Spectrum

Okay, how about this; when I have nothing to say before the beginning of chapters, I'll just put in the disclaimer only.

DISCLAIMER: I don't like having to do this. BTW, didn't Sonic say something about this while back? Ah well, Sonic Tails belong to SEGA Sonic Team and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belong to Hasbro.


Chapter 11: Mischief, Thou Are A-Hoof

Sonic woke up to the tune of some uplifting music. He sat up and saw the sun rise slowly from the horizon and heard the waves broke against the beach. The scent of saltwater rushed into his nose so quickly, he could taste it. He felt the warm sand smoldering under his quills, almost encouraging him to jump up and start running. He did a kick-up and stretched out his legs before boosting off, tearing up the and underneath his soles. The music played continuously and Sonic had no idea who created it, or where it came from, but it made Sonic feel nothing short of invincible. He felt no different than he usually did; ready to face the day and knocking everything out of his way. Sonic ran so fast that he didn't notice another hedgehog joining him at his right side, running just as fast as he ran. When Sonic did look, he immediately noticed that the hedgehog looked exactly like him, color, shoes, and all. He gave Sonic a hopeful smile, which he returned and they both continued to run. Sonic's stamina could carry him for miles upon miles and he never grew tired and neither did the hedgehog running at his side. They both ran for an hour's length and stopped at the edge of a cliff. Sonic extended a hand to his mirror self.

"I guess you're Kibo. The name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog." Kibo smiled and shook the hedgehog's hand. The sun had broken the horizon and progressively drove away the clouds of the night.

"You're right, my master. I am Kibo. My name is actually a Japanese idiom for 'Hope' or 'Hopeful'. So naturally, I embody hope." He looked towards the rising sun. "I tend to look on the positive aspects of everything. The rising sun means that yesterday has ended, and today has begun. The wide stretch of land you and I just ran across means that there is much to be done and discovered. This entire area reminds me that even in the darkest of moments, there's always a light of hope. That doesn't mean I don't treat tragedy lightly, I'm not a sarcastic, inconsiderate jerk. The main difference between hope and optimism is this; hope comes in dark times, but optimism comes before dark times." He turned back to Sonic. "I'm guessing you already know why you can see me in my true color."

Sonic nodded. "I never let sad moments keep me down, and I never allow doubt in my heart. I haven't been open to any of the other emotions; not Joy, not Hatred, or Sadness. That's why they've appeared as grey doppelgangers of myself; I've never experienced those emotions. But I have experienced hope, even when the outcome has looked bleak. That's why I'm able to see you right now; that's why Lora said my heart was a greyish blue. I've experienced no other emotion except for hope…but I don't understand, I've definitely felt happy before, and sad, and I've felt hate before as well. Why can't I see Felix, Atol, or Lora in their colors?"

Kibo chuckled. "Well master, I-"

Sonic raised a hand. "Kibo, you don't have to call me 'master.' I don't see myself as anyone's master, and I have no master except the wind that flies freely. Just call me Sonic."

Kibo smiled. "Well then, Sonic. I have a Japanese name. That doesn't mean I know everything, but if you want my input, then for hate, you've never hated anyone enough to kill them, not even Eggman. You've never cried before in your life ever since learning how to harness the power of the Emeralds. As for the happiness and joy part, well, you'll just have to find out for yourself. Come, let me show why I embody Hope. It's actually based on your life experiences."

He sped back down from the cliff, with Sonic following him. They ran until they reached a city that literally looked like a tsunami had struck it. People worked to clean the debris off the streets, people fed starving families in several soup kitchens lined up in a street. Some even sang some songs.

Kibo put a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "This happened after you defeated Chaos, the Chao Guardian who had stripped the Emeralds of their negative energy, rendering them useless before you and your friends revitalized them with positive energy. After you left, the people of Station Square started a city-wide relief effort to get it up and running again. This is just a piece of what it looked like before. It took 3 whole months to get the city up and running again, but the people here never gave up hope. They believed that if you saved the city and potentially, the world, then the least they could do was repair the damage done by the grief-stricken guardian. You saved their city lots of times, and Tails saved the city, too. They decided that they weren't going to ask you for help that time. So they believed in their own ability and got back up and look at the city now." Kibo then showed Sonic the president and the citizens of what was previously Station Square, now turned into Empire City cutting the ribbon and cheering the opening of their new city.

Sonic looked on in pride. "So this is the true power of hope. Incredible."

Kibo nodded in agreement. "This is only the first part, my friend. Come, there's more to see." Kibo said, sprinting off with Sonic in tow. They returned to Station Square, where people looked up to the sky. There were two circles, blue and yellow attacking a giant red circle, coming towards Earth at a rapid speed. A small voice suddenly cried out in support.

"You can do it, Sonic!" This caused many of the surrounding people to look at her. She grew a bit nervous, but shook it off and continued to shout her support.

"I believe in you, Sonic! I always have and I always will! You can do it, Sonic! I know you can!" This caused another child to yell in support.

"She's right! You can beat that thing, Sonic!" A few more kids started shouting as well.

"Go, Sonic!"

"You're the best, Sonic!"

"We're counting on you, Sonic!"

"We're with you, Sonic!" Then a few adults smiled.

"Well, we're not just going to let a bunch of kids show us up, are we?" The adults started cheering and yelled their support as well.

"Go beat that monster, Sonic!"

"We're rooting for you, Sonic!"

"It's all you, Sonic!"

"Take him down, Sonic!"

"Go get 'em, Sonic!"

Sonic and Kibo stood in the middle of Station Square, watching as people started raising their fists to the sky and chanted Sonic's name. This made Sonic feel empowered and he felt his chest swell with euphoria. One even yelled out that he would give the hedgehog free chili dogs if he saved them all. This caused the blue circle to be still for a split second before it attacked the red circle with much more intensity and speed. Kibo turned to Sonic, chuckling. "Really, you didn't start attacking the Final Hazard seriously until you heard the words 'Free Chili Dogs?'"

Sonic scratched the back of his quills and laughed. "Well, what can I say? Motivate a guy with food and he can do anything, and I was attacking it seriously, just not as intensely as I was before the vendor said those three words. Anyway, I could hear and feel them, all of their hope and prayers; it made me feel stronger. Suddenly, Shadow started attacking just as furiously as I did when I heard those words. I guess Shadow heard Maria's voice encouraging him as well."

"Hope is a powerful thing, my friend. It can give you strength beyond that of the Chaos Emeralds. It can make even the largest obstacle seem small. It can push you to heights you never even knew you could reach. As long as you have hope, you'll never lose…not even if you die. Well, that's this memory. Would you like me to show you another moment of hope?"

Sonic shook his head. "As much as I would like that, Kibo, I'll have to decline for one reason and one reason only." Sonic could hear a distorted voice beckoning for him. "I'm waking up."

Kibo nodded. "I see. Well, I hope this meeting is our first, not our last, Sonic." Then Kibo and the city of Station Square faded to white.


"Wake up, Sonic! It's time for your free day!"

Sonic woke up after a baby dragon nudged him a bit. Spike's mood improved after he and the hedgehog talked last night. Sonic adopted Spike as his youngest brother, which meant Tails got to play the role as a big brother. Sonic sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before yawning into his hand. He offered a half-awake smile to Spike and rubbed his head.

"What's up, bud? Thanks for the wake-up caaaaaaaa-what smells so good?!" Spike smiled, he wanted to make sure Sonic knew that he had capabilities, that he could help Sonic as well as Tails. So to prove himself, he made breakfast: Pancakes, eggs, and toast. The scent of the food got Sonic downstairs immediately and he dug into what looked like the biggest plate. Sonic couldn't stop the blissful grin that stretched across his face. He turned to Spike, who had set a stack of breakfast items in the middle of the table. "Spike, this is delicious! Nobody told me you could cook!"

Spike smiled proudly. "Well, when you have an older sister who might as well be a perfectionist who doesn't have time to prepare food in the morning, you start to ask yourself 'What can I do to help?' In the end, cooking breakfast became second nature."

Sonic then noticed that it was quiet around the Golden Oak. "BTW, where are Tails and Twilight? This food's so good, I may end up eating it all before they have a chance!"

"Oh, don't worry. They already ate. As a matter of fact, they just left for the Royal Castle."

"Why, what's up?"

"Princess Celestia called for Twilight and Tails; it was very urgent apparently."

"They left without me? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Princess Celestia requested an audience with only big sis and big bro. In the letter, she told us not to tell you about it, considering today's your free day. Also, she's forbidden you from stepping as much as a foot on the castle grounds. Twilight wrote back that you wouldn't take that very well, but then she reminded us that you have a race tomorrow. A lot of ponies, and some other races from Appleloosa, Canterlot, Cloudsdale, the Crystal Empire, Dodge Junction, Manehattan, and Ponyville are going to be there to watch the speed demons compete for the title of 'Fastest Thing in Equestria' and you as well as Rainbow Dash need to be 100% up here," Spike pointed to his head. "As well as down there," Spike pointed to his feet. "You can understand, right?"

Sonic didn't like it when people kept him in the dark. But the Princess of a country does have the best intentions for her people and at the moment, Sonic was one of her people and he had to obey her rules. "Yeah, I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. After all, I don't want to have an excuse tomorrow and I know Rainbow Dash won't tolerate excuses. I can tell she's that kind of mare."

Spike nodded, setting out some more breakfast items for the hedgehog, causing the hedgehog to dig right back in. "Believe me, she is. Rainbow Dash really hates excuses, especially when she has one for losing. She sees excuses as handicaps; they prevent you from doing your absolute best. She'll be pissed if she has one for losing, and she'll be pissed if you have one for losing." He sighed for a moment, then gave Sonic a serious look. "Sonic, listen to me because what I'm about to tell you is important." The hedgehog nodded putting down his fork and knife

"How important?"

"Right now, Rainbow Dash, considers you a friend. A friend with a rivalry, but a friend nonetheless. So listen carefully, because if you go against this rule, it could mean the end of your friendship with her." Sonic nodded, narrowing his eyes seriously

"Whatever happens tomorrow, under no circumstances, and I mean NO circumstances…"

Sonic's eyes widened, then narrowed.


Scootaloo sat up in a tree, eyeing the Golden Oak closely. Today, she would make sure the hedgehog couldn't even make it to the race…and what better way to prevent a bozo from showing up than a little bit of mischief? As soon as the door opened, Scootaloo turned on her walkie-talkie. "Butterfly to Red Heart. Come in, Red Heart, over."

"Butterfly, this is Red Heart. Go ahead, over."

"Target sighted, currently leaving the Safe Zone, en route to your location. Prepare Trap #1, Honey Glazed."

Applebloom emerged from the bushes, dressed in camo and black face paint. She quickly buried a button under the dirt and hid in the bushes again. The plan had many complexities but it seemed foolproof. Applebloom liked how well she wrote out the plan, but she would have preferred it if it didn't all lead to the hedgehog getting hurt. Apple Bloom couldn't quite place a hoof on it, but something about Sonic made her not want to see him get hurt.

"Red Heart, this is Butterfly. Requesting status on Ambush, over."

"Honey Glazed Trap is set. Everything's a go, over."

"Excellent, make yourself scarce and notify me when the hedgehog has reached your position."

"10-4. Will do."

Apple Bloom then turned off her walkie-talkie. She hid back in the bushes and waited for the hedgehog to come racing by like he normally does, that cool smirk on his face, his arms at his sides, not holding back, and those long legs of his that seemed to look like blurs in comparison. She started daydreaming about how when she and Sweetie Belle got bullied at school for not having Cutie Marks then Sonic comes running in out of nowhere, telling them to get lost. She blushed at the thought of the hedgehog running past, casting that confident smirk of his her way.

"He's just so…so cool."

"And awesome."

"Totally awesome."

"And the fastest thing alive."

"I honestly don't think Rainbow Dash can catch him. I mean, she's the fastest flier but-wait a minute." She turned around and there stood said hedgehog, a warm, intrigued smile on his face. "H-H-Hello, M-M-Mr. Sonic. W-w-what are you doing here?!" Sonic held up his hands in self defense.

"Whoa, easy, Bloomie! You're acting like I caught you sticking your hoof in the cookie jar. I just decided to head to the royal castle to talk with Twi and my brother. What are you doing here?"

"Well I…" Sonic then zipped around the obvious trapping spots, inspecting it as if he were about to the test the path he was running on.

"And why does this look like a set up in which I would run fast right by here, then once I ran across that freshly dug terrain, it would reveal some sort of platform which would make me run extra fast until I reached a trap about…let's say…three miles away. I would have to stop short and just when he stopped short, his foot would get caught by a rope and he would dangle above the trap in which would reveal a less dangerous trap, probably… something… sweet. Then someone would throw a razor blade at the rope, cutting it and leaving me to plummet into the pool. Then the razor blade would somehow come back like a boomerang and hit a beehive that conveniently existed a few steps away from the honey pool. Then the livid bees would come after the first thing they saw, namely me, and relentless attack me with their stingers?"

EXPOSED!

Applebloom's eyes darted around, looking around for any excuse. She hadn't thought that the hedgehog's brain moved as quickly as his feet. He had completely figured out the plan before it had been executed! Now what was she to do? Her mind settled on a science project for school, but just when the words were going to come out of her mouth, she then found herself inches away from the hedgehog's face. Progressively, her face started to fill with red.

"Also… what's with the face paint? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were leading me into a trap."

"I… I… well… um… that is… to say… I…" The very next sound made Apple Bloom jump high into the air, losing her walkie-talkie, which fell into Sonic's hand.

"Butterfly to Red Heart, come in, Red Heart, over." A pause. "Red Heart, do you read me?" Another pause. "Forget it, I'm coming over there."

The good news for Applebloom, the ambush worked to perfection. Unfortunately for her, she was the test subject the moment she landed right on the button and sped off fastest than she believed she could go, all while trying to put the brakes on her hoofs, which didn't work until she reached the multi-layered spike panel after 3 miles of uncontrollable speed. Then her hoof got caught in the rope and she started dangling over the spike panel! Sonic had caught up to Applebloom who tried to swing herself away from the spike strip.

"Help me, Mr. Sonic! Help!"

"Don't worry, Bloomie! I'll get you down from there as soon as I can!" He ran up the tree with the branch that the rope clung to and pulled up Applebloom, saving her from danger. She turned to Sonic with a grateful expression.

"You alright, Bloomie?"

"Yes…I'm fine…Thank you."

"That was dangerous what happened back there. Dangerous and unnecessary. You could've been hurt, or worse!" Sonic scolded.

"I know. I'm sorry, it's just, well… Scoots-"

She never had a chance to finish because the branch that they sat on gave way and to make matters worse, they sat right in the vertical zone of the spike strip! Sonic thought quickly and pushed Apple Bloom to the side, leaving him to nosedive into the spikes below. Apple Bloom collected herself and looked around for the trap button. She found the freshly dug terrain and pressed the button, opening the honey pool where Sonic fell in with a splash. He jumped up, grabbing the ledge of the path that the pool had been laid in between. He shook himself off a bit and put a gloved finger in his mouth.

"Honey? Well, that makes the trap a lot less dangerous… and much sweeter and… what sounds like a bunch of ticked off bees?"

Sonic turned around and saw… a bunch of ticked off bees, stingers out and ready to sting! Sonic looked over and saw the beehive laying at the bottom of the tree and the bees started swarming towards Sonic. Sonic buried his head in his arms and crouched low, awaiting the imminent stingers… except as soon as they surrounded him, they stopped. As a matter of fact, some of the bees had hearts in their eyes and made a buzzing sound eerily similar to cooing. Sonic looked at his arms and groaned. "Well, at least it's not water… wait… I thought there could only be one female bee." Some of the bees started scraping the honey off of Sonic, while some just flew around him, buzz-cooing.

"These lil' things are honeybees, Mr. Sonic. They're both male and female, except the gals make up more of the population. If you were a bee, I'm pretty sure they'd like it if you… well…"

"Oh." Sonic spoke. Apparently bees had urges, too. "So tell me, Applebloom, what's this all about?"

"Scoots still doesn't trust you, Mr. Sonic. She thinks that you're going to end up destroying Equestria or bringing something to Equestria with intentions to destroy it. Sweetie Belle and I have tried over and over and over again to convince Scootaloo that she got you figured out wrong, but that filly's more stubborn than a crab in a fish market. What's more, Rainbow Dash called her and told her that she should make sure that you can't even make it to the race. Me and Sweetie, well… we like you, we do, but"

"Scootaloo's been your friend for quite some time and you've stuck with her throughout all this because of CMC solidarity, right?"

Applebloom blushed. "Yeah, even though she could take this vendetta against you way too far, I think we can help her realize you ain't that bad. But it's strange, why would Rainbow Dash call Scootaloo and ask her to help her cheat, it's so… unlike her." At that point, said filly emerged from the spot, miffed that Applebloom had failed, so she had half a mind to yell at the earthpony.

"APPLEBLOOM! What are you doing, fraternizing with the target-oof!"

Scootaloo exposed herself and tripped over a rock, falling flat on her face. She got up, ticked that such a thing made her fall and she kicked the rock with her hoof… right at the beehive! The bees then emerged from the hive and turned to Scootaloo, evil intentions in their eyes. This made Scootaloo back up a bit. "Um… hehehe… nice bees… nice, calm, not angry bees…" Scootaloo then turned tail and ran down the path screaming, hoping not to get stung by the bees.

Poor Scootaloo.


Knuckles and the group fell into a dimension where pirates fought sailors and their Fleet Admirals, some of which had powers and some didn't. Right now, they stood on a random pirate ship, knocking back cannonballs that flew at such a high velocity, it nearly surprised them that they hadn't gone down yet. Some of the marines barked order after order at their men, intent on sinking the ship.

"FIRE!"

"SINK THEM!"

"DIE, YOU MISERABLE PIRATES!"

"STAY ON THEM, MEN!"

"WHERE IN THE NAME OF CHAOS ARE WE?!" Roared Shadow who dodged another cannonball.

"I don't know, just don't get hit by them or you'll either fall into the drink, die, or both!" Yelled Knuckles who used his fists to drive another cannonball back into the marine ship.

"Thanks, Knucklehead, anyone could've thought of that!" Yelled Rogue as she kicked another cannonball into the marine ship.

"Isn't there anything we can do to get out of here?!" Yelled Silver as she used his psychokinesis to stop 5 cannonballs that would have definitely sunk this ship and fired the right back with the same level of velocity.

"Besides fighting, Silver? I don't think so!" Blaze yelled as she nimbly dodged three cannonballs before joining Silver on the deck. "Can't you get us out of here, Knuckles?!"

"I'd love to, but these flying cannonballs intent on sinking this ship are very distracting!" Knuckles roared back. "Shadow, you can use Chaos Control without the Emeralds, can't you? You're practically made of Chaos Energy!"

"If I could, do you think we'd be in this mess right now?!" Shadow roared back, knocking back another cannonball. "My latent Chaos Energy can only give the powers to use Blast and Warp Control. I need an Emerald to… wait."

Shadow's eyes widened in realization as did the others when they realized it as well. Then everyone turned to Shadow with anger in their eyes.

"Don't you dare say a word," Shadow whispered as he took the Master Emerald from a snickering Knuckles. "Once I get my hands on that hedgehog, he'll prefer what the girl will do to him instead of me!"


"This-OW! Is Butterfly to Dazzling Heart. OW! Come in, Dazzling Heart, over."

"Butterfly, this is Dazzling Heart. Go ahead, over."

"Trap #1-OW! Compromised. Target has taken-OW! Red Heart captive and is en route-OW! To your location. Prepare-OW! Trap #2; Chicken Butt."

Sweetie Belle emerged this time, wearing a filly outfitted latex suit that covered everything but her eyes and mouth. Like Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle had dug a hole and filled it with boiling tar. She covered it with the freshly dug dirt and covered the section with leaves and twigs. She retreated into the bushes and turned on her walkie-talkie again.

"Dazzling Heart to Butterfly. Chicken Butt Trap ready, over."

"10-4-OW! Stand by and OW! Await further orders, over."

Sweetie Belle could tell by the amount of pain Scootaloo emitted in her cries that Honey Trap did not go well at all. If she had to guess, Applebloom probably triggered the trap herself and Sonic had to save her. But she did feel bad for Scootaloo, all this pain and she only wanted a villainous hedgehog. Then again, someone like Sonic could never be evil.

"He has a good heart. He's too kind to be evil."

"He's pretty cool, too."

"Way past cool."

"He's a bit…well…handsome."

"Oh my goodness, when he looked at me with those eyes, I felt-hold on." Sweetie Belle turned around and saw the hedgehog standing with Apple Bloom, whose mane had flown backward from the wind. "Mr. Sonic! Applebloom! Why are you two here?"

"Well, Applebloom here gave up Scootaloo after I saved her from the 'Honey Trap' that was meant for me. Let me think… I would sprint right through here, not even thinking about the cluster of branches, twigs, and leaves. Unfortunately for me, though, if I ran through, I'd trip over an thin wire and end up falling into a tar pit-no… wait, a boiling tar pit and then there would be a rope hanging from a tree branch then I would pull it and bring myself up to land, then I would be shaking uncontrollably, trying to dull the excruciating heat and then out of nowhere I would be doused from head to toe in chicken feathers. The adhesive effects would only last until the end of tomorrow though. Did I get that right?"

EXPOSED!

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at Sonic, impressed at his knowledge of the trap before it even happened. "How?"

"Baldy McNosehair did it all the time back in the day, back when he was still a threat. I'd say he's still a threat now considering how much he's grown but his attacks on me started off with traps such as these ones. They caught me off guard at first. As a matter of fact, I even fell for some of them. But I did fall for that one trap when he drained the Positive Chaos Energy from me and used it to shoot a beam of Negative Chaos Energy into the planet, awakening Dark Gaia. Since then, he hasn't made a fool out of me at any time… why do I feel like I'm telling the same story over and over?"

"Well, maybe you told them to our big sisters and their friends, but we hadn't met you until then. Never mind that, we were actually wondering why Rainbow Dash would ask Scoots to help her cheat. Rainbow Dash loves winning, yes, but wouldn't it be much more gratifying if she won in an indisputable fashion?" Sweetie Belle pondered, rubbing her hoof on her chin. Then a sudden realization hit her. "What if it wasn't Rainbow Dash who called Scootaloo? Maybe it was someone who wants to see her hurt. Maybe Gilda the Griffon, she's a real nasty one."

Applebloom nodded, then offered her idea. "Maybe it was those three plot-heads, Hoops, Score, and Dumbbell. They were pretty bitter after losing that race against Rainbow Dash quite some time ago. But why would they do that Scootaloo? If they wanted to sabotage the race to her disadvantage, why help Rainbow Dash win by cheating?"

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Scootaloo had caught up to them after escaping the swarm of angry bees, though some left quite a 'stinging' impression, and listened to the conversation right after Sonic had exposed the trap. "WHY WOULD MY BIG SISTER EVER CHEAT TO WIN, SHE DOESN'T NEED TO! SHE'S TOO AWESOME TO CHEAT! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WASN'T HER ON THE PHONE?!"

"Just think about it for a sec, Scoots. Rainbow Dash hates excuses, doesn't she? If there's any sort of foul play, whether favoring her or not, she won't count it as a victory or defeat."

"The only foul play that would occur is this bozo!" Scootaloo screamed, pointing at Sonic who had his hands up in self defense. "You're up to something; I know it! I can't prove it right now, but one way or another, you will bring disaster onto this world, you… you... you…"

"Well, now you're just being paranoid."

"ARGH, YOU… YOU…!" Scootaloo lunged at the hedgehog who merely sidestepped out of the way, leaving her to fall onto the ground directly above the tar pit! She fell through and after a few seconds, emerged from the tar pit, screaming in pain!

"IT BURNS, IT BURNS! SWEET MOTHER OF CELESTIA, IT BURNS!" She saw a rope above her and used it to pull herself out… only to get air bombed by several feathers from above, making her look exactly like a chicken with an equine body. She turned to Sonic, trembling in embarrassment and anger.

"Let me tell you this right now, you little troll. The day will come where you shall be beaten within an inch and I will watch with a blissful smile on my face as you get what you deserve. This I vow, with all my heart!" She growled before turning around and walking away, leaving Sonic, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom dumbfounded.

Poor Scootaloo.


"Prophecy?" Tails repeated. Tails and Twilight received a letter from Princesses Celestia and Luna, requesting their presence. The princesses believed that the time had come to tell the two young geniuses of the prophecy that they had read about after meeting the two Mobians for the first time. Tails knew that this wouldn't surprise Sonic, considering he had practically rewritten history, but for them to have a place in Equestrian legend? It made him think their arrival to Equestria had created a butterfly effect and threw them into something bigger than they expected.

"Indeed, Mr. Prower. Sonic the Hedgehog bears a striking resemblance to the 'Warrior who combines them all' and since you are his brother, it would stand to reason that you are 'His next of kin.'" Princess Celestia used her magic to give the book to Tails and Twilight. They saw a bit of literature and several pictures to going along with the description.

Darkness will come on the last gasp of the season, many will perish without reason

There are septa butlers, malevolent in name, dark with the unruly, light with the tame

They will meet six maids, then they will fight, to prove the strength of day vs night

Until one warrior combines them all, to create a weapon on which evil will fall

The warrior flies with the spirit of wind, He will combat the dark one with his next of kin

The butlers and maids joint will form a sword, and banish the darkness forevermore.

Next to the literature, Tails saw two figures. The first figure had white fur, spikes and powerful red eyes full of determination and passion. 13 differently colored lights circled him like an atom. He also had a blue ring on his chest. Tails saw a figure next to him, that looked like him only with brown goggles with orange lenses, a brown work belt with a shoulder strap and white sports tape around his feet and ankles. This one had a yellow wrench on his chest. They both stood facing a dark cloud with demonically narrowed eyes. Then the figures joined hands and charged into the cloud, then white streaks emitted from the cloud and then a bright blinding light enveloped the pages before cutting to a rejoicing city.

"So… Sonic and I are part of a prophecy? But if this prophecy comes to fruition, so many of Equestria's citizens will perish. Wouldn't it be better if Sonic and I left before this disaster has a chance to occur?" Then Princess Luna spoke.

"That would be a likely solution, Mr. Prower, except I'm afraid that you and Sonic have stayed in Ponyville at least 6 days now. If we let you, it would stand to reason that this propesized 'darkness' would tear through Ponyville and everypony in it. I know I can't understand your frustration at staying here longer than you would like but Mr. Prower, I fear that my sister and I alone will not defeat this darkness."

Tails put his chin in the space between his index finger and thumb and thought to himself for a bit. The others will arrive in Equestria any day and as soon as Shadow retrieves the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic, he'd probably go right back to Mobius…probably after beating Sonic. But Sonic and Tails couldn't leave now that they had a place in Equestria history to fulfill. Then again, maybe they didn't need the Chaos Emeralds to defeat this coming darkness… maybe…

"Well, what about the Elements of Harmony, Princess? If we can't use the Chaos Emeralds, perhaps the Elements will help us."

Twilight shook her head, speaking up. "The Elements of Harmony aren't to be used freely, Tails. We only call upon the Elements as an absolute zero measure; a last resort. But, maybe your friends could help us, Tails. They did help you and Sonic when you faced 'Metal Overlord', as you called him."

"Maybe you're right, Twilight. But then again, some of them can be a bit… odd… unruly…arrogant, especially arrogant. It seems to be a common trait in most of the guys."

Twilight sighed and gave Tails a sympathetic look. "I know where you're coming from. Then again, if Rainbow Dash wasn't arrogant, she wouldn't be '20% cooler' than the rest of us. Then there's Rarity, she's generous, nearly to a fault but she can be sort of… vain."

Tails threw his arms in the air in triumph. "No kidding! One of our friends-well, allies, Rouge has such an affinity with gems that she makes a sworn enemy out of anyone who takes them away from her! Once time, she nearly strangled Knuckles to death after he broke the Master Emerald!" They both shared a laugh. Princess Celestia watched with interest; before today Twilight rarely gave herself time to be relaxed and here she was, laughing with a time-traveler who seemed to bear much in common with her. She smiled.

"Well then, Twilight, Mr. Prower, I ask that you inform Sonic and his friends of this when they are all present. But you must deal with their reactions on your own; I do trust they'll be much more inclined to listen to your reasoning, rather than our own."

"Yes, you majesty, but…won't that mean I'll have to lie for them to stay?"

"I'd call it 'creating an excuse' but if it comes to it, then by all means, stretch the truth as far as you can." She turned to Twilight. "Twilight, you'll need to tell the other 5 about this tomorrow after the race, understood?"

"Yes, your majesty."


"Aw yeah! This is happening!" Sonic yelled as he looked around, admiring the giant stadium surrounding him. It was 189 meters long, 156 meters wide, and 48 meters tall. If it didn't have such a heavenly feel to it, he would have called it the Roman Colosseum. He saw the rafters and the many entrances into and out of the Colosseum. He looked up to the sky and saw a huge-HUGE Television set on the top of the rafters. Sonic couldn't wait; so many ponies buzzing in excitement, the confetti flying at the end, the intensity throughout the whole race, just thinking about made the blue blur do backflips. Above the sky Rainbow Dash flew around monitoring the amount of seats in the rafters and registering the different voices that would echo through the arena as they watched her and Sonic race. Speaking of which, Sonic's yell got her attention.

"How did Sonic get up here? I thought only my kind could walk on clouds." The cocky smirk struck again. "Let's go say hi." She said, shooting down towards the colosseum.

"If Tails hadn't given me air boosters for my sneaks, I'd definitely feel overwhelmed tomorrow. This place screams 'EPIC!' I wonder if Rainbow Dash comes here often. Now that I mention it, Twilight did explain Rainbow Dash's cutie mark origin." The hedgehog smirked. "So this is where she created a 'Sonic Rainboom' as she calls it. She probably leaves a set of those unintentionally as she flies by." Suddenly, a loud boom made a Sonic's feet leave the ground for 2 inches. Sonic looked up, the smirk never leaving his face.

"More often than not, Blue!" Came a voice from the sky as a burning streak of rainbow emitted from a cyan mare landing right in front of the hedgehog, cocky smile meeting cocky smile. "You're right, that was a Sonic Rainboom, my signature move. Just one of many I plan to leave in my wake when I dust you tomorrow!"

"Well, you certainly seem sure of yourself. I wouldn't necessarily count out your opponent simply because you're fastest on your home turf. As for me, I've never had home-field advantage, so this will be nothing new for me."

"So, you're a road warrior?"

"Hey, even without wings, I can still fly!"

"Yeah about that…how'd you manage to get up here, anyway?"

"Air boosters." Sonic chirped, clicking his heels together. "I love my little brother." A flame emitted from his sneakers and he flew into the air, performing backflips, frontflips, basically repeating all the stuff he did in the 500 feet freefall to Equestria ground, only this time, he emitted a golden streak while doing the stunts. After a full minute of tricks, he flew down to Rainbow Dash, who looked stunned. "It's pretty handy, but technology has nothing on natural ability."

"Well, well, well, look what we've got here! Two speed demons getting real chummy, what are the odds?" Sonic and Rainbow Dash looked up and saw two female Pegasi and one male Pegasus. Sonic kept a curious look on his face while Rainbow Dash fidgeted a bit. They landed in front of the two speed demons, one of which nearly yelled in excitement. The pony on the right had moderate emerald green eyes, a dark grayish phthalocyanine blue mane, and a very pale cornflower blue coat. The pony on the left had brilliant fuchsia eyes, a light gray mane, and a light arctic blue coat. The pony in the middle had brilliant orange eyes, a light brilliant orange mane with light brilliant amber stripes, and a light brilliant gold coat. "Well, Rainbow Dash, it certainly is good to see you again."

"Likewise, Ms. Spitfire, ma'am!" Rainbow Dash replied rather enthusiastically. "So, um, what are you doing here-I mean, to what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?"

"Two things. One, stop acting so mare-ish, you honestly think I'm going to eat you alive at the first wrong thing you say? Calm down, Rainbow." Instantly, Rainbow Dash let out a breath she didn't know she had held. "Second, you're the guy that caused quite a stir a few days ago, aren't you?"

Sonic smirked and did a backflip before striking one of his endless poses. "I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog! And you are?"

"Spitfire. Captain Spitfire. The stallion on the right is Soarin. The mare on my left is Fleetfoot. They're part of the Wonderbolts, a squad of Pegasus ponies who perform aerial acrobatics and demonstrations from time to time for the ponies of Equestria. I'm their captain. Rainbow Dash actually joined our academy for a stint, but she ended her tenure on mutual terms. You know, Rainbow, the door hasn't closed yet. You could come back, if you're up for it, that is."

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thanks Ms. Spitfire, but I'll rejoin when I'm ready. Of course, maybe Sonic here could see what it's like to be a Wonderbolt. He certainly has the speed and from what I hear, he can fly, too." This caused Spitfire to inspect him up and down. Sonic just stood still, not sure what to do in that situation.

"Hmm. I saw your little stunt earlier, and you definitely have the build of a Wonderbolt…for a non-pony anyway, but we'll see. The race tomorrow will determine if you've got what it takes to join our ranks." I kind of like that name, Sonic. Sonic the Wonderbolt. Now that has a nice ring to it. "Well, I'll be going now. Good to meet you, Sonic the Hedgehog. Good to see you, Rainbow Dash." Then she and the other two flew up and out of the Colloseum, leaving Sonic and Rainbow Dash alone.

"They seem nice."

"Please, you should see her in drill practice. You won't even recognize her. But another note, Blue, I have a request…can you promise me something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I need you to…"

Sonic's eyes widened, then narrowed.


Definitely running out of ideas.

Going to say it right now, I like using the "Don't Trust Sonic" Scootaloo, but I'm not going to be heavy on the Scootabuse. Scoots kind of reminds me of Videl at the beginning, but that's something totally different altogether… I didn't see her fight but I saw some thumbnails of what happened and I nearly vomited. Sorry Megami, no heavy Scootabuse.

As I said, I'm going to make Sonic so cheesy, you more than likely won't like him, or this story for that matter. I didn't even know you could un-favorite a story. Oh well, can't please 'em all.

Next week, it's race week! What do you think Rainbow Dash and Spike asked Sonic not to do during the race?

See you in that week… at least about around a week.

Oh. BTW...Not Dead.