"We're almost ready to go. Just a few more adjustments and we'll have this show on the road," Rotor said to his friends.
"Rotor and I have managed to get this things shields to be able to reflect nearly any form of magic thrown at it and it should be immune to all forms of hacking," Tails added. "Right now our only problem is that apparently draining magic from the air isn't as sustainable a fuel source as we thought. So right now, we can run it at maybe fifty percent."
"That's better than nothing," Sally said. "Rotor, I don't know what we'd do without you. You've turned one of our worst defeats and managed to somehow give us a chance."
"It's what I do, princess," Rotor said with a shrug.
"Well keep doing it, Rotor. I want to see what other miracles you can pull out of that bag of tricks," Sonic added.
"It is impressive. I'm glad that you're all here. I...don't know how we would have recovered from this," Twilight admitted.
"You would have found a way. If you're half the heroes we are, that is," Sonic teased. A genuine smile then flashed across his face and he gave Twilight a thumbs up. "Hey, you were there for us when we were feeling beaten. It's only right we help you in your hour of need. What are friends for?"
"Thanks guys, it means a lot," Twilight said. Sonic's words hit home and the princess glanced over at where Applejack was sitting alone, as Rainbow Dash was getting some much needed sleep. "Give me a minute guys, I need to do something."
Twilight walked over to where AJ was sitting, sitting down next to her and looking up through the skylight at the sky overhead. The sky was cracked and fluctuating between colors and space, none of it making any sense to Twilight. That told the princess that the chaos force was getting worse. But that was a problem that, hopefully, could wait.
"I'd ask how you're doing, but I know the answer," Twilight said. "If you want to talk to me, I'll listen. I...might be the only one who can remotely understand what you're going through right now."
"Thank ya Twi, but ah'm fine," Applejack said.
"You're the Element of Honesty, Applejack. Please don't start lying or I'll believe the world is truly ending," Twilight replied. "I'm so sorry about Big Mac...how's Applebloom-?"
"Not well. She's locked herself in her room here and Sweetie and Scootaloo can't get to her. How's Spike?"
"Struggling to get acquainted with his robot body. I think he secretly likes it, though," Twilight admitted.
"Ah meant about...Shining..."
"Spike took it hard, but he's trying to stay strong for the fillies. Said he figured it was the least he could do after being controlled and sidelined for so long."
"Ah'll have to thank him when all of this is over," Applejack said.
"Yeah, he can be something...I'm sorry, I should have stopped this before-"
"Don't blame yerself. Please. Yer hurting just as bad as me, please don't put more pain on yerself," Applejack cut her off. Twilight didn't reply. She wrapped a wing around Applejack and the two sat in silence for a bit.
"I'll make sure they're remembered," Twilight promised to break the silence. "When this is over and Eggman and Sombra are nothing more than a memory, I'll make sure they are given statues in Canterlot. I'll have statues made for all of our friends who were lost in this war."
"Thank you, that's...nice," Applejack said.
"Twilight, can you come over here for a moment?" Tails called over. Twilight nodded before looking down at AJ once more.
"Go on, ah'll be fine," AJ said.
"Are you sure? You don't want me to go wake up Rainbow Dash?"
"Heck no, do you know how long she's been up? She didn't go to bed, she passed out next to me and ah carried her to a bed. She's been up fer days just to make sure ah'm not alone. Stupid, stubborn mare," Applejack said, but a thin smile betrayed her real thoughts. "Please, let her sleep. Ah'll be fine. Ah have to be. Fer mah sister. And fer all of you."
"Okay. We're here for you."
"And ah'm here for you. Always."
Twilight rose and walked over to Tails, who was standing with Sonic and Sally next to a small screen that Tails had jury rigged with numerous cables and attachments.
"I'm here. What's going on?"
"Look," Tails said. Twilight looked on the screen to see the field outside of Canterlot, where she could just make out their crystalized friends. It was hard for her to tell, as the camera seemed to be under a rock.
"What am I looking at here?" Twilight asked.
"This is where...well, this is where our friends are stuck in the crystals," Tails explained. "My T-pup is the one sending us this footage. Notice anything strange?"
"...the fact that they're still there?"
"Correct. Eggman and Sombra wouldn't just leave them there to perish. Okay, they might, but with how they've been planning this is a slip that they wouldn't let happen," Sonic added on. "Which, unfortunately means that this is another trap."
"I don't get it. Why leave them? Or why leave them unguarded without the Master King nearby?" Twilight asked. "They beat us, badly. What could they possibly have to fear?"
"...they might be afraid because they used their win." The four turned around to see that Pinkie appeared behind them and was staring into the video.
"What?" Tails asked.
"Their win. Remember, it was all they could talk about after they destroyed our toys?" Pinkie reminded them. "They're one, guaranteed victory."
"I remember. They destroyed both sets of our most powerful tools and then killed so many of our friends," Sally whispered. "They won."
"Well...yes...and also no," Pinkie corrected. Sally raised an eyebrow. "Yes, they got their win. They destroyed our Elements and your emeralds and...a lot of our...but they didn't get us. We managed to survive. And remember what else they said about their win?"
"That once they've gotten their win, no matter how hard they try, they can't replicate it," Sonic caught on. "Like with the Egg Beater. It wiped the floor with us and beat me into a joke the first time we fought it, essentially Eggman's greatest victory, but the second time we fought it we tore it apart with relative ease. I see what Pinkie's getting at here."
"I must be missing something because I don't get it," Tails said.
"What they're saying is that Eggman and Sombra cashed in their win and failed to kill us," Twilight snarled with a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Which means they lost their chance for a perfect victory. They destroyed our artifacts, they killed our friends...but they didn't get us. Which means it's our turn."
"You think that there's any truth to that nonsense?" Tails asked. "I mean, villains that get one guaranteed win? That doesn't sound logical in the slightest."
"Why not? After all, Mammoth Mongul once said that I defy reason and bend fate to me. Is it so hard to believe that our foes get a win every now and then?" Sonic asked.
"But even if that's the case, it would be stupid to think that they'll lose easily just because they used their win," Sally added. "The Master King is still the most powerful foe we've been up against and those two are still just as cunning as ever. We have to be extremely careful. I...don't know if I can take losing anyone else."
"Well, we should first break our friends out of the crystals," Pinkie chimed in. "Because they aren't looking too good at the moment."
"You can tell?" Tails asked.
"It's Pinkie," Twilight shrugged with a smile. "She knows things the rest of us can only begin to guess at."
"So go in there, fight whatever trap the two have in store for us, get our friends back and never let Shadow live down the fact that we saved him. That sounds like a plan to me," Sonic said. "So when do we go?"
"I want to know what inside of you allows you to stay so ruthlessly optimistic all the time," Twilight asked.
"I call it a winning attitude."
"I call it copeium," Sally jabbed. "We should get everyone together and let them know that we're going to head out."
"I don't think we should." Sally looked at Tails with surprise. "I think it should just be the five of us that go."
"And why's that?"
"Because...look at everyone," Tails said. Sally did a quick glance over the room and realized he had a point. "Everyone...is still recovering. That speech you gave raised moral, but I don't know if they're all ready for a field mission, especially one with so much on the line. The five of us seem to be the most...recovered and Rotor is hard at work finishing up the Final Gambit. We should be the ones to go."
"I hate to admit Tails, but you're right. I can't take anyone less than one hundred percent into a situation like this," Sally admitted. She then gave Tails a look of concern. "Are you sure you're one hundred percent?"
"Sally, I've been at war with Robotnik as long as I can remember. All I've ever know is fighting, winning and losing," Tails admitted with a dark smile. "I've learned to cope."
"I hate that I have to hear you say that. How about you, Twilight? You just lost your brother."
"And nothing would bring me greater joy that striking a blow against those who took him from me along with saving our allies. I couldn't save Shining. I will make sure to save everypony else," Twilight promised.
"Alright. If you're sure. Hey Discord!"
"Yeah yeah, I heard the whole thing and relayed it to the rest of our friends," Discord said as he appeared next to Sally. "They aren't too sure about you running off on your own, but they trust you. They wanted me to let you know."
"Thanks."
"And Twilight...do you want me to come with you?" Discord asked. Twilight took a moment to think about it.
"No...I think it's better if you stay here," Twilight said. "We need you here incase things go wrong. And incase we don't make it back. You're the only one we have in our corner right now that can pull out a miracle if we need it, so I'd rather wait until we actually need a miracle before sending you in."
"You really trust me that much?" Discord asked.
"You're my friend. You're all of our friends. I trust you with my life," Twilight replied. Discord smiled softly at that.
"One trip to get our friends, coming up."
Discord snapped his fingers and the group vanished.
||==O O==||
It still hurt to look at.
That was all Sonic could think as he looked around the battlefield. It was still burned into his mind the spot where each of his friends had fallen. Where he had been too slow to save them. And from the look on the rest of his teams face, he could tell they were all thinking along the same lines as him. He couldn't let them burden themselves like that.
"Well glad to see that this place hasn't changed much," Sonic said as he put his hands behind his head. "Except that Eggman and Sombra are gone, so that's an improvement."
"Hmm. Twilight, do you think you can use your magic to lift her?" Sally asked from beside Cadence.
"No good. That crystal is draining my magic. To get them out I'm either going to need some time to figure out a counter spell...or maybe Tails can combine his technology with my magic to break them free," Twilight suggested.
"That's fine. You guys work on that and I'll keep our friend busy," Sonic said. The group looked up to see a coyote with a black bodysuit and a silver helmet come floating down in front of them, a red ruby in his chest that matched his red eye. "So what's up, sunshine? You got a name or are we just going to get fighting?"
"Fool, speaking to me as if you are my equal. But you are nothing before my might. For you are just flesh and bone, while I..."
"Am Infinite!"