Nearby the Town...

Shadow stood on a tree branch, looking for a way to figure out where he was at. 'Hmph. It seems even getting a good vantage isn't good enough getting around this forsaken forest.' he mused, hopping down from the top of the tree, using his hover shoes to slow his fall before he met the ground once more.

Looking at his hand, he glanced at the Chaos Emerald he managed to find lying near him. He assumed that the power of the Chaos Energy he exerted brought him far off than he wanted. "The doctor and Faker... Where are they?" he asked himself, having searched for what felt like an eternity.

Shadow noticed that the sky was turning orange, meaning the end to another day. He had only been in this forest for a single day and he was already getting annoyed. "Grr. I'm getting nowhere!" he then began to slide on the floor thanks to his shoes, creating a yellow spark trail on the grass as he skated as fast as he could.

"Let's get moving..." he muttered to himself.

Shadow noticed that the number of trees were starting to dwindle as he continued to speed through the forest. 'This means I'm finally making my way out. Hopefully Faker didn't get himself into trouble while I was missing. Last thing I need is to bail him out.'

Seeing a town ahead, the black hedgehog noticed that he hadn't seen any place like it before. As an agent of G.U.N. he had devoted himself to remember every city and nation in Mobius, and had nearly gone around the planet on diplomatic missions and the like, but he didn't recognize the place.

Gritting his teeth, Shadow figured that he was in another dimension. Annoyed even more, he set out to find a place to deduce his exact place of being. He looked up, seeing a castle tower over the town. Deciding he had no other option, he decided to step ahead, seeing no civilains outside at the time.

Sonic zipped by through the castle doors, the sun setting down from Ponyville. Flying next to him was Rainbow Dash who landed next to him inside the palace. "Woo! It's great to be back out running! Some things never change across worlds, I guess."

"Yeah! It feels great to have somepony keep up with me! Besides Pinkie of course..." Rainbow muttered, happy to see someone who shares her passion of speed.

Putting his hands behind his head, Sonic replied, "I didn't think you were a thrill-seeker. At least you're not like Shadow, that guy can't take a joke or anything. So, I'm glad to see you're enjoying this. When Scoots told me about ya, I thought you were gonna get jealous of me or something like that."

"After I saw ya kick butt, I decided, eh, you were worth having as a friendly rival." Dash insisted.

Sonic grinned, "Glad to hear it. Maybe we'll settle the race before I go, though. I gotta prove myself the fastest in this world too, y'know." he joked. He looked at Rainbow, who noticibly had a scowl on her features, glaring ahead.

She saw a black hedgehog walking around Twilight's castle. The pegasus didn't recognize him and she growled, deducing that he was an intruder or an assassin. She unfurled her wings and flew ahead, all the while Sonic tried to snap her out of her trance, "Uh, Rainbow..."

"Hey, you!" she yelled, still charging forward. Shadow turned around, stepping to the side and punching Dash in the back of the head, making her fall to the ground in pain.

"First step in a stealth attack. Don't alert your enemy." Shadow taunted the pegasus.

Getting angered, Rainbow hopped back up and tried to buck Shadow, the black hedgehog moving backwards as she moved her hind legs in an upward motion. "Pathetic movements." he mocked, putting his hands on the back of his body.

"Shut up! Why are you here?!" Rainbow yelled, landing a hit to Shadow's muzzle.

"I'm only acting in self-defense, you impulsive horse!" Shadow snarled, grabbing the cyan mare's hoof.

Insulted, Rainbow moved her hoof away from Shadow's hand. "Now. Allow me to explain myself before I have to hurt you any more than necessary." he warned.

"Is that a threat?!" Rainbow hissed.

Deciding he had enough, Sonic ran in between the two, "Alright! That's it, you two!" he glanced to the pegasus, "Rainbow, that's Shadow. Despite his gruff personality, he's a friend."

Shadow crossed his arms, "Friend is an overstatement. We are allies that fight a common cause."

Scratching his head, Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. Whatever you wanna call it, Shads. Listen, I take it you're not here for a friendly visit or whatever? In fact, Tails and I were thinkin' about how we were gonna find you and the Chaos Emeralds, so you showing up out of the blue makes our lives easier."

Shaking his head, Shadow responded, "Listen, Faker. Obviously, we are in another world... Judging by the new friend you've made already. Eggman is out there possibly and is most likely searching for the Chaos Emeralds. We can't waste anymore time than we already have while separated. If the fox is here, he can build us a radar with the emerald I have."

"We already have a few emeralds. Trust me, I've ran into Egghead sometime after I met the ponies of this world. So I already know he's up to his no good schemes already. But then again, he's in another world with limited resources, so we're good. He can't just build robots when he barely has a base left standing as it is." Sonic assured, holding up an emerald he had.

"I see." Shadow huffed.

Rainbow stepped forward, a sheepish smile seen on her face, "Hey, huh, Shadow... Sorry about charging after ya like that. I thought you were a bad guy. Trust me, I did the same with Sonic when we first met if it makes you feel any better." she apologized.

Shadow merely frowned, "Whatever. Just don't get in my way like that again." he began to step out the door before turning around, "And Faker, I want to see you out here in the morning. I want to make sure you haven't gotten weak while staying here."

"Is that an excuse to fight me, Shadow?" Sonic asked.

Groaning, Shadow walked out, "Just make sure you're on time. I don't have any patience left. I'm finding a place to stay since I know we're far from home." he said before vanishing in a yellow blur, Sonic attempting to stop him.

With a shrug, Sonic looked at Rainbow, "He's not one to stick with others besides his team anyhow. If it makes you feel any better about attacking him, Tails, myself and a friend named Knuckles did that once when he came back while we were chasing after Eggman one time. Not sure why we fought that time, but nothing was really at stake except for Egghead's fleet."

"Really?" wondered Rainbow.

"Yeah, the guy was goin' through amnesia or something. Boy, am I glad that phase passed." Sonic sighed. "So, I guess I better ready myself to face him tomorrow. You wanna practice with me? Because something tells me after this, we may finally go emerald hunting and Eggman smashing."

"Why wouldn't I?" Rainbow responded, following Sonic back outside to practice.

Doom crossed his arms, "The progress is going well, judging by the speed of the robots' repairs." he referred to the Egg Carrier, which was being fixed slowly and surely.

"Yes, and it's you I have to thank, Doom. But there's still the matter of Sonic and his new friends. If they figure out I'm hiding in the forest, all of this would be pointless."

"You are correct on that, doctor. Though, my Doombots are also building a spare army for you as well. In the meantime, there is something I wish to do."

Eggman raised a brow, "Oh? And what would that be?"

Doom began to walk, "I wish to see what Sonic is capable of. To see what we must do to the robots in order to counter his abilities. Do not worry, I can assure that he will not trail us." he flicked his blue cape behind him and clenched his metal fist, it illuminating a black aura that cluld be seen even in the dark of night.