Rage led the six ponies as they walked through the rubble of the structure that once stood where they were. "What is this place?" Twilight asks, looking around.
"I'm not quite sure." Rage says as he moves a larger clump of stone out of the way. "It's been here as long as I can remember. All I know is that it's the easiest path into the swamps. Not to mention the most direct path to the Temple."
"Do we have a plan for when we get there?" Applejack asks, "This seems awfully dangerous, partner."
"If it's true and these Temples can be used to wipe out all life on Dark Mobius…I want to make sure they won't ever be used for that." Rage answers before letting a heavy sigh out. "Ideally without completely destroying them…but if that's what it comes down to…"
After that there was a long silence as they entered the swamp. Treading carefully but the team met no opposition, no resistance.
"Why would The Chaos Guardians even consider such a…horrible thing…?" Rarity finally asks after a long silence.
"I don't know." Rage says in a distant tone as he mantled his way up onto a ledge that overlooked the temple. As the others joined him he quickly got down into a kneeling position "Down!" He ordered them and the six ponies dropped down.
"What is it?!" Rainbow Dash asks as Rage poked his head over the wall just enough so he could look at the temple's entrance and area around it.
"The place is swarming with Dark Spawn." Rage says looking at the shadowy humanoid figures standing at the entrance, then to the ones walking the perimeter around the temple.
"How do we get past them?" Twilight asks
"Well the easy way is through brute force. We just take them out." Rage says.
"We do that and Christian will know we're here." Maria says.
"If he doesn't already…" Rage says. "No doubt he expects me though. He knows I won't let someone take The Chaos Emeralds without a fight…and there's definitely an Emerald in there…if not two..." he looks over the wall again and gasps in shock.
A blue blur blows past one of the Dark Spawn. With a screech they disintegrate into specs of dark energy. The remaining two look over to where it once stood before the same blur rushes past and they are destroyed just like the other one. "Impossible." Rage says.
"What was that?" Maria asks as Rage focused in on the blur.
Rage focused and was able to make it out, it was Sonic! "Sonic." Rage says as he leaps over the ledge and runs towards the temple.
"Rage wait!" Twilight exclaimed watching him run towards the temple. Shortly after the six mares ended up following him.
As Rage closed in he extended his right arm and his weapon appeared, more Dark Spawn were flooding out of the entrance of the temple and surrounded Sonic. The blue hedgehog clenched his fists and frustration. "It's not fair to gang up on a guy like that." Sonic scoffs as he looks around him. There was no way out. There were maybe one hundred of them surrounding him. "But I like these odds!"
"Silence." A stalwart female voice echoed as some of the Dark Spawns moved and allowed Kira to reach the center. "How did you get here, Hedgehog?" she spits.
"You should know." Sonic smirked. "You're the one who was practically begging me to come."
"That's not what I recall. I recall leaving you for dead in Emerald Hill. Regardless...how did you get here?"
"Followed you." Sonic shrugs. "Not too hard when you leave the portal you ran away in wide open for so long."
"And you're still yourself...either you're that stupid...or..." Kira trailed her sentence off to think but was interrupted by a shout from Rage as he came slashing down from the air. HIs sword was covered in a brilliant, red flame. Kira lept back and put up a magical shield. Rage sliced and a raging firestorm burned the Dark Spawns that were near her and they were caught in the flames and vanished as they were defeated.
Kira had to cover her face due to the heat from the flames. Once they fizzled out Kira looked at Rage who was standing in front of Sonic and had a glare of spite in his emerald eyes focused on her. "You." she says scornfully.
"Long time no see Emerald Thief." Rage says with a sly smile as he moves his sword to an idle stance and furls his brow. "Seems like you've been busy."
"Thanks to you I missed my mark." She scoffs. "What are you doing here?"
"Calling me dumb and you can't even put that together?" Sonic scoffs as he smirks and gives a cocky grin to Kira.
"You damn rat keep your mouth shut!" Kira shouts as Rage shook his head.
"Well since I'm in a hurry..." Rage says, turning to see his friends running over the hill. He then looks back at Kira "I can do the courtesy...my name is Ragis Chaotic the Hedgehog...but you can call me Rage."
"And based on that blade..." Kira bared her teeth. "I'd reckon you're a Chaos Guardian..." she says.
"Wow you catch on quick." Rage smirks. "So let's make this quick." he then moved to his battle stance and a flare of Chaos surrounded him.
Kira looked at Rage and frowned. She knew that right now she didn't have any chance against Rage, especially with Sonic in the picture and her Dark Spawn were as good as fodder to him. "This isn't over." she says as she opens a portal of darkness and walks backwards into it.
"Oh no you don't!" Rage shouts and goes to follow but the Dark Spawn moved to attack him. Rage had to use his sword to defend himself as they began to attack him and Sonic. It wasn't much of a challenge for either, Rage using his blade and Sonic his boost to quickly wipe out the small horde.
Once they were all defeated Sonic and Rage looked around before they met each other's gaze as Twilight and the others finally made it. They were panting from the run.
"How...do you move so fast..." Twilight pants.
"It's...exhausting..." Rainbow Dash heaved.
"Sonic." Rage says not even acknowledging the six.
"Rage. I should have figured you'd be here as soon as I found a Chaos Emerald." he says, pulling the purple Chaos Emerald out and holding out for Rage to take.
"Yeah." Rage says in a soft tone. "How did you get here?" He asks as he takes the emerald.
"That wolf..." Sonic says in an angered tone. "She messed Tails up and gave me a run for my money...I couldn't let her go. So I followed her when she tried to retreat. Unfortunately I just got dropped off in the middle of nowhere."
"What would she want from Tails…?" Rage asks, crossing his arms.
"She was after us." Sonic shakes his head and looks at his glove and pauses. He clenches a fist and looks back to Rage. "I think she wanted us gone so we couldn't complicate whatever it is she plans."
"No doubt Nix is involved." Rage sighs. "Nothing happens on a scale like this around here without him being involved."
"Why don't we focus on that later." Twilight speaks up. "We need to get the Chaos Emerald and figure this temple out right?" She gives Rage a look showing that she was concerned about how lax he was seemingly being.
"Twilight. You're all here too?" Sonic asks and she nods. He then smirks. "Oh Nix doesn't stand a chance!" He chuckles.
"Twilight's right." Rage sighed "We need to get the Chaos Emerald and put this temple out of commission. You comin with?" He asked the blue hedgehog who nodded.
The group then walks up the steps into the large marble structure. It was empty. No guards, no furniture. No signs that anyone had ever been inside.
"Talk about empty." Sonic says looking around, his voice echoed softly off of the stone walls.
"It's like nobody's ever been here." Rarity states looking at the intricate accents. "But it's built like a palace…"
"It's definitely Chaos Guardian architecture." Rage says looking over the walls and trim himself. "Which means the Emerald is no doubt in the center of the structure."
"You seem pretty confident about that." Applejack comments.
"Imagine if it's like hidden in the walls or on the roof!" Pinkie Pie cheers.
"I doubt that's the case here Pinkie. Those Chaos Guardians seem like they were pretty thorough." Applejack says
"Almost makes you wonder why they'd build it to destroy everything…" Fluttershy says softly.
"Why not ask them?" Rainbow Dash asks, looking at Rage. "You're one of em' you go to wherever they all reside now every now and then don't you?"
"It's on my list of things to ask next time I'm there." Rage says, his voice reflecting a cold and isolated tone. He looks around and eventually pauses. "But something doesn't add up…"
"Rage…you already know the truth behind how we were treated." Maria scoffs. "What makes you think they wouldn't build this place to destroy us?"
"I know that. But being here has me thinking…" Rage says bitterly. "If this place is supposed to act as one component in a massive super weapon, why does it feel no different from any of the other structures The Chaos Guardians built?"
"What do you mean by that?" Maria asks, confused.
"So far this place feels and looks no different than anything else they have built. So either this whole super weapon is confined to the center chamber…or there's more to this than we realize." Rage says.
"Okay that doesn't make sense. Feel? How do you feel a building?" Twilight asks.
"It's a little complicated to explain completely but when any kind of architecture is built around the Chaos Emeralds it resonates a certain feel, or energy that those sensitive to Chaos can feel." Rage says.
"Is that why you felt so sick on the ARK that one time we went up there?" Sonic asks and Rage nodded.
"Yeah, because that was built with malice in mind. The malice that Gerald Robotnik held against humanity." Rage states. "I don't sense anything of the sort here."
"They did say that all of the temples were needed, right?" Maria asks.
"That's what it seemed to imply." Twilight confirmed. "All 4 of the Temples needed to be powered by a Chaos Emerald."
"And we're down one and soon to be two." Sonic says. "Maybe that's why?"
"Maybe." Rage says as they reach a large open room. In the middle there the yellow Chaos Emerald was floating over a small shrine like structure. Rage walked up to it and looked at the glyphic writing on the pedestal that the Chaos Emerald was floating over.
"What's it say?" Pinkie Pie asks, her head stretched all the way and startling Rage who pushed it away. Her head recoiled back to her body and she frowned. "Rude."
"Don't do that!" Rage barks before he put a hand on the surface and wiped the thick layer of dust off. His eyes scanned the glyphs and he sighs.
"Well?" Twilight asms.
"When the Four Temples in this Twisted Realm are activated the light of Chaos shall purge the unclean from these foul lands." Rage says. "If it should come to it, simply place the Chaos Emerald on the pedestals in each of the four temples, then here, in the southernmost corner of this foul, tainted swamp, strike the pedestal with your eternal companion…"
"So it's true…" Twilight says.
"So it seems…" Rage sighs as he takes the Chaos Emerald from the podium. "Everyone get out of here." He orders.
"What?!" Sonic exclaims "Rage what are you going to do?!"
"I am going to destroy this pedestal!" Rage says as he summons his sword. "I don't know what will happen once I do…for all I know all the Chaos Energy it has stored up could be released and violently."
"Be careful." Fluttershy says softly as Rage puts the yellow Chaos Emerald into his pouch for them. He looked back and smiled.
"Don't worry. I got this." He says to them. "Now go."
The six ponies and two mobians nod as they quickly clear out. After a few minutes Rage took a deep breath. "Here goes…"
The others made it out and got some distance before they turned and looked at the temple. So far, nothing. After a few minutes of silence, Rarity was the first to speak up. "You think-" she started to speak before a loud explosion rocked them.
"What was that?!" Applejack exclaims as a large chunk of marble is blasted from the roof of the temple. Out along with it came Rage who was flung by whatever caused the explosion.
Rage flew through the air and ended up face planting next to the others. "I'm okay." He says, his voice muffled due to it being buried by the upturned dirt he had created when he skidded across the dirt.
Sonic and Twilight helped him up and he shook his head, flinging clumps of dirt away. "Based on that explosion it sounds like it was a good thing we cleared out." Maria says.
"What did you do?" Twilight asks him as she used some magic to clean him up.
"I destroyed the whole little shrine pedestal thing." Rage says taking off his jacket and shaking it to get any loose dirt and debris off. "Didn't expect it to blow up like that."
"So with this one destroyed…we don't need to worry about the rest being used as a weapon?" Applejack asks.
"I wouldn't be too sure." Rage says "It's possible the other two could still be used. Let's make sure they're taken out as well before we say anything for certain."
"I agree. Better safe than sorry." Twilight says.
"Why don't we split up?" Sonic suggests "We could take them both down at once. Then, we meet up and go take Nix down!"
"That's not a bad idea." Maria says as she pulls a map up on a tablet. "We could split up and meet back in The Dark City."
"I'm good with that." Rage agrees. "Twilight, Rainbow Dash and…Pinkie, why don't you go with Sonic?"
"Hm? Why us?" Twilight asks.
"I think I can do without the princess." Sonic chuckles.
"No offense Sonic, but you can't sense magic. There's a chance that there'll be magic traps. Twilight will be able to protect you from them." Rage says, crossing his arms. "Especially now that we have two of the four they took. No doubt they'll move to protect the remaining two."
"Huh…that's strange." Maria says, looking at her tablet.
"What is it?" Rarity asks.
"The Chaos Emeralds…they're on the move!" Maria exclaims.
"What?!" The others exclaim in unison.
"But why? If their plan is to use the temples, why would they move them?!" Rainbow Dash asks.
"Where are they headed?" Applejack asks.
"Well…if the direction is anything to go off of…it appears they're heading right for The Dark Citadel." Maria says.
"That can't be a coincidence." Twilight comments.
"No doubt it's a trap" Rainbow Dash agrees.
"Trap or not we have to get the Chaos Emeralds back." Rage says walking towards the exit. The others quickly followed behind him.