Sonic Frontiers and MLP: The Beginning and Ending Of The End

Side stories with Sonic at Badlands

Before Sonic's battle with the Titan Wyvern, and during the episode of 6 and 7 of MLP Sonic is still learning more of the Ancients in the Badlands and has just collected the 5th Chaos Emerald

Sage: You. Again. Do not interfere with my work.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Ah... I don't even know what work I'm interfering with! Look. Just take a second to tell me who you are, what's going on, and why you look like you want to smite me on the spot?
Sage: That is irrelevant. Knowing. Not knowing. It will change nothing. There is nothing you can do.

Sage Side Story: I Must Reassess the Battle Parameters

Sonic: Okay! Your flying nightmare is a step up from the giant. Very mobile. But it's going to end the same way.
Sage: How are you able to utilize the Chaos Emeralds? I must reassess the battle parameters. I cannot afford to have you win again.
Sonic: Well, y'know, you could call it off and let me save my friends in peace? No? Fine, we'll do it your way.

Sage Side Story: An Olive Branch

Sonic: Hey! I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you tell me how to restore my friends. Both Amy and Knuckles are all ghosty. Kinda like you.
Sage: All data within Cyber Space is restricted to outsiders.
Sonic: You see. That's the thing. They're kinda half-in, half-out. Can you at least tell me if they're going to be okay?
Sage: Their conditions are stable. They are hovering between the digital dimension and this one, but their lives are not at risk.
Sonic: That's a relief. Sort of. Thanks for answering!

Knuckles Side Story: Mysterious Symbol

Knuckles: Have you been here before? You're navigating the island like it's nothing.
Sonic: Oh no. See, when I interact with these things marked with this symbol, I automatically learn the lay of the land. It's like the island is beaming a GPS signal right into my brain. Pretty cool, right?
Knuckles: I'm sure that's the Ancients' doing as well. I wonder what that symbol means in their language?
Sonic: Come to think of it, you don't actually see it printed anywhere in the villages. I guess the true meaning is lost to time.

Knuckles Side Story: Knuckles' Cyber Prison

Sonic: Amy said her Cyber Cage wasn't a fun time. How was it for you?
Knuckles: Miserable. Like a living nightmare. It was the most alone I've ever felt. And at the same time, I was drowning in terrible visions and emotions. Like I said, nightmare.
Sonic: Yeesh. These visions... they weren't like what Tikal showed us way back when, were they? Do these ruins sync up to when your ancestors were wiped out?
Knuckles: I don't think so. But if you're right, and that prison was bringing back those memories? That's cruel. If I find out who designed it, they're gonna pay!

Knuckles Side Story: I Feel I was Drawn Here for a Reason

Knuckles: Besides the Koco, these islands seem deserted, don't they?
Sonic: Yeah, I've seen a lot of the Ancients' buildings on both islands, but nobody's home.
Knuckles: Given their state of decay, and how much nature has reclaimed them, I'd say they've been gone for a long time. Longer than any civilization we know of. I'd like to think they simply moved on and settled somewhere else. Not that they're... gone. Some of the active technology seems built for storing and protecting the Chaos Emeralds. Comparing that to what's on Angel Island... I feel like I was drawn here for a reason.

Knuckles Side Story: The Spooky Sky Voice

Knuckles: It's not fair! How come you get to jump in and out of Cyber Space that I'm stuck halfway?
Sonic: Well, beats me. It sounds like we all experienced the dimension differently.
Knuckles: Yeah, I didn't see any way out. Your trips sound less complicated.
Sonic: Well, whatever. The spooky sky voice says I just have to trash the Titans to get you guys back to normal. So we have a plan.
Knuckles: Oh yeah? Why isn't it talking to the rest of us, then?

Knuckles Side Story: Architectural Styles

Sonic: I know they're completely different islands, but some of these ruins are making me think of the ones back on Angel Island.
Knuckles: Why? Because they're made of stone? There are multiple architectural styles across the island. It's different types of stone, too. Plus, these ruins pre-date anything on Angel Island by a wide margin. Although... the spiritual spaces and military structures do share some similarities.
Sonic: Okay, so the Ancients and Echidnas weren't related. But the one group must have inspired the other.

Knuckles Side Story: Don't Punch the Ruins

Knuckles: Look at the size of this... what-do-you-call-it? Satellite dish? It's for communications, right?
Sonic: Yeah. I've seen all sorts of crazy high-tech ancient tech across both islands.
Knuckles: How can something this old be this advanced? It's sturdy too. I punched it and it didn't move at all.
Sonic: Knux... don't punch the ruins. Once I find Tails, maybe he can use them to figure out what happened here.
Knuckles: Hey! I already discovered that it's sturdier than anything we've encountered. I don't think this material is from this world.

Knuckles Side Story: The Power of the Emeralds

Sonic: What do you think of the weird spires being used to contain the Chaos Emeralds?
Knuckles: Contain? No, I think they're meant to protect them. Even harness their power. You've experienced yourself the limitless power of the Chaos Emeralds. Even if they didn't have them all, a couple would have provided more than enough energy to live comfortably.
Sonic: Enough to power the ruins, Cyber Space... I wonder... if the Ancients somehow lost their access to the Emeralds. Would that have caused them to disappear?