional cracks would spread through the sky like broken glass, and all kinds of stuff from his world would come through the other side. If they were spreading beyond Equestria's borders, then everyone needed to accelerate their plans.
Sonic's mind pinged with a reminder: he needed to check on his friends. Leaving Rainbow and the others to their little recap, he raised an arm and switched on his communicator. "Tails, you there?"
The beep that indicated an incoming reply was enough for him. "Yeah. Those three baddies we tangled with are now in G.U.N. custody and Omochao's keeping an eye on things back home. Knuckles and I are back at the castle with Amy, and we're working to get the portal up… where are you, by the way?"
"Um… a floating pirate ship commandeered by a bunch of birds. Don't worry, they're friends. And there's bad news: this world-merge thing is spreading, and fast."
"Which means we've gotta act fast, too. But I've got good news to counter that: the ponies got a hold of a Chaos Drive! They're placing it in now."
"Uh-huh, Rainbow told me," Sonic informed. "We're headed towards Equestria now, so it shouldn't be too long until-" Just then, something shot past Sonic at high speed. A rush of wind blew through his quills and halted Rainbow Dash in her speech. But something was flying with it: a loud and high sound. Everyone on the ship stood in silence for a moment, the source of the blur now long gone.
"Um… was that a scream?" Tails asked. Sonic didn't know how to respond, as he was still left baffled by the ordeal. But even if he could reply, he would've been cut off by the other end of the communicator. "Huh? What… guys, slow down! Twilight, where- I don't… can somebody tell me-"
"What was that?!" Rainbow cried, turning her head in the direction the object had flown in. Just as she did, something else shot past with another scream, sailing over the airship in a blur. Everyone trained their eyes on the sky, watching out for anything unusual. One of the pirates manned the rigging and peered out into the sky… before his eyes lit up and he shouted to Celaeno. "Captain! Portside! Comin' in fast!" Sonic was about to ask what the bird meant by that when Celaeno jogged to the railing and peered out past the clouds. Sonic and Rainbow quickly joined her to see what was up…
…and they finally saw the source: an airborne flock of fast-moving pegasi was coming their way, and all of them looked like they were panicking. Gasping in alarm, Celaeno whirled to her crew. "All hands, brace! BRACE FOR CONTACT!" Without thinking, Sonic hurled himself to the deck and lay flat on his stomach while Rainbow covered her head with her forehooves. Everyone else ducked for cover the moment the flock hit, with screaming, terrified pegasi swooshing over their heads. Some of them were yelling something, but they were moving too quickly and there were too many voices to distinguish them apart. Tails was continuing his shouting over the communicator, but his words were also difficult to make out. Sonic swore he heard Amy and Knuckles in the background, but he wasn't sure over the barrage of shouting.
The last of the pegasi flew over the ship and their screams vanished with them. Slowly and carefully, everyone picked themselves up and stared at the fading flock in confusion. Rainbow was the one who was most concerned, as she lifted off the ground and steadily beat her wings. Sonic narrowed his eyes in the flock's direction. "Huh. They're in a hurry. What do you think's gotten into-"
"Come on! Come on! We gotta go now!" Tails cried in a hurried tone. "Get your balloon in the sky! Hurry!" His friend's now-panicked voice sent a wave of alarm through Sonic's body. "Tails?! Tails, what's going on over there?!" His words were drowned out over the sound of an engine flaring to life, followed by what sounded like the hum of propellers. So much for an explanation.
"I-I don't understand!" Rainbow cried out. "What made all those pegasi freak out? And where did they-?"
"Captain!" another pirate called. "Look!" He pointed to something just past the clouds that slowly came into view. Celaeno pulled out a spyglass from her waist and raised it to an eye, peering through to see whatever it was her crewmate had spotted. Sonic and Rainbow rushed to her side while Tempest, Grubber, and Capper all lined up next to them. The cyan pegasus turned to the pirate captain, nervousness in her eyes. "What is it? What do you see?"
Celaeno just gasped in shock and nearly dropped the spyglass, lowering it from her face. "Wh…what in the sky…" The last of the clouds passed, unveiling the mysterious phenomenon at last. At the sight of it, Rainbow Dash felt her body grow stiff and cold while Sonic looked on in bewilderment. Off to the ship's left side, a floating city composed of nothing but clouds hovered in the sky with rainbow waterfalls flowing off it. It would have looked like a serene sight… if not for the chaotic event that consumed it. Purple cracks of dimensional energy and pulsing waves of similar light periodically flashed about the clouded city, replacing pieces of it with marble-white stone, various vegetation ranging from moss to palm trees, and bridges with glass inscribed with technological patterns. Tall, ancient pillars blinked into view with waves of violet light, some of them immediately crumbling to dust upon arrival.
Sonic knew that place instantly. Those were the ruins that were close to Angel Island, the sacred grounds known as Sky Sanctuary. The good news was that there was no Death Egg to accompany it for once. The bad news… Well, that spoke for itself.
"C…Cloudsdale…" Rainbow whispered in utter fear. Sonic was quick to put the pieces together: he could see frightened pegasi running and flying for their lives, some of them flying away from the floating city. Others fled from robots with jetpacks and laser guns that fired upon them, soaring through the transformed city. And given how Rainbow was a pegasus herself, the thought of so many in one place could mean only one thing.
"Is… is that your home?!" Sonic called out to Rainbow. The shocked pegasus made no move to answer, her ruby eyes frozen at the scene. "No… no no no nononono!" In a colored flash, she had shot off for the clouded city. Sonic spun to Celaeno with a determined glare while the sound of a ringing alarm bell echoed over the deck. "Can you move us in closer, captain?!"
"This is where Rainbow Dash grew up." She replied eagerly. "And she gave us the courage to return to our swashbuckling ways. It's time for my crew and I to aid her now." She whirled to her crew without a second thought. "Batten down the hatches! Secure the cargo! Man your stations! Move, you scallywags!"
Her feathered crewmates scrambled into action and hurried across the deck. Celaeno looked towards one pirate with an eyepatch and a red bandana, jabbing a claw at him. "Mullet! Open the sails! Full speed ahead!"
"Aye aye, cap'n!" he called back, yanking on some ropes with three other pirates. High above them, the large balloon keeping the ship afloat began to shift, causing Sonic to look up. The sides started to split away one by one… until multicolored sails swung outward and spread themselves like a bird's wings, leaving all who saw them bask in their glory. Now, the ship resembled a bird itself, the image of the figurehead now donned with feather-like sails atop it adding to the metaphor of an apex avian ready to take flight.
"Whoa…" Sonic whispered in awe. "Now that is awesome." As the pirates ran about and took their places, Celaeno manned the steering wheel and began turning it hard to the left. As the wheel spun, the ship slowly turned in that direction and drifted towards the floating city. Sonic narrowed his eyes at it, catching a glimpse of the frightened and fleeing pegasi. But as cool as this ship seemed, it was moving too slow for his taste. And that was even with the wind at its back and the slightly-increasing pace he felt. He silently wished there was a way to get there faster… until an approaching noise from behind him drew his attention.
The rapidly-approaching shape of a biplane was nearing the airship, catching the eye of Celaeno and the rest of the crew. Most of them seemed confused about the strange flying vessel that was drawing near them, but Sonic just gave a confident smile. "Perfect timing, Tails!" He took off running across the deck, weaving around pirates as he sprinted for the bow. Reaching it in seconds, he launched himself off the ship and floated in the open air…
…and snagged onto the plane's top wing as it passed by him. The Tornado zoomed away from the pirate ship just as a lavender hot-air balloon floated past, its occupants waving at the crew below. Celaeno smiled at the sight of a certain alicorn and gave her a two-fingered salute while Tempest Shadow gave her a thankful nod. The Mane Six and Spike waved back in their basket while Sunset looked in, with Starlight Glimmer hovering close to them.
Just as the pair of aircraft made their departure, another flock of pegasi flew towards the pirate's airship in a panic, but for a reason different from the fact that their home was in crisis. The flock was being pursued by mechanical beings Celaeno had no words for, firing beams of light from unfamiliar weapons and flying through the air with unnatural devices. One beam struck a pegasus on the wing, making it cry out and tumble to the deck in pain. Several more touched in a mixture of fear and exhaustion, and the pirate captain looked at each of them in concern.
Perhaps aiding Rainbow's kind would be a keen way to repay the favor.
With a bold glare in her eye, Celaeno drew her cutlass and pointed it towards the mechanical horde. "PREPARE TO REPEL ALL BOARDERS!" she hollered. Her crew scrambled into action moments before the swarm of flying machines reached the ship, barraging the deck with laser beams and engaging with the crew. Some were too high for the pirates to properly reach, but Celaeno had a remedy for that: snatching a dagger lodged in a nearby barrel, the parrot chucked it at one of the machines and hit it right in the device it used to stay airborne. With fizzling sparks and a cloud of smoke, the machine began to uncontrollably loop around and fly frantically before crashing onto the deck, where Celaeno stabbed it through the head.
Another landed behind her and pointed its weapon at the back of her head. Sensing this, the captain twirled her blade around and impaled the machine in the torso, smacking it away with an elbow. Advancing to join her crewmates, she lopped off the arm of a machine that aimed at Mullet, kicking it down with her crystal peg leg as the severed limb sparked. Capper was utilizing his natural feline agility to his advantage, leaping and dancing away from the machines while slicing some apart in a bladed whirlwind.
Tempest was also holding her own, despite her lack of a functioning horn. Using her hind legs to sweep out a machine's legs, she brought her forehooves down on top of it and crushed its metallic face to a pulp. Turning to three more, the unicorn launched an explosive magic blast that blew them to pieces. A few laser blasts zipped past her face, prompting the unicorn to break into a sprint and sidestep around several more shots. She leaped above additional laser fire before crashing down on top of the machines, obscuring herself from view.
Celaeno and her crewmates formed a defensive circle around the group of scared pegasi, hacking and slicing at the machines. One of them managed to shoot a pirate in the chest, but another stepped in before it could finish the bird off. With a squawk, the pirate tackled the machine and pecked at its head wildly. Celaeno alternated between offense and defense, using her blade to block incoming laser fire. The captain positioned her blade to a precise angle, deflecting one machine's shot back at it and burning a hole through its dome. Knocking another onto its back and driving her sword through its back, the captain turned her eyes to Cloudsdale and spied a rainbow blur swooping around the city.
Silently wishing her friend good luck, Celaeno yanked her sword from the machine's body and rushed at another with a loud yell.
"Alright, Tails, what's the plan?" Sonic shouted as the plane roared close to… what was he supposed to call that place? Cloudsdale Sanctuary? No! Stay focused! Ponies in danger and all that!
"We need to direct the pegasi out of harm's way!" the fox shouted behind the stick. "Get as many of them out of here as we can!" The Tornado pulled up alongside Rainbow Dash, who was looking on at her hometown in disbelief. "Think you're up to this, Dash?" Sonic called out to the pegasus, snapping her out of her frightened trance. "Uh, yeah! What are you gonna-"
"What I do best!" Sonic ran to the edge of the wing and leaped off, much to Rainbow's horror. "Sonic, wait! Don't-!" Knuckles moved to follow his friend from the lower wing, looking for a good spot to land. Rainbow moved to stop Sonic, but the hedgehog positioned himself to land on the clouds… and fell right through them!
"AAAAAAAAH!" Sonic screamed in alarm, his body plummeting hundreds of feet to the green grassland below. Knuckles stopped short and reeled himself back onto the plane, his eyes blinking in shock. Rainbow instinctively dove after the free-falling hedgehog, catching up to him in seconds and snatching him up. Turning back to the sky in a wide arc, the cyan pegasus rocketed for Cloudsdale and weaved around falling marble debris. She reached Cloudsdale's altitude in seconds, the shocked hedgehog gasping for breaths as he hung from her hooves.
"Wha… what was…"
"The whole place is made of clouds!" Rainbow shouted at him. "Which only pegasi can walk on!" Sonic stared at the floating city in disbelief. "Wait, so how am I supposed to-"
"I've got something that could be of use!" Another voice piped up. Both speedsters turned to see Twilight Sparkle fly up to them, her horn shimmering with bright violet light. She directed that magic right at Sonic, covering him with a similar light. "Gah!" He flinched and recoiled from the energy. "Not the face, not the face!"
The magic stream suddenly halted, prompting Sonic to open his eyes. But before he could ask what had happened, Rainbow tossed him into the air. "Whoa, whoa, wait-!" He yelped before reaching the clouds that made up the "ground level" of Cloudsdale. The hedgehog braced himself for another long fall, but he instead face-planted into the clouds with a splat. Picking himself off the soft, plushy surface, Sonic looked around in confusion before Twilight spoke up. "That spell will let you temporarily walk on clouds! You should be fine now!"
"Temporarily?" Sonic repeated as he rose to stand. "What do you mean? How long do I have before I drop like a stone?" The alicorn just smiled. "I'm sure you'll be done here in half that time!" Rainbow zipped to his side anxiously. "Now come on! We gotta help!" She raced away in a colorful blur… and after bouncing atop the clouds to test his footing, Sonic shot after her. As soon as they left, Twilight swooped over to the Tornado and proceeded to envelop the entire plane in her magical light.
"I just put a spell on you guys that can make you stand on clouds! Now go!" She flew off to apply that spell to the rest of her friends, their balloon getting closer to Cloudsdale's surface. Flying the Tornado over a white street, Tails spun it upside-down to deposit Knuckles and Amy onto the floating city. The pink hedgehog and the red echidna landed with a soft thump in ready stances, rushing off to help whoever they could while Tails remained airborne. The rest of the Mane Six touched down in their balloon, running off in different directions to their part while Starlight and Sunset stayed by Twilight's side with Spike.
Meanwhile, throughout the chaotic cloudy streets of Cloudsdale, the Blue Blur raced atop the clouds quick enough to temporarily part the top layer of the clouds his feet touched. He scaled up a dwelling made out of the stuff- how did the pegasi build this place, anyway?- and vaulted onto the roof before jumping into the air. He came back down with a hard stomp and used the cloudy surface to spring himself further up. The hedgehog reached a ruined moss-covered pillar that had just appeared thanks to the transdimensional merging and ran up its cylindrical surface as quickly as he could. Upon reaching the top, he paused in his tracks and rested his eyes on the current state of the city.
It was a complete mess; marble ruins were constantly merging with the clouds composing the city, and Sky Sanctuary's current state didn't help with that. Pegasus ponies were running and flying for their lives, either from the collapsing structures or from the rampant Eggrobos that decided to use them as Badnik power sources. A colored streak zipping in and out of view told Sonic that Rainbow Dash was saving as many ponies as she could from the crumbling ruins, which left Sonic with the task he was more comfortable with.
Stepping out onto a red grind rail that descended from the pillar, Sonic slid down it and took off across the marble floor, charging off into the cloud-ruin combination that appeared all around him. The hedgehog spun up and smashed two Eggrobos that cornered a pegasus couple, making the robots explode. He made a quick gesture to the stunned ponies to leave while they could and took off before they could respond.
Passing through an archway, the hedgehog launched off a ramp and jumped across floating platforms before blasting down a winding path that led beneath the clouds. Looping back around onto the surface, he ran into Cloudsdale's main square, the central hub now mashed with a run-down marble courtyard full of palm trees and shattered windows. Chunks from the roof were raining down onto the clouds, and Sonic moved away from the larger bits as he scooped up some fillies into his arms. Spotting Rainbow's approach, he tossed the little ponies into the air and allowed the pegasus to snag them so she could carry them to safety. Racing through another archway, Sonic sped across a technological-like floor that spiraled downward to another part of Cloudsdale. As soon as he cleared the section, the exit crumbled apart behind him.
But while the hedgehog raced across the clouds and traversed the crumbling ruins, the destruction was sending Rainbow into a panic. No matter how fast she flew or how many pegasi she reduced from either debris or robots, she couldn't stand to see Cloudsdale- the place she grew up- in great danger like this. And it felt like that panic stretched to every pegasus she saw. Two screaming fillies galloped away from flying Eggrobos, oblivious to a falling pillar that threatened to crush them. In a colored flash, Rainbow swooped down and snatched up the kids… leaving the Eggrobos to be squashed by the pillar in their place.
Rainbow tried her hardest not to look the terrified pegasi in the eye, lest she break down any further. Catching some adult pegasi out of the corner of her eyes, she practically shoved the fillies into their hooves. "If you're not the parents, go find them!" She was off before they could reply, not bothering to look at their reactions as she left. Suddenly, the mare felt a pang of fear flood her system… concern for her own parents.
Now that she had thought about it, she hadn't seen them so far. It took every ounce of her willpower not to let those thoughts run wild. Just because she hadn't seen them in Cloudsdale since she arrived didn't mean they were here still. They had to have left already with the others. They had to be safe.
…right?
A laser bolt zipped past her head, snapping Rainbow from her thoughts. She dove down at the Eggrobo that fired at her, smashing it on contact. She wasted no time launching back into the air, keeping her senses peeled for more ponies in danger. Fighting sounds from down below drew her attention, and she swooped low to investigate. Near a residential area, Knuckles was running down the street with two pegasi in his arms, Amy covering him by whacking robots with her hammer. Off in the distance, the Tornado flew under a marble arch and hovered over the wrecked ruins of a stone road. Tails steered the plane into a u-turn after passing a pillar, swooping over the cloud houses and dousing the path in its shadow for a brief moment.
More laser fire and screaming prompted Rainbow to fly off, this time heading for a familiar arena. Rainbow recognized the place instantly: the stadium where she performed her first sonic rainboom in front of a crowd and saved both Rarity and the Wonderbolts. A different kind of coliseum was merging with it, dissipating the cloudy exterior and leaving the marble structure struggling to withstand the change. As Rainbow neared the stadium, a crimson beam of light shot up from the ground, a blue ball rising it to the surface. The orb proceeded to bounce off the robots in the area before Sonic took off and ran along the sides of the arena, a trio of Eggrobos in pursuit.
Rainbow drove herself into them hard enough to break one's jetpack, sending that one falling to its doom. The other two pointed their weapons at her, but Rainbow shot away and allowed their shots to strike each other, downing them. The two blurs sped out of the coliseum just as the merging process finished… and the whole stadium began to collapse.
Sonic managed to clear it in no time, having to leap away from a marble floor that gave out from under him. Rainbow, however, stood still in shock. Memories of the place came flooding back, including the rushing wind on her face, the cheer of the crowd, and the utter joy she felt in-
"Hey! I realize the irony in me saying this, but get your head out of the clouds!"
Rainbow jolted back to reality just as another rush of wind signaled Sonic's speedy departure. Not knowing what else to do, the pegasus flew after the hedgehog while the screams and destruction continued all around them. She caught a glimpse of several marble stones being halted in midair by lavender light and others that smashed apart on a diamond shield. The subtle reminder that she wasn't acting alone would've been enough to ease Rainbow's mind…
…but it was everything else that countered those thoughts.
Sonic was shouting into his communicator again, but Rainbow could barely hear his words or the recipient's reply. Not because of their current speed, but because of the constant screaming, crumbling, and howling winds all around her. The pegasus didn't even realize she was close to hyperventilating until she felt her heart ramming in her chest. The hedgehog ran through a cloudy path that morphed into a marble spiral; a path that ascended a pillar. The second he set foot on it, the entire thing began to collapse and fall apart in his wake. Yet the Blue Blur wasn't even fazed as he outraced the crumbling spiral and the pillar that was crashing down. He shot off the top and landed on a red rail that passed another collapsing pillar, one that destroyed a cloud house that rested beneath it.
A weighty choice is yours to make, the right selection or a big mistake…
The words racked Rainbow's mind like a bull slamming against a boulder, and she struggled to drive them out in a panic. With breathless gasps leaving her mouth, she tracked down the blue streak and gave chase… but she felt as if she was trying to escape something rather than follow a friend. Why wouldn't she? All around her, these sky ruins were making Cloudsdale…
The buzz of an engine thankfully stopped those thoughts, the red biplane zooming past the pegasus and weaving around both falling marble and cloudy architecture alike. Sonic came to a stop at the edge of the cloud layer, and the cease of momentum finally allowed Rainbow to hear his words.
"-evacuation running smoothly thanks to you guys! Everyone's almost out! Any idea as to how much longer we have?"
Rainbow recognized Amy's voice on the other end, but her words failed to reach the pegasus, who now realized where they stood. Off in the distance was another portion of Cloudsdale that was being affected by the merge: rainbow waterfalls were being cut off by marble stones that blocked the flow, ruins struggled to stay connected to the clouds, and even the weather factory wasn't safe. Marble chambers were joining together with it, resulting in the factory going haywire. Rain and snow clouds alike drifted outward while black and gray storm clouds hovered overhead. From within the factory, lightning bolts shot out every which way in a random frenzy, some of them striking the marble structure and blowing them apart.
Everything was moving in slow motion for Rainbow: her eyes couldn't look away from the sight of so many familiar locations falling victim and then… either disappearing or succumbing to physical force. She must not have been aware of how long she stood like that because she felt a hand on her back.
"Dash," spoke a low, comforting voice. Rainbow turned to see Sonic looking her in the eyes, concern in his own. "You gonna be okay? I get that this place is your home, but…"
"I…it's more than that, Sonic," Rainbow managed to say. "It's where I grew up. And… and I've had so many memories here that made me who I-"
"All clear! I repeat, all clear!" Tails' voice cut through. "Guys, I'm coming around for a pickup and the balloon is lifting off!" Sonic and Rainbow turned to the distant plane that was nearing the weather factory and kept a safe altitude from it. But Rainbow caught a flicker from within the factory followed by bright jars falling to the floor; something that made the whole building tremble. Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning broke through the factory walls…
"Tails, look-!"
…and struck the Tornado's propeller with a thunderous crash, immediately igniting the engine in a cloud of flame. A yelp rang out over the communicator, and then the line went dead before Sonic's horrified eyes. The now-smoking biplane started dropping altitude as the wail of its dying engine cut through the sky, the vehicle uncontrollably sailing towards the factory.
"Tails, get out of there!" Sonic screamed, desperately hoping his best friend could hear him from this distance. "Get out of there! TAILS!"
Wrenching his eyes open from the sudden smoke, the fox gripped the controls and pulled as hard as he could while alarms blared in his ears. The dashboard in front of him was sparking and electronic systems were shorting out. The Tornado had gone from stable to critical in an instant, and everything wasn't responding. The alarms continued to scream in Tails' ears even as he realized his efforts were for naught. His blue eyes glanced at the building the plane was diving towards, everything inside going haywire as well.
It was then that the fox realized the only thing he could do now, the thought of it settling in his shocked mind. He hesitated for a moment, blocking out all sound and smell… and then rested a hand on the Tornado's chassis.
"Thank you for all your hard work," he spoke quietly with a tear in his eye. "You deserved better… goodbye, old friend."
Closing his eyes and falling silent, the fox lifted himself out of the cockpit and spun his namesakes, flying away from the doomed plane. Now empty and barren, the Tornado tipped to one side just as it neared the weather factory… and smashed through a window in a shower of glass, vanishing from view.
Suddenly, the entire factory exploded in a cloud of red and gray, bright enough to reflect off the frightened faces of Sonic and Rainbow nearby. Flames and lightning alike spread from the remains of the complex, complete with the occasional metal piece. All of Cloudsdale shook from the blast, causing more of the city to destabilize and fall apart.
The flying fox slowly descended near the hedgehog, who was at a loss for words. The fox was equally silent, and the two friends shared a sorrowful glance at each other over their lost aircraft. Even Rainbow didn't know what to say, and she wasn't in a comforting mood right now.
She had her own things to worry about, though.
A faint rumbling caused her earlier emotions to rise back to the surface. The explosion from the factory had made things worse, setting Rainbow's worst fear of the situation into motion. The pegasus found it difficult to even think of it, but it was becoming harder and harder to deny. Despite being miles above ground, all of Cloudsdale was shaking thanks to the weak architecture of the ancient ruins that were fusing with her hometown. Solids were coming together with what was essentially gas, and- while she was no egghead like Twilight- that meant gravity was beginning to take hold.
"Guys?! Guys, where are you?!" Knuckles called out. "We gotta go, this whole place is coming down!"
Coming down… There it was, straight from the gift-pony's mouth. The two words that shook Rainbow Dash to her core. It was something she knew was certain the second she saw the state of her home. The home of most of the pegasi she knew, too. And perhaps those she didn't. There was no use denying it now…
"Where's that pickup, Tails?!" Amy shouted. The fox was struggling to come up with a reply, but Sonic silently assured him before answering the question himself. "The Tornado… the Tornado is gone."
"...What?"
"You mean… that explosion…"
"Get to the balloon," Sonic told them. "Not everyone might fit in there, but we'll find another way. We always do." The hedgehog cut the call before anyone could reply and turned to Tails and Rainbow. "Let's move." He was about to sprint away before Rainbow called out to him, pausing the hedgehog where he stood.
"Sonic… I'm sorry… for your loss."
The hedgehog didn't answer her. His green eyes just turned to the cloudy city around him: a city that he slowly felt was dropping. Pulled down with the ruins of Sky Sanctuary thanks to this dimension's laws of physics taking hold of them.
"Me too."
Then, he was off, running away from the factory remnants. Tails moved to follow him, and after a sad look at the doomed city, so did Rainbow. As she flew, the pegasus felt powerless. Helpless, with nothing in her- or her friends'- power to stop something like this; something beyond her control. The only good news to come out of this was that all the pegasi had fled. The bad news… well, just the fact that her old home was falling out of the sky. What else was there to add?
Her friends' balloon hovered into view at the edge of the clouds, everyone already settled in with the fliers standing by. Knuckles and Amy were clinging onto the basket with one hand each, motioning for Sonic, Tails, and Rainbow to join them as quickly as possible. Sonic picked up the pace while his two flying friends flanked him…
…until the sky grew dark. The hedgehog glanced above him, where storm clouds that had spawned from the destroyed weather factory were gathered in the sky. Thunder rumbled through the dark mass… and a flash of lightning tore through the balloon, puncturing through the light purple bag and setting it alight. Panicked gasps from everyone filled the air…
…and the shredded balloon dropped out of the air, turning those gasps into screams of alarm. The trio's eyes went wide in their own panic. "No!" Rainbow cried. Sonic's eyes went from panicked to determined in a heartbeat, and he charged to the edge of the clouds at full speed… before leaping off into the open air. The hedgehog tucked in his limbs as his body descended into a speedy freefall, chasing down the wrecked balloon. Rainbow and Tails swooped into a fast dive, closing the distance.
Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, and Starlight were already in flight, but everyone else was scattered and flailing about. Over the rushing wind, Sonic could have sworn he heard Rarity scream something along the lines of "Sweet Celestia, not again!" Knuckles was in the process of steadying himself for a glide, but the current winds were too strong and powerful to keep stable, leaving the echidna a somersaulting heap in the air. Amy had managed to straighten herself out, her limbs extended to allow wind resistance to take hold and hopefully slow her fall.
As for everyone else, they were tumbling around in the air with panicked screams. Sonic reached them in seconds, the wind blowing through his fur and threatening to make his eyes sting with moisture. He reached out an arm towards Amy… until he felt a shadow dawn over him. The blue hedgehog rolled away just as a circular piece of a marble pillar dropped past him, narrowly avoiding contact with the freefalling hedgehog.
Tails hovered down and grabbed Knuckles by the arms, keeping the echidna steady while Rainbow zipped away from more falling debris. The pegasus rolled away from a broken support pillar and dove through a tube-like structure with her wings tucked in. Emerging from the opposite end and snapping the appendages open, the pegasus shot away from the tube before it caught up to her and flew towards Applejack, snatching her from her fall. Taking Amy by the hand, Sonic threw the pink hedgehog towards Twilight, who was gathering everypony together with the help of Fluttershy and Starlight.
"Wheee!" Pinkie cheered over the roaring winds, which caused Sonic to roll his eyes in amusement. There always had to be someone who always saw a bright side to things, right? A marble slab drew near the hedgehog, who grabbed onto it before launching off, pushing it away from everyone else. Twilight and Starlight looked at each other in mid-dive and nodded in sync, the unicorn's horn lighting up with magical energy. The alicorn soon followed, and the two concentrated their magic toward the gathered flightless creatures between them.
A combination of violet and turquoise light surrounded everyone, immediately freezing them in place and negating gravity's effect on them. While the ponies and Amy took a moment to catch their breath, Twilight and Starlight gently lowered themselves to the ground as carefully as they could. Spike and Fluttershy followed them, with Tails and the red echidna he carried right behind them. As for Sonic, he continued to plummet towards ground level, his limbs now spread to control his descent. A colored blur zeroed in on him like a missile, intercepting the hedgehog's trail and carrying him the rest of the way down.
The visage of Ponyville rested along the horizon where everyone touched down, barely a scratch on either of them. "Is… is everyone okay?" Amy gasped, using her hammer as support. Tails just rolled his shoulder with a wince. "Not me… I think Knuckles has gotten heavier or something…" This earned him an annoyed glance from the echidna. "What? It's true with all the punching and stuff!"
Twilight turned to the sky, where Cloudsdale was still slowly dropping to the ground like a burning airship. She let out a sigh before addressing the group. "This wasn't like anything we've dealt with before… despite our best efforts, we were unable to stop the fusion process. Honestly, I didn't know where to start. There was nothing we could do in the face of such odds." She turned an apologetic eye to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, whose gazes were trained on the descending city. By now, only half of Cloudsdale could be identified. The other half was the crumbling ruins of Sky Sanctuary that found itself incapable to adapt to this dimension's rules of reality. "I'm… sorry we couldn't save your home, you two. But we did manage to get everypony out safe and sound. I saw some of them land on Celaeno's ship, so I'm gonna go have a talk with her."
"What about the rest of us?" inquired Rarity.
"Head inside the castle. I'll meet you there," Twilight replied sternly. "And when I do, we'll finally get to work on getting the portal operational. No more distractions. No more getting sidetracked. Once we get started… we're finishing this. Together."
The princess blinked away in a flash of bright light, leaving everyone to head back to the castle and regroup. Only four beings stayed behind as they looked up in silence: Sonic, Tails, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. Marble and metal alike fell to the ground like raindrops from a descending cloud, followed by flaps of tattered violet fabric and woven basket pieces. One such plate clattered at the fox's feet, stained with ash and soot. Without a word and with a mourning look in his eye, Tails bent down and picked up the piece, brushing away the soot with a hand. A familiar symbol made itself known underneath: a white star within a blue circle that rested within a red circle, connected by two white wings.
The two pegasi couldn't avert their eyes from Cloudsdale, the state of their home barely recognizable to them now. Its fusion with the ruins of Sky Sanctuary had taken full effect and it was now dipping lower and lower from the sky. Beyond the horizon, Cloudsdale touched down on the rolling hills and broke itself apart, the majority of the remaining clouded sculptures vanishing. Dust and clouds alike rose back into the air, shrouding the sky city from sight. Once it was done, Rainbow turned away and closed her eyes, feeling something wet roll down. Fluttershy was quiet, too… quieter than usual, actually.
"That… was your home," Tails whispered after a seemingly-long moment. "Wasn't it? I… I'm so sorry…"
"Twilight's right," Fluttershy mumbled so quietly that the fox had to listen closely to her words. "We couldn't do anything to stop it. Yes, we got everypony to safety, but… I still feel…"
"Powerless?" Rainbow quietly answered. "That you were nothing to it?" The yellow pegasus was left wordless at her friend's description, her bright cyan eyes cast to the ground while a hoof instinctively moved her pink mane close to her face. Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground and avoided looking at anyone without a sound… which made something click in the fox's mind.
A knowing-yet-saddened expression crossed Tails' face as he let the Tornado's tail emblem fall to the ground. He knew the look in Fluttershy's eye and the stillness of her form; it was a state that sent echoes of taunting laughter and feelings of helplessness in Tails' consciousness. Those feelings turned into something else when the fox put things together: pity.
Why else would someone spend time among animals instead of their own kind? Why be hesitant to trust someone aside from best friends? Tails remembered Fluttershy's kindness when it came to animals, but he also recalled her alarmed expression when the fox first laid eyes on her. And there was only one explanation when it came to that level of shyness and seclusion.
"Hey, Fluttershy?" Tails sat down beside her, choosing his next words carefully. "Were you ever… uh… picked on in the past?" Expecting a negative response to this query, the fox braced himself… but the yellow pegasus silently stared at him. "Um…" She appeared conflicted and at a loss for what to say next, but released a gentle sigh. "Yes… because I couldn't fly as well as the other pegasi… why?"
The fox didn't give her an answer. Instead, he made sure both of his tails were visible to the pegasus. Upon seeing them, the pony's bright cyan eyes went wide and a quiet gasp left her mouth. "Oh… I… I see… you were different." Her eyes moved away from Tails and turned to the ground again. "I'm sorry… I guess I should have realized when we first met…"
"Don't be," Tails whispered back. "When I was a kid, I got teased relentlessly for my two tails. I was meek, frightened, and absolutely scared around anyone I came across… until a certain someone changed everything." Fluttershy noticed Tails was looking at someone else… and when she turned to follow his gaze, a smiling Sonic gave his best friend a thumbs-up.
"Ever since we first met," Tails continued. "Sonic was more than just my friend. He was my idol, and for a long time, I wanted to be just like him. But I learned I wouldn't improve myself if I depended on him forever. I would be someone I wasn't meant to be… so, I took one last page out of his book and did things my way. I believed in myself and opened up to get new friends. They helped me out, and I'd help them in return. All I am today is because of him. So, Fluttershy… Did somebody stand up for you all those years ago? Did you get someone to look up to as well? Would you not be who you are now, as somebody caring and polite, if it wasn't for that one person in your life?"
Again, Fluttershy was speechless and couldn't bring a proper response to the smiling fox. The yellow pegasus looked over her shoulder with a realizing twinkle in her eye. Recognizing the connection for herself, Rainbow Dash just smiled at her friend and fellow pegasus before Fluttershy turned back to Tails. Her timid nature was gone, replaced by a heartwarming expression and a comfortable stance.
"Yes… I'd say somepony did."
"And you're welcome, by the way," Rainbow added as she wrapped a wing around Fluttershy. But as quickly as her smile came, it faded and became a frown once more. "But… this doesn't change the fact that our home was…"
"You said it yourself," Sonic butted in with a confident look. "Cloudsdale was where you grew up… but it's not your home." This caused both pegasi to look at the hedgehog like he had bad-mouthed Celestia herself. "Is… is there a difference?" Fluttershy muttered.
"B-but Cloudsdale's where I spent most of my life!" Rainbow shouted exasperatedly. "And even though I had to go to Ponyville, it's still my-!"
"No," Sonic stopped her before kneeling before the pegasus. "Cloudsdale was just the place you remember from your childhood. It was where you began, and everyone comes from somewhere. But I know how much your friends mean to you; how you'd do anything for them and how loyal you are to them. Sure, Cloudsdale was where you came from, Rainbow…" The hedgehog placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "But your real home is with them. You belong with your friends, just like I belong with mine."
"R…really?"
"I grew up on a small island in the middle of the ocean," Sonic continued. "My passion for adventure drove me out into the world and allowed me to make new friends… and the occasional rival. Sure, I go back to South Island occasionally, but I always keep moving. Because of that, I've made my whole world my home. A beautiful place with friends I can rely on and friends who rely on me. And wherever the ones you love are… that's your real home."
Now, Rainbow had to blink out a different kind of tear. "Sonic… I…" Her words failing her, Rainbow decided to use actions instead and flung herself on top of the hedgehog, wrapping him in a hug and catching him by surprise. "Thank you…"
"Uh… anytime," he said, patting her on the back. "I don't give up on anyone as long as they don't give up on me."
Rainbow pulled away and took to the air, a happy grin on her face. "That one's going in the friendship lessons for sure! I gotta tell the others! Race ya back!" She was off in a flash, the hedgehog giving chase. "Hey, no fair! I got caught up in the moment!" The two speedsters laughed as they raced away, the sound echoing in Tails' and Fluttershy's ears. The pegasus turned to the fox with a caring smile. "Does he always do great pep talks like that?"
Tails smiled back, the two of them lifting off the ground. "Only all the time." They both flew after the blurs side-by-side, heading for the distant town.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere far away from Ponyville
The gentle chatter in the tavern provided a relaxing atmosphere as ponies conversed with each other, played games, or enjoyed themselves with a tasty treat. Standing behind a bar, an earth pony with an auburn mane served a mug to another earth pony and was about to accept their payment…
WHAM! The door to the tavern flung open and instantly turned the establishment silent. All eyes turned to the entrance, where three strange-looking birds with goggles and metal boards made their way inside, one of them grumbling under his breath. One of them, a big gray feathered bird, caught one pegasus with a newspaper staring at him and shot him a look.
"What are you lookin' at?!"
The pegasus' only reply was him meagerly turning his eyes back to the paper and covering his face with it. The green bird lowered himself into a seat by the bar and snapped his fingers, drawing the barkeep's attention. "Three of the strongest drinks ya got in this joint."
"Uh…" The earth pony blinked her confused eyes. "...that would be the ripe apple cider?"
"Yeah, whatever. On the double."
Wave and Storm sat down next to Jet as the pony left, the latter turning an eye to the pegasus to see if he was still staring. "I can't believe this," the hawk mumbled. "First, our blimp flies into that freaky thing in the sky and crashes in this freaky place that smells like lavender…"
"Really?" Storm said. "I thought it smelled like flowers."
"...and we gotta steal the parts and whatever else we need to get it working again!" Jet continued. "And what else could go wrong? Well, how about the little blue pincushion poking holes in our latest score with those stupid spines of his!"
"At least there's a bright side," Wave spoke up, causing Jet to raise an eye at her. "Yeah?"
"We've found priceless jewels and artifacts here. Think of how much that'll get us when we get back home!"
"You mean if we get back home."
"I mean 'when' and you know it," Wave countered. "Sure, it may take a while, Jet, but we'll get the blimp up and running eventually." Jet just scoffed. "Yeah, when we're molting!"
The earth pony returned with three mugs of apple cider, and Jet snatched one in the blink of an eye. "'Bout time!" While his teammates took their own cups, the bartender recomposed herself. "That'll be-"
"Yeah, yeah, keep the change," Jet interrupted, dumping a small bag that spilled gold rings onto the counter. He and the Rogues took their leave from the counter, ignoring the baffled look the earth pony was giving the rings as they searched for an open table. Spying one resting near the wall, Jet settled down while Wave sat beside him. Storm yanked a chair from another table, sending its current earth pony occupant onto the floor with a loud thud, and placed it next to the table.
"Don't be so down about it, Jet," Wave spoke softly as the hawk just stared at his beverage. "Yeah, Sonic messed everything up, but it could be worse. He could've had the rest of his loser friends there."
"Yeah!" Storm yelled, slamming his now half-empty cup on the table. "When I see that red guy again, I'm gonna tie his dreadlocks in a knot!"
"It is worse," Jet replied, ignoring the albatross' outburst. "Sonic already had a friend with him! It was that flying thing, you saw it!"
"I didn't. I was too busy punching those guys' faces in."
Jet shot his partner a glare. "Shut up, Storm. My point is, the hedgehog's got a new buddy with him. And I'm gonna bet every colored hair on its head that it ain't gonna stop there. We've got a bigger problem, Rogues, and we gotta deal with it if we wanna get outta here."
"Then, lucky for you, I may have an idea."
The three thieves finally noticed somebody sitting at the opposite end of the table, its face and figure obscured by a hood and cloak. Some darts rested in front of it, and judging by the feminine tone, the stranger sounded eager. Jet narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Who's asking?"
"Somepony with a score to settle, that's who," she replied. "And from what I hear, so do you. This… hedgehog… does he give you trouble?"
Jet scoffed again and crossed his arms. "What kinda question is that? I'm obviously better and faster than him in every way, but he's thought otherwise for a long time! I've made it my mission to show him who's really the fastest thing around, and I ain't stopping 'til I prove it!"
The figure seemed to tilt her head. "You wanna prove him wrong. To get back at him. And he just… treats you like a joke?" Jet clenched a fist. "You're darn right he does. He's so full of himself all the time, always showing off and thinking he's the best there is."
"Hmm…"
"I may be desperate and anxious to put him in his place," Jet continued. "But I ain't stupid, either. What's it to you?" The hooded figure gave no reply, reaching for a red dart with one hoof. Picking it up, she expertly tossed it in the Rogues' direction in the blink of an eye. Jet and Wave jerked away from it…
…and the dart hit a drawing that covered a circular board, puncturing the sketch's forehead with a sharp thunk. Jet vaguely heard Storm ask the stranger how she did that without any fingers, but the hawk's attention was solely on the drawing. A dashing smile. A winking eye. A cloud with a multicolored lightning bolt by the back leg And a colored mane atop a light-blue coat with a similarly-hued tail.
"Jet, is that-?" Wave began. The hawk narrowed his eyes at the drawing. "Yeah. Sonic's new best bud," Both birds turned back to the stranger with Jet readdressing her. "What's your deal with her? You got something to prove?" The stranger reached for her hood and pulled it back…
…revealing a pegasus with light turquoise fur, a bright orange mane, and burning amber eyes that were full of the same resentment Jet carried for Sonic.
"You could say that…"
A knowing smirk crossed Jet's face and he placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Well… I think we found our answer, Wave. You, you know that one?"
The pegasus was glaring at the drawing but turned her eyes to the birds. "Well enough. And I can tell you how to draw her out… if you're willing to listen." Seeing the undeniable opportunity right in front of him, a grinning Jet opened his mouth to reply.
BUUUURP!
All eyes looked to Storm and the empty mug he held, the albatross rubbing his beak with one arm. "Wow, Jet, that stuff really is strong!" He tossed the mug behind him and it smashed to pieces on the wooden floor. Looking back at the pegasus, Jet crossed his arms on the table while Wave and Storm leaned close to pay attention.
"We're listening."
…
Elsewhere
A pair of devious eyes scanned a series of screens that displayed bio-organic data, movement patterns, and other vital functions from previously recorded events. Numbers and diagrams reflected in the man's glasses while a gloved finger pressed down on a button. "Orbot, what's the status of Project Myth?"
"Putting the finishing touches on it now, your rotundity!" came the automated voice. "It'll be complete within the hour."
"Excellent…"
"Hey, boss!" Cubot piped up from the comms. "Your special guests are awake again! Should I zap 'em again and get more fuel?"
"That won't be necessary. Ensure all the defenses are in place. I need to have a word with them." The man cut the transmission and turned away from the console, his footsteps echoing as he neared a circular platform. Standing atop it with his hands behind his back, Dr. Eggman allowed the platform to descend like an elevator, carrying him to a lower floor…
…and the doctor rested his eyes on his prizes. The pair of alicorns were restrained by energy rings within their combined containment pod, wires and tubes lodged onto their horns. The one called Celestia opened a dimmed eye that flickered to stay bright, one that narrowed in defiance upon sight of the mad doctor.
"Enjoy your nap, princesses?" Eggman greeted them. "Or are you still not accustomed to the VIP treatment I'm giving you?"
"You… will not… get away… with this…" croaked the one called Luna. Her voice sounded weary and weak, despite her attempts to prove otherwise. Celestia was quick to follow her sister's words, baring her teeth at the human. "Your barbaric ways… will not go unnoticed… doctor. My student and her friends… will come for you."
"Oh, I'm counting on it," Eggman replied as he neared the glass. "It's only a matter of time before Sonic and those sapient farm animals come knocking at my door, but until then, I am in need of your services."
"To subject… a living creature… to such cruelty…" Celestia spoke harshly. "I know… such a pony… that would be furious…"
"You cannot hope… to prevail against them…" Luna added. "They will defeat you… as they have done all others."
"No. They won't," Eggman continued, placing his hands against the glass. "You know why? Because I have you. Or more specifically, what's in there." He jabbed a finger at Celestia's horn. "I've already sapped the magic out of your citizens, but they were easily worn out. Thus, the amount I gained from them was limited. But you… you two are a special breed."
He sneered malignantly at the alicorns, who glared back at him fearlessly. "There aren't many beings like you in this world. Creatures who have existed for thousands of years with unlimited magical potential. And that means your magic is different from all the rest. It can be taken, yes. It can also be suppressed. But if parts of it are drained over time, your bodies and metabolism allow that magic to be restored… and that gives me an endless supply."
"You… monster…" Luna spat at him.
"And the best part..." Eggman's sinister smile reached the tips of his mustache by this point. "...is that you two can never be fully drained. Which means you get to experience my special treatment over… and over… and over." Celestia opened her mouth… but the machine surrounding the alicorns started booting up again, filling the containment chamber with a humming noise, bright light… and then excruciating pain.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The wires on the alicorns' horns burst with electric sparks that coursed through the princess' bodies, their horns flaring with golden and dark-black light. Their magic seeped into the machinery and coursed upward into a large capsule atop the chamber. Once the last of the magic had vanished, the machine ceased its actions, the alicorns going limp with exhausted breaths. A mechanical arm retrieved the full capsule and carried it off while another approached with an empty capsule, inserting it into place.
"My systems are already telling me your magic is regenerating itself," Eggman informed the weakened princesses. "In approximately ten minutes, it will reach its normal levels… where we can begin again. Enjoy your stay, 'your majesties'. Because you're here forever…" The doctor turned his back on them and walked away until the shadows of the room clouded him from view. Once he was gone, Luna turned to her sister with weary gasps and darkened eyes that fought to keep their color.
"Sister… this is madness… Twilight and her friends… must have noticed our absence by now… are we certain… they are coming for us…?"
"It pains me… to speak this, Luna…" Celestia replied in a strained tone. "But neither of them… know where we are… but there is still hope… their new friends will."
"Then… we must pray… that Sonic is… fast enough to end this…" Luna finished. "I…If he… fails… then…" Before she could finish, the princess of the moon slipped into unconsciousness. And even if it was not spoken aloud, Celestia was aware of the stakes. As drowsiness began to envelop her senses, the princess of the sun mentally finished her sister's words for her.
If Sonic the Hedgehog, Twilight Sparkle, and all their friends failed to stop this madman, then each of their homes would be doomed.
