//------------------------------//
// Green Hill: Arsenal Pyramid (Vs Sombra) 
// Story: Sonic Forces: Resistance is Magic 
// by MetalJrock 
//------------------------------//

The shuttle the heroes took were on a way one course back to the planet, with their morale up, they seeked to continue the war now that Sonic was back in action.

"Sonic! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Said hedgehog was wrapped in a bear hug by Amy. "Uh, Amy. We mentioned me needing personal space before... Now is one of those times." he gagged, Amy releasing her tight grip on Sonic and blushing from embarassment. The Equestrians got a quick laugh out of that, and even Buddy smiled.

Knuckles grinned, "It's great to see you again, Sonic."

Sonic said, "It's great to be free at last. My legs needed a good stretch anyway. So, you're the head honcho here? And Silver? Long time no see, dude." he glanced at his friends, "Where's Tails? I thought he'd be with you over here."

"I'm sorry, Sonic. We haven't been able to find him. He still thinks you're dead. We tried though." Knuckles apologized. "He blames himself for what happened to you on that day."

Sonic nodded and said, "Don't take it out on yourself, Knux. Knowin' him, he's perfectly fine anyway. Heck, he could be doing damage against Eggman on his own. We'll look for him as soon as we can. He should at least know I'm fine."

"No offense, Sonic. But we thought you were being tortured. Why are you acting like nothing's wrong?" Silver wondered.

"By torture, you mean being forced to sit in a cell for months without the ability to run and eat nothing but stale chili dogs every day to the minute? Yeah, it was pretty gruesome. Me being sick was the worst of it honestly. Plus, do you think I'll give Eggman the satisfaction of breaking me?" Sonic replied, rubbing his stomach. "I knew you guys would come around to break me out. Though the group has gotten a lot bigger since then." his eyes wandered to the Equestrians.

Twilight pointed at herself, "If you're wondering how we got here, Sonic. I'm sorry, but we don't have a lot to go with right now beyond the words of that monster."

Pinkie appeared behind Sonic, catching the hedgehog off guard, "We were just sitting there when the Cutie Map summoned us, then this weird 'pwoom' sound echoed, a portal opened up, and we woke up in some strange cold factory where we were attacked by robots and some meanie wearing all black! Then we met the Resistance and came to rescue you as soon as possible!"

"Whoa, chill, Pinkie. I think you explained everything I needed to hear. I think I know what sound you're talking about. I heard it when Zavok vanished after I kicked his sorry red butt." Sonic eased the pink mare, having heard enough of the explanation.

Rouge asked, "You fought Zavok? Should've known you'd be stealing all the action for yourself."

"Zavok vanished?" Silver asked, "That doesn't seem right,"

Twilight tapped her chin, "Maybe whatever we faced in the Chemical Plant is capable of mass teleportation? It summoned us here after all, so it could be the case." she suggested.

"That's right. He did play a part in it." Applejack recalled, "Makes me wonder what else he's hidin'."

Espio folded his arms, "Nothing good, I am sure of that."

Sonic rubbed his quills and said, "If I see him again, I'll just have to get some answers the hard way.

Knuckles sighed and spoke up, "As much as I want to relax and tell stories and pass around theories, we have to get back on focusing on stopping Eggman for good."

"Right." Twilight said, "Sorry. What do we do now?"

The echidna commander raised a finger, "With Sonic back, it's time we double down. We need to bring hope back to the people. We should start simple. There is a munitions pyramid factory located in the desert region of Green Hill."

"A munitions factory?!" Vector repeated, "That ain't good."

"None of this is good, Vector. That's why it's called war." Knuckles revealed in a slightly defeated tone.

"War?" Fluttershy gulped.

"Dark..." Pinkie muttered.

Twilight raised a brow, "Eggman has a weapons factory in this Green Hill place? It could be where he's getting his seemingly endless supply of robots then."

"It could be." Silver responded, "That's why it needs to be destroyed for good."

"No kiddin'." Applejack added. "Eggman havin' weapons of any kind ain't good I'm sure."

"No doubt." Rarity agreed, "Is there anything we can do?"

Glancing over at Sonic, Knuckles said, "You up for your first mission in the Resistance, old friend?"

Sonic chuckled, "Since you're the commander, I guess I gotta listen to you then. Sendin' me out there?"

Knuckles smiled and pointed to the red wolf, "Yep. How about you take the Rookie with you?" Buddy's eyes widened at that. Go on a mission with Sonic the Hedgehog himself? It felt like a surreal dream. He was nervous, but if it meant helping the blue blur himself, he felt as though he couldnt refuse.

Vector raised a brow, "Uh, you sure? He looked pretty spooked before we got on the Death Egg."

"I think Buddy can do it. He was a major help with Rainbow and I on the Death Egg." Twilight assured, in an attempt to ease the wolf's nervousness. She truly did believe he could be more than a rookie with some experience.

Rainbow slammed a hoof, "Oh no, I'm going too!"

"You can't be serious, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said.

The cyan pegasus nodded, "Yep. I am! Sonic and I gotta make up for lost time! I'm not gonna let him steal all the glory just because he's back in action now."

"Why? So you could?" Applejack muttered.

Sonic raised his hands, "If Rainbow wants to join, that's perfectly fine with me. What do you think, partner?" he nudged Buddy's elbow, wanting to get some input. The wolf pointed at himself in confusion for a moment, wondering if Sonic was actually talking to him. "You and me are working together, so I might as well get a second opinion on this."

"Hm?" Buddy mumbled. Partner? Did Sonic just call him his partner? That was quite odd to hear to say the least. But he nodded his approval, meaning Rainbow could join them.

"Awesome!" Rainbow chanted. "I won't let any of you down!"

Knuckles said, "It's settled. The three of you shall infiltrate the weapons factory once we arrive. I'll have to give you a communicator, Sonic. Just in case you need to contact."

"Sure thing."





It was a cloudy night in Green Hill. Sonic, Rainbow Dash and Buddy ran down the best path they could find to avoid any detection. The sector of Green Hill they were in looked to be a camp, surrounded by fences, survelliance lights and the like. In the distance was a pyramid, their destination.

"Yeesh. Green Hill's lookin' a lot sandier since I was last here. And fortified." Sonic muttered, noticing the sand drying up the grass. In fact he could spot more sand in the distance instead of the usual lush green. He, Rainbow Dash, and Buddy ran along the path in hopes of reaching the weapons factory soon. But to see this made his skin crawl, "Yep. This has Eggman written all over it all right."

"Ugh. I hate sand." Rarity gagged, "It's rough and coarse..."

Silver interrupted, "I don't think we need a lecture, Rarity. We get the idea probably."

Buddy sighed. He had heard of this place before. To see it fall under harsh circumstances was quite disheartening. He saw the sand, barbed wire, and metal barriers keeping back most people. He saw cages with actual people in them. His eyes widened, wondering just how bad things got here over the months.

"Are those... People?" Rainbow muttered.

Sonic relunctantly nodded, his eyes facing the saddened gazes of the captured people, "Yeah... Egghead must be grabbin' them for his twisted roboticization schtick. I thought he dropped that long ago." he murmured in disgust.

"Sonic?" the hedgehog heard a voice call out to him. The three stopped, facing a lone dog sitting in a cage, "Y-You're back? And w-who are these two?"

The blue blur gave a thumbs up and said, "Yep. Eggman can't keep me still for long. These guys are Rainbow Dash and Buddy, good friends of mine." he knelt down, "Trust me, we're gonna trash this little slavery camp Eggman formed. I'm not gonna let any single one of you get turned into a robot."

The dog shook his head, "It wasn't Eggman..."

Buddy tilted his head, confused. The dog continued, "It was a horse person, kinda like you." he pointed to Rainbow Dash, "Except he was black and had this robe around him and used some crazy dark magic or whatever to trap these bars so that it would electrocute us if we were to escape."

Rainbow growled, "Sombra."

"Eggman mentioned that name before when the baddies showed up too. Guess we know who's behind it then." Sonic said.

"Sombra's the one capturing these innocent people?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack muttered, "Of course, it's just like 'em to do this."

Silver asked, "If I can ask, is Sombra known for doing this?"

"He enslaved the Crystal Empire before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banished him for a thousand years. But him being here doesn't make sense. Spike and Cadance used the Crystal Heart to destroy him when the empire returned." Twilight explained, "I'm thinking this new enemy of ours brought him back like how he brought us all from Equestria."

"Yep! He covered the whole place in ominous dark clouds and everything when the shield broke!" Pinkie added.

Sonic scowled, "That's not good then. We need to stop him as soon as possible and get this place crossed off our maps." Buddy and Rainbow nodded in agreement. He assured the prisoner that they'd free him once things were clear before running off again. "There, I can see the pyramid. I guess Eggman really likes his pyramid bases."

Knuckles said, "Just let me know if you need reinforcements."

"That won't be necessary, Knuckles! I think the three of us can handle this just fine. Right, partners?" Sonic asked his companions, the two of them moving as fast as he was by his sides.

Partner. Again, something about that word filled Buddy with confidence. But he gave his friend a thumbs up while Rainbow smiled, acknowledging his words. The three jumped off a cliffside and landed in a more mechanical looking spot, a pathway filled with more barriers to break throug and robots, which were handled with ease. "Whoa. This place is starting to look like some kinda factory too!" Rainbow pointed out, "Was Green Hill always like this, Sonic?"

Sonic shook his head, "No. Normally it's a peaceful region filled with woodland animals and plants. But you know who keeps making a mess of it. This being the worst I've ever seen it. The farthest Egghead would get was turning the animals into robots."

"My word." Rarity overheard.

Fluttershy said, "He did?! Those poor animals."

"That's how it all started, Fluttershy. Of course I'd come in to crack him open as well as free the animals, and this time will be no different." Sonic assured.

"This just gives us one more excuse to kick his sorry flank!" Rainbow shouted.

Buddy gulped. He was probably about to take on a tyrant. He then let out a sigh of relief upon remembering he had Sonic and Rainbow Dash to help him at the very least. He was unsure that he'd be able to handle facing one of the enemies by himself.

The three saw some barriers blocking their way, "Hey, Sonic, want me to fly you two over it?"

Sonic shook his head and replied, "Nah. The three of us are more than enough to break through whatever obstacle stands in our way! I think it's time we showed Sombra what the three of us are made of!" Buddy looked at him confused then caught on to what he was implying. Sonic thought it was worth a shot and nudged his new friend's elbow, giving him a boost of confidence with a thumbs up.

And so, Sonic stood in between Rainbow Dash and Buddy, giving them fist bumps (or in Rainbow's case a hoof bump) before curling into a ball and charging in midair. The pegasus and the wolf followed suit, an aura of blue covering their bodies as they did so.

"TRIPLE BOOST!"

The trio then boosted right through the barriers, trashing any robot and other obstacles that stood in their path. Sonic, Rainbow, and Buddy shared a smile with each other. "Yeah! That's how it's done you guys! We've got unstoppable speed and timing! Think the two of you can keep this up?" he wondered.

"Just watch me!" Rainbow boasted. Buddy nodded, feeling as though he could handle it.

The three ran up the side of the pyramid, hearing Amy over their communicator, "The entrance should be right near you. Be careful of any defenses."

"Like spinning lasers!" Pinkie chimed in.

Sonic, Rainbow Dash, and Buddy began to dive downwards once they jumped off the upwards slope. "Heh. I think we can handle some lasers, you two!" Rainbow assured.

As soon as she said that lasers did in fact appear from the walls, moving around. Buddy was surprised that Pinkie was right. When he gave Rainbow Dash a confused glance she muttered, "Uh. Pinkie has a habit of figuring random things out like that."

"At least we got someone like her on our side! We could use random right about now." Sonic laughed. The team leaned their bodies to around so they could move past the lasers without much trouble. "Yep. This wasn't much trouble at all."

At last, they landed. The first thing they noticed was that the room was filled with nothing but moving gears and robots guarding their way further inside. Sonic cracked his knuckles, "I guess this is the welcome party? I expected more." the hedgehog bragged, using his Homing Attack to trash each one standing in a line.

"Do you guys see any people inside there? If there's a camp, there's no doubt Eggman and Sombra would want them working." said Twilight cautiously.

Sonic squinted his eyes. Buddy tapped the hedgehog's shoulder and looked over. Standing on a platform was a bear, sweating and tired, rotating a gear with a lever to move them. "Oh... He really is making them work like robots, Twilight. Seems Eggman's been making a bad influence on your enemies."

The three hopped down and landed on a gear, keeping themselves balanced while getting their bearings. "Whoa. Alright. Easy, Buddy." he told the wolf who was tripping on his own feet and landed on his stomach. Sonic and Rainbow helped him up. Buddy rubbed his head nervously but Sonic said, "Doing things like this takes time, dude. Don't sweat it, you're new to this after all. Anyway, seems Egghead told Sombra to set up camp here and was ordered to kidnap people."

"Sombra is like that, Sonic." Twilight replied.

"That's seriously messed up though. Your world's gotta deal with our enemies too." Rainbow muttered. "And we've dealt with some pretty messed up ponies."

Knuckles replied, "This is none of you or your friends' fault, Rainbow Dash. We know that."

Fluttershy asked, "Are you sure? That monster said this happened because Eggman wanted revenge."

"We're sure, Fluttershy!" Charmy responded.

Silver added, "No matter what, we're going to stop them together. You all couldn't have predicted this would happen. We didn't. We're prepared and better now and that's all that counts."

"Take it from Silver, girls. We got this war in the bag." Sonic said. "The three of us will let you know if anything changes."

Seeing some robots surround them, Buddy used his Burst Wispon to burn them all instantly and moved in a circle. "Nice job, Buddy. So anyway, here's the plan. We gotta evacuate any people trapped in here before we blow it to kingdom come. Rainbow, since you can fly you can probably get them out the fastest. Buddy and I will handle anything that'll try to stop you along the way. From the look of things, there don't seem to be a lot of people. No doubt Sombra wanted to avoid handling more employees than necessary in case of rebellion."

"No problem, Sonic!" Rainbow said.

Pointing upwards, Buddy grabbed Sonic's wrist and used his grapple to swing across another vantage point onto another pathway. "Okay then. Let's get moving!"

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash flew up to where the bear was working and stopped, "Who are you? I can't talk, I have to get back to work or Sombra's gonna hurt me."

"Hey, cool it there, dude. I'm Rainbow Dash, an awesome friend of Sonic's from another dimension. Look, we're gonna break you and anyone else in here out in the blink of an eye. So just listen to me alright?" Rainbow explained.

The bear looked around, "How do I know this isn't a trap? Sonic died six months ago."

"The Resistance found him. My friends and I are with them. Just... trust me alright? They called me the Element of Loyalty for a reason back on my world," the pegasus bragged. "Trust me, Sombra is somepony I never want to see again after this."

Back on ground level, Sonic and Buddy found a sharp turn ahead. In a moment's notice, the hedgehog grabbed the wolf's wrist and the Rookie used his grapple to swing the two of them around the curve and once they were on a straightaway, the wolf retracted his wire and he and Sonic ran through some capsules. With a smirk Sonic said, "Just follow my lead, Buddy! We can blitz through any bot with these Wisps lendin' us a hand!" he boasted.

"What are Wisps exactly?" Applejack wondered.

"Alien creatures. They can lend us their power and chose to. It changes depending on the color, but I won't go too into detail right now." Knuckles explained. "Glad to see them around."

"No kidding." Sonic said.

The two of them bursted through the robots standing in their path before landing on another rotating gear, Buddy landing better this time. "Gettin' the hang of it, huh?" the wolf rubbed his knees.

More robots emerged from the woodworks, circling the duo. "We gotta trash these things so Rainbow can get the people out." he used a Homing Attack to smash some robots to the left while Buddy burnt the remaining forces to the right and center.

"Alright, Rookie! That Wispon is coming real handy, huh?" Knuckles cheered on.

"It sure looks like it." Pinkie replied.

Sonic and Buddy spotted a rainbow blur fly past them as they grappled to the next platform.

Jumping up another path, Sonic and Buddy found themselves on an empty pathway, able to see conveyor belts and robots being manufactured down below. Not only that, they did see an exit, blocked off by some robots. "Yo, partner. Swing us down there so we can free the rest of the prisoners." the wolf nodded and did as instructed, the two of them kicking back the drone before it even had a chance to attack them while vulnerable.

The duo landed as Sonic cheered, "Yeah, that's how it's done! Alright everyone!" he shouted over the people talking about the sudden commotion, "You're all free to go!"

Buddy aimed one of the capsule bombs given to them at the door, blowing it off its hinges. He stepped out of the way and allowed the exited prisoners to leave their torment. "Now we just gotta wait for Rainbow and then we can trash the rest of this pyramid."

But before he could run out, something pushed him back. A green and purple beam that faded upon contact with the blue blur. "Oh man... What the heck was that?"

"Trying to ruin the Green Hill Empire I have built, heroes?" asked a black unicorn stepping out of the shadows. "A real shame that such an act will be your undoing."

Sonic got up, Buddy trembling. "Well, you must be Sombra, the guy I heard so much about. The girls spoke highly of you. Okay, more like the opposite but you get my point."

"Sombra's there?" Rarity gasped, "Are you three sure you don't need reinforcements?"

"Hold on, Sombra is here?!" Rainbow shouted, "I'll be there in a second to help, Sonic. I just gotta bring out this last guy."

"Sure thing, Dash." Sonic commented, Buddy walking next to him nervously, "And we're sure Rarity. Can any of you clue me in on how to stomp this guy?"

Sombra teleported forward and created a barrier right as Sonic tried to Spin-Dash him, forcing the hedgehog to bounce back. "You heroes think you can stop us? You are sorely mistaken." Buddy gulped, seeing daggers of magic coming towards him. Scared, the wolf slid down underneath them to dodge. "And look at the weak wolf thinking he can stand a chance against the Eggman Empire." he mocked, causing Buddy to fall in fear.

"Hey, don't insult my friends!" Sonic shouted, "They're more capable than you'll ever be! Oof!" he was shot back by another beam of magic, launched into the air this time as a result.

"Is that so?" Sombra taunted while Sonic's body fell. "Well, I would like to meet these capable friends of yours."

"Right here, Sombra!" a rainbow blur flashed out of nowhere and smacked Sombra aside, causing him to tumble sideways, nearly tripping on his regal robe and confused hooves, "Ah, I recognize that voice anywhere. Rainbow Dash herself is here."

"Uh, yeah. You, Eggman, Chrysalis and Starlight all played a part in that remember?" Rainbow snarled, having found Sonic and putting him back on the ground safely, his chest bruised. 

Sombra tapped his chin, the purple aura appearing over him, "Oh of course. Such a shame the rest of your friends and that accursed dragon couldn't be here to fall by my hoof."

Buddy leaped forward and tried to punch the dark king, but was greeted by another force field. "See? My dark magic can withstand any attack you throw at me. And I feel stronger than ever now that I have been reborn from my recent slumber."

Dashing forward, Sonic ran around the room, dodging Sombra's barrage of magic. "Yeah, sorry. I don't do impossible odds against my favor. Just doesn't work." the hedgehog mocked, "All baddies have a weak point. I learned that much long ago!" he leaped up and performed a divekick, but was pushed aside by Sombra's magic before his foot could collide with the unicorn. Buddy tried to use his Burst Wispon, but the flames only brushed the new forcefield Sombra made.

Rainbow Dash swerved downwards, "Don't you dare do anything!" she tried to jab Sombra, but was casually pushed back by the unicorn, causing her to flinch in pain. "Time to go back under ice where you belong, Sombra!"

"His use of dark magic is quite powerful. You need to distract him so he's unable to use it against you." Twilight suggested.

"Trying to, Twi!" Rainbow responded.

Buddy swung in the air and intended to perform a stomp on Sombra as the alicorn explained this, driving his feet onto the unicorn's barrel to stun him for a brief moment.

The dark king got back up once the rookie backflipped off of his back, cringing in pain. "That... hurt..." the wolf's eyes widened as he hit Buddy with a green beam and knocked him back as a result, throwing into some boxes and making a mess. "You will pay for that." the wolf got back up and tried to hit the unicorn with the end of his grapple, but was blocked by another magic barrier and was thrown aside by Sombra, landing on another stack of artillery readied to be shipped.

"Nah!" Sonic quipped, running fast enough to land a punch on Sombra before he could even react. The king flinched and reared his head to the side, growling at the hedgehog. "So, Sombrero. Got any cool light tricks ya wanna show off?"

"Are you really tempting him?" Amy sighed.

Rainbow Dash laughed, "That's just how we roll, Amy!"

"The two of ya are certainly somethin' else fer sure." Applejack mumbled to herself.

Sonic ducked and slid while running, dodging a green beam aimed towards him. "Yep!" he curled into a ball and smacked Sombra with a charged Spin-Dash. "Eggman hasn't learned that lesson yet." he uncurled and tried to follow up with a kick, but instead Sombra held him still, his arms and legs tied together by some strange spell. This caused the hedgehog to fall on his hip. "Egh!" he growled, trying to free his limbs from captivity.

"You just broke out and now you're trapped once more. A darn shame for the Fastest Thing Alive I have heard about. Once I'm done with the three of you, I shall take back what was lost of this empire I have built among your world." Sombra boasted.

Rainbow Dash came in and smacked the unicorn's face as hard as she could while flying forward, "Yeah right! Like we'll let you get away with that! Once was too much already, and that only happened cause we weren't around to stop it."

Sombra said, "And you won't be able to stop it now. So why bother?" he shot a beam at the pegasus, hitting her wings and freezing them with another spell. The sudden pause on her wings' movement caused Rainbow to fall.

"Cause it's what we do..." Sonic hissed while still lying on the ground, barely able to move. Rainbow stood up but was merely pushed aside by the unicorn's barrier. Sombra dodged a jab from Dash and shot her with another beam, shocking her with an electric spell. "The three of us are here, so yeah, we're gonna stop you and save those civilians you imprisoned outside."

"The Green Hill Empire is mine to rule, Sonic." Sombra declared, using an electric spell on him, making Sonic yelp in pain, "For years, you have considered it a home and have used it as your running ground like the rest of the planet. It was the very place the started the eternal rivalry between you and Dr. Eggman. And look how far it's fallen because of that rivalry and your absence. What could your friends do if you perished here? They were unable to stop us for months when they thought it was the case! Even that two tailed freak you call your best friend."

Sonic's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth in anger, "T-Tails...? What did you do to him?!"

Sombra smirked, "We have done nothing. He has escaped our wrath time and again. But we intend to change that soon next time he crosses paths with any of us again."

"Don't you or any of you other mooks left standing dare hurt so much as one hair on his head!" Sonic snarled.

"Hm, seems I touched a nerve there, hedgehog. This is quite an amusing change of mood coming from you." Sombra mocked.

Rainbow, unable to move too, spat out to the unicorn, "That's because a scumbag like you is threatening his best friend! Low blow even for you, Sombra."

"Sonic, Rainbow Dash! We can send reinforcements now!" Knuckles shouted.

"Don't..." whispered Rainbow, "We still got this."

Hiding behind a box, Buddy was shaking in fear. He had no idea what to do. No training or anything in the event he was up against someone like Sombra. He remembered what Twilight said earlier, but he rubbed his head, still scared out of his mind. He didn't know if he could do this right. If he messed up, it was game over for the three of them at this point. Sonic and Rainbow Dash were barely able to fight at this point, and yet this could be the one chance they have to win.

His teeth chattered and he was sweating, but he knew he had to try at the very least. So, he held out his Wispon and readied his grapple to strike at the right moment. Buddy jumped out and swung, his legs stretched out and he kicked the unsuspecting Sombra right in the forehead, somehow knocking his horn off of him. "Gross." Sonic muttered at the appendage hitting the floor, feeling the spell around him and Rainbow Dash wear off at last.

Sombra tried to get up but was burned slightly by the Burst Wispon. He exhaled, "N-No... I cannot be bested."

"Well, you are dude!" Rainbow bragged.

Sonic used a Homing Attack and finished the battle off with a roundhouse kick directly to Sombra's cheek, "And now ends our uprising!" he shouted, watching the unicorn's unconscious body collapse at last, "This false king just got dethroned." he dusted his hands off.

Buddy tapped his chin and Sonic smiled, "Not bad out there, Buddy. We knew you'd do it." with the rookie confused, Sonic continued, "Rainbow and I kept his attention on us so you could sneak in and finish the job. We noticed you weren't trapped with us. Some quick thinking on my part honestly. But I'm happy to see you pulled through." he smiled, "And I never doubted it."

"I like to take some credit too." Rainbow added. "Not bad for a Rookie, dude."

Noticing that he was still kind of scared about the ordeal, Sonic spoke to the rookie, "Listen, Buddy, and I know you probably don't want to hear this. I know you're scared and you have every right to be. But at some point it'll be your moment to shine. When that time comes, just keep going. Don't ever let your fear own you." he wrapped an arm around him and Rainbow Dash, "We're a team till the end. All of us on the Resistance, and I don't want you or anyone on that team to ever feel that they're worthless."

"What's with the mushiness all of a sudden?" Rainbow wondered.

Pinkie sniffled, "That was kinda touching."

Sonic shrugged, "I value my friends old and new, Dash. Though I'm happy to see you all and am glad to do this with all of you, I wish we knew where Tails was at. He'd be happy to meet you, Buddy and to see you and the girls again. I'm glad he's safe at least. Now let's go tell the civilians the good news!"

"Thankfully. His absence did concern me, I'll admit." Rarity responded.

"Hey, Sonic. Sorry to cut into this touching moment, but I got some news you might want to hear." Knuckles cut in.

"Sure thing, Knux."

Knuckles continued, "While we were on the shuttle before you three were sent to Green Hill, we caught a disturbance on West-Side Island. The troops I sent just reported the Oil Ocean Refinery was destroyed." he explained. "I never sent any troops there."

A knowing smile grew on Sonic's muzzle, "I only know one guy who could do damage like that to Eggman."

"Who?" Twilight asked.

The hedgehog answered, "Tails. He's definitely out there then. Is there any way we can track him down?"

Silver sighed, "Sorry, Sonic. I think he has a cloaking device. It's his Miles Electric most likely so he doesn't get ambushed by any of Eggman's forces alone if tracked like we can do. We can send a search squad if you want."

"Don't worry about it. If this was Tails, then he'll be fine. He'll want us to find him when the time comes." Sonic assured.

"You have a lot of faith in him." Twilight commented.

Sonic said, "As much as I do worry about him, he can still handle himself. And from the looks of it, he has himself covered just fine. Like I said, he'll want us to find him if the time comes."

"If you insist." Espio said.

"Now come on, I think the Sun's rising and the people out there could use some good news!" Sonic said.