“It’s not true!”
Fluttershy was trembling, tears running down her faces. “Discord is good now! He would never… he would never…”
She collapsed onto the table, sobbing uncontrollably.
Rarity patted her gently. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart…”
Celestia looked at Fluttershy pitifully. She said quietly, “Maybe you could take her away until she calms down?”
Rarity nodded. She tucked a leg under Fluttershy’s chest and helped her upstairs. Muffled sobbing could be heard, along with quiet consolations.
When the small party arrived at the library, Celestia had been waiting. She was holding a slice of cake with her magic. As Twilight said, the entire instant party had appeared in the library, and the ponies instantly attacked the cake.
They were now discussing the issue at hand at a table in the library. Everything had been fine up until then.
Celestia turned back to Sonic, weariness etched onto her face.
“Please continue.”
Sonic resumed telling the ponies about Discord and Eggman, the chaos emeralds, the portal, and the general background story of Earth.
He had come to trust these horse beings in the past few minutes he had spent with them. They were all different, but each was connected by their friendship. Sonic could see that.
Rainbow Dash. She still seemed to be shimmering with her rainbow trail. She had an attitude. She was cocky and jaunty, but she listened intently. Her magenta eyes never left Sonic’s face.
When Sonic was finished, Twilight cleared her throat. “You need to know what Discord can do if you want to stop him.”
She told him about Discord in their world, the things he had done.
“If Discord has joined forces with this Eggman guy, then it sounds like you need help.” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Which is why I’ve decided to let you go to Sonic’s world,” said Celestia.
“WHAT?” everyone cried in unison.
“Discord may be defeated by the elements of harmony, but with the gems you speak of on his side… No. Both our worlds must work together if we want to defeat him and Dr. Eggman.”
“Princess Celestia is right.” Said Tails. “There's no way anything will defeat him if he’s teamed up with Eggman.”
“We need power from this world if we want to get the emerald before him.” Said Sonic.
“Then an exchange is in order.” said Celestia. “Four of the seven chaos emeralds have come to Equestria. Luckily, they are all in the area of Ponyville. The other three are in your world.”
“A hero from Sonic’s world will come to Equestria to track down the four emeralds in Ponyville. We need mostly ponies for this quest because they are used to the dangers of Equestria.”
“I’ll stay,” said Twilight. “I think everypony should wear their Element of Harmony, just to be safe.”
“Elements of Harmony?” asked Sonic.
“I’ll explain later,” said Twilight.
“Who’s comin’ to Equestria then?” asked Applejack.
Tails hesitated. Then he said, “I’ll stay here. I can track the Chaos Emeralds with my scanner.”
“Are you sure, Tails?” said Sonic.
“Time goes faster on our planet, remember?” said Tails. “So you’ll be able to find the other three emeralds and then join us back here in Equestria to help with the other four.”
“Then who’s going to Earth?” asked Pinkie Pie.
Silence. Then…
“I will.”
Rainbow Dash was looking at Sonic, a crooked smile on her face.
“Rainbow Dash, are- are you sure?” stammered Twilight.
Rainbow turned to face Twilight. She looked her in the eye.
“I can’t stay in Ponyville, kicking clouds and being underestimated. Don’t try to correct me,” she said, as Twilight opened her mouth to protest. “I haven't forgotten the Mare-do-Well episode.”
Twilight winced.
“I need to get out there, face more adventure and danger. I want to fight evil more often. And now I have that chance.” Twilight fixed her gaze on Celestia. “I’m going with Sonic.”
“Then good luck, Rainbow Dash. I believe you would be best to go.” Said Celestia.
“Are you sure you can face the dangers of Earth?” asked Sonic.
Rainbow gave him a daring smile. “You haven’t seen what I can do.”
“Then it’s settled.” Said Celestia. “Tails will stay here and Rainbow Dash will go to Earth. Wear the Elements of Harmony at all times.”
She hesitated.
“Good luck, my little ponies.”
***
Rainbow Dash looked up at the swirling portal. Then she looked at her friends. “I’ll miss you guys,” she said. She gave everypony a hug. When she came to Twilight, she held her hoof and said, “Stay undiscordified.”
Then she adjusted her saddlebags. She put the Element of Loyalty around her neck for reassurance. Then she turned to Sonic. He had finished saying goodbye to Tails. Now he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and looked at Dash.
“Let’s go.”
Sonic launched himself off a tree and leapt through the portal. Tails sobbed.
Rainbow shot a last glance at her friends. They smiled bravely at her, even Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus wiped a tear from her cheek and nodded at her.
Then Rainbow Dash spread her wings and soared up through the portal, into the world beyond.
She found herself in an enormous metal room. And Sonic was talking to a large red echidna.
She was still getting over the fact that she was now sort of friends with a large blue hedgehog wearing white gloves and oversized red trainers, but now she felt like screaming and diving back into the portal.
Too late. The echidna was looking at her with a hard glint in his eye.
He grunted, “So this is Rainbow Dash. The priss pony that’s supposed to be a fighter or something.”
The next moment the echidna found himself flat on the ground, two hooves planted on his chest and a wing tucked under his chin like a knife.
“Say that again, you plot,” snarled Rainbow Dash quietly, “So I can get an appropriate excuse to rip your throat out.”
Sonic yelled at Rainbow to get off him. She stood silently; expecting to be pummeled into the ground… but the echidna only got up, brushed himself off and looked at Rainbow with grudging admiration.
“Wow… not many people can do that to me.” He rubbed his chest, where hoofmarks had slightly dented a white crescent, like a birthmark. Then he held out his gloved hand. “Knuckles.”
Rainbow shook it, clocking the spikes sticking up from the back of his gloves.
Sonic chuckled and said, “You just earned his permanent respect.”
“Sooooooniiiiiic!!!”
Sonic paled at the singsong voice.
A pink female hedgehog pranced into the room, wearing a red dress and sporting short combed… spines? Hair? Rainbow couldn’t tell.
Sonic groaned quietly. “Hey, Amy.”
Amy gave him a big hug, and then noticed Rainbow Dash. Her eyes, a different shade to Sonic’s jade, narrowed with caution… and something else.
She detached herself from Sonic and sauntered over to her. She peered into her eyes, and then walked around her, touching her hair and pulling at her wings. Rainbow tried to protest, but Amy ignored her. Then she stepped back and swept her gaze over her like a painting.
Then she said, “I don’t know what you're doing here, sitting on your horse butt in the middle of Tails’ workshop, but if you’re looking at Sonic then forget it. He’s mine.”
Rainbow didn’t know whose face was redder, hers or Sonic’s. “Oh… um…”
Amy sniffed. She turned on her heel, shot a glance at Sonic, and left the room.
Sonic rolled his eyes. “That was Amy Rose. She thinks she’s my girlfriend.”
Rainbow had a strange thought. “Why is she wearing a dress, and you’re not… wearing anything?”
Sonic looked down at himself as if the thought had never occurred to him. “I dunno. I guess I don’t need to.”
Knuckles cleared his throat. “Maybe we could show you around.”
“…And that’s Sweet Apple Acres,” said Twilight. “Applejack’s farm.”
Tails stared in awe. “Wow… so many apple trees!”
“Ee-yup.” Said Big Macintosh, who had come from the farm to say hello.
Tails looked at him. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
“Nope,” Said Big Mac.
“I think that’s about it.” Said Rarity. “We should get started on the, um, Chaos Emerald hunt.”
Tails beamed. Clearly he liked messing around with technology. He held up a little scanner and peered at the screen.
“One signal is coming from the heart of Ponyville. Over there.” He pointed vaguely at the cluster of buildings around the center of the town.
“Hang on… that’s the Carousel Boutique!” cried Twilight. “That’s Rarity’s dressmaking store! She must have seen where one of the Chaos Emeralds landed!”
“Oh, yes…” Rarity smiled but there was a strange tone in her voice. “Of course I did.”
“That’s great!” said Tails, “But let’s check out the other locations as well.”
He looked at the scanner again. “There’s one up in, whatsitcalled, Cloudsdale. A signal is coming from up there. And there’s one on the big patch of ground with the mansion. Someone who lives there must have seen it. And - oh.” Tails looked up at Twilight with worry in his eyes. “One is in the Everfree forest.”
Fluttershy gulped. “Oh no…”
Tails shut off his scanner. “It’s alright, I’ve seen worse. I think we can handle it.”
Twilight changed the subject. “So… I see you like your gadgets.”
Tails’ eyes lit up. “Yes, I do!”
“Do you have any magic?”
Tails frowned. “What?”
“Let me show you.” Twilight lowered her head and aimed her horn at a nearby tree. At its base were fallen twigs and leaves. She let an aura of violet energy surround the sticks and leaves and brought them over to Tails, whose eyes were bugging out.
She put them on the floor. She looked at Tails and smiled. “How was that for magic?”
“Wow…” breathed Tails, lost for words.
Applejack laughed. “Not everypony has fancy schmancy magic talents like Twiligh’. Since A’m an earth pony, ma hooves an’ strength is ma magic.” She demonstrated by kicking a tree with her back legs, sending a cascade of apples down to the grassy ground.
Tails grinned. “Then my magic is like a cross between both of those.” He waved his scanner. “Science and technology is my magic.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped open. “Science? I love science!”
Tails looked equally surprised. “Sonic keeps saying it’s all egghead stuff!”
“Same here with Rainbow Dash!”
Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Uh oh, egghead in stereo alert!”
Before Twilight and Tails could start talking chemistry and thermodynamics, Rarity coughed. “Shouldn’t we get started on the… emerald hunt now?”
“Oh… right. Twilight looked at Tails. “We’ll talk science later. Right now we have Chaos Emeralds to find. Everypony wearing their Element of Harmony?”
“Yep!” Everyone cried back.
Twilight could only hope that in the other world, Rainbow Dash was doing the same.
“Let’s go!”