Review replies by Valley!
Blue-The First Traveller: Hey, thanks for that note about Amy! I hope it doesn't bother you too much, but I thought she'd probably get a little crazy at the concept of wittle baby Sonic (for humorous purposes of course!). As for what Midnight has in mind…well, you'll see.
I see your point with Rainbow and her speed, but I'm convinced she has a more tactical approach than Sonic. From what I've seen (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here), Sonic seems to have a kind of carelessness about his style of fighting, whereas Dash knows the difference between 'pushing yourself to your limits and just being reckless' (Direct quote from the Wonderbolt Academy—amazing episode). I've also noticed that Sonic does a lot of solo fighting, whereas, while not directly responsible for victory over Discord or Tirek (The Mane Six actually weren't the ones to defeat Chrysalis), Rainbow Dash has her share of successes in teamwork. I want to establish the differences between them in this story because I've noticed that so many people focus on the similarities. I hope this doesn't cause a heated debate or anything, because they both have their strengths and weaknesses in battle and in personality.
But that's what makes them fun to write, isn't it?
kazearashika: Haha I hope so!
sanic da hegehog: That could be an option…
Multipule-Characters1-Acct: That's good to know, and I'm happy you're getting into the story.
TSC: Yay! Good to know I didn't screw it up!
Gold the Fox: Omigosh, you're still with us? That makes me happy. The Lost World thing was Tyro's idea. Actually, most of the stuff regarding the Sonic universe is his idea because he knows way more than I do, though I know a little bit more thanks to research. He showed me that one scene with Robotnik though and I gotta admit he's way more interesting as a darker character. People are cool with non-canon, right? I'm really not sure what the overall view is on that, but it's fun to make up stuff that isn't canon…kinda gives the characters more depth, in my opinion. There shall be plenty more opportunities for flank-kicking, so fear not! Thank you again for your awesome review and we will try to update ASAP n_n
Thatdudethere789: *breathes sigh of relief* Thank you…that's honestly my first attempt at writing humour so it's awesome to know that I actually made someone laugh. Gotta have some humour to break up the dark stuff, right?
Firestarter09: Not spoiling anything n_n
Christian Ape99: XD It's definitely tempting. Who would give the better reaction? I can only imagine how a speedster's feet must smell after they've been running…yeesh.
A/N: I'm sorry! 10 months is waaaaaay too long to wait for an update. Here's a giant of a chapter to make up for it.
Chapter Five: The Fun in Dysfunctional
Shadow Flash was restless.
Below the stormcloud perch on which she paced, the same chaotic orchestra played; the mechanical footsteps of robots, the Changelings' screeching hisses, the occasional whine of power tools or the faint hum of electricity. Now and then, screams and strange lights from Canterlot castle pierced the eternal night.
The same old thing.
The same old boring thing.
Her scuffle with the Wonderbolts had barely lasted ten seconds. Besides Gilda, they had been the only ones that had fought back, and she'd had the pleasure of seeing Lightning Dust begging for her help. She had abandoned each of her opponents once she got bored with them, and what became of them, she didn't know. Nor did she care.
Often, she wondered why she came back here since there was nothing to do, but her stormcloud was always circling the castle and made a perfect lookout point. For a short while, she had watched…something going on in Ponyville, but dismissed it. It wasn't worth her time. Alicorns were powerful but nowhere near fast enough. She needed action, adrenaline, movement.
Even the sparring sessions with Metal Sonic were becoming repetitive, and hiding Vanity's hoard around the country was predictable. Only one thing for it really: Shadow Flash was so bored, she was considering leaving Equestria altogether.
A green flash interrupted her thoughts and Midnight Ripple appeared. "We need you in Ponyville!"
"So?" Flash sneered, turning her back.
Midnight flew around to face her. "That's not a request, it's an order! We've hit a snag and we need you!"
"Do I look like your faithful pet?"
"Why do you never listen to me?"
"Because you're really boring!"
"The Alicorns are in Ponyville and are being aided by a hedgehog!"
Shadow Flash burst out laughing.
"Bahaha! Oh, wow! You guys are bigger losers than I thought if you're getting your flanks kicked by woodland creatures! I told ya you shoulda just blasted 'em,"
"You don't get it," Midnight gritted out. "This thing is fast… faster than any animal I've seen, maybe faster than Metal Sonic… maybe faster than you,"
"…What?"
She grinned—a manipulative smirk to match that of her 'mentor'— and hovered close to the corrupted Pegasus' ear. "I've seen it," she half-whispered. "I've gone over the numbers in my head and I calculate it's about… twenty per cent faster than you. Probably more,"
Midnight had only just gotten the last word out before she saw the pegasus' left eye twitch, and she disappeared in a monochromic streak.
"I knew that would get her moving," Midnight muttered to herself. Instead of following her, though, the Alicorn made her way toward the castle. There was something she needed.
Moral ethics were a big thing in Equestria, Ponyville especially. Ponies considered any act of aggressively establishing dominance over another taboo, and even frowned upon rodeos unless they had formally organised the event, although that was out of the question for those who had built up an admirable reputation. For example, the vast majority of the unicorn population.
Sonic knew nothing about this.
"YEE-HA! Ride'm cowboy!"
"This is highly undignified!" Vanity shrieked. "Get off me, this instant!"
She struggled and bucked thin air, trying to throw the hedgehog off her back, but Sonic held onto her mane as he continued to whoop and twirl an imaginary hat in his free hand. After leapfrogging over Orangecrush, hitting Batterfly with what the princesses now knew as a 'homing attack' and blowing a raspberry at Pinkemena, Vanity had come at him. The result sent up murmurs of disapproval from Celestia and several other onlookers, but a select few, including Luna, found it difficult to hide their laughter.
The rodeo lasted a full three minutes before Sonic abandoned it out of boredom. With Vanity in mid-buck, he planted both feet against her back and kicked off into a backflip, landing it perfectly and sidestepping a blast from the mortified unicorn. A few ponies applauded.
Sonic assumed the rhythmic stomping was applause. He gave them a brief bow and flashed his trademark grin.
From the sky, Tails rolled his eyes, but Applebloom spoke for him.
"Bit of a show off, ain't 'e?"
"Kid—"
"Name's Applebloom,"
"—you dunno the half of it."
"Look," Sonic said, swivelling on his heel to face the corrupted ponies. "This is getting kinda boring now. We could do this all night, but spoiler warning: I'll win. So how about you guys head home and lick your wounds?"
In answer, they charged him again as a unit, and he sighed. He watched them come at him, shaking his head and chuckling to himself.
Before he could make the same half-hearted sidestep, something collided with them and sent them sprawling like bowling pins. Waving away the dusty haze, that hung in the air, Sonic saw his unintended saviour. Guarding him, wings fanned, was a reddish-brown pegasus.
Vanity huffed. "Nice of you to finally join us, Shadow Flash."
Sonic raised an eye-ridge. Jeez, who names these guys?
Batterfly was on her hooves almost instantly and came for him yet again, but the newcomer swatted her aside.
"Hey, thanks," he began, putting on a smile even though he was just itching to make a comment about her ridiculous name. "But I can actually handle this myself, y'know. Although, you're welcome to join the team."
The pegasus turned to face him. "Mine," she growled.
The sudden shift in tone startled Sonic. Out of instinct, he stumbled back a step, but recovered quickly.
Her eyes narrowed to slits, white pupils glowing in the darkness. She crouched low and scraped a hoof against the ground, her wings flattening—the typical stance a pegasus took to appear threatening. "Nopony's faster than me,"
He smirked at her. "Well, it's a good thing I'm n—"
She shot toward him, cutting him off mid-sentence with a shriek. "No one!"
Her hoof grazed his nose as he sidestepped and he realised that she had almost caught him off-guard.
Then again, Sonic's enemies usually let him finish his sentences before they attacked. Heck, even Shadow was predictable.
From the surprised look on the pegasus' face, though, she hadn't expected him to react that quickly. She regained control, slammed on the brakes and whirled.
"Midnight thinks you're faster than me?"
"That would all depend on who you're supposed to be," Sonic replied, in the same unfazed tone.
"Only the fastest thing alive!"
The hedgehog rolled his eyes. "Ok, firstly, you're not the only 'Shadow' to think they're better than me, and—yeah, hate to break it to ya, but that's my thing."
Shadow Flash dove for him, the grin on her mouth telling him he'd issued a challenge. There had been an opportunity for wordplay in there, somewhere, Sonic realised, as he jumped, curled and slammed into the pegasus, knocking her into the other corrupted mares. She could have used something meant to sound threatening, like 'Can't be the fastest thing alive if you're not breathing', but she didn't appear to be the bantering type.
That was new, at least.
"Nice landing, Shadow Crash." Batterfly sneered.
Shadow Flash ignored her. She got to her hooves and shook herself off, pulsing with adrenaline and fury.
"Okay…this just got interesting," she said, more to herself than to anyone else. She flexed her wings and scraped the ground again as Sonic bristled, readying himself for a proper fight.
Before the speedsters could clash, the sky exploded in a green fireflash and an angry, metallic buzzing filled the air.
Midnight Ripple had returned, hovering high above Ponyville and scanning the battlefield like a queen looking down on her domain. Swarms of buzzbombers surrounded her in the same manner Chrysalis kept her army of Changelings close.
"Get up!" She barked the order at her four allies, having long since given up on persuading Shadow Flash to join their team. Really, Pain Six should have been the Pain Five. "Destroy the rat!"
"I'm a hedgehog!"
Midnight ignored him and turned her attention to the buzzbombers.
"Capture the Alicorns," she commanded. "Kill anypony who interferes."
The metal drones dived, laser projectiles firing from their stingers. The Pain Six followed suit, scattering, teleporting, rushing Sonic from all sides. He leapt up, bouncing off Pinkamena's head for leverage. Curling and spinning again, he flared his quills and tore through several airborne robots as if they were paper.
Luna sprung into the fray, taking flight and dispatching any buzz bombers that came their way.
"Sister, protect the citizens!" She yelled back to Celestia. "Sonic and I will deal with this!"
She expected Celestia to protest, to yank her back to the ground and lecture her again for being reckless, but through the pandemonium, she heard Celestia let out a sigh.
"Be safe, Luna!" She called, and Luna could have sworn she added under her breath, "both of you."
The older Alicorn addressed the masses, her voice regal and poised for the first time in ages.
"Everypony, listen to me. Return to the Covert and take cover!"
The onlooking crowd scattered, dodging laser fire as Celestia did the best she could to assist them.
As far as Sonic knew, fights did not tire him out. Things had taken a sudden turn once the buzz bombers had showed up. They always seemed to be automatically programmed to target him despite Midnight giving them new orders, which led to Sonic doing a lot more dodging than he wanted to and not enough time to get rid of the pesky things so he could catch his breath.
Not that he needed it. The air was probably just weird here.
Depending on the perspective, it was either lucky or unfortunate that Luna noticed his dilemma. She intervened just as Midnight Ripple aimed a beam of magic at his turned back, deflecting it with a conjured force field and wrapping them both in a shimmering, indigo bubble.
"You are struggling," she told the panting hedgehog. It wasn't a question.
Sonic drew a deep breath, let it out, then straightened up and stretched, a long, slow stretch that sent him on tiptoe and his arms reaching for the sky.
Not that he was tired. Heroes didn't get tired. It had to be the gravity or something.
"Nah," he stated with a stubborn smile. "I can handle it."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Had I not intercepted, Midnight Ripple's magic would have vaporised you,"
His ears flattened and he gave a small, nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Er, right…thanks. But let's keep this between the two of us, yeah?"
The alicorn nodded, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes. Alpha male pride was the same in every species. She scanned the area, pondering tactics.
"I have an idea," she said.
"I'm listening,"
Luna opened her mouth to reply but noticed Midnight Ripple was too close. If she spoke aloud, the corrupted alicorn would most likely use her own plan against her. Luna took a calming breath, channelled the power of her Moon, and managed a double casting, shooting her thoughts straight into his mind.
When I deactivate the protection spell, we split up. You distract the Pain Six. I will lead as many metal wasps away from you as I can. It should take some of the strain off.
Sonic grinned at her. "That was cool."
"'Tis not difficult to perform a successful double casting during a waxing moon," Luna replied, attempting to keep a discreet air but visibly swelling with pride. "Ready?"
"You don't even need to ask,"
She dropped the defences, countered another blast from Midnight Ripple and ascended slowly to attract as much attention from as many buzz bombers as possible. Sonic curled and slammed into the corrupted Alicorn. He didn't see Orangecrush behind her, and the earth pony bucked him through the window of a nearby building like a soccer ball.
The shattering of glass distracted Luna as a swarm closed in, and only the angry, metallic buzzing served as a warning before she was fleeing in the opposite direction and evading laser stingers.
Tails could only dodge the attacking buzz bombers with Applebloom on his shoulders, so it was a great relief when the horde thinned. Wide, amber eyes followed Luna's moonlit form. Applebloom tapped the kitsune on the head.
"Hey, uh, Mister?"
"It's Tai—YAAAAAAH! Tails."
In mid-introduction, he had to swoop, narrowly avoiding laser-stinger fire. The filly tightened her grip around his neck.
"Tails, we gotta follow 'er!"
"Who?"
"Princess Luna! She's—"
Tails ducked another laser projectile and then shook his head. "Nuh-uh. It's too dangerous as it is. I'll drop you off with Celestia—"
Applebloom interrupted in a garbled rush. "But-mah-friends're-at-the-clubhouse-bein'-lookouts-coz-they-thought-it-would-be-how-they-got-their-cutie-marks-but-Ah-wanted-t'stay-with-Big-Mac-and-Granny-Smith-for-a-bit-and-then-go-back-and-now-Princess-Luna's-leadin'-those-bee-thingys-right-to-'em-and it just ain't safe!"
There was a plea for help in there somewhere.
It had been at that moment when Orangecrush booted Sonic through the window. The kit winced; that would definitely leave a bruise.
"I shouldn't leave Sonic on his—"
The building's front door exploded into splinters as Sonic tore through it, curled, revved and proceeded to use Orangecrush, Vanity and Pinkemena as pinball bumpers.
"—own. Never mind—he's fine. Lead the way."
In his peripheral vision, a hoof pointed west and he shot off, Applebloom clinging to him for dear life and whooping in elated fear. Tails smiled to himself.
It felt kinda nice to be the big brother, for a change.
For the unfortunate ponies unable to find cover, Celestia was a blessing. She could get away with firing short bursts of magic without feeling dizzy, but it was enough to send the buzz bombers plummeting to the ground so she could finish them with a good stomping. Soon enough, she found herself enjoying it, but she wasn't surprised. That same dark satisfaction was as familiar now as when she and Luna had faced off against Silver Sonic. With each screech of shattered steel, her stress melted away a little more.
Oh, yes, the mother of harmony was liking anarchy.
For now, though, the tumult in Ponyville's streets had quietened considerably, save for the enduring battle between Sonic and the Pain Six.
Now that the skies had been mostly clear of buzz bombers for some time, Celestia allowed herself a moment to breathe. She did not relax completely, though. Every so often, Sonic would shoot past, so she had to stay fully alert to avoid seventy-seven pounds of speeding hedgehog bowling her over. She turned a corner, passed under an archway and immediately ducked back behind the wall, muffling a startled cry.
Ahead of her was the town fountain; she knew the smell of mouldy, stale water and algae well enough by now since the filter was long dead.
A pony-shaped figure was standing in front of it.
With her heart in her throat, Celestia dared to peek around the corner.
She had thought it was Midnight Ripple waiting to ambush her, but taking that second glance, she noticed the figure was noticeably female, but smaller. In the dim moonlight, she made out a horn, a white coat and the silhouette of a wild, spiky mane, and an odd box-shape beside her.
Another citizen.
"Okay, baby, don't let me down now,"
Who was apparently talking to herself. Celestia recognised the voice. After checking for an all clear, she darted from her hiding place and approached the figure, whose head turned at the sound of hoofsteps.
"Vinyl Scratch," Celestia hissed, "what in the world are you doing out here? It's dangerous!"
The DJ opened her mouth to reply, but shut it, distracted, when Batterfly glided into view. The corrupted pegasus was scanning the area as if she was lost or confused.
Vinyl grinned, got behind the mysterious box and, with one effortless push of her hoof, took aim at Batterfly. "Don't worry, princess, I got this. Hey, freak!"
Batterfly's head whipped in the unicorn's direction.
"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, ya buzzard!"
Batterfly's lip curled. After using the insult herself many times towards Shadow Flash, the resulting fights that followed were proof that the term was offensive in Pegasi society. "Who're you calling a buzzard?"
She swooped low and charged, but the unicorn continued grinning, one hoof hovering over the single button on the box. With the other, she pulled down the sunglasses that had been resting on her horn. "D'ya like m'bass cannon?!"
Vinyl slammed her hoof down. The box seemed to split in half: the top portion lifting vertically and the bottom spreading horizontally into two square sections, revealing a glowing, blue…thing. Celestia was not too familiar with amplifiers.
Wary of the strange technology, Batterfly backed off as the amp let out a mechanical, whine. The soft light of the speaker became brighter as the sound got louder…
…and nothing happened.
It coughed out a fan of sparks and died, and Vinyl's self-assured grin faded. She mashed the button again and again, but the bass cannon did not even flicker. With a jeering laugh, Batterfly resumed the assault and Celestia prepared to intercept.
"Vinyl, move!"
The cry had not come from Celestia. Just as Batterfly reached for her oblivious victim, Vinyl Scratch was knocked aside. There was a violent crash, followed by a splash, as the corrupted pegasus' victim became the bass cannon instead of the mouthy unicorn. Unfortunately, she could not stop herself tumbling into the fountain. Coughing and spluttering, she hauled herself from the rancid water, and her moss-covered pelt and the swampy stench that now surrounded her gave her the appearance of a strange pony/lagoon monster hybrid. With Celestia nearby and fully alert, the corrupt pegasus decided the unicorn she was ready to maim wasn't worth her time and flew off sulkily.
Vinyl Scratch had found it hilarious. Her saviour did not. The unicorn was helped to her hooves, and then abruptly received a smack to the back of her head. Vinyl stopped laughing.
"You can't just listen to me for once, can you?"
She perched her sunglasses on her horn. "Jeez, 'Tavi, chill—"
Octavia, as she was formally known, interrupted her reckless roommate with a forceful shake of her head.
"Do not tell me to 'chill'," she said. She did not yell, but her voice was still firm. "It's bad enough that last week, you very nearly caused the entire Covert to go deaf with your…tinkering…but you can't even follow the simplest of requests? I told you to stay inside, Vinyl!"
"Is that another way of saying you were worried about me?"
The earth pony hesitated. "…Yes," she said, and then gave Vinyl another smack when a satisfied grin crept back onto her mouth. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you,"
Octavia's pride was her greatest vice. She was kind-hearted, but uncomfortable with public shows of affection. They were opposites in personality, but close friends, although Octavia, being a key member of Canterlot's elite, insisted among her peers they were only roommates so as not to tarnish her reputation.
Status was the least of anypony's worries, nowadays, though. Those within the Covert valued survival and invisibility above all else—if you wanted to avoid capture, you had to get your hooves dirty and rub shoulders with the substandard. If you couldn't deal with it, then good luck to you.
Octavia didn't mind. Ponyville was one of her favourite places in Equestria, but the one gripe she had was Vinyl's crazy ideas to 'fight the power'. With soundwaves, of all things.
"I've almost got it," the DJ was insisting. "It just needs more power in the wubs-capacitor and less in the sonic reducer. Or maybe I should take out th—"
"Vinyl, I have no clue what you're talking about, but—"
An explosion and a screech of metal cut her off, and the two mares whirled, startled, to see Celestia stomping a felled buzz bomber with an uncharacteristic smile. Vinyl and Octavia gaped. She finally stopped pulverising it after what seemed like an eternity, feeling their eyes on her, and she flicked her mane out of her eyes and cleared her throat as if ashamed.
"Both of you get back to the Covert and stay there until I give the all-clear. Help anypony who needs it, but do not put yourselves at risk."
The show of justified brutality fresh in their minds, the mares didn't dare question her.
If it hadn't been for Tails' exceptional night vision, it would have been impossible to follow Luna. The night camouflaged the alicorn, and only a slight waver against the star-studded sky gave her away. He caught a brief, familiar flash of silver and dove for the cover of nearby trees. They were leafless and withered, but out of the line of the buzzbombers' sights.
"Whatcha doin'?" Applebloom asked. She jumped off his shoulders, perching beside him on the branch. For a pony, she could keep her balance fairly well.
"Best not to attract the buzz bombers' attention," Tails replied. Sonic was faster on his feet, but the kitsune was the faster thinker. "Luna has them distracted, but they'll attack if they see me,"
"Why?" For a kid who had just survived a horrible near-death experience, she sure asked a lot of questions. Not that the fox minded—whenever he had to explain anything to Sonic, he often got a similar reaction.
"They're automatically set to do that."
"Oh. Well, that ain't fair."
Tails shrugged. "I'm used to it. Just more so with Sonic around. Hey, are we close to your clubhouse, by any chance?"
"Yup!" Applebloom and pointed off to her right. It was more out in the open than Tails was hoping for, but if he timed it accurately, kept quiet and didn't draw attention, then getting there alive would be simple…right?
When the coast was clear, Tails made a frantic dash for the ramp-ladder on the first level, taking shelter beneath it and keeping his eyes on the sky.
"Okay," he murmured. "When I give the signal, we'll—"
Applebloom wasn't listening. She had leapt off his back again and was hollering up at the tree house.
"SWEETIE BELLE! SCOOTALOO!"
The fox face-palmed. So much for stealth.
Again, though, with a certain big brother of his, he was used to it.
"Hey!" He hissed at the filly. "What did I say would happen if they see us?"
"But you said see, not hear. Do those robot-thingies even have ears?"
"APPLEBLOOM?! IS THAT YOU?!"
A new voice joined the cacophony, squeaky and high pitched but still loud. Applebloom resumed her bellowing.
SWEETIE BELLE! YOUR'E OKAY!"
"UH-HUH! ME AND SCOOTALOO WERE SO WORRIED!"
"I WAS NOT!"
"WAS TOO!"
Tails twitched. "Applebloom, can't you tell them to—?"
He heard the pattering of hooves on wood and realised he had been talking to himself.
"Oh, perfect."
This is almost as bad as the time Sonic found those guarana berries, he thought, then shuddered at the memory. Almost.
With a cautious glance, he followed her to the top level, ducked into the tree house, and two sets of large eyes turned on him.
"Uh, hi," he stuttered, having been put off lecturing Applebloom by the fillies' quizzical stares.
"What're you s'posed to be?" One of them asked, thankfully quieter than before. Tails put the voice and the name together. It was the arguer from before—Scootaloo.
"Oh, this is Tails," Applebloom spoke up and as if the fact she had all but given away their position to the enemy didn't faze her in the slightest, she added, "He c'n fly."
That started a heated debate on whether foxes could fly, but Tails wasn't listening. From the window, he saw the fight between Luna and the buzz bombers drawing closer to the tree house. The alicorn dodged several laser projectiles and then hovered, a glowing aura surrounding her and her eyes lighting up in the darkness…
Uh oh.
"Get down!"
He dove for them, tails whirling for extra propulsion and pushed them behind the wooden podium, as a massive beam of indigo and white light tore through the half of the tree house in which they had been standing. Hopefully, he thought, as the smell of singed fur reached his nose, she had taken out her intended targets.
"Our tr—!" Applebloom started, but Tails clapped a hand over her mouth.
"I'll build you another one later," he hissed. His keen hearing told him the fight was right above them. "Just stay down and keep quiet!"
Scootaloo either didn't hear him, or ignored him. "Omigosh, is that Princess Luna fighting metal bees?"
"They're wasps, you dodo," Sweetie Belle replied in a loud whisper.
"Nuh-uh, they're bees,"
"Wasps,"
"Bees,"
"Wasps,"
"BEES!"
"WASPS!"
"BEE—"
"—QUIET!"
Nice going genius.
Tails hadn't even been aware that he had leapt to his feet, shrieking, until everything went quiet. He thought—well, hoped—that his little outburst had gone unnoticed, though he was sure that the buzzbombers' visual sensor lights blinking red may as well have been them announcing "there you are" in a cute voice that would come off as more ominous for tiny machines of death. Maybe, by some miracle, two flattened ears and a pair of huge, blue eyes s-l-o-w-l-y disappearing back behind the podium didn't register as their intended target. Maybe—
A laser projectile hit the wall behind him. Okay, maybe they had seen him.
Tails pressed himself to the floor, shielding the three now shrieking fillies. His mind was racing too quickly to think of a plan. They were surrounded, so trying to fly out of there was suicidal. Wait it out, perhaps? Last minute heroics were also welcomed.
Indigo tinted his vision. The sounds of impending doom muffled.
"You shall not harm them!"
Tails knew Luna's voice well enough by now, but he was still shaking too much to investigate what had happened. He didn't need to.
"Wow!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I've never seen Princess Luna use defence magic before!"
That got him moving from his hiding spot, prepared with a lecture on the actual science of it, but Luna spoke first.
"Tails, what are you doing here?"
With the alicorn hovering above them, and her tone telling him to choose his words carefully, Tails decided the whole science versus 'magic' issue was no longer important.
"Um, Applebloom can explain it later—"
"This is the second time I have had to intercept an attack," Luna continued. "I am beginning to think we would benefit from your friends' assistance, as discussed before. For now, though, are all four of you able to get back to Ponyville safely? I can cover your escape."
"Ah c'n show you the Covert," Applebloom spoke up. "Ah've bin practicin' mah pronum—promun—er…how t' say the password!"
For a moment, Tails considered it. He wasn't sure what the Covert was, yet, but was curious to find out. Although, if any of the buzzbombers caught sight of them while trying to enter, the entire place would be at risk.
"I can manage," he told Luna. "And I think it would be faster to fly."
On the way back, as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gaped in silent awe at his abilities and Applebloom gloated on his shoulders—"Ah toldya he c'n fly!"— Tails wondered how anyone could find time to call for backup in the insanity of the fray.
Sonic barely made it through the door before his legs gave out and he dropped to the floor, panting.
That look on Shadow Flash's face, a split-second before she slammed into the tree had been priceless, and trying to run and stifle a bad giggling fit at the same time was impossible.
Sure, that was the only reason he had to catch his breath. Sonic the hedgehog didn't need to rest.
He tried to haul himself to his feet and his muscles ached in protest; he couldn't blame it on the gravity or the air this time.
"Ow. Okay, maybe I just…need a minute." He winced at his own words and sat back down stiffly. "Ugh, never thought I'd actually say that."
He leaned his head against the closed door and swiped a hand across his brow. When had he last broken a sweat during combat? If anyone, specifically two certain rivals of his learned that a flying pony was wearing him out, they would have laughed him out of Equestria and Mobius.
He already had an explanation ready to save his reputation—Shadow Flash did not seem to tire. At all. He wasn't entirely sure for how long this fight had been going, but he had not seen a single drop of perspiration or any sign that her energy was running low. Now he thought about it, none of the Pain Six had shown signs of fatigue. He assumed that it was because they were cursed or corrupted or whatever Celestia had said.
Sonic was only Mobian—even the fastest thing alive had his limits.
There was a bright side to it though: no one needed to give him a tour of Ponyville anymore; several million laps around the town and Sonic had it memorised.
His thoughts were a whirlwind; were the others okay? What approach should he take since his current tactic wasn't working? Where was Tails? How were Knuckles and Amy doing back home? Had they rounded up everyone?
He'd had to stop and think in the middle of a fight maybe only once or twice. It seemed like a waste of time and the odds were always in his favour anyway. Sonic drew a breath to let out in a frustrated sigh and ended up coughing.
Ugh…dusty.
Only then did it occur to him to explore his surroundings. A second attempt to get to his feet proved successful, and he stretched out the tension in his legs before wandering.
The entire building reminded him of a fancy, exotic tent, or, at least it had used to be. Cobwebs hung from every surface, including several pony-shaped mannequins, the windows were shattered, the drapes torn and moth-eaten, and a thick blanket of dust hung in the air and made it harder for him to steady his breathing.
He made a deliberate detour around the mannequins; given the creepy atmosphere of the building, it did not help one bit that Sonic's imagination was trying to convince him that the dummies were sentient and would creep up on him once he turned his back…
With a few of the tattered curtains drawn, Sonic's curiosity got the best of him. He pulled them aside and promptly had a sneezing fit. Behind the curtains was a set of three large mirrors and a table, and off to his right, another creepy mannequin and a clothing rack.
He flicked through the rack anyway. When it came to fashion, Sonic preferred practicality to stylishness—it was by pure coincidence that his sneakers just so happened to stop his feet from catching fire when he ran and look cool, too. The rack was only made up of worn dresses, and Sonic was no fashionista himself, but he knew talent when he saw it.
Pretty detailed for a pony…wait… why would ponies even need clothes? And how would they even make them without thumbs?
He pondered this for a moment and then realised he had gotten distracted. The chances of that happening were as likely as Shadow becoming a stand-up comedian.
Or a flying pony keeping up with me, he thought. Still can't believe that.
He had thought the same thing when he had first discovered that a flying fox could match his speed; how was a flying pony any different?
I can think of several reasons…
Sonic shook his head as if to clear it, and then crept to each window and peered out, ears and eyes alert for any sign of danger. The night was almost still except for one or two remaining buzz bombers and a faint smell of rain hung in the air.
No problem there. Thanks, Celestia.
That left the Pain Five and Shadow Flash out in the open. Somewhere. Last time he had seen them, the five were eating his dust and Shadow Flash had gotten a nice gobful of tree-bark. Her shocked expression popped into his mind again and he chuckled as he headed for the door. He reached out to push it open, to pick up the fight where he had left off, and stopped, withdrawing his hand.
I need a plan. What I was doing before isn't working.
For a long moment, he stood there, considering his options, unaware that his foot had started a frantic, annoyed drumbeat against the floor.
Ugh, this would be so much easier if Tails were with me. Of course, I can't find—
He perked as something came to him.
If anyone knows anything about tactics, it's Tails. To find him, I need to avoid the Pain Si—Five and Shadow Flash. And if anyone knows anything about them, it's Celestia.
Two sets of eyes and a pair of wings would find Tails faster, and perhaps she knew something about them he did not. The only issue between point A and point B was how to avoid them.
I cannot believe I'm even thinking this, but I can't draw attention to myself.
Stealth was key. Sonic would have perfected it, too, if he had the patience. He had limited options, however, and could not bring himself to harm any of the Pain Six seriously. Even if it was in their nature to kill, it was not in his.
Sonic drew a long, slow breath, let it out, and pushed open the door a little, a space just big enough for him to slip through—thank gods his baby fat was gone.
He peeked out and scanned his surroundings again. A heavy cloud hovering too close to the ground drew his attention, but Celestia had mentioned the weather was crazy here.
He darted from the run-down boutique and aimed for a building he had dubbed 'The Gingerbread House', circled around the side and pressed himself flat against the wall.
So far, so good.
The rainy smell in the air grew stronger. Thunder mumbled at his back. Funny, it almost sounded like it was following him…
He shook the thought from his head. Weird weather, remember?
From his viewpoint, the town hall was in sight. He decided, on impulse, to make that his next aim. Improvising made it more fun, anyway, and with his pace kept to what he considered a light jog, there was enough time to recover.
Any self-confidence he thought he might have lost before returned with a cavalry. Smiling, he pushed off the wall and made a beeline for his target.
Five steps. Fifteen and he had cleared the small bridge over the stream running through the town. Twenty—
Sonic was not entirely sure what happened next.
Deafening light replaced his vision. Blinding sound filled his head. A great pressure slammed into him. He faltered in mid-stride and crashed into the dirt, but did not feel it. Everything was numb and did not seem to work right. He couldn't remember how to get up. What was he doing? Which direction was up and which direction was down?
A heartbeat that felt like an eternity passed, and time suddenly made sense again.
His first awareness was a familiar noise leaking through the ringing in his ears. Faint laughter. His other senses crawled back. Knives twisted in his temples and needles stabbed at his nerves. The acrid stench of singed fur crept up his nose and adrenaline had soured in his mouth.
Sonic blinked. Moonlight, harsh and burning as desert sun, relit the world in a fireflash. His leaden limbs did not want to oblige, but he forced himself to sit up anyway, groaning as his head shuttle-looped.
The laughter grew louder, or perhaps the ringing in his ears had eased; he couldn't tell, but instinct told him to look toward the sound to identify its source. He gawped up at the stormcloud he had seen before.
It was laughing at him.
Only then did it sink in that lightning had hit him. This crazy cumulus found that hilarious, apparently. Jerk.
"It's n-not that funny," he stuttered at it, dimly aware that he had just spoken to a cloud. The laughter trailed off to a humoured sigh.
The cloud sprouted a pair of wings, a head, a torso…and then Shadow Flash was leering down at him from her perch, eyes glowing in the darkness.
"It is, actually," she said, crossing one forehoof over the other.
Sonic gaped. "Wait…how did…how long have you…what?!"
Normally, this would be the part where he would throw a bad pun at her, to lighten the mood, but he had nothing for this. Not a single joke or witty comeback. Somehow, that was more alarming than how she had found him, or could create lightning.
The corrupted pegasus giggled again, stretching out on the cloud. "You clearly don't know how to make a quick recovery," she said. Her tone reminded him of a teacher criticising a student's performance. "None of the others did, either."
A rare chill of shock slithered down his spine. This was a game to her, he realised. Something Luna said back on Mobius sprung into his mind.
"Our strongest rebels are few, captured, wounded, dying or even dead."
Did Shadow Flash have a part in that? He wanted to ask her, but his tongue wasn't cooperating.
Get up, a voice in his head responded. Keep moving. Find Celestia.
Sonic hauled himself to his feet, swaying drunkenly as a wave of dizziness nearly overcame him. Shadow Flash watched him, still sprawled across her cloud. The moment he made any sudden moves, she would strike.
Maybe I shouldn't, he thought. If I can stall her long enough, maybe—
A dark chuckle sounded behind him, cutting off his thoughts. He turned toward the sound, just in time to see Midnight Ripple coming in for a landing in front of him.
The Alicorn sent a smirk up at Shadow Flash. "You finally stopped being useless."
More sounds, more motion on his every side. He didn't have to look to know that the rest of the Pain Six had him cornered. Not that he considered that an issue.
A blur of movement between him and Midnight. Shadow Flash stood in front of him protectively again. He wished that could have been a good thing.
"Back off," she growled. "I told you this one's mine."
Midnight's smirk faded. "He's a nuisance, a threat to the Queen and a waste of our time," she replied, eyeing Shadow Flash as if she wasn't just referring to Sonic. "We're not playing games. Move or I'll make you."
The pegasus pawed the ground in response. Immediately, Midnight enveloped her in a levitation spell and flung her far off into the distance with a toss of her head. He heard a faint splash. If they weren't trying to kill him, Sonic would have thanked her.
"Can you blast this guy already?" Pinkemena spoke up. "I've wanted to see that smug look wiped off his face the second he got here."
Sonic spun on his heel to give her the most patronising smirk he could muster, and stumbled, earning a burst of laughter from Batterfly. He ignored it.
With one hand braced against the ground, he pushed himself to stand up again. Midnight Ripple chuckled behind him: the all-too-familiar cackle of a villain convinced they had already won.
Yeah, right.
He turned to face her in a slow circle, stepping lightly and ensuring he was stable before making the next move. To the Pain Six, he probably looked like some poor, helpless, beaten creature peeking at doom through his fingers.
Surrounded or not, Sonic was anything but helpless. The deliberate movements had improved his balance, and he already felt steadier on his feet. Not enough to pull off a signature attack, but if Midnight threw a spell at him, he could dodge it.
Judging from the self-righteous look she was giving him, she was itching for a good, old-fashioned gloat before she executed him.
Just try it.
"So, groundhog—"
"—hedgehog! It's really not that difficult!"
Midnight huffed. "It makes no difference now." Her horn ignited with an eerie, lime green glow. "Any last words?"
He couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Y'know, if you got any more unoriginal, you'd—"
Mid-taunt, he broke off as an unmistakable silhouette appeared over the rooftops. "Tails!"
Five heads turned in that direction, just as Luna's form followed. Sonic cursed his own stupidity—when faced with impending doom, it's never a good idea for one to shriek the name of a visible, more vulnerable target, but he couldn't help it. He'd been worrying about the kid since the buzzbombers attacked.
The corrupted Alicorn grinned, her horn dimming, then recharging. She glanced at Vanity and a silent arrow of thought passed between them. Two beams fired. Luna dodged one. Tails yelped as the other grazed him, more in surprise than in pain.
From the ground, Sonic saw something fall from under his arm, something flailing and screaming—someone. Female, from the sound.
A switch flipped in Sonic's head. Adrenaline and instinct kicked in, hard.
Midnight probably turned to say something to him, but he had already streaked forward in that half heartbeat as if the lightning had never affected him, springing up, darting along the rooftops. Tails had only just recovered and made a dive, but naturally, Sonic got there first. He leapt again, kicked off the school's belltower and the sky seemed to lift him up, forward—
"Gotcha!"
Easily as picking a flower, he snatched the filly from the air, and he hugged her to him protectively as he came in for a rolling landing. His technique wasn't perfect, and he landed on his shoulder a little harder than he meant to, but it didn't matter because the filly in his arms was still breathing.
Honestly, what was with these jerks and targeting kids?
Satisfied the coast was clear, at least for now, Sonic tried to set the trembling filly down, but she clung to him. He couldn't see any injuries. She was probably just in shock.
"You okay, kid?" He asked. She finally peeked up at him from the crook of his elbow, lavender eyes huge and shiny and a goofy grin on her mouth.
Oh, he knew that look anywhere. He just wasn't sure if the term 'puppy-like adoration' applied to ponies.
Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, you're fine. What's your name?"
"S-Scootaloo,"
"Well, Scootaloo, I—"
Abruptly, he cut off, ears perking as he picked up the sound of the Pain Five rushing at him. With Vanity shrieking "there he is, get him!", it wasn't exactly hard to miss.
"You don't get motion sick, do ya?"
Scootaloo brightened. "Nuh-uh!"
Sonic slid one foot back, getting into stance. "Cool. Hold on, kid."
With that, he darted forward at a fraction of his usual speed, letting the corrupted ponies think they actually had a chance at catching him. At the last second, he skidded around, poured on the momentum and somersaulted over them, grinning.
"Suckers!"
Against his arm, Scootaloo giggled.
He sensed the change in the atmosphere before he heard it. Thunder muttered, static bristled his fur—
NOW!
Sonic hugged the filly closer, launching himself to the side as the air simultaneously exploded around him. Recovering, he glanced up at a familiar stormcloud. Shadow Flash was back, soaking wet and seething.
And she had missed.
The hedgehog grinned up at her, unable to help a much-needed gloat. "Hey, soggy, how was your swim?"
"Let me show you," she retorted, in a tone that suggested she was far more interested in watching him drown.
NOPE.
"OOOOF!"
"Okay, he can fly, but that doesn't mean he can land."
"Hey, my tails cramped up." The dusty and somewhat annoyed kit picked himself up and brushed himself off. "And you two are heavy."
Applebloom got to her hooves and shook the dirt from her fur, grinning. "That w's fun! Can we go again?"
Tails sighed, digging dirt from his ear with a finger. Next time, Sonic could take the babysitting job.
Behind him, Luna touched down on the town hall deck with her usual feathery grace, an anxious frown creasing her features as she eyed the fight.
"Did it not occur to Sonic to get the filly to a safer place?"
The kitsune would have laughed, if this had been any other situation. "Princess, Sonic and rationality are two opposites that don't attract."
"I see." She flared her wings and set one hoof down, preparing to intercept once again. "In that case, I—"
A roar of thunder and a blinding flash interrupted Luna and she shrieked as a sharp jolt tore up her right forehoof. Simultaneously, she wondered why an unusually fluffy Tails had suddenly yelped and attached himself to one of the girders above him, and why two screeching fillies were now taking shelter underneath her.
"Keep your flank parked right there!" A voice snarled from above her. Luna tried to put weight on her hoof and found she couldn't.
She didn't need to look around to know that Shadow Flash had issued the warning, since in the next half-heartbeat, the corrupted pegasus shot off in Sonic's direction, forked tongues of lightning igniting the darkness.
"Luna!"
Her head whipped in the direction of her older sister's voice as Celestia came galloping in their direction, her coat oily and stained. She had probably seen the lightning, Luna guessed.
Celestia reached her side and gave her an affectionate nuzzle, and then noticed how Luna was favouring her left forehoof.
"Are you alright?"
Luna nodded, looking out to the fight once again. "I will be fine. But it is not I who needs our attention."
The older alicorn followed her gaze. Sonic was clearly struggling again, only just managing to dodge the oncoming attacks, and clutching Scootaloo to his chest as though his survival depended on her alone.
"You're right," Celestia said. "But we cannot fight them ourselves. We are outnumbered."
"That's why we have a back-up plan," Tails said from behind them. At some point, he had summoned the courage to peel himself off the ceiling girders and land.
"We c'n help!" Applebloom spoke up. Sweetie Belle squeaked out a "Yeah!" in response, still hiding under Luna.
Both alicorns shot maternal glares in their direction. "Absolutely not."
This started a loud discussion over the fillies' usefulness versus their safety, and all the while, the wheels were turning again in Tails' mind.
"I've got it!" He exclaimed suddenly, and before anyone could ask him what he meant, the kit had taken flight and sped off in Sonic's direction.
The fight was beginning to feel more like complicated choreography.
Duck, step, turn, protect Scootaloo. Jump, spindash, check on Scootaloo, pivot, run…I'm gonna be a great multitasker once this is over.
Something above Sonic caught his attention as the Pain Six closed in again— something that was flailing frantically at him.
Tails.
His opponents hadn't noticed. Their eyes locked and a silent bolt of thought seemed to pass between them.
Just have to get my timing right…
Pinkamena flew at him. Duck.
The air crackled with electricity. Roll.
Orangecrush charged. Now!
Sonic leapt up, using Orangecrush's back to support his next move. He held the filly tightly to him as he curled and spun. Hitting Batterfly propelled his momentum further upwards, to Shadow Flash, and finally to Midnight Ripple.
For a short, satisfying moment, Sonic was above the Pain Six.
Then gravity tapped him on the shoulder and instinct told him that this was his opportunity.
"Can you fly, kid?"
Scootaloo peeked up at him with those huge, lavender eyes. "No…but—"
"Then consider this your first lesson!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Sonic hurled her like a shrieking football towards Tails' open arms. The kit caught her easily, then shot off back towards the town hall.
Sonic caught a glimpse of them discussing something before he realised he had to make a landing. He hit the ground, rolling, and then in a heartbeat, was on his feet and whirling around to face the Pain Six charging at him.
"Time out!" He shouted, a little more shrilly than intended.
All six mares skidded to a halt.
Wow, I can't believe that actually worked.
An awkward beat of silence passed between them as Sonic tried to decide his next move.
"Be right back," he said with a grin. Before any of them could object, he was gone.
"Why did we stop?!" Batterfly exclaimed. "Let's get them while their backs are turned!"
"Stay where you are," Midnight replied. From her tone, the alicorn's mind was already brewing a counter-attack. "Let them have this."
Shadow Flash snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm having too much fun!"
She shot up and dove for Sonic.
Midnight snatched the pegasus from the air with her magic and slammed her into the ground face first. "I said 'stay'!"
Having seen the whole thing, Sonic chuckled to himself as he re-joined the group.
"Please tell me you've got a plan. I hate to admit it, but I'm getting my spines handed to me out there and I don't think these guys have an 'off' switch."
Tails nodded, his blue eyes flicking distrustfully in the Pain Six's direction. "Back-up," he said simply, and Sonic could have kicked himself for remembering it was his idea to begin with.
"Celestia and Luna— thankfully— still have the emeralds," Tails continued. "They'll send me back to get the others. Hopefully, both Shadow and Silver will be there to get us back. If not— well, I'll think of something if that happens. While I'm gone, Celestia and Luna can get these three—" (he gestured to Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and a very dizzy looking Scootaloo) "—to safety—"
"What're you talking about?" Sweetie Belle protested.
Applebloom stomped a hoof. "Yeah! We c'n help!"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders: Harmony Hunters! YAAAA—"
"I told you, this is not open for debate," Celestia spoke up firmly, loud enough to cut the three fillies off mid-cheer. "Sonic cannot fight the Pain Six alone if he has to worry about you three."
Sonic gaped at her. "Wait, what?"
Apparently, no one heard him.
"I guess you're right," Sweetie Belle admitted. She seemed sad at first, then abruptly perked. "We can help out later!"
Tails laughed to himself, while Luna and Celestia unpacked the Chaos Emeralds.
"So, everyone knows what they gotta do?" He asked.
"Waitasec," Sonic spoke up. "I—"
The alicorn's shout interrupted him. "CHAOS CONTROL!"
Mental note: ask Shadow if he can summon Chaos Control by whispering. Would make life a heck of a lot easier.
Midnight watched carefully as the portal appeared. "Interesting…"
"Could you please explain the part where I'm s'posed to hold off six magical, deadly horses by myself?!" Sonic asked.
Once again, no reply. Celestia and Luna were busy making sure the fillies were comfortable sitting on their backs and Tails was grabbing the emeralds from the magical aura that kept them floating off the ground.
Just as the two sisters turned to leave, and just as Tails jumped through the portal, Sonic's confusion and frustration brimmed and spilled over.
"HEY! WHAT THE HECK AM I S'POSED TO DO?!"
As his three friends disappeared from view, they finally gave him an answer, in unison:
"Just improvise! You'll be fine!"
And like that, Sonic was left alone.
Present homicidal company excluded.
As the realization began to sink in, he slowly turned to face the maniacal mares. They all seemed to have the same, self-satisfied smile, except Pinkamena and Shadow Flash. The pegasus didn't seem to care what happened now, as long as she could choose which part of him she could have stuffed and mounted on her wall.
And none of them were speaking, which meant he had no material to work with.
Say something! The voice inside Sonic's head screamed. Anything!
Normally, Sonic would be all for a witty pun or a derailing one-liner, but as he came to grips with the reality of his situation, his mind went blank.
It doesn't have to be funny; heck, it doesn't even have to be smart! Just…say…SOMETHING!
The Pain Six looked like they were ready to rush him again; wings flared, horns lit up, hooves scraped against the dirt, and all six seemed to be fired now that the tables were turned.
Naturally, Sonic decided on the first thing that popped into his head: "So….anybody got a glass of water? Cuz' I'm feeling six different kinds of 'hoarse' right now."
"Can we kill him now?" Pinkemena gritted out.
Thanks a lot, brain.
You're welcome.
Midnight gave her battle cry, and they rushed him again.
Sonic leapt up, only just evading the beams that Vanity and Midnight fired at him, then curled into a spin dash, aiming for Orangecrush.
He failed to notice Batterfly and Shadow Flash.
They slammed into his sides, sending him crashing into the town hall patio, winded. Immediately, four of the Pain Six pounced on him, kicking and trampling, and Sonic had no choice but to stay curled.
Midnight and Vanity sauntered over, but did not join in.
"Aren't you two joining in?" Batterfly asked.
Vanity sniffed, admiring her hooves. "Do you know how long it takes hedgehog blood to wash out?"
Midnight didn't reply, simply watching with a smirk as the odds turned in her favour.
It seemed like an eternity before Sonic finally heard something besides the pounding of hooves and his own laboured breathing.
"SONIC!"
Celestia and Luna.
The beating stopped. Midnight's cruel smile grew wider. She used her magic to grip Sonic's throat and dangled him in front of the two princesses like a toy mouse held out of reach of an energetic cat.
"I will only say this once: surrender yourselves to the Queen and the Doctor or join the insurgence in death."
She relished the horrified look on Celestia's face, the sorrowed, reluctant way she kept Luna back with a wing.
"Let's start with your 'hero', shall we?"
Midnight focused harder; her magic hold tightened a little more and she laughed.
"Your little…blue…blur."
She dragged the words out slowly, concentrating more with each deliberate pause.
Instinctively, Sonic clawed at his throat, gasping, but could not get his hands on whatever it was that was cutting off his air.
The self-doubt crept into Celestia's mind again.
We can't fight this. Maybe if Discord were here…
She looked away, biting back tears.
"I surrender myself willingly!" She yelled. Her voice wavered. "Do with me what you will, but please…spare my sister, my citizens…and Sonic. Swear to me this— release him and leave here. I…I will not resist you any longer."
"Very well Celestia, for your coopera—"
"No!" Sonic forced out. "Don't do it, Celestia! I can take these guys!"
Celestia gaped at him. If Midnight was cutting off his air, how was he able to speak?
The corrupted alicorn spun him around so they were nose to nose.
"Idiot!" She snarled. "You're beaten, outnumbered and your two-tailed friend has clearly abandoned you! The princesses and this town are nowhere near strong enough to stop the power of disharmony, so what makes you think, even for a minute, that a rat like you can?"
To Celestia's surprise, Sonic chuckled. "Lady, I've been fighting robots and Egghead for as long as I can remember. I've been able to take my worst enemies and make them my greatest allies. I've travelled through time and space to save time and space, and I've fought and defeated actual gods! So believe me when I say I did not survive all of that to be beaten by a bunch of little ponies. Oh, and by the way—"
He grabbed Midnight's throat, pulling himself towards her until they were eye to eye.
"—I'm a hedgehog."
That maniacal grin still remained on her mouth, but he could tell that his words had affected her because suddenly he could breathe a little easier.
"Bravery only gets you so far in life, vermin," she said. Still holding him captive in levitation, her horn grew brighter, charging with a double casting. "I let you survive this long because I was curious about your behaviour, but I think I'd like to dissect you now."
As Midnight's spell reached its full charge, the air exploded with energy.
"What now?!" Midnight yelled, surprised, but irritated at the interruption.
Sonic needed only a glimpse of the portal to know exactly what was happening.
He grinned. "Backup."
Tails appeared from the portal first. He was now wearing a backpack and had what appeared to be a canon on his right arm. Knuckles landed next to him and Amy followed, signature hammer in hand.
Others appeared alongside them too: a lavender cat, a white bat wearing makeup and a black bodysuit, a bulky, scarlet robot, a crocodile wearing headphones, a purple chameleon, a bee wearing a helmet, and a white hedgehog, bathed in an aqua aura as he floated off the ground.
Tails' eyes grew wide as he noticed Sonic's predicament. "Hey! You let Sonic go!"
"Or else what? You think just because you brought your friends to their demise…"
Sonic tuned out as Midnight began her 'inevitable doom' speech, taking the opportunity to do a headcount now that he wasn't in danger of suffocating.
Everyone's here except—
As if reading his mind, one more figure launched itself from the portal and upwards, high enough that only the light of the waxing moon revealed its silhouette.
"CHAOS SPEAR!"
There he is. Subtle as usual.
A yellow bolt of energy slammed into the ground at Midnight's feet. Startled, the alicorn's magic faltered, releasing Sonic from its grip. As the smoke and dust began to clear, the Pain Six managed to see what attacked them: the dark shape of a third hedgehog, camouflaged almost perfectly in the night.
"Sorry," Silver spoke up, his sheepish tone breaking the dramatic mood. "We got a little…lost,"
Shadow cast a scowl in the younger hedgehog's direction. Sonic guessed it was because no one had commented on the theatrics.
"Through no fault of mine,"
It sounded a little too much like Shadow was accusing him. Silver opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Getting a rocket-powered boot to the head was only something he wished to experience once.
Sonic cleared his throat as he pushed himself to his feet, brushing himself off and trying not to appear too disorientated. "It's cool. You guys could've taken your time. I had it all under control, y'know."
Shadow huffed, assuming his usual 'screw everything' stance. "I suppose you were just luring them into a false sense of security?"
Sonic glared at his rival. "Hey, I'd like to see you—"
He cut off; the wolfish smirk twitching across the black hedgehog's mouth was a clear sign that Sonic was giving him the wrong ideas. The very rare instances in which Shadow smiled were usually a warning to run if you liked where your internal organs were currently located.
"Y'know what? Forget I said anything."
"I always do."
The Pain Six had backed down a little, startled at the sudden turning of the tides but still poised to attack, each side eyeing each other like gunslingers in a spaghetti Western. Fire and energy danced along silhouettes and fingertips, hands tightened around weapons in anticipation for the oncoming attack. Sonic swayed slightly on his feet, and Shadow Flash made another swoop for him, a predatory grin on her mouth—
—only to slam into an invisible barrier.
Celestia stood between the corrupted ponies and the Mobians, horn glowing with golden energy and wings flared.
Unfazed, the Pegasus continued to throw herself against it, her shrieks of rage turning to frustration when the shield didn't even waver.
Finally, Shadow Flash gave in, giving the barrier a final, violent kick. Those empty eyes stayed locked on Sonic, though, and the hedgehog tried to repress a shudder as he realised he could still feel them on him when he looked away.
The Sun Princess drew herself up to her full height, turning her attention to her former student not as a frail, wilted sunflower, but a blazing goddess ready to unleash her fury.
"Twilight Sparkle, you are outnumbered and overpowered," she snarled. "I'm giving you one chance to leave, or I will give the order to attack. If we must destroy all of you, here and now, for the good of Equestria, then so be it,"
Midnight Ripple curled her lip at the Alicorn, but seemed to reconsider her options as she regarded the strange creatures.
"Fall back," she hissed, glaring at Celestia.
Orangecrush scoffed. "Ah could—"
It was all she got out before Midnight's horn glowed, and the Pain Six disappeared in a flash of green light. No cursing Celestia's name; no monologue threatening the promise of a return.
Celestia drooped with a weary sigh. "Thank goodness."
Luna came to her side as usual, limping on her injured leg. "Are you all right, Tia?"
"We've been saying that a lot lately," she said with a soft laugh. "But..."
She turned to face the group of Mobians, who stared back with mixed expressions, then smiled at her little sister. "I don't think we need to hide anymore. The night has gone on long enough, don't you agree, sister?"
Luna returned it. "Far too long,"
The first sunrise in three months brought the country to a standstill. With tears of relief and pride, rebels, refugees and prisoners across Equestria watched the moon sink and the sun ascend triumphant, unaware of the small victory that had taken place in Ponyville, or of their new allies from another world.
From his darkened cage, Discord had seen the emeralds flash a little brighter, and a cold shudder had run down his spine that warned him of an imbalance in the forces of Harmony and Chaos— several, in fact.
"Barbara," he muttered to his inanimate companion. "I believe we have company."
Hope you guys are still with us! There's been a LOT going on this year and I know that sounds like a repeated excuse but it's true. Finding time to write and looking for a job at the same time isn't easy.
I've also noticed a few errors in the past chapters so should really get around to editing that too...
Until then, reviewers and people who haven't given up on us will be showered with chocolate milk and cotton candy because muffins hurt.
XO
Valley-and-Tyro
