Sometime Ago on Mobius...
Sonic stood on the wing of the Tornado, his arms crossed over his chest, a confident smirk seen on his face. Sitting in the pilot's seat was Tails of course, and in the back seat was Knuckles. The three of them eyed the obvious airship that floated in front of them. The hedgehog looked behind him, "Time to land this thing, Tails!" he ordered. The fox nodded and gave his friend a thumbs up.
"So, what's the plan Sonic?" Knuckles asked.
"Same thing as usual! Go in, smash some bots and scramble that Eggman." Sonic revealed.
Knuckles smiled, "My kind of plan then!"
And with a nod, Tails dove the plane downward aiming it so that it landed on the deck of the Egg Carrier perfectly, its wheels skidding on the metal surface for a few moments before finally stopping. Tails was the first to hop out of the plane, "It's strange... Eggman didn't have any aerial defenses to stop us this time. No Badnks, no Egg Pawns... Nothing." the fox noticed.
"Maybe he finally gave up. It will make our lives certainly easier." quipped Sonic.
The team heard the sound of rumbling coming from below them. Appearing in front of them were robots, Egg Pawns, Motobugs, and a few more of Eggman's elite models. The hedgehog smirked, "Heh heh. Guess I was wrong then." he looked to the echidna, "You wanna take charge for this, Knux?"
Knuckles nodded, smashing his namesakes together proudly, "Don't mind if I do!"
And with that said, Knuckles charged ahead of the two in a red blur with Sonic and Tails by his sides. The team smashed their way through the robot army as fast as they could, the metal beings exploding in their wake with ease. Knuckles raised his right arm upon nearing an Egg Pawn, launching it into the air where it met the ground with a powerful thud. Sonic slid for a second, tripping another robot before Spin-Dashing back up, where he tore through some more bots like butter. Tails spun for a moment, his two tails rotating with his body at a speed where they could damage some of the bots in front of them.
The echidna grunted, driving his fists directly into a charging Motobug. Knuckles then threw its head at a hovering Buzz Bomber, causing its stinger to go haywire. Sonic and Tails jumped as high as they could, where the hedgehog kicked the bee bot back with assistance frm his flying partner. The two landed and continued their sprint, crashing through the remaining opposition.
Team Sonic noticed a metal door, and Sonic looked to Knuckles, "Looks like we gotta make ourselves a house call. Knux, I think it's about time we knocked."
"With pleasure!"
So, Knuckles reared his arm back and punched the door with enough force to break it upon contant. The three skidded to a halt and Tails pulled out his Miles Electric, "Strange... I'm picking up next to no energy readings from here." the fox pointed out in confusion, "Why would Eggman want his Egg Carrier known if he wasn't planning on attacking any city?"
"Well, that's what we're here to find out, bro." Sonic said, reminded his friend. "Cause Eggman plus giant ship equals evil plan."
Tails tinkered a little more with his machine while Knuckles spoke, "Well, it won't matter, cause this time we have the Chaos Emeralds. Eggman won't be boasting for long this time."
The three walked into a room, noticing a scientist clad in red with a bushy mustache standing on the other end. Sonic frowned as he clenched his fists in anticipation, "Eggman!" he shouted, getting the mad doctor's attention.
Eggman turned around, "Ah, if it isn't the Sonic Heroes. Come to foil my devious schemes again?" he asked in a condescending tone. Something was off about hid behavior, Sonic noticed, but he chose to play along for the moment.
"What do you think, doc? You brought your Egg Carrier to our attention, and we're not just gonna let you out for a joyride without asking some questions first." Sonic reminded his longtime foe.
Knuckles growled to Tails, "I don't like this... No machine... No device in here. He's up to something..."
"And I'm trying to figure out what that is." Tails whispered back.
Sonic noticed that Eggman had an arm behind his back the whole time while talking and scowled, "Ah, yes. That's exactly what I anticipated. Now, here!" his arm was held out in front of him, revealing a button, which he pressed. Suddenly, a purple forcefield erected itself among the three. Knuckles tried to punch it and got shocked instead, "Like it? It's a new device I'm trying out. The more you attempt to escape, the harder the knockback!"
"That's harsh!" Tails whined.
The scientist raised a finger, "Of course it is. But that's not all it can do!" he added, pressing the button again. The three felt a powerful shock enter their bodies, leaving them practically frozen in pain. However ehat they failed to notice were the seven colorful gems that left their possession and into the doctor's, where he then gave them a moment of relief, watching them pant. "It also acts as a chaos energy dampening field and a magnet to gain what I seeked: the Chaos Emeralds!"
Sonic got to a knee, "Real twisted of you, Egghead! What's your game this time?! You have no defenses here... This is different."
Eggman laughed, "Oh, Sonic you are correct. It is a little different this time. See, I need the Chaos Emeralds for a different reason."
"Of course... No wonder I didn't detect any outside any surges... There were none." Tails realized, "You needed the Chaos Emeralds for this!" he shouted.
"How astute of you, fox. It is quite brilliant how I conducted this scheme, hm?" Eggman called out, "It's quite simple, I need the Chaos Emeralds for a different reason."
Knuckles put his hands on his hips, "As if. Whatever it is, I'm sure it involves nothing but trouble anyway."
Eggman folded his hands, "Heh heh. See, I do not plan on using the emeralds for another Death Egg this time."
"Then what for, huh?" Sonic groaned.
The scientist replied, "I've been reading some more ancient tomes, and have learned of a mythical set of artifacts similar to that of the seven Chaos Emeralds: The Elements of Harmony. But there is a problem, I cannot obtain them from here."
Tails put a finger on his muzzle, deducing what the team's nemesis meant, "You mean they exist in a parallel dimension?" he realized as he asked.
"Correct. These so-called Elements exist in a plane separate to ours, similar to the Mushroom Kingdom or the parallel Earth with the other blue pest you've met. With the Chaos Emeralds in my possession, I can finally reach it and use their power to take over the world!" Eggman revealed.
Sonic scowled, "And why would you need these Elements, doc? You already have the emeralds. What can these elements do that Chaos Emeralds can't?"
"Oh, I cannot reveal the exact details... But they can purge away any nonpure magic, power and the like as they represent a positive ideal. And I need the power of the Emeralds, so they shall act as... reserve batteries..." the scientist gloated. "To allow me to use the emeralds to their full potential when the time comes!"
Knuckles slammed his fist to the floor, "You're sick! Using another world as a means for conquest? One that doesn't know about us no less? It's too far!" he shouted.
Eggman laughed, "Anything to get rid of you heroes! Enjoy the ride, hohoho!" the scientist pressed a button and the four felt everything around them shake. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles crouched down, while Eggman held onto the arms of his chair, which buckled him in automatically as a sinister smirk formed under his mustache.
Finally, the shaking stopped and the heroes groaned, "My head's spinning..." mumbled Tails, getting his bearings. Sonic grunted and pushed himself up.
"Alright, Egghead! Where are we?!" yelled Sonic.
Eggman never turned around from his spot, "The land of Equestria, the parallel dimension I spoke of. Such a shame we must say our goodbyes here."
"Wait wha--?"
With a press of a button, the forcefield warped Sonic, Tails and Knuckles out of the room, which was then barricaded by the power of the Chaos Emeralds. The team found themselves back where they landed, "Crud. He used Chaos Control." Sonic noticed, reasy to run back in, but Tails held his arm back.
"Wait, Sonic! We can't just go back in there! He has the Chaos Emeralds now." Tails said to his friend, "This time we can't go running without a plan." he added, reminding the blue hedgehog of a series of mistakes he made before, mistakes that nearly led to the extinction of his world and the demise of his friends.
Sonic eased up, "Yeah, you're right."
Knuckles closed his eyes, "I am sensing a major amount of negative Chaos energy within this carrier. No doubt Eggman is using the emeralds as a mean to barricade us from entering that room again. We need to find another way in."
"He is right, Sonic. My device is scanning a major amount of negative chaos energy!" Tails shouted, double checking his Miles Electric.
Sonic inhaled, "Then how the heck do we get back?"
"...The Elements of Harmony." Tails responded. "Eggman said they can purge any dark energy or magic. If we can find them, maybe we can use them like the Chaos Emeralds, their power can break through the negative energy."
"Yeah." Sonic nodded, "But first we need to find them."
The fox looked next to him, "Luckily, we got the Tornado. All we have to do is follow Eggman's trail and we can take things from there." he added proudly.
"That can work." Knuckles replied, "Then I'll get payback for doing this to us."
Sonic chuckled, "Looks like we got another adventure on our hands. Let's get right to it then!"
"So, we tracked Egghead down here and met you." Sonic finished the tale, "Now, we just need to find the Elements of Harmony. You said they were in Canterlot?"
Twilight nodded, "Yes, sealed away in a vault with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Eggman wants to use their power... But I'm not sure how he plans on doing it."
Tails raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
"The Elements of Harmony represent six aspects of friendship: Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic. And they need the bearers as they are the only ones who can use their power, which are us six." Twilight explained, "Without the bearers, they are nothing more than jewelery."
"Nice looking jewelery, but still." Rarity interjected.
Knuckles smiled, "Luckily, Eggman attacked here first. And with that knowledge, we have the upper hand. I don't think he knew that they needed any bearers at all."
"Sounds like Egghead to forget some important details!" Sonic laughed. "Looks like we gotta head to where the Elements are at first. Now how are we all gonna get there?"
Knuckles replied, "Yeah, I don't think all of us can move that quickly. We should split up at the very least and meet up at Canterlot if we want to get there at the same time."
Tails looked around, "I can probably use the Tornado to bring a few of you up at least, the back seat could fit at least Spike and someone else right next to him. But one of you can stand on the wing."
Spike perked up, "Really? Awesome!"
"That doesn't sound safe." Fluttershy squeaked.
Sonic shrugged, "Tails is the best pilot I know, Fluttershy. And I stand on it all the time, plus I believe he still has the handle you can use in case you're still afraid."
"Yeah, I still have it." the fox assured, "None of you have to worry. I'll try to make it as comfortable a trip as I can."
Twilight hummed, patting a hoof on her chin, "I'll go. Maybe I can learn a thing or two on the way there. Your world and technology are actually quite intruging."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Egghead."
"Save the egg quips for Eggman, Dash." Sonic said. "Trust me, he hates it."
Rarity raised a hoof, "I do believe I can share a seat with Spikey-Wikey." she cooed. Sonic swore he saw literal hearts pop out of his eyeballs, but he chose not to dwell any further than that.
Applejack raised a hoof, "Well, what about us?"
"I can run there just fine, but we might need all the Element bearers to use their power to stop Eggman. And I'd rather the three of us separate with them in case Eggman plans to ambush us." Knuckles suggested.
Sonic snapped his fingers, "Good plan, Knux. You can take Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy. Rainbow and I can will find our own way there." he decided.
"So, you wanna think you're faster?" Rainbow wondered.
The hedgehog nodded, "I don't think I am. I know I am. Huge difference there, Dash."
"Oh brother." grumbled Knuckles.
Applejack nudged him, "Feeling's mutual, partner."
Tails sighed, "Well, I'll prep the Tornado for another flight. I'm sure Sonic and Rainbow are going to race... How are you guys getting there, Knuckles?" he questioned.
"Ooh oh! I know!" Pinkie cheered, "We can take the train, the Friendship Express!"
Knuckles' eye twitched, "Is... Is that what it's really called? I'd rather fight Perfect Chaos at this point."
"Aw, don't be a party pooper, Knuckles!" Pinkie said, wrapping an arm around the echidna's shoulder suddenly, surprising him. Knuckles jumped back.
Sonic held back a snicker, "I think we got everything figured out. Last one there is a rotten Eggman!" he then zoomed off in a blue blur, prompting Rainbow to scowl.
"Oh no you don't!" she shouted, becoming a rainbow blur of her own and trailing him.
The group shook their heads and Twilight was the first to speak, "Is he always like this?" she asked.
"Sometimes, yeah..." the fox rubbed his neck nervously, "Is Rainbow like that too?"
Applejack let out a scoff, "Oh, you have no idea."
Knuckles groaned, "I'll meet you guys there. I got a train to catch. Reminds me of Station Square. Ugh." he then walked off, and Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie to guide him.
The fox spun his namesakes around and hovered while reaching for the propeller, catching Twilight, Rarity and Spike off guard, "Wait... You can fly?!" Spike finally asked in awe.
"Huh? Oh, yeah I can!" Tails replied.
"H-How? That defies all nature!" Twilight nearly shouted.
Rarity pursed her lips, "Though it is quite a sight. Fluttershy would have loved to see it."
Tails pointer behind him, "My two tails. I've learned how to control them and if I spin them fast enough, I can hover." he pushed down on the propeller, testing the engine. "Hm. Still works. Okay, now hop in everyone! Just lead me to Canterlot!"
The alicorn shook her head, "Alright..."