"So, Rainbow Dash was it?" Sonic asked. "Scootaloo told me about ya. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." the hedgehog introduced himself to the uneasy pegasus. Rainbow huffed at the hero's greeting as she decided to talk.

"What'd she say about me?"

Sonic answered, "That you were the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and that you were really awesome. Her words, not mine." he explained to Rainbow Dash, who smirked. "Can you confirm if any of that is true or not?"

Rainbow Dash shouted, "Heck yeah!" she flew off, a rainbow trail following her every move, Sonic watching her with skeptism while Scootaloo gave the biggest smile. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at her friend.

Eventually, she managed to kick apart every cloud they could spot in a matter of seconds. Rainbow landed in her spot earlier, pointing at herself. "Took out the clouds in seconds! Think you can beat that, hedgehog?" she boasted.

Sonic smirked, "Can I?" he asked. Suddenly, Sonic ran off, the blue blur running off somewhere. A few seconds later, the hedgehog came back, a small treat in hand. "I managed to get a bite while I was gone. It wasn't that bad, I suppose."

Rainbow scowled as Sonic continued to eat his small cupcake, "Look. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm just tryin' to get these two back home before it gets too late."

"Actually, Sonic," began Scootaloo, "I'll just go with Rainbow. Can I?" she asked. Rainbow nodded and the young pegasus walked forward, and Sonic and Sweetie continued walking, but not before the cyan pegasus could interrupt them.

"Hey!"

The hedgehog turned around, "What is it?"

"You. Me. A race tomorrow across Ponyville. We'll see who's the fastest." declared Rainbow Dash.

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Alright. Fine. But I won't hold anything back." he announced with a smirk.

"Same here, hedgehog." responded Rainbow Dash. She trotted off with Scootaloo. To where? Well, Sonic wasn't even sure. He just needed to get Sweetie Belle home.

"Is this the place?" asked Sonic.

Sweetie Belle nodded, "Yep!" she answered, walking to the door and knocking. When she raised her hoof however, it already opened, a unicorn already standing there.

"Sweetie Belle! Where on Equestria where you? It's getting late!" scolded the older unicorn.

Shaking her head, Sweetie answered, "Sorry, Rarity. I was just showing my new friend Ponyville."

"New friend?" Rarity looked upward to see Sonic. "My word. I've never seen anything like you around here before." she sighed, observing the heroic hedgehog.

Sonic scratched his head, "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm kinda from another world. I already spoke to some other ponies about it while dropping off Sweetie Belle's friends on the way here."

"Oh. So it seems you already met Applejack and Rainbow Dash..." realized Rarity.

"You know them? Huh, small world." Sonic muttered.

Rarity chuckled, "Well, I must thank you for bringing Sweetie Belle home. Do you wish to step inside for a moment? I'm sure interdimensional travel must be tiring." she offered.

"Eh. You get used to it after a while." laughed Sonic, "But sure, I guess I can sit for a moment." he said, he and Sweetie Belle stepping inside the Carasoul Boutique. "Nice place ya got here, Rarity. Seems pretty cozy if I say so myself."

"Why thank you, Sonic. I can make you and Sweetie Belle dinner if you want." Rarity offered again.

"Sure." nodded the hedgehog, "Got any chili-dogs?"

"What are chili-dogs?" asked Sweetie Belle, tilting her head in confusion upon hearing Sonic.

The hedgehog gulped as his eyes went wide, 'No chili-dogs? What kind of bizarre world did I end up in?!' he thought, realizing that his favorite food possibly didn't exist in this dimension. He clared his throat, "Er... How about some kinda salad or something? I'm not really that hungry anyway." he suggested. 'This... Is gonna take some getting used to.' the hedgehog mused.

"Alright then, Sonic." he heard Rarity say.

Taking a look around, Sonic decided to wander about. A strange glow got his attention. The blue hero stepped forward to get a closer look at the source, 'It can't be...' his mind raced. As he got closer, the object's appearance gave the hedgehog a sense of familiarity, sensing a strange yet known energy from it. "It is." he said. 'How did this end up all the way over here anyway?'

"Hey, Rarity!" called out Sonic.

"Yes?" the unicorn stepped into the area.

The hedgehog held up the gem, "Uh. Where did you find it?"

Rarity smiled, "Oh that? I simply found it outside earlier this morning. It was the strangest thing. I'm wondering who would leave such a thing put there."

"This isn't any kind of rare gem." Sonic revealed, "This is known as a Chaos Emerald. A powerful gem which, once all seven are collected, could grant the holder infinite power. Heck, even having one can grant the user a power boost. These are the key to getting me back to my own world."

Rarity was speechless, "I-I had no idea. If it really is as you say it is, then you may have it."

"I was told to head into that castle earlier. Do you think the person who lives there can help me find these and my friends?" questioned Sonic, changing the subject at hand.

"Do you mean, Twilight? Of course she could help you. If you want I can tell Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the others to head there first thing tomorrow to lend a helping hoof as well while I take the girls to Sweet Apple Acres." Rarity offered.

Smiling, Sonic spoke, "Alright then. I'll head there after do what I need to or whatever. But first I gotta get somethin' in my stomach, and I know this salad's gonna be good. But you may have trouble finding Rainbow, she kinda challenged me to a race sometime tomorrow."

The unicorn rolled her eyes at that, "Why would she do that? She's not the one to challenge anypony like that out of the blue." she wondered to herself.

"Well..." Sonic began, but a beeping sound cut him off. "Be right back!" he zipped off, and a second later, came back with a plate in his hand, having already taken a bite out of the salad. "Mm. Sweet nutrition." he complimented.

"You're fast too... Oh, dear..." exhaled the unicorn. "She's going to be more determined than ever."

Sonic shrugged, "I've raced against plenty of people. My friends can catch up with me, and I know a plumber that can as well. So, I'm not too worried."

"If you say so."

The sound of coughing was heard amidst the rubble, a hand reached out from the scattered metal lying apart the forest. "Curses... I hate those hedgehogs..." groaned Eggman, standing up as he felt the aches in his back.

The scientist turned around, seeing a glowing gem on the ground, "It seems a Chaos Emerald got lost here. Meaning the other six are scattered across wherever it is we're at." he picked up the emerald and placed it in his pocket. "Now... Where am I?"

Eggman turned around, seeing his Egg Carrier and observing the damage, or the surprising lack of it, "It seems to be in good shape. A few repairs and a few more emeralds, and then I can get this baby flying again. I just need to find my radar."

Eggman continued to walk around the forest, spotting his Egg Pawns. "Hm. It seems these are still around. Strange. I wonder how that managed to happen." he pondered, but he shrugged it off. "Oh well... I can use this to find out if there is an emerald somewhere nearby while I look flr my radar."

While Eggman activated his robots, a figure cloaked in white with a metal mask watched with his arms crossed while he hid in the shadows. "Let's see if you are worth my time, doctor. I brought back your robot army to prove if you are worthy to join my cause. That accursed mare won't dare to stop me now."