3. Trouble Beneath The Bay
Summer arrived in Maretime Bay.
Every pony enjoyed their time on the beach, swimming in a pool, eating ice cream, and drinking smoothies from Sunny's stand.
But what about the Mane 5 and Team Sonic? They plan on going to the beach now as they prepare everything they need in the Crystal Brighthouse.
Although not everyone is enthusiastic about the idea...
"Are you sure you want to stay here, Knux?" Tails asked him with a raised eyebrow. "I know your job is important, but even Hitch is leaving it for once and joining us today!" he pointed out.
"Which is exactly why I'm staying," Knuckles remarked. "Is the norm: One of us is absent, and the other gets the full job," he explained.
"Hate to break it to you, Tails, but he's right," Hitch said, approaching them with Sparky on his back as the baby dragon was wearing orange floats on his arms. "Even if I'm going out of service today, that doesn't mean Knuckles will. Is part of the rule book, and you know we're not gonna break the law, right?" he added with a smirk, and Knuckles snorted.
"...Right..." Tails said with an eye roll and a bored expression. "But, the offer remains open, Knux. If you wanna join us and give Hitch the spot back for a moment, you're welcome to do so!" he added, turning around and walking towards the kitchen.
As he did that, Hitch and Knuckles stared, confused at him for what he said about Hitch taking Knuckles' place in case the latter wanted a brake.
"...Did he just use the rules against us?" Hitch asked in disbelief.
"...Yeah... Yeah, he just did that..." Knuckles replied in shock.
Meanwhile, as Tails entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp packed everything in a basket over a blanket with red and white squares.
"I am so glad Hitch can go with us this time!" Sunny said with a smile. "This was a great idea, Pipp!" she added.
"Aw, thanks, Sunny!" Pipp said with a smile as she side-hugged the earth pony. "We all have needed a little trip to the beach in the past few days, especially with how incredibly hot it's been here lately," she pointed out.
"And it's the perfect excuse for me to wear something instead of staying naked the whole day," Tails added with a little smile as he grabbed some mint cans from the fridge.
Then Sonic came downstairs, holding a big yellow block with question marks all around it.
Sunny noticed that and approached Sonic with a hopeful expression and a little smile. "Hey, Sonic!" she greeted him. "What do you get there?" she asked curiously.
"Hi!" Sonic greeted back with a smile. "Just a little thing getting a lot of unnecessary space in my room. I'm taking it to a better place," he explained.
"And what kind of place would that be, huh?" Knuckles asked as he approached Sonic with his arms crossed. "Because letting that thing in a random place could be dangerous," he pointed out with a frown.
"I know I make questionable decisions sometimes, but this isn't one of those times," Sonic assured with a wink to the echidna, who rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'm putting this thing in a safe and secret place where nobody would dare to look after it," he explained.
"Where?" Knuckles asked.
"If I tell you, it's not a secret place anymore, Knucklehead!" Sonic mocked up with a smirk.
Knuckles raised a hand and tried to say something, but then he realized Sonic had a point. He sighed and looked bored. "Fair enough..." he confessed.
But as Sonic walked towards the door with the block, Sunny followed him and started to talk with him. "So, when you're done delivering that thing, would you mind joining us for a day on the beach? Pretty pleeeeease?" she begged with sad puppy eyes, still smiling.
However, his eyes widened as Sonic was about to open the door, still with the block down his arm.
He started to have terrible flashbacks, reflected on his mind as a 16-bit scenario, where he was back in Labyrinth Zone, as a familiar and spooky tune played on his mind. Finally, the flashback finished with a 16-bit Sonic drowning at the end of the music.
That made Sonic shake his head, and he chuckled nervously. "W-Well, I would love to, but, uh... After delivering the block, I, um... Already made an appointment with Haven and Alphabittle to have tea! Yes! Too bad I can't come along!" he said nervously, sweating and smiling sheepishly at Sunny.
Of course, she didn't believe him, and as Pipp positioned at her side, they looked at each other with frowns, obviously unconvinced of Sonic's answer.
"Anyways. Better get this block hidden! Gotta go fast!" Sonic stated, now less nervous, before moving away from the Brighthouse and closing the door behind them.
Sunny and Pipp growled madly at this, but after a while, Pipp groaned loudly and stomped her hoof madly. "Ugh! I can't believe he rejected us again!" she yelled in frustration.
"This is the fifth time this week!" Sunny pointed out, also mad. "I understand why Knuckles and Hitch change roles on who stays and can't go both. The law says someone has to look after the Bay, so it's understandable. But Sonic has no excuse!" she added with frustration as well.
"Yeah... And his excuses are pretty lame if we're honest..." Izzy pointed out with a bored expression.
Pipp asked him to go with them to a party at Zephyr Heights' castle's private pool on Monday.
"Yeah, no. Sorry. I have an appointment with Alphabittle about trying out his new tea," Sonic said; although this wasn't an excuse, this was true.
After that, he ran away towards Bridlewood, but even if he wasn't lying, Pipp still tilted her head, confused, since she could swear that there was a hint of horror in his eyes when she suggested the idea of going to the pool.
On Tuesday, Sunny went with him and asked if he would like to join them in a swimming competition near the ocean since he loves to participate in all kinds of competitions.
Yet, her answer wasn't what she expected...
"Oh, um... Wish I could join you, but, um... Gotta make sure Eggman's not around!" Sonic excused himself with a sheepish smile, and then he boosted away.
He had a terrified look when Sunny mentioned the idea of swimming, and that confused her.
On Wednesday, Sunny tried luck by inviting him to play as a lifeguard on the beach along Hitch since Knuckles needed to stay in town.
"No thanks. My quills just got a little makeover on them, and I cannot ruin that!" Sonic stated, once again with a sheepish smile, before running away.
Hitch raised an eyebrow, confused at Sonic's attitude, but then shrugged and went to the beach with Sparky while Sunny looked concerned.
Finally, on Thursday, Pipp invited Sonic to Izzy's party in a lake in Bridlewood. Even Knuckles went to this one despite breaking the protocol for Hitch's annoyance.
Sonic still rejected the invitation.
"Can't! I'm busy already. See ya!" Sonic said nervously before backing away from her.
Pipp felt confused since Sonic never rejected anything. She invited him over but tried to stay positive and thought he was busy with something else.
"And now, he says he has a reunion with Mom and Alphabittle..." Pipp said with frustration and a frown. "Which is a lie because Mom's been updating her feed with pictures of Alphabittle and herself. Today, there's nothing of that!" she pointed out.
"So, Sonic is lying about not joining us..." Hitch said, a bit concerned. "At least he doesn't want to join us whenever we suggest having fun in the water," he pointed out.
"But why?" Sunny questioned, confused. "Why would he run away from us every time we suggest something water-related?" she asked with concern.
As they discussed that, Tails and Zipp finished packing everything they needed for their day on the beach.
"You sure we got everything?" Zipp asked one last time to Tails.
"Zipp, this is the fifth time you ask that..." Tails pointed out with a smirk and an eye roll. "Food, drinks, blanket... And your favorite detective magazine... Everything's ready! Don't worry!" he assured her with a playful wink.
Zipp blushed a bit at that gesture, but she still smirked back. "Okay, okay. I'll trust you... But that magazine better be there, little man," she warned with a playful tone.
"Not so little when I'm a few inches taller than you," Tails mocked up as he grabbed the basket with the blanket on top and walked along Zipp toward the entrance.
"Pff! Yeah, right. Thank your hair for that!" Zipp mocked up as well.
"Oh, come on!" Tails groaned with annoyance while Zipp just chuckled at his side.
Meanwhile, Knuckles adjusted his deputy belt while Izzy used her magic to levitate his cowboy hat and put it over his head.
"There you go!" Izzy smiled as she stood on her hind legs and kissed Knuckles' cheek. "Now you're ready for action, Sheriff Knuckles!" she added with a loving tone and a little wink.
"Izz..." Knuckles said, a bit ashamed, as he smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, come on, Knuckles. Hitch rocks the 'Sheriff' part, but it looks good on you, too!" Izzy stated confidently, nuzzling her cheek with his.
"Still, it feels weird to be acknowledged as a Sheriff," Knuckles pointed out. "Anyways... You have fun out there... And remember..." he tried to remind.
"I know, I know... Don't surprise nor invade ponies' space if they don't like it..." Izzy said, a bit frustrated, as her cheeks puffed madly.
Knuckles still snorted at her attitude, though, and he kissed her cheek lovely, which made Izzy squeal and giggle a bit.
"Have fun there, you guys. I'll make sure Sonic gets a punch in his balls for not explaining himself to you!" Knuckles smiled before adjusting his cowboy hat and then boosting towards the town.
"Uh, what?" Pipp exclaimed, both confused and a bit worried now. "Why would Knuckles punch Sonic? And what does he mean he's not explaining himself better?" she questioned.
"You guys are still wondering why Sonic refuses to go to any place with water?" Zipp asked, confused. "Hitch, with you, is understandable. But, Sunny and Pipp, Sonic mentioned he couldn't swim in our last Portrait Day," she pointed out.
Sunny and Pipp blinked a few times, completely flabbergasted by what Zipp had just said. "What?" Sunny said, confused.
"... Seriously?" Zipp deadpanned. "Sonic explained to us all the things he can't do, even remarking on not to ask about one of them, and you still haven't heard?" she asked in disbelief.
"That's odd coming from you two, girls..." Tails pointed out. "Especially from you, Pipp. Just mentioning Sonic makes you smile for no reason, " he said mockingly, while Pipp blushed, embarrassed, and looked away.
"Wait... So, that's the reason why Sonic's running away from us. Is it because he doesn't know how to swim?" Sunny asked, confused.
"Yeah... I get Knuckles' point on Sonic not explaining himself better..." Tails said with a sheepish smile. "Look: Sonic never learned how to swim, and any time he tries, he ends up sinking with no way to come up for air without a life jacket," he started to explain. "When that happens, either Amy or I have to go and take him out for breath," he added.
"But with the crazy things he can do, you're seriously telling me he cannot swim?" Hitch asked with disbelief.
"Yup. It's his weakness," Tails said. "He can boost over water, but if he stops before reaching land, he sinks as fast as a rock," he explained with concern.
"And why haven't you tried to–– Oh, right... He sinks..." Pipp realized before finishing her sentence.
"So, Sonic cannot swim... but maybe... Maybe we could––!" Sunny tried to say with a smile.
"If you're thinking about teaching him, throw that idea through the window, Sunny. Amy and I tried to teach him for years, and it never worked," Tails explained with a bored expression before snapping his fingers and using his electrical powers to change his look.
Instead of his shoes and socks, he wore blue sandals, an orange swimsuit, and no gloves. After that, he grabbed the basket with the blanket once again.
"Anyways! If we don't get going now, we probably won't find a space!" Tails pointed out with a smile as he started to walk out of the Brighthouse.
"You heard the little guy!" Zipp said with a smile, as she immediately followed along.
Hitch and Izzy only looked at each other and shrugged as they followed Tails and Zipp towards the beach, leaving Sunny and Pipp at the entrance of the Brighthouse.
"Hmm... Tails says she and Amy tried to teach him how to swim, but they always failed..." Pipp muttered before gasping and looking at Sunny with a smirk.
Having the same idea, Sunny smirked back. "But who says that we are gonna fail?" she stated.
After that, both friends giggled and hoof bumped before Sunny made her Alicorn form appear, as both she and Pipp boosted, flying towards Maretime Bay.
Team Dark and Amy were still climbing towards the Light Blue Chaos Emerald.
However, they still had a lot to walk to reach that place, and except for Shadow and, somehow, Amy, they were already exhausted. Worst of all, it was already nighttime, which obligated them to stop and look for a place to stay overnight.
Fortunately, Omega managed to find another hidden cave thanks to his scanner... Too bad they still had to walk a little bit ahead.
Once they finally made it to the cave, Rouge first sat over a trunk and sighed, relieved, as she removed her boots and massaged her feet.
"Okay... I haven't... used my legs in quite a while..." Rouge said with a cringed expression and a dramatic tone.
"I told you that overusing your flight will have consequences," Shadow pointed out, although he also checked the cave inside.
Despite the snow everywhere in the mountain, he could still see some trees with green leaves and some flowers here and there.
Speaking of the trees, Amy approached one and started knocking on several spots over the trunk until she found one that made her smile. So, she took a pen and marked a small X on the spot. Then, she put the pen away and brought her Piko Piko Hammer, which she used to hit the tree on the spot marked with the X.
After that, the tree fell and landed in the snow with a thud while Amy smashed the trunk again to divide it, making firewood.
With that ready, Omega took a flamethrower from his arm and turned on the fire, preparing the camp for the night.
"You never go anywhere without that hammer of yours, do you?" Shadow asked rhetorically with a bored expression.
"A girl is always prepared, honey~," Amy said with a mocking tone and a wink.
"You know it!" Rouge said with a smirk as she and Amy fist-bumped.
Shadow rolled his eyes and kept looking around the cave until his gaze stopped in front of something that called his attention.
He approached something half-hidden in the snow, but when he moved it apart with his hand, he gasped because it was a symbol he'd seen for a while now.
"Girls?" Shadow called out. "Perhaps you want to check this one out," he said.
Amy and Rouge looked at each other, confused, but then Amy threw more firewood into the fire, and Rouge put her boots back as both girls approached Shadow.
Then, as they both saw what he was looking at, they gasped. "A... A six-point star?!" Rouge questioned in disbelief.
"With five sparkles around..." Amy said as well, placing a hand over her chest.
"Just like in the doctor's archives about Equestria..." Shadow pointed out with a frown. "This only confirms that we're in the right place. We've been seeing this symbol for months now," he added with concern and annoyance.
"Hmm..." Rouge muttered, rubbing her chin, a bit confused, before approaching her hand to the symbol. "Is it just me, or does this thing look too—–" she tried to say.
However, once she touched the symbol, it pressed like a button and started to glow, making Rouge take her hand away.
Then, the entire ground started to rumble, and the three anthropomorphic creatures and the robot stepped back from the symbol.
Soon enough, however, the wall where the symbol was located started to show some setoff, as the wall also started to move a bit backward. Before moving upwards, it revealed a secret entrance with stairs leading downwards.
"What the fuck..." Shadow muttered, confused, before he popped his head through the entrance and saw that the stairs were really deep because he couldn't even see the end of them.
"What is this place?" Amy said, confused.
"There's only one way to find out..." Rouge said before turning around. "Omega, watch the entrance while we go down there to find out what's happening," she instructed.
Omega only saluted with a hand. While Amy, Shadow, and Rouge started walking downstairs, the robot stood in front of the entrance, ready to watch over it, just as he had been instructed.
Sonic was coming out of Canterlove Studios as he whistled to himself happily with his arms crossed behind his head.
But then, just as he opened his eyes, he screamed, startled, because Sunny just appeared before him.
"Sunny?! What the heck?!" Sonic asked, a bit mad.
"Sorry!" Sunny apologized with a sheepish smile. "I didn't want to scare you..." she added with a bit of shame.
Sonic took a deep breath and sighed before looking at Sunny with a more normal smile. "Eh, it's fine, Sunny. Just... Don't scare me like that ever again," he begged.
Then, Pipp landed at his other side, which he did notice. "Well, we're glad to see you, Sonic. We want to apologize for being so pushing over the thing about going to places that involve water..." she said nervously.
Sonic's eyes widened, and he realized he'd been too obvious with his rejection. "... Oh... So you guys noticed, huh?" he said with a nervous chuckle, also scratching his head nervously.
"Well, we didn't, exactly..." Sunny confessed with a sheepish smile. "Tails and Zipp explained––" she started to say.
"And reminded us!" Pipp added, also with a sheepish smile.
"–– That you cannot swim, which is why you ran away every time we invited you to a pool or the beach," Sunny continued.
"Yeah... I'm sorry for that, by the way, but I seriously cannot swim, and the idea does bother me... a lot..." Sonic confessed. "It's just... drowning like a rock isn't fun? Wish I could have told you, but... I don't know... I expected not only that you would forget I can't swim but also that you would make fun of me..." he added with a nervous smile.
"Sonic, we would never make fun of you!" Pipp assured him with a smile, side-hugging him as well. "You are our friend, and we respect you, no matter your beliefs or fears," she pointed out.
"But you're right that you should have said something instead of just running away from us," Sunny said with a smirk. "If you had said something before, we would have gladly offered to teach you how to swim!" She smiled.
That made Sonic's eyes widen again, and his quills raised.
"... I'm sorry, you would what now?" Sonic asked, confused.
"Sonic, we know that Tails and that Amy gal you mention sometimes already tried to teach you and that they failed..." Pipp pointed out.
"Yeah, because I sink," Sonic pointed out as well.
"However, you're a guy who never gives up on any of us, so now we want to return the favor!" Sunny said with a smile.
"... Hang on... You two want to teach me how to swim?!" Sonic asked, now panicking a lot.
"Yup!" Sunny said happily. "We can swim with all our four hooves, but with you only having to use your hands, it should be a lot easier," she pointed out.
"Now, now, Sunny..." Sonic said nervously as he stepped a few steps back. "I appreciate that you wanna teach me, but every time I get into the water, my body sinks, a-and I cannot even walk underwater and back to the surface, a-and––" he tried to add, even more, nervous now.
However, Pipp stopped him, placing a hoof over his mouth and looking him in the eyes.
"I know what you're thinking, Sonic..." Pipp said as she moved a hoof to his chest and made some circles around it, which made Sonic blush a bit embarrassed. "But... we promise you that if this idea has no results, then we will stop, and we won't bug you with this idea ever again," she assured him with an honest smile.
Sonic's blush decreased, but it didn't leave at all. Still, Pipp's words stuck to him, and he even smiled brightly at her.
Then Sonic sighed and looked at the two ponies. "Alright, fine. I'll let you teach me how to swim. However, I don't promise this will work," he warned with a smirk.
"Just knowing you're in is more than enough, Sonic!" Sunny assured with a smile.
"Now, come on!" Pipp said, grabbing Sonic's hand with her hooves. "We have the whole day ahead and cannot waste a minute!"
Sonic chuckled as Pipp started to drag him towards the beach, with Sunny just following them with a smile. "Okay, okay! I'm going, I'm going!" Sonic said with a laugh.
What they didn't know, however, was that Eggman and Opaline were watching the entire thing from Eggman's underground lab, hidden in Opaline's Castle.
Eggman's robotic bird was still out there, and of course, it was recording everything he saw, like Pipp dragging Sonic towards the beach and Sunny following them.
"Hahahahaha! Do those fools think they can teach Sonic how to swim? Now that is hilarious!" Eggman laughed with a huge grin.
"A hedgehog that can't swim... Guess you do learn something new every day," Opaline said with a little smile. "However, why haven't you used Sonic's weakness against him, Ivo?" she questioned, a bit confused.
"I have tried, Opaline," Eggman confessed with a frown. "Yet, the idea of sinking him to the bottom of the sea has never been successful. Either his friends rescue him, my machine runs out of energy, or Sonic finds a weird power-up that protects him from drowning..." he annoyedly explained. "That rodent has some lucky charm that never allows him to die..." he pointed out angrily.
"Tch. It's like trying to smash a cockroach... No matter how often you do it, they still come back!" Opaline pointed out, now annoyed as well.
"Still, I see this as the perfect chance to not only have fun with these idiots but also to get the Crystals and Emeralds!" Eggman pointed out, once again grinning.
Opaline's ears perked up, but then she smirked back at Eggman. "Oh! Now you're talking, Ivo!" she stated with a grin as well before remembering something. "Wait, what? I get why go and take those Emeralds, but why the Unity Crystals also? Have you forgotten that we cannot steal them just yet with my current power state?!" she angrily reminded him.
"Opaline, Opaline, Opaline... You never see the bigger picture!" Eggman said. "If we steal the Crystals now, without draining their magic, those fools will follow the trial here," he explained. "And if they come here, who are they gonna bring with them?" he asked with a sinister grin.
Opaline's eyes widened, and she smiled brightly. "That baby dragon and his dragon fire!" she stated with glee. "If that happens, I can take the dragon while you held those fools hostage, and then I can drain the dragon's magic fire... And restore my power to steal all magic right in front of those fools!" she screamed joyfully.
"That's the spirit!" Eggman grinned, too, so he pressed several buttons on his computer.
That made a wall in the lab open, and it showed the Big Arms and the Octopus Egg Robot, which made Opaline raise an eyebrow, confused.
"I'll be using my Octopus Egg Robot to disturb the ponies, Sonic, and Tails on the beach," Eggman explained. "In the meantime, you will use my Big Arms to disturb the deputy and get rid of him, or at least make sure he's not able to fight back for a while so you can steal the Unity Crystals," he added.
"And why can't I just go and take the Crystals?" Opaline questioned with a slight frown. "For my power to get restored, wouldn't it be logical to use this robot of yours so I can get my magic back?" she pointed out.
"Opaline, Opaline, Opaline... My dear, dear Opaline... You seriously have to learn to see the bigger picture!" Eggman stated, annoyed and mockingly, making Opaline stare daggers at him. "If you go after the Crystals, even if I have the rest busy, Knuckles will present before you and won't ask questions. He will attack, and that's it. You have to take charge of him first. Once he's not a problem anymore, you can go and get the Crystals," he explained.
"So we get rid of all the pests that live there, and both the Unity Crystals and Chaos Emeralds will be ours..." Opaline summarized, now grinning once again. "Sounds good enough... But I still wonder... How do you expect me to control your machine when I cannot leave my Castle without causing unnecessary panic around the town, and worst of all, I cannot control how that machine of yours even works?" she pointed out.
At that, Eggman grinned again before pulling out a small metallic diamond from his pocket and then attached it to Opaline's 'Royal' bracelet on her left hoof and turned it on.
The diamond turned red to green, and the Big Arms turned on independently.
"Whatever action you order from the machine, it will do it," Eggman instructed with a smirk. "Also, you'll be able to communicate with Knuckles, even though he would be hearing my voice," he added. "After all, we still want your location and true aspect to be a secret, right?" he asked with a grin.
Opaline grinned back and even chuckled a bit. "Well, Ivo. Seems like we're gonna have a blast today!" she stated, extending her hoof to the doctor.
Eggman's grin grew, so he extended his hand and stretched it with Opaline's hoof.
Tails, Izzy, Zipp, and Hitch, placed everything in the blanket back on the beach.
Zipp placed an umbrella near the blanket while lacing the food over it. Hitch ensured that Sparky wouldn't eat everything.
As for Tails, he brought over some chairs in case anyone wanted to enjoy the sun on their skin, as he was just lying over a chair with sunglasses and suncream applied over his body.
Soon enough, however, Sunny and Pipp arrived with the rest. They both landed near the blanket, and Sunny made her Alicorn form leave.
"Oh, there you are, girls!" Hitch said with a smile. "We were wondering where you go after you didn't arrive with us," he confessed.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for not telling anything," Sunny said nervously. "We had to deal with a little something first," she explained.
"What kind of something?" Zipp asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You'll see!" Pipp said with an innocent smile, which only made Zipp feel more suspicious. "By the way, I hope he won't escape at the last minute..." Pipp said with concern.
"No, not happening this time..." Sonic spoke behind her.
Everyone but Sunny and Pipp felt startled when they heard Sonic's voice, and Tails even removed his sunglasses in disbelief.
Sonic was right there with them, wearing yellow sandals, a light blue swimsuit, and no gloves and sunglasses over his face.
The rest were completely shocked upon his arrival. Sunny was glad he had come, and Pipp was as red as a tomato with sparkling eyes. Her jaw dropped, which Sunny closed with a giggle.
However, Sonic himself still seemed uncomfortable because he was frowning and had a serious expression.
"... Sonic?!" Tails asked with disbelief. "B-But I thought that you––" he tried to say.
"I know, I know... It's weird to see me around... But Sunny and Pipp convinced me to take some swimming classes, so... Here I am... Yay..." Sonic said with fake enthusiasm.
"Cheer up, Blue Star!" Pipp smiled. "I promise you won't regret this!" she assured him confidently.
"And again, if it doesn't work, we won't bother you again with this," Sunny smiled. "Hey, Hitch! We're gonna need a bunch of floats!" she said as Pipp walked towards the sheriff.
While the two mares talked with Hitch, with Izzy joining them, Zipp and Tails approached Sonic and looked at him with concern.
"You know you can say no to my sister if you're uncomfortable with this idea, right?" Zipp said with a slight frown, but she wasn't mad at Sonic; she was mad at Pipp.
"Not to mention, Amy and I already tried to teach you, and... well... You already know how that went..." Tails pointed out with concern.
"I know I can, but I don't mind them trying it out," Sonic said with a smile. "As they said, if this doesn't work, I won't be bothered with the idea anymore. Everyone wins!" he pointed out.
"Except that you still won't be with us whenever it comes to fun in the water..." Tails pointed out again, but this time with a bored expression.
"Um... I'll find a solution to that later," Sonic said with a nervous tone and a chuckle.
"Hey, Sonic!" Sunny called out. "We're ready to start the lessons!" she stated with a smile.
Sonic gulped and laughed nervously. "Yay..." he said with fear and regret, his nerves increasing by the minute.
Sonic was now scared as fuck.
Sunny, Izzy and Pipp were dragging himhe water while Hitch stood on the coast.. Zipp and Tails stood over their area with the blanket and the food, tanning themselves as they wore sunglasses. They completely ignore Sonic's situation so he and the girls can learn their lesson.
They also cared for Sparky, who was also tanning himself at Tails' side.
Meanwhile, the girls were grabbing Sonic by the arm since he was panicking because he couldn't feel the sand on his feet anymore.
However, Pipp and Sunny could calm him down until they decided to release him to start teaching him how to swim because Sonic immediately sank like a rock.
Both mares panicked, and Sunny quickly used her Alicorn magic to get Sonic out of the water he coughed some water and put on a bored expression.
Sunny and Pipp looked at each other with cringed expressions, now understanding how hard this would be.
While they prepared for another attempt, Tails and Zipp watched everything from their chairs.
"This is gonna be one of those times where they learn their lesson too late, isn't it?" Zipp questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup!" Tails replied while Sparky made gibberish sounds at his side. He also nodded in agreement with Zipp's statement.
Hitch brought a diving table and placed it over an improved edge near the ocean, inviting Sonic to get over it with a hoof.
At first, Sonic was hesitant as he approached and stood over the table's edge, ready to jump. But even if the water wasn't so high, the table suddenly got too high in his mind, and the water was too far away.
Of course, this panic made him freeze in place, which Hitch noticed. He groaned and expressed boredom before getting over the table, and then he pushed Sonic to the water.
Sonic screamed, terrified, as he fell towards the water, falling facewards and then slowly sinking in the water.
The rest cringed at this, even Hitch himself, but then he groaned in pain and rubbed his head because Sunny smacked him with a hoof and glared daggers at him, which made Hitch sweat nervously and smile sheepishly.
Meanwhile, as the rest were getting Sonic out of the water again, Zipp and Tails were playing chess over the blanket while Sparky was playing with the sand.
"Check Mate!" Zipp declared with a smile, winning the game.
"Again?! Come on!" Tails groaned with frustration while Zipp just giggled at his attitude.
Later, Izzy proved lucky by making Sonic wear orange floats on his arms.
With this, she dragged Sonic back to the sea, but thanks to the floats, he didn't sink once she let him go.
For once, Sonic was kind of glad to be in the water. He made a few normal moves in it, not swimming at all but staying above the surface, which was already some progress.
So, Sonic asked Izzy to remove his floats so he could try to swim alone.
Izzy hesitated initially about the idea, but seeing that they were already making progress, she smiled and decided to use her magic to remove the floats.
As you might have expected, Sonic sank again, but unlike in other situations, when he just accepts his destiny, he tries to swim back to the surface on his own. It doesn't work, but at least he tried.
So, Izzy used her magic and levitated him back to the surface, while Sonic didn't cough this time but still looked bored.
As this happened, Zipp and Tails built a life-size sand castle, and Sparky was very impressed with its size.
"Ha! Told ya we could build it in no time!" Tails said with a smirk.
"You know? I'm impressed with how this turned out!" Zipp confessed with a smile.
Finally, Pipp tries to teach him by directly leading Sonic across the water.
Maybe when he was younger, he would have felt embarrassed that a young adult mare was helping a guy who considers himself cool to learn to swim, but he has matured since.
He's grateful that Sunny and Pipp spend time each day teaching him how to swim, despite his many failed attempts in the past.
However, whenever Pipp softened her grip on his hands, Sonic sank a bit. This made Pipp panic and try to take him back, but she just tightened her grip, which did the job.
She gets worried for Sonic whenever this happens, but he smiles at her, trying to assure her with that smile that he's fine.
Yet when she smiles back and nods before looking away from him, Sonic's smile disappears. He looks at the water in shame because he feels like he's failing, and he hates that feeling.
Eventually, they decided to end the lessons for the day, but there has been little progress.
It seemed like Sonic could only stay above the surface of the water if he used floats, but beyond that, there was no real progress.
Sonic seemed disappointed, so he walked towards the blanket with Zipp and Tails. The latter was sitting on the sand with his legs crossed, where Sparky was resting.
"So, how did it go?" Zipp asked him with a raised eyebrow.
Sonic only groaned with annoyance and fell facewards to the blanket, clearly saying it didn't go well.
"... Well, it went better than I expected..." Tails confessed with a sheepish smile.
As this happened, the rest of the Mane 5 watched Sonic's frustration from the water with sadness.
"I, uh... I didn't want to say this, but can we agree that teaching Sonic how to swim is too complicated?" Hitch asked with concern.
"I didn't want to say anything, either, but... I've seen 5-year-olds swim better than him... and without floats..." Izzy said as well with shame.
"He seemed kind of desperate whenever I was going to let him swim alone..." Pipp pointed out with concern. "He also seemed... disappointed..." she added with worry.
"You saw it, too?" Sunny asked with concern, and Pipp nodded. "Then we must keep trying, " she said determinedly.
"Uh... Didn't you say you would stop if this didn't work?" Izzy asked, confused.
"And we will. However, he already showed that he can at least float with floats," Sunny pointed out. "There has to be a way for him to swim without them," she muttered, rubbing her chin as she tried to think.
What they didn't know, however, was that Eggman saw the entire thing from the Octopus Egg Robot.
The machine was underwater, and thanks to the robot's visor, he could witness Sunny and Pipp's failed attempts to teach Sonic how to swim.
"Hahahahaha! Oh my gosh, that was hilarious!" Eggman laughed with a huge grin. "Those ponies are foolish! Sonic's weakness can't be defeated without power-ups!" he stated joyfully before having an idea that seemed wonderful. "Right! Opaline has a point... He would expect a battle near the ocean... But he would never dare to go on a battle on the ocean!" he said with joy.
Then, he pressed a button on his Eggmobile that started to call over Opaline, whose face appeared projected on the Eggmobile's screen.
"Opaline, go take care of the echidna. It is time to put the plan into action!" Eggman instructed with a grin.
"About time!" Opaline grinned, before hanging up the call.
With that, Eggman closed the Eggmobile's Capsule, and then, he opened the Octopus Egg Robot's one before boosting through the water and towards the beach.
After walking downstairs for about 20 minutes, Amy, Shadow, and Rouge finally reached the bottom.
They crossed paths with a closed giant door bearing the same symbol as the six-point star and the five sparkles around it. Shadow frowned with concern while Amy raised an eyebrow, confused.
Rouge, however, had to lay over a wall as she panted heavily and tried to catch her breath. This made both Amy and Shadow look bored, which Rouge noticed.
"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Rouge snapped madly but still panting for some air. "I literally begged both of you to carry me for a while, like, fifteen times, and you still ignored me!" she pointed with anger. "Why did you ignore it?!" she asked.
"Because you have wings, genius," Shadow pointed out, still bored, while Amy at his side only nodded in agreement.
Rouge realized what they meant. Then she looked at her wings, smiled, and chuckled sheepishly.
Shadow and Amy rolled their eyes in annoyance before approaching the door before them. Shadow cracked his knuckles before pushing the door all for himself until it slowly started to move open.
When the door was fully open, the three animals entered the place, which was a giant library hidden deep inside the cave they entered.
"Huh..." Shadow muttered, more confused than disappointed. "It's just a library..." he pointed out.
"No way. What told you that? The amount of books around this place?" Rouge asked sarcastically with a smirk while Amy just snorted.
Shadow rolled his eyes and decided to walk deep into the library while Amy and Rouge separated each other in their directions.
Amy grabbed a random book. Despite having some dust on it from blowing, she opened the book, surprised by the clear and understandable sentences inside.
"I have no idea why there's a library of all things hidden here, but it seems like the books are in good state..." Amy pointed out.
"Yeah..." Shadow agreed as he grabbed one book from a table, blew some dust, and opened it, feeling curious about why he could understand the letters despite the dusty books. "They only seem to have dust..." he also pointed out.
Then, Rouge grabbed a book thatd in so much dusdust, whichough. She even had to use the book to move the dust away. "A lot of dust, if you ask me..." she pointed out with a cringed expression.
"But why a library of all things?" Shadow questioned, confused. "I could have expected a hidden base from a menace original from this world, but... I never could have expected a library," he pointed out.
"As I said, I have no idea why this place of all things is hidden..." Amy repeated. "But I do know that maybe we can find some answers in this place," she said with a smile.
"Answers?" Rouge asked, confused. "Amy, we just discovered that this place exists. Why would there be any secrets hidden here?"
"Well... Considering we're in an unknown world, maybe we should, I don't know... Look for a way to orientate ourselves without getting lost?" Amy said with a bored expression.
"... So you're suggesting we stay here and look for a map? In the middle of the night?" Shadow asked with his arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.
"No, I'm saying we should look over a page or paper with a demographic illustration of where we–– Yes, I'm suggesting to look after a map!" Amy groaned with annoyance before grabbing a bunch of random books and putting them on a table.
After that, she sat down at the table and grabbed one of the books, starting to mumble to herself in rage as she read what was inside.
As she did this, Rouge approached Shadow, and they both stared with wide eyes at Amy's sudden outburst.
"... Is it just me, or is she getting crankier the more time we spend in this world?" Rouge pointed out with concern.
"She's worried for the boys. This is not only for Sonic but also for Tails and Knuckles. They were teammates, after all," Shadow pointed out. "It's normal for her to worry about them, even if she's not with them anymore," he added, sighing and shaking his head. "Anyways. We should follow her example and look after a map. She does have a point on having a reference to where we are, you know," he pointed out again as he also started to grab a bunch of random books.
Rouge only nodded at him, but she also looked at Amy with concern, especially because she hadn't explained to anyone why she even left Team Sonic in the first place.
Knuckles walked around Maretime Bay and whistled happily to himself.
He was picking up litter, helping the citizens, and ensuring the law was respected around the town. And thanks to his climbing abilities, speed, and strength, he could reach places Hitch would last minutes in seconds.
And, so far, there was no real problem around the bay. The fact that Hitch hasn't called in all day is also a good sign because everything on the beach is fine right now.
"Yup! It's been a pretty good day in the Bay!" Knuckles said with a smile. "Hey! That rhyme was pretty neat! I'll make sure you rub it on Hitch's face later!" he chuckled.
However, when he turned around and prepared to return to the station, an earth pony stallion rushed towards him.
"Sheriff!" the pony said with a panicked expression, but when Knuckles glared daggers at him for calling him 'Sheriff,' he gulped and smiled sheepishly. "I-I mean, K-Knuckles!" he corrected himself, and Knuckles smiled, satisfied, also nodding at the stallion. "There's an emergency at Canterlove Studios!" he stated with concern.
"What kind of emergency?" Knuckles asked with a worried frown.
"A weird laugh and some big stomps are coming from everywhere!" the stallion worriedly explained. "My friends and I've been trying to find the origin, but we can't!" he added with concern.
Knuckles' frown grew after hearing that, and he even growled madly. "Lead the way!" he instructed to the stallion.
The stallion just nodded and led the echidna towards Canterlove Studios, where the sound came from originally.
They found several more ponies of all races as they entered the building. Yet, they were nervous because of the laugh and the stomps, especially Sprout, who was also with them and seemed trembling and mumbling to himself.
"Sprout can give you a better context of the situation. He... Let's say he was the first to hear everything, which is why he's so scared right now," the stallion explained.
"Right..." Knuckles said with a certain annoyed tone, especially since Sprout and he don't have a good relationship because Knuckles now has Sprout's old job.
Still, the echidna put over a serious face and walked towards the earth pony stallion, stopping behind him and clearing his throat.
At this, Sprout let out a scream and turned around in fear. His expression shifted from surprise to anger when he saw Knuckles.
"Ah, great... Hitch sent his good-for-nothing deputy instead of coming himself..." Sprout said madly.
"You're talking about you, Sprout. I never heard a single soul saying that about me... beyond you, that is..." Knuckles said with his arms crossed and a bored expression.
This only made Sprout growl in annoyance. "What do you want, Knuckles?!" the earth pony asked with rage.
"Calm down, Sprout. I'm here doing my job, not to fight," Knuckles said. "I just want to know about the laughs and stomps you have heard around," he explained.
Sprout seemed to calm down a bit, although he was still frowning, but he also nodded to him. "It started 30 minutes ago. I was giving my new friends a maybe not so legal nor authorized tour around the new Canterlove Studios, and then––" he was explaining.
However, everyone inside the building heard a maniac laugh, and some big stomps came from outside.
Sprout immediately screamed again once he heard that, but Knuckles recognized the laugh, and he frowned with rage.
"Eggman..." Knuckles muttered madly. "Everypony, get out of here. Now!" he instructed.
Without hesitation, everypony in Canterlove Studios immediately rushed towards the exit... Everypony except for Sprout.
"And why should I listen to you?!" Sprout asked madly.
However, one glare from Knuckles,, with his electrical powers turned on and his eyes red instead of pink,, was enough to make Sprout flinch, gulp nervously, and then smile sheepishly.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Sprout said before rushing away from the building as well.
With everypony out, Knuckles let his powers go, but then he started to look around the factory. "Come on, Eggman! Show yourself!" he dared with anger.
And just like he asked, Eggman traversed the ceiling of the building with the Big Arms, startling Knuckles for a second, who had to make a backflip to dodge being crushed by the machine.
"Well, well, well!" Eggman spoke from inside the robot with a mocking tone...
But of course, this wasn't Eggman: It was actually Opaline controlling the machine, but just like Eggman told her, all Knuckles could hear was Eggman, so no matter what she said to him, Knuckles would believe it was Eggman talking.
"Looks like I found an ugly echidna getting in my way!" Opaline said joyfully, although all Knuckles could hear was Eggman's voice again.
"How low can you go, Eggman?!" Knuckles asked with rage. "Why disturb this ponies now of all times when you had plenty of opportunities to do it?!" he added madly.
"That is none of your business, you stinky Knucklehead!" Opaline said madly.
"Oh, it is, Eggman... If you mess with my citizens, it is my fucking problem!" Knuckles stated with rage.
After that, the echidna jumped from his place and launched towards the Big Arms with a raised fist charged with electricity.
However, the Big Arms not only blocked the attack with one arm but also moved the other and punched Knuckles in the face. This launched him through the factory's entrance and made him land in front of it. He slowly stood up and shook his head, a bit confused.
His cowboy hat flew away during this process, but he didn't seem to care about the moment.
Then, the Big Arms smashed the entrance and prepared to punch Knuckles again, but the echidna was fast enough to dodge the attack and slide down the machine since it didn't have feet.
With that, Knuckles jumped in the air and launched another punch that sent the machine backward and into town, startling ponies as they all started to run away.
"Everypony out of the way!" Knuckles screamed from where he was, charging his electrical powers as his eyes turned red. "Things are gonna get no magic-level ugly!" he stated angrily before jumping to the air and gliding towards the Big Arms, ready to keep the fight going.
As Sonic, Tails, Zipp, Izzy, and Hitch started to prepare everything to get back to the Brighthouse, since the sun was setting, Sunny and Pipp were still near the coast with concerned expressions.
"There must be a way for Sonic to swim without needing anything that allows him to float..." Sunny said with a concerned look as she walked back and forth on her place while Pipp checked something on her phone.
"Well, he has a really heavy body..." Pipp pointed out. "He sinks as fast as a rock whenever he enters the water. I don't think he can swim, Sunny..." she worriedly said.
"But everypony can!" Sunny pointed out. "I know there must be a way..." she said, still convinced about helping Sonic learn how to swim.
However, neither she nor Pipp noticed something approaching them from the water.
"Sunny, we promised Sonic that we'd stop trying if there was no luck, and there's been no luck so far!" Pipp pointed out with a frown. "Worst of all, Sonic has even more doubts about himself than before we started!" she added with anger, pointing at Sonic over their area, who once again had his gloves and normal shoes, but he was lying over a wall and looking down to the ground with sadness.
Sunny noticed that and felt bad for him, but she still looked back at Pipp with a frown. "He may be more insecure, but that doesn't mean we cannot help him!" she pointed out, too.
"Ugh!" Pipp groaned, annoyed. "Sunny, I get that you want to help him, but he's feeling uncomfortable, and you're breaking your promise of leaving him alone!" she pointed out.
That last thing made Sunny's eyes widen, and her ears lowered down as well. "T-That's not––" she tried to say.
However, just before she could talk, the ground started to tremble, and both Pipp and she looked down at it with confused expressions.
Yet, those confused expressions turned into panicked ones when Eggman's Eggmobile came out of the water right in front of them, but the vehicle had some upgrades that allowed the doctor to be underwater.
Then, the Eggmobile's capsule opened up, and Eggman revealed himself with a maniac laugh.
"Good morning, good afternoon, good night: You're all gonna die!" Eggman presented himself with a grin.
Thankfully, nobody else was on the beach except the Mane 5, Sonic and Tails, although only Sunny and Pipp seemed to notice Eggman's presence so far.
"Seriously?!" Pipp groaned, more annoyed than scared of Eggman's presence, while Sunny made her Alicorn form appear. "What do you want?!" Pipp asked in rage.
"Oh, I just wanna take some sun on the beach..." Eggman replied with sarcasm and a bored expression. "What do you think I want, majesty? I wanna see you in your graves!" he smirked sinisterly. "FIRE!" he shouted.
After that, a bunch of missiles and badniks came out of the water, pretty much from the Octopus Egg Robot, and while the badniks landed in front of Sunny and Pipp, the missiles headed fast toward them.
Thankfully, Sunny noticed, so she used her magic to blast a laser at the missiles that exploded in the air before she turned around and frowned at the badniks.
So, both she and Pipp launched themselves towards the machines, with Sunny using the combined magic of all ponykind to smash the badniks with plants or blast them with lasers, while Pipp used her hind legs to kick some in the air, as well as her front legs to smash some in the ground.
The noise finally caught everyone else's attention. They noticed Sunny and Pipp fighting the badniks and Eggman preparing to launch something from his Eggmobile towards the two mares.
So, they all immediately ran to help, with Sonic and Tails getting the the most ahead.
Then, Sonic jumped in the air and curled into a ball, while Tails came over and wrapped Sonic with his tails before spinning in the air several times and then launching Sonic towards the badniks, as he booted over them like a pinball machine.
Then, Tails himself used his powers to create two giant metallic and yellow gloves, which he used to fly downwards and crush some badniks.
As the fight kept going, Izzy, Hitch, and Zipp also joined: Izzy using her levitation magic to smash some badniks to the ground or even against each other; Hitch used his earth pony magic to make vines grow that grabbed badniks and crushed them as well, while Sparky helped a bit by using his dragon fire to burn the badniks either just or transform them.
Zipp was also helping by quickly flying over the robots and tricking them to crash against each other, as well as using her hind legs like her sister to kick the shit out of some badniks.
After a few seconds, they finally managed to destroy all the badniks, with Eggman and his upgraded Eggmobile being everything left.
So, Sonic stood before his enemy, with everyone else gathering around Sonic to watch his back.
"I have no idea how I didn't notice you, Egghead, but you better get the fuck out of here!" Sonic warned with anger.
"You think I'm afraid of you, hedgehog? We've been dancing to this for years now!" Eggman pointed out with a grin. "If anything, you should be glad I haven't destroyed you just yet!" he stated.
"And why should I feel glad, huh? As far as I know, I'm still the undefeatable numero uno against you!" Sonic said with a confident smirk. "What's gonna change this time around?" he asked with a mocking tone.
"Act as annoying as you want, hedgehog... But I know your weakness, and you know you cannot defeat that!" Eggman stated with a grin as he closed the capsule of his Eggmobile and then got inside of water.
Everyone felt confused when Eggman did that, but then the water started to rumble before Eggman came back, this time inside his Octopus Egg Robot.
The machine was pretty big, having the classic capsule that held Eggman inside, but around the machine, Eggman's logo and eight gigantic metallic octopus arms were attached.
"You can fight me pretty well above water... but you don't have the guts to fight me under water!" Eggman stated with a grin and a maniac laugh.
Sonic felt panicked at the idea of having to fight Eggman underwater. Still, he had done it before and won, so he put on a determined look and charged his electrical powers, ready to fight Eggman alone if necessary.
Meanwhile, Knuckles and the Big Arms were still fighting near Canterlove Studios.
Opaline was controlling the Big Arms pretty well so far because even if she couldn't always strike a punch to the echidna, she could block many of his attacks at fast paste, which already startled Knuckles, but he wasn't going to give up.
Then, Knuckles charged a punch with electricity towards the robot's chest since Eggman's Eggmobile and Eggman himself were always located there.
However, before he could even approach and make the punch, the Big Arms grabbed the Echidna and smashed him to the ground.
Then, the robot raised the same arm it used to grab Knuckles and prepared to crush him. Still, then, the echidna rolled to the ground and then used his feet to kick the Big Arms backward, before charging his fist again and then punching him towards the inside of the building, making another hole in Canterlove Studios.
"Hey!" Sprout's voice called out from behind, and Knuckles turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "I have no idea who is inside that thing, nor why you seem to know them, but you better not make more damage to private property!" he warned with anger.
"I'm doing you a favor by saving your flank, Sprout!" Knuckles groaned with rage. "How could you worry about––" he tried to add.
However, he was about to get hit by a box, but he grabbed it just in time, although he was pushed a bit backward.
Still, Knuckles frowned with anger before putting the box aside and charging his electrical powers, ready to jump inside the building and keep the fight going.
However, before he could do that, he saw that several more objects—even pretty heavy ones—were being launched toward the town and, therefore, toward the citizens who were still around.
Frowning, Knuckles jumped in the air and quickly glided from one object to the next, sending them far away to ensure they wouldn't hurt anyone.
When everypony was safe, Knuckles boosted towards Canterlove Studios, ready to strike a punch against the Big Arms... just to be grabbed by one of the arms of the machine, then being smashed against the ground several times, and then thrown inside the building, landing on his back against a metallic structure.
After that, the echidna fell facewards to the floor, where he lay in pain and tried to stand up but failed miserably.
"Now that'll teach you a lesson!" Opaline spoke with anger, but Knuckles still only heard Eggman. "Never mess with me again, pathetic mortal..." she stated.
And so, she turned the robot to the city, as the town's citizens saw the machine in fear... But Opaline wasn't even looking at them. She was looking at the rainbow light coming from the Crystal Brighthouse in the distance.
"Finally... all the magic will belong to me!" Opaline stated with joy.
Meanwhile, Knuckles opened his eyes and looked around, but he could only see a bunch of boxes, metallic structures, materials, and... some yellow thing with a white zone hidden behind a blue blanket.
And then, Knuckles' eyes widened at that last thing...
Sonic came downstairs, holding a big yellow block with question marks all around it.
Sunny noticed that and approached Sonic with a hopeful expression and a little smile. "Hey, Sonic!" she greeted him. "What do you got there?" she asked curiously.
"Hi!" Sonic greeted back with a smile. "Just a little thing getting a lot of unnecessary space in my room. I'm taking it to a better place," he explained.
"And what kind of place would that be?" Knuckles asked as he approached Sonic with his arms crossed. "Because letting that thing in a random place could be dangerous," he pointed out with a frown.
"I know I make questionable decisions sometimes, but this isn't one of those times," Sonic assured with a wink to the echidna, who rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'm putting this thing in a safe and secret place where nobody would dare to look after it," he explained.
"Where?" Knuckles asked.
"If I tell you, it's not a secret place anymore, Knucklehead!" Sonic mocked up with a smirk.
Knuckles raised a hand and tried to say something, but then he realized Sonic had a point, so he sighed and put over a bored expression. "Fair enough..." he confessed.
Knuckles smiled, slowly stood up, then walked towards the blanket and removed it.
His smile grew bigger when he saw the same big yellow block with question marks all around it. For once, he was glad Sonic had not tell him anything.
"Hedgehog... Whether I like it or not... You're a genius!" Knuckles said with a smirk.
Then, he hit the box from above, and it turned into a brown box, while a red mushroom with white circles and black eyes came out from the top.
"A Super Mushroom..." Knuckles muttered, kind of confused... before smirking with glee. "Now this is gonna be fun!" he stated.
Meanwhile, outside the building, Opaline approached the Big Arms to the town, and every pony started to run away frightened.
"Yes... run away, little ponies. Run as much as you can... You still will bow to me!" Opaline declared confidently, even though everypony could only hear Eggman's voice.
"I wouldn't be so sure, Eggman!" Knuckles' voice declared from behind the robot.
The Big Arms turned around, and Opaline groaned angrily when she saw the echidna still standing, hiding something behind his back. "Didn't I just throw you and leave you weak?! How's that you're still standing?!" she asked with rage.
"Oh, but I'm not weakened at all..." Knuckles stated before revealing his left hand to the Super Mushroom. "I'm just hungry!" he declared before swallowing the mushroom in one bite.
As Knuckles gulped the mushroom, his entire body started to glow white...
After that, his left hand grew bigger, which startled not only Opaline but also everypony else watching. Next, Knuckles' legs grew bigger, followed by his chest, then his right arm, and finally, his whole body was at least 5 inches bigger, completing the transformation of the Super Mushroom with a strange sound.
Once Knuckles was fully grown, he smirked mischievously at the Big Arms, smashing his fists and charging his electrical powers, ready to take down the Big Arms, before jumping with a warrior cry towards the machine.
Opaline managed to move the Big Arms and dodge the attack just in time. But then Knuckles tried to strike another punch, then another, and so he started launching several, trying to hit the machine with just one.
As the Big Arms moved backward and dodged Knuckles' attacks, both Opaline and everypony noticed how freaking big Knuckles was now, all thanks to the Super Mushroom.
"WHY. DON'T. YOU. STAND. STILL. AND DIE. WITH. HONOR?!" Knuckles shouted with rage, still trying to hit the Big Arms.
Opaline just laughed at him, though, clearly not taking him seriously. "For a guy named Knuckles, your aim at punching is terrible!" she mocked up, even if Knuckles could only hear Eggman.
Yet, that mockery was the last straw on Knuckles' patience, and so he charged a massive, massive punch that send the Big Arms backward, making Opaline eat her own words.
With the Big Arms finally down in the ground, Knuckles boosted right in front of it, and then, he ripped both arms with his giant hands, throwing them to the sides and then grabbing what remained of the robot.
However, as he opened the zone where Eggman should be, not only did he find a decoy Eggman, but he also saw a countdown for self-destruction in 10 seconds.
Panicking, Knuckles quickly jumped in the air with the body, throwing him a bit away.
Yet, when the countdown reached zero and made the machine explode, the explosion reached Knuckles, sending him back to the ground and losing the effect of the Super Mushroom with another strange sound.
Knuckles groaned in pain, but then he sat down and shook his head, just for his eyes to widen when he saw that everypony in town was looking at him.
"... Um... Everypony, okay?" Knuckles asked with a sheepish smile.
However, that only made everypony cheer at him, which just confused him at first, but he still stood up and smiled a bit shyly at the citizens of Maretime Bay.
He was surprised to see that even Sprout seemed happy that he did what he did. The earth pony nodded at Knuckles, who smiled and nodded back at him. Knuckles put his cowboy hat back on and walked away with a smirk.
Eggman raised the arms of the Octopus Egg Robot and prepared to hit each one in the group with seven of them.
First, he tried to hit Hitch, who used his earth pony magic to make some vines grow, and he made the vines grab his hind legs and then launch him and Sparky backward as they landed in a hill of sand.
Next, Eggman tried to hit Zipp and Pipp together. Still, the two sisters managed to dodge the water coming along the octopus arms from the robot, and they even flew around just to mess with Eggman, although he seemed happy that they dodged.
Now,, Eggman tried to hit Izzy, who simply teleported away from him. Again, Eggman grinned as if he wanted her to do that.
So, the doctor tried to hit Sunny next. With her horn, Sunny blasted a laser at the robot, but it was protected by a shield that reflected the attack. Seeing that she was about to get hit by herself Sunny dodged the attack and landed near Hitch and Izzy.
Moving on, Eggman tried to hit Tails, who twirled his tails around and flew away from Eggman, but then, he noticed that something was off: Eggman only had seven tentacles visible, and he already used 6 of them, which meant that the remaining one should hit Sonic.
Yet, Tails perfectly remembers seeing the robot with 8 arms.
"Something's not adding up here..." Tails muttered with concern and a frown as he rubbed his chin.
Finally, Eggman moved the remaining arm towards Sonic, but unlike everyone else, Sonic jumped right in the arm and ran towards the middle, where he prepared to charge against Eggman.
However, just when Sonic jumped in the air and charged a Spindash, the remaining arm of the Octopus Egg Robot appeared and hit Sonic, sending him backward and towards a rock.
"Sonic!" both Tails and Pipp shouted in panic from the air, as Pipp covered her mouth with her hooves.
Sonic crashed on his back against the rock and then fell to the sand with a grunt.
But before he could get up, the same arm Eggman used to hit him grabbed the hedgehog and dragged him towards the robot, holding Sonic tightly and making sure he wouldn't escape.
"Gotcha!" Eggman said with a grin.
"Hng! Not for too long, Egghead!" Sonic said confidently, although deep down, he wasn't longer sure about himself.
"Oh?!" Eggman snorted before smashing a button with his fist. "FIRE!" he shouted confidently.
After that, two lasers were shot, one towards Sunny, Izzy, Hitch, and Sparky, while the other was shot against Tails and the sisters.
At this, Sunny stood between Izzy and Hitch, activating a magic shield with her magic to protect the four of them, while Tails pressed a button on his watch and created a yellow shield to protect himself, Zipp, and Pipp from the laser.
Yet, this was nothing but a distraction because once they deactivated the shields, they gasped in horror because Eggman moved away on the Octopus Egg Robot, still having sonic on the tentacles' grip.
"This rodent's been nothing but a piece of shit that messes with my plans..." Eggman said with anger from his place. "Today, this would finally end!" he declared with a sinister grin.
"What are you even–– WHOA!" Sonic exclaimed suddenly as he was dragged underwater along the robot.
"SONIC!" Pipp screamed with even more panic now.
At this, Tails frowned and quickly used his electrical powers to change his clothes into a scuba diving one, as he braced towards the water quickly.
"Tails!" Zipp screamed in fear as well.
Sunny also frowned, and she quickly lightened her horn up, surrounding her body in a golden aura that didn't leave even when her horn wasn't lighting up anymore.
Then, she boosted towards the air in just one jump before diving towards the sea to help Tails to rescue Sonic.
"Sunny!" Hitch called out in panic as well.
In the ocean, both Sunny and Tails were quickly scuba diving in search of Eggman and Sonic.
"Do you see him?!" Sunny asked in panic and worry.
And then, as he kept looking around, Tails finally saw them: Eggman was inside of his machine still, and he had Sonic grabbed very tightly with the robot's tentacle while the hedgehog was trying to get free from the robot's grip.
"There!" Tails pointed at them, and once Sunny saw them, she immediately flapped her wings and swam towards them, with Tails spinning his tails and following her.
Meanwhile, Sonic was desperately moving around the tentacle's grip, trying to get free from Eggman, but failing miserably. Worst of all, he was starting to run out of air, but thankfully, a bubble was passing by, so he managed to approach his face and slurp the bubble to preserve some air.
With that, he got back to try and get free from Eggman's grip, but the doctor himself laughed at Sonic's attempts.
"Ohohohoho! Keep trying everything you want, rodent! You won't be free from there anytime soon!" Eggman stated with confidence.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Tails' voice spoke, getting Eggman and Sonic's attention.
Then, Eggman's Octopus Egg Robot got hit by an orange ball that sent him a bit backward, and in the process, he let go of Sonic.
The ball was Sunny, who tried to do a Spindash like Team Sonic despite failing miserably. Still, she managed to make Sonic free from Eggman's grip, which was her intention since the beginning.
"Alright, Sonic!" Tails said with a smile as he grabbed Sonic from his hands. "Let's get you out of––" he tried to add.
"NO!" Eggman shouted with rage hitting both Sonic and Tails, sending Tails in one direction and Sonic into another.
Tails flipped several times in the ocean, while Sonic got sent towards a rock, where he crashed on his back. This made him open his mouth by mistake, and therefore, he let go of the bubble he was holding for air.
With this, Sonic panicked, because he was starting to sink in the water slowly. So, he tried to remember his swimming lessons with the girls and Hitch today, but it didn't mattered where he moved, he was still sinking.
Tails noticed that, and Sunny as well, so they both tried to rescue him, just to be stopped by two tentacles of Eggman's Octopus Egg Robot that grabbed them by their feet.
Then, they both tried to escape his grip while that spooky and familiar tune started to play again.
And yet, Sunny and Tails didn't manage to get free from Eggman's grip because Sonic let go of another bubble and then started to slowly close his eyes, as his life started to drown away from him.
His body kept slowly sinking, but now he wasn't moving.
Seeing this, Tails' attempts to get free from Eggman's grip became more desperate, as he used his electrical powers and turned the tentacle into just a million small screws.
Then, Tails quickly grabbed Sonic and boosted towards the surface, while Sunny herself blasted a laser towards the beginning of the tentacle that grabbed her.
Next, she frowned at Eggman and surrounded his Octopus Egg Robot before crushing all the tentacles away, leaving only the capsule where Eggman was located.
After that, she decided to leave him there, and she quickly swam back to the surface while Eggman growled in frustration.
Tails carefully placed Sonic in the sand back in the surface as the hedgehog started to cough water desperately.
He even shook his head for a second before sighing and then just lay over the sand, panting heavily after he almost died by the very thing he feared the most: Drowning in water.
"Man... I hate water..." Sonic said, both frustrated and exhausted.
Then, he decided to sit over the sand, just to be dragged into a hug by Tails and Pipp, a hug where Izzy suddenly joined as well, and even if Sonic did feel a bit overwhelmed, he was still happy to know how much they cared about him.
Then, Sunny came out of the water, spreading her wings widely and showing all her might as an Alicorn, as she shone bright in the air for a few seconds, a few seconds where her friends watched her in awe, and in Hitch's case, with sparkling eyes and a huge blush over his cheeks.
Then, Sunny shook her head and landed in front of Sonic, with the golden aura protecting her before the water was already gone.
"Sonic! Are you okay?!" Sunny asked him with concern.
"I am now..." Sonic said with a little smile. "Although, a few seconds more, and I have died... Thanks for that, little bro!" he told Tails with a wink.
Tails only chuckled and smiled sheepishly as he made his scuba diving suit leave.
However, when things were starting to calm down, Eggman came out of the water with his Eggmobile.
He was ready to shoot again, but, his Eggmobile was freeze in the air, thanks to bunny and Izzy's magic, while Tails grabbed Sonic from one hand and tpun him around before launching him in the air.
There, Sonic looked at Eggman and smirked. "Mata aimashō, egguheddo!" he said mockingly, saying 'See ya later, Egghead!' in Japanese.
And then, he charged a Spindash with electrical powers included before boosting towards the Eggmobile and then throwing Eggman far away from the beach.
"CURSE YOU, LITTLE PESTS!" Eggman shouted in rage and fear to the Mane 5, Sparky, Sonic, and Tails.
Then, Sonic landed in the sand and cleaned his hands, while Tails landed at his side and looked at him with a smile.
"Nicely done, little bro!" Sonic told him as they fist-bumped together.
Then, Knuckles arrived with the rest, and he stopped running and looked at the rest with a frown. "I heard something here! What happened?!" he asked with concern.
"Eggman..." Zipp muttered with annoyance. "He came out of nowhere..." she started to explain.
"We fought his robots, and then he tried to draw Sonic into the sea," Pipp kept telling him.
"And Sonic literally just sent him flying after Izzy, and I hold him still," Sunny added with a little smile.
"Huh... So you guys fought with the real Eggman?" Knuckles asked.
"Yup..." Sonic replied with a bored expression before his eyes widened. "Wait! What do you mean the real one?!" he asked, confused.
"The Big Arms with a decoy caught me by surprise in town..." Knuckles said with a frown, which made everyone else gasp in worry. "I already dealt with him, don't worry..." he assured with an eye roll, and the rest sighed in relief, especially Hitch. "However, I do feel concerned now... He attacked you for real, but he also used a decoy to attack me... why?" he questioned.
"Coming here for real and using a false Eggman..." Zipp muttered with concern. "He's definitely up to something else, something bigger. And considering how his attacks have been random lately, it cannot be good..." she pointed out.
"Hmm... Maybe we should discuss this in the Brighthouse, where no eyes can hear us," Tails also suggested, looking around cautiously. "And by that, I mean Eggman and Opaline!" he muttered to the rest with a frown.
The others nodded in agreement and started heading back to the Brighthouse.
However, Sunny and Pipp stood behind and wanted to talk with Sonic. "Sonic!" Pipp called out as the hedgehog turned to his crush and earth pony friend. "Can we talk for a second here?" she asked.
"Sure thing!" Sonic said with a smirk as he walked to them and looked at the two mares expectantly.
"I, um... We want to apologize for pushing you over with the whole thing of swimming..." Sunny started with a little smile.
"Yeah... We promised to stop insisting, and we still did..." Pipp pointed out with a bit of shame. "We hope you can forgive us..." she added with a sad smile.
"Hey, there's nothing to forgive here. I'm not mad in the first place!" Sonic said with an assuring smile to the mares. "If anything, I should be apologizing for not speaking and running away whenever you invited me to a place with water... After today, my fear of drowning just grew... But that's no excuse to reject your invitations," he explained.
"Wait... are you implying that..." Sunny started with a smile, and Pipp smiled at her side.
"As long as you bring over a life jacket for me because floats are too childish, I don't see why I shouldn't join you, guys!" Sonic replied with a smile, also opening his arms to them.
The two mares immediately got the message, so they smiled and wrapped him into a hug while he hugged them back with joy and a chuckle.
After everything was said and done, they broke the hug and headed towards the Crystal Brighthouse with everyone else.
Eggman kept screaming in fright until he landed right in front of Opaline's castle.
He then got out of his Eggmobile desperate and quickly fixed his suit, even cleaning some dust from his body, before entering the castle with rage.
He walked down the corridor as he mumbled curses for Sonic, Sunny, and their friends, hoping that he would be victorious the next time he faced them.
Then, once he opened the Throne Room's doors, he felt surprised to see that Opaline was beating up a chair with a picture of Knuckles' head on it.
As he kept watching this, Misty sneaked to his side with a cringed expression. "She's been doing that for 40 minutes now..." she explained with concern, cringing again when Opaline made a grunting sound. "S-Should we––" she tried to ask.
However, Eggman only carefully placed a hand over her mane. "No, no..." he stated with concern for Opaline. "Let's just... go..." he added.
With that, Misty nodded, and both she and Eggman slowly stepped back, carefully and silently closing the Throne Room's doors, while Opaline just kept beating the shit out of the chair with Knuckles' picture.
"So, I'm gonna guess she's letting out her frustration because she lost against the Knucklehead..." Eggman said with a frown as he finished fixing his mustache, while Misty just nodded with a sheepish smile. "Hmm... seems like he's not such a Knucklehead after all..." he stated with concern.
"And... you... lost... too?" Misty asked with a sheepish smile.
Even though Eggman frowned at her, he still sighed in defeat and nodded. "Sadly, yes. I was defeated once again. Even if Sonic didn't overcome his weakness, he still fought me back... Once Opaline calms down, we'll have to change our game plan," he stated.
"And what plan is that?" Misty questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Eggman looked back at her and grinned. "You, Misty!" he said with confidence.
At that, Misty felt startled and got a few steps back, gulping and smiling nervously at Eggman because she had a, really, really bad feeling about this.
Amy, Shadow, and Rouge spent the whole night awake, trying to look for a map of Equestria.
Outside, at the entrance to the hidden library, Omega decided to enter in resting mode, but he kept his camera on just to record anything that seemed suspicious or out of place. Yet, he got nothing, so everything was safe for now.
But what about Amy, Shadow, and Rouge? Well, they eventually fell asleep at some point, and now, Amy was snoring and babbling over the pages of a book while Rouge covered herself with her wings, but she was also snoring loudly, and she even had a book over her face.
Shadow, on the other hand, fell asleep sat down, with a fist over his cheek, but unlike Amy and Rouge, he wasn't snoring at all, he breathe in and out.
Yeah, he even sleeps cooler than you; cry about it.
Then, Shadow himself was the first one to start and wake up from his sleep, as he slowly opened his eyes, yawned, and stretched his arms, shaking his head and then looking at his surroundings, confused at first, before remembering how he ended up here.
"Seems like we fell asleep at some point..." Shadow pointed to himself, even rubbing one eye with a hand.
Then, Rouge made a weird snoring nose before opening her eyes and also stretched with a yawn, as she scratched her belly tiredly.
Finally, Amy was the last one to wake up. She was even self-aware that she was babbling over the book because she wiped it away with her coat's sleeve.
"... Did any of you find anything?" Amy asked with tiredness, followed by a yawn.
"Not in my case, Pink..." Rouge replied, rubbing her eyes and stretching her wings a bit. "None of these books have any demographic illustration..." she explained, grabbing another book and checking what it said inside.
"I didn't have luck, either..." Shadow said as well with a slight frown.
"Well... It seems like I was wrong after all..." Amy said with disappointment, closing the book she slept over and putting it aside. "Maybe we don't even need it, but... It would have been nice to know where in Equestria we are exactly..." she pointed out with concern.
Shadow frowned even more when Amy seemed so pessimistic, but just when he was about to say something, Rouge suddenly gasped dramatically, her eyes wide, and she stared at the book she had grabbed before.
"What?" Shadow asked with concern and curiosity.
"Did you find a map?!" Amy asked with a little bit of hope.
"N-No..." Rouge replied, also denying it with her head, which disappointed Amy again. "B-But this... This cannot be true... Can it?!" she said with shock and disbelief.
"What? What cannot be true?" Shadow asked her, confused and a bit startled.
Instead of replying with words, Rouge only turned the book around and let Shadow read it.
As he did so, he had a neutral expression, but as he kept reading, his eyes started to widen. He even snatched the book from Rouge's hands to read what it said closely, blinking a few times to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.
"What?!" Amy asked,, confused and now a bit scared. "What's so hard to believe?! " she asked with concern.
Shadow only frowned and gave her the book before looking back to the ground with an expression that combined surprise, concern, confusion, and anger.
"It's hard to tell how veridic this information is, but our witness says that their people were startled when they saw ships arriving from space..." Amy started to read out loud what the book said. "From these ships, some strange creatures with white eyes, rocks with faces inside of them, and water-like bodies came out..." she kept reading.
Before she read the next part, Rouge and Shadow looked at each other because they were kind of afraid of how Amy would react to what she was going to read next.
"When they did so, they approached our witness tribe with six identical gems that our witness tribe's Gem of Miracles..." Amy kept reading. However, the strange creatures from the ships had a strange name for them since they referred to the seven jewels as... THE CHAOS EMERALDS?!" she shouted in shock once she reached that part of the book.
Amy kept reading that part one time, then another, and then another, but no matter how many times she read it, the text said the same thing it said when she read it out loud.
"T-This is not possible..." Amy muttered, now looking ahead with her gaze lost and thousands of questions forming in her head.
"The Chaos Emeralds are from our world!" Rouge pointed out as she took the book back from Amy's hands and read a few paragraphs ahead. However, nothing was interesting in them. "Why would these books say anything about them if they never had them before?!" she questioned,, confused.
"This doesn't make any sense," Shadow muttered with a frown. "Why does this world have a historical record of artifacts that don't even originate here?" He questioned, confused.
"The only logical explanation I can think of right now is that it's just a coincidence..." Amy said, but Shadow looked at her bored, while Rouge raised an eyebrow at her. "Yet, it would be too much of a coincidence..." she corrected herself with a nervous chuckle.
"... Well... If you think about it... We never questioned where the Emeralds come from..." Rouge pointed out suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Shadow questioned.
"It doesn't matter how many times we have used the Emeralds... We still know barely about their origins..." Rouge explained. "I'm not saying that the book tells the absolute truth, but... with the amount of crazy stuff we have seen, the idea of the Emeralds coming from a parallel world with magic doesn't sound so weird," she pointed out again.
"... You know? She has a point," Amy confessed. "There's still no guarantee about the veracity of this book, but... Maybe it isn't so far from reality..." she pointed out.
"... Right..." Shadow muttered with a nod. "Let's take the book with us. It might be useful later on," he stated, while Amy and Rouge only nodded.
Thanks to BenictheHedgehog for suggesting me the prime idea of this chapter!
I originally had planned to do all normal episodes of Chapter 4 and leave the other 4 episodes as original ones, but Ben came with such a good idea that I couldn't simply not apply it to my story!
Now, I'm gonna say it already: Next episode is the episode, guys. The main event, a thing I've been teasing for a while, an union that it's finally happening!
Stay tuned, because you're gonna love it! 
P.S: Thanks to JD1 for editing this chapter! 
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Well, this was an entertaining episode.
The montage of Sonic trying to swim, mixed with Zipp and Tails doing whatever was just hilarious.
The fights were also well done. Nice reference to the Mario Movie with Knuckles.
And it seems Team Dark is learning some interesting history about the connections between the two worlds.
Anyway, next time is when a certain ship we’ve all been waiting for is supposedly getting officialized. Why do I have a feeling this is all leading up to a big troll?
Wow, that is a great chapter, and wow the mane 5, San Zipp, had trouble teaching sonic how to swim, which he, Tails, Knuckles and Zipp reminded them that he can’t even stay above water, and he can’t swim since when he goes in water, he sinks like a rock, and looks like Opaline and Eggman did a plan to try and attack our heroes in two positions, one in Maretime bay in town and on the beach, and keeping knuckles busy in the city with a giant robot that Opaline was controlling while Eggman attack the rest on the beach, and trying to steal the unity crystals, failed and defeated, and looks like Team Dark and Amy found a secret library and discovered some shocking discovery and some more reveal of the chaos emeralds, wow that was a great chapter, awesome job, keep up the great work!
I'm liking this Season so far! It feels with better writing and completely story-focused compared to the previous Season.
Also, I think that "rivalry" dynamic between Knuckles and Sprout has a lot of potential! I hope we see more of those two in the future.
What is that? Lucky Block?? Why Sonic have that?
11657633
He has that since Season 1
Is That A Reference To LEGO Dimensions' Sonic DLC?
11781563
Indeed!