//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 - Call to Action 
// Story: Break the Walls Down 
// by Super Saiyan D 
//------------------------------//

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Southern edge of Equestria – Eggman’s desert base
90 minutes ago
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Across a large stretch of the barren landscape, a grim technological metropolis was being built from the ground up. Rocky ground was now covered over by steel sheets that soaked up waves of heat from the blistering sun. Coarse desert sand rolled in the breeze, rattling against skyward-reaching towers. Clanking steps of robots, mechanical growls and hums of gears and conveyor belts, and ear-ringing crackles of welding torches soldering steel beams together all mixed in a vociferous clamor; the usual stillness of the desert replaced with the harsh racket of production. Unfinished smokestacks framed a circular structure, their imposing masses stretching up, both around and through the unfinished dome wall.

Together, these individual parts constituted a singular mechanical aberration. An unnatural blemish; a man-made blight defying the land’s natural state. A forewarning of the disease that soon would spread across all Equestria.

Amid the construction, Eggman’s two most talkative minions floated about, directing traffic. “Hurry, hurry! Move it along! Straighten up that line!” Cubot shouted to the row of Motobugs revving along in front of him.

Orbot drifted back and forth across the open space, pointing an assortment of different Badniks to their stations. “Buzz Bombers, please maintain an altitude of at least twenty-five feet. That means you, BT-7! 4040, get back to the east side of the foundry for weapons check! Steer clear of the cables, GMB-5! And would someone bolt down that exhaust column before it—”

There was a loud snap of breaking metal. A tower ten yards ahead of Orbot had tilted on its unsecured foundation, broke under its own weight, and fell. All nearby Badniks ran for cover.

All except for one straggler. One slow-witted Cop Speeder casually floating along. By some defect of coding, it failed to register the hasty retreat of its Badnik brethren as danger. It stopped and looked around at the fleeing robots in confusion. Only when it noticed a growing shadow darkening the space around it did it finally turn around. The last thing it ever saw was the black color of metal before the steel tower crashed down, crushing it and hitting the ground with a thunderous slam that echoed throughout the entire base.

“…breaks.”

Orbot floated there, awkwardly looking at the crash site. His cubical partner slowly came over to join him. If machines could sweat, they both would be.

Cubot broke the tense silence with a comment. “Do you think the doc is going to notice?”

“He noticed.”

The two minions flinched, turning slowly to the ominous voice behind them. A familiar flying pod floated above. Eggman’s glower made chills crawl up their nonexistent spines.

Irritation broiled in the doctor’s gut. For hours he’d been pouring over the collected transmissions from his dispatched Flappers. Video recordings. Images. All the information that his scout robots had collected so far on this “Equestria,” as the locals called it.

Stomach-turning, all-encompassing disgust didn’t quite do justice to his feelings towards this place.

A peaceful, noxiously bright land inhabited by adorable, multi-colored equines? The very thought was nauseating. Imagine, the great Doctor Eggman, the most brilliant mind on all of Mobius, forced to share a place in the cosmos with such a weak, inferior species? The nerve of it all! Fate had played a cruel joke on the doctor. One that he found no humor in. One that he sought to extract himself from post-haste; and his underling’s foul-ups only sprinkled more fuel on the fire of his incensed mood.

“O-Oh, hi there boss…” Cubot shivered.

Orbot tried his best to salvage the situation. “Greetings, doctor. We were just in the middle of getting everything ready when there was a teensy weensy little accident and—”

“SILENCE!”

The two quieted instantly.

“I figured I’d find you two idiots to mucking things up,” Eggman growled. His Eggmobile lowered close to the ground, and he hopped out. “It’s bad enough being confined to this insufferable place. But I will not have your usual incompetence delaying my plans.” Reaching into the Eggmobile’s cockpit, he removed a two-foot-tall, blue and gray mechanical ball and dropped it on the ground in front of him. “So I’ve designed something far more capable for the job.”

He snapped his fingers. A center light on the orb’s side lit up in red, beeping. Its entire mass began to change shape. It opened up and expanded, plates shifting into place on the growing mass to form a body. It produced extensions for limbs, and the remnants of the orb shape became its head. Orbot and Cubot nervously backed. Eggman remained, watching as it took form before him.

Soon a new robot stood in place of the steel sphere, straightening itself as the last of its outside covers meshed into place. It faced Eggman and spoke in a polite tone, “Classification: New-Age Eggman Empire Docketing Android reporting for duty.”

Eggman adjusted his glasses, admiring his newest creation with pride. “Lug heads, meet the latest addition to the Eggman Empire. Codename: NEEDA. Perfectly designed to be everything you scrap-for-brains are not,” he gloated.  “Focused. Efficient. The perfect organizer for all my units and resources. And your replacement.”

Cubot looked as crestfallen as a mostly featureless bot could. “But boss… what about us?”

Scowling, Eggman pointed towards the fallen beam. “YOU can go and clean up this mess! Surely even a couple of blundering failures like you can manage that without incident?”

Cubot hung his head and floated off, despondent.

“There is no need to be hurtful,” Orbot remarked before following after him.

Eggman turned back to his new metal minion and crossed his arms over his chest. “NEEDA, bring up the layout of the invasion force.”

“Yes, Lord Eggman.” The new robot held out his metal hand with his palm up. The circular node in the middle of his palm took on a bright blue glow. A cone of light shined from its hand, producing a holographic rendering of various ships and Badniks – everything to be deployed for the coming assault. “As you’ve commanded, two battleships and three accompanying dropships are at the ready, each fully armed and outfitted. Combined, they can easily carry a battalion worth of troops. These, of course, consist of the standard mix of ground and air units, as well as four Super Badniks. EH model, to be exact. Additionally, your personal airship is fully fueled and ready to depart.”

“And the other unit?”

“EG-918 is en route, sir. Current ETA: one hour forty-three minutes.”

The doctor’s lip curved menacingly. “Excellent. Have container SA-7 brought to my carrier. Mobilize the army and prepare all ships for launch. We leave immediately.”

The droid nodded. “As you wish, sir.”

As NEEDA departed, Eggman stepped over to the side of his floating pod. He gazed past the towers, beyond his metallic base, out to the horizon where the faint traces of green pastures were visible. Somewhere out there among the four-legged rabble was their capital – a quaint little city resting on the side of a mountain.

Even thinking about that grated the doctor’s nerves. Honestly, having the seat of your nation’s power dangling precariously off the edge of a mountain? Of all the architecturally asinine decisions. These fools were practically asking to be crushed. He could already see himself holding their little city in the palm of his hand. His reconnaissance drones had shown him all he needed to know.

The capital itself was very poorly guarded. Relatively few “soldiers”—Eggman could barely even refer to the ponies in armored regalia by the word with a straight face—patrolled the perimeter. There were no siege-like weapons to speak of; no cannons, not even any firearms. The pitiful excuse of an army didn’t wield anything beyond dated weaponry from the Dark Ages. The sheer lack of most things resembling modern technology was astounding. There wasn’t even a wall, the most basic of all defensive concepts. His forces could march on the city virtually unchallenged. With their lackluster warriors and laughable defenses, subjugating these ponies would be all too easy. And once he had swept away any possible resistance, locating the Chaos Emeralds and leaving this wretched place behind would come all the sooner. It was only a matter of time.

The doctor chuckled darkly and stroked his mustache. At the very least, this would be amusing. “Now then, I believe it’s time I introduced myself.”


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1:02 PM
Ponyville
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Rainbow Dash flew quickly through the air. Rooftops whizzed mere feet under her body as she propelled herself through the air towards the train station. At this pace, she’d beat the others there with plenty of time to spare. It was only natural that she hurry. Urgent letters from Celestia demanded quick responses. She was pretty sure everypony could have gotten there quicker if she found and carried each of them to the train station herself. Sadly, ever since the girdle incident, the girls had expressly forbidden her from bursting into ponies’ homes and whisking them away to places without notice.

Before she could dwell on that any longer, she could see her destination coming up. She curved downward, sinking steadily closer to the ground; closing in on the station, but not decreasing speed. Right before she would come skidding in, she flapped up and made a pair of loops, slowing herself down for a steady stop just above the wood floorboards. She closed her eyes and swished her mane in pride. “Perfect.”

An unexpected but familiar voice added its own two bits. “If you ask me, it could use a little more control. You come in way too hot.”

Rainbow’s eyes popped open. She looked to her left, and found, “Spike?”

Sure enough, the little purple dragon sat waiting on the station bench. “Hey there, Dash. You’re early.”

Getting over her initial surprise of him beating her there, she replied, “Well, duh! No time to sit around lollygagging, the princess is calling. Where’s Twilight?”

“On her way. Went to get Rarity,” Spike said, hopping down from his seat. “After about ten extra minutes of getting worked up on what the princess could want, what to bring, you know. The usual stuff.”

The pegasus shared a laugh with him. “Classic Twilight.”

As Spike took a few steps towards her, the floorboard beneath him unexpectedly cracked and broke, a square piece of the wood giving way beneath him. “Whoa!” He fell to his knee, catching himself as his other leg sank through the broken space.

“Oh crud, you all right dude?” Rainbow trotted closer, offering him her hoof.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just caught me off guard.” Taking her hoof and hoisting himself up, he pulled his foot out and shook it off, glaring at the hole. “Man, these planks have been getting more rickety by the day. Mayor Mare really needs to have this place refurbished. That’s a serious accident waiting to happen.” Regaining his balance, he turned his attention back to Rainbow. “Anyway, did you give the others the message?”

“In record time!” she beamed proudly. But then her expression turned puzzled. “Come to think of it, what are you doing here? The princess only called for the six of us.”

“Maybe, but I decided to come along too,” Spike asserted.

“Is Twilight gonna be okay with that?”

“I don’t know for sure that she wouldn’t be okay with it.”

Rainbow blew air between her lips. “Solid argument.”

Spike frowned. “Look, I wanna help too. Celestia’s letter made it sound like there’s trouble brewing again. With all the wild and crazy stuff we’ve had to deal with since Twilight and I got to Ponyville, it never hurts to have a little backup.” He paused a moment and turned his head away, a hint of bitterness from their most recent memory together coloring his expression. “Even a ‘lame dragon’ can be useful.”

His choice of words didn’t register with Rainbow at first. When it did, shame flooded through her. “Y-Yeah…” Her body slumped. She rubbed the back of her head with a hiss of regret. “Hey… sorry about that.”

Spike looked back up at her, then shrugged. He wasn’t one to hold a grudge. “It’s all right.”

There was an awkward silence, neither quite sure how to continue from that topic. Spike eventually broke it by clearing his throat.

“So, anyway… what was that about back there?”

Rainbow blinked. “What was what about?”

“Back at your place,” he clarified. “You seemed kind of… well, mopey towards the end there. It was only for a second, but I still noticed.”

Rainbow froze.

“So, did you wanna—”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she blurted out a little too quickly. “Who’s mopey? Me? No way! Why would I be mopey? Nothing’s bothering me!”

Spike blinked. “So something is bothering you?”

“Of course not!” Rainbow almost shouted. “Didn’t I just say there wasn’t? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me! Why would you even think that? I didn’t say that!”

“…But you did just—”

“Nope! No way! Nothing out of the ordinary going on here! Nuh-uh! Same old me, nothing weird to see here!” she stressed, a weak chuckle capping off her short rant.

Spike’s expression turned flat as quickly as his patience evaporated. “Rainbow Dash, I’ve seen more convincing lies from Applejack,” he deadpanned.

Rainbow’s false smile disappeared. Pausing, Spike inhaled and lifted a claw to his chest, lowering it in sequence with his exhale, letting his tension to fizzle away. Best to approach the situation calmly. “So really, what’s going on?”

Rainbow crossed her hooves and turned away. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“You’ll feel better if you do,” Spike offered.

Rainbow made a dismissive noise. “Pfft, whatever.”

Spike internally grumbled at the stubborn pegasus. No way she was going to be upfront about it. This was Rainbow Dash, after all. He’d need another approach. After a moment of thought, he turned his back to her and audibly sighed.

“Well, if you don’t feel like talking to me about it, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

Rainbow let out a soft ‘whew’ of relief.

“Buuuuuut,” he continued, “if that’s the case, maybe I’d better tell the others, huh? Sounds like they’d be better dealing with it than I can.”

Behind his back, Rainbow’s eyes widened.

“Mmm, I’m sure Fluttershy would be concerned. She’d be worrying and doting on you the whole train ride. Matter of fact, I’m sure Pinkie Pie would be gung-ho on solving what’s got you down too. Probably with a long list of Pinkie promises and ‘cheer up’ plans and—”

“All right, all right! Stop!”

Spike smirked. Too easy.

Groaning, Rainbow Dash let herself drift down to the wood floor. She avoided eye contact, shyly rubbing one leg with her hoof.

“So what’s eating you, Rainbow?” Spike asked as he turned back to her, genuine concern in his voice.

“Well, it’s… I mean… Ugh, this is harder to put in words than I thought.”

“Just speak from the heart, Dash. I won’t judge.”

Her eyes flickered back to him, the pegasus still fighting her hesitation. The gradual acceptance of deciding to talk to Twilight about this, from just last night no less, was nowhere to be found. Apparently, thinking about asking for help and actually doing it were two entirely different things for her. After some time, she took a breath, beginning to slowly find the right words. “Have you… have you ever felt like you wanted more out of your life?”

Spike scanned her face thoughtfully. “More? Like what exactly?”

She fidgeted. “Like… like you wanna do something big with yourself. Something most ponies never could. Things you’re positive you can. Like you were born for it, it’s something you feel in your bones. But somehow… it doesn’t look like you’ll ever get the chance to do any of those things.”

Spike was quiet for a moment, thinking of the best way to respond. “Let’s try answering that question with another question. What does the… ahem, ‘resident daredevil, future Captain of the Wonderbolts, and coolest, awesomest, and radicalest pony around’, feel like that?”

Rainbow chuckled softly. A direct quote. “I guess… it just seems like that’s the way things are going. I mean…” She made a vague hoof gesture, looking out forlornly into space. “I’ve got the speed and the skills to fly with the best right now. But what do I get to do with it all? Same old boring, everyday stuff.” She breathed. “Sure we’ve got the rare ‘save Equestria’ quest every once in a while, but… it honestly doesn’t feel like enough. I… I want something more.”

She smiled weakly at Spike. “It’s funny…the best time I’ve had recently was when the three of us went tailing you into dragon territory. Now that was cool. But now?” She dropped her head, choosing to stare at the ground, ears drooping. “It feels like I’m just stuck out here in this little town, pushing clouds around all day… Where’s the excitement in that?”

Spike rubbed his chin, letting her words sink in. “So, you’re saying that you want more of a thrill? And the way things are now isn’t giving that?”

She nodded.

“Well, I don’t know if this is the answer you’re looking for. But lately I’ve found that how you choose to see things can make all the difference,” he offered. “For example, you could say that things are too boring or not fulfilling enough for you.” He walked beside her, placing a claw on her shoulder.  “Or, you could look at what you do have. Like a nice home, and friends that love and appreciate you.”

The pegasus spared him a glance.

“Trust me, I get it. Sometimes it might feel like you’re missing something. You wake up and wonder if you’re supposed to do something different… or be someone else.” For a second he dropped his gaze, a wistful look in his eye. “Heck, you might even go and try to find something new yourself. Even if it’s just to see what it’s like. But at the end of the day, when you’re finished going through the motions, I think you’ll find out you aren’t missing a thing,” he finished warmly.

Rainbow Dash looked down, her face unreadable. Silence held the air for a long moment. Eventually, her fixed expression cracked into a playful smirk. “You’re getting pretty good at those sappy speeches.”

“I prefer to call them ‘inspirational’,” Spike smiled. “And I live with Twilight. You pick up a thing or two writing all those letters to Celestia.”

“Heh, guess so.” She extended her hoof to him. “Thanks, bud.”

“No problem, Dash,” Spike replied, making a fist and giving her a bump. He turned his head down the road and saw a familiar yellow and pink. “Hey, look who’s coming.”

Following his gaze, Rainbow saw Fluttershy approaching. The yellow mare came trotting daintily up the station stairs to them. “Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. Hello Spike.”

“Sup, Fluttershy?” Rainbow replied. Spike offered a short wave.

“I’m so sorry if I took too long. I was on my way back from the Everfree Forest with a few of my animal friends when Twilight teleported over. It… startled me a bit.”

Spike and Rainbow shared a glance, snickering at the mental picture.

Then Rainbow paused and gave a questioning look. “Wait, hang on a second. Really, Fluttershy? You? In the Everfree Forest?”

The timid mare blushed lightly. “Oh, well… not actually in it. Just near it,” she explained. “There’s this spot I sometimes like to go. But I came as quickly as I could. I’m… not late, am I?”

“Nah, you’re good,” Spike answered. “Dash and I were just talking.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” she breathed. “Um, about what? …I-If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

Rainbow stiffened. “Um…”

“Dash and was saying she was a little worried about the notice we got,” Spike spoke up in her place. “Princess Celestia did make it sound pretty serious. But we talked it out, and we’ll do our best to help out with whatever’s going on. Just like usual.” He gave Rainbow a wink, which she returned with a thankful smile.

“Oh, I see. That’s very helpful of you, Spike,” Fluttershy said happily. “And good for you, Rainbow Dash. It’s always important to talk about our feelings.”

Spike glanced at Rainbow again, wiggling his eyebrows in an ‘I told you so’ kind of way. The blue pegasus rolled her eyes, although she still sported a little smile. “Yeah we know,” he agreed, “can’t have things bogging us down. Especially when Celestia’s calling us in. Gotta have our wits about us for any surprises.”

A pink blur abruptly shot out of the broken space in the floorboards. “Surprise!”

“Aahh!” All three friends shouted in alarm. Spike jumped a foot off the ground. Rainbow instinctively flapped up into the air, hitting her head on the overhang. Fluttershy fell over, unconscious.

Spike’s head snapped toward on the source. “Pinkie! Are you trying to give us a heart attack?!”

Said pink pony responded quite nonchalantly. “Heart Attack? Eh, I’m more of a Confident kind of girl as far as Songbird Serenade singles go. Not a bad album, though. I’d give it a seven out of ten.”

Spike stared at her, baffled. He didn’t even want to begin to try and decipher the mare’s logic. He looked back and forth between her and the gap she had popped out of. “Where were you even…? How did you…? WHY were you…? Oh, forget it…” he groaned, massaging his temples.

Pinkie quirked her head, oblivious. “You feeling all right Spike? Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“More like a shrink…” he snarked.

Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “You wanna shrink? That sounds like fun! You could go swimming in a bowl of cereal! Or nacho dip! Ooh, or you could do the waltz with a bee!”

Rainbow Dash, rubbing her head with pained noises, floated back down to the ground. “Pinkie Pie, you are so random.” She then started shaking Fluttershy in an attempt to wake her up.

Suddenly, Pinkie’s whole body broke out into uncontrollable shaking. The shivers were so strong that they briefly lifted her off the ground.

Rainbow looked utterly confused. “Uh… what was that?”

“I think I know…”Spike said with a sense of foreboding.

Fluttershy started to come to, her eyes fluttering open. “Mmm… h-huh? What happened?” she murmured as Rainbow helped her up.

“Another doozy?” Pinkie Pie thought out loud. Even she looked surprised by what just occurred.

Rainbow turned to Spike. “Doozy?”

“It’s a ‘Pinkie Sense’ thing,” Spike elaborated. “Only the second time we’ve ever seen it. It happens for super-out-of-the-ordinary kind of stuff. Last time it went off like this was when Twilight finally started believing it worked at all.”

“I remember…” Fluttershy croaked. “I was moving some crowded frogs over to Froggy Bottom Bog, and we were attacked by a hydra…”

Rainbow’s eyes shifted back to Pinkie. “And now…?”

“I’ve got noooooo idea,” she responded. “All I can tell is this one felt even bigger and doozier than the last one!”

“Fantastic…” Spike muttered.

Another bout of shivers coursed through Pinkie Pie’s body. When she was still again, she took on a thinking posture. “And it feels like… whatever this doozy is will happen when we all get to Canterlot!”

The dragon and the two pegasi looked at each other. “Y-You don’t think this has something to do with why Princess Celestia has summoned us… do you?” Fluttershy stammered, rising fear evident in her voice.

Spike puffed air through his nose. “Considering our luck with over-the-top fiascos, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet.”

“Oooohhh! I’m extra extra, EXTRA excited!” Pinkie squealed, hopping up and down. “We’re gonna get to see something super-duper stupendous again! What do you think it’ll be this time? A mysterious gem? Some magic cards? Three giant dragons? A bugbear? Crystal balls? A ghostly specter? Oatmeal?”

Everyone stared at her incredulously.

“Oatmeal?”

Spike cocked his head at Rainbow Dash. “Of all the things she just said, that’s the one you question?”

Pinkie then gave a big gasp “Wait wait wait! Maybe, just maybe… it might even be…” She quickly looked from side to side. “A skeleton war!”

Fluttershy’s pupils shrank in fear. “S-S-Sk-Skeleton war…?”

Both Rainbow and Spike looked a hundred and ten percent done. The former dropped back on her haunches, letting out an exasperated breath. “I give up…” Spike moaned.

It was then that Applejack came galloping in to join them. “Howdy, y’all! Got the message.”

Pinkie Pie sprung over cheerfully. “Hi Applejack! It’s a good thing you’re here! We were talking about how to get ready for the skeleton war!”

Applejack tilted her head. “Uh, the what now?”

Spike facepalmed. Shifting his attention elsewhere, he saw a papercolt next to a stack of newspapers a couple of yards from where they stood. Choosing to avoid any more craziness until they got to Canterlot, he started walking off to go grab a copy of today’s paper.

As he did so, Rarity and Twilight also came rushing onto the scene together. “Oh goodness, so sorry darlings! I came as soon as I heard!” Rarity announced.

Rainbow snickered. “That’s what she said!”

Twilight and Applejack rolled their eyes, while Rarity let out an indignant huff. “Honestly, Rainbow Dash. Must you be so crude?”

The arrival of his crush gave Spike a sudden case of the butterflies, a faint blush adorning his cheeks. “Uh, h-hey Rarity.”

“Why hello, Spikey Wikey,” she greeted, smiling graciously.

Twilight did a double-take. “Wait, Spike? What are you doing here?”

“To help with whatever the letter is about, of course.”

The bookworm, unsurprisingly, was having none of that. “Oh, no you’re not! This is an emergency summons from Princess Celestia! For all we know she could be calling on us to deal with another threat endangering all of Equestria! What if it’s another escaped ancient villain? It’s far too dangerous for a baby dragon. Now you carry yourself home this instant, young drake!” she demanded, pointing back towards town.

“Aw, come on Twilight!” Spike complained, throwing his arms up. “You guys are always going off on dangerous missions, and last time the bad guy almost got the better of you. What if you need help again?” He folded his arms, standing his ground. “And I’m not a baby.”

“You know Twilight, he might have a point,” Rainbow interjected, coming to his defense. She and Spike exchanged a brief look.

Twilight appeared shocked by her words. “R-Rainbow Dash?! What are you saying?!”

Rarity glanced between the two before speaking. “Twilight, darling, maybe you should listen. What’s the harm in bringing him along? After all, it is just a meeting.”

“But… but… he’s a child! What if something dangerous were to happen?!”

“Didn’t he go all the way to the Dragon Lands by himself?” Rainbow Dash noted. “And he was fine. …Mostly.”

“As he was when he valiantly defended me from those brutish Diamond Dogs,” Rarity added, rubbing the top of his head appreciatively, making the little dragon smile. “Come now, Twilight. I know you’re just trying to protect him, but I believe he’s proven he can handle himself.”

“They’re not wrong, Twi,” Applejack advised, joining in. “Don’t forget who it also was that put you into gear when that Ursa came ‘round. Way I see it, the little feller’s been helpin’ us outta jams all the while. And he’s gettin’ less little by the day. Coddlin’ him ain’t gonna do him a lick of good.”

Pinkie Pie was the next to chime in. “Besides, it’s not like he’s all by himself. He’ll have all of us watching out for him. We’ll stick to him like scales on a dragon!” she grinned, softly slapping Spike on the back.

“Um, Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled meekly, just loud enough to get the unicorn’s attention. “If Spike wants to be helpful, then…maybe you should let him… I mean, if that’s all right with you.”

Twilight was at a loss. She looked between her five friends. She wanted to deny it. She wanted to ignore their points and send him straight home; where he would be safe and protected.

Protection.

Her thoughts went back to the previous night. That’s what it came back to. Her mistake. Her regret. She’d failed to protect him. She had to make up for it. She had to do the right thing now. She wasn’t wrong for that, was she?

But…

Her gaze trailed down to the purple dragon who looked back at her, his eyes pleading. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her friends were right. All of their evidence was hard to refute. He had helped all of them out quite a bit, to the extent he could; even in a perilous situation or two. Twilight’s mind weighed on all these things. The guilt of failing to live up to her standards for caring for Spike; the pain in her heart when she believed he would leave her behind; the reality that her young charge was and wished to continue to be useful to all of them. After another moment of contemplation, she closed her eyes with a sigh.

“You’re right.” She opened them again, looking at her assistant. “Okay, Spike,” she relented. “You can come. You’re just as important to these things as the rest of us.”

Spike smiled gratefully, springing forward to hug her. “Thanks, Twilight!” He gave her a quick squeeze and headed back to the edge of the station, hopping off the ledge to continue on his way to get that paper.

“So now that we got all that out of the way,” Rainbow interjected, “what do you think the big deal is that the princess is calling about?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue,” Rarity commented. “But if memory serves, the last time we were all brought together like this was to do away with that odious draconequis,” she rasped, disdainfully recalling the encounter with their most recent foe.

“Thinkin’ it really is another Equestria-threatenin’ bad guy on the loose?” asked Applejack.

“I’m telling you, it’s gotta be the skeleton war!” Pinkie insisted.

Fluttershy hid behind Applejack at the subject being brought up again, trembling.

“For the last time, Pinkie, there is no skeleton war!” scolded Rainbow.

The party pony pouted. “Aww.”

“Hold on a minute, let’s not get carried away,” Twilight assured. “Just because we’re being called together again doesn’t mean it has to be over some big disaster. Maybe Princess Celestia just wants to share her appreciation for us.” She started to drift into a monologue. “Maybe it’s to invite us to another event in Canterlot. Or to congratulate us again for continuing to help keep Equestria safe and peaceful.”

“Or maybe…” Spike’s voice made the six mares turn to him. He’d returned, now with a copy of the Ponyville Chronicle in claw, and was staring with wide eyes at the front page. “It’s this!” He turned the paper around for the mares to see. They gathered around him for a closer look. Five out of six blanched when they read the headline.


Blue Demon Attacks Canterlot


Below the title was a darkened artist’s rendering showing a side view of something they had never seen before—a creature with an oddly large head, pointed fur, and large eyes.

“Canterlot was attacked?!” Rarity gaped.

“B-By a… d-d-demon?” Fluttershy quivered, eyes full of fright.

Spike flipped the paper back around and began reading the article aloud. “Yesterday, at approximately six o’clock at night, the streets of Canterlot were beset by an unknown alien creature. As was first reported by the Canterlot Chronicle, witnesses have described the mysterious being as blue bipedal mammal now being referred to among Canterlot’s citizenry as the Blue Demon.”

Most of the mares had fearful, wide-eyed looks. There were two exceptions—Pinkie Pie, who wore an oddly wide smile, and Rainbow Dash, whose expression was visibly hardening with each word Spike read.





“Question! What does bipedal mean?” Pinkie chirped.

“It means a creature that walks on two legs,” Twilight answered. “Like a kangaroo or a minotaur.”

“Oh, okay. …Second question! We talking the ‘huge, terrifying, punch you to pieces and summon a giant dragon made of the flames of Tartarus to eat your soul’ kind, or the ‘plucky, fun-sized, mostly harmless without somepony to read their magic spell book’ kind? ‘Cause those second ones are kind of adorable.”

Spike continued. “The creature appeared in Celestia’s courtyard in the dead of night—”

“It went after Princess Celestia?!” Twilight cried, fear for her mentor’s well-being overtaking her.

“Okay… maybe he’s not the adorable kind,” Pinkie added glumly.

“In the dead of night,” Spike repeated irritably, “stopped only by the quick action of a contingent of the royal guard led by Princess Luna.”

“All right, princess!” Rainbow cheered.

“The creature engaged them, leaving a path of destruction in its wake as it rampaged across the city. Among those to directly confront the intruder was Lieutenant Night Flare of Princess Luna’s division of the guard, who has since been hospitalized with minor injuries.”

The mares gasped. Somepony had been hurt?

“It then proceeded to evade reinforcements before escaping without a trace. The events have thrown Canterlot’s citizens into a state of panic. When approached for questions, Princess Luna responded that an additional operation had been ordered to locate the attacker. However, results have yet to be confirmed. Princess Celestia was unavailable for comment.”

“That’s it!” Rainbow Dash said hotly. “That’s gotta be why the princess called us! To catch this vicious monster that’s on the loose out there!”

“I have to agree,” Rarity concurred. “It hardly seems like a coincidence for this all to happen in so short a time.”

Twilight took the paper from Spike with her magic, reading it over again fretfully. “I was hoping we’d seen the last of any vicious monsters out to plague Equestria for at least a little while longer… but it looks like you may be right.” Returning it to him, her mind wracked over this worrying development.

Before the group’s discussion could continue, they heard the nearing chugging of a train. The Friendship Express had arrived at last. Its pace slowed to a crawl before it finally rocked and came to a stop. The chimney blew a loud whistle with an accompanying billow of smoke, and the doors opened. A few fillies and colts exited, followed by Ms. Cheerilee. She stood at the side of the car door and ushered out a long line comprising the rest of her students. “That’s it, one by one everypony! Make sure you have all your belongings!” As she guided the young ponies off, Spike was the first one to come over to greet her. She waved upon noticing him. “Oh, hi there Spike!”

“Hey, Cheerilee! How was the trip to Appleloosa?”

Her smile slipped. “I think…‘eventful’ is the right word,” she said uneasily.

As Spike started to ask what she meant, Snips came walking out the doorway holding a bag of ice to the back of his head.

“Oh, my aching head…” he groaned.

Spike arched a brow. “What happened to Snips?” By now, the other six mares were also making their way over.

“Well—”

Cheerilee was cut by a trio of bodies that came barreling through Snips and the other foals in their way. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo rushed up to their sisters plus Rainbow Dash, gushing.

“Sis! Sis! Y’all are never gonna believe what happened!”

“We saw the buffalo!”

“I almost beat one in a hoof race too!”

“And then we saw something else!”

“A weird spiny thing!”

“It did tricks for the class! And it even saved my hat!”

“But before that, there was an earthquake!”

“Woooaaah there y’all, slow down a ‘sec.” Applejack raised a calming hoof. “Did I hear somethin’ about an earthquake?”

“Earthquake?” The response came from Twilight. “That can’t be. The entire southern region is a completely inactive flatland. There shouldn’t be any fault lines until at least Macintosh Hills,” she claimed, sounding like she was reciting straight from one of her many textbooks.

But Cheerilee was quick to reply. “They’re telling the truth. I have no idea how, but there was a huge tremor on the way back.”

“Which made me fall out of my chair and hit my head!” Snips complained.

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “How peculiar…”

“And that’s not all!” Scootaloo piped up. “We saw this weird creature running beside the train!”

Rarity blinked. “Weird creature?”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “It was blue, had spines on its head and its back, and wore these funny-looking white gloves on its paws.”

“And it could run as fast as the train!” said Lickety Split.

“Heck, it outran the train!” added Apple Bloom.

As Twilight’s eyes widened, Applejack turned to Cheerilee. “This true, Cheerilee?”

Cheerilee confirmed with a nod. “Every word.”

Before another word could be said, Twilight’s horn glowed, and she took the newspaper out of Spike’s grip. Floating it in front of herself, she spread the front cover out for Cheerilee and the other foals to see.

“Did the creature look like this?”

The crusaders, Cheerilee, and a few other students that could fit close enough to see all responded with a resounding:

“Yes!”

The six heroines exchanged uneasy looks.

Sweetie Belle, studying the picture with a hoof on her chin, commented further. “Well… almost. This picture’s a little dark and vague. But the eyes and head are pretty spot on.”

In the next second, she was locked in a hug from Rarity, her older sister squeezing around her head like a vice. “Oh, my poor, innocent little Sweetie Belle! Thank goodness you’re unharmed!” she wailed dramatically, failing to pick up on Sweetie’s muffled cries for air.

Scootaloo kept reading, shock spreading across her face. “Demon attacks… destruction… royal guard in the hospital?! For real?!”

“But that can’t be!” Apple Bloom said with disbelief. “We saw him up close and personal! There wasn’t nothin’ bad about him! He was even nice enough to get me my hat back when I lost it!”

That got Twilight’s attention. “Are you absolutely sure? It didn’t do anything to hurt you?” she inquired.

“No way! He didn’t harm a hair on any of our heads!” Apple Bloom insisted.

While pondering over this new information, Rarity finally noticed her sister’s face turning blue from lack of oxygen. She quickly let her go, apologizing while the smaller unicorn gasped for air. “He wasn’t…” Sweetie wheezed, slowly catching her breath. “He wasn’t anything like that article’s saying. He was perfectly nice. Nothing like a ‘demon’, that’s for sure. Not from what we saw.

“Sorry sugarcube, but I’d say the evidence is right there in black and white,” Applejack countered. “Just ‘cause that critter didn’t decide to go after you fillies don’t mean it ain’t been causin’ trouble elsewhere.”

“Besides,” Rarity added, “this is straight from the Canterlot Chronicle. There’s no news source more credible than them. If they say this two-legged monster is a menace, then it simply must be so.”

Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed. She was torn. A “rampaging monster” didn’t sound anything like the spiky blue runner she’d seen. He was nothing but pleasant when she and the class saw him. Upbeat and friendly. But the older ponies did have a point. Her own experience didn’t account for his other apparent actions. They couldn’t both be true, could they? “But…”

“Yeah, well so what?!” Apple Bloom’s shout cut off her response.“That don’t mean a thing! Who cares what a bunch a’ snobby Canterlot stiffs say? Don’cha know not to believe everything you read in the paper?”

Rarity balked at the filly’s words. “What–! You–! That’s–! Why, I NEVER!” She took a dynamic step up in front of Apple Bloom. “I will have you know that the Canterlot Chronicle is THE most reputable paper in all of Equestria! There is nothing more reliable than the word from one of their mouths! And furthermore–”

“Girls, that’s enough!” Twilight stepped between the two. “Rarity, we don’t have time to sit around and argue about it. We need to get to Canterlot ASAP. I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this when we meet with the princess.”

Rarity ‘hmph’d and turned up her nose. Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at the fashionista.

“And as you three, you’re going to get left behind.” Twilight pointed to where the line of other students was already leaving.

Cheerilee beckoned them from the front. “Come along now, my little ponies!”

Yelping, the three fillies sprinted after the class. Apple Bloom gave one last look over her shoulder as they left. “You’ll see he’s a good critter! Just wait ‘til you get a good look at ‘im yourself! You’ll see!” Their departure left the mares and dragon alone at the train station. Rarity muttered to herself about uncultured fillies under her breath.

“All aboard for Canterlot!” The call from the conductor brought them back to the moment.

“Come on y’all, we better move it along,” Applejack urged, “shouldn’t keep the princesses waiting any longer.”

“Aw yeah! Off to save Equestria once again!” Rainbow enthusiastically flapped up off the ground and did a midair kick, floating down to quickly scurry into the train past Applejack. The farm pony rolled her eyes with a small smile and trotted in after her.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike all followed suit. Only Twilight hesitated, stopping for a moment to look out towards the purple-hued mountains where their destination rested, softly uttering some final words to herself.

“Whatever happens, I just hope we’re prepared. Who knows what kind of horrible monster is out there waiting for us.”


=============================
12:49 PM
Manehattan: Equestria Daily HQ
=============================


“DOOOOOOOOOOOOSS!”

A long, brash shout reverberated through the confines of the newspaper office. The ponies situated about the office all cringed, breathing uncomfortable sighs at the familiar ringing. One stallion at a corner desk put a hoof to his forehead. “I swear, it gets worse every day with this guy…”

The stallion’s grumbling was followed by the clopping of hoofsteps swiftly going past his aisle, making their way past desks, cubicles, and other office staff. They carried all the way to the main office at the opposite end of the floor. A unicorn with a coat of grayish-yellow and mane of interchanging shades of dark and light grayish purple entered through a wide set of glass double doors. She wore a pair of black-framed glasses, and a checkered sweater colored with various dark blues. She marched directly up to a large desk that sat before her. “You bellowed, boss?”

The portly, brown Earth pony pacing and gesticulating behind the desk wheeled on her. “Doss! Where in Equestria is my coffee ?! Where were you when I called you ninety seconds ago! And WHERE is your mess-head of an understudy?!!”

The unicorn merely adjusted her glasses, rattling off answers without missing a beat. “Still on its way after you yelled at the new intern for only getting three sugars instead of five, it’s only been thirty seconds, and she’s been standing right in front of you for the last minute.” She finished by pointing to her left. Low and behold, there was Wallflower, looking a mix of uncomfortable and annoyed.

“Blush! How many times have I told you not to sneak around like that?!” Bloviate shouted.

The green mare huffed through her nose. “I wasn’t ‘sneaking,’ Mr. Bloviate.”

“Anyway, I got a bone to pick with you! Come ‘ere!” The stallion pulled open a desk drawer and retrieved a folder. As Wallflower stepped closer, he opened and slammed it down in front of her, revealing several pictures of trees and other greenery. “What is this crap you’re giving me?! When I gave you this shot as one of our freelance photographers, it was to bring in pictures of important topics!”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, sir.”

“Yeah? Well, there IS no try! There’s ‘do,’ and then there’s ‘bucking up royal,’ and you are bucking up royal! I pay you to bring me the biggest hot button issues affecting our beautiful city! Not for a bunch of weeds!”

Wallflower’s face turned sour at that remark. “Some ponies would say the park falling into such a poor state is an important issue.”

“Don’t give me any of your excuses!” he cut her off, smacking his hoof on the desk. “Nopony is going to find the next big scoop buried in some dinky old garden!”

Wallflower looked away bitterly. “They’re not dinky…”

“And how many times do I have to tell you to quit that muttering?! Can’t hear a Celestia-damned thing you’re saying!”

Her expression grew darker. “Maybe you’d hear better if your head wasn’t shoved so far up you own—”

“Now what was I saying before? …Oh yeah, that’s right! Doss, come with me. You too, Blush!”

Grabbing a newspaper from off the corner of his desk, the rotund stallion stomped past the two mares. Dossier spared Wallflower a glance. “You’re late today, garden gnome.”

Wallflower met her supervisor’s eyes, responding in her typical drab tone. “Don’t blame me. Couldn’t get further than 16th and Yearling. Cops must have had at least two or three blocks closed down. Had to take the back route across Cloven Street.”

“Oh yeah, I think I heard a blurb of that going around.” She adopted a faint grin. “That is, between all the typical Mr. B-isms. What for?”

“I don’t know the details. Some thief on the run, or something.”

Dossier pursed her lip. “Shutting down so much for a measly purse snatcher? Sounds kind of excessive.”

Wallflower shrugged. “Not my call.”

Dossier thought on it a couple of seconds longer. “Well, I’m sure we’ll get hear all about it before the day’s out. Let’s go see what the ‘Emperor of the Universe’ wants.” The pair went through the doors after their boss, walking side by side.

Bloviate made his way to the center of the busy newspaper office and raised his voice loud enough for the entire floor to hear him.

“Listen up, ponies! I want the lot of you to see something!” He held up the copy of the Canterlot Chronicle’s morning paper, complete with the cover image of the “Blue Demon” for all to see. The other ponies turned their heads from their work. Several stood up, coming closer for a better view. “You see this? Do you know what it is?”

Before the staff could begin to form an answer, he bellowed again. “UNACCEPTABLE, that’s what it is! Some freak of nature shows up out of the blue in the middle of the night and serves the royal guard their flanks! The biggest story to come around since the return of Nightmare Moon literally drops right out of the sky, and WHO snatches it up? Those hacks at the Canterlot Chronicle?! And they’ve even got a moniker for the thing already?!  I will! Not! HAVE IT!”

The ponies flinched under the volume of his shouts. A few quietly mumbled to each other about this new development. Wallflower, however, took one look at the cover page and gasped.

“The good news is, nopony’s got a solid claim on the thing. All anypony has is word of mouth. Not even a clear picture. Y’know what that means, don’t you fillies and gentlecolts?”

Every single staff member shared a look with the pony standing next to them. They could guess what was coming.

“It means free real estate!” Bloviate slapped the paper down on another worker’s desktop. “It means our demon is still up for grabs. And it means the hottest scoop in all of Equestria will belong to whichever lucky photographer can snap that perfect shot! Being the first one to get the dirt on this thing is exactly what we need to remind this town why my paper is the top dog around here!” he rather selfishly proclaimed. “Which is why until further notice, this is our priority one! I want leads! Locations! Witnesses! Interview every last sentient creature in Equestria if you have to! Someone has to have seen where this thing went!” He held out a hoof and steadily moved it from left to right in front of him, motioning to illustrate his imagined headline. “When I read ‘Alien Invader Caught In Action’ on page one, I also wanna see ‘exclusive Equestria Daily photo’ in the byline!”

The office murmured collectively, coming to grips with the new order. Dossier cracked a half smile and leaned over to talk into the neighboring Wallflower’s ear. “Isn’t this a real turn of events. We get an overnight invasion and Mr. ‘BS’ wants to turn it into his next pet project. Typical, huh?”

Whatever response she was hoping to get from the younger mare never came. Instead, Wallflower wordlessly walked away from her and towards Bloviate. Dossier raised an eyebrow. That was odd. Almost as odd as the triumphant smirk plastered on Wallflower’s face. “...Blush?”

Bloviate looked right and left around the office. The distinct lack of movement erased his previously enthusiastic expression. “Well, what are you jackoffs standin’ around for?! Get back to work!” His yell sent the ponies scurrying back to their stations. “Find me my headline! And make it snappy! Whoever brings me a page-one-worthy picture of this Blue Demon will be worth their weight in gold!”

“Mr. Bloviate.”

“Eh?” The brown stallion turned around to see Wallflower. His face became scornful. “What, Blush?! What do you want?”

The green mare remained calm and poised. Her smile never faltered. “Actually sir, I’ve got exactly what you want.”

Bloviate scoffed. “Is that a fact? Well, if it ain’t my coffee, I don’t wanna hear it. And if it’s any more of your Celestia-forsaken weeds, I really don’t wanna hear it!”

Wallflower didn’t bat an eye. “No, boss.”

Without breaking eye contact, she reached a hoof into the neck of her sweater. She was going to savor every second of this. She withdrew her hoof and pulled out a single photograph, holding it up for Bloviate to see. In seconds, Bloviates’ faced morphed from smug and impatient to staring bug-eyed with his mouth hanging open. It was priceless. In her hoof, Wallflower held the picture she had taken earlier – a crisp, full profile image of Sonic the Hedgehog posing and winking for the camera. The perfect cover photo.

“I’ve got your page one.”


=====================
12:55 PM
Eastern Macintosh Hills
=====================


A soothing breeze flowed across the tops of Macintosh Hills. The rolling peaks were a quiet and peaceful place. Climbing high above sea level, their altitude granted them pleasantly soft, nearly constant winds from the neighboring flatlands. The cool, isolated environment made the location the perfect rest stop for one blue hedgehog.

Sonic lay on his back, one leg crossed over the opposite knee with his hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and he wore a relaxed smile, enjoying the warm sun and gentle wind without a care in the world.

He’d had an exciting couple of hours since leaving his new pals in Baltimare. After he’d ventured from the charred hangout spot for those dragons and the desert where he’d encountered the buffalo and train full of mini ponies, he’d just picked a direction – west in this case – and coasted. The run that followed had taken him through a long and winding woodland, and between two tall mountains. One loopback through another mountain range, a couple of deep gorges, and a gorgeous valley with clouds that rained rainbows – a place he made a mental note to check out again if he got the chance – and he’d ended up here.

It made for some interesting sightseeing, to say the least.

Sonic yawned and stretched, opening his eyes and sitting up for a view of the scenery from his hilltop. Arid desert lay on one side of the hilly divide, green forest on the other. “Gotta say, I could think of worse places to be stranded in. It’s actually pretty nice around here.”

Granted, no amount of sightseeing by itself would help in getting him back home. He knew that. But even in bad spots, stopping to enjoy the little things never hurt anyone. Sonic turned his gaze up to the cloud-filled sky. Even the clouds in this world were especially pleasant and fluffy. He let his mind wander as he gazed, seeing what shapes he could make out from the white tufts to pass the time. 

The first one he picked out looked like a shark, round with a piece coming out of the top that resembled a fin. Then came one in a perfect heart shape. Another looked like a tiny bird flapping its wings. And then the next–

‘Wait.’ Sonic paused. That wasn’t right.

He snapped his head back in that other cloud’s direction. Squinting, he could make out movement. ’Okay, definitely not a cloud.’ Something was flying up there; a first for what he’d seen in this place. And to be this visible from so far up, it had to be big. What was it?

The hedgehog was determined to find out. He hopped up and dashed over the slopes of the hills, making his way as close as he could to whatever that thing was. He ultimately came to rest on the tallest hill this side of the range. He squinted and put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun, peering hard to see what that thing was. From there he was at last able to make out what was flying through the clouds: a giant, shiny blue wasp.

Sonic instantly recognized it. That was no insect. It was a jumbo-sized variant of a Buzz Bomber—a battleship. It could mean only one thing:

“Eggman.” The hedgehog’s jaw tensed, his fist squeezed into a tight ball. “So, Señor Nose Hair got pulled over here too.” Keeping his eye on the ship, he saw it pivot, making a slight curve to adjust its flight path. “Hmm…” He double-checked the sun’s place in the sky, situating his own position to get a sense of the airship’s, along with its current travel path. ‘Seems to be heading north… northeast after that change in direction.’ He turned his gaze to his right, towards the Bomber’s anticipated flight path. ‘Which should end up taking it…’

The hedgehog drew a sharp breath, his eyes suddenly widening. At the very edge of his visibility, he could see a familiar tall mountain.

Canterlot.

Eggman was heading towards the capital.

Sonic didn’t even have to think of what the doctor’s arrival would mean for the ponies there. He knew it all too well. Eggman’s forces would devastate the city. He’d turn the populous into guinea pigs to power his army and raze everything else to the ground. Sonic wasn’t sure what kind of defenses or other tricks these ponies might have had up their sleeves, but if it was anything like what he himself encountered last night, they didn’t have a prayer.

If the madman had his way, innocents would die.

But there was another problem. An inescapable truth that tugged at the back of Sonic’s mind. After last night, these Equestrians would definitely not be on his side. Intervening would mean going right back into the same nest of hornets that currently had him listed as public enemy number one. Throw Eggman into the mix, and he’d be smack dab in the middle of two hostile forces – one wanting him in chains, and the other dead.

Sonic closed his eyes, breathing in and out. It all boiled down to a choice: sit by and do nothing as Eggman invaded, or leap into the fray and risk his neck on two fronts to defend the ponies who considered him an enemy. He had to decide.

It took him all of ten seconds.

His lip curled into that famous smirk. Bright green eyes opened, glinting with confidence and daring. “Oh, well. A hedgehog’s gotta do what a hedgehog’s gotta do.”

He backed up a few paces, and without another thought, ran and leaped over the curving slope of the hill. He hit the ground running, instantly bursting ahead. As the wind rushed past his face, he glanced again to the giant metal hornet up in the sky. He knew what he had to do. He set his sights on Canterlot, focusing on nothing else but the race to the city.

All that mattered now was getting there in time.


================================================================


Artwork:

Dossier



Bloviate