After Amy told them on what happen to Knuckles and Applejack, Sonic and Rainbow Dash made to their way Barricade Town and saw Applejack on a hill.

"Hey, AJ," Sonic greeted the farm pony. "Where's Knux?"

"Down there," Applejack pointed her hoof to see that Knuckles was smashing an Death Egg Robot all by himself. "Looks like you two miss the action."

Then all three of them headed do to him.

"Yo, Knux!" Sonic greeted him. "Save any for me?"

"Sonic! Rainbow!" Knuckles greeted them. "Long time no see! What bring you out here?"

"We ran into Amy and Pinkie in the next town over," Sonic explain. "They said that you two were looking for trouble so we thought we led a hand or hoof so to speak."

"Y'know, you're awfully far away from the HQ, Commander," Rainbow teased him a bit.

"Ugh..." Knuckles groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Tell me about," Applejack agreed. "It was more interesting when fighting to save the world. Now that we're refocusing on rebuilding, it's scheduling and inventory and I've got no patience with all of it. I rather be back on the farm chilling."

"Same," Sonic came in. "Amy tried to get me enlist full time."

"You?!" Knuckles was shocked. "She should have known better!"

"So," Rainbow asked Knuckles. "What's going on here?"

"This town is a place for Wispon distribution. The shipment suddenly dried up," Knuckles explained. "So me and AJ came to see why."

"Hey! I'm the commander of the resistance! I took out all of Eggman's robots! Let me in!"

"Sorry sir," The gatekeeper quietly said. "But I'm under orders not open the gates to anyone!"

"Says who?!" Applejack asked.

"I-I can't say!"

All of them gave looks at each other then climb over the gate and into the town.

"The badnik attacks have been getting more aggressive lately." Rainbow said. "Maybe that's what got them spooked?

"I don't think so," Sonic said. "Something else is going on.."

"You shouldn't have done that! You shouldn't be here!" The gatekeeper shirked.

"Why?" Sonic asked. "Whatever's wrong we can fix it."

"No- you can't!" the gatekeeper worried. "Not if they have all the wisps and wispons!"

"They who?" Rainbow asked.

"Listen here sugarcube," Applejack grabbed his attention. "You just watched my friend here solo a super badnik. We can handle ourselves. Now about you start from beginning what happened."

Submitting, the gatekeeper explains that just before the Eggman War between the Eggman Empire and the Resistance ended, two ferocious mercenaries showed and saved the town by driving Eggman's forces away. These mercenaries said that they were going to improve the town's defenses, but instead, they took the town's arsenal and kept the residents prisoners within their town. Having nothing to fight back with, and with Badniks stalking outside the town walls, the residents were left with no choice but to follow the mercenaries' orders.

"Well then," Applejack said before turning to the others. "I think we need to take our complaints straight to management, wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely!" Knuckles smashed his fists together.

"Where can we find these clowns?" Sonic asked.

"They turned the supply depot into a fort, just down the road on the right you can't miss it."

"Cool," Rainbow said. "Sit tight we've got this."

Arriving in the depot, Sonic and Knuckles locate the Wisps, who have been stacked in their Deployment Pods.

"Just before Tails went solo," Knuckles said. "He gave the cipher for the wisps language, We asked fort their help in fighting Eggman. which they happily volunteered for, even choosing to wait in Deployment Pods for when the Resistance's troops could enter different areas. But these guys are being hoarded. This is inexcusable."

"Hang tight just a little longer," Sonic promised them. "We'll free all of you!"

Then Knuckles and Applejack hears the mercenaries laugh nearby. Behind the crates, the two heroes see two anthropomorphic skunks who has the villagers serve as their slaves for their entertainment and pleasure.

"Wow, they make the hooligans look likes class acts," Rainbow said with a deadpan.

"I'm going to break those two in half!" Knuckles being ticked off.

"Easy there partner," Applejack calmed him down. "Let's take it slow, Give the villagers a chance to get out of the line fire."

"Right, then I'll break them!"

"Hey Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle- dumber!" Rainbow called out the two skunks. "I'm Rainbow Dash. Maybe you heard me? And there are my friends, Applejack, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Knuckles the Echidna who is also the commander of the resistance. You guys are guilty of theft, extortion, kidnapping , and being massive jerks!"

"So you varmint have two choices," Applejack said. "One you come along quietly, or two, we can get loud!"

"Who said you could come into our town, huh?!" One of them came out. "Who said you could ruin our fun?!"

"Yeah," The other one came out. "We've heard you, but you never heard of us!"

"You lookin' to scrap?"

"Then get ready to crumble!"

"Brace yourselves for-"

"Rough and Tumble!"

"Oh no." Sonic tried not laugh. "I was not prepared for this!"

"Careful Sonic," Knuckles being concerned. "They're highly coordinated."

"Your the salt of the Earth," Sonic said.

"Whatever get them!"

The two duos proceed to fight. While Rough and Tumble put up a decent fight with Tumble using Sonic as a basketball and Rough unleashing his Stink Bomber on Knuckles, they are ultimately outclassed by Sonic and Knuckles. Beaten but not defeated, both skunks decide to then arm themselves with Wispons.

"Oaky that might be a problem," Rainbow pointed out.

"Me and AJ will distract them," Knuckles said. "You two, grab a Wispon of your own to even the odds."

"No," Sonic smirked a bit. "I can do one better!"

"Hey Wisps," Sonic called them out. "It's me you old pal Sonic! I save your planet from Eggman remember? A bunch of you chose stick around on this world! You help us out on the Lost Hex and in Ponyville! You helped the resistance fight the Eggman Empire! I know fighting isn't not your thing, but you've proven you're all powerful and brave! Don't let these jerks boss you around! They need you to bully everyone but you don't need them!"

Seeing the truth in Sonic's words, the Wisps in Rough and Tumble's Wispons leave them, rendering their weapons inert. More angry Wisps then appear, with Rough and Tumble trying in vain to get their Wisps back into their Wispons.

"You wanna take this one ladies," Sonic asked them.

"You bet," Rainbow repiled. "Ready AJ!"

"You know it, RD!" Applejack smiled.

"The tables have turned,"

"They've certainly bumbled,"

"It butt-kick for Rough and Tumble!" Rainbow and Applejack mock their motto which Rough took it very personally, Both of them bucked them hard knocking them out.

Outside, the gang bring the apprehended skunks outside for the cheering villagers to see. As the gatekeeper appears to thank Sonic for all his help, a Yellow Wisp suddenly appears and starts taking gibberish. As the gatekeeper and Sonic wonder about what it says, the Yellow Wisp flies into the gatekeeper's Drill Wispon, making Sonic realize what it said: it and the other Wisps are planning to stick around and help the townspeople defend their home. Getting teary-eyed, the gatekeeper thanks the Wisp. Meanwhile, as Rough and Tumble are being taken away to get locked up, the two skunks arrogantly swear that they will be out soon enough and get their revenge on Sonic and Knuckles. Knuckles, however, gives them a look that scares them straight and the villagers laugh.

"Thanks for the helped," Knuckles thanked Sonic. "Not that needed it.."

"Nah, but you didn't share the badniks outside," Sonic said. "You owned me this."

"Hopefully this is the start of things setting down, " Applejack said. "But I'm really staring to miss home."

"I wouldn't mind a vacation myself. "Sonic agreed with her. "But we've got to figure out who's controlling the Eggman's army. But before that- we party!"

Unbeknownst to everyone however, a Flapper is watching them from afar, with an unseen figure in an Eggman-themed base watching its video feedback. Seeing that Knuckles is away from home, they realize Angel Island and the Master Emerald are unguarded, which they see will speed up their plans considerably...

Next Chapter: Fallout Part 4 Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 21 Minutes