The Elements of Chaos
By K. M. Carroll/NetRaptor

Note: This is a Sonic the Hedgehog crossover with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. MLP in particular about the middle of season 3, before Twilight got her wings.

The wind tore through the trees of Ponyville, ripping loose clouds of leaves and sending them spiraling through the sky. Ponies ran shrieking and giggling for shelter, and peered out of the safety of doors and windows.

At the outskirts of town a magenta hot air balloon floated fifty feet from the ground. It was tethered with a heavy rope and a steel cable. The cable ran to a ten-foot lightning rod on top of the balloon. In the basket sat a purple unicorn, her indigo mane blown straight out like a flag, and a very nervous young purple dragon.

"What if we get struck by lightning?" said Spike. "Or the wind collapses the balloon? Or we get blown into a tree?"

Twilight Sparkle laughed. Red magic shimmered around her horn, dancing up toward the sky in a wavering aurora. "I've taken every precaution, Spike! We have a lightning rod and a grounding cable. I have every stabilization spell I know on the balloon. And we're half a mile from any tree. Nothing can possibly go wrong!"

Spike dug his claws into the basket's rope handles. "I hate it when you say that."

Twilight concentrated on the storm, frowning, both front hooves curled around the basket's rim. The wind battered the balloon, making the basket sway like a carnival ride. Somewhere high above the storm flew five pegasi, each carrying a crystal in a harness on its back. Twilight's magic reflected through the crystals and formed the storm. Outside the perimeter of the crystals, there was no storm at all.

"Princess Celestia will be so impressed that I learned this spell!" Twilight yelled over the wind's roar. "Weather magic isn't something unicorns learn on their own! This is extremely advanced!"

Spike clung to the basket as the first raindrops pelted his scales. He blinked his green eyes. "Great! Can we stop now?"

"Not yet!" Twilight leaned out of the basket, and more power poured from her horn.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Then there was a second thundercrack, and someone screamed. Spike heaved himself up on the basket's rim to look down.

Something flashed out of the Everfree Forest in the distance, flew across the field beneath the balloon, and plowed to a stop in the sodden grass, tearing up a furrow of brown earth. "Oh my gosh!" Twilight and Spike gasped at the same time.

Twilight shook her head and the magic faded from her horn. "It'll take a while for this storm to stop, I'd nearly gotten it to the peak." She turned to a crank on the basket's side and turned it with magic.

Spike kept staring at the figure in the trench. "He's not moving. I think he's dead!"

Twilight bit her lip and kept turning. The balloon lowered inch by inch, the wind knocking it around and rain blowing sideways into the basket.

Finally they reached the ground. Twilight and Spike leaped out and ran through sheets of pouring rain to the figure. The trench was already filled with puddles of rainwater. The figure was half-curled in a spiky ball. It wasn't a pony.

Twilight prodded the figure with a hoof. He didn't move. Gently she encircled him in a levitation field and lifted him out of the trench. "Is he a porcupine?" said Spike. "He's got quills all over him."

"I think he's a hedgehog," said Twilight. The blue hedgehog wore white gloves and red sneakers, now coated thoroughly with mud. "Let's get him back to the library. I'll call Fluttershy, she's good with strange creatures."

Spike jumped on Twilight's back, and she teleported them back home.

Twilight's library was built inside of an enormous old oak tree. The library shelves spiraled vertically through the tree's interior, and the sleeping room was ten feet from the ground, reachable only by a set of winding steps carved out of the tree's living wood. The library housed just over a thousand books, which Twilight regularly re-cataloged as the mood struck.

Spike made a bed for the stranger out of a couple of blankets and a pillow on the floor. Twilight laid him on it, then began yanking books off the shelves at random. Spike sighed at the stacks of books. He'd only finished re-shelving them that morning.

Twilight opened a book, flipped the pages with magic, and stopped with a smile. "Here it is! I knew I had a cleaning spell in here somewhere." She trotted to the hedgehog, touched her horn to the mud on his arm, and shot a pulse of magic into it. The mud vanished from the hedgehog's entire body. He was a royal blue all over, except for his muzzle and belly, which were covered in fine brown fur.

"I sent a message to the pegasai," said Twilight. "They're moving the storm down to Sweet Apple Acres where some fields need rain. It'll be clear here in fifteen minutes."

"Good," said Spike. "I hope Fluttershy gets here soon. This hedgehog is breathing, but I don't know if his skull is cracked or anything."

"Me neither." Twilight trotted to the door, opened it and looked out. Then she stood back and held the door open.

A yellow pony with a pink mane and tail stepped in. She wore an orange raincoat draped over her head and back, and mud splattered her hooves. "I came as soon as I got your message," she said softly, shaking off the raincoat. Twilight hung it on a peg beside the door.

Fluttershy carried a basket on her back filled with tiny bandages and critter treats. She wiped her hooves on the doormat. "Where's this hurt creature?"

Spike motioned to the hedgehog. Fluttershy walked up and stared, her eyes widening. "Oh. He's a big hedgehog. I thought you meant one of the little ones."

"Have you ever seen a big hedgehog?" said Twilight, walking up beside her and gazing at their visitor.

"I'm afraid not," said Fluttershy. "But I'll do what I can." She gently prodded the hedgehog's head and neck with practiced, delicate hooves. She worked his arms and legs, and poked the end of one of his spines. "I don't think he's badly injured. Just knocked out. What happened to him?"

Twilight and Spike took turns explaining about the storm, the distant scream, and the fast-moving hedgehog who had crashed beneath their balloon. As they talked, Fluttershy gazed down at the hedgehog, ears flattened in pity. Then she stiffened. "He's waking up!"

The hedgehog's eyelids flickered open. He lay there gazing at them for a long moment with improbable green eyes. Slowly he sat up and groaned, rubbing his head. "Where am I?"

"We brought you to the library after you hurt yourself during the storm," said Twilight in a rush. "I'm really sorry because I was only practicing a new weather spell so Princess Celestia will give me extra credit and-"

The hedgehog closed his eyes and winced. "No, I mean, like what town?"

"Oh." Twilight grinned nervously. "This is Ponyville."

"Ponyville," said the hedgehog. His eyes drifted from Twilight to Fluttershy to Spike. "What's a dragon doing in a place called Ponyville?"

"I hatched his egg," said Twilight. "His name is Spike. I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is Fluttershy."

The hedgehog extended a hand and shook their hooves and Spike's paw. "Charmed. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, but you can call me Sonic." He climbed to his feet and stepped out of the blankets. "Thanks for picking me up, but I need to get home." He walked toward the door.

Twilight shot an alarmed look at Spike and Fluttershy and hurried after him. "Wait! You can't leave so soon!"

"Sure I can," said Sonic. He opened the door and peered out. "Looks like the rain's stopped. Which way is New Mobitropolis? I can find my way home from there."

"Um." Twilight stopped dead, eyes unfocusing. "Hold on." She galloped back to her bookshelves, tore books off the shelves, and returned with an immense atlas floating in front of her. She opened it and paged through it with magic. Sonic stared at her glowing horn and the book, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"Here's Equestria," said Twilight. "There's nothing called Mobitropolis anywhere around here."

Sonic peered at the map and frowned, eyebrows lowering. "Wait. I've never seen this area before. We're still on Mobius, right?"

"No," said Twilight. "This is the world Equus."

"No way!" Sonic shot out the door like a bullet, the wind in his wake ruffling the ponies' manes and flipping pages in the atlas.

"Wait!" yelled Twilight, galloping after him. By the time she reached the door, Sonic was out of sight. "Oh my gosh, he's as fast as Rainbow Dash!"

"Better get Rainbow to find him," said Spike, shaking his head.

Fluttershy hid behind a chair and said nothing.

Twilight galloped down the muddy road in search of Rainbow Dash.

Sonic fled across fields and through patches of woods, jumping streams and trying to avoid the ponies. Ponies everywhere! Little houses with yards full of pretty flowers, farms with acres of green corn, houses built inside of trees, neat paved roads. Ponies pulling carts, ponies grazing, ponies talking, ponies everywhere. Not a Mobian in sight.

The hedgehog's flight carried him north, alongside a set of train tracks. Mountains rose above the trees, and he made for them with the idea of gaining some altitude for a look around. Then he rounded a bend and skidded to a halt.

A city was built on a cliff halfway up the nearest mountain spur. The buildings themselves covered the cliff and flared outward at each floor, giving the impression of weightlessness. The white walls and golden tower roofs sparkled in the morning sunlight.

It was beautiful and yet completely alien. Sonic raised both hands and let them fall. "Great. Just great. What are you doing to do now, hedgehog? You're stuck on ponyworld." He sat down on the embankment beside the train tracks and put his head in his hands. So that's what had happened when everything went all dark and weird-looking. Then the eyes, and the voice, and he'd run for his life-and suddenly it was raining-

"Hey, you down there!"

Sonic whipped his head back. "Oh man, they fly, too!"

A sky-blue pony circled overhead, feathery wings outstretched. An eight-colored tail streamed behind her like a rainbow comet. She inspected Sonic from a safe distance. "You won't attack me or anything, will you?"

Sonic stood up. "Not unless you plan to drop some road apples on me."

The pony laughed and shook her head. "Don't be gross! I'm coming down. Don't run away, okay?"

Sonic stood his ground and watched the blue pony dive to the ground and land in a canter. She jogged to a half a few steps away, folded her wings and stared at Sonic. Her mane, rainbow-striped, was an untidy mess that hung in her eyes. Not like the carefully-groomed purple and yellow ponies he'd seen earlier. "I'm Rainbow Dash," she said. "I saw you running. You're pretty fast."

"Yeah, so what?" said Sonic, kicking a rock. "I can't get back home. I'm stuck on this weird world, whatever it is. I don't even know how I got here."

"Well, it's no good standing out here talking about it," said Rainbow Dash. "How about we head back to Ponyville? If you wanted to run, it'd be all right with me. Run fast, I mean. Really fast."

Sonic heaved a sigh. "Fine, whatever. Lead the way."

The pony exploded off the ground in a blast of wings that flung dust in his face. Sonic shielded his eyes, and noted what direction she was headed. She was fast, but he didn't care. Sonic's competitive spirit had wilted inside of him, along with his hopes. He set out after her at a slow lope, just fast enough to keep the pony in sight.

Rainbow Dash slowed and circled, waiting for him. "Aw, come on!" she called down. "Don't you want to race?"

Sonic kept jogging and didn't answer. He just wanted to go home, not compete against some random pony for the sake of her ego.

They made their way back toward a little town of houses, shops and streets. A nice place to visit, but not so nice to be stranded for the rest of his life. Tails would have had a running commentary for everything they saw. He'd be itching to take apart their train and find out how it worked. Heck, he'd be busy formulating theories for how that unicorn's horn worked.

Outside of town rose the enormous tree with the library inside it. Sonic slowed to a toe-dragging walk. The blue pony landed and trotted beside him, swishing her tail in annoyance. "What's the matter with you? I couldn't catch you at first, then I can't even get you to run afterward!"

"I don't want to be here," said Sonic, spines drooping. "My friends won't know what's happened. They'll think I ran off and abandoned them. That's like the worst possible thing I could ever do, you know?"

Rainbow's head drooped a little and her ears flattened. "I hear you. Where are you from, anyway?"

"Mobius. I think it's another world. Anyway, it's not here."

They reached the tree house's front step. Rainbow pawed the door handle with a hoof, and it clicked open. "Hey, I found Sonic!"

Sonic stepped inside and faced a sea of multi-colored ponies. So many liquid, expressive eyes, so many brushed and styled manes, so many quadrupeds. He almost turned and fled, but steeled himself and stepped forward to meet them.

As it turned out, there were only three more ponies he hadn't met. Their names swirled by him in a bewildering stream-Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie-as well as Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash followed him inside, looking pleased with herself. "I ran him down all by myself. He's not that fast."

Sonic folded his arms and looked around at them all. "Hey girls. What, don't they make guy ponies?"

A nervous giggle rippled through the room. "Yes," said Twilight, "it's just that these are all my best friends. Anyway, I wanted you to tell us how you got here."

"Oh. Well." Sonic drew a deep breath. "Okay, I was just running down this one path through the Great Forest. I've been down it a million times. Tails had made some changes to the Tornado and wanted me to see 'em. I was about halfway to Knothole when all of a sudden the world went all dark. But not like night. Like everything went photo-negative. The sky was black, but the trees were white. I stopped, because I thought something was wrong with me. Like I was going to pass out or something. Then I heard this noise behind me, and here came this thing with yellow eyes behind me. I swear it was a dragon, kind of like him." Sonic pointed at Spike.

"Only bigger. So I ran like crazy. I broke the sound barrier, because I felt the drag, then it went with a bang, and suddenly it was raining. Then I lost control and crashed. That's all I remember."

"Wait," said Rainbow Dash. "You can break the sound barrier on foot?"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, duh. I do it all the time."

For half a second Rainbow gaped at him. Then she hoisted a smirk onto her face. "Well, I can do a sonic rainboom. Can you do a sonic rainboom?"

Sonic ignored her. "The thing was, the black light and the dragon were on my side of the world. It chased me through the gap or whatever. I didn't even have a chaos emerald, so I couldn't do anything about it."

"What's a chaos emerald?" asked the white pony with a curly purple mane. "It sounds absolutely gorgeous."

Sonic held up two fists pressed together. "They're gems about this big, and they're basically made of chaos energy. I use 'em to do all kinds of stuff, like teleport."

"So it's magic," said Twilight.

Sonic frowned. "No, it's chaos."

"Like the things Discord does? Making random things appear and all that?"

Sonic blinked. "I suppose it could, but it never does."

"Well," said an orange pony wearing a cowboy hat, "why don't y'all go back to where Sonic came through and have a look around? Might be something to give us a clue about what happened."

"Right," said Sonic.

"You go," said a pink pony with balloons tattooed on her rump. "I'm going to stay here and set up for a party. A Welcome to Ponyville Sonic party!"

"Uh, you don't have to-" Sonic began.

The pink pony zipped up to him and flung a foreleg around his neck. She smelled like cake frosting. "You're the first person ever to visit from another world, and I'm gonna show you how we party in Equestria! I hope you like cake!"

She released him and shot out the door like a pink, party-themed rocket. Sonic stared after her, bemused.

Twilight patted his shoulder with a hoof. "You'll get used to Pinkie Pie. She's very ... enthusiastic."

Sonic and the five ponies trooped out of Ponyville to the meadow where a magenta hot air balloon still floated a few feet from the ground, tethered with a rope and a cable. Just beyond it was the trench where Sonic had crashed.

Sonic whistled and walked along it. "I must have spindashed at the last second to do this. Defensive mechanism."

"What's a spindash?" said Rainbow Dash. "Is it fast?"

Sonic curled into a ball and rolled a few feet, then uncurled and stood up. "It's better when I build up some momentum first. But I get pretty dangerous at high speeds." He ran a hand through his stiff blue spines. "You ought to see what I do to robots." He jogged off in the opposite direction of the trench, and the ponies followed him.

They reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. Large trees had broken branches, and smaller trees had been snapped in half by the hedgehog's supersonic passage. Twilight measured the space between the broken stumps and the ground. "These are all broken at three point two inches from the ground. Were you flying or something?"

"At those speeds, yeah," said Sonic, picking his way along his damage path. "My chaos field lifts me off the ground a little and turns into a shield that keeps me from picking up bugs and stuff. Otherwise I'd kill myself."

"Chaos field?" said Twilight, hurrying to keep pace with him. "That's your magical aura, right?"

Sonic shrugged.

The damage path stretched three hundred feet in a straight line, as if a tornado had torn through the forest. Then it ended. Undamaged trees stood inches from broken limbs. It looked as if Sonic had appeared out of thin air.

Twilight's horn glowed yellow, and she bowed her head and swept the edge of the damage with magic. "There's something weird here. Look at this, everybody."

Ponies and hedgehog crowded around to see a long black line on the ground. It shimmered a little under Twilight's reveal spell, as if they saw it through a heat haze.

"What's that, a portal?" said Sonic. He reached out before anyone could stop him, and touched it.

Something screamed, an unearthly, howling wail. The black line burst out of the ground and became a ghostly dragon with glaring yellow-green eyes. Sonic sprang back, arms out to shield the ponies. Behind him, Twilight fired a bolt of magic at the dragon. It passed through the middle of its face, and the dragon dissolved into black mist.

"What was that thing?" said Sonic, dropping his arms.

"I don't know," murmured Twilight. "What did you girls think?"

"It was a dragon," said Fluttershy, cowering behind Rarity.

"A ghost dragon," said Applejack. "Does that mean it's dead?"

Rarity tossed her mane. "A ghost dragon can't hurt anyone. Scare them, yes." She tossed a pitying look over her shoulder at Fluttershy.

But Fluttershy stared off to the left, shivering. Wordless, she lifted a hoof and pointed.

Another ghost dragon stalked toward them, its body shimmering and solidifying as it moved. It was bigger than the other one, and saliva dripped from its lower jaw.

"Run!" Sonic yelled.

The ponies fled, but Sonic stood his ground, facing down the beast. It snarled, and Sonic snarled right back. "You brought me here," Sonic growled. "You're going to take me home."

The dragon crouched and its body became completely solid. Violet scales covered its body, and poison-green spikes lined its backbone. Its muscles bulged and its claws sank into the ground, preparing to spring.

Twilight appeared in a flash of light, wrapped a foreleg around Sonic's arm, and disappeared just as the dragon lunged, its jaws snapping where Sonic had been.