Westopolis, Sonic's world
Screams. Roars. Sirens. Weapons fire. Those sounds echoed for blocks and blocks all throughout the city. Strange monsters rampaged through Westopolis, causing all sorts of mayhem and destruction. The Guardian Units of Nations fought back with all kinds of weaponry… but the beasts were undeterred.
Among the chaos, a boy sought shelter behind an overturned car. His head was hung low and his breathing was frantic. He didn't dare open his eyes, lest he glimpse at the carnage around him. The only thing that made them shoot open was the sound of crunching metal.
A half-bear, half-bug abomination crawled on top of the car, eying the petrified and frightened child. The human opened his mouth to scream, only for no sound to come out. He could only crawl away and whimper in horror. The creature bared its teeth, shoved the car away with one of its four muscular arms. A pair of insect-like wings lifted it into the air, its stinger ready to run the boy through.
The child winced and squeezed his eyes shut. Nervous drops of sweat ran down his face and his heart wildly pounded. He waited for the inevitable to come… until his ears were filled with a loud BAM!
The strange monster howled and collapsed to the ground. Its attacker landed on two feet and immediately turned a pair of jade eyes to the human child. "Hey, kid! You hurt?"
The boy was again speechless… but this time, for a different reason. Through the smoke of small fires, a spiny figure with gloves and shoes stood in front of the downed monster. The boy had to blink; was he seeing what he thought he was seeing?
"Y...you…" he finally managed to utter. "S-Sonic…?"
The blue hedgehog smirked. "The one and only."
The boy snapped to his senses. "Y-you're Sonic!" he shouted, the fear in his voice now utterly vanished. "You're THE Sonic!" He pointed at the hedgehog with a shaky finger, which the hero returned with a smile. "Yep. Good to know I haven't been away too long."
"W-wow! It… it's such an honor!"
"The honor's mine, kiddo," Sonic replied, patting the boy on the head. "You get somewhere safe, little guy. There's a party I'm late for!" And in a blue flash, he was gone, leaving the boy to stare at nothing but the dust. He turned around and ran, now with a smile on his face and no fear left in him.
"Sonic saved me…" he whispered. "Sonic saved me!"
Down the street, Sonic blazed across the road and weaved around destroyed vehicles. He boosted into small monsters, sending them flying into the air as they screeched. The hedgehog launched himself off an overturned car and spun into a ball, smashing against more beasts as if they were bowling pins.
All the while, his ears heard the sweet, sweet sound of relieved- and stunned- citizens that had failed to evacuate.
"Is that-?"
"It's him! He's here!"
"Sonic's here! We're saved!"
"Keep your heads down, folks!" shouted the Blue Blur as he hit the ground running. "The exterminator's here!" He turned down a wide corner and ran full-speed towards a G.U.N. blockade: one that the monsters were on the verge of breaching. Soldiers unloaded clip after clip of their assault rifles onto the monsters and tanks fired off explosive rounds, but the monsters were gaining ground.
Sonic blasted through the blockade and charged into the horde, earning a roar of surprise from the creatures and gasps from the soldiers. In a blue whirlwind, he spun and slammed against the howling monsters that swatted at him as if he was a mosquito. He bashed a bugbear on the head, plowed through a Timberwolf front-to-back, and punted away a Pukwudgie like a soccer ball.
In less than ten seconds, the horde collapsed to the street in a defeated heap. Sonic touched down with a proud pose, and his ear twitched when a voice from one of the soldiers got his attention.
"Commander Tower, do you read?! We have a Code Blue! I repeat, Code Blue!"
"Notify the other squads, immediately! Code Blue!"
"Sonic!" one of them gasped. "Man, are we glad to see you! Where have you been?!"
The hedgehog pointed to the rifts high above the city. "That's kind of a long story; one that I can't get into right now. Where can I-?"
One of the soldiers' radios crackled with an incoming message. "Is there anyone out there?! This is the evac convoy heading eastbound on Naka Street! We're being surrounded! They… they're not giving up! Does anyone copy?!"
"That's my cue! Gotta go!" Sonic shouted, blasting off towards the aforementioned street. Immediately after his departure, the soldier took the radio in his hand and spoke into it. "Convoy, standby. Help is on the way. Be advised, we have a Code Blue. I repeat, Code Blue."
"Wasp Troop, say again! Did… did you say Code Blue?!"
Sonic boosted down block after block, shooting through intersections and avoiding cars monsters threw like boulders. He raced between the legs of a chimera, sliding under a swiping claw. He kept his eyes peeled as he raced through the city, watching for the convoy the transmission spoke of…
HONK-HONK! Just past a burning building, a large transport truck surrounded by small jeeps had stopped dead in its tracks. A crocodile made of rocks was climbing onto the grill, the driver desperately shooting at it with a sidearm. A cross between a chicken and a snake was attacking its jeep escorts, managing to flip one over onto its roof. A giant one-eyed beast with a goat's head was pounding at the truck's trailer, roaring all the while as screams came from inside.
With narrowed eyes, Sonic raced towards the evac convoy as fast as he could. He screamed for the monsters like a heat-seeking missile, the beasts unaware of his presence until he was right on top of them. In a cobalt flash, Sonic slammed and ricocheted off the startled creatures. Heads spun as noises of surprises left their throats, but the monsters were too late to react. While the blue ball downed them in several strong hits, all they could do was roar, howl in pain, and swipe at the sphere in frustration.
"Yo!" Sonic shouted to the truck's driver. "You might wanna floor it before more of those freakshows pop up!"
"Sonic?!" gasped the man behind the wheel. "When did you-?! Where…?"
"All that matters now is that I'm here, right? Get these folks outta here! I'll handle pest control!"
"You heard the hedgehog! Let's go!" yelled the man in the passenger seat. The truck lurched forward with a rumble in its engine, rolling down the road and gradually picking up speed. The still-moving jeeps drove after it, assembling into a defensive formation. Sonic didn't stick around to watch them leave; he had business to take care of!
Sonic sped down street after street, blasting through any monster he laid eyes on. Small ones were sent sailing through the air like robots he would run headfirst into, and big ones were left crippled and toppled after precise Homing Attacks. As he continued his city-wide cleanup, he couldn't help but smile at the sound of something he cherished: shocked-yet-delighted gasps of helpless citizens witnessing the speedy blue hero race by.
It was official. Sonic had been away for far too long.
Something glinted in the corner of the hedgehog's eye, prompting him to sharply turn and stop at a building. Near a pile of sticks that was once a timberwolf, Sonic noticed something sharp and metallic embedded within the concrete surface of a support pillar. Grabbing it by the handle, he pulled it out effortlessly and examined it in his hands.
"Hey… this looks like…"
"You're never gonna get me! You're never gonna get me! Pbbbt!"
The childish rambling faded into laughter before it was followed by the sounds of more snarling. Sonic tossed the kunai over his shoulder and stretched himself out. "So the good detectives have gotten themselves mixed up in this mess, too, huh? Vec must be seriously asking why he agreed to this job… whatever that is."
SHOOM! He rocketed down the road, leaving dust to rise into the air behind him. He roared through the street as a comet of blue light and neared a significant amount of monsters circling around something. They were closing in on whatever prey they were surrounding, poised to strike.
With a loud whoosh, Sonic zoomed around the beasts in a blue whirlwind, blowing away the smaller ones and driving the larger ones away with a howl. He sprang from his miniature tornado and bashed each of them in the head. They collapsed to the road in a series of thuds before he touched down in front of the creatures' victims: three anthropomorphic animals and a group of small ponies.
"Thought you could use a hand here!" Sonic said with a coy wink. The ponies were stunned and in sheer awe at the hedgehog's capabilities while a green crocodile just rolled his eyes. "What is it with you and dramatic timing?" mumbled Vector.
Sonic shrugged. "I guess I just have that certain effect on people."
"Yay!" cheered Charmy. "Sonic's back!"
"We are escorting these creatures out of the city," Espio explained, gesturing to the murmuring ponies. "We wish to deliver them to the city on South Island, where they will have refuge until they can return home."
"The city on South Island?" Sonic repeated. "You mean the one with the big red bridge? Yeah, I've heard of that place. It's said to be still under construction, though…"
"Speaking of bridges, can we cross it when we get there?" Vector cut in. "We need to get the heck outta here! Now!"
Sonic tapped his foot against the pavement in thought. "Well, it doesn't seem like Charmy or any of the winged ponies can get you out that fast…"
"This one can't fly," Charmy quickly blurted, pointing to one of the ponies. "Hey!" came her offended reply. "That- that doesn't mean I'm helpless!"
"I got it," Sonic spoke up with a snap of his fingers. "Charmy, airlift the Chaotix outta here. I'll handle the kids!"
"Roger that!" Charmy hovered above the street while Espio jumped off Vector's outstretched hands, grabbing onto Charmy's feet. The croc hopped up and seized Espio's ankles, allowing Charmy to rise into the air and buzz towards the city's edge. Once the Chaotix were gone, Sonic looked around the street for anything useful…
He saw a tipped-over wagon lying on the sidewalk, which caused his eyes to light up. Rushing over to the object, he positioned it right-side-up and wheeled it over to the ponies. "Hop on, kids! You're in for quite a ride!" One by one, the fillies jumped into the wagon, but the winged one Charmy had pointed at earlier was staring at Sonic with awe.
"You are so cool…" she whispered before climbing into the wagon.
"Yeah, yeah, I get that a lot," Sonic chuckled. "Now, let's juice this joint!"
Grabbing the wagon's handle, Sonic broke into a light jog and ran until he reached a speed equal to that of a car rolling down a neighborhood street. The last thing he wanted to do now was go too fast and send the fillies flying… or damage their transport.
"Whee!" Sonic heard one of them cry while laughing joyously. The hedgehog smirked as well; it was good to know some of them were keeping their spirits up even in a moment like this. He took a moment to slow down before rounding a corner, moving away from destroyed cars and chunks of building debris. "Man, this is weird! Normally, the horse is the one pulling the-"
Before Sonic could finish, the ground underneath him suddenly erupted upward. Sonic and the fillies were sent flying, screaming while a half-bear, half-mole creature tunneled its way to the surface of the road. The winged filly desperately tried flapping her wings to save herself but continued to fall helplessly.
Sonic shot down to the ground and spun around, turning his panicked eyes to the falling fillies. In a blink of blue light, he zipped underneath an earth pony about to make hard contact with the road, catching it in his arms. The hedgehog set the still-shaking filly on the ground and immediately raced towards the next one, guided by its screams.
"Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! Got you too!" He called, catching pony after pony with ease. "Sorry I don't know anyone's name!" Utilizing both somersaults and his Quick Step technique, Sonic raced beneath a white unicorn and an earth pony with a bow and grabbed them in each arm. After placing both of them safely on the road, he made a break for the winged one, who was flailing both her hooves and wings while screaming her lungs out.
Sonic jumped into a dive, held out his arms with a nervous expression…
...and slid to a stop with the little pegasus in his arms. The blue hedgehog tried to catch his breath while the filly cracked open a squeezed-shut eye. "Whew…" he gasped. "That… was close…"
The wagon crashed onto the road, breaking apart into metal pieces. One of the wheels rolled towards Sonic before it fell onto its side, earning a dejected sigh from the hedgehog.
"That was SO COOL!" yelled the pegasus, bounding out of Sonic's grip. "You're just as cool as Rainbow Dash! Maybe cooler! No, what am I saying?! She'll always be the coolest, but you-! You're just so… so… I can't even begin to describe you!"
"Much… appreciated…" Sonic said with a thumbs-up as he slowly climbed to his feet. "Super bummed about your only way outta the city, though. I mean, I could carry you one at a time, but you'd probably pass out from the intense speed."
"Are you kidding?!" said the female pegasus. "Intense speed is what my number one pegasus is all about! I can handle it!"
"Trust me, kiddo," Sonic replied with a raised hand. "Fast for you and fast for me are two very different things. You'll be shaking by the time I put you on the ground." The filly made a disappointed face as the hedgehog looked around the city. "But I don't see any other options to get you all outta here quick…"
FRRSSH! To Sonic's left, the air burst with energy and crackled like an oversized bug zapper, startling him and the fillies. The little ponies instinctively dashed behind the hedgehog while he narrowed his eyes and struck a defensive pose. Above the nearby street, the very atmosphere was torn apart by an unseen force and ripped like a piece of paper, leaving only a glowing, jagged rift in its place. An image swirled into view through the barrier between worlds: a small town.
"Well…" Sonic now had a smile on his face. "I think we have our answer."
"That's Ponyville!" gasped the one with the bow. "Our home!"
"Oh, our sisters will be so delighted!" the white unicorn said happily. "Thank you, good sir, for shielding us from harm!"
"Hey, a hedgehog's gotta do what a hedgehog's gotta do," Sonic told her. "Now trot along, little fellas! And don't get into any more trouble! Oh, and you?" The little pegasus turned to look Sonic in the eye. "Tell Dash I said hi."
"You bet!" she cheered before she and the other fillies hopped through the rift, vanishing in the light. Right after they left, Sonic surveyed the chaotic city. "Sure hope the boys got out okay… wait, if they promised to pay them, Vector must be steamed by now." He chuckled for a moment. "Alright, looks like Westopolis is clear of people… but it'll be a while before it's clear of anything else."
He zoomed down the street and raced towards the city limits, slightly rolling up his glove and pressing a button on a wrist communicator. I should check in with Tails and the others. Good thing I snagged this just before I left the lab!
The communicator lit up and Sonic raised his wrist to his face. "Tails, you read me?"
"Sonic?" came the voice of his best buddy, along with the sound of airplane motors. "You really should warn me about taking off like that…"
"Yeah, sorry about that," the hedgehog replied. "But rescuing waits for no one! Westopolis is monster-free, by the way! Ran into some little foals and the Chaotix in there, and they're all safe!"
"And we're doing some rescuing of our own!" called Amy over the communicator. "We just finished assisting an evacuation of Station Square, and now we're en route to Central City on the Tornado."
"Like they need that much help!" shouted Knuckles over the sound of the biplane's engine. "The capital city of the United Federation is bound to have serious security, but I'm not passing up a chance to bash in some more heads!"
"Keep up the good work, guys!" Sonic told them. "Tails, can you patch into the Federation's network? I need to know which place these uglies are hitting hardest!"
"I'm way ahead of you there, Sonic! From the readings I've been getting, Empire City has the worst situation! Something is tearing up local law enforcement and G.U.N. squads like a knife through butter! Get over there, quick!"
"Ten-four, good buddy! I'm on my way!" Sonic switched off the communicator and made a sharp turn, blasting across the land in a sapphire streak of light.
…
Twilight's Castle of Friendship, Equestria
"Let's see…" muttered the lavender alicorn. "All of my magic research has been carefully organized now. So while I wait for Tails to come with his piece of the puzzle, I've gotta think of a way to build this device capable of breaching into the space between dimensions. Spike, can you pass me that book?"
The purple dragon plopped another tome onto the desk before Twilight, which was already filled with stacks of books. "Whew!" he gasped in exhaustion. "How… how are you going to build something that's way out of your league, Twilight? You've never built a portal to another dimension before!"
The princess only gave the dragon a smile. "Not exactly."
She used her magic to open the book and flip to a page containing schematics for a machine attached to a tall mirror. Notes were scrawled across the page and arrows pointed to various mechanisms, detailing their function.
Spike's eyes lit up. "Wait, is that-?"
"The contraption I built that allows the Crystal Mirror to activate anytime? Yep," Twilight confidently replied. "If I use the same methods for this device, it should conduct the amount of power we need."
"But, Twilight, this is completely different!" Spike shouted. "Last time, you built something around a portal to keep it from only opening once every thirty moons! This is just making a portal! I can't begin to imagine how hard that'll be!"
"It certainly won't be easy, I'll say that…" Twilight muttered. "I've gotta account for the chance of instability, potential damage to dimensional space, being really careful not to create a black hole-"
"AAAAIIIIIEEEEE!"
The alicorn and the dragon jolted in place, their eyes as wide as dinner plates. As the shrill scream faded and was replaced by other panicked cries, the duo raced out of the castle as fast as they could. Bursting through the front doors, Twilight and Spike were greeted to the sight of fleeing ponies and two-legged animals running for their lives.
"Run away!"
"It's a monster!"
"Save yourselves!"
"What the heck is going on?!" Spike yelled over the screams. "Another monster attack? More robots?!" Twilight opened her mouth to answer… but a sound eerily similar to a clap of thunder roared through the town of Ponyville.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
Twilight gulped. That voice sounded like it could shake mountains and split stone. It sounded frighteningly menacing… not to mention familiar. Well, sort of familiar. "Spike… did that sound like-?"
"Twilight, look!" the dragon shouted, pointing at the town square. The alicorn looked to see a large red-black monster with a stocky build, curved black horns, serpentine tail, and two-clawed feet stomping through the square. It snatched an earth pony with a muscular hand, raised the panicked pony up, and roared in its face.
"Where is Sonic the Hedgehog?!"
"Wh-wh-who…?"
The monster growled in irritation, tossing the screaming pony away. Next, he grabbed a sprinting dog by the throat and raised him off the ground. "Where is Sonic?! Tell me or suffer!"
"I-I don't know! I don't know where he is, I-!"
"ARGH!" The beast slammed the dog to the ground and stomped away with enraged huffs. "Such frustrating creatures! YOU! Where is-?!"
The pony just screamed and ran away as fast as she could. This prompted the monster to punch a hole through a building in anger. "RRGH! This is a complete WASTE of my time! One of you will tell me where Sonic the Hedgehog is right NOW, or you will face the fury of-!"
POOF! In a lavender flash, Twilight teleported in front of the beast with Spike on her back. The alicorn spread her wings and narrowed her eyes; the dragon looked slightly intimidated by the creature's appearance. The monster stopped in his tracks, staring silently at the princess.
"What. Are. You?" he spoke through seethed teeth. Twilight guessed that if one more thing interrupted him, he would go berserk. She stood tall and proud, opening her mouth to address him. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Equestria. Explain yourself."
"Pah!" the beast snorted and crossed his arms. "A creature just as ridiculous as the rest of this disgusting place. But perhaps maybe you will give me what I seek."
"And what would that be?"
The monster pointed a clawed finger at the alicorn. "You will tell me where Sonic the Hedgehog is. Now."
Twilight gave him a suspicious look. "What do you want with him?"
"Ah, so you do know him. Excellent," the beast mused. "Tell me where that insufferable rodent has run off to, or I will tear those wings off your pitiful body."
"T-Twilight?" Spike whispered meekly. "I don't think this guy's messing around…"
"Sorry to disappoint you," Twilight continued, ignoring the dragon's words. "But I won't turn my back on my friend that easily. You want Sonic? You'll have to go through me."
"Wait, what?!" Spike shouted. "Are you crazy?! He's gonna-!"
"I fought Tirek, didn't I?" Twilight gave him a knowing look that immediately made him go quiet.
"...Fair enough."
The beast chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "You've just made your gravest mistake, child. Few have ever faced me in battle and lived. And that little gnat will not turn the odds in your favor."
"Believe me, fighting you is the last thing I want to do," Twilight spoke sternly. "If you hadn't threatened these ponies- my people- and rampaged through this town, I would've offered you to be my friend."
The beast paused for a moment… and smiled again.
"Friend?" he spoke with a laugh. "I am no one's friend, you eyesore. I am Zavok, leader of the Deadly Six. And I am your worst enemy."
…
Empire City, Sonic's world
The Blue Blur raced down a highway as police sirens assaulted his ears. High above the towering skyscrapers of Empire City, a G.U.N. aerial battleship was positioned over the metropolis, with rescue shuttles flying to and from the carrier like planes at an airport. Just like Westopolis, Empire City was overrun with all kinds of freaky monsters. There was no time for Sonic to hesitate.
"Here we GO!" he cried, shooting down the long highway ahead of him. The road was covered with overturned cars, fallen road signs, and monsters that only noticed Sonic after he had blown right by them. Creatures with wings were flying overhead, which were downed when Sonic knocked smaller monsters into them. He appeared as a bright blue line from the views of skyscraper rooftops and higher freeways crisscrossing his current path, announcing his presence to anyone who could see him.
The hedgehog drifted around a sharp corner of the highway, raced through a tunnel that had more mole-bear monsters tunneling through it, and turned left onto a bridge that was under siege. He sped right past a military blockade, throwing himself into the oncoming horde of monsters that were too late to react. Like a precisely-thrown dodgeball, Sonic struck the monsters and was off before they hit the ground.
Empire City looked worse than Westopolis. Sonic hated to admit that, but he could see more and more portals opening in the sky as he continued to run. There was no denying what was right in front of his eyes.
I heard Empire City is supposed to be a melting pot of diverse folk and ideas! Sonic thought as he surveyed the chaotic city. But now it's more like a melting pot of madness! But as much as I wanna punch in an ugly face, pest control isn't my top priority! I need to help people get outta here! But this city is so big; where do I start?
"HELP! HELP!"
Coming off the bridge, Sonic skid to a halt in front of a hotel building. Monsters, led by what looked like a tiger with an extra goat head and a snake tail, gathered by the main entrance. In the floors above, Sonic could see terrified people huddled by the windows, their chance of escape dimming… until a boy caught sight of the Blue Blur approaching.
"Hey! Look!"
Sonic launched into the air and came crashing down onto the chimera's back, making it yowl in pain. The other monsters were quick to surround him until they were blown away by a whirling breakdancing-like kick. Sonic zipped up to a muscular bear-bee monster, slamming it right through the chest. After clearing out the rest of the monsters, the hedgehog ran to the hotel doors and pulled them open.
"Hustle, people! I saw G.U.N. rescue shuttles coming in towards the park! If you can't get there, head for the subway! Move!"
"Thank you, Sonic!" someone cried.
"You're a lifesaver!" a child added.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm awesome!" Sonic blasted away from the hotel, not wanting to stick around for applause… this time. As far as he knew, rescue efforts were going smoothly. But that road was gonna get rough really soon.
"Hey, is that… Sonic! Over here!"
The hedgehog came to a stop near a heavy-armored G.U.N. escort, complete with tanks with walking mechs. From one of the jeeps, a soldier stuck his head out of the window while Sonic jogged along. "What's up, guys?"
"We're en route to reinforce Spider Troop at the north side of the city," reported the soldier. "But we've just picked up a distress call from our guys at Griffith Street and ECPD! Something big is plowing through them down there!"
The soldier's words rang a bell in Sonic's head. Didn't Tails say something like that earlier? Whatever it is, it's getting the big beatdown!
"I'm on it!" Sonic shouted to the soldier. "You go help your buddies! I'll handle this one!" He made a hard right down an approaching intersection, racing past destroyed taxis and overturned snack stands. Discarded newspapers were thrown into the air from his wake, scattering across the street.
Sonic felt like he was trying to escape the disaster that was all around him. A catastrophe that caught up to him no matter how far he ran or how fast he went. Sure, he'd seen this before when the Black Arms invaded, as well as dozens upon dozens of Eggman attacks on United Federation territory, but this was just messed up! The Federation didn't have the stuff to deal with extradimensional invaders before!
That's why they need me. I'm no hero just for the fun of it. Besides, any day's a good day to kick some monster butt and take a break from cracking-
"PRINCESS TWILIGHT!"
"YOW!" Sonic yelped as a destructive beam cut through the perpendicular road in an oncoming intersection. He dropped into a slide, watching the angry red-orange color of the laser as if it was in slow-motion. He felt a warm sensation on his fur just by being near it. And whatever it touched went up in smoke, ashes, small fires, or all of the above.
And the voice… Was this a monster that could talk? What did it want with Twilight? Sonic whirled around and shot in the direction the blast had come from, shaking the thoughts from his brain. He ran through rising clouds of smoke, jumped over obliterated police cars, and dashed towards an intersection where he could see a large horned figure smashing everything in its path.
"PRINCESS TWILIGHT!" it bellowed. "SHOW YOURSELF!"
Sonic neared a barricade of police cars, which was just about useless thanks to the smoking engines, shattered windows, and crumpled metal. The vehicles were so damaged Sonic could hardly make the words "Empire City Police" on their sides.
"We need more backup!" an officer shouted, taking cover behind a wrecked S.W.A.T. van. His partner grabbed his radio with a shaky hand, struggling to keep his voice calm. "Ten thirty-two, Griffith Street! Officers under attack!" Just then, another blast sent another vehicle up in flames.
"Enough of this rabble!" roared the monster. "You will bring Princess Twilight Sparkle to me immediately, or-!"
"Hey, Toro!" cried Sonic, stepping through the smoke with a frowning expression. "I'm really not a big fan of what you're doing to my friends and fans here."
He could see the beast clearly now: a creature consisting of a horse-like body, a humanoid upper half, two curved horns on its head, and a ring on its nose. It stared at Sonic with complete confusion in its black eyes. "Honestly, it's messed up." Sonic continued. "So, fair warning: I'm gonna have to mess you up."
"HA!" the beast boomed with laughter. "You? A tiny blue rat wishes to face me? How laughable!"
"Ugh…" Sonic groaned. "What is it with bad guys mistaking me for a rat?! Do they not even know what a hedgehog is?" He turned his attention to the monster. "Alright, ugly, clearly you're not from around these parts. So lemme show you how we do things here."
The monster just smiled confidently. "I think not." His horns sparkled with ominous energy and a growl emanated from his throat. The energy formed itself into a swirling ball of black, orange, and red that crackled with electricity. "You should've run when you had the chance, rat."
The hedgehog crossed his arms and gave the creature a coy smirk. "Yeah…"
The monster directed the magic into a huge beam and shot it forward, striking the motionless Sonic with a loud BLAM! Chunks of asphalt flew into the air and smoke rose from the ensuing explosion. Any human who bore witness gasped in horror at the sight… while the monster was taken aback.
"Wow…" he spoke in surprise. "That was… remarkably easy." He turned his eyes back to the G.U.N. soldiers and Empire City police officers who cowered before him. "Now, tell me where Twilight Sparkle is, and I will leave you be… for now."
"You got beef with Twilight? Wow. That's some red cape she waved, then."
"Huh?!" The monster spun to glance over his shoulder… and saw an amused Sonic standing on top of it. Baffled, the beast looked back at the smoldering piece of the road he had just been on, then to his current position, then back again. "What the… how did you… why…?"
"The name's Sonic the Hedgehog," came the nonchalant reply. "I respond better to 'who', but I'm flexible. And you are…?"
WHACK! The beast slammed his muscular hand atop his shoulder in an attempt to swat Sonic like a mosquito. He lifted his hand, expecting to see him as a blue stain…
"No name? Okay, so can I call you Taurus or something?"
The beast looked down at his feet to see Sonic leaning against a front hoof. "You look like a Taurus. Or maybe Toro? Y'know what, let's skip the name and-"
"I am Lord Tirek!" boomed the monster in annoyance. "The mightiest of centaurs and the wrath of Tartarus itself!"
"Tirek?" Sonic repeated. "Oh, that's right! You're one of the statue guys! How was your pose? Was it cool? Please tell me it was cool."
WHAM! A fist pounded the pavement, which Sonic zipped away from just in time. When the monster- Tirek- raised his hand to see only a small crater, he growled in frustration.
"So I take it you're some kinda big bad boss, huh?" Sonic guessed, now standing right in front of Tirek. "Who'd ya fight? Twi? Dash? Maybe one of the queens? Or maybe that dragon dude?"
"You know Princess Twilight?" Tirek realized before he pointed a finger at Sonic. "You will take me to her NOW! And watch as I enact my revenge on her and her pitiful friends."
Sonic just blinked. "Yeah, no."
"GRRR!" Tirek looked like he was about to explode from Sonic's attitude. "Fine! You've just sealed your fate!" Sonic got into a pose and smiled eagerly. "Then bring it, muscle-brain!"
With an angry roar, Tirek blasted another beam of magic at Sonic. Instead of waiting for the last second this time, Sonic jumped high over the ray as it caused a car to explode in a cloud of flame and spun rapidly. When the centaur noticed, Sonic was already careening towards his head…
…
The Frozen North, Equestria
"Are you sure this is the right way?!" Silver shouted over the howling blizzard winds. The hedgehog was holding a hand in front of his squinting eyes, his white fur matching that of the snow blowing all around him.
"Trust me, it is!" Starlight hollered back, the turquoise glow of her horn being the only indication of her presence. "Just a little further!"
"This ought to be a rather impressive location…" Blaze grunted. "...if it is in the middle of this snowstorm!"
Silver felt a sense of irony. Lately, his visions were showing him fire everywhere. Now, he could see snow, snow… and more snow. Mountains stretched into the cold air like towers through fog and the frosty flakes flew about like a swarm of insects. He felt like he'd been walking in this snowy, wintery wasteland for hours. Flying would be a lot easier… if it wasn't for these stupid winds.
"Alright, we're here!" Starlight called.
"Here?!" Sliver shouted in disbelief. "Couldn't whoever built this place have thought about something a little less-"
He stopped. Something was different. The cold… Silver didn't feel it anymore.
"Huh?" He opened his golden eyes… and saw no blizzard! No snowflakes, no clouds, no winds, no snow on the ground… All Silver could see now was clear skies and grass. "What? How did… weren't we just-?"
"Long story," answered a confident Starlight, her horn no longer alight. Blaze shared in Silver's confusion. "Odd… blizzards do not disperse so quickly."
"Well… it didn't," Starlight told her. "I'll tell you more in just a bit. But for now…"
Silver took notice of something standing right above Starlight's position. It appeared to be an archway of two giant crystals with three smaller crystals floating between them. A path led through the grassy landscape… and into a crystalline city overseen by a giant gleaming tower. The tower seemed to glisten in the sunlight and shine like a newly-carved diamond.
Silver and Blaze were speechless. "Whoa…"
Starlight smiled warmly. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire!"
"Crystal Empire?" Silver repeated. "Wow… that's… I can't…"
"Magnificent," Blaze whispered.
"Oh, you think it's impressive now?" Starlight chuckled. "Wait until we actually get there! Come on!" She turned down the archway and trotted down the path, prompting the still-amazed hedgehog and cat to follow.
…
Twilight vanished in a purple flash, leaving the bulky red fist to smash into the ground. Reappearing to the right, she blasted the horned monster- Zavok- in the side, making him grunt in what sounded like irritation rather than pain. The monster swiped at her again, prompting the alicorn to perform a winged leap over his intimidating form and touch down on a rooftop.
"Just remember!" she called, her horn alight with magic. "You had your chance to leave!"
"I am Zeti!" roared Zavok, grabbing a vendor's cart with both arms. "I do NOT flee! RAH!" He heaved the cart towards the alicorn, who flew off with wings spread open. The cart hit the building with a splintering crash and showered to the ground in pieces. Twilight swooped down, firing a magical blast at Zavok. The Zeti raised an arm to absorb the beam, grunting in effort and swiping at the alicorn with his other arm.
"Pesky gnat!" he snarled. "Are you too cowardly to confront me head-on?!"
"I'm not running away, am I?" came Twilight's reply as she fired another violet beam that struck Zavok in the back. The Zeti growled and collapsed to his knees, seething in frustration. "Maybe you're the one who wants to keep his distance!"
"GRAH!" With a roar, Zavok launched himself into the air with arms outstretched. Just before he could seize Twilight in his strong grip, she blinked away in a flash of light the moment he tried to snatch her up.
"What?! ARGH!" Zavok hit the ground hard, momentarily stunned from the impact. His body quivered with rage at the nerve of this annoying, inferior, childish being he was beginning to believe was worse than Sonic. He turned around with his eyes narrowed in hatred… when a smaller creature flew past his face like an insect.
"Don't worry, Twi! I got him! I-GAK!" Zavok's hand snagged Spike tightly, shielding all but his head from view. The Zeti brought the dragon close to his furious face, where the lizard shrank down in sheer fear.
"...eep."
"What manner of creature are you?" Zavok snarled. "You're not capable enough to take on one of the doctor's creations, let alone a Zeti."
"How…" Spike had to gasp for breath as he spoke in a constrained pitch. "How about a hint?" He took a deep breath and threw his head forward, belching a jet of emerald flames right in Zavok's face. "ARRRGH!" With a roar of surprise and pain, Zavok released the dragon and swatted the air wildly while the royal advisor flew away.
"You… you worm!" Zavok roared, a hand clutching his face. In the air, Spike was unamused. "Wrong. I'm a dragon."
"You will PAY for this humiliation!" Zavok punched and swiped the air above him, prompting Spike to weave around and stomp on the Zeti's head. Another green fireball stunned him for a moment and Spike flew past Zavok's face with the strongest punch he could muster. For Zavok, it felt like a sting; one that furtherly fueled his rising anger. With a roar, he threw a fist at the lavender dragon…
...but felt tension in his arm. Something had just wrapped itself around the limb. "What?!" The Zeti spun his head behind him. Just a few houses away, five more of the disgusting creatures stood with narrowed eyes, one of them holding a lasso in its mouth.
"Th-that one looks super scary…" squeaked one.
"Hmph!" another huffed. "He'll have a lot to answer for after hurting my Spikey-wikey like that!" The one holding the lasso tried to tighten its grip. Zavok growled and yanked the arm towards him as hard as he could, pulling the surprised creature towards him with widened green eyes.
WHAM! He struck the pony with the force of a cannonball, knocking it to the dirt with a pained groan. The Zeti grabbed the lasso and snapped it in half, freeing his arm. "Insolent trick…" The pony he had just smashed slowly climbed to its feet in a daze, shaking its head. "What? A direct hit like that should've pulverized a puny creature such as you!"
"Touch stock, huh?" came her reply. "Well, so am I."
"HEY! Ugly!" Zavok spun his head around to see one of the newcomers dive-bombing for him from the air. "Think fast!"
"GRAH!" Zavok swatted the colored streak away with a bulky arm, knocking it out of its flight path and sending it smashing into a building with a loud crash. A pink one winced while the white one gasped in horror. "Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?!"
"Okay…" came a pained moan from the debris. "I… asked for that…"
Twilight teleported herself down to the debris, vanishing from that spot so quickly Zavok felt like it hadn't happened at all… until she re-emerged with the flying blue one at the front of the herd. The latter shook her head and glared at him.
"More of you ludicrous pests?" Zavok growled in annoyance. "Is there no end?"
Twilight smiled. "We're just getting started." She and the other ponies broke into a run towards the hulking brute, who pounded a fist into a palm and jumped at them with a mighty roar.
The ponies scattered before Zavok smashed the ground, leaving the Zeti confused. Rainbow Dash zipped all around him, causing him to snarl and swat at her as if she was a mosquito. The pegasus stuck out her tongue and zipped away…
...but felt something snag her by the tail.
"Oh, crud-!"
With a bellow of rage, Zavok pulverized Rainbow Dash into the ground, slamming her in the dirt over and over like a wrecking ball. Dust flew up with each smash and Rainbow swore she was on the verge of breaking something. Applejack and Rarity ran in for the rescue but were immediately slammed away by Zavok using the cyan pegasus as a weapon.
A thunderous roar erupted from the Zeti's throat as he smashed Rainbow into the ground a final time. The pegasus lay by his feet, covered in dust and moaning weakly from the brutal punishment she had just endured. She coughed, cracking open an eye as best as she could.
"Weak like the hedgehog, not to mention annoying. Break like the fragile thing you are," Zavok growled, raising up one foot to stomp her into oblivion… until a bright beam of light struck him in the side. "ARRGH!" Zavok roared and collapsed to the ground with a thud. No sooner than he fell did a raspberry-colored aura surround the pegasus and levitated her from the miniature crater Zavok had forged with her.
"Are you okay?!" Twilight had a frightful look on her face when she took in Rainbow's bruised figure. The pegasus only replied with another moan. "Why does… every creature… go for… the tail?"
"Here," Twilight focused a portion of her magic towards the pegasus. "This healing spell will fix you up."
Back with the others, Zavok grunted and lifted his face from the ground, shaking off dust. Both of Applejack's rear hooves slammed into it, making him fall once again. Spike flew overhead and took a deep breath, heat billowing in his throat.
A roar of his own came in the form of an emerald wave of flame. Sensing the attack from behind, Zavok rolled to the left and bounded into the air, swatting away the surprised dragon. Setting his sights on Rarity next, Zavok plummeted towards the ground with a clenched fist. Pinkie and Fluttershy both bolted away in panic while the unicorn went wide-eyed, concentrated her magic, and flinched…
BANG! Another shockwave of dust spread out for several meters. When it faded, Zavok made a noise of realization. He didn't feel fur or flesh under his fist. Instead, he felt… rock?
The unicorn was unharmed, her horn glowing with magic. Surrounding her was a transparent bubble of solid diamond, shielding her from any and all physical harm. Zavok's blood began to boil with rage.
"GRAAAAAAGH!" With unbound fury, he hammered Rarity's diamond barrier with piston-like fists. The shield shuddered from the force- as did the unicorn trying to maintain it- but it remained unscathed from each mighty punch. Inside the bubble, Rarity gasped and flinched as if she was taking only a fraction of the hits.
"STOP! HIDING! AND! FACE! ME! COWARD!" Zavok roared, pounding the shield with each word. But no matter how hard he struck, the shield didn't so much as budge or show any hint of damage. Rarity, on the other hand, was beginning to get exhausted. A few more hits and the strain would make both her and the barrier collapse. The unicorn struggled to keep her magic flowing, each punch taking its toll…
...until a colored streak rushed past Zavok's face. Breaking off from his attack, the Zeti turned his attention to an airborne blur looping towards him. He broke into a huffing sprint, charging for the swooping speedster…
He threw a punch that Rainbow soared above, nailing her own hoof into the monster's face. Zavok stumbled, fighting to regain his bearings. His eyes darted around for the pegasus' whereabouts… until she struck from behind.
Rainbow zipped around Zavok and attacked from everywhere at once, moving too fast for the Zeti to keep track of her. If he tried to retaliate, she'd already be gone and hitting him from a new direction, speeding away before he could turn his attention to her. Again and again, the pegasus blitzed him, throwing in some taunting faces and laughter along the way.
Zavok howled with fury and lashed out with an arm. Unexpecting this move, a surprised Rainbow collided headfirst into the limb and hit the ground hard. Zavok huffed in frustration, glaring at the downed flyer. "Insolent worm…"
He turned to find his next target… only to find Pinkie Pie right in his face. "What?!"
"SURPRISE!" she hollered, firing a party launcher point-blank. Confetti and a loud noise erupted from the barrel, making Zavok cry out in surprise and stumble backward. Seeing her chance, Applejack threw a lasso at his legs and pulled hard, locking them in place. Zavok fell onto his back with a grunt, nearly flattening a startled Fluttershy in the process.
"Grrr… childish antics!" Zavok growled. "You will all come to regret this! I will tear the wings off your bodies, stab you with your own horns, and stomp you into the ground!" Rainbow winced at his words. "Yowch, that's harsh."
"Who writes this guy's dialogue?" Pinkie wondered. "He needs a talking-to."
Zavok tried to stand… only for Twilight to land hard on his chest to pin him down. "It's over!" she cried. "You're outmatched and outnumbered! I will give you one more chance to leave this town, or you will be locked away in the depths of Tartarus!"
Zavok growled. "To be defeated by that wretched hedgehog was humiliating enough… but to be defeated by irritating, disgusting, ugly horses and their pet worm?"
Spike was offended. "Pet?!"
"And who are you calling ugly, ugly?!" Rainbow snapped. "Looked into a mirror lately?!" Twilight glanced over her shoulder, silently gesturing at the pegasus to be quiet. Once she obliged, the alicorn turned her attention back to the pinned monster. "What's it going to be? Will you leave this place or are we gonna have to throw you behind bars?"
"Lock me away for all I care…" Zavok growled. "Your attempt of imprisonment, however pathetic it may be, will not contain a creature such as me for very long."
Twilight smirked in amusement. "Oh, we'll see about that."
Zavok growled at her tone. "You will rue this day, you hideous vermin! We will meet again, and I will pluck every feather off your wings if I have to!"
"Good luck," came the alicorn's response. "In case you haven't noticed, you only lost because there was only one of you. My friends and I fight monsters like you all the time."
"And look awesome doing it!" added Rainbow.
"And normally," finished Pinkie. "We'd have to tell you about the power of friendship and blast you with a rainbow to beat you. But we got an easy one this time!"
"You… you all disgust me!" Zavok snarled. "When next we meet, it will be the last battle you ever take-"
KRRSH! The ground beneath Zavok suddenly cracked and split open, revealing another rift to the other world. With a startled scream from the Zeti and a gasp from the alicorn, Zavok instantly fell through while Twilight hovered back to avoid plummeting herself.
Twilight couldn't see what exactly Zavok was falling towards… was that a place filled with hexagons?
"Well… I guess that takes care of him!" Spike sighed. Applejack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but I don't think that's the last we'll see of that brute."
"Eh, he's nothing compared to that humongous water-god-ice-horse combo from Manehattan," Rainbow piped up. "That was more of a challenge."
Twilight shot up in alarm. "A-a what from where?!" Beside her, Spike was equally stiff. It didn't take long for Rainbow to put two and two together. "Oooh, right. We were on our way to tell you about that, but then we saw the big guy trashing the place, sooo…"
"What happened in Manehattan?" Twilight asked nervously. "And where's Sonic and the others?" Rarity just placed a hoof on her shoulder. "It's a long story, darling. Why don't we head inside and we'll catch you up?"
"Of… of course," came Twilight's uneasy answer. "Come on, I'll show you what I've got so far while we're there." The ponies turned and followed her towards the nearby castle, with Rainbow at the back of the herd. She couldn't wait to tell Twilight how awesome- and dangerous- her fight with Windichaos went! Sure, the city was extremely flooded, the city was badly damaged, and she almost froze to death, but, hey, they won! With the Wonderbolts and Discord's help, of course.
Suddenly, Rainbow's head started to ache and throb. She grunted in pain and came to a stop, raising a hoof to her mane. The pegasus shook her head, dismissing any concerns. Maybe Zavok just dinged her too hard…
"Argh!" Her mind screamed in agony and she collapsed to the ground, wincing in pain. Her eyes turned to her departing friends and she opened her mouth to call out for them… but nothing came. Darkness swarmed her vision and she felt everything in her body go limp as an eerie sensation took over.
Hours- or did it just feel like hours?- went by before Rainbow regained consciousness. As soon as she felt herself come to, she slowly opened a magenta eye and slightly moaned in exhaustion. What just happened to her?
She now noticed her surroundings as she stood up wearily. It was… dark. Like, freakily dark everywhere she looked. A little murkiness here, a black abyss over there, and an infinite sea of nothingness waaay over there. Among the blackness, purple shapes swirled about like a school of fish swimming through an ocean. Rainbow blinked in disbelief as she surveyed the scene, even reeling she herself appeared to be standing on nothing.
"Where am I?"
RAINBOW DASH.
Everything in her body froze up in sheer terror as a voice older than the stars echoed through infinity. Rainbow fought to regain her composure and crouched into a takeoff stance, spreading her majestic wings.
WE HAVE BEEN OBSERVING YOU FOR SOME TIME NOW. The voice rattled her bones like a shack in a windstorm. WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT AN OFFER TO YOU.
"Show yourself!" Rainbow cried as loud as she could. "I'm not afraid of you! Come out so I can kick your-" Straight ahead, two orbs of purple light the size of mountains flashed into existence, easily dwarfing Rainbow in size. The pegasus' stance dropped for a moment as fear flashed across her face… but she shook her head and pulled off her best brave face in an attempt to hide it.
DO NOT FEAR US, RAINBOW DASH. WE SIMPLY WISH TO TALK.
"Talk?" Rainbow replied, obviously not buying this thing's words for a second. "I'm in a big, black… whatever this place is and I'm looking at a huge pair of evil, glowing eyes who 'wishes to talk'! Yeah, right! What's your game, buddy?!"
TO PUT IT SIMPLY, said the voice. WE ADMIRE YOUR SPIRIT AND TENACITY, RAINBOW DASH. YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO HARNESS THE ELEMENT OF LOYALTY, AS YOU HAVE PROVEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
"Pft!" Rainbow brushed that off. "That was a lucky guess! Anypony in Equestria would've known that I'm very loyal to my friends! Know anything else about me?"
YOU HAIL FROM CLOUDSDALE. THE CITY IN THE SKY, SO TO SPEAK. AND EVER SINCE YOU WERE BORN, YOU SOUGHT ONE THING AND ONE THING ONLY: EXCITEMENT.
Rainbow was silent for a moment."Y-yeah! Anypony who's ever met me knows that! You can't possibly-"
THE REASON YOU SOUGHT TO BE THE BEST FLIER IN ALL EQUESTRIA WAS THAT THE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM YOUR PARENTS WAS TOO MUCH FOR YOU. YOU WANTED TO AVOID THE RISK OF EMBARRASSMENT, WHICH ULTIMATELY LED TO YOU PERFORMING THE SONIC RAINBOOM AND EARNING BOTH YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS YOUR CUTIE MARKS.
"Uh…" She was starting to lose her words now. The pegasus opened her mouth to say something else, but the voice beat her to it.
YOU HAVE KNOWN FLUTTERSHY SINCE YOUR CHILDHOOD DAYS. YOUR GREATEST DREAM WAS TO JOIN THE WONDERBOLTS AND MARK YOUR PLACE AS THE GREATEST PEGASUS TO EVER TOUCH THE CLOUDS. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THIS, DESPITE ALL THE DIFFICULTIES THROWN YOUR WAY. AND YOUR BOND WITH YOUR FRIENDS IS SO GREAT… LOSING ANY OF THEM IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR.
Rainbow said nothing. Speaking of fear, that was exactly how she was feeling now. And she wasn't scared too often.
YOU SEE? said the voice. WE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, RAINBOW DASH. YOUR HISTORY, YOUR PERSONALITY, YOUR TRIUMPHS OVER OBSTACLES. YOU ARE RATHER IMPRESSIVE… WHICH IS WHAT WE WISH TO DISCUSS.
"Um…" Rainbow dropped her head and sighed in defeat. There was no point in denying anything else to this thing. "Okay… what do you want? Do you have a name?"
WE HAVE NONE, came the reply. BUT WE ARE A PRODUCT OF BOTH YOUR WORLD… AND THE OTHER.
Rainbow lifted her head. "Huh?"
WHEN THEY COLLIDED, THE CHAOS EMERALDS AND THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY RELEASED AN ABUNDANT AMOUNT OF MAGIC AND CHAOS ENERGY. IT IS FROM THAT UNIFIED ENERGY THAT WE WERE SPAWNED. AND FROM THE MOMENT WE CAME INTO EXISTENCE, WE OBSERVED BOTH WORLDS ON THEIR PATH TO THE FUSION.
"You've been… watching us?" Rainbow asked. "Okay, that's not creepy at all."
WE HAVE BEGUN TO NOTICE SOME SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE WORLDS, AND WHY THEY ARE MEANT TO BE DRAWN TO ONE ANOTHER. WE CAN DO NOTHING IN THE FORM OF ACTIONS… BUT WE CAN TRAVERSE THEM.
Something ran up Rainbow's spine; something like a chill. She felt like she was being watched… from everywhere. To prove her point, several more purple lights cut through the darkness. The lights approached, revealing dark shapes of both ponies and bipedal animals of various species. Forms resembling pegasi and other flying creatures hovered over the rest, staring at Rainbow with void-like eyes.
"Those black creatures…: she whispered. "They're you?!"
THAT IS CORRECT, echoed the voice, now coming from everywhere at once rather than straight ahead. THE SHAPES YOU SEE BEFORE YOU POSSESS OUR ESSENCE. THROUGH THEM, WE MIMIC THE ABILITIES OF THE ORIGINAL LIFEFORMS AND HARNESS THEM TO OUR WILL. WE CAN SEE FAR AND WIDE WITH THEM, EACH OF THEM CONNECTED AS WE ARE. ALL YOU SEE HERE ARE ONE, ACTING UNDER A SINGLE CONSCIOUSNESS.
Rainbow continued to examine the beings, which made no move to attack her as the previous ones had done. None of them did so much as blink as the voice continued.
WE HAVE DECIDED TO TEST YOU AND YOUR SKILLS, RAINBOW DASH, TO SEE IF YOU ARE AS IMPRESSIVE AS YOU SAY. YOU HAVE PASSED EACH OF THEM WITH FLYING COLORS… ESPECIALLY IN MANEHATTAN. OUR LITTLE CREATION DID NOTHING TO DETER YOU, AS EXPECTED.
Something snapped into place in Rainbow's mind. "You… YOU made Windichaos?! I knew it! Prepare to get a Buccaneer Blitz to the face, Shadow Pony wannabe!" Rainbow launched into the air and flew as fast as she could towards the giant pair of eyes.
Wait, why weren't the dark shapes moving to stop her? Surely, they'd do something if their boss was gonna get-
CHAOS CONTROL!
Rainbow seized up in mid-wingbeat, her whole body slowing to a crawl until it could no longer move. Her mind flared with panic and she forced her wings to move… but her body wouldn't respond. She was trapped within her own body; helpless and still as a statue. She couldn't turn her eyes away from the dark being before her.
WE ARE LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED, RAINBOW DASH. WE ARE BORN OF TWO UNIVERSES AND THE ENERGY THAT FLOWS THROUGHOUT THEM. WE POSSESS THEIR POWER WITH EASE. WE WOULD EXPLAIN MORE… BUT WE HAVE WASTED TOO MUCH TIME. AS MENTIONED BEFORE, WE WISH TO TALK.
Rainbow strained as she tried to speak as hard as she could. But having a tongue that felt like it had been glued made that harder than pulling off an extended roll or flip without passing out. The voice seemed to notice her effort and its eyes bore into her very core… and the weight on her eyes and mouth vanished in a heartbeat.
"About… what?" she finally managed to say.
The voice made no reply. Instead, the space surrounding Rainbow began to contort as its eyes faded from sight. Windows of energy swirled into view as events began to play out within them. On closer inspection, Rainbow saw that they had one thing in common.
HIM.
Sonic the Hedgehog raced across unfamiliar landscapes with a joyous smile. He charged headfirst into a crowd of robots with nothing but a challenging smirk, yanked on Eggman's mustache with his tongue sticking out, and plowed through masses of mechanical menaces. He never slowed down, never stopped, and never rested for anything thrown at him.
WHERE HE HAILS, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG HAS A LIFE FULL OF ADVENTURE AND EXCITEMENT. HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED A GREAT MANY THINGS, OVERCOME THE GREATEST OF OBSTACLES, AND HAS FACED WORLD-DESTROYING DEITIES WITH A LAUGH. JUST AS YOU FACE FOES WITH A HUMOROUS PERSONALITY, SO TOO DOES HE.
"I'll show you what true speed is!"
"Aw, yeah! This is happening!"
"Sorry, I got bored and broke your robot!"
"Not a bad toy, but playtime's over, pal!"
"If you played nice, I wouldn't have to break all your toys."
"The only thing that's gonna get conquered is your FACE, Eggman!"
"...what I meant to say is, I'm so sorry that you have nothing more important to do in life?"
HIS ACTS HAVE SAVED HIS WORLD COUNTLESS TIMES, WHETHER FROM EGGMAN'S ROBOTIC ARMY OR GOD-LIKE ENTITIES BENT ON DESTRUCTION. IT IS THESE WHICH HAVE EARNED HIM SOMETHING YOU HAVE STRIVED SO HARD FOR, RAINBOW DASH: FAME.
In one rift, a human woman snapped a selfie with a posing Sonic. In another, Sonic smashed two alien-like creatures, winked at a couple, and raced away while they were left in awe.
"All this terror might be worth it if I get to say Sonic winked at me!" the woman exclaimed. The man was quick to add to her statement. "I hope we survive long enough to get his autograph!"
"Attention! Attention!" In a third window between worlds, a human boy accompanied by an anthropomorphic dog his age stood by a podium overlooking a crowd of human children and juvenile bipedal animals dressed in blue and ring-like accessories. "The official Sonic the Hedgehog fan club will come to order!"
"Let's get down to the first order of business!" announced the dog. "I motion that Sonic be declared the most way-past-cool hedgehog in the world!"
"I second that motion. Anyone else?" Voices of agreement rang out among the assembled crowd. "And might I add that if you looked up the word 'cool' in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of the blue boy himself!"
"I object!"
"Huh?!" Everyone human and animal alike spun to who had spoken: a light-blue cat in her teenage years had an expression of disapproval. "I think the word 'cool' is too played out! Sonic deserves something much better than that! I motion that Sonic the Hedgehog be declared the most spectacular hedgehog in the world!"
The dog seemed to take this as a challenge. "Is that so? Then I motion that we declare him 'awesome'!"
"Outstanding!" replied the cat.
"Super!" shouted a human boy, who received a curious look from a nearby bear cub. "Uh… on second thought, maybe that's too small." Following their example,other members of the fan club began to shout out their own descriptive words.
"Stupendous!"
"Extraordinary!"
"Amazing!"
"Breathtaking!"
"Astounding!"
"What about super-duper-hyper-extreme-awesomazing?"
Rainbow couldn't see who had suggested that, but it made everyone in the room go quiet. The human boy at the podium smiled in satisfaction. "All in favor of declaring Sonic the Hedgehog the most super-duper-hyper-extra… uh, whatever that was-"
"AYE!" Everyone suddenly cried, catching him off-guard for a moment. He was quick to join in with his partner. And right near an open window, Rainbow saw someone eavesdropping on the meeting: a smiling Sonic who took off before anyone could see him.
"But…" she stammered. "But I'm supposed to be the awesomazing one…"
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS RENOWNED OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD. spoke the voice. THERE IS NOT A SINGLE SOUL THAT DOES NOT KNOW HIS NAME OR WHAT HE HAS DONE. WHETHER ALONE OR WITH FRIENDS BY HIS SIDE, HE HAS PROVEN TO BE LEGENDARY. DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU, RAINBOW DASH?
She didn't know what to say. She could only look at the hedgehog as he ran, jumped, spun, and fought, occasionally pausing to celebrate with fans. Her heart was filled with a tremendous weight, like Pinkie Pie if nopony came to one of her parties. Like Rarity if nopony bothered to try on something from her latest line. And like Applejack if she found a creature that absolutely hated apples.
HE HAS OUTRAN AN EXPLOSION OF HYPER-GO-ON ENERGY, the voice spoke, showing Rainbow the described event. HE HAS BATTLED AND DEFEATED A BEING RESTING BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET. HE HAS TRAVELED THROUGH STORYBOOKS AND CHANGED THEIR TALES. HE PREVENTED A SPACE STATION FROM COLLIDING WITH THE PLANET. HE STOPPED A GOD FROM LAYING WASTE TO A CITY. HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED MANY… AND WHAT OF YOU, RAINBOW DASH? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
Normally, Rainbow would have a ready reply. She'd say that she fought a dragon that could shake mountains with a snore. She'd say she kept pace with an alicorn flying at high speed (although Twilight was still getting used to having wings), and she'd say she got right back up after she slammed into trees and had a hay bale dropped on her.
But she had nothing. Because they were all blown out of the water before her eyes. Sonic took a punch from a giant robot and shrugged it off. He punched some ugly thing in one of its seven eyes. He cut through solid steel and blasted across a plain faster than Rainbow thought was possible for a creature forever grounded. He kept pace with anything and everything faster than him… and he surpassed them.
ALL YOU HAVE EVER DONE IS SAVE A FEW LIVES RATHER THAN ALL OF THEM. YOU HAVE PUSHED CLOUDS AROUND, TRUE, BUT HAVE YOU DEFEATED AN EVIL GENIE AND A CORRUPTED KING? HAVE YOU BATTLED AN ENTIRE AIR FLEET SINGLE-HANDEDLY? HAVE YOU RESTORED LIFE TO YOUR WORLD AFTER IT HAD BEEN STOLEN?
A tear slid down her cheek. Her voice had been all but lost. All she could do as she watched him was just that: watch. Watch as he smashed robots to nuts and bolts. Watch as he raced through zone after zone. Watch as he was praised throughout cities. Watch with horror and sadness in her eyes.
NO? WE THOUGHT SO.
Rainbow wanted to curl up and cry herself to sleep. This life… his life… why?
YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, RAINBOW DASH.
She did. But she couldn't bring herself to admit it. It'd hurt her more than she already was.
HE HAS THE LIFE YOU HAVE WISHED FOR. HE ALWAYS HAD. As the voice spoke, another portal showed Rainbow a sight she couldn't bear to see. A younger, more-pudgier Sonic ran across a grassy paradise and bounced all over the place, bashing robots, spinning through tunnels, zooming through loops, and collecting rings everywhere he went. He sped past a sign with Eggman's face on it, spinning it around so the other side faced Rainbow: a side with Sonic's smiling, cheeky face.
EVER SINCE HIS EARLIEST DAYS, SONIC HAS HAD IT ALL. HE HAD EVERYTHING WITHOUT EVEN TRYING TO OBTAIN IT. EVERYTHING YOU DREAMED OF OBTAINING. HE POSSESSED A GREAT ABILITY, AND HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO WITH IT WHEN HE FIRST LEARNED THE MEANING OF THE WORD "TROUBLE". AND HE HAS NEVER STOPPED GROWING IT. HE IS FASTER THAN YOU. BETTER THAN YOU. GREATER THAN YOU. COOLER THAN YOU. JUST AS HE HAD SURPASSED ALL OTHERS, HE HAS SURPASSED YOU.
"No…" Rainbow whispered to herself. The rift showed her something else now: their race. She saw the look of triumph and pride on her face after she zoomed past Sonic with her patented move… only for that face to turn into a look of horror when he easily passed her with a coy wink and a sonic boom.
AND HE HAS PROVEN THAT ALREADY. RAINBOW DASH, YOU ARE NO LONGER THE FASTEST THING IN EQUESTRIA. THAT TITLE HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM YOU. AND HE KNOWS IT.
"He… knows it?" she croaked.
YES. HE DOES. HE RELISHES IN HIS GLORY AND FAME AS OFTEN AS HE CAN WHEN HE'S NOT ON THE RUN. HE NEVER WISHES IT TO END, FOR IT IS INTOXICATING TO HIM. ALREADY, HE HAS CAPTURED THE HEARTS OF EVERY PERSON IN HIS WORLD… AND HE IS ALREADY DOING THE SAME ON YOURS.
"What?!" There was no denying the horror in her window between worlds now displayed Sonic socializing with her friends, making some of them laugh and smile. Another showed astonished fillies watching Sonic as he bulldozed through robots at Canterlot… with one of them looking all too familiar.
"Scootaloo…" Her number one fan. The filly who saw her as a role model. The filly she bonded with. She was watching Sonic with the same wondrous eyes that used to be trained on Rainbow.
The rifts surrounding her now showed Sonic making silly faces and taunting in all manner of ways. Voices bombarded the stricken Rainbow in all directions: voices of other ponies she recognized as members of her fan club.
"He sounds so cool!"
"Some creature just as fast as she is? Maybe even faster?"
"How does she compare to this guy?"
"I don't think she'll be the fastest for long."
"She's got another thing coming!"
"This guy's even cooler than her!"
She begged for the voices to stop. They didn't, even as one loomed over the others. THIS IS A RACE YOU CANNOT WIN, RAINBOW DASH. YOUR WINGS ARE ABOUT TO BE CLIPPED.
"No…!" she sobbed, trying to tear her eyes away from the teasing faces and the voices expressing changes of heart.
YOUR FOLLOWERS WILL LEAVE YOU. YOUR REPUTATION WILL BE RUINED. YOU WILL BE DEGRADED AND HUMILIATED IN WAYS YOU CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE.
"No!"
THE WONDERBOLTS WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. YOUR LOVED ONES WILL NEVER LOOK AT YOU THE SAME WAY AGAIN. EVEN YOUR FRIENDS, ALREADY TAINTED BY HIS CHARM, WILL SUPPORT HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. SUITABLE FOR YOUR REPLACEMENT.
Laughter came now as the panic inside Rainbow grew. His laughter, like a bully pointing and taunting a fallen child. Like a prankster who pulled a humiliating stunt. Her heart pounded wildly and her breaths became frantic. The hyperventilating gasps nearly turned into chokes and tears streamed down her face as the teasing continued.
"No! No! NO!"
"These are my pals now, Rainbow Crash!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Her wail shook the blackness around her as she screamed into the sky- or what she would call it. Her sorrow let itself be known, hot tears dropped into the darkness, and her scream echoed to infinity. Rainbow dropped to the ground, the tears continuing to flow as her throat was wracked with sobs. She felt like all the color had been drained out of her, that everything she'd been through was for nothing. She felt powerless… and she felt alone.
"Why…?" she managed to croak after what felt like an eternity. "Why does he do that? Why has he done that to me?!"
SONIC CLAIMS HE IS SELFLESS AND FIGHTS FOR THE WEAK AND INNOCENT. Said the voice. HE LIES. HE CARES FOR NOTHING BUT HIS OWN PERSONAL STATUS, AND HE USES HIS HEROISM TO MAINTAIN IT. HE WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO HAVE THE UNIVERSE BOW AT HIS FEET. HE HAS WON THE HEARTS OF MANY IN YOUR WORLD AND HE WILL SOON HAVE EVERY CREATURE WORSHIPPING HIM. YOU WILL BE FORGOTTEN, FOREVER IN HIS UNFADING SHADOW… UNLESS…
"Unless?!" Rainbow shot to her shaky legs, her eyes still moist. "Unless what?! Tell me!"
UNLESS YOU ACT NOW, BEFORE WORD OF HIM SPREADS ANY FURTHER THROUGH EQUESTRIA AND BEYOND. AS WE SPEAK, HE BATTLES TIREK AND IS BESTING HIM AS HE HAS DONE ALL OTHERS BEFORE HIM.
"T-Tirek?!" Rainbow cried with a mix of both sadness and a wave of rising anger. "I couldn't beat that creep alone! None of us could! And HE CAN?!" Rage built up in her veins and coursed through her body, quickly replacing her former emotional agony. "He… he thinks he can just barge into my home and make HIMSELF the guest of honor?! He thinks he can outdo me?! ME?! HE CAN'T DO THAT!"
YOUR FRUSTRATION IS UNDERSTANDABLE. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE CENTAUR FALLS AND ADDS FURTHER REPUTATION TO HIS NAME.
"Then tell me what I need to do! TELL ME HOW TO BEAT THAT SPIKY SOURPUSS INTO BLUE JELLY!"
FIRST, YOU MUST WAIT.
"WAIT?!" Rainbow wanted to scream. "I CAN'T WAIT! HE NEEDS TO KNOW HE CAN'T TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME!"
HE WILL. IN TIME, YOU WILL MEET HIM FACE-TO-FACE. WHEN THAT MOMENT COMES, YOU WILL SHOW HIM HIS GREATEST MISTAKE. SHOW HIM YOU CAN BE BETTER THAN HIM. SHOW HIM YOU CAN BE FASTER. SHOW HIM THAT YOU, RAINBOW DASH, ARE THE TRUE FASTEST THING ALIVE.
"I. Will," she spoke with a snarl. "He's gonna regret setting foot in my world and trying to sway my friends to his side."
TELL THEM NOTHING OF OUR DISCUSSION, RAINBOW DASH. IF THEY SUSPECT ANYTHING, THEY WILL TURN AGAINST YOU QUICKER. THEY WILL DISOWN YOU.
"They won't. I'll make sure of that."
TAKE WARNING. SONIC WILL BE AWARE OF YOUR ATTEMPT TO THWART HIM. HE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STOP YOU. YOU MUST DO THE SAME. BUT WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, ONLY YOU WILL BE LEFT STANDING. YOU CAN SAVE YOUR REPUTATION, RAINBOW. YOU CAN SAVE EVERYONE. YOU CAN SAVE YOUR WORLD FROM HIS GRIP.
AND WHEN THE TIME COMES… A black shape resembling Sonic stepped before the enraged pegasus, who locked her furious eyes on it. It made no move, but its mere presence and seemingly-taunting gaze- along with the thoughts of it laughing at her- were enough to make her snap. WILL YOU DO WHAT MUST BE DONE?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With a furious shriek, Rainbow shot towards the shape and plowed through it front-to-back, instantly disintegrating it into dark particles. The darkness filled her vision again as she tried to catch her enraged breaths.
WE KNEW WE COULD COUNT ON YOU, RAINBOW DASH.
The darkness lifted as quickly as it came… and Rainbow found herself back in Ponyville. Without a moment to waste, she flew towards Twilight's castle to meet up with her friends.
She knew how bullies were. Her challenge with the ones that teased Fluttershy led to her doing the Sonic Rainboom. This bully was gonna go down hard… while she'd go down in history.
