//------------------------------// // For the Element of Laughter! Knuckles and the Royal Pony Couple team up // Story: Sonic X: Friendship is Universal // by JPtheRobotHedgehog //------------------------------// (BGM: SONIC DRIVE - Hironobu Kageyama & Hideaki Takatori) The opening begins as a blue streak of light dashes down the road S-O-N-I-C, GO! Another streak of light appear in the sky, following the blue one, this one was rainbow colored S-O-N-I-C, GO! The two streaks slow down, the blue one reveals to be Sonic the Hedgehog while the rainbow one reveals to be Rainbow Dash. Go, go, go, go, LET'S GO! Sonic and Rainbow Dash grin at each other before they both dash toward the screen before it fades white as the title appears on it SONIC X: FRIENDSHIP IS UNIVERSAL Sonic and Rainbow Dash charge forward as they infiltrate a city that was taken over by the evil genius Dr. Eggman and the mad scientist earth pony Steam. The alarms go off as Eggman and Steam sent their robot minions to stop Sonic and Rainbow Dash. Yesterday's rules are simply loose today The best goal is to break them Sonic and Rainbow Dash race across the streets when they saw robot soldiers blocking their way. Sonic jumps and uses his homing attack on them, while Rainbow Dash speeds her way through them, knocking them down like bowling pins. They try to enter the building where their arch-enemies are, but another wave of robots chase after them out of the building. If I don't keep running There's no other meaning It's a punk philosophy On another part of town, Knuckles was driving a hover car down the road, with Cream, Cheese, Fluttershy, Angel and Applejack. They notice Sonic and Rainbow Dash greeting them, Sonic giving a thumbs up and Rainbow Dash winking them before dashing ahead of them. Then the robots that were chasing after them appear, causing Knuckles, Applejack and the others to scream in horror as they speed up and try to catch up with the two speeders. Eggman and Steam watched this whole scene from aboard their hover ships, Eggman in his Egg Mobile and Steam on his Steam Cloud. They notice Tails, along with Amy, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, flying in the Tornado 2. Biorhythm is a two-time rhythm The scenery instantly becomes countless lines The wind envelops me Eggman and Steam laugh evilly as they fire their missiles at the Tornado 2. Tails and the others notice them and scream in horror. Tails then transforms the Tornado 2 into its battle formation, gaining more speed as he tries to outfly the missiles, the others screaming in horror, while Pinkie Pie shouts and laughs with joy as if riding in a roller coaster. On the road, Sonic, Rainbow Dash, Knuckles and the others are still being chased by the robot soldiers, until they notice the Tornado 2, followed by Eggman and Steam's missiles, coming right at them! The two parties collide, resulting into a big explosion. Sonic and Rainbow Dash are sent flying into the sky, followed by the Tornado 2. Tails and Twilight toss each a Power Ring, one for Sonic and the other for Rainbow Dash. Inside Outside attack Surpass everything altogether I won't let no one and nothing go forward Knuckles and Applejack take down the robots, Knuckles uses his punches, while Applejack uses her bucking. Cream, Cheese, Fluttershy and Angel work together to outsmart the robots into attacking each other. A bright light shines from above them, they look up and see Sonic and Rainbow Dash coming down, with Power Rings in hand and hoof. Sonic then curls into his ball form and Spin Dashs down toward a robot, destroying it, then proceeds to destroy more robots. Rainbow Dash speed increases tenfold, that she performs her Sonic Rainboom in just a few short seconds, smashing into a robot, destroying it, then proceeds to destroy more robots. Inside Outside, GO! SONIC! Everything altogether, Yes! Sonic! "Watch out" and "Have a nice" are similar That's right – both are by the skin of your teeth Sonic and Rainbow Dash then join hand and hoof together and perform the Sonic Rainboost combo, as they charge into the building where Eggman and Steam control the city, smashing and destroying everything inside it, much to Eggman and Steam's horror. Sonic and Rainbow Dash burst out from the top of the building, as it explodes into a million pieces. While in mid-air, Sonic and Rainbow Dash look at each other and grin before they bro fist-hoof with each other, while their friends cheer for them, while Knuckles smiles warmly. Unknown to them, Shadow the Hedgehog, along with Rouge the Bat, Gilda and The Great and Powerful Trixie were watching from the top of one of the buildings. Throw boredom away And start running Sonic closes his eyes and floats up into the air, as the seven Chaos Emeralds fly around him, followed by Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, all wearing their respective Elements of Harmony. Then in a flash of Chaos Energy and Magic of Friendship, Sonic and the Mane 6 transform into Super Sonic, and the Super Mane 6. They stare at the shadowy figures of some mysterious enemies, before charging at them, full speed, the mystery enemies charge back at them, the two parties collide resulting into a giant explosion. S-O-N-I-C, GO! Chris, Kat, and their family and friends, Big the Cat, Froggy, Charmy and Chocola, along with the Mobian animals cheer on for Sonic and his friends, while Vanilla smiles warmly, along with Vector and Espio S-O-N-I-C, GO! The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Derpy Hooves, Lyra, Bon Bon, the ponies of Ponyville and the griffons of the Griffon Kingdom cheer on for the Mane 6 and their friends, while Princess Celestia smiles warmly, along with Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Zecora, King Czar, Hawkeem and La Tormenta Go, go, go go, LET'S GO! Sonic and Rainbow Dash then land back on the ground and pose together for the screen, along with Chris, Kat, Tails, Twilight Sparkle and all of their friends and family. Eggman and Steam are seen cursing out to them in the background before storming off, ending the opening sequence. (BGM ends) The scene opens showing a forest in the middle of the mountainous regions and it was currently the evening. Knuckles the Echidna was seen climbing up the mountain wall with the help of the spikes on his boxing gloves. After he reached the edge of the mountain he was climbing, he climbed up to the floor and looked around. He has spent days searching for the Chaos Emeralds, the only means to return home. He already knew Sonic and the others had already found the first, leaving only six more to find and as soon as he had found the other six, the sooner he’ll be able to return home and carry out his lifetime mission: guarding the Master Emerald. “I must return back to Angel Island at once, or else something will happen to the Master Emerald and I am not there to protect it.” Knuckles said to himself in his thoughts. As the echidna looked around the environment as he took a better view from the mountain he was standing on. He noticed a small town nearby. “Could the next Chaos Emerald be there?” he wondered to himself in his thoughts. “I should probably investigate.” With that decision made, he jumped down the mountain and slides down toward the forest below, making his way to the town. Unknown to him, a couple of ponies were headed the same way as he was. Episode 12 For the Element of Laughter! Knuckles and the Royal Pony Couple team up Soon, Knuckles landed into the forest at the bottom of the mountain. "Alright, the town is just ahead from here..." Knuckles said to himself as he started running through the forest. Meanwhile, on another part of the forest, not too far from the small village Knuckles was headed toward, we see a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane and tail, with a light blue stripe on them, blue eyes, dark blue hooves and wearing a grey armor over his torso, accompanied by a pink alicorn with purple eyes, long purple, pink and white mane and tail, wearing a golden tiara over her head, a gold neck piece, gold shoes and the mark of a blue jewel shaped like a heart with a yellow stream behind it, as they wonder around, not knowing where they are. "Boy, what a strange new world this is." The pink alicorn said. "Yeah. I hope Twiley and her friends are okay." The white stallion said. The two ponies continued on ahead as they wonder around the forest. The pink alicorn noticed a red blur pass by from nearby. "What was that?" she asked in curiosity. "I don't know, but we better follow it." The stallion said. "Come on!" The two ponies then headed after the red blur through the forest. But they begin to become open out when they looked around the area. It was within a camping site as they went past them as they avoided being detected by anyone. As they continued to look around the forest, they noticed a strong sound coming from the distance. The environment was comfortable when the ponies look around the place except they noticed something was wrong. They saw the trees were cut down and there were parts of the places that were burnt down by something until they stopped. "What in the...?" The white stallion gawked as he looked around the area except there was no magic, but he saw robotic parts rusted as it was stuck on the trees. They felt sadness in the area when there is yellow tape around the place. They kept hidden when they saw the firefighters walked past them to examine the damage around the place. The firefighters looked around and wondered who would want to set the area on fire. The ranger went on by to examine the damage with the cabin and writing down the reports as they checked the place. "Who would want to do something cruel?" "I don't know, but whoever is doing that? What a reckless prank that they have done..." "This was fine about a two weeks ago, but it's sad that we don't know if it is a meteor or not." "But there is no crater, but it was cruel joke... This is the dry season, but we have to be on our toes about it." The two ponies overheard the firefighters and the ranger talking while they remain hidden. "Something crashed here, but not a meteor? Hmm..." The white stallion said quietly to himself. Meanwhile, the red blur, who was actually Knuckles the Echidna himself, was hidden away as he overheard the firefighters and the ranger talking. He looked indifferent about it, as he was more concerned about finding the Chaos Emeralds and return to his own world, before something happens to the Master Emerald, but even so...he couldn't ignore this. "That sounds like the work of a Chaos Emerald..." Knuckles said quietly. "Hey, everyone! Looks what I found!" one female firefighter shouted, catching the attention of the others and the ranger. "What is it?" one of the other firefighters asked, while Knuckles peeked a bit from his hiding place while the two ponies were spying from theirs. "Here." the female firefighter showed them the item she found. It was a golden necklace with a light blue jewel that was shaped like a balloon "Hey, that's not a Chaos Emerald." Knuckles whispered to himself with a look of curiosity on his face. "An Element of Harmony!" the pink alicorn exclaimed quietly in shock. "The Element of Laughter!" The white stallion whispered. Knuckles grumbled under his breath when he thought it was a Chaos Emerald, but he was wrong. He overheard someone saying that it was the "Element of Laughter". He looked around the place except the ground shook as the firefighters felt the vibration of it. "What's happening?!" A firefighter shouted. "Earthquake!" Another firefighter cried. Knuckles and the two ponies, held onto the trees as the ground shook. Suddenly, a large robot emerged from the ground, Knuckles, the two ponies, the firefighters and the ranger gasped in shock as they saw it. At first, Knuckles thought it was one of Eggman's robots, but then he noticed this one had a more "steampunk" theme to it, as it looked like a giant mole with drills for claws and had red glowing eyes. Its name was TITAN-1005, Codename: Burrower. "This can't be another one of Eggman's robots." Knuckles said quietly, "It looks more like a steampunk robot of some sort." "Shining Armor, that robot..." the pink alicorn said to the white stallion. The stallion known as Shining Armor nodded as he said, "No doubt about it. That looks like one of Steam's assassin robots." The firefighters and the ranger stared in shock at Burrower. "My God, what is that!?" one of the firefighters gawked. "Is that one of that Eggman guy's robots?" another firefighter asked. "Naw, his robots are more sci-fi like, this one is more steampunk." the ranger said. Burrower looked down at them and glared at the female firefighter, who was holding the Element of Laughter in her hands. They saw the bloodstain on Burrower's claw except the exterior had a few rust to it. It sensed the Element of Laughter and snagged it away from the firefighter causing more trouble. It activated the flamethrowers again as it was ready for some bloodshed. Burrower didn't say a word when it was ready to assassinate the fire fighters and the environment. "Oh no! That thing's gonna kill those people!" Knuckles exclaimed. There was something quite odd about it when it had a glitch inside the system, but the pink alicorn noticed that it doesn't have any code by it. The pink alicorn saw that it was neglected by Steam due to the old rusted metal from it. "Do something Shining Armor!" the pink alicorn shouted. Shining Armor decided to take matters as he nodded, "Will do, Cadance..." he said as the white stallion's horn started glowing as it became surrounded in a light rose colored aura. Burrower attacked the firefighters with its drill claws, but Shining Armor used his magic to summon a light rose colored magic shield in front of the firefighters, blocking its attack. Burrower disappeared into the ground after this when it felt the power from the white stallion. It left a hole but then it dug back up without leaving a trace as it got the Element hanging by the teeth. Knuckles noticed that the Element was glowing before it disappeared, but he came across the two ponies, while the firefighters were distracted by dealing with the fire. "Did that treasure just glow?" Knuckles asked causing the two ponies jumped in surprise, when they turned around and saw the red echidna next to them. "Whoa!" Shining exclaimed as he noticed Knuckles while slightly startled. Knuckles looked at them in silence, until he asked them, "You friends with an orange pony in a hat, a white unicorn with a stylish mane and a crazy pink pony?" "Why, yes! That's Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie!" The pink alicorn, known as Cadance, exclaimed. "You know them?" Shining asked Knuckles. "Well, let's just say I, ran into them...twice." Knuckles said. "Are they all right?" Cadance asked in concern. "Yeah, they're fine. They're with Sonic and the gang right now." Knuckles replied. “Who’s Sonic?” Shining asked. “Is he a friend of yours?” Cadance asked. Knuckles gritted his teeth in anger at Cadance’s question. “NO! He’s just someone I know and that’s it!” he shouted, refusing to admit that Sonic was his friend. "I think he's in denial." Shining whispered to Cadance, who nodded in agreement, when she could tell by Knuckles' emotions that he doesn't want to admit that Sonic is his friend, but he continued to act in denial. "Anyway, I heard one of you say "Element of Laughter"." Knuckles said, as he changed the subject. "You were referring to that necklace thing that robot stole from one of the firefighters, right?" "That's what it was." Shining replied with a nod. "Strange...I thought it was a Chaos Emerald, but I was wrong when I saw that it was a necklace." Knuckles grumbled under his breath. Knuckles wondered if the Chaos Emerald and the Element have a strong connection for an odd reason, but he doesn't have time to think about it when he went to follow the experiment. Cadence tried to ask him but he disappeared at the end. Shining sighed when they have to track it down. Meanwhile, back in Eggman’s base, Stream was glad when he was informed about the mission being successful. It doesn't mean that he liked Burrower due to the fact that it is his least favorite and tried to replace it with another robot. "I'm glad that worthless hunk of junk did something useful for a change, but that doesn't mean I like him better." Steam mumbled to himself. "Once it finishes delivering that Element of Harmony to me, I'm replacing it with another robot." "Replace who?" asked Eggman to Steam curiously. Steam said, "Burrower, the reason I have to dumb it down. It doesn't reach into my expectations." “That so?” Eggman asked. Steam nodded, “Indeed, he just goes around where it pleases making trouble for me and rarely follows my orders. I just feel like giving it such a beating and leave it to rust…it makes me wonder why I haven’t tossed it in the junkyard yet. But it doesn’t matter now, once I get the Element of Harmony back from it, I’ll do just that and replace him!” “If you say so…” Eggman said. “All that matters is as long as either one of the Emeralds or Elements are in our position, we could care less about what happens with our robots.” “Yes, indeed.” Steam agreed. Meanwhile, Decoe and Bocoe didn’t like what they heard as they thought it was pretty harsh to just throw away a robot because it likes to cause unnecessary mischief, even though it just succeed on its mission, as they looked at each other in concern. Sonic X: Friendship is Universal Card #45 Name: Shining Armor Age: 22 Gender: Male Species: Unicorn Likes: Twilight Sparkle, Princess Cadence, family, friends, peace, harmony, fun, protecting, Fencing Dislikes: Steam, Evil, Chaos, disharmony, watching others getting hurt, traitors Abilities: Unicorn Magic, Protective Magic, Swordscolt skills, Fencing, Stealth Bio: The Captain of the Royal Guard who uses his own abilities to protect the citizens of Equestria and those who are dear to him, especially his younger sister, Twilight Sparkle, and his newly wed wife, Princess Cadence, from anyone who would dare bring harm to them. Sonic X: Friendship is Universal Card #46 Name: Princess Mi Amore "Cadence" Cadenza Age: 22 Gender: Female Species: Alicorn Likes: Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, family, friends, peace, fun, harmony, romance, heartwarming moments Dislikes: Evil, Chaos, disharmony, sadness, crying, heartbreaking moments Abilities: Alicorn Magic, Love Magic, Healing Magic, Flying, perspective Bio: The Princess of Love and the niece of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who enjoys having fun with her sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle, and her newly wed husband, Shining Armor, as well as helping young couples get along. Knuckles entered the hole left behind by Burrower, followed by Shining Armor and Cadance. The two ponies caught up with him as Cadence asked him a question. “Excuse me, Mr. Knuckles?” “Yeah?” Knuckles replied without looking back. “You said you mistook the Element of Laughter for a Chaos Emerald.” Cadance said. “Is it something similar to them?” “I’m curious about it as well.” Shining Armor admitted. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to know.” Knuckles glanced back at them, and saw the determination in their eyes. He replied, “If you really want to know, the Chaos Emeralds are magical gemstones with immense powers from my world.” “Oooh. How powerful exactly?” Cadance asked with curiosity. “Powerful enough to turn thoughts into power, or manipulate the fabric of time and space itself, the latter being the reason why me, Sonic and the others ended up in this world full of humans.” Knuckles explained. “Funny, I think the latter is also the reason why Cadence and I, and apparently Twily and the others, ended up in this strange world too.” Shining said. “Except with the Elements of Harmony.” “Which brings up the question: what are these Elements of Harmony?” Knuckles asked. “I told you about the Chaos Emeralds and it’s only fair you share your own knowledge with me too.” “Sure.” Cadance replied. “The Elements of Harmony are gemstones with magical powers, each representing a sign of harmony: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic. They can only be controlled by those who have a bond with their specific elements and are said to be the most powerful relics in all of Equestria. When together, they can be used to purify, banish or turn someone into stone, against any force of evil.” “Interesting…” Knuckles whispered. “If they were the reason you ended up in this world, does that mean they can also warp time and space too?” “Maybe…” Cadance said. “I've told you only what I know. There are still things we don’t know about them.” “But whatever the case, we need to find them and Twily and the others, so we can all return back to our own world.” Shining said. “And since we’re all strangers in this world, won’t you help us? And we’ll help you in return?” Knuckles remained silent for a moment, before he replied, “Do what you want.” “Oh, thank you Mr. Knuckles, we won’t forget this!” Cadance said happily. Knuckles didn’t say anything as he said within his thoughts, “I need to find those Chaos Emeralds, no matter what. I need to go back and make sure the Master Emerald is where it belongs.” Soon, Knuckles, Shining Armor and Cadance found the end of the tunnel. They climbed up to the surface and soon, they found themselves in another part of the forest, near a small town. To their shock and horror, the town was completely ruined, with destroyed, burning buildings. The firefighters already arrived at the scene and started working on putting out the fire and saving the people living there. “How did this happen!?” “It’s the same as back in the forest!” “Was it that robot from before?” “No doubt about it!” “Enough chit-chat! We have people to save!” Knuckles, and the pony couple remain hidden as they helplessly watched as the firefighters did their job. “Whoa! That robot just attacked that town!?” Shining Armor asked in horror. “How could Steam possibly allow that robot to cause so much destruction!?” Cadance asked while as equally horrified. “Sad as it is, we can’t do anything to help them.” Knuckles said. “All we can do is find and stop that robot before it causes anymore damage.” “And from delivering the Element of Laughter over to Steam.” Shining Armor added. “Still, we could use our magic to help them, without being seen.” “Do what you want.” Knuckles said, like he didn’t care. Shining Armor and Cadance looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The two of them snuck into town without being seen and began to work their magic, literally. Shining Armor used his magic to create shields and barriers around the victims and the firefighters, protecting them from harm, while Cadance used her own magic to heal and temporarily increase their strength, all while remaining out of sight. Knuckles watched as he used his stealth skills to get past the people without being seen, impressed by the royal pony couple’s magical abilities, though he hides it for the moment and focuses on his mission. This lasted for 5 minutes and when it was finally over, the firefighters managed to put out the fire and save all the victims, thanks to Shining Armor and Cadance, but they didn’t know that, as they remain confused as to where those light shields and magical walls suddenly come from. Some people begin to have outlandish theories that it was a miracle from the Gods, or that it was Mother Nature trying to help them. Shining Armor and Cadance smiled to each other that they were at least able to save that town without being spotted, as they made their way back into the forest, as Knuckles caught up with them. “You guys are crazy, you know that?” Knuckles commented. “Well, we couldn’t just leave them to die.” Shining armor said. “It goes against my code of honor after all.” “And we managed to save them while remaining in the shadows too.” Cadance said. “So there should be no problem.” Knuckles sighed as he said, “Let’s go…the trail continues on this way.” “Right.” Shining and Cadance said in union. Meanwhile, with Burrower… The steampunk styled mechanical mole made its way toward the cliff’s edge, while still holding the Element of Laughter in its teeth. It looked around the place, making sure no one saw him coming, as he waited for his master to appear. While it was waiting, it looked down at the rust around its body and remembered how his master neglected him due to its incompetence. There was a time when it accidentally broke a few bottles and beacons filled with dangerous chemicals, causing a big explosion, destroying a big part of the lab. Steam was obviously angered for that. Then, there was that time where it wiped out a village full of innocent ponies, thinking they were all enemies. This pissed off Steam even more, since he never ordered it to assault it and because he never asked for permission in the first place. And third there was that time where it mistook a fellow TITAN unit for Twilight Sparkle and destroyed it. Steam built it as a fake to assassinate the real Twilight and take her place, then lead the rest of her friends into a trap. When Burrower destroyed it, Steam screamed up a storm and temporarily shut him down. But not this time. This time it was sure to please his master for once, as soon as he delivers the Element of Laughter to him. Or so he thought… Meanwhile, Knuckles, Shining Armor and Cadance caught up with him, but remain hidden behind some trees. They peek out and watched as the robot stood there, waiting for his master to arrive. “There he is.” Shining Armor whispered. “What do you think he’s doing?” Cadance asked quietly. “Most likely waiting for his master to come pick up the Element.” Knuckles replied in a quiet tone. “We should get it back before…” “Someone’s coming!” Shining Armor exclaimed, as he pulled Cadance and Knuckles behind cover. They watched as they saw Steam floating down, while riding in his Steam Cloud, landing next to Burrower. The mad scientist pony was smiling, but Knuckles and the royal couple noticed that his eyes said otherwise, as if he was plotting something against his own pawn. They remain hidden as they continue on watching. Burrower bowed before Steam as it handed the Element of Laughter to his master. “Well done Burrower.” Steam said, pretending to be happy, as he took the Element of Laughter from the robot. “For once you’ve actually proved to be useful, despite all those stupid mistakes you’ve made in the past.” If Burrower had a normal face, it would be smiling right now, after hearing Steam’s praise. However… “Unfortunately, I have no use for you anymore, so you might as well just be scrap metal anyway!” Steam’s expression suddenly turned to both anger and evil. “Come, TITAN-1006 Arachnid!” Burrower reacted when suddenly, a Steampunk-style robot, shaped like a giant spider appeared out of nowhere and shot its wed string at Burrower, trapping him in a ball of spider web. Knuckles and the couple reacted when they saw this, seeing Steam betraying his own pawn just like that. “That bastard!” Shining Armor cursed. “Language dear.” Cadance said to him. “Though I agree, that is unspeakably cruel!” Knuckles nodded silently, that what Steam just did was beyond cruel, seeing how he just betrayed his own ally, “Maybe now’s a good chance for a sneak attack.” He suggested. “Good idea.” Shining Armor said. As the three formulated a plan for a sneak attack, Steam grinned evilly as he stared at his former ally, struggling to break free from Arachnid’s web. “Do not struggle.” Steam said. “Arachnid’s web was modified and designed to be inescapable for those caught in it. Unless someone comes to your rescue, you’ll never get out.” Burrower cried out something in clicks and bleeps, which sounded like it was protesting or threatening at him, but Steam brushed it off like it was nothing and turned to Arachnid, “Arachnid, finish it off!” he ordered. Arachnid crawled up on top of the ball of web and stared down at Burrower’s face. Arachnid was about to crunch its head off until, suddenly its head was engulfed in a light rose aura, and its legs were engulfed in a very light cornflower blue, which prevented it from moving. “What in the!?” Steam reacted to this. “HEADS UP!” Knuckles suddenly charged out from behind the trees toward Arachnid and Rocket Punched it off of Burrower, sending it flying toward Steam, who reacted on time and moved out of the way in his Steam Cloud, as he watched as his robotic spider fell off the cliff. “Betraying your own allies, not very nice, huh my little pony?” Knuckles asked with a smirk. “YOU...!” Steam raged as he looked at Knuckles. “You’re that freak who uppercutted me the other day!” “The one and only.” Knuckles said with a smirk, as Shining Armor and Princess Cadence came out of hiding. “Steam, as Captain of the Royal Guard, you a hereby under arrest for the invasion of Canterlot, kidnapping Princess Celestia, taking Equestrians and Albatrossians hostage and attempting to abuse the power of the Elements of Harmony for the sake of your own foolish ideals.” Shining Armor declared. “So hand over that Element of Harmony and surrender quietly!” “I don’t think so, “Captain”.” Steam said. “I need the Elements of Harmony in order to create a perfect world free of all that is evil and where there is no disharmony. I may not be able to control the elements myself, but with my genius, I can still use to complete my project!” “You can’t do that!” Cadance argued. “Only the bearers of the Elements of Harmony can control the elements, you can’t use science and force them to…” “ENOUGH!” Steam yelled. “I’ll give everypony the world they so desire! And if anyone gets in my way, I will destroy them! ARACHNID!” Suddenly, as in response to Steam’s yell, Arachnid climbed its way back on top of the cliff using its web. It let out a mechanical hiss in anger at Knuckles and the royal pony couple. “Arachnid, destroy these three, cover me while I make my escape!” Steam yelled as he flew away on his Steam Cloud with the Element of Laughter. “He’s getting away!” Shining Armor shouted in anger, as he tried to give chase, but got pulled back, before he got stomped by Arachnid’s legs, by Knuckles and Cadence. “Easy big guy, you almost got trampled there.” Knuckles said. “This guy obviously doesn’t want to let us through.” Cadance said. “We need to deal with it, but first…” she turned to Burrower, who was still trapped in a ball of web. “Shining Armor set him free.” “Huh?” Shining Armor looked confused. “Are you stupid or something!?” Knuckles glared at Cadance. “That thing attacked a camping site AND a town, and you’re just going to set it free?” “I know, but that wasn’t its own fault.” Cadance said. “Steam probably pressured and abused the poor thing, as you can tell by how rusted up it looks. So please, free it Shining Armor!” “I will, Cadence.” Shining Armor said as he fired a magic beam from his horn, slicing the ball open in half, setting Burrower free. Burrower looked confused at them, wondering why they just saved him, but it didn’t matter as it turned its attention to Arachnid, as the robotic mole was ready to get some payback, but Cadence held him back, as she used her magic to hold him. Burrower glared at her, but Cadence remained calm as she spoke softly, “I understand how you are feeling, but you can’t defeat it or Steam on your own.” Burrower stared at her in confusion, while Knuckles looked at Shining Armor, who replied, “Cadence is trying to have the robot side with us.” Cadance continued on, “Steam doesn’t care about you he only cares about his foolish ambitions and ideals. You saw how you completed your task for him and he just tossed you aside like trash.” Burrower looked at her as if saying ‘Why should I trust you?’, to which Cadance responded, “Because we all have a score to settle with Steam, but to do that, we must work together as a team. If you go on your own, Steam will just trap you, like he did earlier.” Burrower gave it some thought, and realized that she made some pretty good points. He looked at her and nodded in agreement. Cadance smiled as she released him from her spell and turned to Shining Armor and Knuckles, “Mr. Mole has agreed to fight by our side!” “Great, now how about a little hand…er, hoof!?” Knuckles shouted as he and Shining Armor were already fighting Arachnid, as they dodged its leg attack, but end up getting caught in its web attack, as they both got stuck in balls of web. “Right…” Cadance said as she looked at Burrower, “Help those two and stop that spider thing!” Burrower nodded as it used its drill claws to cut the balls of web open in half, freeing both Knuckles and Shining Armor. “Wow. I can’t believe I’m saying this but…thanks.” Shining Armor told Burrower, who simply nodded. “Alright, payback time!” Knuckles shouted as the four prepared to battle Arachnid. (BGM: Master of Tartarus – Shoji Meguro (from Persona 3)) Arachnid hissed violently as it charged toward the group, attacking them with its legs, but Knuckles and Shining Armor managed to dodge to the right, while Cadance and Burrower dodged to left. Knuckles charged in and punched Arachnid on its right side, sending it flying toward Burrower, who punched its left side with its drill claws, causing significant damage. Arachnid hissed violently as it swung its legs at Burrower, who was knocked back a few feet back and fall on its back, but then Shining Armor fired a magic blast from his horn, hitting it on its head, damaging him a bit. Arachnid turned to Shining Armor and hissed as it fired its web at him, but he dodged it as Knuckles rushed in and punched it three times in the face, the third one sending it flying a few feet back and fall over on its back. Cadance used her magic to help Burrower back on its feet. The robot mole rushed in and pressed both drill claws onto Arachnid’s belly, dealing even more severe damage, except Arachnid retaliated by swiping its legs at Burrower, but the steampunk mole reacted quickly and hopped back, dodging it on time. Arachnid turned over and got back on its legs and then shot its web up to one of the trees and pulled itself up to it. The group watched as Arachnid, from the tree it was on, fired web balls at them in rapid fire, they reacted quickly as they scatter and avoid the web balls. Shining Armor used his magic to create a shield that blocked the web balls and charging toward the tree, made a 180º turn and bucked the tree with all his strength, causing it to shake a bit and Arachnid almost lost balance. Knuckles saw this and knew what he had to do, as he charged at the tree and punched it hard, “TIMBER!” he shouted as the tree fell with Arachnid still on it, except he used his web to pull himself up to another tree. However Cadance countered this as she managed to catch Arachnid with her magic, as she struggled to pull it down to the ground. Shining Armor helped her out as they combined their magic and succeeded in pulling Arachnid down, as it fell back on the ground. Burrower stepped in and fired its flamethrowers at Arachnid, setting it on fire. Arachnid recovered, except it was on fire, as it came charging toward them at full speed, attempting to burn them. Shining Armor used his shield spell to block his attack, but Arachnid continued on pushing through while on fire. Cadance used her magic to heal her husband while he struggled to keep the shield up. Burrower fired its flamethrowers again, causing Arachnid to start melting, slowly, but surely. This forced Arachnid to slow down as Shining Armor stopped using his spell. Knuckles rushed in and gave the still burning Arachnid an uppercut, sending it flying up high into the air, as the robot spider ended up falling down the cliff again, only this time it’s not going to come back anytime soon. (BGM ends) Knuckles sighed in relief along with Shining Armor as they; Burrower and Cadance succeed in defeating the evil spider robot. “We won.” Knuckles said. “Yeah, but…” Shining Armor looked down sadly, “Steam got away with the Element.” “We’ll get it back, won’t we Burrower?” Cadance asked the mole robot. Burrower looked at Cadance in confusion, who responded, “You know where Steam is headed, right? You’ll help us get the Element of Laughter back, won’t you?” Burrower thought about it for a moment as Knuckles and Shining Armor walked up to them. “Cadance, I know he helped us defeat that thing, but are you sure we can trust this thing?” Shining Armor asked in concern. “I mean, he attacked a camping site and a town “Don’t worry, he’s not working for Steam anymore, meaning he has no reason to be our enemy now.” Cadence assured him. “Plus, we should at least take the responsibility for it and keep an eye on it.” Shining Armor sighed, “If you say so, then alright. We’ll take him with us.” Knuckles shrugged it off like it was none of his business, “Do what you want.” “Thank you.” Cadance said with a smile and looked at Burrower, “By the way, do you have a name Mr. Mole?” Burrower scribbled his name “TITAN-1005 Burrower” on the ground using his drill claw. “Burrower, huh?” Cadance said. “Ok Mr. Burrower, from this moment on you’ll be tagging along with us. Not as a servant, but as our friend.” Burrower looked in surprise at this, but nodded. No one was ever nice to him before, yet this pink alicorn already forgave his actions and accepted him as a friend. Shining Armor was a bit iffy at first, but accepted him as well. Knuckles reluctantly accepted him too, but didn’t even seem to care since he is only focused on getting back home. Burrower then accepted becoming their new ally and friend, joining their group. “Alright Burrower, if you know where Steam is headed to, then lead the way.” Shining Armor said. Burrower nodded as he lead the way down the road next to the cliff side, with the royal pony couple and Knuckles following suit. “I don’t know the deal with these ponies about “friendship” and stuff, but as long as they are willing to help me return home, then this is fine.” Knuckles said to himself within his thoughts, while following the others. Meanwhile, back in Eggman and Steam’s base… Steam had just returned to the base with the Element of Laughter in tow, as he got off his Steam Cloud and was welcomed back by Eggman and his robots. “Welcome back Steam. I trust you were successful?” Eggman asked. “Indeed.” Steam said showing them the Element of Laughter. “Just five more and the Elements of Harmony will be ours.” “What about Burrower?” Decoe asked. “Oh, who cares about it? He’s probably scrap metal thanks to Arachnid, along with Knuckles and the royal pony couple.” Steam said as he chuckled. “Knuckles…” Eggman said. “What is it?” Steam asked. “I don’t think someone like Knuckles would lose that easily.” Eggman said. “And who is this royal pony couple?” “There’s Shining Armor, the captain of the royal guard and sibling to the Bearer of the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadence, the neice of both Celestia and Luna.” Steam said. “Why do you ask?” “I was just wondering…did you happen to check if your other robot succeeded in defeating them or not?” Eggman asked. “Um…” Steam hesitated to answer. “Just as I thought.” Eggman said. “If you didn’t check, then there’s a chance that they are still alive and turned your spider robot in scrap metal instead!” “So what? I’ve got the Element of Laughter don’t I? That’s all that matters.” Steam said as he walked past them while carrying the Element. “Now if you excuse me, I need some rest.” Eggman and his robots didn’t say a word as they knew that even though he succeeded in getting one of the Elements, the enemy was still out there, searching for it. “Eggman-sama, should we raise the security?” Decoe asked. “Yes, you do that, just in case those twerps may actually find our base.” Eggman said. “Yes Eggman-sama!” Decoe and Bocoe said in unison, as they bowed before him. Knuckles, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence managed to defeat Arachnid and gained a new friend, Burrower. However, Steam managed to escape with the Element of Laughter during the confusion. Will our heroes be able to recover the stolen Element? And will Knuckles ever find the Chaos Emeralds and return back to his world? All answers will be reveal in the next episode of SONIC X: FRIENDSHIP IS UNIVERSAL! (BGM: Mi-Ra-I - Run&Gun) It was night time, in the living room of Chris and Kat's mansion, Sonic and Rainbow Dash's friends are all asleep on the coach and on the floor around the couch, while Sonic and Rainbow Dash stayed up late watching clips of the episode that had just played at the time. You ready for the trip? Just one more day to go Put on a new shirt And let's sneak off in the night The sleepless city is even today Still just looking over us Why don't we sing it a new song Events that could make you cry Remembering without reason With sound of the heels of our boots Let's run through quickly Doing things skillfully may be fine But as we are clumsily standing here That's what I really like about you To shine bright, and be free Nothing to be afraid of. Since we've rode the waves of time, Let's start aiming for that far off road Saying goodbye to the boring days There's nothing to be lost Stubbornly tie the boots once more Let's open a new door The sleepless city is even today Quietly just looking over us Let's start from here! To shine bright, and be free Nothing to be confused about The waves of time are strong yet gentle Soon I will meet you there Let's light up our world After finishing watching, Sonic turned the TV off and they both went to sleep. The next morning, they woke up when suddenly Ella picked them both up and placed them on the couch. Sonic and Rainbow look at Ella wondering what that was about, Ella points out the message on the wall next to the TV. It was written in Japanese: "When watching TV, keep the lights on and a safe distance from the TV." To shine bright, and be free Nothing to be afraid of. Since we've rode the waves of time, To the other side of the far off road, Soon I will meet you there Let's go and find our future Realizing their mistake, Sonic and Rainbow Dash stared at each other embarrassed, laughing sheepishly. Sweatdrops rolled down the sides of their heads, one on each They look at Ella and apologize, promising to never stay too close to the TV and with the lights off again.