A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for your patience! Here's chapter 5!

Cloud stared up at the magnificent castle in the distance. He recognized it, or something similar, from a few of his battles in Smash. Maybe this was his way back?

"So, how about that ride?" Sonic asked, tapping Rayquaza's Master Ball and grinning. "I'm sure my dragon pal would be glad to help us out." Since the hedgehog couldn't go his full speed, he at least wanted to travel in style.

Cloud didn't know exactly what kind of dragon ride Sonic had in mind, but he wasn't sure how much he'd appreciate it. He'd grown out of his motion sickness a long time ago, but a bumpy ride on dragon-back might still trigger it.

"I think I'll pass," he said. Besides, the castle wasn't that far away. He didn't mind walking.

"What?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, then shook his head in exasperation. All right then, I guess, but you're no fun."

Barely paying any mind to the blue hedgehog, Cloud trudged forward through the grassy plain towards Peach's Castle.

Sonic's mouth dropped open. "Huuuuh? You're just gonna leave without me?" He smirked, and jogged after Cloud, slightly annoyed at the soldier's seeming indifference.

But, Cloud remained silent. He pondered their situation as he walked, not focusing on much else. It felt like something was off about this place, and he couldn't have been more right.

The Mushroom Kingdom was usually much livelier, but this place was cloaked in silence and emptiness. Gone were the Toads and Goombas that normally bustled about, whether doing errands for Princess Peach or just frolicking in the sunshine. And the water that would have rippled with swimming Cheep Cheeps now remained still, unstirred for what seemed like years. There were no signs of intelligent life anywhere, at least none that Sonic or Cloud could find.

"What? No giant Goombas?" Sonic asked.

Indeed, no giant Goombas could be seen, but a greater threat lurked on the castle roof.

Mewtwo flew out of sight behind the castle and peeked down at the trespassers. "...One is speed, while the other is raw power and precision…"

"Pffft! Who cares about all that?" Bowser asked. He had positioned himself behind one of the red towers on the roof and gazed down at their targets, a hungry gleam in his eye. "I can handle anything those two throw at me."

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes with irritation. "You do realize the master will punish us if we allow them to find the portal."

"Relax," Bowser said. "Those guys won't know what's coming!" He smirked with amusement, as it seemed Sonic was too busy trying to annoy Cloud, and hadn't noticed as he inched towards the edge of the roof.

They both seemed distracted, coming closer to their trap. Bowser's leg muscles tensed as he readied himself to strike. This was gonna be the greatest evil ambush ever.

Down below, Sonic took to zipping around every nook and cranny, searching for something, anything, that could help them. He found nothing, so he hurried back to Cloud's side, slowing to keep pace. "Ugh! This place is a ghost castle. What do you think our next move should be? Considering our plan to 'get out of here' isn't going so well…""

But, Cloud wasn't listening. He felt the slightest movement of the wind, and barely jumped to one side as five hundred pounds of large, spiky Koopa crashed to the ground, aiming to squash him flat!

"Whoa!" Sonic leapt back and quickly circled the area to get an idea of what he was facing. "Those spikes… that shell… it has to be-!"

Mewtwo flew down in a rush of furious wind, and shot a crackling ball of energy towards Sonic, blasting him away.

"Augh!" He rolled uncontrollably on the ground, then dug his fingers and toes into the grass and pulled himself up on one elbow. But, before he could stand, Mewtwo landed harshly and kicked a cloud of dust in his face.

"Great! There's two!" Sonic coughed, rubbing the dirt from his eyes. Mewtwo swung his tail, smacking the speedster away. The hedgehog gasped in pain as Mewtwo charged him and landed several quick jabs to his chest.

"Ugh!" Sonic groaned as he skidded across the slick grass, "I need better footing!"

Cloud saw that sonic was engaged in battle with Mewtwo. Sword drawn, he charged towards the Koopa King.

"You think you can beat me?" Bowser snarled,, barreling forward to meet him.

On the verge of collision, Cloud sprang into the air and brought his steel down on the Koopa King's head.

Bowser ducked away from the sword and retreated into his shell, launching into a spin attack.

Cloud dodged and swung the Fusion Blade. He struck Bowser's armor, the force knocking him backwards. the soldier dug in his heels and slid to a stop, bracing for the king's next move.

"Whaaa!" Sonic cried as Mewtwo flung him skyward. He flailed, helpless, but then gauged how close together Mewtwo and Bowser were, and had an idea. 'Well, this will do!' He thought, and headbutted Mewtwo.

The Pokemon stumbled, giving Sonic the time he needed. He spun so fast he hovered in the air for a second, then shot down like a blurry blue comet and smashed him into Bowser's spikes.

Sonic bounced off Mewtwo, repeatedly ramming him against the spiked shell.

Bowser emerged from his shell, tossing both Mewtwo and Sonic aside. With a deep breath, he threw back his head and released a wide arch of red-hot flames around him.

Cloud darted to one side, but winced as sparks of fire brushed against his arm.

Sonic uncurled and smirked down with a cocky grin at Mewtwo's critically injured form. "I'm not even a Pokemon, and yet, I can take one down just the same!"

Mewtwo slowly rose up, "Legendary Pokemon aren't easily defeated! And when I'm through with you, you'll wish you never tried to escape this maze!"

"Ohh?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

'What'd he mean by maze?' Cloud thought, and turned expectantly to the Pokemon.

Mewtwo chuckled, and with his psychic powers manipulated Bowser's roaring fire into a dense ring. He let the flames rise ever higher, blocking any means of escape.

"Staying sounds good," Sonic muttered, quickly looking about for something he could do.

Cloud wasn't phased by the trap. He figured knocking the Pokemon out would stop his power. At least he hoped. He dove for Mewtwo, Fusion Blade aimed at his head, but with a flick of his wrist, the creature stopped him mid-leap and threw him back towards the inferno.

The soldier struggled violently against the mystic force, but to no avail. He couldn't move a muscle, and feelings of terror rose up inside of him at how powerless he was against Mewtwo's telekinesis. It was just like being controlled by- No! He couldn't dwell on that. He had to keep fighting.

Sonic didn't know how to beat these guys, but he knew he could save his partner. He zoomed to Cloud and grabbed his hand to pull him away, but the soldier wouldn't budge.

"Excellent." Mewtwo erected a glowing force-field to push them both back.

"Any ideas?" Cloud asked, trying to keep his fearful voice steady. The scorching heat of the inferno became stronger as Mewtwo levitated him closer to the flames.

Sonic had to think. How could he save them? Then it came to him. "Oh… Dragon monster… guy!" he cried, and brought out his Master Ball. "How about I stop having all the losing fun?" He playfully tossed the ball and threw it forward. "Go! Green Snake Thing!"

Mewtwo's eyes widened as Rayquaza's formation grew from the Master Ball's light. The dragon snake roared, elated by its newfound freedom, until it saw the rival Pokemon ahead of it.

"Greenie! Since you're a legendary, I command you to attack your rival Pokemon!" Sonic thrust his arm towards Mewtwo, beaming with confidence.

Rayquaza looked between Sonic and Mewtwo, perplexed, not knowing what to do, or which attack to use.

""More specific!" Cloud Snapped. By now, he started to sweat as the flames loomed nearer still, and his armor didn't help.

"Um...okay? Um...laser attack, or some kind of...something. Shoot an attack, just whatever comes out of your mouth.

Rayquaza, recognizing Sonic as its trainer, heard the command, and threw back its head, launching a powerful Hyper Beam attack.

Mewtwo tried to conjure an energy shield to block the onslaught, but the beam shattered the light barrier. "WHHAAA!" Mewtwo was blasted away, arching across the sky.

Rayquaza roared and swayed its head in victory. It then turned back to Sonic.

The hedgehog thumbed up Rayquaza, then was about to dart to Cloud's help, but Rayquaza bent its head and rubbed up against him as if wanting to be praised.

"Wha-ahh-oh! Hey. Easy there… You're a hugger aren't ya? Ah!" Sonic tried to push against Rayquaza, but it kept nuzzling him, completely at ease despite the roaring inferno around them.

"Don't forget. Fire!" Cloud snapped, sidestepping away from Bowser's claws. He shot a green blade beam at the Koopa, which he couldn't avoid. He shot another, and another.

Bowser flinched as each blast hit him, and Cloud kept changing his attack patterns. Sometimes, he struck from the air, or from the side, but the soldier was careful to keep his distance. Occasionally, he'd rush in and deal a few swift slashes to Bowser's body.

"Aargh! I'll get you for this!" Bowser screamed as Cloud slammed him with the hilt of his sword.

"Hm. Try me!" Cloud challenged. He smirked, experiencing a spike in his energy. Since Mewtwo was now gone, they had more of a chance.

His anger having reached new levels, Bowser rushed forward, and opened his mouth to release some more fire. Only then did he see the blue energy that now haloed Cloud's body.

He stopped short, but it was too late. Cloud darted closer and swung the Fusion Blade, striking Bowser in the chest, sending him flying over the flames. The Koopa King fell to the ground with a heavy thud, and slid backwards across the grass, unmoving.

"Not bad. Took you long enough though," Sonic joked.

Cloud turned to Sonic, who was still hugging Rayquaza. He had to blink twice to make sure he was seeing right. That was the thing that had attacked him underground!

The soldier strode up to Sonic, fists balled at his sides. "You summoned that thing?" he growled, nodding at Rayquaza, who looked up and blinked.

"What? Yeah. This thing was drowning and went into a Master Ball." He held up the object. "I just grabbed it 'cause he looked like he needed help is all. Plus... fire remember?" he finished mockingly.

"That thing could be a threat." Cloud pointed out. He wasn't sure if he could trust the Pokemon after what happened in the tunnels.

A low growl rumbled in Rayquaza's throat upon recognizing the enemy it had battled before.

"Whoa! Hey, relax," Sonic said, patting Rayquaza's nose. "You can't be evil, and Mr. Big Sword here won't hurt ya, right?" He shot a pointed glance at Cloud, who still hadn't sheathed his blade.

Sonic was busy trying to stop the conflict, and didn't notice Bowser get to his feet.

The Koopa King surveyed the situation. Even though they were surrounded by fire, Three on one wasn't a good sign, especially since one of them was a massive dragon snake that had gone toe to toe with Mewtwo. It was time to make his getaway.

Right on cue, a turtle shell shaped hovercraft with a clown face descended on the area.

Cloud and Sonic heard the sound of the helicopter propeller and turned around just in time.

Bowser stood there, a smirk plastered on his face. "You may have defeated us, but you'll never defeat him. He'll haunt your mind and dreams 'till the end of time, and you'll never escape!"

Cloud winced. He was sure Bowser looked right at him as he spoke. But, who did he mean? Was it Ganondorf? That black mage guy? Or was it-? Sephiroth!

He gripped the Fusion Blade so tight his knuckles turned white. "Hey! Tell me where he went!" he demanded.

"Where… who went?" Sonic asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out!" Bowser sneered. With that, he jumped into his Clown Car and it carried him high above the treetops.

Cloud glanced at Sonic and Rayquaza, and suddenly a ride on dragon-back seemed like a wonderful idea.

"Come on!" Cloud urged, climbing onto the dragon's back. "He's getting away!"

Sonic grinned. "Now you're talking!" He sprang up to the spot where Rayquaza's shoulders would be. "Okay, Greenie. After that clown!"

With a mighty roar, the dragon snake rose over the flames and into the air with its two passengers, twisting and looping as it rose higher.

Sonic's heart jumped into his throat with the excitement of the exhilarating speed.

In flashes of color and light, the flaming area near the castle gave way to the rest of the kingdom. Buildings, trees, and streets dotted the landscape in neat lines that zoomed by in a blur.

Cloud couldn't be bothered by the scenic beauty beneath them. Rayquaza's erratic movements made his stomach feel queasy. He was used to motorcycles and airships, but the creature's flight patterns were something the soldier had never experienced before, and hoped never to experience again.

But there was another reason Cloud's stomach was tying itself in knots. He was intent on pursuing the clown car, which had started to grow more and more distant. He just had to know where Sephiroth was, and what he was planning. He was almost certain that Bowser was toying with him, but he couldn't be one hundred percent positive. If the Koopa knew something, Cloud vowed to find out what it was.

Sonic stared confidently ahead, but then he gasped as a transformation took place all around him. The sky, which moments before had been a bright blue, had turned dark and starry, as if they had crossed into some magical world within the Mushroom Kingdom, which they had.

"Wh-Wha-?" Sonic cried. Rayquaza looked around in shock, and its speed slowed as its mind tried to absorb the sudden change.

By now Bowser's car was a small speck against the brilliant, star-studded sky. 'They had to catch him. They just had to. Even if Bowser didn't know about Cloud's enemy, he might know the way to get them home.

"Can we go any faster?" Cloud demanded, his heart thudding rapidly in his chest.

"Don't know. Go, snake thing! Go!" Sonic commanded.

The Pokemon increased his speed, and they began gaining on the car. Cloud dared to hope they would catch up to Bowser, and get the information they needed.

"Hey. There's a shiny something down there under that cool looking bush. We should check it out,"

Eager to please his trainer, Rayquaza swiftly dove down towards the plant in question, cutting off Sonic's thought.

"Wait!" Sonic cried. :I didn't mean right now! I was going to say at some point." He shrugged his shoulders, and looked over at Cloud, whose face was red with fury.

"He's getting away!" Cloud shouted, but his voice was lost in the wind.

Rayquaza spiraled down and hovered above the area. Cloud searched the skies for Bowser, glimpsing his silhouette as he shot past the moon. There was no way they could regain enough speed to catch up now. Cloud had to face facts. His only lead to finding Sephiroth was gone.

A/N: Hopefully I can get another chapter out soon. I'll try my best.