Two gamers, once oblivious humans who ejoyied playing online together, now find themselves in a world completely unlike the one they were raised in. Now they are also completely transformed into creatures that are strangely familiar to them.
Two gamers are brought together by their love of their favorite video game, Sonic Forces. However it's their love of this very game that gets them both sucked into a world not their own, in bodies that are both strange yet so familiar. Follow these two on their journey in a whole new world with adventure around every corner. What wonders will they see? Will they be able to face the dangers that come their way? How will they return to where they came from, if they even can?
A shoutout to RebyTheLion for making our new cover art! Check out her page, she’s really talented! I’d also like to thank Blizzard-Chill and PinkeyApple for taking my commissions as well. They’re both incredible artists and I hope you all visit each of their pages!
On the Eastern coast of Canada, there was a small town by the beach. The people were living their lives as per usual, all greeting each other with friendly waves. Standing right next to the beach was a one-story apartment building. The building consisted of a handful of tenants, each of which knew each other fairly well. One of the tenants was a young man sitting in a wheelchair, gazing out of his window. The young man watched the people on the beach enjoy the warm summer sun with a content smile. Normally, he would go out and enjoy the day with them. Unfortunately, due to an accident that he was involved in a few years ago, the young man has been confined to a wheelchair. The young man sighed as he glanced down at his unresponsive legs. He rubbed his hands on his knees, but didn't even get the slightest reaction to his touch. The young man had big aspirations when he could still walk, but now he would have to cast them all aside.
The young man shook his head and wheeled his chair over to his desk. On his desk was a monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, and a controller. Under the desk was the latest gaming console that his neighbors so kindly pitched in to give him upon his return from the hospital. Video games had become a great comfort in the young man’s life since the accident. It kept him entertained and connected with other people he met online. As soon as the young man booted up his system, he saw a notification pop up for a video call. He saw the gamertag name and chuckled as he put his headset on and adjusted the mic near his mouth before clicking the answer button.
“How did you know I was already online?” the young man asked.
“Because you are a creature of habit, my fellow crippled friend,” The voice on the phone said in a cheerful and playful tone.
“Am I now?” the young man asked, teasingly. “How’s that leg of yours?”
“Well, still a stump after losing it, but hey at least I get half off deals on shoes,” the voice over the game joked. “I’ve been working on my new prosthetic, with any luck I’ll be able to try and walk.”
“I’m glad for you, Jet, really,” the young man said.
Jet Stream was one of the young man’s closest online friends. He was one of the first gamers the young man played with when he first started playing his gaming system. The two bonded rather quickly when they expressed their handicapped conditions with each other. After familiarizing and keeping in contact with each other for a year, they then shared how they ended up how they are now. The young man was glad he made a friend who knows what it's like to not be able to be as mobile as everyone else.
“So, what’re we in the mood for today?” the young man asked.
“Hmm, good question, Crimson.” Crimson was the young man’s player tag. “How about this new version of Sonic Forces? I hear it’s a multiplayer version now.”
“Seriously?” Crimson said. “When did they add that feature?”
“They added co-op play and some new story mode scenes. It’s only available on PC. And get this, game’s been out for a year but no one has been able to beat it on max difficulty,” Jet said, sounding eager.
“That right?” The young man said and booted up the game. “Did you finally beat the record on the last level yet?”
“I did. Took a long while but I finally managed to beat it. So, what do you say we try to beat this undefeatable level?” Jet asked, sounding very excited.
“Hmm…” Crimson glanced over on his desk and grabbed his glasses. He only wore them if he wanted to read something or if he ever got serious playing a game. He put his glasses on and smirked confidently. “Send the invite. Let’s do this.”
Though Crimson couldn’t see it himself, he knew that Jet was also grinning. Jet sent the link, and the two created their characters and began to spend hours playing.
“Jet! On your right! More of Eggman’s robots!” Crimson warned as he used his flamethrower to cover Jet’s character’s flank.
“Hah! Not even a problem,” Jet said with high confidence. “Not when I have my Quantum Blaster.” Jet’s character easily blasted down each of the robots with ease.
“I still can’t believe you imported a weapon from power rangers into this game,” Crimson chuckled as he watched his friend use a gun that can turn into a sword.
“Hey, when you have the power to mod a game, you mod the game. Besides, you weren’t complaining when I gave you a weapon that can turn into any of the other wispons,” Jet said smugly.
“Got a minute left!” Crimson said as he mashed his buttons and destroyed more robots. “I’m switching to Lighting Wispon!”
“And I’ll cut them down!” He shouted in equal excitement as he moved his character as fast as possible to slice down enemies.
“I see Infinite!” Crimson shouted as the main antagonist appeared. “I’m switching to Drill Wispon! Let’s end this!”
“Switching to blaster mode. Time to put a stop to Infinite!” Both players started to mash their controllers buttons as they were sweating bullets while playing.
“COME ON! COME ON!” Crimson shouted and leaned forward, almost falling out of his wheelchair. “TEN SECONDS! 25% ON INFINITE’S HEALTH BAR! SWITCHING TO ASTEROID WISPON!”
“FIVE SECONDS! ONLY 5% TO GO!” Jet was panting as he kept spamming the same attack as fast as his fingers could move.
“MY FINGERS!” Crimson cried.
“JUST TWO SECONDS LEFT!” Jet howled as the skin on his fingers were heating up and bruising.
At the same exact time, both players mashed their buttons at the same time and managed to beat Infinite at the last nanosecond. Infinite yelled in defeat as the scene changed to him falling to the ground before collapsing.
“We did it…” Crimson muttered. “WE DID IT! WE BEAT THE UNBEATABLE LEVEL!”
“Fuck yeah we did!” Jet’s voice boomed through the screen. “I got it all ok video too!” Over the headphones, Crimson could hear Jet fall over. “Haha, got too excited!”
“Hey, you okay?” Crimson asked.
“Y-Yeah, I tried to jump for joy, but forgot I only got the one leg,” Jet said, sounding a tad sad.
Suddenly, a window popped up on their game.
Congratulations! You have successfully beaten Sonic Forces Secret Level! Check out your reward in the item section in the customization menu!
“Ooh! New item?” Crimson said.
“Huh, weird. I wonder what they could be?” Jet, who had gotten back into his chair, checked on the new items with Crimson.
Crimson also checked the menu but the only thing he saw was a question mark.
“Uh…you seeing what I’m seeing?” Crimson asked.
“Yeah, maybe it’s because of the mod we can’t see it?” Jet hummed as he moved to click on the mysterious item. “I’m gonna click on it to find out what it is.”
“Same.” Crimson clicked on it as well. Another window popped up and it had a question displayed with a yes or no option.
Do you crave adventure?
“This is weird. It’s a question, and not an item.” Jet voiced mild concern. “Maybe the game has another secret level?”
“If it is, I’m down to play some more. I’m gonna click yes,” Crimson said and clicked on the option.
“Well, I can’t let you play alone now can I? I’m in.” And like Crimson, Jet clicked the same option before suddenly their screen went black. “What the?”
“Hey! Is the game broken?” Crimson said, and tried pressing the buttons on his controller.
“Same here, wait…the power is off in my house? But I can still hear yo-” Suddenly Jet’s voice cuts out and everything goes silent.
“Jet? Jet!” Crimson said, until the power went out in his room. “What the hell?!”
Suddenly, Crimson’s screen turned back on. The screen was white, and Crimson wheeled back slowly away from the screen. Just then, the screen started displaying some kind of swirling vortex. The screen shined brighter and brighter as the swirling on the screen faster and faster. Crimson felt freaked out and attempted to wheel his chair away, until his screen shook violently and the vortex on the screen burst out from the monitor.
“What the shit?!” Crimson yelped.
The vortex then stared to pull Crimson towards it. Crimson tried to stop his chair from wheeling towards the vortex, unfortunately it was too strong.
Before Crimson could attempt to try and avoid being sucked into the vortex, his chair fell forward and made the young man fall in. The last thing that Crimson saw was him falling through the portal and it shutting behind him. All at once, the vortex in his room disappeared and it was complete silence. After a few minutes of quiet, there was a knock at Crimson’s door but no one was inside the now empty room.
Crimson’s head felt like it was beaten with a baseball bat before he was dropped on his head. The young man groaned and winced as a ringing in his ear kept his hearing deafened. Slowly but surely, Crimson’s senses started to come back to him.
First off, Crimson could tell he was laying on his back. When he breathed in, he could smell the air and the outside world instead of his room. When Crimson opened his eyes, all he saw was a blur and blinding light of the sun.
“Ugh…” Crimson groaned, raising his hand over his face. “My aching head…”
“C-Crimson? Is that you man?” A second voice called out, the voice of Jet Stream. “You don’t sound like you’re on a microphone?”
“Who’s there?” Crimson sat up and looked around. He saw a blur in the distance, but couldn’t make it out. “Shit…where’re my glasses? Why’re my eyes so bad?”
“Who do you think it is?” Jet called out. “I can’t see either, but I can hear you. Where are you?” He called again.
“I…wait…” Crimson had to process the voice for a moment until it finally popped into his head. “Jet?! That you?!”
“No fucking shit, dumbass, I’ve been saying that for the last minute.” Jet called back, annoyed. “Are you okay?”
“I can’t see…” Crimson said, patting the dirt. “My eyes are still adjusting, and I can’t find my glasses.”
“Well, I’m no better, I can barely feel my arms and leg,” Jet whined and groaned. “You sound close.”
Crimson kept patting the ground until his hands brushed up against something. He touched the object and felt it around until he recognized the shape.
“Found them! Found my glasses!” Crimson said and picked them up. He rubbed the lenses with his shirt and put them over his face. “Now, let’s get a good look at-”
Crimson stopped talking almost immediately when he turned towards the source of Jet’s voice. He couldn’t make sense as to what exactly he was looking at. It looked like some kind of freaky anthropomorphic bird creature with cyan-blue feathers, sitting just a ways from him. It wore a black t-shirt with arrows pointing upwards, camo cargo pants, black and white sneakers, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of goggles on its head. The creature rubbed its eyes a little until it blinked, and then looked over at Crimson. It then also had a look of shock that mirrored his level of surprise. There was a silence between the two as they just stared at each other, unmoving.
“AAAAHH! DEMON BIRD!” Crimson yelped.
“Aaah! Wearwolf!” The bird creature yelled and crawled away.
“Wearwolf?! I’m not-!” Crimson snapped until he looked down at himself.
The first thing he noticed was that he had red fur all over his body. He wore tan-green cargo pants, green black tipped boots, black tank top, green and white gloves, and a utility strap that went over his shoulder and around his waist. When crimson touched his face, he felt that his mouth was stretched outward like a dog’s muzzle. Crimson was already in the process of having a panic attack, and he felt something move beyond him. When he looked back, he saw a bushy red tail that was sticking out from where his tailbone was.
“Oh my god?!” Crimson panicked. “What the fuck is this?! What happened to me?!”
“Why the fuck do I have feathers!?” The avian creature screamed in shock as he fumbled backwards examining his body until accidentally colliding with the wolf creature.
“Gah!” They both yelped.
“Who the fuck are you?!” They both said. “Who the fuck am I?! I asked you that! Stop copying me! You’re copying me! No I’m not! Yes you are! Shut up!”
Both quickly moved their hand to slap the other, each one smacking the other in the cheek and falling down.
“Ow!” Crimson said. “The fuck’s your problem, bird boy?!”
“Me?! What about you, dog breath!?” The bird shouted back.
Both were about to throw more insults at each other until they both stopped for a second. More seconds ticked by until they became minutes. Neither side said anything, neither blinked, and neither dared look away from each other. It wasn’t until Crimson blinked, did he say something.
“…J…Jet…?” Crimson said.
“Crimson?” Jet asked back.
Both slowly hobbled onto their feet, each one tumbling and fumbling trying to stand. When they managed to get their legs underneath them, they both examined one another.
Once again, both of them froze in place. Their breath was growing heavy as they both slowly looked down at their legs. Crimson was standing on both his legs while Jet was also standing on both of his two legs. Their hearts were beating faster and faster as their eyes become dry from not blinking.
“J-Jet?!” Crimson said in a choked up voice. “A…A-Are we…s-standing?”
Jet, being the most baffled, leaned down and pulled the pant leg on his left leg, and saw that he did indeed have his missing leg back. Almost frightened, he slowly straightened out. “W-we’re dreaming. We have to be dreaming,” he said.
Crimson gulped a large lump in his throat as his legs began to shake. He very precariously took a step forward and gently set it down on the ground. He had to hold his arms out in order to keep his balance but managed to take the step. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he looked at Jet.
“I…I took a step…!” Crimson said.
Jet was preoccupied with his own legs as he stood on his left leg and did a few jumps up and down.
“It’s real, it’s really real! I’ve got my leg back!” Jet cheered.
Crimson took another step but lost his balance and fell forward.
“Ugh!” Crimson grunted.
Jet was about to help him up, but Crimson held up his hand. Crimson took a deep breath and raised his right leg up to plant it on the ground. Then he raised his left leg and planted it on the ground next to his right. Crimson made sure to be careful when standing up straight as he rose all the way on his feet again. The young man took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. His tears began to leak from his eyes as a wide smile grew across his lips.
“I’m…standing,” Crimson said. “After three years, I’m standing again.”
“I know what you mean.” Jet was smiling and had tears running down his beak as he admired his left leg. “I lost this thing nearly eight years ago, and now I have it back as good as new.” He couldn’t help but jump up and down on his left leg before losing his balance and falling onto his back.
“You okay?” Crimson asked, glancing down at Jet but his friend just had a big smile.
“If this is a dream, then let me stay asleep and never wake up.” The avain moved his arms and legs in long arks like you would when making a snow angel. “I don’t even care that I’m some bird creature.”
“That brings up a very large elephant in the room,” Crimson said as he looked down at his hands. “What in the ever-loving fuck happened to us?”
“Who knows, and who cares?” Jet said casually, closing his eyes and enjoying the lush green grass, as a cool breeze blew. “Hey, now that I’m thinking about it, don’t we look like our mobian avatars?”
“Now that you mention it…” Crimson said, looking at his clothes. “We kinda do. Didn’t you choose the bird character?”
“I did, and you chose a wolf, right?” Jet slowly sat up straight and took a moment to enjoy the fact he had his missing leg back. “Since we are pointing out the weird and strange things, where exactly are we?”
Crimson looked around and noticed they were standing in the middle of a grassy field with a few trees standing around.
“Your guess is as good as mine. It looks like Edmonton, but I don’t see any buildings. I live in New Brunswick, so I haven’t really been to many places in Canada,” Crimson replied.
“I lived in the desert part of California, and we don’t have trees or grass this lush near my home.” Jet finally stood up and looked around before scratching the back of his head. “Maybe we should start walking and hope we see either a building or a recognizable landmark.”
“I know right.” Jet moved a hand to cup over his eyes, as he examined the position of the sun. “Let’s go this way.” He pointed North.
Crimson shrugged and followed Jet. After taking a few steps, Crimson tripped but Jet managed to catch him.
“Oops…” Crimson chuckled.
“You okay, dog?” Jet joked as he moved one of Crimson’s arms over his shoulder. “I got you. Take your time and try to adjust.”
“Thanks,” Crimson said and they walked along. The two continued their trek for a while until Crimson managed to walk on his own. “This is just so wild. Is it too late to sock me in the jaw so I can make sure I’m not dreaming?”
Jet laughed before smacking the back of Crimson's head. “Will a slap to the back of the head do?”
“Ow…yup, not dreaming,” Crimson said. “By the way, I guess now’s as good a time as any to ask, what’s your real name?”
“Oh, well, it’s…ah…” Jet had stopped walking and moved his free hand to his beak as he tried to think. “I-I can’t remember.”
“You can’t?” Crimson said and they stopped walking.
“Can you remember your name?” Jet asked seeing that Crimson had a puzzled look on his own face.
Crimson was about to say something, but the words died in his mouth.
“I…I can’t remember either!” Crimson said. “What the hell?! How can I not remember my own name?”
“I can’t imagine why we’d have an issue remembering something as simple as our own names, but for the moment we shouldn’t panic.” Jet gave his friend a gentle tug and the two continued their walk. “For now, let’s focus on finding civilization.”
“Yeah…” Crimson said as he scratched his head. “This kinda sucks I can’t remember my name. Kinda makes me feel like I’m missing a part of myself.”
“But if that’s all we can’t remember then there’s no point worrying over it. We have each other, and we can walk again. I’m not gonna question it.” Jet, who seemed the least worried, smiled as the two would eventually find a dirty path to walk along.
“Well, this is convenient,” Crimson said. “Which way, right or left?”
“Hmm.” Jet took a moment to survey the area, before pointing left. “Look, I can see some smoke off in the distance, it could mean people.”
“Smoke?” Crimson looked to where Jet was pointing and saw the smoke. Only he slightly narrowed his eyes when he saw it. “Uh, Jet? Does that smoke look a tad black to you?”
Taking a second glance Jet felt that his companion may have a point. “Well, maybe it’s a campfire? Either way, we should probably investigate.”
The two walked towards the direction of the smoke, while also being slightly precautious.
“I just realized,” Crimson said. “How are we gonna explain to people what we are? I’d imagine they’d be freaked if they saw a couple of anthropomorphic animals who can talk,” Crimson said.
Jet thought long and hard about it before snapping his finger. “We’ll just say we are wearing customs, and are attending a friend’s cosplay party.”
“Pretty fricken real-ass costumes,” Crimson said sarcastically.
“Well, if you have a better suggestion, smartass, I’d love to hear it.” Jet grumbled as they continued down a hill.
“Okay, maybe if we act like real animals?” Crimson said, only for Jet to give him a deadpan stare as they walked up another hill. “What? We are animals. So how could it be weird if we acted like…” When they reached the top of the hill, Crimson gasped in shock.
Jet arched a brow and looked at what his friend was seeing. Jet also gasped when he saw a town on fire with black creatures attacking everything in sight. What’s more is that when they saw the town’s residents, they all appeared to be multicolored anthropomorphic horse creatures.
“What…the hell am I looking at?!” Crimson shouted.
“D-Did we end up getting electrocuted, and this is all one crazy-ass dream?!” Jet asked in disbelief as the two quickly moved to hide behind a rock.
Crimson hid behind the rock with them. When he glanced over the rock, he saw more of the black creatures flying in to attack the town. That’s when Crimson found himself staring at the creatures, not bothering to duck down back behind the rock.
“Dude, get the hell down!” Jet grabbed the wolf mobian by the tail and pulled him back. “You have no idea what they are or if they are hostile!”
“I…I know those black creatures…” Crimson said aloud.
“What are you walking about?” Jet peaked around the rock and saw the creatures. Much like his companion he too noticed something particularly familiar about the black creatures. “Aren’t those…”
“The Black Arms?!” Both friends yelped and hid back behind the rock.
“What the actual fuck?! Those’re Black Arms Monsters!” Crimson said.
“Okay, yeah, we are dreaming, this is most definitely a dream.” Jet started to slap his face trying to wake up but had no such luck.
“Jet, this ain’t a dream!” Crimson said. This is real! Those things are real! And those monsters are Black Arms!”
“I know, and I really wish I didn't!” Jet was rubbing his cheeks after slapping him before slowly getting up onto his feet. “Let’s get moving before one of those things comes after us next.”
Suddenly, the two heard what sounded like a mix of roller skating and jet engines. This particular sound was something they both knew all too well. The sound made both friends slowly turn to each other with bug-eyed expressions.
“Dude…no fuckn’ way…” Crimson said.
“I swear to whatever deity lives here, I’m not seeing what I’m seeing.” Jet was rubbing his eyes before looking at the familiar red and black hedgehog.
Sure enough, they saw the one and only legendary ultimate life form Shadow the Hedgehog, skate and jump over a couple buildings before jumping off and landing on one of the creatures. He grabbed the creature’s blaster and shot its head off before seething at the rest of the attacking creatures before skating off into the town.
“SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG?!” Both friends shouted.
“DUDE! THAT WAS SHADOW!” Crimson yelled, shaking Jet back and forth. “THAT WAS SHADOW THE MOTHERFUCKING HEDGEHOG!”
“I get it, I get it, now stop shaking me please!” Jet’s eyes were rolling and his body wobbled with every shake his friend gave him..
Unfortunately for them, a couple of the creators noticed their hiding spot. They growled threateningly at them before making a break right at them.
“Oh shit!” Crimson yelped.
“Remind me to send your ass to obedience school if we survive this,” Jet gulped.
“Hit the deck!” Crimson yelped as he and Jet jumped out of the way.
The two Black Arms monsters slashed their weapons at the rock they were hiding behind and destroyed it to pieces.
“What do we do?! We can’t fight these things!” Crimson panicked.
“We run and try to get to safety!” Jet quickly hooked his arm around Crimson's waist and helped him run.
The two friends ran as fast as they could while the Black Arms monsters gave chase.
“Shit! They’re gaining!” Crimson said as they continued to run.
“They wouldn’t be so eager to chase us if I had a weapon too!” Jet grunted then suddenly a beam of light appeared before him, soon after a familiar weapon hovered in front of him. “No way!” The bird mobian said, as he saw the blaster from his favorite show appeared before him. “The Quantum Blaster?!”
“What the?! How’d that-?!” As soon as Crimson said that another beam of light appeared and a familiar-looking tool hovered next to the Quantum Blaster. “Holy crap! Look! It’s the Burst Wispon!”
“Fuck it, I’m not gonna complaining!” Jet snatched the weapon in front of him and turned to aim the gun. “Suck on this!” Jet pulled the trigger and a red blast of energy shot out striking one of the creatures in the head, killing it and falling to the ground. “Boom! Headshot!”
“This is still crazy, but I ain’t dying today!” Crimson said and grabbed the Wispon. He spun around and aimed at the other creature. “Eat flames!”
Crimson pulled the trigger and a torrent of fire burst from the Wispon. The creature screeched in pain as it was burnt to a crisp before finally collapsing to the ground. Both friends breathed heavily from the events that had just transpired before they looked down at their new weapons, and then at each other.
“Did…did that just happen?” Crimson asked.
“Fuck yeah it did! Now we have a fighting chance.” Jet walked Crimson over to a nearby house and helped prop him against it. “Can you stand any better yet?”
“Woah woah woah! Are you nuts?!” Crimson said. “What do you mean a fighting chance?! You’re saying you actually wanna try and fight those things?!”
“I do, as a former soldier I can’t in good faith turn away while innocent lives are in danger.” Jet quickly pointed his blaster towards a creature that was chasing some smaller pony creatures. He pulled the trigger and fired a few rounds at it, killing it. “If you want to leave, I understand, but I can finally do what I love again, saving lives.”
“Now hang on a sec!” Crimson stood back on his feet. “When was the last time you played Shadow the Hedgehog?”
“I don’t know, is that really relevant right now?” Jet continued to fire his newly acquired weapon at any of the evil monsters that came close to them.
“Do you know what kind of enemies you’ll face?” Crimson asked, making Jet think about it. “What about the weapons they use? They’re tactics? Their boss?”
“Look, I’m not worried about that now. This isn’t a game anymore, they aren’t just gonna come at you with pre-programmed movements. Look out!” Jet quickly shoved a Crimson to the found as a laser fired at them.
“All I’m saying is you need an expert with this kind of shit. So, I guess if you’re gonna be fighting, then I’ll have too as well!” Crimson said and blasted some creatures with flames as they were about to get the drop on Jet. “This is the craziest shit I’ve ever done, but I can walk and run again! So, I ain’t gonna let this opportunity go to waste!”
“You couldn’t have just said that from the beginning, you know.” Jet patted his companion on his back and moved so they were back-to-back. “We’re outnumbered, so stay like this and rotate around. You got it?”
“Got it!” Crimson looked down at his Wispson and noticed there was a dial next to the trigger. He curiously turned the dial once and the Wispon suddenly transformed into the Lighting Wispon. “Woah! Check it out! It’s the multi tool Wispon!”
“I figured as much. We look like our characters, and now have our weapons too. I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.” As the two rotated they continued their attack, eventually luring in the attention of all the evil creatures. “Looks like we became popular.”
“Then let’s sing ‘em a song!” Crimson said and pulled his Wispon’s trigger. A whip made of lightning came out of the Wispon and swung it around, striking multiple creatures.
“Sure, why the hell not.” He pressed a button on the side of his blaster shifting it from blaster mode to sword mode and cut down two charging monsters. “This is so crazy.”
Crimson whipped his Wispon around in all directions, electrocuting every creature in sight. Even though his movements were sporadic and uncoordinated, he still managed to take out a good number of them. While he was swinging around his Wispon, some creatures managed to get the jump on Crimson and shoot their blasters at the red wolf. Crimson barely managed to dodge the blasts but one of them grazed his leg. Crimson yelped in pain and was then punched across his face by another creature.
“Shit! There’s too many!” Crimson cried as more creatures began to swarm him no matter how much he tried whipping his Wispon.
Jet fared no better as he was attacked by monsters wielding larger swords, each one swinging their blades at him forcing him to try and block. Yet despite his best efforts he wasn’t able to hold his own and was sent flying back into his companion. “We can't win, we need to get out of here!” Jet said.
Just when the two were about to be overwhelmed, something came speeding in and sent every creature in its path flying. There were multiple Black Arms monsters screeching as they were dispatched with ease. Just when the last of the Black Arms were eliminated, Crimson and Jet looked to see who it was that saved them. A twinge of excitement filled their hearts when it was none other than Shadow standing before them. In one of his hands was a Black Arms sword and in the other was a dying creature.
“Hmph…and who are you two supposed to be?” Shadow asked in an annoyed tone as he cracked the creature’s neck and killed it.
“Two guys who are way out of their own league,” Jet joked as he watched Shadow let the lifeless creature fall to the ground.
Shadow scoffed and marched over to the two friends.
“Hmm…you both look like Mobians,” Shadow said. “But you’re just kids.”
“Hey! I’m eighteen! So, I’m legally an adult!” Crimson said, only to shrink away when Shadow eyed him.
“I’m twenty-seven and fought on the front lines before, asshole!” Jet didn’t look away but felt a sense of respect for the hedgehog.
“I see,” Shadow said, but then more creatures started to advance on their position. “If you both can’t fight anymore, then you better get out of here. I don’t have time to babysit a couple of greenhorns.”
“Greenhorn?!” This fueled a fire in Jet as he picked up his weapon and slowly got to his feet. “They caught me off guard and that’s it, I won’t let that happen twice.”
Shadow stared at Jet just as a creature jumped at him. Without looking, Shadow slashed his blade to the side and decapitated the creature.
“Woah…” Crimson said.
“You wanna prove me wrong?” Shadow snorted. “Then do it. You both handle this part of the town and I’ll go handle the other half. If you’re both still alive, we’ll talk later.”
Jet helped his friend to his feet after ripping some of his shirt to tie around Crimson’s injured leg. “Fine by me,” Jet said.
Shadow nodded and skated off to continue fighting the rest of the Black Arms. Crimson turned the dial on his Wispon and it transformed into the Cube Wispon.
“You think it’s in bad taste to ask him for his autograph later?” Crimson asked.
Pressing the button on the side of his sword, Jet’s weapon returned to gun mode. “Do what you want, just don’t get killed and try not to look like a pussy in front of him,” Jet said.
“I can do that!” Crimson said and slammed his hammer on a creature’s head. The enemy turned into a block and Crimson hit the block with his hammer, sending it flying at more creatures.
“Alright then, let’s not waste getting our legs back.” Together the two moved in unison and killed a good number of dark monsters, watching over each other’s backs.
“Heads up!” Crimson said and hit more creatures, turning them into blocks and kicking them in different directions at the other creatures.
“Head down!” Jet forced his comrade to duck as a blast zoomed past them, before returning fire. “How many more are there?”
“Looks like we’re almost-!” Crimson was about to say.
“Help!”
He spun his head around to see a group of creatures circling one of the townsfolk. She was a female pony person with gray fur and wore a long dress skirt, purple vest, and a white undershirt. The creatures glared at the pony with the intent to kill.
“Oh no you don’t!” Crimson said and turned the dial on his Wispon. The Wispon transformed into the Hover Wispon as Crimson sprinted towards the pony.
Crimson jumped into the air while aiming his Wispon and fired powerful gusts of wind, blowing away all the creatures before landing just in front of the pony.
“You okay, miss?” Crimson asked, not turning his head.
“Wh-What?” The pony said as the creatures tried to gather themselves.
“Relax, just stay behind me!” Crimson said and switched his Wispon back to Lighting mode. Crimson held his Wispon with both hands and swung it as hard as he could. The electric whip struck every creature within its range, and even sent some of the creatures flying.
“Hang on, I’ll be there, man!” Jet was about to aid his friend when he saw another female pony being chased by a large creature with a sword. She had white fur and electric blue mane, and had tinted glasses while wearing a white t-shirt, Jean shirts, and purple leggings. “Hold that thought.”
Jet ran forward, switching his weapon’s mode again, and using it to block one of the monster’s swings, before cutting his head off. “Damn that was close.” He glanced back at the mare. “You alright?” He asked and she nodded. The mare said nothing and could only stare at Jet.
“Jet! The last of them are headed this way!” Crimson called out to his friend. “Let’s go!”
“On my way!” Jet quickly followed the sound of his companion’s voice and switched to gun mode.
The two friends chased the last of the creatures through town, blasting and slashing any they could, until they arrived at what looked like the center of town. They saw Shadow arrive from the other side with dual-wielding plasma blasters.
“Well, well, you survived,” Shadow said. “And you drove the rest of them to the center.”
“Told you we could handle it,” Crimson said.
“Let’s just finish them off, shall we?” Shadow said.
“Fine by us, then I’m expecting some answers on what the hell is going on.” Jet glanced at the hedgehog, still baffled by the events that transpired this day.
Crimson turned the dial and switched to Burst mode. He used his Wispon’s ability to jump high in the air while using the small explosions it fired until he was right above the remaining Black Arms monsters.
“Time for an extra crispy Black Arms buffet!” Crimson said and unleashed a torrent of flames.
Shadow skated in circles around the creatures while unloading his blasters on the horde.
Jet was calm and precise as he fired his blaster at any that tried to break away. “Don’t get carried away and let any slip guys.”
Crimson kept unleashing his Wispon’s flames until the last of the Black Arms crumbled to dust. Crimson landed on his feet and kissed his three fingers.
“That’s a spicy meatball!” Crimson said in a fake Italian accent.
Jet facepalm as he shook his head. “My god, you are cringe, man.”
“Okay, I’ll admit it,” Shadow said as he tossed his empty blasters in the dissipating fire pit. “You have some potential. Despite how sloppy and uncoordinated you two are.”
“Coming from you, that’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten,” Crimson said, adjusting his glasses back in place.
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment,” Shadow deadpanned.
“Sorry about my friend, he’s a fan. But in all seriousness, what the hell is going around here?” Jet took a moment to glance around the town and its somewhat European rustic look. “Where are we and how are you real?”
Shadow was about to answer when he noticed the townsfolk were starting to gather.
“Not here,” Shadow said and walked away from the town center. “Follow me.”
Crimson and Jet looked at each other and followed Shadow. Crimson looked behind him and saw the townsfolk watch them leave while the fire pit finally snuffed out.
“We’re just leaving? Aren’t we gonna stay and check on these people?” Crimson asked.
“You wanna play the hero or do you want answers?” Shadow asked, not looking behind him.
“We’ll take answers over being heroes,” Jet answered for the two and moved a hand behind Crimson’s back to make sure he didn’t go back.
Shadow led two friends out of sight from the town and stopped just beyond the edge of a wooded area.
“This should be good enough.” Shadow leaned his back against a tree and crossed his arms. “So, let’s start simple. Who are you?”
“Would you believe us when we said that we were once humans on earth, but suddenly were brought to this place as mobians?” Jet bluntly asked.
Shadow stared at Jet for about a minute, and then looked at Crimson.
“It’s true,” Crimson shrugged.
“I’m not sure why, but for some reason I believe you,” Shadow said. “Doesn’t mean I trust you, but I suppose you two don’t look like the lying type with this stuff. I’m Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog.”
“Name’s Crimson, by the way,” Crimson said. “And if I’m gonna introduce myself properly, I’m Crimson the wolf.”
“Well since we are doing an introduction, I’m Jet Stream the bird,” the avian mobian introduced himself.
“To answer your question,” Shadow said, looking at Jet. “I have no idea where we are. I also just recently got here.”
Jet threw his hands up and groaned. “Wow, so you made us walk all the way over here, just to say you don’t know. And you’re talking to us about trust?” He said sarcastically.
“Do either of you know where we are?” Shadow shot back.
“By the looks of it, some kind of magical land of mythical creatures of some kind,” Crimson said.
“I honestly thought this was some part of the mobian planet, given that there are anthropomorphic animals here,” Jet added, glancing back at the town behind them. “So, was that the black hand?”
“Black Arms,” Shadow corrected. “And yes, they were. And there’s plenty more where they came from. No thanks to the comet currently in orbit.” Shadow pointed to the sky. “No doubt their leader is preparing to send more down here.”
“Black Doom?” Crimson said.
“How do you know that?” Shadow asked.
“Now that’s a story you wouldn’t believe no matter how long I take to explain it.” Jet chuckled. “Let’s just say we are well informed and know a good deal of things.”
“Fair enough,” Shadow shrugged. “But yes, Black Doom is the Black Arms leader. I thought I had destroyed him, but it would seem he somehow survived.”
“Survived?” Crimson said, until he remembered something. “But you saved the world after collecting the chaos emeralds.”
“I did,” Shadow nodded, eyeing Crimson. “Before I confronted Black Doom, I had suffered some major amnesia. I didn’t know who or what I was or where I came from. Black Doom tried to manipulate me in order to do his bidding, but I managed to resist the temptation thanks to…a dear friend’s voice.” For a brief moment, Shadow looked sad before going back to his serious expression. “I wasn’t going to let Black Doom get the chaos emeralds nor allow him to control me.”
“Alright, so then how is it you two wound up where here is? And should we be worried about him raising hell?” Jet asked bluntly, trying to desert Shadow’s attention away from Crimson.
“It was a slight miscalculation on my part,” Shadow said. “Black Doom was on the ground and heavily wounded, I had finally collected all the chaos emeralds, and I fulfilled a promise I made a long time ago. However, Black Doom was as stubborn and cunning as they come. Using what little energy, he had left, he made his comet change trajectory straight towards Earth. He disappeared and retreated back to the comet before I could finish him off. The only way to stop the comet from crashing into earth was to use the chaos emeralds with my comrade, Sonic. We both powered up and tried to stop the comet from crashing. Unfortunately, the comet was too strong, and we were being overpowered. So, I did the only thing I could think of, I shoved Sonic out of the way and unleashed all of my chaos control power.” Shadow held up his hands to show the rings he usually wore were no longer on his wrists.
“You took off your suppressors?” Crimson said.
Jet quickly elbowed his companion in the side, making him wince, before shooting him a look that told him to shut up. “And I’m guessing after you did all that, you somehow got sucked into this world with Black Doom?”
“My chaos control power, the power of the chaos emeralds, and Black Doom’s dark power and comet caused an explosion that somehow unleashed a temporal fluctuation, creating a wormhole that swallowed me, Black Doom, and the comet in it. I woke up just outside of that town last night,” Shadow explained.
“So why are the Black Arms attacking like this?” Crimson asked.
“Because apparently the chaos emeralds ended up on this world too,” Shadow answered.
“Oh…that’s not good,” Crimson said nervously.
“Not good? Not good?! Of course, it’s not good! In the wrong hands, those things can wipe a planet out!” Jet was now worried and frustrated. “Tell me you know how to track them?” He asked Shadow.
“Somewhat,” Shadow said with a shrug.
“The hell do you mean somewhat?!” Crimson said. “Can’t you find them like last time as fast as possible?”
“I would, if my power wasn’t tapped,” Shadow said.
“Oh god, please tell me you’re joking,” Crimson said with a frown. “You were kicking as much Black Arms ass as we were back there!”
“I may know how to fight but you should know that those creatures we eliminated were merely underlings,” Shadow said. “Under normal circumstances I would’ve easily destroyed those creatures and the rest of their ilk and made sure to finish off Black Doom once and for all. However, I can barely feel my chaos control power within me. My last act of stopping the comet nearly drained me of all I had. I can barely sense the chaos emeralds’ power as it is, and even then, I can’t pinpoint their exact locations.”
“At least tell us that Black Doom is equally blind when it comes to having the means to find the emeralds too?” Jet pleaded, sounding more nervous by the second.
“As a matter of fact, he’s still gravely injured and can’t do much right now due to our battle,” Shadow said, looking up at the sky. “I know him, and I know he wants the chaos emeralds even more than he did on earth. I’d imagine he wants them in order to recover faster and take over this world.”
“Typical villain stereotype,” Crimson muttered to Jet.
“Well, now we have a reason to work together.” Jet nudged his companion. “We want to get back home, and back to being human, and we don’t want to die. If Black Doom gets the emeralds, then we’re fucked. So, what do you say, Shadow, willing to let us help?” Jet asked, holding out his hand.
Shadow stared at his hand and looked at Jet in the eye.
“And why should I?” Shadow scoffed.
“Hey, all due respect man? But I don’t think you’re in any position to act tough,” Crimson pointed out.
“I may be temporarily powerless, but I can still beat you both down without even trying,” Shadow pointed out. “You two haven’t even tapped into your natural speed yet.”
“Uh…” Crimson looked at Jet to see if he knew what Shadow meant.
“Be that as it may, we know as much as you do, which means you don’t have to worry about us messing up.” Jet helped up his blaster with pride. “Before, I was a proud member of the army of my country for nine years. I’m skilled in hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and technological advances. How about you?” The bird mobian said with a cocky smile.
“I see, then that explains your experience,” Shadow said then looked at Crimson. “And you?”
“I’m a gamer?” Crimson shrugged, making Jet bonk him on the head.
“He’s a gamer, but he also has a great deal of information on the enemy, such as battle tactics and weaknesses. With a bit of training, he’ll be a valuable asset to the team,” Jet quickly added as he patted his friend's back. “And if you can teach us how to truly harness our speed, then we will be worth double your efforts to collect the emeralds.”
Shadow looked like he was considering his options as he scratched his chin. On one hand, he could just flat out refuse to allow Crimson and Jet to help Shadow against Black Doom and try to go solo. But on the other hand, much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was pretty useless at the moment. The Black Arms would most likely have the advantage over Shadow if they ganged up on him in his current state. These two had potential, true, and they may have the means to fight back, but they were still as green as they come in most areas.
“I suppose I don’t have a choice,” Shadow muttered to himself. “Fine. For now, we’ll have a temporary alliance.”
“Sweet!” Crimson cheered.
“But!” Shadow said, holding his hand out at the two young mobians. “If I’m gonna agree to this, you two have to follow my orders to the letter.”
“Uh, come again?” Crimson said.
“It’s as I said before,” Shadow said. “You both haven’t even tapped into your natural speed. That will be a major detriment to the mission. So, until you’re both properly whipped into shape, I’ll be calling the shots from here on out. Got it?”
“I see no issues with that.” Jet quickly answered, getting a look of shock from his companion. “What? Look, we’re not only getting used to walking again, but we’re in a possible hostile area and our best chance of survival is the hedgehog, who knows how to get us at our full potential in these bodies. That alone should be a good enough reason to let him take the wheel.”
“I see your point,” Crimson nodded, then looked back at the town. “I feel like we should at least go check on them.”
“Why? They have nothing to do with our mission,” Shadow said.
“Oh, come on, don’t play the tough guy act when you basically risked your ass fighting those monsters after you just told us how nerfed you are,” Crimson said. “You still care about the well-being of others, just like you did for the people of earth. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have bothered stepping in and saving those people.”
“What’s your point?” Shadow asked.
“My point is that we’re just three mobians on an unfamiliar world that’s currently being invaded by the Black Arms. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial if we at least introduced ourselves and possibly got them to help us?” Crimson asked, then looked at Jet. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong. As of now, neither of us has a home base, resources, or a network to gather information. If we can befriend the locals, we could open up more avenues to help us stay ahead of the enemy,” Jet assessed and gave his take on the situation.
“Then you two go ahead and do that,” Shadow said and started to walk away.
“Where’re you going?” Crimson asked.
“To locate a chaos emerald,” Shadow said. “It’ll probably take a week or two to pinpoint the exact location. I’ll return with the location and then we’ll start properly preparing for the impending battle. In the meantime, try and get as much info about this world as you can.”
The two friends watched Shadow walk away until he was out of hearing range.
“Guess that settles that, huh?” Crimson said.
“For the most part. Could have at least taught us something about our speed.” Jet shrugged before making his weapon disappear. “Okay, leave the talking to me. I’ve been trained in establishing friendly relationships between people in different countries.” He led Crimson out from the trees and back to the town.
“You think it’ll be okay? Us walking into what is essentially an alien town?” Crimson asked.
“Well, what else can we do?” Jet sighed while rubbing under his lower beak. “We have to establish a friendly relationship if we want to live in this world. Besides, we aren’t demanding a house or money, we are going to try and talk to them and show we mean no harm.”
“Aw, it’ll be okay! Everypony is welcome in Ponyville!”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” Crimson said.
“Yeah! And there’ll be a party!”
“A party? Is it invite only, we’d hate to intrude, we don’t have anything to offer either if we need to bring something?” Jet asked, thinking of what they could give to the party should they be allowed in.
“Everypony’s invited! Especially since it’s for new friends like you!”
“I could be down for a party,” Crimson said with a smirk. “I used to bust a move like no other, now that I can walk again.”
“Dancing is one of my favorite party activities!”
“I’m not sure if I’ll be much of a dancer myself, back in the military we didn't have many parties,” Jet sighed, slightly embarrassed.
“Can’t you sing?”
“Yeah, Jet, you’re a bird. So technically, you’d be a good singer,” Crimson quipped.
“I don’t know if that’s racist or speciesist, but I kinda can sing. It doesn’t mean I’ll be a rockstar because I’m a…wait a minute.” Jet stopped in his tracks. “Who are we even talking to?”
Crimson stopped as well, and the two friends looked at each other. They then slowly turned their heads to look behind them to see there was a third amongst them.
She was another one of the pony folk. Her fur was bright pink, and her hair and tail were curly and darker pink. Her eyes were baby blue, and stared back at them with curiosity and brightness that matched her big smile. The mare wore a light blue t-shirt with a cupcake on it and light blue Jean shorts. The two friends blinked simultaneously as they stood frozen in place.
“Hi!” The mare chirped. “I’m Pinkie Pie!”
“Uh…” Crimson muttered.
Many things ran through Jet’s mind, but he could only think of one quote to say. “Hello there.”
Crimson and Jet were unable to process the current situation they found themselves in. True, this day was as bizarre as they come, but it just got a little bit more bizarre since there was a pony person standing in front of them with a bright smile. There was an awkward silence in the air as the pink pony woman just kept smiling and waited for them to respond.
“Jet, any ideas?” Crimson whispered.
“Yeah, let me do the talking and don’t mention earth and or about Black Doom, unless I say so.” Jet whispered back before approaching the pink mare. “Um, forgive us for whispering. We are new to this country and aren't familiar with your kind.”
The mare tilted her head. “My kind? I’m kind! My friends are kind too! Are you kind? You look kind!” The mare said.
“Heh, she’s funny,” Crimson snorted. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Pinkie Pie!” The mare chirped.
Jet raised a brow at the name, about comment on how strange it sounded, until he remembered he couldn't exactly remember his own except for his character name.
“Um, well, I’m Jet Stream, and this is my friend Crimson, but you can call him Crim for short,” Jet introduced.
“Crim?” Crimson said.
“Nice to meet you, Jetty! Crimmy!” Pinkie said.
“Crimmy?” Crimson said again.
“Jetty?” Jet cringed slightly at the name.
“Were you the ones who saved Ponyville?” Pinkie asked. “We heard about it when Mrs. Cake called while we were in Canterlot!”
“Jeez, these names,” Crimson said. “And, who are your friends?”
“They’re still in Ponyville. I came here after my Pinkie Sense went a little loco!” Pinkie said.
“Pinkie sense?” Jet did his best to let these random and childish names enter one ear, before exiting the other. “We took part in helping your town along with our mentor, who unfortunately had to leave. We are now here to try and establish diplomatic relations, and to share information.” Jet spoke formally.
“In other less complicated words, we wanna see if everyone’s okay,” Crimson said.
“Well, that’s nice of you two!” Pinkie said and hopped towards the town. “C’mon! Everypony’s gonna wanna meet their saviors!”
The two mobians just stared at the hopping mare, and followed her.
“She’s quite the character,” Crimson said.
“Yes, well, make sure to watch what you say and do. First impressions are very important, and one wrong move and we can either be chased off or locked up, and that’s the best case scenario.” Jet moved a hand to rub his neck nervously.
Crimson just arched a brow at Jet. “After her first impression? I doubt the other pony folk are as biased as you think.”
“She is an oddity, and could be putting up an act. Just stay on your toes and be mindful.” Jet jabbed at the wolf mobian.
Crimson just rolled his eyes as they re-entered the town. The townsfolk once again took notice of their presence and stared at the two mobians. Crimson gave some of the ponies friendly waves with a smile. Jet merely nodded at them slightly with a smirk. Crimson noticed some of the ponies waved back in kind, but most of them were still picking up the pieces from the attack.
“Black Doom must be as shitty as they come if he wanted to attack this peaceful place,” Crimson said with a slight sneer.
Jet quickly stabbed his elbow into Crimson’s side and glared at him. “What did I say about saying that name?”
“Ow…sorry. It’s just…” Crimson looked around at the damaged buildings and sad atmosphere of the town. “These people didn’t deserve this.”
“I understand that, but bite your tongue. I won’t hesitate to let you fend for yourself if you say something offensive or rude. You’ve been warned,” Jet said with a stern tone.
“Okay, okay, jeez,” Crimson said.
Pinkie Pie led the two mobians further through town until they arrived at a wondrous sight. Their jaws went a little slack as they gazed up at a castle that looked like it was made of pure crystal. The sun’s light glistened off the building and gave off a sort of divine aura.
Jet titled his head a bit and rubbed his beak. “Compared to the rest of the town though, it’s kinda an eye sore,” Jet commented.
“What was that?” Pinkie said and Crimson slammed his hand on Jet’s beak, silencing him.
“He said it’s cool too!” Crimson said with a sheepish grin and Pinkie kept hopping towards the castle as Crimson released Jet’s beak. “And you tell me not to say anything rude.”
“Well, it slipped out,” Jet shrugged, but also slapping himself mentally for that mistake.
“C’mon, Crimmy! Jetty! The others are waiting!” Pinkie said.
“You think we’ll get used to her calling us that?” Crimson asked, suppressing a cringe.
“I don’t want to say yes, but if it’s a sign that they are willing to trust us we will have to bear with it,” Jet groaned as the two walked to the door.
Pinkie opened the door for them and they were met with the crystal interior of the castle. The inside was just as grand as the outside, and the two friends were admiring all that they saw
“Hehehe! Is this your first time being in a castle?” Pinkie giggled.
“Is it that obvious?” Crimson said while adjusting his glasses.
“I’ve seen many rich individual’s houses, but none can compare to the uniqueness of this castle.” Jet was also equally impressed, thinking only the outside was made of crystals and not the whole thing.
“This is the Castle of Friendship! And it’s home to one of my best friends, Twilight Sparkle!” Pinkie said as the turned the corner.
“Wow. What is she, a princess?” Crimson joked.
“Actually yes! She’s the Princess of Friendship!” Pinkie said, making Jet and Crimson come to a halt.
“I feel as though we will need to greatly adjust to these names and titles you use,” Jet said in a polite tone, while internally screaming his head off and cringing with sheer pain.
“Please excuse us,” Crimson said and pulled his stiff friend aside away from the pink mare. “Well, this just took an enormous turn.”
“Yes it has. We are now faced with royalty, which means we are trending on thin ice.” Jet spoke nervously. “Maybe you should let me do all the talking.”
“Do you trust me that little?” Crimson said, only for Jet to cross his arms. “Okay, so I have a history of being salty whenever we played games online with others. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to be polite.” Jet arched a brow. “Hey, that guy on Fortnite deserved to be called a shitter bitch.”
“Would you rather I talk, or you mess up and we lose our heads?” Jet asked in a serious tone.
“All I’m saying is that I’m cool,” Crimson held up his hands. “I won’t say anything unnecessary, alright? You have my word.”
“I’ve spoken with royalty in my time as a soldier, and know how to act around them. The only royalty you ever were familiar with was a Burger King drive through.” Jet smirked playfully.
“Hey! Don’t disrespect the king!” Crimson snapped.
“Haha, and I’ve made my point.” Jet smiled as they followed the pink mare.
Pinkie opened the two double doors again and they entered a room with a large table and chairs surrounding it. Off to the side were a group of more mares conversing with one another.
One mare had orange fur with a blonde mane and tail tied at the end to make the hair look like a loop. She also had emerald green eyes and was wearing a brown Stetson on her head, a red and white checked shirt with a brown vest and blue jeans that went well with her figure.
The next mare had cyan blue fur and a rainbow mane and tail and had a pair of wings with magenta-colored eyes, she was wearing a white tank top and blue jacket and black pants that hugged her athletic curves.
Next to her was a butter-yellow-colored mare with a pink mane and tail. She also had wings with blue eyes wearing a green sweater and blue jeans.
There was white furred mare with a curly purple mane and tail. She also had a horn with light blue eyes and was wearing a white button up shirt and a skirt that matched the color of her mane and tail.
Finishing off the group was a mare with lavender fur. Her mane and tail were purple and had a pink streak running through them. She had a horn and magenta eyes wearing a purple skirt with a white under shirt and lavender sweater. On her back was a pair of slightly larger wings, compared to the other two winged mares.
“Hi, girls!” Pinkie said, gaining their attention.
“Pinkie, there you are!” The white mare said. “You quite literally slipped away as soon as we got off the train!”
“Sorry, Rarity, I just went to find these two!” Pinkie said, pointing at Crimson and Jet.
“Hello,” Crimson said with a small wave.
“Please forgive our unannounced visit.” Jet bowed his head and delivered a quick jab to Crimson’s side, to get him to do the same. “We are at your mercy, your majesty.”
“Oh brother, that formality is over the top,” the cyan mare rolled her eyes.
“Right?” Crimson snickered. “He’s just worried we’ll lose our heads if we say something stupid.”
“Why the hay would ya think that?” The orange mare asked.
“For starters, we are foreigners in your country, as well as standing before a noble.” Jet glanced around the room before bowing again. “And from the residents of the town as well as all presence, we seem to be the only carnivore species present. We hope that will not cause you to feel uneasy around us.”
“Carnivore?” The yellow mare said nervously.
“I’m a wolf, he’s a bird,” Crimson said, then eyed Jet. “But I’m not entirely sure what specific kind of bird he is. Do you?”
“I’m about to see if I’m a woodpecker by pecking your head, if you don’t cut it out.” Jet said bitterly.
Crimson raised his hands in defiance. “Why don’t we start with names,” Crimson said. “I’m Crimson. Crimson the wolf. This here’s Jet Stream the bird. It’s nice to meet you all.”
“And just to clear up the air.” Jet turned to look at the yellow mare, before bowing again. “We also eat plants and vegetables too; I was merely referring to our species.”
“That right?” The cyan mare said.
“Looks can be deceiving,” Crimson said with a grin. “Don’t let the fangs trick you.”
“So we can promise you that none here have ever been, nor shall ever be something we’d ever eat.” Jet stated calmly.
“Since you already met Pinkie Pie, I’ll introduce myself as well,” the purple mare said. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am the princess of friendship.”
“Name’s Applejack, partners,” the mare wearing a stetson said and tipped her hat.
“I am Rarity, a pleasure,” the white mare said in a posh tone.
“Um…I’m Fluttershy,” Fluttershy whispered behind her mane.
“Rainbow Dash, remember it,” the cyan mare said.
Crimson and Jet both had to grit their teeth to suppress the level of cringe from the ridiculous names these mares spouted.
“It’s nice to meet you all as well,” Crimson said, barely able to hold back his laughter.
“Yes; it’s an honor to meet you all.” Jet smiled as best as he could, trying not to smash his head on the wall due to the bizarre names. “So I’m sure you have questions for us.”
“Lots,” Rainbow Dash said. “For starters, are you two a Diamond dog and weird griffin hybrids?”
“Rainbow! That’s rude!” Twilight snapped.
“What? It’s my question,” Rainbow said back.
“Dunno what a diamond dog is, save for a griffin, but to answer your question, we’re mobians,” Crimson answered.
“What the hay’s a mobian?” Applejack asked.
“We are a species of bipedal animals…that’s about it, really. I mean, what is a pony?” Jet had loosen up enough to ask a question himself.
“I guess that makes sense?” Rainbow responded.
“Um…so you two are literally animals who can walk and talk?” Fluttershy asked.
“Do they not see the irony?” Crimson muttered to his friend.
“Possibly not, better not to question it,” Jet muttered back before thinking of what to say next. “In a sense I suppose you could say that, but we are fully sentient and intelligent mind you.”
Fluttershy then boldly walked up to Jet and stood in front of him. He was at least a head taller than the mare as Crimson looked at her curiously.
“Something on your mind?” Crimson asked.
“Um…you have nice fur,” Fluttershy said and suddenly reached up to gently pat his head.
“Well…thanks?” Crimson shrugged.
The bird mobain turned away to cover his beak, as he suppressed a laugh.
“I’ve never pet a wolf before,” Fluttershy said, now lightly stroking Crimson’s head.
Crimson was about to respond when he felt a moving sensation behind him. Jet glanced over to see Crimson’s tail beginning to wag the more Fluttershy pet Crimson.
“Pwahahah!” Jet fell to his knees and burst out laughing, on one hand keeping him propped up, while the other clutched his side. “Hey, do you have a bone or chew toy to give him!?” Jet said between laughs.
“Okay, ha ha,” Crimson rolled his eyes.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, I got carried away,” Fluttershy said with a flustered blush and stepped back.
“It’s no biggie,” Crimson waved his hand and grabbed his tail to make it stop wagging.
“May I ask a question?” Rarity said. “Where on Eques did you acquire those clothes?”
After calming down from nearly laughing himself to death, Jet stood up and thought quickly. “We got these from our homeland, before we set out on our journey.”
“I see, they’re oddly fitting for the two of you,” Rarity said. “But I surmise that they are your only clothes?”
“You could say that,” Crimson said. “We sorta arrived here without warning. So we didn’t have much time to pack.”
“That won’t do,” Rarity said. “What if I were to make you two new sets of clothing? Free of charge, of course.”
“Free? That’s pretty generous of you,” Crimson said. “Surely we can-”
“Ah! Say no more,” Rarity interrupted. “It is the least I can do for the two brave souls who faced those awful monsters.”
“We may have to accept since I get the feeling our currency isn’t valid here.” Jet added and nudged Crimson to hopefully get the point across. “But we are willing to offer our labor to help pay for the clothes. We didn'’ help your town to gain free stuff.”
“What were them varmints that attacked our home?” Applejack said. “We got a call from our friends while we were in Canterlot and rushed here as fast as we could. Soon as we arrived, there weren’t none around to buck out. All everypony said were you two and somethin’ that looked like a black hedgehog kickin’ serious flank.”
The two mobains looked at each other, and knew it would be up to Jet to come up with an answer. “That is why we left our homeland, you see. The ones who attacked are known as the Black Arms, and they attacked our home as well.”
The atmosphere turned a little uneasy as the mares became nervous.
“Why are they here?” Twilight wondered.
“To put it simply? Take over the world and destroy anything and anyone who gets in their way,” Crimson said in a serious tone. “Our mentor was the one who personally faced the Black Arms.”
“We believe they are searching for something. When they attacked our home they didn’t stay to concur or enslave us,” Jet added.
“So they’re just here to wreck our home?” Rainbow said bitterly.
“But why? We haven’t done anything to provoke their attack,” Twilight said.
“Like I said, they don’t much care,” Crimson said. “All they care about is getting what they’re after.”
“What’s that?” Pinkie wondered.
Crimson looked at Jet, wondering if it was okay to reveal the Black Arms goal.
“We don’t know yet. They didn’t find whatever it was they were looking for, when they attacked our home. They could be attacking places at random.” Jet added and gave Crimson a look that told him to leave it at that.
“Who’s this mentor you mentioned?” Rainbow asked. “He the black hedgehog thing we heard about?”
“Yes, he is the one we are meant to be trained by. His name is Shadow.” Jet nodded before continuing before Crimson could add on. “Right now he is trying to follow the enemy to see if we can figure out what they are after.”
“And what exactly are they after?” Twilight asked.
“Treasure?” Rarity asked.
“Destruction?” Rainbow asked.
“Hurting others?” Fluttershy asked.
“Candy?” Pinkie asked, only for everyone to look at her.
“We can’t say for certain,” Crimson said with a half lie. “All we know from our mentor is that they’re here for something bad enough to attack civilians.”
“I see…” Twilight said and scratched her chin. “This sounds like a serious situation. Perhaps I should send a letter to Princess Celestia and Luna?”
“Sheesh, again with the names…” Crimson whispered to Jet.
“I stopped caring, the more I do the more I lose brain cells.” Jet sighed as he pinched the bridge between his nose. “Regarding everything we have said thus far, do you know where we can make camp? As of now we have no currency and will need to find a place to camp out for the night.” Jet asked pulling his pockets out to show they were empty.
“Camp? Why would you go out and camp?” Twilight asked. “You both are more than welcome to stay here in the castle.”
Both mobians blinked and then looked at each other.
“She serious?” Crimson asked while pointing at Twilight.
“I think she might be.” Jet added equally confused. “Not that we aren’t grateful or anything, princess, but are you sure about that? You just met us not ten minutes ago.”
“But you saved our town,” Twilight said. “Had it not been for your bravery, I shudder to think what would’ve become of Ponyville. Besides, it’s the least we can do.”
“Wow, that’s actually pretty considerate of you,” Crimson smiled. “You sure we’re not imposing?”
“Not in the slightest!” Twilight said.
The two mobians looked at one another again, and took the idea into consideration. “If you’re sure we aren’t going to impose, then we’d be happy to be your guests.” Jet smiled and bowed.
“Perfect!” Twilight clapped her hands. “Spike! Spike, come and meet our new guests!”
The two friends heard clamoring from the staircase nearby and in walked what could only be described as a bipedal lizard boy wearing a yellow t-shirt and torn jeans. His scales were purple, his underbelly was lime green, and the spines on his head were a darker green that ran down to his tail.
“I’m here, Twilight!” The young lizard boy said.
“Woah…who or what’s the new guy?” Crimson asked
“Oh hi there!” He said and walked up to Crimson and Jet. He stood about as tall as their chests. “I’m Spike! Spike the dragon!”
“Oy…ve…” Crimson muttered and suppressed a very obvious cringe.
Jet on the other hand didn't seem nearly as annoyed. Instead he moved a hand to gently stroke the young dragon’s head. “Spike huh? That’s a pretty cool name, kid.”
“Name’s Crimson, slick, this here’s Jet Stream,” Crimson said.
“Cool names!” Spike said.
“These two will be staying with us for the time being,” Twilight said. “The girls and I have something to discuss. Would you please show them to their room?”
“Sure! Follow me, guys!” Spike said and escorted the two out of the room.
“Guess we’ll see you all later,” Crimson said with a friendly wave.
“We thank you once again for your hospitality, and promise not to cause you grief.” Jet said, and waved as well before the two mobians followed the dragon.
Spike led Crimson and Jet down the halls of the castle with a pep in his step
“So, did you guys really drive off those monsters?” Spike said.
“Sure did,” Crimson said while reaching behind him and pulled out his Wispon to examine it. “With a little help, of course.”
“A little?” Jerk smirked as he playfully poked the wolf companion. “Last I checked, without our mentor, we’d be dead.”
“Hey, we kicked some ass back there!” Crimson argued. “Your sword skills and sleight-of-hand with that blaster were badass!”
Jet gave Crimson a quick jab to the arm before gesturing to the dragon. “Language! There’s a kid here man.”
“Oh please,” Crimson scoffed. “Yo, Spike, how old are you?”
“Sixteen, why?” Spike said.
“See? He’s fine,” Crimson said.
“I don’t care, show respect for our hosts. Do you think they would want him to learn such foul language?” Jet glared at the wolf mobain, like a parent scolding their child.
“You really need to loosen up, you know that?” Crimson said.
“What’s that thing you’re carrying, Crimson?” Spike asked.
“This?” Crimson said. “This is my Wispon. It’s a handy tool that can change forms so I can fight those Black Arms creeps properly.”
“What’s it do?” Spike wondered.
“For starters, it can blast fire,” Crimson said.
“Like a dragon?” Spike said, sounding excited.
“Sure, like a dragon,” Crimson chuckled.
“That’s so cool!” Spike said, then looked at Jet. “What about you? Do you have one of those Wispon things?”
Jet, while hesitant about calling out his weapon, figured there wasn’t any real harm. “No, this is my weapon.” Holding out his hand, Jet’s Quantum Blaster, materialized in his hand. “This is called a Quantum Blaster, or we can call it QB for short.”
“Woah! That’s awesome!” Spike said with stars in his eyes. “How did you do that?! What kind of magic spell did you use?!”
“Umm, well, I don’t think we used magic just now.” Jet added while now thinking on the question. How did he summon his weapon? The same for Crimson. “I’m not sure why we call our weapons, honestly.”
“You don’t?” Spike asked.
“Nah, mine just hangs off my back,” Crimson said as he put his Wispon away.
“I see,” Spike nodded in understanding. “What’s your home like?”
“Oh, it’s all a bunch of green hills and a few humble little towns here and there,” Crimson said. “It’s also ruled by the humble and wise King Maximillian Acorn and the beautiful and kind Queen Alicia Acorn.”
Jet rolled his eyes as he knew his buddy was just talking about the Sonic lore. They continued to walk on until Spike led them to their room.
“Well, here’s your room!” Spike said with a chirp. “This room has two beds, so I hope it’s enough.”
They opened the door to see an average sized room with two beds on opposite ends.
“It’s more than enough, kid,” Crimson said and patted the little dragon’s head.
“Yeah, thanks for the help.” Jet moved to pat the dragon’s head as well before he left. When the door closed, the bird mobian took a seat and sighed. “What a day.”
“You said it,” Crimson said as he set his Wispon aside and plopped down on the bed on the right. He looked down at his gloved hands and sighed before adjusting his glasses. “This really isn’t a dream, or a game, is it?”
Jet was looking at his new leg and feeling it with his hands, as if to confirm it was real. “Yeah, I don’t think it is anymore.”
“Um…Jet?” Crimson said hesitantly. “Why did we lie?”
Jet sighed and looked at the canine mobian. “Be honest with yourself. Would you believe that we came from some other world, unlike this one, if we had been in their position?”
“I mean…no, not really,” Crimson admitted. “But they’re good people, right? I’m sure they’d understand if-” Crimson was cut off when Jet shook his head.
“Look, we don’t need to complicate anything with other worlds and stuff. We have a shot at new lives, and are able to walk again. Let’s just enjoy what we have now, and do what we can to keep it,” Jet said sternly, but also caringly.
“What about Shadow?” Crimson asked. “He said he’d be back in a week or two.”
“We’ll tell him what he needs to say, but honestly I don’t think he’ll have any issues with what we said. Just let me do the talking, okay?” Jet yawned as he laid down and rested his head into the soft pillow. “For now just relax and take it easy.”
Crimson could only nod and took off his glasses, and set them on the nightstand. He kicked off his boots and laid on his back with his hands behind his head.
“Jet?” Crimson said.
“Hmm?” Jet Hummed to let his friend know he was listening.
“Do you even wanna go back home?” Crimson asked.
There was a brief pause as the question floated around the air. “I don’t know.”
Jet rolled over so he was facing Crimson. “As you already know, I don’t have any family on earth, neither do you for that matter. I had no obligation, and hardly any friends.”
When he turned to lay on his back, he looked at his hands still grasping what happened. “Honestly; what I was doing back then was barely living, it was more like I was just existing.”
“I know how you feel,” Crimson said. “My neighbors were good people at my apartment, but it felt like there was this wall between us. I wanted to be friends, I just didn’t know how to approach it properly. Does that make sense?”
“That wall you mentioned, was you being worried about being a burden to them.” Jet added as he sighed again. “I should know, I felt that way ever since I left the military.”
“You know what I’m more worried about than even us being mobians?” Crimson asked, making Jet turn his head towards him. “Our names. Our real names. It’s like…a piece of me was taken and I’m not sure if I’ll get it back.” Crimson frowned as he looked at Jet. “I know I was named after my dad.”
“I remember that my name was based on a military term, but I can’t remember which one.” Jet closed his eyes trying to think on it, but nothing came to mind. “Honestly, we shouldn’t let it get to us right now. I’m sure we’ll remember eventually.”
“You’re right,” Crimson said. “For now, let’s focus on helping these people and kicking Black Doom back to whatever hole he crawled out of.”
Jet chuckled and pulled the covers over himself. “Let’s not get too crazy. First thing’s first, we need to learn about our new home.” He yawned and closed his eyes before falling asleep.
Crimson soon felt his eyes get heavy and soon closed. He felt his consciousness slip away into the void of dreams.
