//------------------------------//
// 9. Missing The Mark 
// Story: Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: Make Your Mark - Season 2 
// by BronySonicFan 
//------------------------------//

Misty was running through the forest, heading back to Opaline's Castle.

"I can't believe I finally got you!" Misty said in disbelief, as she held up Sparky, who was wrapped in the cloak. "Opaline is going to be so happy! You're all she thinks about!" she said happily, as she held up Sparky out of the blanket.

Sparky just smiled at her and gurgled a bit, trying to reach her face.

Misty looked around to make sure that she wasn't followed and sighed. "I'm sorry! But if you knew what it was like, you'd understand..." she said with a guilty expression to the baby dragon.

Sparky gurgled again and reached out to her, grabbing Misty's muzzle happily, as she nuzzled him with a smile, while Sparky clapped.

Misty smiled sweetly at Sparky, but then she sighed again and hid the baby dragon under her cloak, as she resumed her run to Opaline's Castle.





Sonic carefully placed the unconscious Tails over a couch in the Brighthouse.

He still couldn't forgive himself for letting Eggman launch those missiles that impacted Tails' head and left him on his current state.

Even if Knuckles, Amy, Sunny and Pipp have already assured him that it wasn't his fault, he still couldn't forgive himself. He was convinced that he could have done something to stop Eggman, but it didn't mattered anymore... At least Tails was save, alive, and that's what matters the most to him.

However... there was still something to deal with... Eggman.

He tried to blow Tails from the sky, knowing perfectly that he would affect Sonic by doing so. Worst of all, Eggman was the responsible of his actual parents death, the same parents that sacrificed themselves in order to save Sonic and Longclaw...

As you can see, Sonic doesn't want to think about him... not after what he did to Tails. Yet, not hearing anything about his enemy was asking for too much, because his friends were only talking about that while he watched over Tails.

"So let me guess this straight: You went to the cave, found out about some prophecy were the five of us, Misty, and you six fight against Opaline and Eggman, got ambushed by the latter, Tails got knocked out, and then you had to run away from an avalanche..." Sunny said with a raised eyebrow.

"Skipping very important details, but that's the best way to describe it" Shadow replied with his arms crossed and eyes closed, giving his back to everyone else.

"Is he always like this?" Hitch asked with a bored expression.

"Get used to it, honey" Rouge replied with an eye roll. "He never acts other way unless necessary" she added.

"Getting back on track..." Sunny called out. "Now that Eggman has the last Emerald you guys were looking for, what's next?" she asked concerned.

"Eggman's planning on something big" Knuckles repeated Sonic's words from an hour ago. "As Sonic said, Opaline and him need Sparky's fire, the Chaos Emeralds and the Unity Crystals!" he explained.

"Of course he wants the Crystals..." Zipp deadpanned, also facepalming. "Can't this guy just give up once and call it a day?" she asked rhetorically.

"Pff! Its Eggman we're talking about. You're being delusional if you think he's going to give up that easily" Amy pointed out with a bored expression.

"Still, perhaps it's time we do something instead of just stand here and wait for something to actually happen!" Hitch pointed out with concern. "Sparky disappeared after Sonic called Pipp. We have searched all around the bay, even in Izzy's supply closet, and he's not there! He's not even replying to his lullaby song! We have to act now!" he stated with a frown.

"Yeah! You guys are always dealing with the 'big guns' stuff" Pipp pointed out with a slight frown as well. "Perhaps we should return the favor!" she stated.

"Then what are waiting for?!" Zipp asked, as she flew in the air with a slight smirk. "The more time we waste talking, the more time Opaline and Eggman try to get Sparky, the Emeralds and the Crystals!" she pointed out.

"Now hold on a second!" Knuckles stopped them, raising his big hands to prevent them of keep going. "Look, I agree that you guys should give us a hand on this. It would be appreciated" he confessed.

"As much as I hate to say it, I agree" Rouge replied, although looking at her nails instead of the Mane 5. "We know nothing about this world, and considering we were in the snow, in the mountains, in a different period of time, some guidance around would be phenomenal" she explained with a slight frown.

"Also, we have heard all the amazing things you guys can do with your magic" Amy added with a smile. "And, while I do have some judgement towards one of you, based on something that doesn't matter right now..." she said, looking at Pipp with a slight frown, while Pipp rolled her eyes a bit annoyed. "... We do need your help, guys... Er... ponies? Ugh... I'm never getting used to this..." she confessed.

Shadow, on the other hand, only nodded in agreement at Rouge's and Amy's words, but he said nothing and still gave his back to the ponies.

"However, before you leave, I do think you should plan ahead any tactic" Knuckles pointed out with concern.

"Tactic?!" Zipp asked in disbelief. "Dude, our enemies are planning on putting their hands and hooves over our Unity Crystals, Hitch's son and your magic Emeralds! if we don't leave now, they might have a tactic themselves ready!" she pointed out with a slight frown.

"Just like he could have a tactic ready to wipe you all out approaching him" Shadow replied for once. "No plan on how to take down the doctor means you pretty much will get crushed down" he added.

"Also, we still have no idea of where the heck Eggman and Opaline are hiding!" Knuckles pointed out with a frown. "We've been looking after Opaline's Castle for months, and we still have nothing!" he added with anger.

"... Oh... right..." Zipp realized with a frown, landing in the floor again. "I guess we do have to plan something out, then..." she confessed.

"But what exactly?" Sunny asked with concern. "We not only know where the castle is, but we don't know how it looks like, either! How can we plan something out if we know practically nothing?!" she pointed out worried.

Maybe it was the tension already formed before, or maybe it was the desperate attempt to find a solution on how to find Eggman and Opaline, but it was clear that Sunny's question was the straw that broke the camel's back, because everyone but Sonic, Tails (he's still knocked out), Rouge and Shadow started to discuss on what to do.

Zipp kept insisting that they should leave now, even if they don't know where to go or what to do, since it was better than stand here to do nothing, while Knuckles and Amy were still convinced that they needed to think this carefully. As for Hitch, he only wanted to find Sparky before thinking it was too late.

Sunny, Izzy and Pipp were trying to give solutions to the problem as well, but so far, they were going nowhere with so much discussion.

Rouge only rolled her eyes at their, what she considered, childish behavior over the problem at stake, while Shadow was trying to think on a solution himself, even though he didn't wanted to say out loud yet, but he couldn't think straight, either, because of the discussion behind him.

However, the moment Rouge's eyes flashed into something, they widened, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh-oh..." Rouge muttered with a bit of concern, but there was also a playful aspect in her tone. "Blue is not in the mood!" she added, now smirking playfully.

Shadow heard that, and he opened his eyes confused. "What are you talking––" he tried to ask.

However, as soon as he saw what Rouge herself was looking at, his eyes also widened a bit, because he saw Sonic's left hand twitching and releasing electrical sparkles.

"... Shit..." Shadow said with a bit of concern, because even if he wasn't best buddies with Sonic, he knew him enough to understand that it was never a good sign if he was pissed off.

And worst of all? Sonic was really trying to stay calmed, but the fight between the Mane 5, Knuckles and Amy wasn't helping.

He really wanted to cooperate, and he really wanted things to get better... but after what Eggman did to Tails, the last thing he wanted to hear was Eggman's name.

And yet, his friends were there, naming him constantly since they had to stop him... as always...

Electricity got out of his hand at this point, but even if his anger and his powers showing up was visible, his friends couldn't see it still.

"I'm not the kind of gal that likes to bet, but––" Rouge tried to whisper to Shadow.

"15 Bucks he yells at them" Shadow replied immediately with a slight smirk.

"Deal!" Rouge accepted, also with a smirk.

And so, Sonic finally reached his limit when the fight kept going, so he turned around and stared daggers at his friends, with his eyes burning in bright blue and with electricity coming out of his body.

"Everybody! SHUT UP!" Sonic yelled out with anger.

That finally brought some silence, as the Mane 5, Knuckles and Amy stared back at Sonic, who's eyes were filled with anger and thousands of words he wanted to say.

However, even if this story allows him to swear as much as he wants, and he has done it before, I'm still not gonna make him, because swearing only suits Zipp, Knuckles and Shadow.

"Just shut up. For 5 FUCKING SECONDS, shut up!" Sonic begged this time.

I truly fooled you guys, didn't I?

"He's swearing. He's either killing someone today, or destroying them mentally..." Shadow muttered with a bit of concern. "Also, you own me 15 bucks now" he told Rouge with a slight smirk.

"I have NO idea on how to find Eggman. And I honestly DON'T care, either!" Sonic kept talking. "You guys want to find him and stop him? Fine! But don't invite me to that party. For what concerns me, he's not worth my time. Not anymore, at least" he announced with anger.

After saying that, he make his powers go away, then he gave one last concerned look at Tails, before frowning entirely, and then, he walked out of the Brighthouse, but before stepping out...

"Sonic, wait!" Sunny called. "Maybe we can––" she tried to say, but...

"Sunny, please don't" Sonic begged, not daring to look at her. "I'm not in the mood of talking. And I don't want to say nor do something I'll regret later. So... please leave me alone... I really need some time for myself..." he stated.

With that being said, Sonic walked out of the Brighthouse... but he didn't ran away. He just... he kept walking, as some sparkles of electricity still came out of his body while he walked away.

Sins Shadow and Rouge, and of course Tails who's still knocked out, the rest stared in disbelief at how Sonic simply said that and left without explaining anything.

Pipp frowned a bit and tried to follow, but Knuckles stopped her with an arm and shook his head, clearly saying with no words that he really needed to be alone right now.

Pipp felt more concerned for her boyfriend at that, but she sighed in defeat and, just this time, she decided to let him go and clear his thoughts on his own.

However, there was one of them that wasn't happy with this reaction, and honestly, it came out of the last hedgehog you could expect...





Sonic kept walking away from Maretime Bay, since he really wanted to put his thoughts together.

He really was ashamed of the way he yelled at his friends, but... he also really needs time to think. And with that nonsense fight in the Brighthouse, he had everything but peace and patience right now.

His other problem was Eggman. What he did to Tails was unforgivable. What could guarantee that he wouldn't try it again with any of the Mane 5? With Pipp?

"Shit! This is not helping... All I need is to clear my thoughts, but that mustache fat man keeps invading my mind!" Sonic yelled out with anger. "I just want to be 5 minutes without thinking of him... Am I asking for too much?!" he yelled again.

"You are if you keep acting like a 5 year old" a voice spoke behind him.

Sonic stopped walking, but his frown remained, and when he turned around, it just became bigger, because he was seeing Shadow, who slowly approached him with his arms crossed.

"In case that you got deaf or something, faker, I'm seriously not in the mood for anything, not even dealing with your shit" Sonic remarked with a frown, as he kept walking away from him. "Now leave me alone" he begged once again.

"This has to be both the dumbest and most cowardly thing you have done so far, Sonic" Shadow kept talking, still following Sonic. "Like, I can understand that you are mad with Eggman for what he did to Tails. But ditching away your kindness out of rage? That's pretty weird for your standards" he pointed out with a bit of concern.

"Shadow, please... I'm seriously not in the mood..." Sonic said once again, with some sparkles showing up again around his body.

"The worst of all out of this? Is that you not only yelled at your friends for trying to find a solution, but you also yelled at Pipp, your little, brand-new girlfriend..." Shadow kept saying.

Just so you know, what Shadow's about to do isn't out of hate nor because he wants to fight Sonic, is because he wants to help... in his own weird way, but still.

"Shadow... please, shut up, or I swear I'm gonna––" Sonic warned, not looking at Shadow with rage as his eyes changed from green to blue.

"If you really want to get your frustration out, you would be solving the problem, faker" Shadow continued. "But here you are, walking away and acting like a coward, running away from the problem instead of running towards it!" he finished.

And once again, as if Sonic's patience wasn't lacking already, it left his body completely again, because he yelled in rage and launched himself towards Shadow.

Smirking victoriously, Shadow teleported and Sonic stroke his punch against a tree, but as he pulled out, Shadow appeared a few meters away from him.

"Just as I predicted, you're still a weakling" Shadow said with a smirk.

At this, Sonic growled in anger, and so, he charged up a Spindash combined with his powers, while Shadow himself charged a Spindash combined with Chaos Energy.

Then, both hedgehogs started to Spindash against each other, clashing and booting over trees while trying to defeat the other one.

Hey, if Shadow's gonna make Sonic release all his anger and stress, at least he's gonna enjoy it, alright?

However, Shadow didn't counted with the move that Sonic pulled next: When it seemed like they were going to Spindash against each other again, Sonic uncurled, then turned his watch on, lead some electricity over there, and then created a hammer, which he used to slam Shadow to the ground.

Because of this, Shadow uncurled and almost landed on his back, if it wasn't because of Sonic, who grabbed him from his neck and punched him in the chest with a leg.

Then, Sonic started to multiply himself thanks to his super speed, and so, he started to punch Shadow multiple times at the same time, which startled Shadow a bit, since he didn't expected Sonic to went all out with him.

However, he decided to play along, because he charged his Chaos Blast and let out a big amount of energy, which sent Sonic backwards, but the blue blur rolled in the ground as a ball and uncurled, showing himself again with his electrical powers fully charged, before he used them to create a bigger hand and charge against Shadow again.

Shadow, who shook his head after that Chaos Blast, saw that Sonic was heading towards him, so he managed to dodge the attack and started to run away, using his air shoes to run away from him.

Sonic made the electrical hand disappear, but he frowned and growled, before boosting to follow Shadow along, since their fight was just getting started.





In Opaline's Castle, Misty brought Sparky to the Throne Room.

As Misty sneaked inside the Throne Room, Sparky babbled curiously at the interior of Opaline's home.

"Is it just me or have you gotten way cuter all of a sudden?" Misty asked, as she looked at Sparky on her back, while the baby dragon babbled and nudged Misty a little to her cheeks. "Oh, you're making this so hard! I don't know what to do" she said with a conflicted expression. "Take you back or give you to Opaline? Take you back or give you to Opaline?" she asked herself, as she paced back and forth.

Suddenly, Sparky burped out a small green bubble, calling Misty's attention.

"Aww, that was cute" Misty said with a smile. "And kind of gross... Okay that does it!" she declared, turning around to return Sparky back with Hitch. "I can't do this! I can't! I'm taking you back" she stated.

"Misty!" Opaline's voice called out from above as she appeared, much to Misty's horror, as the Fire Alicorn came down to her. "What have you been doing all morning? You've been gone forever!" she scolded, but when Sparky revealed himself in front of her, she gasped. "Oh! You've secured the dragon! I can't believe it!" she said with a smile, as she took Sparky in her magic. "And what a fine specimen he is! I must admit Misty, I didn't think you had it in you" she admitted with a smirk.

"Oh. I guess I did though" Misty said, clearly not proud of herself.

"Look at you, little dragon. You're even better than I imagined!" Opaline 'cooed', before grinning sinisterly. "I have the most lovely place for you to play. Would you like to see it?" she asked him with a 'innocent' smile.

Sparky doubted a bit, despite showing himself happy to Opaline so far, but one look at Misty and a nod from her made Sparky cheer at Opaline's idea.

So, Opaline took him upstairs, and Misty followed glumly with a sigh. In the tower, Opaline had set up her own working station with the most powerful crystal in Equestria, Dragonstone, on the table. Sparky saw the Dragonstone and babbled at it with fascinated, while Opaline took Sparky in her magic again.

"Wow, you really like him, don't you?" Misty asked.

"Like him?" Opaline laughed. "I adore him!" she assured, closing the bubble around Sparky and putting him outside of the window, leaving him hanging in his bubble cage connected to a chain outside.

Misty gasped after seeing this. "That's where you're going to keep him?! Um... uh... couldn't we find somewhere more uh... comfortable?" she asked nervously. "That bubble cage looks a little um.... dangerous..." she pointed out with concern.

"Not to worry! I'll only keep him there until he's done being drained. And then.... we'll let's just say. He'll be useless..." Opaline sneered.

Then, she brought the Dragonstone closer to Sparky, which activated its powers, as Sparky's Dragon Fire began to be drained and taken into the stone, making it glow.

"My... that's a long drop..." Opaline acknowledged at the edge of the castle, as Sparky began to turn a dark grayish green, while Misty looked on with worry and guilt.

Soon enough, however, Eggman arrived to the studio, and then he whistled with wide eyes at the sight of Sparky not only being encaged in a bubble that would drag him to his death if the bubble ever pops, but also to his Dragon Fire being absorbed by the Dragon Stone.

"Well, well, well!" Eggman said with a grin, while Misty and Opaline turned to him, with the former gulping nervously and the latter smirking. "It seems like this fucking lizard finally arrived!" he said with a mocking tone. "Today must be our very lucky day!" he stated.

"Oh? Don't tell me you did got rid of those biped fools?" Opaline remarked.

"Nah. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that sudden avalanche won't kill them..." Eggman said with a frown, before grinning again. "But I did got myself a souvenir!" he added, as he showed the Light Blue Chaos Emerald to her allies.

Both mares gasped loudly at the sight of the shining gem, with Opaline still smirking all the time, while Misty got even more worried now.

"I finally got the last Chaos Emerald... And even better, I lowered the self stem of those fools right before the avalanche happened!" Eggman said with a smirk. "If you wonder what I did? Well... Let's just say that Tails won't wake up for quite a while after I blow him from the sky!" he added with a laugh.

However, as Opaline laughed along, Misty's eyes widened in absolute horror.

Did... Did Eggman just said that he blow Tails from the sky?! No... No, it couldn't be real... Eggman was a villain, and even if he does wants to get rid of Sonic and company, he would never cross that line... Right...?

For the sun and moon... What have I done?! Misty panicked internally, as millions of thoughts on Tails' current state ran on her mind...





Back in the Crystal Brighthouse, Sunny was at Tails' side, waiting for him to wake up.

Meanwhile, Zipp and Hitch went over through the entire place, looking after Sparky, while Pipp and Amy were having a... Let's call it 'know your enemy talk' kind of thing, since Amy just wanted to make sure that Pipp is a good partner for Sonic, even if she knows that's not her thing to decide.

"So... you are a pretty popular girl that has lots of followers, can sing, can dance, runs a salon alone, AND has the guts to tear Eggman's plans down too..." Amy told Pipp, with what seemed to be a combination between a glare and a suspicious look.

"And you are the girl that stalked Sonic for years, to the point he even had to run away from you..." Pipp replied back with the same kind of look.

Both girls stared into each other's eyes deadly, while Amy was sipping some tea made by Izzy.

"You are... more smaller than I thought..." Amy said mockingly.

"Your style definitely needs a change" Pipp replied with the same mocking tone.

"Your hooves could use a little work on them..." Amy kept mocking her.

"Your hair definitely needs to improve..." Pipp mocked as well.

Both of them kept glaring intensely at each other for a while... but then, Amy snorted, and then, Pipp snorted too, before both of them started to laugh loudly, not being able to keep up the act against the other one.

"Gosh, girl! Sonic said you could be a bit annoyed, but I guess he's just traumatized with mistakes!" Pipp said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, it is kind of my fault that he still runs away from me sometimes, BUT nobody's perfect!" Amy pointed out. "Also, I was just kidding, your hooves are so beautiful that I don't know how I'm feeling jealous of a little pony's pedicure!" she added with a squeal.

"Aww, thank you so much!" Pipp said, as she gave Amy a side hug, even if she just met her. "I was also exaggerating. Your style is gorgeous!" she sang the last word with a smile. "I seriously don't know why Sonic didn't talked about you often! You are a really great hedgehog!" she confessed.

"I guess he didn't wanted to make you feel jealous, even if he never felt the same thing for me" Amy pointed out, slightly disappointed. "I... I want you to know that I'm not mad. Neither with you, nor with Sonic. You guys don't need my 'bless' to be together, or something..." she stated.

"Oh, thank hoofness..." Pipp said, as she sighed relieved.

"I... I guess I am kind of hurt with him being with someone else, but... I really love him. Maybe as much as you do, even, which is why I'll be polite and say that you guys have my support!" Amy stated with a smile, side hugging Pipp back. "But you better not brake his heart, though. I won't stand by that!" she warned with a playful wink.

"Pff! I would rip my wings before doing that!" Pipp said with a relaxed tone. "Well, not literally, but... you get it!" she added with a nervous chuckle.

On the other hand, Rouge was looking at Izzy's collection of gems, which she had to say... they were prettier than anything she has seen back in Mobius.

Rouge whistled impressed, as she stared at a gem that looked like the shape of a heart, while also shining bright, just like all the magical crystals in Equestria. "Gotta say... these look very impressive, red" she told to Knuckles, since both him and Izzy were with her as well, although Knuckles was more watching over her and making sure she won't steal anything from his girlfriend. "And you say they are magical? Literally? Perhaps this world is more interesting than I give it credit for~" she said with a smirk.

"You better watch her close, Izz" Knuckles muttered to her, as he glared at Rouge. "She might be chill now, but I know she's planning something to steal the gems from you" he stated with anger and a frown.

"Don't be so defensive, pretty boy" Rouge told Knuckles with a smug look. "Just because I would love to steal the Master Emerald from you doesn't mean I would do it with anyone that has gems" she said.

"Oh, but there's no need to be so defensive, Knuckie!" Izzy said with a smile. "In fact, you can conserve all those gems, Miss Rouge!" she added with a cheery tone.

Knuckles, who started to sip some tea, had to spill it away, because now he stared at Izzy in shock, and Rouge looked at the unicorn in disbelief as well.

"Seriously?!" both Knuckles and Rouge asked in disbelief.

"Of course! I have plenty of crystals, anyways. In fact..." Izzy started with a smile.

Then, she used her magic to levitate several boxes with crystals and placed them in front of Rouge, before opening them and showing thousands of crystals.

"You can keep all of these!" Izzy stated happily. "It's not like I can do anything with them, anyways" she added with a smug look.

Rouge's jaw dropped into the floor once she saw so many crystals, shining bright right in front of her.

The one she was holding fell from her hands, and her eyes sparkled at the sight of so many jewels. Izzy literally just gave them to her, that easily, without asking anything in return.

"... Girl... you are my favorite one... no doubt..." Rouge told Izzy, although she still was staring at the crystals in the boxes.

Izzy only gave her usual cheerful smile, while Knuckles at her side looked in disbelief at how fast she simply gave up on those crystals.

"Izzy, honey, are you sure you won't need them?" Knuckles asked her a bit concerned.

"Oh, don't worry, Knux. I have plenty of them! And I can always get more if I need" Izzy pointed out, still with her cheerful smile.

"If you say so..." Knuckles replied a bit uncertain.

On the other other hand, Hitch and Zipp kept searching for Sparky around the Brighthouse.

"Sparky?" Zipp called out, as she looked inside a drawer.

"Sparky?" Hitch called out next.

"Sparky? Come on out!" Zipp called out again.

"Here's Sparky!" Hitch called out as well.

"Sparky?" Zipp called again.

"Sparky! Come out! I got snacks for you!" Hitch called out once more, as he held out an apple and chuckled nervously, right before he started to panic again.

Sunny noticed this, so she took a last look at Tails before approaching Hitch with a calming smile. "Don't worry, Hitch. We'll find him" she assured him, as she placed a hoof on his back.

"Uh-huh. Absolutely" Hitch said nervously. "I've learned my lesson from last time. Sparky will be just fine. I know it. Huh..." he stated, still worried for the baby dragon, while Sunny and Zipp looked at him in concern.





Back in Opaline's Castle, Opaline is still sucking Sparky's magic out of him, while Sparky grows weaker.

"Finally, I will possess my full enhanced fire powers! I've been waiting for this moment for so long! Hundreds of Moons!" Opaline announced.

"Ohohoho! Your power gets restored, then we tear down that stupid Brighthouse, then we get the Crystals and remaining Emeralds!" Eggman grinned sinisterly, while rubbing his hands "And then... Well..." he started with a smirk.

"The rest is history!" both Eggman and Opaline said with huge grins, as they both laughed maniacally.

"That's great, guys!" Misty smiled, while sneaking peeks at Sparky.

Opaline groaned at her, and Eggman raised and eyebrow confused, while Misty looked at Sparky, who was getting weaker by the second, and Misty knew what would happen if the draining was completed.

"It's not great... I'm the worst pony in the world..." Misty thought to herself.

"What did you just say?" Opaline questioned, which made Misty flinch as she turned to her. "Seriously, Misty, I've told you a thousand times I can't understand you when you mumble!" she pointed out.

"Oh!" Misty said with a nervous smile. "I just said, you two must be so excited for tonight!" she quickly lied to the villains with a nod.

"Of course we are" Opaline said, as she shook her head. "Now I have to do my pre-ceremony magic cleansing" she quipped, looking at her hooves. "And decorate the lair for the event. Don't disturb me until I'm finished! Understood?" she instructed to the unicorn mare, then went off to prepare.

"And I have to polish my Death Egg Robot!" Eggman declared as well. "If we're gonna make everyone's lives miserable, we gotta look presentable!" he added with a smirk, as he hummed happily to himself while leaving the room.

With this, Misty turned to the window and tried to grab the cage, but it was out of her reach. "I'm sorry, Sparky. I've made a horrible mistake..." she apologized to Sparky, while the baby dragon cried out a bit, but then, Misty looked at her bracelet, and she knew exactly what she had to do. "I'm going to get your family. I promise!" she assured.

And so, Misty ran out the door towards Maretime Bay to get Hitch and the others.





Back in the Brighthouse, Knuckles and Amy kept watching over the unconscious Tails.

Meanwhile, the Mane 5 were upstairs, in the bedroom, still looking after Sparky.

"Ooh! Look what I found!" Izzy said cheerfully, looking at her bed, while Sunny and Hitch came to her.

"Sparky!" Hitch called out hopefully.

"Oh, sorry" Izzy apologized. "Yeah, he's not here either. But I was looking for this!" she said, as she brought out a party horn and blew it out in triumph.

Hitch and Sunny looked at Izzy with cringed expression, while Hitch sighed disappointed and began to panic again.

"Now I'm not saying I'm nervous…" Hitch started with a nervous chuckle. "But we've looked everywhere!" he called out.

"Maybe Sparky got hungry and went out looking for a treat in town?" Pipp suggested.

"No way!" Hitch called out, as he held out a cereal box with a drawing of Sparky on it. "I keep one of these in every room Sparky might go in, and they're all full" he pointed out.

"Maybe Sparky's at the magic tree again?" Sunny suggested.

"That's right!" Zipp said with a smirk. "You did say he's been spending a lot of time there lately. He's very drawn to it..." she pointed out.

"Of course!" Hitch said, sounding a bit disappointed on not having thought about that before. "Let's go check the tree!" he stated, now smiling a bit.

With this, the Mane 5 went downstairs, ready to head out of the Brighthouse.

"Any sign of the little fella?" Knuckles asked, as he saw the ponies passing by.

"No, but we're gonna check the magic tree to see if he went there" Sunny replied with a smile.

However, before anyone else could say anything, Misty bursted through the doors, rolling across the floor with a grunt and falling on her back, while the Mane 5 and Knuckles circled her.

"Misty! We're about to go look for Sparky" Sunny said, smiling down at her. "Do you wanna help?" she asked.

"I saw him!" Misty called out, waving her hooves, which surprised the group as she got up with a pant. "I saw somepony dragon-nap him!" she called out.

"What?!" Hitch called out in panic.

"It's the evil Alicorn, Opaline!" Zipp called out. "I knew it! I warned you ponies that we were in danger!" she pointed out.

"How did she find Sparky?!" Pipp asked with concern.

"It wasn't her! It was that weird guy with the glasses, and the red suit..." Misty quickly corrected herself.

"Eggman?!" Knuckles said confused, before realizing something. "He left right before the avalanche got to us..." he pointed out, and then he groaned in anger, while his powers showed off. "That son of a bitch tricked us! He knew we would ask for help to clear Maretime Bay for our arrival... He probably took him with all the rampage in town without you guys noticing!" he suggested, while punching a wall with anger to let some frustration out.

"What do they want with Sparky?!" Hitch asked with concern and panic.

"I know…" Misty suddenly said, while the Mane 5 and Knuckles looked at her surprised. "I mean… I… saw where they went. I can take you there. To Sparky. But we'll have to hurry!" she quickly said, now walking out the door.

Knuckles grumbled and muttered something to himself with anger, before looking at the Mane 5. "You guys go. I won't let my anger fool me this time" he instructed. "If we leave the Brighthouse unprotected, we leave the Chaos Emeralds and Unity Crystals as well" he pointed out with a frown. "Besides, we gotta check on Tails until he wakes up" he added.

"Are you sure?!" Izzy asked with panic. "I know you can take care of yourself, and judging by what you've told us, Amy and Rouge can as well... But I still don't want any of you to get hurt!" she pointed out with concern. "Specially you..." she muttered, looking away with low ears.

"I'm as hard as a rock in terms of strength and resistance!" Knuckles said with a proud smile. "Rouge can fight with high heels, and Amy has a hammer that's as heavy as a car. The Crystals and Emeralds will be just fine!" he assured with a smile.

"We'll make sure Tails does fine when he wakes up!" Amy assured, as she stood at Knuckles' side with a confident look.

"Count on us to look after the powerful gems as well" Rouge assured too with a smirk.

"Also, if Eggman, or that Opaline gal, come around to try and steal them..." she started, before pulling out her Piko Piko Hammer. "We're gonna be very polite with them!" she stated, while smirking and fist bumping with Knuckles.

"Girl, seriously, Sonic makes no justice to how cool you are" Pipp stated again. "Oh, speaking of him, could you check and lecture him when he's back?" she requested with a little blush.

"I got your back, girl!" Amy stated with a wink and her thumbs up.

"Well, if you guys can look after the Brighthouse, I guess we can go save Sparky without worrying for the Crystals" Sunny said.

"Leave it to us!" Knuckles reassured, placing a hand on his chest.

With this, the Mane 5 nodded at the Mobians, then followed Misty out of the Brighthouse and raced to the Marestream.

"You're sure you know which way to go, Misty?" Hitch asked in concern.

"Positive" Misty said determinate.

"How are you so positive?" Zipp asked, while giving Misty a questionable look.

"I, uh…" Misty said, as she looked around nervously. "I just… saw them!" she stated with a sheepish smile.

"You saw Eggman kidnap Sparky?" Zipp asked again. "And we know somepony must've told him where Sparky is in the first place?" she added.

"Well, we know it wasn't Misty. It wasn't any of us" Sunny pointed out. "We would never do that to each other. Right?" she asked her friends with a smile.

"Right" Hitch agreed with Sunny with a smile.

"Right" both Pipp and Izzy agreed as well.

"Right" Misty nodded with a smile.

Zipp stood quiet for a second before replying. "Right" she agrees, even though she does not sounds to convinced.

"Now let's stay focused. Sparky needs us!" Sunny declared, while the others nodded in agreement.

"It's that way!" Misty called out, as she pointed to a direction.

Zipp smiled and pressed a button, which made the Marestream spread its wings out and take fly into a storm cloud, leaving a rainbow trail behind.





Sonic and Shadow were running at top speed all across Equestria.

They were constantly clashing against one another, all in order to defeat the other one. However, and as strange as it might sound, Shadow was having some trouble dealing with Sonic's new electrical powers, since he never had to face something like that before.

Still, he was the ultimate life form for a reason, which is why the black hedgehog wasn't planning on falling so easily.

Even if he was doing this to help Sonic relieve his anger, he still was going all out on him. So, Shadow charged several Chaos Spears, which Sonic dodged like they were nothing.

Then, Sonic tried to kick Shadow, but the latter jumped and tried to assert a punch on Sonic's face, which he failed because Sonic jumped backwards and tried to punch him.

Shadow was getting tired of this fight, so he started to teleport constantly around as he spoke.

"Come on, hedgehog! You are better than this!" Shadow said, while teleporting around and tiring Sonic out so he could talk to him more politely.

"Just. Stand. STILL!!" Sonic shouted with anger, as he tried to punch Shadow, but clearly couldn't.

"Sonic, don't you realize yet?" Shadow asked confused. "I'm not fighting for the sake of fighting! I'm fighting for your fucking sanity's sake!" he stated with anger.

"Oh yeah?!" Sonic snorted, finally stopping moving, but staring daggers at Shadow. "If you are doing this to help me, then why the hell are you insulting me?!" he asked with rage.

"For fuck's sake, Sonic! You yelled at your own friends and at your girlfriend because you were incredibly mad with Eggman!" Shadow pointed out with a frown. "I may not be a big fan of how you do stuff, but I do know that if you, of all people, acts like their moral doesn't matter anymore, then it's time to take proper action!" he stated.

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked confused.

"You are more than just a hedgehog that gets his frustration out with his own friends" Shadow said, still frowning. "You have saved the world so many times despite difficult circumstances. Tails got hurt this time, true... but he's all grown up now, Sonic" he pointed out. "He can take care of himself, and you know it. You never told him to follow you around. He did that by himself... I'm not saying that I'm fine with what Eggman did to him. But I know you are better than me when it comes to morality" he finished.

Sonic's frown slowly turned into a surprised expression, and he stared genuinely shocked at Shadow after he said all of that.

"If you really are still the same Sonic the Hedgehog that disappeared the last year, then prove it by showing Eggman who you truly are!" Shadow decided to add with a smirk.

Okay, he was either drunk, or Shadow was being open for a greater cause. Either way, Sonic couldn't help but smirk back at Shadow.

"Well, look at you, faker! Never thought I would feel goosebumps with a speech from you!" Sonic said with a playful tone, also winking at him.

"Hmph. I'm just doing this because that Sunny girl has faith in you" Shadow said with a slight frown. "Her cheerfulness reminds me of Maria, to tell the truth... But I guess it's just a coincidence..." he added.

"Right... a coincidence..." Sonic said with a playful smirk.

Suddenly, both of them heard a roaring engine, and when they turned to the sky, they saw the Marestream flying though the sky at top speed, leaving the rainbow trial behind.

"What in the name of Chaos?" Sonic muttered confused.

"Is this related to that dragon Eggman mentioned in the mountain?" Shadow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No clue..." Sonic said with a slight frown. "I know you hate when I do this, but could you get the rest while I––" he tried to ask him, but...

"You're right, I don't like it..." Shadow said with an eye roll. "But, I'll allow you to get away with this one. After all, you seem like you could go and find out what's going on" he pointed out. "Just don't get yourself killed" he warned.

"And you try to not be late!" Sonic mocked back with another wink. "Also, don't worry about your wholesome speech. I won't tell anyone you're a softy that likes to act like an emo!" he shouted, before boosting towards the barrier.

"Ugh... I should have shut my mouth..." Shadow complained with a frown, before boosting to the other side and towards the Brighthouse.

Meanwhile, Sonic stared at the sky, and he was kinda surprised to notice that the Marestream was actually going too far ahead from him, but he decided to shrug it off for now.

"I guess this is about Sparky..." Sonic told himself with concern. "You better not be dragging yourselves into trouble guys... Even if I know I'm asking for too much..." he added with a frown.

After that, he boosted once again towards the same direction the Marestream went.





The Marestream flew through the storm, while Zipp did her best to dodge some lightning strikes.

"Are you sure this is the way?" Sunny asked with concern.

"It's down there" Misty answered, while Zipp flew the Marestream down, passing through the storm.

The Mane 5 felt uneasy about the place they were in, and Zipp was still very skeptical about Misty and how she knew Eggman stoled Sparky while they went to move everypony aside to have the path clear for Team Sonic and company.

"This is the spookiest place I've ever seen" Izzy said, and she wasn't being as cheerful as usual.

Soon enough, the Marestream made some twirls in the air, before landing on the ground, as the Mane 5 and Misty walked out, while Izzy hummed happily to herself.

Then, Pipp gasped as she saw something in the distance: Right there, they witnessed a dark castle with a few towers; vines growing around it, since a tree was getting out of one of the highest towers; and a bridge that lead straight to that castle.

They all knew who were in there, and they kind of recognized it as well, but Zipp was the one that got it faster than anypony else, since she frowned: It was Opaline's Castle.

"I take it back..." Izzy said with a small smile. "This is the spookiest place I've ever seen!" she stated cheerfully.

"Sparky's in there?!" Hitch asked in shock, gulping nervously.

At this, Misty looked down worried. She was hoping that neither Eggman nor Opaline would notice her arrival along the Mane 5, or they all would be in very big trouble...





Sonic was still running at top speed to follow the rainbow trial of the Marestream.

But at some point, not only did he lost the track, despite still knowing in which direction to go, but he also reached a different path than them, because he found himself involved in a problem... And what's the problem, you may wonder?

Well... He had to cross the sea, and of course, Sonic doesn't even know how to swim...

"Ugh... Water..." Sonic groaned, looking at the sea with concern. "Why did it have to be water?" he added in frustration.

The hedgehog looked up again to face the endless sea...

He knew that he had to cross in order to find out what the heck are his friends doing, but... He was kinda afraid to fall into the water.

Still, he had the feeling that he needed to reach them. He didn't knew if it was some kind of 'soulmate instinct' or something like that, but he could feel that Pipp was in trouble. And, if Pipp was in trouble, then the rest of his friends were in trouble as well.

For once, he decided to face his fear to water, then warmed his feet a bit and sighed.

"Okay... You can do this!" Sonic told himself confidently, or as confidently as he could sound.

Immediately afterwards, he positioned his hands on the floor, and put his feet in a runner's stance, ready to do something completely crazy.

Then, he began to charge electrical energy from him, which surrounded his entire body and lit up his quills.

"I've gotta go fast!" Sonic declared, as his eyes changed from green to neon blue.

And then, after charging his powers a while longer, he boosted away and began to run across the water.

As he ran, he began to zig zag across the water to keep his balance and hold steady.

Suddenly, the waves of the sea became more violent, so Sonic had to start maneuvering evasively, or else he would end up sinking. But just then, a gigantic wave appeared, and Sonic was forced to force his feet to run on the wave.

The hedgehog scaled the tidal wave, then leaped into the air with a panicked cry, while lightning struck in the distance, adding more drama to the atmosphere.

However, Sonic panicked when he saw that he was heading for the water again, and upon touching it, he slipped a bit and rolled on the water, but luckily, he managed to regain his composure and keep running.

Soon enough, he reached dry land once again, so he smirked confidently and boosted ahed, as he reached a hill in the top of a cliff, where he found the Marestream parked.

"They definitely are here, but––" Sonic tried to say.

However, he suddenly gasped when he stared into the distance: Opaline's Castle, with lightning thundering behind it.

"Opaline's Castle!" Sonic said with awe. "So that's why I never found it... It was far away from Maretime Bay, in a place that nobody would dare to approach..." he pointed out, before smirking confidently. "Nobody without the guts to do so, anyways!" he declared.

After that, he boosted towards the castle, ready to help his friends out, in case they were in danger...





After heading to the front door, the Mane 5 and Misty entered the castle.

The Mane 5 felt very shocked at the sight, specially considering they've been trying to locate this place for months along Team Sonic.

"I can't believe this was here the whole time..." Sunny breathed, looking at Opaline Castle's interior.

"She's got great style" Pipp quipped, looking at the layout, including the tapestries with Opaline's Cutie Mark on it, earning and angry look from her sister, which made Pipp clear her throat nervously. "G-Great evil style" she corrected herself.

"Misty, what is going on? And how do you know your way around so well?!" Zipp interrogated with a frown.

"There's no time to explain!" Misty said 

"Where's Sparky?!" Hitch barked.

"We have to get him before Opaline comes––" Misty tried to add, but she got cut off.

"Oh, I'm right here!" Opaline sneered from on top of the tree staircase.

After saying that, she used her magic and entrapped the gang in a magic bubble, while Eggman came walking downstairs, as he stared at the Mane 5 with a sinister grin.

Misty gasped, and placed her hooves on the bubble with concern, before looking at Eggman and Opaline with panic.

"Splendid job, Misty!" Eggman said with a smirk, as he approached to the bubble with the Mane 5 encaged. "It is one thing to bring that lizard, but the entire pony gang?! This truly is our lucky day!" he stated happily.

"Indeed!" Opaline smirked, as she hovered in the air and descended downward. "As soon as I'm done draining that little lizard of every ounce of his precious magic, I'll be able to steal the source of theirs, too... Their Cutie Marks!" she declared with a sinister laugh.

Sunny was glaring at both villains at first, but her glare turned into a worried and kind of scared expression, considering she's currently trapped in a bubble.

"Such a lovely bonus!" Eggman said with a grin, as he took out the Light Blue Chaos Emerald. "I guess getting this away and then blowing Tails' head without killing him was a really downer for Sonic if he sent his pathetic friends instead of coming himself. HA!" he mocked up, walking towards his lab once again. "By the way: I really hope you ponies enjoyed your time with Sparky. His inevitable fate is to die for!" he commented, laughing maniacally, and then disappearing inside of his lab.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Opaline quipped, turning around and flying back to her studio "Come Misty" she instructed, while Misty looked back at the Mane 5 with guilt, before following Opaline.

"No! It can't be true!" Sunny called out in shock.

"She's lying! Right, Misty?" Pipp asked hopefully.

"No…" Zipp said with rage. "She's been helping her this whole time! Haven't you?" she questioned.

Misty stopped, turning to face them with a guilty and hurt expression. "I'm sorry" she apologized.

Sunny felt her heart breaking after hearing that. "Uh, you betrayed us..." she said hurtfully.

"I didn't… I didn't mean…" Misty tried to say, but she couldn’t find the words, while the rest but Izzy turned their backs to her.

"I thought we were your friends..." Izzy said hurtfully, as she turned her back from Misty as well.

"No..." Misty said hurtfully, looking down in sadness because of her unexpected betrayal.





In the study room with Opaline, Misty was feeling very conflicted... 

Everything the Mane 5 did for her was offering their friendship, but Opaline's sudden arrival turned everything upside down, and now they hated her, all because she couldn't be faster...

What was Team Sonic going to say now? What was Tails going to think of her? He clearly was as kind with her as the Mane 5 were, and now the latter group hates her... Will Tails hate her as well? Was he going to be so upset with her just like the Mane 5 are right now? It was hard to tell.

She looked at the Dragon Stone, and then at Sparky, who is more gray than he was before she left to get the Mane 5. Then, Misty turned to Opaline, who was looking in a mirror as she hummed to herself.

"I am so proud of you, Misty" Opaline said suddenly.

"You are?" Misty asked, more confused than shocked.

"Yes!" Opaline answered. "And you've worked so hard to earn your Cutie Mark. You must be so excited!" she said, aiming her mirror to look at Misty.

"I… I am…" Misty managed to say. "I did work really hard. I just… wanted to make you happy for so long. Like forever, practically..." she realized, looking down in guilt for betraying her friends.

"And you've finally done it!" Opaline said with a smile, as she placed a hoof under Misty's chin. "You'll get your Cutie Mark as soon as I'm done draining the dragon of his Dragon Fire" she assure, gesturing to Sparky. "Isn't that exciting?" she asked.

Sparky gurgled weakly, extending his arms to Misty, basically pleading for help.

"I-I better go check on the others" Misty said quickly. "To, um… make sure they're not causing any trouble" she added, as she walked out the door, leaving Opaline alone.





Back in the Throne Room, the Mane 5 were trying to find their way out of the magical bubble.

Izzy was trying to poke her horn at it, but she kept being pushed back. Still, she poked it again, but then she fell to the floor.

"Whew! The first forty tries were fun, but this is getting tiring" Izzy said to her friends with a sigh.

"I just can't believe Misty would do that to us..." Sunny said, still in shock that Misty betrayed them. "We're her friends..." she pointed out.

"She's not our friend, Sunny!" Zipp snapped bitterly. "She was just pretending... I knew it! I should have just followed my instincts" she said to herself.

"She fooled us all..." Pipp said, as she placed a hoof on her sister for comfort.

"And now, Sparky is... gone..." Hitch said with sadness, looking down at the floor and trying to hold back tears.

Izzy grunted again as she fell on her back from poking the shield. "Oh… My horn is dizzy..." she said.

Sunny looked at her friends, all looking defeated and betrayed, while she frowned determinate. "We can't just sit here and let them win!" she called out, as the others turned to her. "We can fix this. I can fix this!" she assured, sighing and closing her eyes. "I just need to change…" she started, grunting a bit while her Alicorn form started flickering. "... into…" she continued, trying to bring out her Alicorn form. "... an Alicorn!" she called out once more.

However, her Alicorn magic stopped, and she sighed in defeat.

"But, uh… but I'm trying to help somepony! Why won't it work!?" Sunny asked sadly, looking down in concern. "Maybe I can't do it. Maybe I'm not true Alicorn material after all..." she doubted.

"What?! How can you say that?" Pipp asked in shock. "Of course you are!" she added.

"But I trusted Misty so much and I was completely wrong..." Sunny said, as she laid down.

"Wait a second…" Zipp said, then she tried to fly, but couldn't even get airborne with a flap of her wings, while Izzy tried to use her magic as well, but her horn faded. "It's not you, Sunny. Our magic doesn't work in here!" she pointed out.

At this, Izzy gasped with a smile. "That's why you can't turn into an Alicorn!" she pointed out, which just made Sunny feel worse.

Then, Pipp touched the shield again, while some glitter like sparkle got stuck on her hooves. "Ugh! We've got to get out of this sticky thing!" she cried out.

"I can help" Misty called out, as she arrived with them.

"Like you helped us get into this situation?" Zipp sarcastically asked, as she and the others but Sunny turned her backs on her again.

"This wasn't the plan! I didn't meant to get you all trapped!" Misty said desperately. "I brought you here to help get Sparky out. Honest..." she assured with sadness.

"You haven't been honest with us! Ever!" Zipp snapped with anger.

"Yeah. How did Sparky get in here to begin with?" Hitch asked with a frown. "I bet you lied when you said Eggman did it" he added with rage.

"You betrayed us, Misty. How could you?" Sunny said with anger.

"Is not like that!" Misty assured desperately again.

However, before she could explain herself, they all suddenly heard a loud thud on the ceiling, so they all looked upwards and stared confused at the ceiling.

"Out of context, but are Eggman or Opaline doing something up there?" Pipp asked confused.

"Uh, not that I'm aware off..." Misty replied honestly.

"Subete ushinatte mo kimi wa mada. Soko ni iru to shinjitakatta. Come and leave your mark. Vandalize my he–– Ow!" a male voice spoke suddenly in the ceiling. "Okay, it wasn't to the left... Maybe to the right?" he asked himself, before crashing against another wall and groan in pain. "Nope... Maybe sneaking through the vent wasn't a good idea... I'm feeling like an impostor of some kind!" he pointed out.

"Wait a second, isn't that...?" Hitch tried to ask, but judging by Pipp's wide smile and flapping wings, the answer was pretty clear.

And then, a small access to the vent in the ceiling opened, and Sonic fell from it screaming, as he landed on his back in front of Opaline's Throne, which made him groan in pain and the others cringe.

"Ugh... Okay... That was a terrible idea..." Sonic muttered to himself, shaking his head and then standing up a bit dizzy. "Next time, I'm using the door..." he added with a bored expression.

However, it shifted into an amazed one when he looked around at the Throne Room, whistling impressed as he weirdly enough smiled a bit.

"Now this is a villain's lair! Take notes, Egghead!" Sonic exclaimed with a smirk. "Whatever that New York 2099 esthetic is, it's not villainy enough!" he added with a mocking tone.

"Sonic!" Sunny called out from the bubble with a smile.

Sonic's ear twitched, and when he turned around, he gasped in panic when he saw the Mane 5 inside the bubble.

"Guys!" Sonic exclaimed in panic, rushing towards the bubble and placing his hand on it. "Everyone okay here?!" he asked them with concern. "What happened while I was re-thinking on my life choices?!" he added confused.

"Yes, we're fine, Blue Star" Pipp replied with a smile and a loving gaze.

"As for what happened, well... Misty brought us here to 'Save Sparky', but Opaline ended trapping us..." Sunny replied, looking at Misty behind Sonic with a frown. "She's been working with Eggman and Opaline this whole time" she added coldly.

Sonic raised an eyebrow at that last statement, so he turned to see Misty behind him. "Misty?" he called out. "Care to explain what's going on here? 'Cause I'm getting nothing out of all this bullshit..." he said with a bored expression, pointing at his friends and girlfriend trapped in the bubble.

"It... It's true..." Misty replied. "Ever since we met, I... I've been working with them..." Misty admitted with a saddened expression.

"See? She said it!" Zipp snapped again. "She's a traitor!" she added with rage.

However, Sonic just stared at Misty confused, even boosting in front of her and looking closely, moving at fast paste around her to analyze her, which made Misty feel a bit nervous, while the Mane 5 looked at him confused.

"I'm not following this whole betrayal thing..." Sonic said, as he walked back to the rest with a bored expression. "All I see is Misty, being as Misty as she can be! Where's this traitor you guys are talking about?" he asked confused.

The Mane 5 and Misty stared at him in disbelief, specially Misty, since she never expected Sonic to stand for her, despite the lack of interactions they had before.

"Sonic, are you deaf or something?" Pipp asked, both concerned and confused. "Misty is the whole reason why Sparky ended up here! And why we are trapped in here as well!" she pointed out.

"And?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow and shrugging it off like if it was nothing.

"'And'?! Misty lied to us, pretended to be our friend, and then trapped us here, and all you can say about it is 'And'?!" Zipp shouted in rage.

"You've had hard feelings for Misty since the very beginning, Zipp" Sonic pointed out with a bored expression. "I cannot take your word serious based on that. As for the rest of you, jumping straight to conclusions without having the full picture is becoming a trope on you guys that I cannot stand" he added with a frown, before turning to see Misty. "So, care to explain the full picture here?" he asked her.

Misty sighed and looked down to the ground in sadness. "Opaline found me a long time ago when I was just a lost filly and I couldn't remember where home was..." she started to explain. "And she... she took me in and I... She promised me a Cutie Mark and..." she tried to add, but not only she couldn't finish her sentence, but also the Mane 5 looked away from her, with Zipp still frowning in rage. "I'm so sorry... You didn't deserve this..." she added with sadness.

Sonic, however, and unlike the rest, looked at Misty with sympathy. While he never knew what it was like to be raised by someone that never actually cared for you, he could tell that Misty was good hearted, she was just misguided by Opaline, and probably by Eggman as well.

"Well... On one hand, it makes sense that you were working with them, considering your sometimes strange attitude..." Sonic confessed, then he looked at Misty and smiled, approaching her and kneeling, while placing a hand on her shoulder. "But on the other hand, a traitor would've never enjoy themselves with the ones they're suppose to betray, nor feel sorry about it" he pointed out to her with a smirk.

Misty looked at Sonic with disbelief. Why was he defending her so much? Why wasn't he as upset as the Mane 5 were? She couldn't understand...

"I don't care what these guys think of you. In my book, you're still a friend" Sonic assured her with a smile, which made both the Mane 5 and Misty gasp at what he said. "Now, what to do about it? It depends on you, Mist. If you truly are our friend, which I know you are, then prove it!" he declared with a smirk.

Again, Misty couldn't understand why Sonic was being so kind and polite with her... But she still smiled back at him, and pulled him into a hug, which Sonic returned despite being startled at first.

"MISTY! GET UP HERE!" Opaline's voice called out suddenly, which made Misty gasp and brake the hug, as she looked upstairs in panic.

Sonic also looked upstairs with a frown, but then he looked at Misty and smirked. "Better go with her and avoid any scolding, just to keep the facade going" he told her, winking at her playfully.

Misty smiled at this and nodded, before looking back at the Mane 5. "I'm gonna fix this!" she assured to them with a determinate look.

After that, she quickly went upstairs with Opaline, while Sonic sighed and smiled, before turning back to his friends, who were staring confused at him, except for Zipp, who looked at him with a frown.

"What do you think are you doing?!" Zipp asked angrily. "She has been working for them since we met her, and you still see her as a friend?!" she pointed out madly.

"Blue Star, I can understand some of the things you do... But this makes no sense!" Pipp pointed out. "Why forgive her after what she has done?" she asked confused.

"I just did what I believe is the right thing to do. Like I always do!" Sonic replied with a smile, as he approached the bubble, kneeling in front of it. "Anyways, better get you guys out of there! We can talk about my life decisions later" he stated with a smirk.

After that, he started to charge his Spin Dash, which made the Mane 5 split apart, with the sisters going in one direction, and the rest going in the other, leaving the middle space free so Sonic could pass through the bubble and not hurt them.

However, the bubble was too resistant, because even if Sonic did managed to push it a bit, he still got sent backwards, and he landed sat down on Opaline's Throne with a dizzy expression.

He shook his head, and then looked back at the bubble, before frowning and then go to it again. He charged his left fist with his electrical powers and then punched the bubble, just to be sent backwards and land in the ground on his back.

Sonic stood up and looked at the bubble with a frown, also tapping his foot in the ground desperately. "This is gonna require the heavier weapons, I guess!" he stated, smirking and cracking his fingers.

After that, he placed some protective googles over his eyes and brought out a saw, not knowing that Eggman slightly opened the door of his lab and stared with a frown at the Blue Hedgehog.

"Oh, you think you can get Misty away from me, Sonic?" Eggman muttered to himself with anger. "We'll see about that..." he stated, closing the door entirely.





Misty quickly went upstairs and approached the window, looking at Sparky with concern.

Opaline, who was behind her, smirked and looked at her over her shoulder. "You, my dear, are only moments away from getting your gorgeous new Cutie Mark" Opaline charmed, before she came over to the window. "I just want to watch this stinky little dragon fall first" she added with a cold expression.

"Uh, do we really have to drop Sparky into the water, Opaline?" Misty asked, earning a dangerous and angry glare from Opaline that made her flinch. "I mean, he's just a baby dragon and now he'll be powerless so... He's... harmless..." she pointed out.

"This harmless baby dragon has given me one headache too many!" Opaline snapped her wings open at Misty, advancing towards her. "And now that he'll be without Dragon Fire, I'll have no use for him. Ta-ta, dragon baby" she sneered, while waving her hoof to the weakened Sparky in a mocking way.

To this, Sparky let out a small bubble that popped in front Opaline's hoof, which made her cringe, while Misty covered her mouth with a hoof, trying not to laugh.

"Agh! Disgusting! I have to go wash my hooves in case he got spit on me" Opaline said, walking off and cringing in disgust at what Sparky did. "Revolting..." she added with annoyance.

Seeing that this might be the perfect chance to get Sparky out of his cage, Misty quickly ran downstairs once again.





Back with Sonic and the Mane 5, Sonic has tried it all.

He used the saw, an axe, a sword he took from a pile with stuff on the corner of the room that had Eggman's logo on it, and even made several stomp attacks that ended sending him up to the ceiling, just to fall facewards to the ground.

In other words, he still couldn't take the Mane 5 out of their bubble prison.

"My gosh! What is this bubble made of?! I get it repulses your magic from the inside, but why do I feel like it also repulses it from the outside?" Sonic said confused, walking around the bubble.

"This is proof that Opaline's magic is powerful... Very powerful!" Zipp pointed out with concern.

"It may be, but it won't stop me from getting you out of there!" Sonic stated with a determinate look. "I just need to figure out what kind of weakness an Alicorn's magic can have..." he pointed out with a concerned frown.

But then, his ear twitched when he heard heavy breathing behind, so he turned to see Misty arriving, as she trotted downstairs and approached him.

"Well, took you long enough!" Sonic said with a smile.

"Don't bother apologizing again, Misty. We don't want to hear it!" Sunny said with anger.

"Yeah, we're too busy trying to get out of this mess!" Hitch added with a frown.

"The one you put us in." Pipp frowned.

"Guys, I swear I'm just a straw away to get out of here, leave you on your own, and fight with Shadow for no reason again..." Sonic told the rest with a bored expression.

"Sonic, why are you still defending her?!" Izzy asked confused.

"You guys are being really defensive with Misty, but all she has done is follow Opaline's orders as far as I know and care" Sonic started to speak with a frown. "Besides, you all act like if you were free of sins here!" he added with anger.

"What do you mean?!" Zipp asked with a frown.

Sonic putted on a bored expression, but still decided to keep going. "Well, for starters: You told your best friend from a lifetime that you would stop being her friend if she didn't stopped being herself, 2 minutes before Izzy and I arrived..." he told Hitch with a frown, which made the earth pony stallion's eyes widened, as he looked away embarrassed. "You avoided the conflict with the Unity Crystals when Zipp told you that something was wrong" he told Sunny, who also looked down with a cringed expression at the reminder. "Your family lied to your people for centuries, way before you even born!" he told the sisters, and they both looked down in embarrassment at the memory. "And you..." he looked at Izzy, but he actually had nothing to say. "Actually, you're the only one who's anger towards Misty is justified..." he pointed out.

Still, Izzy also looked down in sadness, because she didn't wanted to feel this anger towards Misty.

"And I'm not free of sins, either. I tried to kill my own enemy after Longclaw died..." Sonic reminded as well, looking down to the floor with shame on himself, while Misty gasped behind him. "And I hid the thing with Eggman and the Chaos Emeralds from you for a while..." he added as well. "As you can see, we all make mistakes... We all have done something that kind of betrays who we are... But we can choose to hold tight into that betrayal..." he started, then he looked back at Misty and smiled. "Or we can choose friendship. We can choose love. That is the true magic here... Right?" he asked, looking back at the Mane 5 once again, but this time with a smile.

The Mane 5 looked all surprised at him, specially Sunny, because that's exactly what she said when Sprout destroyed her old lighthouse, right before the Unity Crystals finally brought magic back to Equestria.

Still, it made Sunny smile back to him. "Longclaw was right, Sonic. You have a heart like no creature else..." she told him.

"Maybe... But I did learned a lot about friendship from the best!" Sonic replied with a smirk, also winking at Sunny.

"Me too..." Misty muttered, before letting out a long sigh. "Listen... You guys have been nothing but good to me. You treated me better than anypony ever has. You treated me like a friend... And it's my turn to do the same!" she declared.

After that, she turned and saw the flames on the wood near the throne, then she ran over to it and leaped onto the throne.

"I'd rather be a pony without a Cutie Mark forever than live one more day as a pony that does the wrong thing!" Misty declared with confidence.

Then, she knocked over the wood and the flame became infused with it. Misty grabbed the wood in her mouth and ran full speed at the bubble, slashing it and freeing everyone, but it sent her flying backwards.

Thankfully, Sonic caught her just in time and put her back in the floor.

"You freed us?" Sunny gasped at Misty.

"I had to..." Misty stated.

"What did I told you?" Sonic told her with a smirk and a friendly push on her shoulder. "You only had to prove you were our friend!" he added with a wink, while Misty smiled back at him.

Suddenly, Misty's hooves and legs began to glow bright blue, before she was lifted up into the air, as a sphere of blue light appeared around Misty. "What's happening?" Misty asked a bit panicked, before the sphere touched her right flank... where her own cutie mark finally appeared.

It was a Butterfly with blue and pink spots on top and blue and pink spots on the bottom.

"At last! A Cutie Mark!" Misty gasped in awe.

"About time!" Sonic said with a smile

"Helping us gave you your Cutie Mark!" Sunny breathed.

"I just couldn't bear to see my friends in trouble" Misty pointed out, as she staggered to her hooves. "It... unlocked something in me. What if... that something was me? The real me" she added with a smile.

After hearing this, Sonic's eyes widened. "Huh... That might we what we're gonna need, after all..." he muttered to himself, crossing his arms and rubbing his chin.

"What do you mean?" Pipp asked Sonic confused.

"First things first: Let's get that baby dragon back!" Sonic declared with a smirk, as he took the stick Misty used from the ground and tossed it to Hitch, who caught it with his mouth. "And Misty?" he kept talking, looking at her with a smile. "Once Sparky is safe, you will come with us!" he declared confidently.





In the studio, the Dragonstone was almost done draining Sparky's magic.

At this, Opaline grinned sinisterly and began to absorb the dragon fire, laughing like a maniac as she did so, as she started to glow bright, while her magic began to grow stronger.

However, just when she was enjoying her new magic the most, she heard a loud bang coming from downstairs

"Ugh, what now?!" Opaline groaned in anger, as she started walking out of the room. "I hope neither Misty or Ivo made something stupid... but that's just foolish wishing..." she added, as she walked downstairs.

What she didn't know, however, is that Zipp is carrying Hitch, as they flew over Opaline without her knowing and get into the room, seeing Sparky.

Hitch gasped when he looked Sparky so grey and dull. "Sparky!" he cried out.

Zipp flew out of the window and under Sparky. "Don't worry, Sparky, we are here to rescue you!" she assured, while Hitch stuck his head out of the window and used the flame stick to pop the bubble, as Sparky fell and Zipp caught him. "Gotcha!" she cheered, flying back to the castle and giving Sparky back to Hitch.

Hitch hugged Sparky and laughed in relief. "I'm never letting you go again!" he said, while Sparky gurgled happily and hugged Hitch back.





Opaline managed to reach the Throne Room again.

Once she did so, her eyes widened when she saw that the bubble where she trapped the Mane 5 earlier was gone, as well as the ponies, and Misty wasn't anywhere to be seen, either.

With a frown, she flew to the place where they used to be and groaned. "Misty! Where are you? Where are those fools?!" she shouted, both in rage and worry.

"Perhaps you should reconsider who you trust on, Ma'am" Sonic's voice spoke behind her.

Opaline felt a bit startled, so she turned around and frowned when she saw Sonic sitting down on her throne, while a sword rested on the right arm of the throne.

"Let me guess... You are the blue pest Ivo's been dealing for years now, aren't you?" Opaline asked with anger.

"And you are the evil Alicorn that's been a pain the ass for everypony in Equestria for quite a while" Sonic replied with a snort. "Or should I say, Queen Opaline?" he added with a mocking tone, as he stood up from the throne and grabbed the sword with his hand.

At hearing this, Opaline's eyes widened, but she still smirked sinisterly at Sonic. "Oh! So you have heard about me... How charming!" she said with a really egotistical smile.

"It's hard not to. After all, Twilight Sparkle left a message warning us about you" Sonic replied with a frown, as he started to walk in one direction, around the pool in front of the Throne, while Opaline began to walk on the other direction. "Discord also told us about you, although he said you were a unicorn, not an Alicorn" he pointed out.

"Ugh! Please" Opaline snorted. "That old draconequus knows everything about true power, and he still can't get a thing as simple as shapeshifting? He has done it before himself" she pointed out with a mocking tone.

"Oh, so you fucked up Equestria with a unicorn cosplay? Wow..." Sonic said with a bored expression, as he stopped right in front of the Throne Room's door, with Opaline stopping in front of her throne.

"It might not have been what you expected, rodent. But it was effective" Opaline said, before opening her wings and then fly in the air. "And now that my power is restored..." she started, as her horn and wings ignited in fire. "I will recover what's rightfully mine! And nobody, not even you, your master, or whoever you fight for, will stop me!" she declared with a maniac laugh.

At this, Sonic frowned, then twirled his sword a bit and pointed it at Opaline. "Listen here, 'Your majesty': If you're gonna refer to me in some way, you'll do it right!" he stated with anger. "I'm Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog! I have no master except the wind that blows free! I fight for what I know is the right thing, and I'm here to stop you! Or die in the attempt!" he declared, now grabbing the sword with both hands and glaring daggers at Opaline.

Opaline's eyes widened, and she stared at Sonic for a second, before properly smile. "Very well, Sonic, Knight of the Wind. Prepare to die!" she declared, as she launched a massive fire blast towards Sonic.

At this, Sonic immediately moved away and ran over the wall, before jumping in the air with a spin and then swing the sword towards Opaline.

She noticed this with wide eyes, so she managed to create a shield just in time to block the attack, and then, she sent Sonic backwards, while the hedgehog landed on his feet, and then putted he sword on his back before charging a Spin Dash against Opaline, launching at her and hitting her face.

Opaline shook her head and then growled, creating with her magic some fire balls that materialized into sticks, and then she launched them against Sonic, who quickly dodged all of them, before charging his electrical powers and redirect them to the sword, then jumped in the air and made a Homing Attack against the Alicorn.

However, in the air, he uncurled and aimed the sword to her horn, something she noticed, so she quickly launched a fire blast against him. Sonic noticed this with wide eyes, so he quickly cancelled his Homing Attack by making a Stomp Attack to the ground, where he landed and then looked at Opaline again with a frown.

Next, he putted the sword aside and then started to run across the wall in the room, then he jumped once he was above Opaline and launched the sword to her. At this, Opaline grinned and used her magic to launch the sword away, but as she did so, she didn't noticed Sonic coming to her, so she got her face punched by him, who then jumped backwards and landed in the floor again, while Opaline fell to the floor with a painful grunt.

"Ugh..." Opaline groaned, before standing up and shook her head, then stare daggers at Sonic. "How dare you?! You not only punched the future ruler of Equestria, you punched a lady!" she shouted in rage.

"Get tuned, 'your majesty'..." Sonic mocked up with a smirk. "The fist of justice is unisex!" he declared.

Opaline growled at this, then she started to fly and chase down Sonic across the Throne Room, while Sonic himself just ran away from her with a smirk, clearly enjoying this despite being aware of the dangers in the situation he's in.

At some point, one of her fire blasts hit the stuff on the corner with Eggman's logo, which made the boxes explode, while some stamina rings got spread across the room.

Sonic noticed this, so he smirked and quickly charged his Spin Dash, then boosted across the room to collect as many rings as he could. Once he had at least 25 or 30, he stopped rolling around and then started to run backwards to mock Opaline.

"You know? I've only met two Alicorns in my life and, for the supposed to be big menace for Equestria, I'm kind of disappointed..." Sonic said with a mocking smirk.

"Shut up!" Opaline screamed in rage, launching another blast that Sonic dodged by moving behind the fire Alicorn.

"Starting with your looks... What kind of wear is that? Are you stuck in the 1500's or something?" Sonic said with a bored expression, dodging another fire as he now stood at back of Opaline's Throne. "Also, why is your horn curved? It not only looks weird, it looks gross..." he added, dodging another blast as he sat on the ceiling while waving his feet. "And don't get me even started on your aim. Even a five year old can hit me way faster than you!" he added with a slight frown.

Then, he dodged the next blast by boosting right behind Opaline and try to punch her, but Opaline quickly turned around and fired another blast that almost hit Sonic, if he didn't used a Stomp Attack to dodge it.

"UGH!!!" Opaline roared in anger, as she started to shot her fire blasts more wildly. "Do you ever shut up?!" she shouted, tired to hear Sonic's mockery.

"Nope! That's Because I'm good!" Sonic replied proudly, before jumping over a blast and the slide a bit on the ground, while he collected 3 stamina rings and then grabbed the fourth one with a hand. "And powerful, apparently! Jealous?" he asked with a mocking tone and smirk, before boosting away to dodge another attack.

However, he did a bad turn, because he tripped with something in the floor, and when Opaline noticed that, she grinned and fired a blast of magic against Sonic. He flew backwards because of this, and he crashed against a wall, loosing several rings in the process.

Izzy, Pipp and Misty, who were all hiding behind the throne this whole time, saw the entire battle so far, and Pipp was blushing like mad at Sonic's fighting skills. But the moment the blast hit him and he crashed in the wall, the three mares gasped quietly in shock, and Pipp's eyes widened in panic.

"Son––" Pipp tried to say, but Izzy quickly covered her mouth, since they didn't wanted to be discovered by Opaline yet.

The Alicorn did turned to face her throne a bit confused, but she shrugged and looked back at Sonic with a smirk.

Sonic managed to kneel in the ground and shake his head, as he looked back at Opaline with a frown.

"I've been watching you over the past year, Hedgehog... and honestly? I got things to say about you..." Opaline said with a cold stare. "You are not impressive..." she started.

At hearing that, Sonic chuckled and stood up slowly, cleaning some blood that came out from his mouth, then getting up and collecting all the rings he lost, as they entered to his body once again.

"You are not powerful!" Opaline kept saying, as her horn lightened up one more time.

Meanwhile, Sonic was now cracking his neck and his knuckles, as well as jumping a bit on his place, like mocking up the Alicorn while he stretched out and prepared to beat the shit out of her.

"And... YOU ARE NOT WORTHY!" Opaline shouted in rage, now spreading his wings wide open.

With his warm ups ready, Sonic looked at Opaline with a mocking smirk. "You forgot one..." he stated, as he positioned to run against her, with his eyes and quills turning neon blue. "I'm unstoppable!" he declared confidently.

And then, Sonic charged up a Spin Dash that combined his electrical powers, then launched against Opaline, who created a magic shield to protect herself from the attack...

However, Sonic's Spin Dash was boosted by his electrical powers, which started to push the barrier, and therefore Opaline, a bit backwards, something the Alicorn herself noticed, so she growled in anger and did her best to push Sonic back... failing miserably, because Sonic's Spin Dash broke the shield and hit Opaline hard enough in the face.

They were both sent backwards, with both of them landing in the floor, panting a bit exhausted.

But then, Opaline groaned and tried to fly away, heading towards her studio... A plan that failed, because Sunny stepped in and blocked her way.

"So, you're the evil Alicorn!" Sunny frowned.

"Oh. Is that what they're calling me?" Opaline retorted, before turning on her wings and horn on fire. "Better make it evil fire Alicorn! OPALINE ARCANA!" she declared

"Uh-oh/Oh dear..." Izzy and Pipp winced, while Misty gulped nervously.

"And I thought my ego was big..." Sonic said with a bored expression.

"Twilight warned us about you! You're the one who tried to steal magic and divided Equestria all those moons ago!" Sunny frowned.

"And now that I have the dragon's power, I'll do it again right now!" Opaline roared, then she fired a magic beam at Sunny, who dodged it and slid on the wooden ramp to get away of the fire, before running around the pool in front of the throne.

To this, Opaline simply kept shooting magic blasts at her, while Sunny simply ran around the pool.

"Oh, whoa!" Sunny called out, as she ran around. "Ha-ha! Missed!" she mocked up with a smirk.

"Argh!" Opaline roared, as she fired another beam that reached the tree bark wall where Sunny was passing by.

"Sunny, move!" Sonic called out, as he boosted to her.

Sunny gasped as she saw the wall piece going to her, and Sonic tried to move her aside, but instead, it fell on both Sonic and Sunny, while their friends gasped.

"Sunny!" Izzy called out with worry.

"Sonic!" Pipp cried out in panic.

Thankfully, Sunny and Sonic were fine, just stuck in the wall piece, as they tried to get free from it, but they were stuck underneath the pile.

"Man, this sucks!" Sonic said with a frown.

"Look at me!" Opaline said with a sinister grin. "Do you really think you could stop a Fire Alicorn?" she asked sarcastically, but as she was about to laugh again, something hit her in the face. "Ah! Ugh!" she yelped in pain, as she turned and saw Izzy throwing things to her with her magic.

"Leave. Them. Alone!" Izzy called out in anger, as she kept throwing stuff at Opaline.

Opaline shook off and glared at Izzy, but then, something was thrown to her head from the back, so she turned and saw Pipp, throwing things at her as well.

"Dah! Yes! Leave them alone!" Pipp yelled at Opaline as well.

"You pests!" Opaline yelled out, but as she was about to use her magic, something else hit her from the back.

When she turned around, however... She didn't expected to see what she saw: Misty, levitating stuff as well, showing off her Cutie Mark and frowning at Opaline.

"Leave my friends alone!" Misty shouted in rage, as she also started to throw stuff at Opaline.

The Alicorn was so stunned and shocked to see her protege not only with a Cutie Mark, but also using her new gained magic against her.

Sunny and Sonic were surprised as well, while Izzy, Pipp and Misty kept throwing stuff at the stunned Alicorn.

"Now this is a pretty hardcore redemption arc..." Sonic said with a smile, which made Sunny put a bored expression and hit his shoulder with a hoof, while Sonic looked at her confused and she raised an eyebrow to him. "Am I wrong?" he asked.

However, Opaline snapped and frowned with anger, then used her magic not only to trap Izzy and Pipp in a bubble again, but also trap Misty in one as well.

Sunny and Sonic gasped at this, so they tried to lift the wall piece off them, while Opaline fused Izzy, Misty and Pipp's bubbles together.

"I'm disappointed on you Misty" Opaline spitted with rage and a frown. "Not only it seems that you helped this ponies to escape, but you also got your Cutie Mark by the actual method..." she added with anger.

"You lied to me my whole life!" Misty pointed out with a frown. "I got my Cutie Mark thanks to my real friends!" she added. "And I won't rest until we defeat you and Eggman!" she stated confidently.

"Too bad you will rest, then" Opaline mocked up. "You weak little ponies can't stop Opaline Arcana!" she declared. "Not even with that blue rat on your side!" she added with a maniac laugh.

Izzy, Pipp and Misty gasped, while Sunny and Sonic kept grunting as they seemed to finally get free from the piece of wall.

Opaline fired her horn at the three mares, but Sunny and Sonic jumped in front of them and activated their shields to create a more powerful and resistant one: Sunny used her magic, and Sonic used the digital shield of his watch.

Misty, Pipp and Izzy cheered to them, while Opaline got startled. "Uh-oh..." she said, but she still tried to seem intimidating.

"Maybe alone, we can't!" Sunny said with a frown. "But together, we can do anything!" she declared.

After that, Sunny sent the shield she made back to Opaline, sending her backwards, while Sonic turned off his digital shield.

"Wanna play co-op?" Sunny asked Sonic with a smirk.

"You know it, Sunny-Bunny! Let's show this Alicorn what. We're. Made of!" Sonic smirked back, also cracking his fingers.

Thereupon, Sunny took flight and launched to Opaline, while Sonic charged his Spin Dash and started to roll around the walls in the room.

Opaline fired at the Alicorn and Hedgehog, as Sunny used her shield up whenever Opaline shot at her, while Sonic went straight up to attack with Homing Attacks and Spin Dashes, and Opaline chased after them with a warrior cry.

"Yes, you can do it, guys!" Izzy cheered.

"Way to glow, you two!" Pipp cheered next.

Opaline kept screaming in rage, blasting at Sunny and Sonic as much as she could, but Sunny was keeping her shield up, and Sonic still hit her successfully. Just then, Zipp and Hitch came into the room.

"Yeah! We have your backs!" Zipp encouraged them with a smirk.

"Get her!" Hitch called out as well.

Then, both him and Zipp ran downstairs, while Hitch used the stick to pop the prison bubble their friends were in.

Opaline screamed in rage as she charged another blast towards Sunny, while the younger Alicorn protected herself with another shield. The two Alicorns started to fly around the room, while the other ponies but Misty started to cheer at them, not noticing that their Cutie Marks were glowing.

Meanwhile, Sonic began to jump around the room, going around Opaline without hitting her at top speed, but don't worry, this is completely planned. He knows what he's doing.

Then, Misty looked at her friends, then at Sunny and Opaline still fighting, and then she remembered Sonic's words from earlier...

"If you truly are our friend, which I know you are, then prove it!" Sonic's voice echoed on her mind.

Misty opened her eyes and smiled determinate, as she looked back at Sunny. "You can do it, Sunny!" she started to cheer loudly as well.

After all, Opaline was already aware of her Cutie Mark, and Sonic told her earlier that she was leaving with them once this was over, so what else could she do?

With this, Misty's Cutie Mark started to glow as well, which seemed to be enough to feed Sunny's magic, because trials of magic came out of the five ponies' Cutie Marks, as they reached Sunny's and gave her more power, something that made Opaline gasp in panic.

Meanwhile, Sonic finally stopped moving and uncurled from his ball form, landing behind Opaline with a frown. "You might wanna go back to kindergarten, bitch!" he said with anger, as his electrical powers turned on. "Because... I am not a rat!" he added.

After that, he pressed a button on his watch, and then, an electrical lasso came out of it, as it automatically followed Sonic's previous path he made around Opaline... Sonic's plan was to tie her up this whole time, he just needed to be specific with his moves while Sunny kept her busy.

Once the lasso stopped moving, Sonic smirked. "I'm a hedgehog!" he shouted, pulling the lasso and trapping Opaline on a perfect fit thanks to the moves the lasso made.

With Opaline tied up, and with Sunny's powers charged up thanks to her friends' magic, the latter shot her magic to the Fire Alicorn, who got sent backwards. Then, Sonic pulled the lasso a bit, still with Opaline trapped on it, and he started to twirl it around the room at fast paste.

Opaline groaned and panicked as she was being twirled around, until Sonic finally let her go towards her Throne, which she destroyed with her own body, as she fell to the ground with a loud grunt of pain, while the Mane 5 and Misty cringed, as Sonic let go her body from the lasso, and Sunny even created a golden bubble around her.

With Opaline trapped, Sunny landed in the ground and Sonic cleaned his hands with a confident smirk, while Sunny walked towards Hitch, who was carrying Sparky on his hooves.

"Sparky!" Sunny said with a warm smile "Aw, I'm so glad you're okay!" she added relieved, as she nuzzled Sparky's face, while the baby dragon gurgled softly at her.

Meanwhile, Sonic grabbed the sword from the ground and approached to Opaline's bubble with a frown. Once he stopped in front of the bubble, he rested the sword over his right shoulder, while Opaline shook her head inside the bubble as she got up, then noticed that she was trapped, and then she frowned back at Sonic.

"Let's make ourselves clear, Opaline..." Sonic started with anger, while the Mane 5 and Misty approached with frowns as well. "Today you got pretty lucky, you know? If I arrived as mad as I was back in the Brighthouse, I would've crossed a line I swore I'd never cross" he explained coldly.

"What are you doing? Threatening me?" Opaline snorted with a grin.

"Maybe I am" Sonic replied, and Opaline's grin faded away, but her frown remained. "If you ever try to get close to Sparky, to hurt any of my friends, to manipulate Misty again... I will come straight up to this liar of yours, and I won't kill you, but I won't hold back my punches either. So you better stay away from us" he warned with anger.

After that, he sticked the sword on the ground, then turned around and walked towards the exit, while everyone else followed behind, Misty included.

Opaline growled in anger and then shot a fire beam to the bubble, but it didn't exploded. "You can't keep me here forever!" she shouted in rage.

"No. But we can keep you away from our friends!" Sunny said, looking at Opaline over her shoulder.

Opaline growled again, but then, she remembered something, so she smirked again. "Well... I don't mind to rebuild the place, anyways..." she said, now suddenly sounding confident.

"What is she talking about?" Pipp asked confused.

"Don't know... It's not like there's a big disaster here..." Zipp pointed out confused.

However, Sonic immediately realized what Opaline meant, and he quickly pushed everyone else back.

He did that just in time, because a really long robotic arm with three giant spikes came out of the door that leads to Eggman's lab in the castle.

Sonic quickly checked that his friends were right, then he went and helped Pipp to stand up, and then he looked to Eggman's lab's door with a frown, while the robotic arms started to grow to its regular size again. And then, the door was completely traversed by the original Death Egg Robot, as it stared down at the Mane 5, Misty and Sonic, while its blue eyes changed to red.

"Leaving the party so soon?" Eggman asked on a very sadistic tone, followed by a maniac laugh. "But if we're just getting started!" he stated, now launching the left arm against the group.

The ponies and Sonic quickly split up, while the Death Egg Robot's head started to spin in 360 degrees to scan the entire room, and therefore, his enemies.

Finally, once he had all of them scanned, Eggman got down to business: First, he attacked Hitch by shooting some purple splats that got the Sheriff stuck to the ground. Next, he launched a pair of nets to Zipp and Pipp that not only trapped them together and around their wings, but the second one also trapped them a second time as they fell to the floor.

Now, he let go a small jar with glitter, as it rolled on the floor and stopped near Izzy. "Ooh, glitter!" she said with a smile.

However, as she was about to pick the jar with her magic, the jar itself exploded and covered Izzy on glitter. Of course, this wouldn't been a problem... if it wasn't because of the fact that she was completely freeze'd up on place, with her face being the only spot not covered on glitter.

"That's 4. Three to go" Eggman said, as he turned around and faced Sunny, Sonic... and Misty...

Eggman quickly extended the right arm of the Death Egg Robot and aimed to them, as they split up again, with Sunny now launching a magic beam to the machine, but Eggman moved away and tried to punch her. Next, Sonic charged up his Spin Dash and launched against the machine.

As both Sunny and Sonic dealt with Eggman, Misty sneaked and approached Hitch, trying to free him with her magic, but whatever the splats were made off seemed to be immune to magic, because it wasn't even being surrounded by Misty's.

"I cannot move it!" Misty whispered with concern. "It's very stuck!" she added with a grunt, still trying to free Hitch.

Back with Sonic and Sunny, Eggman was starting to get tired of the two of them, since they were flying and running around him as mosquitos. So, he quickly made a jump in the air with the Death Egg Robot, and then he stomped in the ground with a very loud thud.

This made Sonic loose his balance as he ran over a wall, and as he started to fall towards the ground, Eggman quickly moved the left arm of the Robot and hit Sonic, sending him towards a wall, as the hedgehog crashed on his back on the wall really hard, loosing all his rings this time around. Then, he fell to the floor weakened, even if he was trying to get up.

"Sonic!" Sunny exclaimed in panic when she noticed that, and she quickly flew towards Eggman with a frown.

However, the Death Egg Robot turned to her, and just when she was about to blast another laser from her horn, Eggman moved the left arm of the machine and grabbed Sunny's body, then smashed it to the ground and kept her steady right there.

"Sunny!" Izzy and Hitch screamed in panic, while the sisters, Sparky and Misty gasped in horror.

In just a few minutes, Eggman finished the job that Opaline started, with a weakened Sonic and a terrified Misty being the only ones left that could do something.

"You truly are naive, Starscout" Eggman said with anger, even though the smiling face of the Death Egg Robot said otherwise. "Did you really thought that you were going to get away that easily? That you would just get in here and save Sparky? That's hilarious!" he mocked up. "I've been studying all of you for months! I know everything about you: Dreams, fears, strengths, weaknesses... You've lost this battle before it even started!" he pointed out.

Then, Sonic finally stood up and chuckled. "That's ironic coming from you, Egghead..." he pointed out with a smirk. "In all honesty, I forgot you even existed as we fought Opaline..." he confessed.

"You forgot about me?" Eggman said on a very bad acted sad tone. "I thought that we had something special!" he added with a dramatic and sarcastic tone.

"I fight a lot of bad guys, Egghead. But I can always make time for you!" Sonic said with a mocking smirk, before suddenly frowning. "Let's start with the payback for knocking Tails out!" he shouted in rage, as his electrical powers awakened.

Then, he charged up a Spin Dash and launched against the Death Egg Robot, attack that Eggman received without even trying to avoid it, because the attack only sent Sonic backwards. He crashed on the wall again and then feel to the floor facewards, but this time around, he could barely stand on his knees.

As this happened, Hitch gulped, but then, he got an idea, so he looked at Sparky on his back, then at Misty, who was concerned about Sonic and Sunny, and the Sheriff nodded to himself.

"Misty..." Hitch whispered to her, as the mare turned to him. "Take Sparky, get in the Marestream and fly away from here!" he told her.

"What?!" Misty whispered back in panic.

"We need backup, and Maybe Tails have woke up already!" Hitch pointed out. "Please, Sunny is immobilized, and Sonic is knocked out! We need help!" he added with concern.

Misty was conflicted after hearing this, but... Hitch had a point. She was the only one that could help right now... And she was going to do so!

"... I'll bring the help!" Misty said, as she grabbed Sparky from Hitch's back and sat him on hers, then quickly sneaked away as she headed towards the exit...

But then...

"MISTY!" Eggman's voice spoke, and the mare immediately panicked, as she looked back and saw Eggman pointing the right arm of the Death Egg Robot at her.

Eggman was heartbroken at this point, not only because he clearly knew that Misty was helping Sonic and the Mane 5, but also because she got her Cutie Mark by doing so... She betrayed him, he knew that...

But he also promised to not attack her if she ever went to the opposite band, which is why he hasn't fired at her.

Taking advantage of this, Misty shook her head and ran away from the castle with Sparky, while Eggman sighed in concern and disappointment inside the Death Egg Robot.

"What are you doing?!" Opaline screamed in rage. "She's running away with the dragon!" she pointed out.

"Your powers are restored, Opaline. We don't need the lizard anymore" Eggman pointed out, then he looked down at Sunny, still trapped down the Death Egg Robot's arm. "And we don't need Misty, either!" he stated.

Then, from the arm he had Sunny trapped, he let out a green gas that made Sunny cough a lot, as he finally let her go, while Sunny herself stopped coughing and fell unconscious, with her Alicorn form even disappearing.

"Sunny!" Hitch yelled in panic.

Yet, that only made Eggman turn around and spread the gas to him, Izzy and the sisters as well, as they all started to cough after inhaling it.

Finally, Eggman pointed the same gas at Sonic, as he laughed maniacally by doing so. "Nighty night, hedgehog!" he mocked up happily, and then, he walked away.

Sonic tried to follow him, but the gas he inhaled weakened him even more, so he fell completely in the ground, slowly falling unconscious.

The last thing he saw was his friends falling unconscious too, and then, he saw nothing...





In the Brighthouse, Tails suddenly woke up with a gasp.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted in panic, before falling facewards to the ground.

Amy and Knuckles, who were playing cards on the table, heard that the young fox woke up and gasped.

"Tails!" they both said, before approaching to him.

Rouge, who was still kind of lost on her new gems, also heard Tails' cry, and decided to check on him as well, since very, very, very deep down, she was also concerned for him.

"Easy, little guy..." Knuckles said. "You're still beaten up" he pointed out.

"S-Sonic..." Tails said with concern. "H-He's in danger... W-We gotta help him out!" he exclaimed with panic.

"What?!" Amy asked, now concerned as well. "Tails, you just woke up. You're just saying gibberish, and––" she tried to add.

"NO!" Tails shouted concerned, slowly getting up. "H-He's in danger! I can feel it!" he repeated himself.

"Yellow, how can you tell that?" Rouge asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I-Is something we have..." Tails explained. "S-Some kind of... brotherhood instinct... we know when the other is in danger..." he stated.

And then, Shadow entered the place at top speed.

"I calmed Sonic down, but he went to chase down a flying vehicle that spills rainbows..." Shadow explained with a frown. "Tails? Knuckles? Care to provide some context?" he requested.

"The Marestream?" Knuckles said confused. "Oh, Sonic probably went to help the ponies find Sparky" he pointed out.

"What?!" Tails shouted in panic. "What do you mean the ponies went to look for Sparky? What happened to him?!" he asked confused.

However, just when Knuckles was about to explain himself, they all heard the engine from the Marestream near by, and so, said vehicle landed outside of the Brighthouse.

But instead of the Mane 5 and Sonic rushing in with the saved Sparky, Misty rushed inside alone, even though she did had Sparky on her hooves, while the unicorn mare panted exhausted.

"Misty?" Tails asked confused.

"Tails!" Misty exclaimed, as she gave the weakened Sparky to Knuckles and then hugged Tails tightly. "I'm so glad to see that you're okay!" she said with a little smile.

Tails hugged her back despite still feeling a bit dizzy and weak, while Knuckles stared at Sparky with a worried frown, because he was all grey and weak as well.

"Misty, what the fuck happened?" Knuckles asked with concern, then he looked at her flank and gasped. "And when did you got your Cutie Mark?!" he added with shock.

"Wait, she what?!" Tails asked, as he saw the butterfly Cutie Mark on her flank as well and smiled.

"Can I please explain myself?!" Misty shouted desperate, and everyone else just shut up immediately.

"Kid, you were not even explaining shit–– Oh... Yeah, I see where you were getting..." Shadow said with a bored expression.

Misty groaned and facehoofed, before looking just a Tails with concern. "Tails... There's a lot I gotta tell... And you're not gonna like most of it..." she confessed with concern.