The quiet tranquility of a checkerboard-patterned grass-covered field was disturbed as a blue blur suddenly shot across the grass, kicking up loose blades of grass behind it. While too fast for the naked eye to properly see, a closer look revealed it to be none other than Sonic, the blue hedgehog running while letting his arms dangle behind him. Interestingly, he held a blue and orange cylindrical tube in his right hand, the kind of tube that was often used to transport important documents around large buildings like hospitals. His hand gripped it tightly as he ran, ensuring that there was no chance he'd drop it.

Sonic grinned as he approached a raised section of grass, the rock beneath it adorned with checkerboard patterns similar to the grass. He came to an almost complete stop as he reached the front of it and leapt up, landing on top of the hill before jumping back down onto the grass below on the other side, landing in a crouched position. He took off a second later, running under a larger rock formation while flipping over a rock that had fallen inside and sliding out through the other side of the formation. After a few seconds, he rolled to get back on his feet and resumed running, dashing towards a shuttle loop and going through it before jumping off the edge that came shortly after the end, landing on his feet. "Heh, I love this place!" he smiled to himself as he continued on his way.

After a little while more of running, the blue hedgehog could see his destination coming into view: a small town near the beach with roads leading to the United Federation's capital city, up into the mountains, and going past the area he was in, known simply as Emerald Town. Coming to the edge of the green hill area, Sonic leapt down onto the road below, stopping for a moment. He then turned to his left and ran, at a slower pace, into the town, making a right at the third turn and passing by a house shaped like a familiar two-tailed fox's head. Just down the road from that was Tails' Lab, a mostly metal building that had a red circle with the fox's two tails in the center on its sides.

Sonic slowed down as he reached the corner and turned, coming to a stop in front of the building and turning to look at the black sliding doors that marked the entrance. A second later, they slid away from each other as they opened, revealing the lab's owner behind them. "Welcome back, Sonic!" Tails greeted.

"Hey, Tails! You knew I was coming, huh?" Sonic smiled.

Tails chuckled, "Well, yeah. I knew thanks to the tracker I put inside the capsule. When the signal started moving, I knew you had found it and would be back soon. Figured I might as well be ready for you. Come on in!" The fox turned around and walked into his lab, Sonic following him through the doors, which soon slid back into their closed position behind him.

Sonic let his eyes wander as the duo walked into the main room of the lab, looking over the large computers and metallic floors that made up Tails' lab. Unlike the fox's workshops, his lab didn't exactly have the same lived-in feel, seeing as he mainly used it when he had big projects that were harder to work on at his workshops and, due to how close it was to his house, he didn't stay overnight often. Looking over towards one side of the room, he saw the virtual reality system that Tails had set up for Emerl to use to hone his skills. Looking towards the center of the room, he saw Tails' latest project: a large mechanical tube stretching from the floor to the ceiling placed in the center of the aiming sight-like shape within the octagon that marked the middle of the room.

Following Tails over to a large computer panel that had some smaller screens above it and was hooked up to a supercomputer, Sonic placed the tube in his hand on top of the panel next to a framed picture while Tails sat down in a chair in front of the panel and began typing on the keyboard in front of him. Looking over at the fox, Sonic commented, "I gotta say, Tails, I'm impressed. It's only been two weeks and you've already come up with something that can breach the space between dimensions!"

Tails stopped typing and looked up at him, "Heh, thanks, Sonic! But remember, this is still just a prototype; it's got a long way to go before it'll be able to do what we want it to."

Sonic replied, "All the same, though, it's already proven to have teleporting capabilities similar to that device you built some time ago. If it can do that with just the regular energy you've been supplying, and you're sure you're done doing your research, we'll be one step closer to seeing Equestria and everyone there again."

Tails nodded, "Right." Looking over to his left towards the tube in the center of the room, the cables for which were connected to the side of the panel in front of him, he explained, "After reviewing all the information on Equestrian magic that Twilight gave me, I've come to the conclusion that Chaos energy and pony magic are actually very similar. With a burst of the Chaos Emeralds' power, a small Chaos Control can be generated and transfer physical matter across time and space. While it's like this, it can be converted into a form that can be focused and picked up by magic users, thus returning it to normal."

Sonic asked, "So Conservation of Mass is maintained in a sense?"

Tails nodded, "Exactly. That's how Twilight was able to conjure up her glasses, and why Spike is able to send letters to Princess Celestia with that green fire he breathes. The Chaos Emeralds, essentially, are able to do the same thing through the energy they contain. As such, if we can cause a Chaos Control strong enough to break the barrier and convert matter, it should be picked up by a receiver in Equestria and converted back into matter."

Sonic said, "Well, it sounds like you've got everything covered, Tails."

Tails replied, "We'll see. All the other tests on this device have checked out so far. Now it's time for the big one." He looked over to the right, where he had his radar hooked up to his computers. Standing up and walking over to it, he grabbed a screwdriver he left on the panel with his right hand and picked up the radar in his left hand.

As he flipped it over so he was looking at the cover on the back, Sonic asked, "You sure you're not going to ruin your radar by doing this?"

While beginning to loosen the screws holding the cover on, Tails answered, "It should be fine. I've already hooked it up to the lab computers, so it's getting a steady stream of power. And just to be on the safe side, I made sure to copy all the data on it onto my computers so I have an extra copy as back-up in case something does happen to my radar. I don't want to lose any of my data, especially after it's helped me to, hopefully, root out any hiccups in my new transporter."

Sonic smiled, "Thinking ahead as usual, Tails. I'm sure it'll be fine." Tails finished loosening the last screw and, after pulling it out, removed the cover. He then pulled the Chaos Drives inside the radar out and set the radar back down on the panel. He then grabbed the spare Power Cores he had salvaged from the Egg Pawns back in Frog Forest from inside one of the drawers on the panel and turned and walked past Sonic, the hedgehog watching as he walked over to the tube in the middle of the room and installed the Chaos Drives and Power Cores into it.

Afterwards, Tails walked back over to Sonic and asked, "Did you bring it?"

Sonic nodded, "Of course I did! I've been hanging onto it since we wrote it!" He reached into his quills with his right hand and pulled out the scroll Twilight had let Tails keep, the seal on it still intact. He held it out to the fox, "You want to look it over one last time?" Tails nodded and took the scroll in his hands, sliding the seal off and setting it on top of the panel while he unrolled the scroll and started reading it to himself.

After a minute, Tails looked up at Sonic and said, "Looks good to me. I'd say it's ready to be sent!" He rolled the parchment back up and slid the seal back onto it to keep it closed. He then handed it back to Sonic and grabbed the tube sitting on top of the panel with both hands, sliding it open on the top with his left hand and holding it out to Sonic, who slid the scroll inside and let Tails close it. The fox then held the tube between both hands and stared down at it for a moment.

Sonic noticed this and asked, "Tails?"

The fox shook his head and looked up at Sonic and said, "Sorry. It's just… if the time-space transfer is successful, we'll have no way of knowing whether it makes it to Equestria or not. I know the signal from the transmitter can be picked up from anywhere on the planet, but I don't think it can be picked up from anywhere else, least of all another dimension. I just hope it works."

Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder, "Tails, I know you. Sure, you've had moments where things don't work out as you expect them to, like when you were trying to calibrate your machine to understand the Wisps or the Tornado 2 not having landing gear, but the rest of the time you're spot-on. Your machine's gonna work. I know it will."

Tails smiled, "Right, of course." While holding the tube containing the letter in his left hand, he turned and walked over to his machine. When he was standing in front of it, in front of the glass part that joined the two black parts, he pressed a button on the tube, causing the glass part to slide up into the top of the machine. Tails then set the cylinder in his hand inside and pressed the button again, causing the glass to slide back down around the cylinder.

He then walked back over to the computer, taking his seat and checking the systems one last time as Sonic came up to stand behind him and to his left. After a moment, Tails looked up and nodded, "Everything checks out. Here goes." He raised his right hand and placed it on top of a lever on the panel, wrapping his fingers around the top of it. Sonic reached over and placed his right hand on top of Tails' a moment later, Tails turning his head to smile up at him and the hedgehog returning the smile. Tails then turned to look back at the computer screen, both him and Sonic pushing the lever up together. They both let go once it was all the way up and turned their heads to look at the tube.

The machine started humming as it powered up, then, a few moments later, the inside of the glass began to glow brighter. After a few seconds, electricity began to fill the inside of the tube, surrounding the cylinder on the inside. As the duo watched, the light on the inside of the machine began to change colors, likely due to the Chaos Drives and Power Cores. The light began to look more like an aurora, multiple colors appearing as the light filled the tube. Soon, it completely blocked out Sonic and Tails' view of the cylinder inside and, after a couple of seconds, a bright flash erupted that forced them to turn away. When it died down and they looked back at the machine, they could no longer see the cylinder inside the large tube.

Sonic spoke first, "Tails?"

The fox turned back to his panel and typed something in. After several seconds, he replied, "I'm not picking up the signal from the transmitter. Wherever it is, it's not on this planet anymore."

Sonic smiled, "So it's on its way."

Tails nodded, "Yep. Just about drained the Power Cores and Chaos Drives to do it, but as far as I can tell, it worked."

Sonic said, "Twilight and her friends ought to be thrilled when they get our letter."

Tails replied, "Yeah." He looked at the picture sitting on his panel, which displayed the group shot Omochao had taken at the end of Sonic's birthday party. As expected, Sonic, Tails, Spike, the Main Six, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were front and center with everyone else gathered around them and the picnic table. The remnants of the birthday cake Pinkie had prepared could also be seen, sitting in the middle of the table. "I wonder what's going on with them right now," Tails thought aloud.

Sonic came up behind his seat and said, "They're probably having plenty of adventures of their own back home. I'm sure they'll have plenty of stories to tell us next time we see them."

Tails looked back at him over his shoulder, "And we'll have stories to tell them too, right?"

Sonic nodded, "Yeah. Speaking of which, you've been helping with the planning for this year's All-Stars Racing Gran Prix, right? How's that going?"

Tails replied, "It's going well. After hearing about that whole invitation mess back in London, the planning committee took no chances with the invitations to the races. Once they were all finished, they were promptly sent out. That was a few days ago; they should make it to everyone who competed last year soon."

Sonic asked, "Anyone new going to be showing up?"

Tails answered, "Yep. The committee approved some of the new entrants that wanted to sign up and sent invitations to them as well. I didn't see the full list, but it looks like we're going to be joined by a racing superstar and your new friend Ralph."

Sonic smiled, "Sweet! He is a nice guy when he's off the job. Maybe he'll get to win a medal or a trophy to take home with him." He then said, "Hey, I heard a rumor that there's going to be water and air racing in addition to the racing from last year. Is that true?"

Tails nodded, "Yeah, but don't worry. I've already started on some blueprints for new racers for us. They're at my workshop; I'll make sure to have them ready in time." Sonic nodded and they both looked back at the group picture. While looking at the gathering, Tails eyed the Elements of Harmony and Chip's necklace and held a hand to his chin in thought.

Sonic's eyes moved to the side and he noticed the contemplative look on the fox's face. "Something on your mind, Tails?" he asked.

Tails lowered his hand and replied, "Sort of. Ever since that day, I've kind of been wondering why Chip's necklace reacted the way it did with the Elements of Harmony. It's like they worked perfectly with one another, like they were the same thing, which is a bit odd." He looked back at Sonic, "Chip's necklace isn't an Element of Harmony, right?"

Sonic shrugged, "Beats me. Chip has been around for millions of years, though. Even if he doesn't usually take the form we saw him in when Eggman broke the planet apart, that necklace has probably been around as long as he has. And since Light Gaia represents positive traits…"

Tails hummed to himself and looked back at the picture, "Is there a connection? Have the Elements of Harmony existed for longer than a thousand years? Is there more to Chip's necklace than we know about?"

Sonic said, "Well, it'll be a while before you can get all your questions answered, Tails. But we both know somebody who can answer some of them and help you come up with theories now. Plus I'm sure he'd like to hear about what's been going on with us lately."

Tails smiled, "Professor Pickle! That's a great idea, Sonic!" He stood up from his chair, "Last time I talked to him, he said he was leaving Shamar and going back to Spagonia. I'm sure he's back at Spagonia University now."

Sonic spoke, "Really? Well, let's go pay him a visit, then."

Tails nodded, "Okay! I left the Tornado-1 at my workshop in Central City. Let's give it some time up in the air and fly to Spagonia together." Sonic nodded and they both left the lab, Tails locking the door behind him as they stepped outside. They both then sped through Emerald Town, turning right after they passed Tails' house and heading into Central City.

A short while later, Tails sat in the Tornado-1's pilot seat while Sonic stood behind him on the platform on the plane's tail. Tails guided the plane onto the start of the runway next to his workshop, stopping for a moment once it was pointed straight towards the other end of the runway. He then looked behind him and up at Sonic and asked, "All ready to go, Sonic?"

Sonic held his right thumb up, "You bet. Let's go, bro!" Tails smiled and raised his right hand up, closing it into a fist and bumping it against Sonic's. He then faced forward, placing both hands on the sides of his Miles Electronic while Sonic held onto the handles in front of him with both hands. The fox then set the plane moving again, the plane accelerating as it started down the runway.

As the Tornado-1 got closer to the end of the runway, Tails pulled back, causing the bi-plane to begin lifting off the ground. It was soon off the ground completely and heading straight up, climbing up over the low-lying buildings past the end of the runway and clearing the wire fence at the end. With the takeoff successful, Tails plotted a course for Spagonia, the Tornado-1 and its occupants flying off into the clear blue skies.

---

Princess Celestia was lying down on her mat in front of the fireplace in her private chamber, a quill under the influence of her magic gliding across the scroll in front of her when she heard a knock at her door. Pausing for a moment, she turned slightly on her mat so she could turn her head easier and called, "Come in."

The doors opened inward and a familiar dark blue alicorn stepped through them, the sight of her bringing a smile to Celestia's face. "Good afternoon, sister. I hope I am not interrupting anything?" Luna wondered.

Celestia replied, "Not at all, Luna. My meetings this morning turned out to be shorter than expected and I was able to finish looking over the new petitions that were brought in yesterday and decide on them, so I decided to take a little break until my scheduled afternoon appointments start." As she spoke, she held her quill up so Luna could see.

The blue alicorn eyed the quill and craned her neck to try to see what her sister had been doing. She caught a glimpse of the scroll sitting on the mat before Celestia moved slightly, blocking her view. Looking back at her sister, she asked, "Are you planning to put in a new stained glass window, Celestia?"

The white alicorn's eyes shifted down in the direction of the scroll before looking back at her little sister and replying, "Possibly." She turned her head to look down at it, regarding her work. Her sketch depicted what the finality of Eggman and Discord's plot might look like in stained glass form. At the bottom stood everyone who had been present at the final battle; above them, the Bearers of Harmony were enclosed by a large version of Chip's necklace, which had Super Sonic floating in front of the necklace's jewel. The Bearers were shooting the power of their Elements up at the jewel, all of them coalescing and exiting the jewel as a rainbow that was fired up at the Time Eater, Dr. Eggman, and Discord.

After looking at it for a moment, Celestia used her magic to roll up the scroll and placed her quill back in its pot before turning back to Luna and asking, "So what can I do for you, Luna?"

The younger alicorn replied, "I was wondering if you were hungry yet, Celestia. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor arrived at the castle a few minutes ago for the royal luncheon. I told them I would get you and asked an orange pegasus guard to lead them to the Royal Dining Hall."

Celestia chuckled, "Ah yes, the luncheon. I almost forgot that was today." She stood up and walked over to her desk, picking up a scroll and tucking it under her right wing. She then walked over to Luna, "It feels like it's been a long time since I last saw them. Let's not keep them waiting any longer." Luna turned and exited the chamber, Celestia following her and using her magic to pull the doors closed behind her. The guards standing at the sides of the entrance stood at attention until the two sisters left their sight, at which point they relaxed slightly.

After a short walk, the sisters arrived at the door to the Royal Dining Hall, a unicorn guard saluting and using his magic to open the door for them. They stepped inside and found Princess Cadance and Shining Armor sitting together to their left. The royal couple stood up when the two alicorns entered, Cadance happily saying, "Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna! It's so good to see you again!"

As she and Celestia walked to the other side of the table, Luna said, "Celestia and I are in agreement, Cadance. It has only been two weeks, yet it feels as though it has been much longer than that."

Shining replied, "We were actually thinking the same thing just now, Princess Luna."

Celestia chuckled as she and Luna sat down together, "I see great minds think alike." Soon afterwards, the castle chef and an assortment of servants entered the room, the servants pushing carts that had covered dishes on them. It didn't take long for the servants to serve the princesses and Shining Armor and, once the meal started, both sides launched into conversation about recent affairs in both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire.

When the four ponies got to the end of their meal, Princess Cadance asked, "So Aunt Celestia… have you heard anything from the Equestria Games Committee?"

Celestia nodded, "Indeed I have, Cadance." Using her magic, she pulled the scroll out from under her wing and levitated it over to the pink alicorn while saying, "This arrived just the other day. I believe it will explain things better than I'll be able to."

Cadance took the scroll in her magic and unfurled it once it was in front of her. She read it to herself quietly, Shining trying to read it over her shoulder. He didn't get far before Cadance exclaimed, "YES!" She spun around in her seat and hugged Shining tightly, "The Committee approved it! They're going to send their inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, out to the Crystal Empire!"

Shining wheezed, "That's great, Cadance… Um, could you let go now…?" Cadance blushed and quickly released her grip on the stallion, smiling sheepishly at him and chuckling a bit. After Shining caught his breath, he gave a chuckle of his own before saying, "I'm excited too, Cadance, and I know the crystal ponies are going to be excited when they hear this, but we still need to be ready for the inspector's arrival. Are we going to have enough time to prepare?"

Cadance reassured him, "We'll have plenty of time, Shiny. Just look at the date!" She turned the letter towards him and let him take it in his own magic while she said, "This will be great! It'll be the perfect excuse for a spa visit, and I can even get my hair done up the traditional Crystal Empire way! We'll be sure to give the inspector a personal tour of the Crystal Empire and give her plenty of reason for it to host this year's Equestria Games together!"

Shining lowered the letter and looked up at Cadance, "Actually, Cadance… I don't know if I'll be available to greet her." Cadance looked confused, so he explained, "We just finished finalizing the training schedule for the Games, and on that day, I'm going to be coaching for the Track and Field events. I don't know how much free time I'm going to have that day, and if you're going to get your hair done up nice and it takes longer than expected, I'm not sure either of us will be available to greet this Ms. Harshwhinny."

Cadance held a hoof to her chin, "Oh… I hadn't thought about that. What'll we do if that does happen?"

Luna cleared her throat, causing both Shining Armor and Cadance to turn and look at her. The Lunar Princess then said, "If I might make a suggestion, perhaps you could invite Twilight Sparkle and her friends to come to the Crystal Empire on that day. If something should come up, perhaps they can help you, whether it involves meeting with this Ms. Harshwhinny or helping to sway her approval in the Crystal Empire's favor."

Cadance smiled, "Aunt Luna, that's a wonderful idea! I don't like the idea of inviting Twilight and her friends to the Crystal Empire without a good reason, and this would definitely be a good reason! It'll even give me a chance to try something with Twilight!"

Shining looked at her in confusion, "Try what?"

Cadance winked at him, "Don't worry, Shiny. During his birthday party, Sonic mentioned he noticed something about Twilight to me. I thought about what he said and I think I might be able to help Twilight deal with some of her anxiety." Shining nodded, though he was still a little confused. Cadance then thought out loud, "Oh, it's too bad Sonic and his friends aren't here. They could probably help greet the inspector too, and knowing them, they'd like to compete in the Equestria Games too."

A sly smile grew on Celestia's face and she said, "Actually, it's probably better that they aren't here for this." When everypony looked at her, she explained, "If I remember correctly, Ms. Harshwhinny is a bit of a stickler and something of a perfectionist. She might not like seeing animals running around the Crystal Empire, especially if she hasn't heard of them yet. In fact, even the sight of a dragon scale might upset her enough to make her immediately rule out the Crystal Empire as a host for the Games."

Shining raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure, Princess Celestia? That seems a bit… well, harsh for an inspector."

Celestia shrugged, "Well, that's only what I've heard, Shining Armor. I've been at the Equestria Games in the past, and everypony I've talked to has told me she's rather strict. That's apparently the reputation she's made for herself."

Cadance tapped her chin with her hoof, "Hmm… This might require a little bit of research. In any case, I should write a letter to Twilight and her friends to let them know about this." She stood up and said, "Please excuse me, aunts, but I should probably take care of this now while I'm thinking about it."

Celestia replied, "Of course, Cadance. I've made sure to tell the maids to keep your old private keep clean in case you ever visited for an extended period of time. It should look exactly the way you remember it, so take care of what you need to while you're here. This is still your home, and you are more than welcome in it."

Cadance nodded, "Thank you, Auntie Celestia!"

Shining stood up, "I'll go with you, Cadance. There are a couple ponies I'd like to see while we're here anyway."

Celestia and Luna stood up as well and followed the couple to the door. The two ponies stood outside the doors while the sisters stood in the doorway, Celestia reminding them, "The next train to the Crystal Empire won't be leaving until later this afternoon, so be sure to enjoy your time here in Canterlot, both of you. We'll be sure to come find you when it's closer to that time if you've both been gone for a while." Both Shining Armor and Cadance thanked her and they both walked away, heading to the right down the castle hallway.

Once the couple was out of sight, Luna looked up at Celestia and asked, "Why did you say that, Celestia?"

The white alicorn glanced down at her in confusion, "What do you mean, Luna?"

Luna answered, "You didn't have to refer to Sonic and his friends simply as 'animals'. And what was that comment about dragon scales for? Were you implying that this Ms. Harshwhinny does not like dragons?"

Celestia turned to walk away, but motioned for Luna to follow her, the blue alicorn walking alongside her as they walked to the left down the hallway. "Luna, I do not think of Sonic, Tails, or any of their friends as mere animals, but anypony that doesn't live in Ponyville and possibly the Crystal Empire might. And I was merely giving Cadance a possible example of how strict Ms. Harshwhinny is said to be. She's a new inspector; all I know about her is what I've heard other ponies say."

Luna said, "Surely she'd make an exception for the hero of the Crystal Empire. Need I remind you that Twilight said that Spike delivered the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance?"

Celestia replied, "First of all, it was more of a group victory between Spike, Twilight, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and the crystal ponies. Twilight found the Crystal Heart, Spike took it with him, Cadance and Shining Armor worked together to get it in place, and the crystal ponies gave it its power. Second, I highly doubt my niece would not invite Spike, but ultimately, it is her decision."

Luna released a miniscule sigh as she looked forward. She then spoke, "Sister… it has been two weeks. Surely you have not forgotten what that Dr. Eggman said to you already?"

Celestia tensed up slightly, but calmly replied, "I have not."

Luna asked, "So why do you continue to play these games? I admit to playing games with ponies myself, but you said you would do your best not to 'troll' everypony so much, especially Twilight Sparkle. When are you going to start doing that? When are you going to stop referring to Twilight as your most faithful student? She may still be growing, but she's made a home for herself in Ponyville. Surely she's not much of a student anymore, and I already expressed my misgivings on referring to her mission to help the Crystal Empire as a 'test' to you."

By this time, they had reached the doors leading to Celestia's chamber. As she stepped in front of the doors, Celestia turned her head to look back at Luna and said, "Luna, you can be quite the worrywart yourself. Twilight still has some work to do, but soon she truly won't be a student. As a matter of fact, I have something I need to do to help speed that along."

Luna cocked her head, "What are you planning?"

Celestia winked, "That's my secret, little sister." Luna gave her an exasperated look, but Celestia simply turned her head and used her magic to open the doors to her chamber.

Before she could pass through the doors, Luna, deciding she wasn't going to be one-upped so easily, spoke, "Very well then, Celestia. You go do whatever you're planning to do, and I'll do what I'm planning to do." She turned and started walking away as she finished, "And unlike your 'soon' for Twilight Sparkle, my plans will be coming to fruition tonight."

Celestia stopped at that and turned her head to look back at Luna. "Tonight…? What are you going to do, Luna?"

The blue alicorn stopped and looked back over her shoulder. She then winked, "That's my secret, big sister." Celestia pouted and stuck her tongue out at Luna, causing the younger alicorn to giggle as she continued on her way. Celestia watched her for a moment before shaking her head and going into her chamber, closing the doors behind her.

Inside, Celestia walked over to her desk, upon which sat a black book that had two stars swirling around on its cover. Celestia looked down at it for a moment before picking it up with her magic and holding it in front of her. "Star Swirl the Bearded's spell book…" She levitated up a small, light brown parcel and a piece of parchment with writing on it, sliding both the book and the paper inside. She then sealed the flap with a red sticker and placed the address for the Golden Oak Library on the package. It was all set to be mailed out.

She set the package down on her desk and looked at it. "If anypony can finish Star Swirl the Bearded's unfinished spell, it's you, Twilight. But first…" She turned her attention away from the package and walked over to her bookcase. Using her magic, she pulled out a book with a brown cover that she had been reading extensively and opened it to the correct page. "First we must see if what Sonic thinks can come true. We must find out if Discord can be reformed or not."

She sighed softly to herself, "But I can't give this task to Twilight. I don't know what Discord did to her and Sonic, and hopefully I'll never have to know, but I don't think she will be a good choice to be in charge of him. Whatever happened will surely still be heavy on her mind, which I cannot blame her for. Perhaps one of her friends would be a better choice. Perhaps Fluttershy can do it?" She nodded to herself, "Yes, perhaps she will be willing enough to give him another chance. Perhaps the Element of Kindness can get through to him. Either way, whether this works out or not, with this spell, the Elements will be safe from his magic, and they'll be in Twilight's possession." Her eyes shifted back to the parcel on her desk,"And then, after that is done… perhaps I will be able to spend more time with Twilight, try to make up for lost time."

She turned and, while still carrying the book with her magic, headed for the chamber doors. As she passed by her mat, she sensed something and came to a stop. It felt like a strange burst of magic, similar to the one she sensed around the time the Time Eater was sent to Equestria, but much more faint. She turned her head to look at the scroll sitting on the mat, eying it for a moment before continuing on her way. "Stranger things have happened, I suppose," she thought to herself as she left her private chamber.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville

The bell at the Ponyville Schoolhouse rang, signaling the end of another school day for Ponyville's little ponies. Normally, there would be ponies that left right after the bell while others were slower getting out for any number of reasons, but that was not the case today. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo found themselves flanked behind and on their sides by most of their classmates as they left the schoolhouse, though they did ease off slightly as the three fillies stepped out through the door and walked down the front steps and onto the cobblestone road.

Almost as soon as they reached the ground, however, the ponies swarmed around them like they had just gotten their cutie marks, Snips crying, "Aw, come on! We want to see it!"

Snails nodded, "Come on, just one little look, eh?"

Sweetie Belle tapped her chin with a hoof thoughtfully, "Um, I don't know…"

Twist stepped closer to Apple Bloom and asked, "Pleathe, Apple Bloom? I thowed you my cutie mark when I got it, and you had no problem thowing uth your cutie pox cutie markth. Why can't you thow uth your picture?"

Apple Bloom replied, "Twist, just 'cause we said 'no' earlier doesn't mean we ain't gonna show it ta y'all."

Snips whined, "Then why won't you show us NOW?!" His question caused all the ponies to start clamoring, all of them wanting to see the picture in Apple Bloom's saddlebags.

Scootaloo finally said, "All right, calm down, everypony! We'll show you the picture!" The other ponies cheered while the orange pegasus filly walked over to Apple Bloom and dug her head inside her left saddlebag. She then pulled her head out, her mouth gently closed around the top of a photograph. The ponies all gathered around to get a good look at it.

The picture showed Sonic, Tails, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders together, Sonic and Tails standing up beside each other while the Crusaders hung on both of them. Apple Bloom was seated in the crook of Sonic's left arm with an open mouthed smile, the hedgehog's right thumb pointing up, while Babs was perched on his right shoulder, giving a sideways glance at the camera with a smile. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were perched on Tails' left and right shoulders respectively, the fox holding his left hand up slightly to wave at the camera while Sweetie Belle was smiling with her mouth open and Scootaloo's smile showed some of her teeth.

After looking at the picture for a couple of seconds, Snails asked, "Uh, which one is who again?"

Apple Bloom spoke first, "The blue hedgehog on the left is Sonic!"

Sweetie Belle nodded, "And the two-tailed fox on the right is Tails!"

Snails said, "Ah~. So you three were with them the whole time?"

Scootaloo slid the picture back into Apple Bloom's saddlebag and answered, "Well, not the whole time, but yeah, we tagged along for some of that adventure."

Snips asked, "What were they like? Were they cool?!"

Scootaloo replied, "Yeah, like ice cold!"

Pipsqueak asked, "Were they really friends with Princess Luna?"

Apple Bloom nodded, "Absolutely!"

Featherweight asked, "Did either of them fly?"

Sweetie Belle smiled, "They both flew all over the place!"

Rumble asked, "Was Tails Sonic's best friend?"

Apple Bloom replied, "He was like his little brother!"

Twist asked, "Were Sonic's spikes sharp?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, "I was waiting for him to get stuck in something!"

Shady Daze said, "They sound like big stars! Did they shine like stars?"

Scootaloo grinned, "You could just about go blind looking at them!"

The Crusaders' classmates started chattering excitedly amongst themselves at these answers, the general consensus being that Sonic and Tails were amazing. Unfortunately, the excitement was interrupted by Diamond Tiara's voice, "Are you serious?" Everypony turned to see the two rich ponies standing at the top of the steps.

"All of you actually think a blue hedgehog and a two-tailed fox are great? Please!" Silver Spoon said, though given the way she glanced over at Diamond Tiara after she was finished speaking, one had to wonder if she was simply saying what her fellow earth pony wanted to hear.

"What's the big deal about them? They sure didn't seem all that amazing to me! What did they actually do that you're all gawking over?" Diamond Tiara snidely asked.

Scootaloo spoke up, "They're heroes, Diamond Tiara, and they saved all of Equestria along with their own world! You're just mad because Sonic made sure your dad finally gave you what you deserve!" Most of the other ponies nodded at this.

Diamond Tiara glared, "Well, yeah! I'm still in trouble with my dad thanks to that blue tattletale! My dad would have listened to me if he hadn't been such a… such a cheater!"

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow, "Cheater? That's the best you can come up with?"

Apple Bloom added, "And how did he cheat anyway, Diamond Tiara? By not bein' a bully like you and showin' yer dad proof that ya are? 'Sides, ya had no right ta say what ya did about Trixie, 'specially after she helped protect Ponyville from them dark creatures!"

Diamond Tiara retorted, "So? She could still be a fraud! She always liked to talk big; I wouldn't be surprised if she's making plans to mess with some other town right now!"

Apple Bloom replied, "Yeah, well, you don't know that! You have no idea what she's like now, so why don't ya quit bein' rude fer a change!"

Scootaloo smirked, "Yeah! Isn't that what got you in trouble with your dad in the first place?" A few giggles rose up at that.

Diamond Tiara glared angrily at the Cutie Mark Crusaders, getting ready to say something. Before she could, however, Cheerilee stepped out of the schoolhouse and stopped just behind the magenta filly and Silver Spoon. She looked at her students, "Oh my! Is there something going on out here?"

Her class, except for Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, answered all together, "No, Miss Cheerilee!"

The schoolteacher replied, "Oh. I heard shouting and thought there was something wrong." She was silent for a moment before she said, "Well, if anypony has anything else that they want to ask me about, I'll be here for a little longer. Otherwise, I'll see you all on Monday!" The ponies all nodded, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Pipsqueak, Featherweight, and Rumble turning and walking away from the schoolhouse afterwards while Twist, Shady Daze, Snips, and Snails decided to stay a little longer, all of them having thought of something to ask Cheerilee.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon decided there was no point in hanging around and started walking after the leaving ponies, their eyes focused on Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. As they got close to the end of the fences, however, the two rich ponies spotted Filthy Rich waiting along the side of the fence on their right. The business pony greeted their classmates, who returned the greeting, and then quickly intercepted his daughter, Silver Spoon slinking away to stand off to the side.

While Filthy Rich was talking to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon listened in, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom said goodbye to Featherweight, Pipsqueak, and Rumble, the three colts heading for home while the Crusaders turned and walked the other way. As they walked, Sweetie Belle asked, "Hey, what do you guys think Sonic and his friends are up to now?"

Apple Bloom shrugged, "Who knows? They're probably all back to doin' whatever they normally do and are havin' fun." She smiled, "And we're gonna have fun at Pinkie Pie's party later, right?" Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded at her.

Scootaloo asked, "Hey Apple Bloom, can I have that picture?"

The olive filly replied, "Sure Scootaloo, what for?"

The orange pegasus answered, "I just want to take it to the clubhouse and put it somewhere safe. Sonic and Tails agreed to have their picture taken with us for our club scrapbook and I don't want anything to happen to it."

Apple Bloom nodded, "Okay." She turned her head and dug into her left saddlebag, soon pulling out the picture. She then walked over to Scootaloo and stuffed into her right saddlebag. She then stepped back and said, "Ah gotta go help Applejack with some work on the farm, so Ah'll see y'all later at Pinkie's party, okay?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded and the three fillies went their separate ways for the time being.

Soon, at Fluttershy's cottage

Fluttershy stepped out of the front door of her cottage, the strap for a pair of saddlebags in her mouth and the saddlebags dangling as she walked over to Zecora, the zebra standing a short distance from the front door with her head turned to the left to look at the shy pegasus. As Fluttershy got closer, Zecora bent down and allowed her to place her saddlebags on her back. Once they were securely in place, Fluttershy stepped back and said, "There you are, Zecora. I hope those are all of the herbs you were looking for."

Zecora stood up and turned her head to look at the pegasus again. "Do not worry, oh shy friend of mine. I am sure what you have gathered will do just fine. This mix will not take long to blend. I will see you at Pinkie Pie's party later, my good friend," the zebra replied before turning and starting to walk away from Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy waved to her as she headed back into the Everfree Forest.

After the zebra left her sight, Fluttershy turned to go back into her cottage, only to stop when she heard a familiar voice calling to her, "Hey, Fluttershy!" The shy pegasus turned and looked up to see Derpy descending towards her, a familiar mailbag dangling from her shoulder.

Once the gray pegasus was closer, Fluttershy smiled, "Oh, hello there, Derpy. You're early today."

The mailmare replied, "I know! I wanted to get a head start on my deliveries for the day." She reached her muzzle into her mailbag and came back out with a few envelopes in her mouth, which she gave to Fluttershy. She then said, "I'll see you later, Fluttershy! I've just got a few more stops I need to make before my boss will let me go for today!" Fluttershy nodded and waved to Derpy as she turned and flew away, the wall-eyed pegasus waving back and narrowly avoiding crashing into a tree. Afterwards, Fluttershy walked into her cottage and closed the door behind her.

A short while later, after feeding her animals and sorting through her mail with Angel Bunny's help (she may have already won ten million bits, apparently), Fluttershy stepped out of her cottage and pulled the door closed. She then spread her wings and, after taking a moment to breathe in the air, flapped them and took to the air. She flew at a gentle pace as she enjoyed the nice weather, not really in a hurry to get to her destination.

Despite her relaxed speed, she soon arrived at her intended destination: Rainbow Dash's cloud home. As it came into view, so too did the house's owner, the cyan pegasus flying over, under, and around her home, though not as fast as she usually did. As Fluttershy got closer, she noticed Rainbow Dash was holding Scootaloo up in her left hoof, the orange filly's body pointing out in a flying stance as Rainbow Dash carried her through the air. Fluttershy smiled at this and flew over to the cloud home, landing on the edge of the cloud as Rainbow Dash flew around her house again.

As Rainbow Dash flew back around, Scootaloo spotted Fluttershy standing on the cloud and called, "Hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow turned her head at that and looked down to see her shy friend waving up at her and Scootaloo.

Rainbow slowed down and turned around, landing on the cloud by Fluttershy and setting Scootaloo down. She then said, "Hey Fluttershy. What's up?"

Fluttershy replied, "Oh, um, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, Rainbow Dash. It's just that Pinkie Pie's party will be starting soon and I was wondering if you were ready to go."

Rainbow smiled, "Oh yeah, I'm ready to go. I just wanted to give Scootaloo a quick lesson before we headed over to Sugarcube Corner, that's all." She looked down at the orange filly and asked, "You feel like riding on my back, Scoots?"

Scootaloo smiled widely, "Of course I do, Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash bent down at that and the orange filly clambered up onto her back, quickly getting comfortable and making sure she had a good grip.

Rainbow Dash then turned to Fluttershy and asked, "See? We're ready to go. How about you, Fluttershy? You ready to go?" The pink-maned pegasus nodded and they both spread their wings, taking off and flying in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

Meanwhile, at Carousel Boutique

"Rarity, are you almost done?! We have to get going soon!" Sweetie Belle called up the stairs to her sister. The younger unicorn was beginning to trot impatiently in place, ready to go.

Up in her room, Rarity was putting the finishing touches on an order, looking down at her creation through her orange glasses as her hooves guided it on her sewing machine. After a couple of seconds, the machine stopped and Rarity used her magic to pick up the dark violet dress, taking it off the machine and holding it up to examine it carefully. After a moment, she responded to her sister, "I'm finished, Sweetie Belle~! I'll be down in a moment!" She used her magic to remove her glasses, placing them atop her table, and levitated the dress over to one of her ponnequins, putting the dress on it for the time being.

She then began to use her magic to pick up the thread and material she had lying around that had been used to fill this order. As she placed the last roll of material back where it belonged, her eyes caught sight of a drawing she'd set on the edge of her sewing table. It depicted Rarity's idea for her first pony kimono; no doubt she planned to base it off the one Hualin had shown her. "I still have to order the proper material to make it perfect. Even if it is my first one, there's no reason why I shouldn't make it as good as possible!" she thought to herself. She held a hoof to her chin in thought, "Where did Twilight say I would most likely be able to get the material from? Hoofkaido…? I'll have to ask her again later."

Her thoughts were interrupted when Sweetie Belle called, "Rarity, I thought you said you were done!"

Shaking her head, Rarity called back, "I am, Sweetie Belle! I'm coming!" She started towards her door, using her magic to open it as she reached it. She then closed it behind her as she continued on, wanting to get downstairs before Sweetie Belle called her again. Once she was down in the showroom, the two sisters made their way to the front door. Halfway to the door, Rarity stopped and looked at one of her clothing racks.

Dangling from one of the hangers was a dark blue racing suit with white gloves and a pair of red and white boots attached to it, a pair of light green sunglasses wrapped around the hanger. Behind it was an orange racing suit with white stripes on the sides. The legs appeared to be shorter, as the orange and white boots were dangling below where the legs ended, though the orange and yellow gloves were attached to the arms. She'd managed to get those suits and the suits she had designed for her pony friends (which were upstairs) back from the Friendship Express, but hadn't found a place for those two suits yet due to all the incoming orders. Rarity shook her head and trotted after her sister. She'd worry about finding a place for them tomorrow.

Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres

"Aw, come on, Big Macintosh! Applejack and Ah want ya to come with!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Eenope," was the red stallion's reply.

Applejack trotted over, "Come on, Big Mac, don't be like that. You've done a lotta good work this week, but that's all ya been doin': work! Just come on with us to Pinkie's party and unwind fer a bit. It'll do ya some good."

Big Macintosh said, "Parties aren't mah thing, Applejack. Ah mean, yeah, Ah attended Sonic's birthday party, but…"

Applejack cut him off, "But nothin'! Granny Smith said we could go ta the party as long as we finished up all o' our chores, and we did! She's takin' her afternoon nap, and Winona will keep an eye on her while we're gone!" She got up in his face as she continued, "And don't ya start givin' me that nonsense about gettin' started early on tomorrow's chores! It ain't gonna feel right leavin' ya here while we're partyin', so you're goin'! Got it?"

Big Macintosh stared at her carefully for a few moments before relenting, "E-Eeyup."

Applejack nodded, "Alrighty then. Trust me; this'll be good fer ya." With that, she turned and started making her way towards town with Apple Bloom trotting eagerly at her right side. Big Macintosh stayed where he was for a moment before walking after them.

Meanwhile, at the Golden Oak Library

"Twilight, are you just about ready?! We have to get going!" Spike called up the stairs to his and Twilight's personal area.

The lavender unicorn was standing in front of her mirror, checking herself to make sure reading out on the balcony hadn't messed with her natural look. "I'll be right down, Spike!" she soon called back, assured that she looked okay.

Before heading down, she walked over to the nightstand beside her bed and opened the drawer, peering inside. Inside sat three things: the drained Warp Ring Tails had given her and two pictures, one being her copy of the party group shot and the other a picture of her, Sonic, Shining Armor, Cadance, and Spike together. She'd been a bit busy recently, so they'd been sitting there for the last two weeks to avoid collecting dust. She hadn't even started looking over the Warp Ring yet, especially during this last week. As she shut the drawer and walked around her bed, a small smile graced her lips at that thought. Walking down the stairs leading to the bed area, she looked over at the library's fireplace, where the source of some of her recent busyness and her lack of photo frames sat.

Around and above the fireplace were various pictures of Spike and his pet, or rather former pet, phoenix Peewee. There was a picture of Spike with Peewee's egg and a picture of Spike with Peewee just after he hatched. Nearby were two more pictures, one of Spike trying to feed ice cream to Peewee, the phoenix apparently not liking the taste, and the other was the outcome of that: a picture of Twilight with a food bowl of ice cream on her head, Peewee sitting on her tail and Spike sitting on the floor nearby. She hadn't exactly been happy when that happened (Pinkie probably would've been), but she and Spike had talked afterwards and worked it out.

Twilight then directed her attention to the photo sitting above the fireplace, the newest addition to their 'photo album'. It showed Spike, Peewee, and the baby phoenix's parents, Peewee and his parents sitting in a nest in a tree. Following their adventure with Sonic and his friends, Spike had begun to feel that Peewee deserved to be with his family (and no, it had NOTHING to do with the aforementioned ice cream incident). He eventually came to Twilight about the matter and she agreed to help him find Peewee's parents. It had taken nearly a week of research and going back to the forest near where Spike had joined the Great Dragon Migration to investigate, but they managed to track down the phoenix's parents and return him. Twilight had taken the picture of Spike and Peewee's last moments together to record the memory and serve as a reminder of Spike's natural growth. "When he grows up, he's going to do great things. I'm sure he'll make a wonderful leader someday," Twilight smiled to herself as she headed down into the library area.

Spike smiled as he saw Twilight coming down the stairs. "There you are! Ready to go?" he asked.

Twilight nodded, "Yep. Let's go, Spike." Spike already had the front door open as she finished speaking, Twilight quickly trotting towards it so she wouldn't keep him waiting. As soon as she was outside, Spike shut the door and made sure it was secure before moving to Twilight's left side and walking alongside her as they headed into Ponyville.

As the duo walked through the streets of Ponyville and made small talk, Twilight thought back on the last two weeks. Spitfire and Soarin had left shortly after everypony returned to Equestria, Spitfire mentioning something about captain duties before the two pegasi left. She wondered if it had anything to do with Lightning Dust showing up and racing the group along with the Babylon Rogues. Spitfire and Soarin had gotten a hold of her afterwards and escorted her back to Ponyville after the Rogues had left. It hadn't sounded like Dash's former teammate was in trouble, but Twilight didn't know that for sure.

Gilda had left almost immediately after everypony was through the portal. Twilight could only guess at her reasoning for leaving so quickly, especially considering the way she acted after Shadow's… outburst. Trixie, however, stayed with all the ponies returning to Ponyville, which wasn't a surprise considering she'd been hanging around Ponyville after the Alicorn Amulet incident to work on her magic. When Twilight and Spike ran into her a few days ago while taking care of the grocery shopping, she mentioned she was working on a new type of traveling magic show. She didn't reveal anything about it, though, and she hadn't been seen since, presumably because she was working on this new show of hers. Twilight wondered if Trixie really was going to start traveling again. Even though the azure unicorn had her fun at some of Ponyville's parties, if traveling was what made her happy and she felt ready to appear on stage again, then that was what was best for her, Twilight reasoned.

At a nudge from Spike, Twilight looked up to see that they were approaching Sugarcube Corner. Looking off to the side, she noticed Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh were approaching the bakery from the other side. "Hey Twilight, hey Spike!" Apple Bloom called eagerly as the two parties approached each other. Spike and Twilight called back to her in kind.

Once the two groups reached each other, Applejack said, "Howdy, y'all!" She, Apple Bloom, Twilight, and Spike looked up at Big Macintosh, the red stallion offering a quiet nod to the unicorn and baby dragon. Applejack then turned back to Twilight and asked, "Right on time, huh Twi'?"

The lavender unicorn nodded, "Uh-huh. I tried to limit how much I read before this party so Spike wouldn't have to call me so much. Especially after this last week…"

Applejack looked at her a little sadly, "Oh, that's right. Ah heard about that…" She looked down at Spike, "Ya feelin' all right, Spike?"

The baby dragon looked at her oddly for a moment before replying, "Of course I feel all right! Why wouldn't I? It's a beautiful day, Pinkie Pie's having a party, and Twilight didn't need to make a schedule for today! Today is perfect!" He smiled happily until he noticed the way everypony was looking at him. He drooped a bit as he said, "Okay, so I've kind of been thinking about Peewee these last few days and how I gave him up. Even if it wasn't for long, I kind of got attached to him, and I miss him." He then straightened up, trying to save his manliness, "Only a little bit, though!"

Applejack smiled knowingly, "That's all right, Spike. Ah get what you're sayin'. Even if it was just by accident that he ended up in yer care, ya still really cared about Peewee and took care of him, probably just like you were taken care of. Then ya did what ya thought was right; ain't nothin' ta be ashamed of."

Spike twiddled his fingers together as he looked down at the ground for a moment, then he looked up at Twilight as she spoke, "Applejack's right, Spike. I know it must hurt deep down still, but you meant it when you told me you wanted to return Peewee to his family, didn't you? Nopony was forcing you to say that or anything, right?" Spike nodded, so Twilight said, "Then there's nothing wrong with it. It hurts, just like when we had to leave Sonic and everyone else, but it'll be okay." Spike couldn't take it anymore and he turned to her, wrapping his arms around her right foreleg and hugging her in quiet thanks. She simply placed her left hoof on his back while the Apples just watched.

After a minute, Spike let go and stepped back, appearing to be back to his normal self. Applejack was the first to break the silence, "Come on, y'all. If everything's okay now, we still got a Pinkie Pie party ta go to." Twilight and Spike nodded at her and she turned and walked towards Sugarcube Corner's front door, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh following behind her while Spike and Twilight followed behind them.

Almost as soon as they all stepped through the door, the baby dragon and the four ponies found themselves wrapped up in a tight hug by a pink blur. After what felt like a minute of being in the bone-crushing hug, Pinkie released her grip on everyone and bounced backward with a big grin on her face. "Applejack, Twilight, Spikey, Apple Bloom! I'm so glad you all made it! And you got Big Macintosh to come too, Applejack! Now everypony's here!" She then turned and bounced away into the kitchen, possibly the only spot that she hadn't put her usual decorations up. As they watched her bounce away, the five new arrivals saw that the pink pony was correct. Everyone else Pinkie had invited was already there. Big Macintosh smiled sheepishly down at Applejack, the orange mare pushing him in the direction of the snack table while Apple Bloom went to join her friends. Spike, meanwhile, went to join Big Mac and Applejack while Twilight walked over to Zecora and Derpy.

Soon…

"Oh my. That certainly was a big order you were given, Rarity. And so many different designs too. It almost sounds like an order for a fashion show, doesn't it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hm, yes, I suppose that's one way to look at it, Fluttershy, but it was really no trouble at all. After all the orders I've worked on in the past, I've gotten used to having a lot of work to do and still getting it all done on time," Rarity replied, flicking her mane to the side as she spoke. She then looked at her shy friend and said, "But enough about that. How are you doing with your artistic creations?"

Fluttershy's face turned a bit red, "Oh, um… I've been a little busy taking care of my animals. I haven't had much time to work on anything."

As they continued talking, nearby, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were chatting with each other. "Wouldn't it be awesome if they decided to have this year's Equestria Games here in Ponyville, Applejack? I bet it'd make those Canterlot snobs think twice before making fun of our town!" Rainbow Dash said. Underneath a nearby table, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were listening while eating a plate of cupcakes, Scootaloo quietly agreeing with the cyan pegasus.

Applejack replied, "Yeah, it probably would, Rainbow, but it ain't gonna happen. Ponyville doesn't have any place fer the Games ta be held. Heck, when we had our Iron Pony Competition, we had ta quickly put everythin' together on Sweet Apple Acres. Ah don't think we could do that fer somethin' as big as the Equestria Games."

After about a minute, all conversation in Sugarcube Corner came to an abrupt stop at the sound of a loud bang! As all the party guests stood stock still (except for Fluttershy, who was now hiding under a table), something began to rain down on them. A closer inspection revealed it to be glitter (a LOT of glitter) and confetti. Everyone turned to look towards the kitchen and saw Pinkie's party cannon pointing up over the front counter and the pink earth pony pushing a large cake out of the kitchen. "Cake time, everypony~!" she said cheerfully as she wheeled the cake around the counter, stopping just past it.

"Not muffins? Aw… But cake is good too!" Derpy exclaimed as she flew over to the cake, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting in line behind her. Big Macintosh and Zecora remained where they were near the side while Pinkie bounced over to the other members of the Main Six.

"Stars alive, Pinkie! Yer party cannon ain't exactly quiet, but that has ta be the biggest bang it's ever made!" Applejack commented.

"That was so scary… Oh, I didn't really like that," Fluttershy murmured.

Pinkie walked over to her and wrapped a foreleg around her, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy! I didn't mean to scare you! I'm just so used to using this particular combination for my party cannon that it didn't occur to me to switch back around you!"

Twilight asked, "That's the combination Ponyacci suggested you use, right? Two parts glitter to one part confetti?" Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, well that's okay then, Pinkie. It's really not so bad if you were just doing what Ponyacci said," Fluttershy said.

"But I don't mean to deliberately scare any of my friends, especially at one of my parties!" Pinkie replied.

"Speaking of which, darling, what exactly is this party for? You always manage to come up with some reason to hold a party," Rarity spoke.

Pinkie replied, "Oh, I've got a reason all right, Rarity! It's been two weeks since Sonic's birthday party! That means it's been two weeks since we showed that silly Dr. Eggman and Discord how powerful friendship can be!"

Applejack's expression dropped slightly at that. "Come ta think of it, we ain't exactly talked about that since then." She looked at Twilight, "You been feelin' all right lately, Twilight?"

Twilight looked a bit surprised at that. "Sure, I've been feeling all right, Applejack. Why?"

Applejack rubbed her left foreleg with her right hoof as she said, "Well, uh… ya haven't been thinkin' about that whole thing Eggman and Discord did, have ya?"

Twilight cocked her head to the side, "No. Have you?"

Applejack replied, "Well, no, but…"

Rarity stepped up next to Twilight, "Darling, what Applejack is trying to say is you, well, fell apart in front of us. You were worried about something, but you didn't want to tell us because you were afraid you'd upset us. You were afraid to speak up." She glanced down at the floor, "Just like what happened to me when we were all having those nightmares…"

Twilight wrapped her left foreleg around the white unicorn's shoulders, "That was different, Rarity. The Nightmare Forces could've taken any of us if they wanted. The only reason I didn't tell any of you was because I thought I could handle it myself. It was a moment of weakness, and I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Fluttershy asked, "So… y-you're not mad, Twilight?"

The lavender unicorn replied, "I might have been upset at the time it all happened, but I was never mad at any of you. Like I said, I always figured it was completely my fault it all happened."

Rainbow laughed, "Give everypony else a little credit, Twilight! They mess up too, you know!"

Applejack glared at the pegasus, "So do you, Rainbow. Ya ain't got any room ta talk."

Before Rainbow could retort, Pinkie piped up, "That's what this party is all about! It's not just to remember Sonic! It's also so we can remember the lessons we learned while partying with him, especially the one about being faithful and trusting friends!" The six friends all came together for a group hug at that, all of them having smiles on their faces and sounding happy.

"AWWWW!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both exclaimed, touched by the display of friendship. Off to the side, both Big Macintosh and Zecora smiled silently while Derpy continued to debate where to start on the cake.

"EW!" Scootaloo groaned, being less welcome to such 'girly' displays as usual. Beside her, Spike was poking his right index finger into his mouth, seemingly sharing how she felt. A second later, everyone (except Derpy) turned to look at him as his cheeks puffed out and he began to look sick.

"Spike, really!" Rarity admonished while walking towards him while he clutched his stomach with both claws and bent over slightly. "Even without hearing it from Twilight, it's clear to me you've had an emotional time since you gave up your friend Peewee. You've surely been up at night thinking about it, but you can't behave like a proper gentleman now?"

*URRRRRRRRP!*

"Oh my!" Rarity cried as she ducked down, narrowly avoiding a plume of green flames that shot out of Spike's mouth so fast it knocked him back into Derpy, both of them landing on/in the side of the cake. Everypony else watched as the flames floated up close to the ceiling before swirling together and making a *POP* as they revealed what the dragon had transported.

When this sort of thing happened, it usually meant Celestia was sending some kind of letter to Twilight and the others. The only time Spike had belched up something that wasn't a letter was when Chrysalis had sent the crystal ball that served as the Main Six's map to the Changeling Kingdom. It was unknown just how much Spike's fire breath was able to transport, but it must've been a lot, seeing as the flames revealed a blue and orange cylindrical tube that fell straight to the floor once the magic in the flames released it.

"Wh-What is that?" Fluttershy asked worriedly as she peeked out from behind Pinkie's mane.

"A letter, maybe? From the Princess?" Twilight wondered.

"Ah don't know, Twilight. She doesn't usually put her letters in a tube or whatever that is," Applejack commented.

Spike lifted his head up and said, "Must be a different way of sending stuff too. It left kind of an electrical taste in my mouth. There's a sweet taste in my mouth too." He licked his right claw, noticing some frosting on it. "Oh wait, that's the cake." Next to him, Derpy murmured an agreement, her head buried in the side of the cake.

Twilight used her magic to pick up the tube and brought it over, holding it up as she turned it over and adjusted it a few times, examining it. "What is it, Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Twilight murmured, "Um… Ah!" She located the top of the tube and, while holding it up with her magic, raised her left hoof and moved it to the side, opening the lid. She then magically pulled out a scroll, seemingly the only thing inside the tube.

As Twilight opened and scanned the scroll, Rainbow said, "So it is a letter! But why'd Princess Celestia send it like that?" After a moment, Twilight gasped, prompting Rainbow to ask, "What, what's the matter, Twilight?"

The lavender unicorn looked up and said, "It's not from Princess Celestia! It's from Sonic and Tails!" That response definitely surprised everyone, gasps of surprise being heard before the girls, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Zecora, and Big Macintosh moved a little closer, Spike launched himself off the cake to get closer, and Derpy pulled her head out of the cake.

"Are you serious?! How can you tell?!" Rainbow asked.

Twilight replied, "Well, aside from what it says at the bottom, just look at the writing." She turned the scroll so her friends could have a better look at it.

Rarity looked at it carefully before saying, "You're right, Twilight. That doesn't look like the Princess' writing. I-I don't mean that it's terrible or anything of the sort, but…"

Rainbow interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, whatever! Forget about that!"

Pinkie bounced in place, "Read it! Read it!" Twilight nodded, clearing her throat and turning the scroll back towards her.

Dear Twilight Sparkle and friends,

How's it going, guys? It's been a while since we last saw you. For us, it's been two weeks since the birthday bash Pinkie put together, and we've been thinking about you every day. Hope it hasn't been too much longer for all of you.

Anyway, if you're reading this now, it means the new machine worked perfectly. Remember that whole thing about turning the Warp Ring into a portal that can travel across dimensions? Well, we want to see you all again too, so we're currently working on a portal of our own to travel to Equestria. This machine is still just a prototype, though, and it can only transport small objects around. It's only one-way too, so we won't know if it worked as planned or not, but once one or both sides are ready, we should be able to combine our research to make the perfect trans-dimensional portal.

Anyway, we're just writing to let you know everything's been fine on this end. We haven't seen Dr. Eggman since he ran off, but no doubt he's found yet another new base and he's now plotting some new world-conquering scheme. We might manage to coax him out soon, but no matter what, we'll be ready for him. As long as we all stick together, he's got no chance!

We hope things have managed to get back to normal in Equestria and Ponyville (or as normal as they can get). While Tails has spent most of these last two weeks working on his machine, the rest of us have been getting back to normal in addition to helping him when he asks for help. It's certainly been an interesting time for Sonic. First he got invited to an anniversary party and then, almost a week later, to a wedding! While he was there, he met the Best Man and got to know him better (he nearly crashed into Sonic once before that). There's a big racing competition coming up soon here and, after we told him about it after the wedding, he's been taking lessons from a princess. We're hoping he gets accepted so we can go racing with him.

Anyway, it'll probably be a while before we can see each other again, but once it's possible, we definitely will! Just don't miss us until then, okay? Even if we're not there, we're not really gone! If you ever miss us, just look at the Moon. Luna was right; it really does look the same in both our worlds. And don't forget the wind either. From the softest breeze to the strongest gale, memories are always carried on the wind. We'll always be part of the wind; hold onto that and the memories of our colorful adventure together. There are a lot of 'ordinary' things here to remind us of Equestria and everyone we met, so there's no way we'll ever forget any of you! So don't forget about us, okay?

Stay cool, everyone. We'd say that friendship is worth fighting for even if it isn't always easy… but that's not something any of you need to be reminded about! So always do your best to make its magic never-ending!

You inter-dimensional friends,

Sonic and Tails

P.S.: Even though we didn't get any input on this letter from the rest of our friends, we paid them all a visit and they all send their warmest regards. Be sure to let everypony else know we all wish them well too.

Nothing was said for several moments after Twilight was done reading, the letter still held in the grip of her magic. Apple Bloom was the first to speak, "Wow… they did all that work in two weeks so they could send us a letter…"

Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "That is so SWEET!"

Applejack nodded, "That's a real sign of friendship right there."

Twilight looked down at the letter as she said, "They've already managed to make a portal that can transport material objects one-way… I've got some catching up to do."

Zecora opened her mouth, Twilight looking up at her as she spoke, "They've had time to do work, Twilight, and you will find time as well. When it is all ready, we'll all have stories to tell."

Pinkie popped up right beside the lavender unicorn and wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders, "Zecora's right, Twilight! You'll totally be ready to work with Tails and make that perfect portal he mentioned!" She let go of Twilight and bounced over to her phonograph while saying, "But that can wait! Right now, we really gotta celebrate this delivery!" She picked up a record in her hooves, "And this new release by Vinyl Scratch will be the perfect way to start!" She removed the current record and put the new one on it, music starting to play as the party started up again.

Later that evening, at Canterlot Castle

Luna stepped out onto the balcony connected to her room, her eyes watching the sky turn dark as her sister's Sun sunk past the horizon. The Lunar Princess focused for a moment, her magic guiding the Moon up to take its place and revealing the stars in the night sky. She looked around at what Equestria looked like under the cover of her night for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. She then gazed towards the sky and thought, "It is time." Before she could begin with her plans, however, she heard a knock at her door and, after releasing a small sigh, turned towards it and called, "Yes? Who is it?"

A familiar voice called back, "It's me, Luna. May I come in, please?"

Luna's response was to focus her magic on the door and open it, revealing the form of her sister on the other side. Celestia stepped inside and looked over at her younger sister, standing in the doorway leading out to her balcony. "Sister. What a pleasant surprise," Luna commented.

"Yes, well, I have finished my work for the day, and as I was sitting down to relax, your talk of 'plans' for tonight came to mind," Celestia explained. She gave her sister a slightly uncertain look, "I don't suppose you'd care to share those plans with me now?"

Luna smiled, "You're just in time, sister. I was just about to begin." She turned and stepped all the way out onto the balcony, turning her head to look at Celestia and saying, "Come, sister, join me."

Despite knowing her sister was back to normal, especially after defending Ponyville from the Nightmare Forces, Celestia was still a bit apprehensive as she followed Luna out onto the balcony. As she stood next to her sister, she spoke, "All right, I'm here, Luna. Now what is this all about?" Luna didn't answer her. Instead, she closed her eyes and raised her head while channeling her magic into her horn. Celestia looked from her to the night sky, where she saw what Luna was doing. Her eyes widened for several moments before she smiled, "Luna… this is…"

Luna opened her eyes after a few more moments and said, "You may have your windows to record events that anypony can come and see, but I have my own ways of honoring others, especially with a beautiful canvas such as this."

Celestia looked at her and asked, "Will it be there forever? What will you do if nopony else sees it?"

Luna replied, "I do not think everypony in Equestria could not notice this, especially not your student, but for those who miss it, it will be their loss. I believe this is the way Sonic wouldst most prefer to have his heroism honored. He did not seem like the type who would demand that his exploits be recognized by the general public. If that is true, then he would surely find a simple, occasional rearranging of the stars like this preferable to being permanently honored on one of your windows."

Celestia glanced down at the ground, "Hmm… Do you think so? But how will ponies across Equestria come to recognize that he was one of their saviors?"

Luna replied, "There will be no need for that. When we meet again, like he said, he will decide how best to handle that."

Celestia smiled at her, "I suppose you are right, Luna." The two sisters stood together for several minutes, both staring up at the sky in silence. Eventually, Celestia broke the silence with a yawn. "Excuse me, sister, but it has been an interesting day and I believe I will sleep quite soundly tonight."

Luna nodded, "Of course. Pleasant dreams, Celestia." Celestia nodded back and left her younger sister to take care of her night sky and duties.

Meanwhile, in the Crystal Empire

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance disembarked from their train, stepping out of their car and onto the platform. They then left the station while the train's conductor got the train turned around, getting it ready for its last trip to Canterlot and Ponyville. During the ride back to the Crystal Empire, the royal couple had talked about their day in Canterlot, catching up with old acquaintances and revisiting some old haunts. Now that they were back in the Crystal Empire, their conversation returned to the subject of the Equestria Games.

"Cadance, are you sure you want to do that? I mean, considering what Spike did for the Crystal Empire and all…" Shining said.

"I know, Shining, but this is really important for the crystal ponies. I don't want to risk the Crystal Empire's chances of hosting the Equestria Games and their happiness by doing something this Ms. Harshwhinny won't like, especially after all the hard work they put into building the new stadium. I'll make it up to Spike somehow, I promise," Cadance replied.

Shining sighed, "All right, as long as you're sure. So how should we tell the crystal ponies that the Equestria Games inspector will be coming?"

Cadance thought about it for a second before saying, "We'll make an announcement tomorrow. I'm sure they're all curious about how our visit to Canterlot went anyway. I'll also send that letter to Twilight and her friends so they know to keep that day open on their calendars."

Shining replied, "Right. If they're really as busy as often as it sounds like they are, they'll probably need to find a way to squeeze in a visit to the Crystal Empire."

Cadance nodded, "Which is exactly why I want to inform them of the date as soon as possible." As they reached the edge of the Empire, close to the buildings, Cadance looked up at the sky, in the direction of Canterlot and saw something. "Oh! Shining, look!" she exclaimed.

The white stallion looked in the direction she was looking and saw what had caught her attention, both of them coming to a stop. Shining soon smiled, "Well, what do you know?"

Cadance nodded, "That must be Aunt Luna's doing. She'd never let anypony rearrange her night sky without her permission." They stared at the sight for about a minute longer before Cadance asked, "What do you suppose they're up to these days?"

Shining replied, "Probably running, learning new things, and getting into all sorts of adventures… kind of like Twily and her friends."

Cadance looked at him, "You think so?"

Shining shrugged, "Maybe. But I'm sure they haven't forgotten us. And I get the feeling Sonic was telling the truth when he said we'll see them again someday."

Cadance smiled, "That would be nice. I'm sure the crystal ponies would love to meet them."

Shining smirked at her, "I don't suppose you're also thinking of something else besides that?"

Cadance giggled, "Hey, I've got you to blame for putting the idea in my head!" While laughing lightly to themselves, the couple resumed walking, passing by some of the crystal ponies that were still out and waving back to them as they made their way to the crystal palace.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville

Pinkie poked her head out of the second story window of Sugarcube Corner, watching as her friends and the other party guests walked out through the front door. "Thanks for coming, everypony!" she called once they were all out, slightly rousing Spike, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo (who was lying on Rainbow Dash's back).

Rarity called back, "Pinkie, darling, you know how much we enjoy your parties. On a normal day, why wouldn't we come to a party you've invited us to?" Everyone else agreed with that statement, even the more sleepy partygoers.

"Anypony want to stick around for some more cake? Or take some home?" Pinkie asked. Spike let out a sleepy moan at that, not due to his stomach acting up but more due to how tired he was.

Twilight looked down at him and then back up at Pinkie Pie and said, "Uh, not tonight, Pinkie. Still, it was a great party and…" She trailed off as she noticed Pinkie seemed to be looking at something. She faced forward, following her gaze. What she saw surprised her. "Oh wow…" she breathed, catching the attention of the others, who had started to move away from Sugarcube Corner. They all looked, including Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and were also surprised by what they saw.

Up in the sky, Luna had rearranged a large amount of stars into a particular pattern that could be seen for miles. They all had no doubt it was made in honor of Sonic and his friends, for the most prominent part of the design, which was made up entirely of clear stars, was a sideways shot of the blue hedgehog's head, his eyes looking outwards. Behind it were three stylized circles whose stars were composed of many different colors, though each color was unique to a particular circle. They all assumed that each color was meant to symbolize Sonic's friends and possibly them as well.

"Oh my… How beautiful," Fluttershy murmured.

"Aw, yeah! Now THAT is awesome! And Luna managed to get all the colors too!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Everypony stared up at Luna's creation for a while before yawns coming from the tired passengers reminded them that it was starting to get late. They all said goodbye, Zecora reassuring everyone that she would be able to get home without any trouble, and they all parted for the night. Pinkie watched everyone go before closing the window, the party pony feeling ready to hit the hay herself.

When Twilight reached the library, she used her magic to open the door and closed it behind her, using her magic's glow to guide her to the stairs. She passed by Owlowiscious on her way up to her and Spike's beds and whispered a greeting to him, the owl responding with a "Hoo". With a slight giggle, she climbed up the last set of stairs and used her magic to lay Spike down in his basket and pull his blanket up over him.

With her draconic charge settled in for the night, Twilight placed the letter from Sonic and Tails and the canister it had come in atop her dresser and walked over to the balcony doors, pushing them open and walking out into the cool night air once more. Still having a little bit of energy left, she stood on her balcony and observed Luna's creation once more, looking specifically at the stars she had used to create it. She wondered where she had gotten so many different stars from and decided that she would ask the Lunar Princess if she could find a chance to do so. She continued to stare up at it for a while, reliving the memories of that amazing adventure in her head as the colors in the night sky reminded her of the new friends they had all made that day.

Eventually, her eyes began to grow heavy and she let out a yawn. Realizing how tired she was, she turned and walked inside, using her magic to shut the balcony doors while she walked over to her bed. As she lay down on her side atop the sheets, she used her magic to pull the drawer on her nightstand open and then pulled out the pictures inside. She smiled to herself as she thought, "Even across time, across space, across dimensions, the magic of friendship can still be found. And those who believe in friendship are stronger, not just for themselves but for those who they're friends with."

Placing the pictures back inside and pushing the drawer closed, she yawned and snuggled under her covers. "No matter what forms it may take, as long as it's pure, the magic of friendship never changes." She smiled as she looked at the canister and letter on her dresser one last time as her eyes slid shut, "And a true, true friend will always try their best to make the magic never-ending."

---

Okay, um... well, first of all, I hope I haven't alienated my readers due to how late this is. I really should have had this done sooner, but it didn't work out as expected. Still, I managed to finish it with what I hope is a satisfying conclusion to the story that also sets the stage for the remaining episodes of MLP: FiM's third season as well as future events for Sonic and friends. If you thought I managed to do that,then I hope it was worth putting up with the agonizing wait I put you all through.

So yeah, I did a few things here. On the Sonic side of things, I set it so that the events of "Wreck-It Ralph" happened shortly after Sonic's birthday party, which, after this chapter, leads up to "Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed". To try to make it a little clearer, how's it worked in my head: a couple days after Sonic's party, he was invited to the 30th anniversary of "Fix-It Felix Jr." and attended, where he first learned about Ralph. After Ralph hit him with the ship from "Hero's Duty", Sonic was invited to the wedding of Felix and Sgt. Calhoun, where he officially met Ralph and Vanellope. Following this, Ralph learned about the upcoming races and, wanting to enter, took driving lessons from Vanellope so he could 'jump' into the competition.

As for the ponies, yes, I'm making it seem like Sonic influenced Celestia's decision to reform Discord, but he didn't have a huge impact on her decision to do so. She'd been wanting to do something about the draconequus to ensure he would no longer be a problem for a while after "The Return of Harmony", but it wasn't until she saw someone who honestly thought he could be good that she decided to try it. As for "Just for Sidekicks" and "Games Ponies Play", since I couldn't come up with a valid reason for why Spike wasn't invited to greet the inspector for the Equestria Games, here I made it seem like Celestia was trolling Cadance into deciding not to invite him. Also, I inserted that Peewee story in the middle to better fit in with the events of the show, seeing as I brought in Peewee without realizing it was EXTREMELY unlikely he would be returning in season 3 and beyond.

I think that's about it as far as background goes. I sure hope you all enjoyed this story, as long as the waits for it may have been.

Now, for the last proper author notes...

Sonic's running through the green hill area at the beginning of the chapter (which can be seen in the upper left corner of Emerald Town in "Sonic Battle"; I don't know if it's actually a Green Hill or Emerald Hill Zone or not) is inspired by the original teaser trailer for "Sonic Generations", when Modern Sonic is running through the white Green Hill Zone before being joined by Classic Sonic at the end of the trailer.

The inside of Tails' Lab looks the same as the battle arena in "Sonic Battle". The VR machine Sonic notices is a references to the VR training Emerl could receive during his chapter of the story.

Tails' mention of an incident in London is a reference to the story mode in the 3DS version of "Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games".

What's the connection between Chip's necklace and the Elements of Harmony? Well... you'll have to wait to find out!

Tails having a workshop in Central City is a reference to "Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood". I chose to make this reference because I figure Tails has other workshops besides the one in the Mystic Ruins.

I thought I'd give everyone an idea of what a stained glass window depicting the events of this story might look like, so I had Celestia sketch it out.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders telling their classmates about Sonic and Tails is a reference to the DS version of "Sonic Colo(u)rs", where, in the normal ending, Yacker is telling the other Wisps about Sonic so he'll never forget him.

"Hoofkaido" is a reference to Hokkaido, Japan.

A few comic references are made during the party.

The image Luna makes in the sky is basically the Sonic Team logo with the Sonic Heroes logo behind it, the latter being made up of different colors to represent various characters instead of strictly being blue, yellow, and red.

See you, guys! Hopefully soon!

Music:

Blue Streak Speeds By... - www. youtube. com watch?v=s6Gv100AUG8

Tails' Project - www. youtube. com watch?v=DiOaVGmotN8

Time for the Real Thing - www. youtube. com watch?v=7TBf56skDOA

As Surely as the Wind Blows - www. youtube. com watch?v=TjfNGkf5sLM

Celestia's Chamber - www. youtube. com watch?v=WklNu3ZADOU

The Luncheon - www. youtube. com watch?v=AwzC9HoFAEM

Royal Preparations - www. youtube. com watch?v=VA6_WxxjfBg

School's Out - www. youtube. com watch?v=lnnLzv-2Z60

Going Around the Town - www. youtube. com watch?v=N-4S9xR104A

Pinkie Pie Party Time - www. youtube. com watch?v=GlpGuRPWSkY

Lessons Learned - www. youtube. com watch?v=2JWMO3JtrDk

The Letter - www. youtube. com watch?v=BiAX76N4Y14

Luna's Nightfall - www. youtube. com watch?v=cTqpwHtQFRo

Endgame - www. youtube. com watch?v=qM1YMeDsc-M