//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Catch Me If You Can // Story: Break the Walls Down // by Super Saiyan D //------------------------------// ================================ 7:12 PM Wonderbolt Headquarters: Barracks ================================ Blue and yellow spandex pulled tightly around Spitfire’s leg. The front zipper closed the tight uniform snugly against her chest, and her wings stretched out dynamically through the suit’s two holes as she got dressed for the mission. She pulled her flight suit’s mask over her head, shaking out her frizzy mane. A knocking on the wall suddenly interrupted her concentration, along with a boyish voice calling her. “Hey, boss?” Spitfire didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was, her expression barely changing. “I thought I told High Winds to round up our best and await orders. What are you doing here, Soarin?” The male pegasus just a few feet to her right entered, taking a few steps towards her. “Oh, I got the order. I just thought there was something more important to check on first.” “Uh-huh…” Spitfire mused, fishing her goggles out of her locker. A small smirk came to her face while she shuffled the headgear in her hoof. “You sure you actually got the message? Or are you just goofing off with nothing better to do ‘cause she didn’t pick you?” she said, a hint of teasing snark in her voice. “Maybe you’d be back at the top of your game if you’d lay off all the apple pies.” ”Spitfire.” Soarin’s serious tone finally gave her pause. She turned to face the pale blue stallion just as he put a hoof on her right shoulder. “Seriously, what’s going on? I don’t think you’ve ever ordered us to formation this late before. I know you work us all hard, but you’re not a slave driver. Is something wrong?” he asked, a concerned expression on his face. Spitfire couldn’t help from softening. He was worried about her. Adorable. She offered a small smile and briefly rested her hoof against his foreleg to ease his worry. “Trust me Soarin, it’s nothing that we can’t handle. I’ll explain everything in a few minutes.” That teasing smirk came back as she finished. “So don’t go all mushy on me now, Clipper. I need you for this.” His worries dispelled, Soarin smiled back at his captain. “Just keeping you grounded, Cap’.” “Yeah, yeah. Now get to the runway, on the double!” He gave a salute, still smiling. “Yes ma’am!” Taking off out of the barracks, Spitfire was once again left alone with her thoughts. With her serious demeanor now brightened with a spark of assurance, she strapped her goggles on over her forehead. She let out a steady breath, readying herself. “Let’s get to it.” =============================== 7:18 PM Wonderbolt Headquarters: Runway =============================== The gathered team of five pegasi were present on the grassy edge of the runway, all dressed in similar blue and yellow-striped uniforms. They either remained stationary on the grassy patch, or warmed up in place preparation for the mission ahead. One stallion with a bushy, brilliant orange and light brownish gray mane was doing wing push-ups. Another stallion with a fluffy, white and gray mane and a grayish coat was loosening up his wings. He’d extend one at a time and reach them over to the opposite side of his body, as far as they would go, alternating wings after a ten or so second stretch. High Winds sat talking to another mare with a light arctic blue coat. Her whitish, partially-pointed mane’s size and volume made any of the others look tame by comparison. A final mare stood a few away from the pair, this one with a pale, light grayish olive coat. Her mane was colored with alternating light brilliant and very pale arctic blue. Her forelegs were outstretched in front of her with her head lowered, her back legs straight and hindquarters reared up as she stretched her legs and glutes. Soarin came gliding back to the group, catching the attention of High Winds and the blue mare. The latter of which paused her conversation to step out to greet him with a friendly smirk. “Welcome back, Soar. Thought you weren’t gonna make it for awhile there,” she said, prodding a playful elbow into his side. Soarin just chuckled. “Don’t worry Flatfoot, I wouldn’t leave you guys hangin’. Just checking on a friend is all.” Fleetfoot sniggered. “Sure, sure. As long as you’ve got your head in the game. Can’t have you getting sidetracked out there.” Before they could continue talking, a loud shout rang out over the runway. “ATTENTION!” Faster than the blink of an eye, the six pegasi zipped into a straight line along the edge of the runway, standing up tall. Their captain had finally arrived on scene. The yellow pegasus marched across their view and turned to face them. “Look alive, you pigeons! We have a situation! So listen up and listen good, ‘cause I’m only gonna say this once!” Her eyes gazed over the row of her faithful Bolts. Not a hint of waver or hesitation. Good. “There’s been an incident at Canterlot Castle. A strange blue creature appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the princess’s courtyard. It engaged several of the guards before escaping.” Soft inhales of breath were heard from a few of the lined up pegasi. “We have a report straight from Princess Luna herself. It was last seen heading east of Canterlot, directly towards Rambling Rock Ridge. Our orders are to to find this thing, whatever it is, and bring it in!” Her strong orange eyes narrowed. ”By any means necessary. She scanned the faces of her fellow Wonderbolts as she continued. “This mission will be extremely uncertain. We have next to no information on whatever it is that popped up on the grid in Canterlot. We don’t know what it is, or where it comes from. The only thing we know for sure from the princess’s report is it was quick enough to evade capture.” She paused, letting her crew take in that fact for a moment. “That in mind, if anyone wants to back out, I understand. If you don’t think you can handle whatever’s waiting for us out there, just take one step back.” A sense of anxiousness hung over the six ponies. There was an unmistakable tone of daring to their captain’s command. Almost a test. Which of them were brave enough to bite the bullet? But at the same time, the concern for the unusual nature of their mission was genuine. Would they rise to the challenge? Soarin would be the one to take the lead. He stomped a hoof down and flexed out his wings assertively. There was no way he was going to chicken out and leave his team. He would see this through to whatever the way ahead would find. His display appeared to give the others the inspiration they needed. Following Soarin’s lead, the rest of the team snapped their wings out as well. A show of solidarity that drew a smile to their captain’s face. ‘That’s what I like to see.’ She opened up her own wings and pulled her goggles down over her eyes. “Let’s ride!” And with one powerful flap of her wings, Spitfire went rocketing up into the air, with her team following suit right behind her. As her Wonderbolts moved into a V formation with her in the lead, Spitfire gave a subtle smile. The mystery and intrigue of what might be waiting for her sent small shivers of excitement down her spine. She licked her lips, focusing ahead. “Time to go hunting.” =================== 7:47 PM Rambling Rock Ridge ==================== The evening wind whistled, blowing softly across the cliffs of Rambling Rock Ridge. With no civilization for miles in any direction, the gray cliffs of the rocky landscape were an exceptionally quiet place, and very bare, with almost no vegetation. The only thing of note as far as the eye could see was a single, moderately tall pine tree. Only sparsely covered in green needles, but with large, strong branches that grew out parallel from the pine’s trunk. It was on one of these wider branches that Sonic sat with an unsettled look on his face. “Man, talk about a crazy Monday...” The hedgehog tilted his head up, staring off into the starlit sky. Its differences from his own were obvious. The sky itself had more of a violet color to it. Even the moon looked different. He just continued to sit on the branch he’d been perched on for a good while now, letting his thoughts wander. The adrenaline from the chaos back at the castle had worn off long ago, leaving him to ponder his current fate in silence. His usual, confident state of mind now colored with a blend of uncertainty as he mulled over everything that had happened in the last hour. One moment he was facing off with Eggman, ready to thwart his evil plans like he always did, the next he was tumbling helplessly through time and space. And the trip had been far from a pleasant one. The unstable space inside that wormhole stretched and distorted his body like no one’s business. It felt like the thing had nearly pulled him inside out along the way, right before he was unceremoniously dumped on his face, only to be greeted with an aggressive army of technicolor equine gunning for him mere seconds afterwards. ‘Huh… Eggman said that gizmo of his could make a tear in time and space. Just like last time. So, if the coloring book horses are anything to go by, it probably means... I’ve gone and landed in a totally different dimension! ...Again.’ Except this time, Sonic realized, he was considerably worse off. He looked down at the ground in contemplation, seemingly realizing just how alone he was right now. He had no friends there to help or vouch for him. He had no idea where in whatever-this-place-was-called he was. And if that run in with the armored guards from earlier was anything to go by, he was already at the top of someone’s most wanted list. His eyes closed in contemplation, as one single vexing question reverberated through his thoughts: ‘How am I gonna get back home?’ It seemed grim for the speedster. But his never-say-die attitude eventually shone its way back to the surface. He stood up on his tree branch, managing a smile as he looked out into the beyond. “Well, sitting around moping won’t change anything. I’ll work things out one way or another.” Jumping down from the tree to the ground, Sonic looked out over the terrain. “Now, where to go from here?” The Wonderbolts cruised through the darkened skies. They were just entering the airspace near Rambling Rock Ridge. They had kept only a moderate altitude so that they might spot anything on the ground on their way, but so far there hadn’t been any sightings. Spitfire began giving the rest of them the rundown as they approached the ridge. “All right team, you know the drill! Branch out and cover the entire scope of the ridge! I want updates once the entire perimeter has been circled! Everyone else, leave no inch of the area unchecked! Keep your eyes peeled for the target!” Misty Fly rolled her eyes, mumbling snidely to herself. “How are we even supposed to find anything out here in this dark?” Spitfire turned to her left to look at her. “We’ve trained for night operations. A loop or two over the perimeter and back, and we’ll have had enough time to adjust. Plus, if this thing is as fast as her highness says, then it should make a trail for us to follow if our flight spooks it. So buck up and keep your eyes peeled!” Misty Fly wrinkled her nose and faced forward again, a few doubts still lingering in her mind, but resigning to the situation all the same. Spitfire continued as the team drew closer to the target area. “All right team, fan out! And radio in the second you spot anything!” ”Yes ma’am!” The seven Wonderbolts split from their V-shaped pattern and slanted off in different directions, with Spitfire taking the direct route through the middle of the eroded structure. Each of them kept their heads on a swivel, scanning the landscape beneath them for any traces of the invader. Minutes ticked away as the ponies scanned the ground for any traces of life. But there was no word so far. No sight of their mysterious intruder. As Spitfire circled back over the base of the wide canyon, she couldn’t help but think to herself that maybe Misty Fly had a point. Visibility was hardly the best at this time of night. It wasn’t like whatever this creature was went around holding up a bright neon sign reading ‘Here I am, come capture me!’ And if he could freely move about, he might already be long gone from where Luna had estimated him to be. But the captain wasn’t about to be deterred. She began planning the next steps of the operation to herself in her head. ‘If we strike out here, we’ll just divide up into two groups. Spreading out further will help us cover more possible ground. We’ll go in opposite directions from each half of the ravine and–’ Her inner monologue was interrupted by Soarin’s voice echoing through her radio earpiece. “I have a visual! East side, far right! Just south of the tall tree!” She looked over her right shoulder towards the long cliff. Her eyes followed the uneven slope of the ridge until she spotted the tree. “Good eye, Clipper,” she said with a small smile. “Everypony, regroup and prepare to go in for a landing!” Spitfire made a U-turn and streaked back in the direction she had flown. It was time to meet this mysterious blue creature firsthoof. “Now then, let’s go say hello.” Sonic’s left ear gave an involuntary twitch. “Hmm?” He looked upwards as the faint sound of something almost like a jet drew his attention. Squinting his eyes, he could make out small flying shapes heading his way. Soon he could make them out as more of this place’s resident horses. “Looks like the second half of the welcoming committee.” He folded his arms and waited for the latest group of horse inhabitants to make their arrival. The flying ponies flew over him before looping with an upwards turn. They curved upside down and into a straight downward dive from right above him. With solid impacts the Wonderbolts landed one at a time in a ring around the hedgehog, surrounding him. Sonic glanced around at his new flight suit-wearing pony pursuers, cracking an amused smile to himself at their fashion choice before addressing them. “Evening, fellas. Do we have a problem here?” “That depends,” came the response from Spitfire, a clear tone of suspicion in her voice. She took a couple steps out from the rest of the team towards him, and lifted her goggles up onto her forehead so she could get a better look at the “mysterious creature,” giving him a once-over. He was every bit as strange looking as Luna had described. Spiked quills protruding from his head and back. Blue fur covering everywhere on its body except for his arms and a round peach spot that she assumed was his belly. His face featured a muzzle and a thin black nose. He was taller than Spitfire expected too. Taller than her, but still about an inch short of the average stallion. His legs and arms were very thin, sporting a pair of gloves and red and white buckled shoes, respectively. An odd specimen indeed. “We’re searching for some kind of rat-looking thing that invaded our capital of Canterlot, and threatened our troops, along with the princess. Stands on two legs. Blue. Looks like a walking pincushion. Heard of him?” she said sarcastically, her eyes full of hostility and mistrust. Sonic’s expression went flat. ‘Really? Canterlot? Man, I hope these kind of puns aren’t gonna be a thing around here.’ Naming qualms aside, he was again annoyed for someone calling him that for the umpteenth time since he got here. “Hedgehog. Hedge-HOG. Seriously, have none of you bite-size horses ever seen a hedgehog before?” Spitfire arched an eyebrow at his response, not looking very amused. “And for the record,” Sonic continued, raising a finger, “it was less of an ‘invasion’, and more of ‘I was just dumped here against my will.’ You guys are the ones who went all SWAT team on me before I could even get my bearings,” he said defensively. “Likely story,” said Spitfire, clearly not convinced. “I’d ask who you are and how you gave our royal guard so much trouble, but that’s not my job. All you need to know is that we’re here to bring you in. The Princesses can decide what they want to do with you after that.” Sonic rolled his eyes. “If you say so.” He rested a fist on his hip and nonchalantly scratched his ear, looking rather uninterested overall. “So, who exactly are you Fantastic Four wannabes supposed to be?” The yellow pegasus glared at his remark. “You’re looking at the Wonderbolts, pincushion. The most elite flying team there is. So just make this easy and give yourself up. Otherwise, we’ll have to rough you up.” The blue hedgehog raised an eyebrow, a little intrigued. A cheeky smile came to his face. “Elite flyers, huh? Sounds real impressive. You might actually scare me if you weren’t dressed like an 80s rock band.” Spitfire’s look grew even more annoyed. The rest of the Wonderbolts also gave displeased frowns, insulted. All except for Soarin, who couldn’t help from snickering at the hedgehog’s banter, bringing a hoof over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Only when Fleetfoot gave him a subtle elbow jab to the ribs and an accompanying glare did he clear his throat and regain his composure. “That smart mouth isn’t help you now, hedgehog. There’s no way you’re gonna get away from us.” “Uh-huh...” Sonic glanced around in either direction. Then he noticed something off to the right: a broken off log just a few yards behind the white-haired Wonderbolt. Perfect. To Spitfire and rest of them, it looked like he was just ignoring them, which only angered the captain further. Looking back at her team, she made a quick gesture towards Sonic with her head. “All right team, let’s tag and bag him.” Silver Zoom was the first to try. “I’ve got him, captain!” Breaking formation, he burst off straight for Sonic, expecting an easy catch. Oh, how mistaken he would be. Without missing a beat, Sonic jumped up right before Silver Zoom could grab him, stepping on his back and using the momentum to propel himself up and over the row of ponies with a side flip. As the shocked pegasi looked on, he came back down and landed right on the log. The force of his landing dislodged the loosely placed piece of wood from its resting place, and he immediately started to slide down the the gravelly stone run. He gave the Wonderbolts a mocking wave as he slid away. “Thanks, but no thanks! I’ve had enough games of tag for one night. See ya later!” Spitfire grit her teeth, whipping her head expectantly at the rest of the team. “Don’t just stand there, after him!” Snapping back to attention, the Wonderbolts took off after the escaping hedgehog. Their captain followed suite right behind them. The chase was on. Sonic balanced himself as his makeshift board slid rapidly down the slope of the ravine, the log creating a persistent rattling as the wood passed over the rocks and pebbles. Smirking with excitement, he drifted back and forth as he surfed down the ridge. It wasn’t long until he noticed the Wonderbolts gaining on him. Fire Streak zoned in from behind, a yard or two above him in the air, while Fleetfoot came in on his left. Sonic glanced at the approaching blue mare, returning her aggressive look with a competitive smile. “Ooh! Sorta-fast flying ponies. Almost looks like a challenge.” Apparently further incensed by his taunting, she suddenly swiped right with every intent of knocking the him from his log. But Sonic was quicker, jumping sideways and off the log to avoid her. “Almost.” As the piece of a broken tree tumbled away behind him, he hit the ground running, matching his previous sliding pace for a few moments before accelerating ahead down the mountain. The Wonderbolts responded in kind, boosting after him, determined not to lose their target. Reactions to his alleged quickness first hand ranged from annoyance to mild surprise for most of them. “Huh. Pretty fast for a little guy,” Soarin remarked. Spitfire called out another order to the group. “Stay focused! Keep formation and don’t let him out of your sights!” Up ahead, Sonic could see some obstacles coming up in his path in the form of rock formations: several free-standing peaks that jutted out from the mostly flat slide. Spitfire could see them too, planning their next move out in her head. ‘Those oughtta slow him down a bit. We can sweep in from the middle and the sides with the Delta maneuver, and take him down right now.’ But of course, these would hardly prove to be obstacles for the Blue Blur. Sonic revved up for another quick burst of speed. He zoomed towards the first rocky tower and leaped through the air, quickly bringing his palms out to quickly push off the top of the stone formation as he passed it over. Flying through the air, he spread his arms out and straightened his legs. Another tall rock formation loomed in front of him as he shot forward. The hedgehog curled and rotated in mid air so that his feet faced the oncoming cliff, landing against it and pushing off so he bounded to the side of another jagged formation. Then another. And another. Sonic whizzed like a ricocheting blue pinball across the Wonderbolts’ sight lines as he jumped from column to column. His final leap saw him land back down on solid ground. He could make out large stone arch about twenty yards ahead, and closing fast. But seeing it only made him crack a bigger smile. ‘For me? Don’t mind if I do!’ Spitfire could only watch in surprise as her initial plan to surround the hedgehog was now shot. She and the rest of the Wonderbolts were in awe by what they’d seen so far. None of them had expected such a showing from the alien. His displays of speed and acrobatics were a spectacle to watch. Luckily, she saw another roadblock up ahead. This part of the ravine was coming to an end. This half of the ridge only went for another thirty or so feet after the stone arch the hedgehog was headed towards. Then it turned into a cliff with a sheer drop down who knows how many feet to the bottom of the ridge. She called to the others again. “Split half and half and get ready to come in from either side! He’s got nowhere to go once his road ends! We’ll corner him right as soon as... he… stops…?” Spitfire’s eyes slowly widened as she watched Sonic. He wasn’t slowing down at all. The Mobian raced towards the rock formation, heading straight for the right side of the arch. A second later he was dashing up the curved stone of the rock arch, going upside down in the structure’s natural loop and blasting off its upward ledge, flying off into the air... ...and over the edge of the cliff. Sonic, of course, thought nothing of it. He spread his arms and legs out for hang time as he sailed over the rocky valley, grinning as the air whipped through his quills. Moments like these always got his blood bumping. There was nothing he loved more. The breakneck speed, the thrill of someone to match it with... oh, what a rush! Spitfire and the other ponies however nearly had their eyes bugging out of their heads. An almost choked gasp escaped the yellow-furred captain’s throat at the sight of the seemingly suicidal maneuver. ‘Is he cracked?! He’ll never survive that!’ But before she could scream for one of them to help her catch the alien before he plummeted to his death, Sonic curled into a ball again and began to spin himself. Down, down, down he fell, the pegasi doing their best to try and catch up to him. But it seemed their moment of stunned shock put them just a few too many wing beats behind. They wouldn’t be able to get to him before he hit the ground, and presumably broke every bone in his body. Down he went, faster and faster, the ground getting closer and closer with each passing second. The Wonderbolts looked on in horror as the curled blue mass of the hedgehog was about to become an ugly red stain on the surface… ...until he wasn’t. The moment Sonic’s body touched the ground, he launched straight into a rolling dash across the bottom of the ravine. Completely unharmed. The Wonderbolts could only stare gobsmacked at impossible scene they’d just witnessed. They hovered in midair with their mouths open in shock. Soarin was the first one to break the silence. “Well, I’m impressed.” Another stink eye from Fleetfoot turned the casual smile he was sporting into a more apologetic one, the stallion reeling back slightly. High Winds just stared, looking completely flabbergasted. “How did he… Is that… Is that even possible?!” Spitfire grimaced before shouting her next order. “Silver Zoom! Fire Streak! Fleetfoot! You three head east and come in from the ridge’s end point! You’ll be the backup to cut off his escape! Everyone else, with me!” She flew beyond the edge of the cliff, the designated half of the Wonderbolts nodding to each other and following while the other squad flew off to the left of the other ponies. Down at the bottom of the ridge, Sonic untucked from his ball form and sprang back to his feet, skidding along the ground until coming to a stop. He dusted off his hands in a satisfied manner, thinking he was in the clear. “Phew. Well, that was fun.” “Glad you enjoyed it. ‘Cause your joyride’s about to come to an end.” Looking behind him to see where the voice had come from, Sonic saw Spitfire and the other three pegasi behind her. He smirked, almost happy he hadn’t lost them so easily. “So you circus ponies still wanna play, huh? All right, let’s see if you can keep up!” He dashed off to his right, leaving a small dust cloud in his wake. The four-pony flight team were quick to respond, bursting off the ground after him. The chase now turned into a level run through the ravine. Sonic’s feet carried him rapidly through the gravel, casting a brief glance over his shoulder to throw another barb at his pursuers. “Come on, Dunder-bolts! At least try to make this interesting!” Boosting his speed, the hedgehog whizzed ahead even faster than before. “He’s accelerating! Take diamond formation! Pick up the pace!” shouted Spitfire. ”Roger!” Following her command, Misty Fly dropped back towards the rear of the group. Spitfire and Soarin, each with two ponies lined up in a row. Misty Fly took her position forty five degrees behind Spitfire and High Winds. The team of flyers nodded, started getting closer to the racing Mobian, splitting apart into two and coming in from his sides. Sonic spied them approaching out of the corner of his eye, grinning. “Well well, finally decided to catch up, eh?” Soarin moved forward past Sonic on his left, Spitfire following shortly behind and staying parallel to the hedgehog as her partner got into position. High Winds matched her placement on Sonic’s right, Misty Fly came in behind him, and Soarin swerved in front of him. True to the order’s name, the ponies formed a diamond pattern around the Blue Blur. Misty Fly moved up into the air, getting ready to dive-bomb Sonic from behind. “Oh no, at this rate I’ll be caught!” Sonic said, thickly laying on a tone of false worry, before quickly laughing it off. “Hah, yeah right!” When Misty Fly came diving at his back, Sonic phased out and disappeared, leaving her to catch nothing but empty air. She look around mid flight, utterly baffled at where he’d vanished to. “What the– where did he go?!” The bottom of two sneakers planted into her back, making her grunt. The reappearing hedgehog bouncing off her back and into the air in front of the team. He turned midair to face the airponies, a cocksure grin plastered on his face. “Catch me if you can!” He twisted around to land forward and went zooming on ahead. Misty Fly looked particularly upset at being stepped on. “Why that little… He’s making us look like chumps!” she cried in indignation. Spitfire’s expression burned on the blue speedster. This cocky alien was making her venerable team of flyers look like a bunch of third-rate newbies. She would NOT tolerate it. “Flap those wings, Bolts! Stick to form and give it everything you’ve got! Get him!” “Yes ma’am!” The airponies put all their strength and effort into their flapping wings, staying tightly locked in their diamond-shaped pattern. A trail of scattered topsoil blew behind them from how fast they were going. From his lead position, Soarin licked his slightly drying lip. He could feel some dampness of sweat in his suit on the side of his neck. Chasing this blue ball of spikes had been a heck of a challenge, but now they’d be going a hundred percent. It was time to get this guy. His wings were in overdrive, propelling him forward at a demanding pace of more than six beats per second as he flew with all his might. As he blazed forward with his faithful team behind him, he expected to see the blue alien coming back into their sights for an easy catch any second now. Only for his eyes to go wide in shock. “What the...!” Five yards in front the airponies was Sonic, looking at them with a smug smile. With his arms crossed. Running backwards. Soarin and the rest of the Wonderbolts were left dumbfounded at the act of sheer impossibility that was currently staring them in the face. “H-How can he–! That’s impossible!!” shouted High Winds. “He’s... He’s just playing around with us!” Misty Fly growled, outraged. “What IS this thing?!” Sonic brought one arm up and wagged a finger at the Wonderbolts without once breaking his stride. “You’re quick, Wonderbolts! But you’re not fast!” Spitfire was seething at his antics. Furious at their inability to catch one stupid looking rodent, even more so at the fact that he seemed to consider the whole thing one big game. The sheer nerve of this alien made her blood boil. But as much as her belly burned at the wisecracking rodent making light of them, she held in her anger. He was still about to get his comeuppance. That was when Sonic appeared to notice something not adding up in the number of Wonderbolts chasing him. “Hey, weren’t there more of y–” THUD! Sonic suddenly let out a pained cry as something very hard and solid hit him square in the back. He was knocked off his feet and hit the ground hard, tumbling for several yards before coming to a rough stop. Groaning, he lifted his face out of the dirt. Looking behind him, he saw that blue pony with the white mane from before giving him a very wry smile. Clearly she was the one responsible. She was joined by the two other stallions from before. ‘Augh… cheap shot…’ As he pulled himself to his feet, all seven ponies again landed on the ground and formed a circle around him. They had him completely surrounded with nowhere to run. No way to escape. The fiery captain’s gaze bore into him. She’d seen how quick he was. Now as the others engaged him in direct combat, she would analyze his fighting methods. Let the others wear him down and open him up. Wait for a misstep, and then take him down. Sonic turned around, glancing around the group before fixing his eyes on Spitfire and Fleetfoot with a serious look. “You guys sure you wanna ride this train?” Fleetfoot pawed her hoof on the ground in response, offering him no quarter. It was perfectly clear what was about to happen. The only way he was leaving was through them. With the gauntlet thrown, Sonic stepped slightly back with one foot, curled a fist at his hip, and stretched out an arm to point at her. “Okay, bring it on!” And then the real fight began. Soarin, Fire Streak, and Misty Fly were the first to try. They launched from opposing ends of the circle formation, shooting towards Sonic to tackle him down. Sonic reacted with a quick series of jumps, vaulting over each of the oncoming pegasi. From the corner of his eye he saw Fleetfoot speeding towards him from his right. Stepping slightly back to avoid her, he grabbed her by the tail as she passed, prompting a look of shock from the blue pegasus. “In the back? Not cool, Cloud Hair.” He spun like a top on one leg, twirling Fleetfoot round and round in a tornado of blue and white. After a few seconds he let go of the screaming pegasus, sending her hurtling through the air and colliding with Silver Zoom. Both ponies crashed hard into the ground with swirls in their eyes. The next two Sonic saw coming his way were the pair of High Winds and Misty Fly. The white mare took the lead with her pale olive-coated partner floating a few feet above her. Sonic boosted towards her with a quick burst of speed, stretching and reaching one hand out as he soared just over her, and landing with his hand on her back by time she could react. Pivoting on his palm, he twisted his body around and struck Misty Fly with a kick right underneath the chin. Misty Fly was knocked up and away with a grunt, and Sonic sprung off of High Wind’s back to miss the swipe she took at him, landing back down on the ground. Sonic’s ears pricked up as he heard something cutting through the air above him, prompting him to backflip away. He just barely avoided the two other stallions smashing their rear hooves into the ground where he stood mere moments ago. They were quick to chase after him, coming at him from both sides. The one with orange and gray hair threw a barrage of quick boxing-style punches at him, the hedgehog bobbing and weaving from side to side to avoid. When Soarin slid in behind him to throw a low sweeping kick at his legs, Sonic parried Fire Streak’s incoming right jab away with his palm and jumped, misdirecting the gray pony’s momentum away from him and dodging the kick. In the same motion he twisted his body around and threw a back kick that smacked Fire Streak directly in the back of the head, knocking him away. Continuing to twist, Sonic stretched his opposite leg up and came down with an axe kick aimed for the crown of Soarin’s head. The stallion jumped backwards to avoid the strike, aided by a flap of his wings. For what felt like dozenth time that night, Spitfire was left staring with her mouth agape at what her eyes beheld. Once again the Wonderbolts were being outpaced, outmatched, and now outfought by the speedy blue rodent. ‘This guy fights better than most of the royal guards I’ve seen in years! Who IS he?! Where did he come from?!’ While she mentally warred with herself, Sonic and Soarin were locked up. Each of them blocking one of the other’s thrown punches simultaneously, left legs planted backwards for support and right legs forward and bent as they pushed against one another. “Gotta admit, hedgehog… you’re pretty tough. No wonder the guards had so much trouble with you,” Soarin complimented him with an excited smile. Sonic cracked a little grin in return. “Heh, thanks. You’re pretty good yourself.” Suddenly he let go of Soarin’s hoof and slipped his extended right arm inside his guard. Throwing both arms out to open him up, Sonic then followed with a backflip kick that caught Soarin right on the chin and sent him soaring up and backwards. “Pretty good. But not good enough!” Landing back on his feet, Sonic turned on his heel ready to make tracks, only to find that the other Wonderbolts had recovered and had again boxed him in. He hissed his teeth in slight aggravation. All of these equines were flesh and blood like him, and didn’t seem particularly evil, so he’d been trying to pull his punches since he got here. Maybe now after failing to catch him all night they’d be more receptive to the diplomatic approach? “All right, look Doom Patrol. Aside from the whole ‘trying to bash my face in’ thing, I know you’re just doing what you’re told. So how about you call it quits now and I’ll let you off easy?” Spitfire however was having none of it, almost offended at the offer. “TAKE HIM DOWN!” As the Bolts flew in around him, Sonic readied himself in a semi-crouching stance. “All right. Just remember, I gave you an out.” He tucked and curled initiate his Spin Dash. Whatever puzzlement the Wonderbolts might have felt at the odd sight was quickly discarded as they lunged for the hedgehog. Closer, closer, and closer… FWOOSH! Sonic shot off the ground like a bullet. His spinning form scored a direct hit to Misty Fly’s chest. Immediately after hitting her he ricocheted off and sprung like a bouncy ball, smashing from Wonderbolt to ground to Wonderbolt in a wild frenzy of speed. In the span of mere seconds he’d scored multiple hits to each of the pegasi. The elite flyers fell like dominoes. Spitfire stared speechlessly as her team lay there, groaning and twitching in the dirt. She almost missed the gust of air and low screeching sound of someone sliding behind her. Then she felt a hand slap her right on her rear end, causing her to jump in surprise and her wings to shoot up as she let out a very uncharacteristic squeak. “Sorry cap’n, but I’ve gotta run! I’ll play with you some other time!” As the Blue Blur shot off away from Rambling Rock Ridge and into the distance behind her, Spitfire just stood there for a moment in shock at what he had just said and done. A faint red shade was visible on her yellow face, and as the second ticked by it quickly intensified as embarrassment turned to rage. Her teeth bared into a furious snarl, and her eyes practically burned with hate for the hedgehog. The normally calm and composed captain suddenly went jetting after him with an anger-filled shriek, a brilliant gold streak left in her wake. Sonic dashed along the path ahead. With the rocky canyon behind him, there was nothing left but a flat out run through grassland. He spared a passing glance over his shoulder to, almost certain he would have left the air team in the dust after that last attack. Upon seeing the red-with-anger Wonderbolt captain gaining on him, a tiny chill of fear crawled up his spine. ‘Yikes!’ Turning back around he pressed on ahead. The pair zoomed over a small river and through a thicket of trees, coming out to another green path with railroad tracks leading ahead. Spitfire flapped her wings as fast as they could go, revenge on her mind and anger in her heart as she chased after the Mobian. The building irritation of the entire night’s events had finally hit breaking point with his last thoughtless taunt. Nothing mattered mattered now except catching the damned hedgehog. Soarin’s voice suddenly called over her earpiece again. “Spitfire! Where are you?” he called, concern clear in his voice. “Don’t go after him alone! Wait for us, we can regroup and–” “NO!” she definitively cut him off. “All of you stay back. I don’t want you nearby right now... I’m going for the Burnout.” There were a few moments of shocked pause over the radio. “W-What?! Spitfire, do you not remember what happened last time you used your talent?! You can’t be serious!” “I’m deadly serious, Soarin.” she said, her voice steeled with conviction. “I cannot... and will not let him get away with making fools out of us! I have to catch him!” “Even at the risk of turning the place into a wasteland?” Silence was the only response. Knowing any attempts to get her to fall back were futile now, Soarin could only sigh. “Good luck, captain. And please… come back safe.” As the call dropped, Spitfire brought all her focus and attention to the blue hedgehog racing barely ten yards in front of her. Beneath her flight suit, a subtle gold light began to glow on her flank. The shine from her flank grew, and an outline of the yellowish light softly glowed around her entire body. Small wisps of orange fire began spurting from random spots on her body. Her leg, her back, her tail, tiny flames began popping out from all over her as her speed began to increase. Finally, the light and fire burst into something clearly visible, forming a burning ball of heat around Spitfire’s body. Thin, barely visible traces of a mach cone generated around her along with the fire, signifying her speed increasing even further. This was the peak of Spitfire’s potential. A closely guarded secret, channeling this burning energy allowed her to nearly reach the speed of sound. She streaked through the air like a flaming comet, gaining on the hedgehog. Her eyes narrowed in fierce determination as she started to close in, an almost predatory grin crossing her face. The flaming glow and burning sound eventually drew Sonic’s attention, and he turned around to look wide-eyed at the flaming pony. ‘You’re mine, hedgehog! There’s maybe one other pony that can beat me at this speed. The only way you could possibly get away now is to go supersonic!’ she thought, already savoring her victory. Her view locked in on his face as he… smiled? And then gave her a thumbs up? Yes, that was exactly what he did right before turning his back on her. Before another bout of righteous indignation could swell in her mind, her eyes glanced down and noticed Sonic’s legs. They spinning so fast that they were only visible as a twirling blue and red wheel underneath his body. What in Equestria was he— BOOOOOM! He suddenly went blasting off ahead of her in a streaking, blue burst of light. The resulting shock wave rattled Spitfire as she stared with wide eyes. It was unmistakable what she had just witnessed: ‘A sonic boom?!’ She could hardly believe her eyes. This alien creature’s speed was somehow on a level even she couldn’t reach. Somehow, someway, this blue, thin-legged rodent was— “Faster than the speed of sound...” Looking behind, the bright light that was the Wonderbolt captain quickly shrank from Sonic’s view as he left her in the dust. He faced forward, ready to take a victory lap or two around the hemisphere. And then he saw a sharply inclined hill barely twenty feet in front of him. Far too close for him to stop himself. ‘Uh-oh...’ Sonic went up the hill’s bend and off, shooting through the air like a supersonic rocket. “Whoooooooooaaaaaaaaaa!!” He soared uncontrollably over the mountain and forest-covered landscape. When the blue trail of light finally started to fade and his speed decreasing, he was dropping and falling towards the nearby coastal city. As the blue light streaked across the sky, Spitfire’s shock eroded into melancholy acceptance. Her mission had failed. Her target lost. The fire around her began fading away and her speed dropped rapidly, slowing until she came to a steady flutter and landed softly back on the ground. The captain stared off into the night, a strange mixture of dismay and wonder swirling through her head, she thought to herself: “Just who is this hedgehog...?” Soarin’s voice then cut in over the radio, bringing her out of her stupor. “Come in! Spitfire, come in!” Ear flicking, Spitfire adjusted the piece in her ear and responded. “I’m here,” she said, taking a long breath of air. “Mission failed… target escaped. Repeat… the target has escaped.” There were a few moments of awkward silence as both ponies came to grips with the situation. Soarin eventually replied. “...What now?” She let a tired exhale out through her nostrils. “Get back to HQ. We report to Canterlot first thing tomorrow morning. The princesses will want to know about this.” “Roger.” ========================== 10:37 PM Southwest edge of Equestria ========================== Consciousness slowly crept back into Dr. Eggman’s head. His eyes slowly straining and opening, the sting of soreness shooting down his back. With a pained groan he gingerly lifted himself off the ground to sit upright, softly massaging his throbbing temples. “Oh, my gears and starters… what happened last night?” When his vision finally, returned he was greeted by the sight of desert dunes as far as the eye could see. The sand was also littered with heaps of metal that were once his Robotropolis citadel. “Ah, good evening Doctor!” “Bah!” Orbot’s electronic voice interrupting his thoughts made him jump. His other equally annoying minion Cubot floated in the background behind his red co-worker, currently trying and failing to pull one of his detached arms out from under a steel beam. “Welcome back to the land of the living. For awhile there was starting to think you had finally cracked your yolk.” Eggman glared at him. “Don’t sass me, you mechanical moron!” Lifting himself to his feet, he dusted himself off. “Give me a status report!” “Well,” Orbot began, “it would appear that the wormhole you made with the device to get rid of Sonic backfired. It pulled you in, along with approximately half of Robotropolis, and now we appear to be stranded in an alternate dimension with no idea where we are.” he said in a rather smart-alecky tone. “I already know THAT, you bolt-brained buffoon! I meant about our available forces! I want a list of every operational unit that survived the trip!” To this, Orbot reached to the ground and picked up a rectangular handheld device and held it out. “Already done, your maliciousness. I took the liberty while you were hard at work napping.” Snatching the handheld from his sassy subordinate with a grumble, Eggman pressed a few buttons as images popped up inside a grid. He dragged a finger up the screen to scroll down, assessing what he had to work with. “Hmm...” For what it was worth, his army had come off in pretty good shape. The base itself had been utterly torn apart by the rift’s gravity. But several airships, an entire legion off Egg Pawns, and several other specialized units were practically unscathed. About half of the Egg Fleet was also accounted for. Only about a third of it was currently operational, but the rest wasn’t catastrophically damaged. Repairs could be completed within a week. Two tops. And he had the metal from about half of his original city base to work with, not counting what he could acquire from this new location. As he paced to his left, scanning through the wreckage, he noticed something else. Two familiar containment units. One rectangular, dark blue one, and another black with yellow stripes roughly the size of a shipping container. His prized invention and other recently upgraded models had also made it through the crash. Overall, it was a sizeable haul. Of course, there was a certain inevitability that crossed Eggman’s mind. One persistent, insufferable blot on the escutcheon of his life. Sonic. After all, the doctor had used the device with the sole intention of whisking the infuriating hedgehog away. If he too had been drawn into the warp, and had survived... ’Then it’s more than likely that he survived too...’ he thought, a vein throbbing in his forehead As he paced through the mess of broken machinery, a brief twinkle of light to the left caught his attention. A bluish glow coming from inside a small sand dune, just a few meters away. The portly genius’s eyes widened. He recognized that glow. He marched over and knelt down to dig and brush away at the sand. Reaching inside, his hand came into contact with a hard, familiar shape, which he grabbed and pulled free with a heave. Eggman now held the cyan Chaos Emerald in his hand. A nefarious grin broke across his face. He whipped around and pointed at Orbot. “Set all ground units to work building our new base! And get a dozen Flappers in the air! I want to know everything about where we are by daybreak!” Orbot saluted and hovered off to get to work—right after assisting his yellow partner—and left Eggman alone. Slipping the Emerald into his pocket, the mad scientist stepped back through the shifting sand and scattered metal debris. He found his way to his slightly tattered command chair and sat, pressing his fingers together. His wicked mind already delving into what he could accomplish in this new world, he muttered softly to himself: “Now then, where to begin?”