//------------------------------// // Sleepover // Story: Way Past Equestria // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// "Man, when was the last time we had to camp out like this?" Sonic asked. "Nice of Twilight to give us such a large room. Wish the accommodations were nicer though." He dropped his sleeping bag in the middle of the room and crashed onto it, getting some annoyed looks from his friends. Twilight had given one of the largest rooms to the Freedom Fighters, who had voted to spend the night together. Tails was posted up next to the window, with eyes on the skies as he started to map the stars of Equestria. Rotor wasn't too far from him, tinkering with some gadgets he had managed to save from the Sky Patrol. Antoine and Bunnie were next to each other (obviously) while the group had voted that Sally should get the lone princess bed, for oblivious reasons. "Considering it was either this or sleep outside, the accommodations don't really matter that much," Tails replied. "Aw come on, sleeping outside while wondering what was going to happen to our world or if we would be Robotnik...kinda nostalgic in a way," Sonic said. "Nostalgic, but not preferable," Antoine said. "I remember some of those nights and they are not what I would call a fun time." "That was just because you were always scared of everything out there. The wolves, the owls, your shadow: need I go on?" Rotor asked. "Non. I remember all too well." "It was a different time back then, when it was just the five of us," Sally said. "Living under a tree root. Fighting everyday like it was our last. Didn't Eggman nearly have control of the entire world?" "Everything but Knothole. And now he's struggling to hold onto half the world," Sonic added. "We've done a lot of good since then." "That was a bit before mah time, but ah think ah catch what ya'll are talking about," Bunnie said. "And yeah, ah remember plenty of those nights as well." "And how incomplete we were until you joined us, ma cherie," Antoine added. "I would not dare to think of ze coward I would be now if not for you." "Come on Sugar-Twan, ya were always braver than ya thought. Ya just tended to be braver around me," Bunnie teased. The two cuddled and started to giggle while Sonic rolled his eyes with a smile. "Come on you two, there are kids watching." "Oui. You and Tails." "It's always been a fight to beat Eggman, hasn't it? And Ixis. And the Deadly Six...did you guys notice how amazing Equestria is on our way over here?" Sally asked. All eyes turned towards her, waiting for her to continue. "The parts of this world that aren't ours. They have such beautiful fields, massive amounts of forests...even their cities look cleaner than ours. I saw lakes of crystals, species of animals I didn't even know could exist...Their world...is beautiful." "Where's this coming from Sally?" Tails asked. "I talked with Twilight on the way over. She's been fighting evil since she was a teenager, not much older than us. And the princesses before her have been fighting evil for millennia, they live a long time by the way, against all sort of foes. Sombra, a mad king. An army of shapeshifters. A centaur who escaped from hell and stole the entire nations magic. All sorts of dangers." "Yeah, and so have we Sal," Sonic replied. "What's are you getting at?" "Twilight's castle stands tall in the center of the nation. Her land is beautiful, full of love and harmony. A peaceful world, for the most part. She...did what I never could. She-" "Gonna stop you right there Sally," Sonic cut her off. He walked over and sat on the bed next to her, his infamous smirk still on his face. "We're not comparing us to them. It's apples and oranges. So maybe they've managed to keep their world a bit more peaceful than ours. Maybe they've managed to beat back their foes and prevent them from doing to their world what Robotnik did to ours. I'm not surprised." "You're...not?" Sally asked. "Of course not. Didn't you hear what their all powerful artifacts are called. The Elements of HARMONY. They are channeling harmony to defeat their foes. Y'know, peace and love, balance and compassion, all that stuff. It would make sense that even with all the evil they face, things return to a peaceful and happy ending. Puts everything back the way they're supposed to be. Because that's what harmony does, I think. But on the other end of the spectrum, what our are deus ex machia objects called?" "The Chaos Emeralds." "The Chaos Emeralds. And that sums up our world perfectly. Things are constantly in chaos, with nothing making sense and, just when we think we've got a grasp of the world, everything gets shaken up like a snowglobe. Of course our world is way more messed up and harder to lock down then theirs. They've got harmony on their side while we're flying by the seat of our pants. So instead of thinking they've done such a better job protecting their world, maybe you should look at the tools they've got and how their world works. Because I bet it's nothing like ours." Sally looked at the floor for a minute before she rolled her eyes and smirked at Sonic. "Here you are giving me actually helpful advice. Now I know it's the end of our worlds. Since when have you been so wise?" "You call it wisdom, I call it many painful lessons that have been beaten into me," Sonic smirked back. "That and I've crossed over with a few others worlds and...learned things work differently. You're not a worse princess and definitely not a lesser hero for it. You were dealt a worse hand and still managed to make something with it. Reason I respect you." "Is that the only reason?" "Eh, they're may be a few more." "Well, I appreciate it none the less," Sally replied. She bumped Sonic's shoulder with his and gave him a genuine smile. "Now come on. Either the moon's rising faster than it should or it's a lot later than I thought. We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day." "As you command, my princess," Sonic said with an overexaggerated bow. Sally giggled with another roll of her eyes before the fighters settled down for the night. Sally was thinking about what Sonic had said, about how their worlds were so different. But that didn't mean she couldn't ask Twilight for some advice on how to be a better ruler. Rotor was lost in thought, as he knew he was forgetting something but didn't know what. Tails was thinking about getting to fight alongside Sonic again...and that he was a little upset that Rainbow Dash wasn't coming with them. Antoine and Bunnie leaned on each other and stared out the window, wondering what tomorrow would bring. And Sonic, as always, was simply ready for the next adventure. ||--O O--|| "Sorry princess, but we still haven't seen him." Twilight sighed before she waved the nightwatch away. "Keep looking. Keeping looking until we find him." The guards nodded and flew off, leaving Twilight to turn and look back at her friends. They had all decided to crash in her room for the night, strength in numbers incase Sombra tried a sneak attack, and had all settled down for the night. Fluttershy was humming to herself as she watched a spider walk on her bag, Rarity already had the green goop and cucumbers on her face (Twilight knew it was called something else, she just didn't know what.), Rainbow Dash and Applejack had placed their bags next to each other and Pinkie had built a fort out of Twilight's pillows. "No sign of Spike?" Applejack asked. "No and I'm getting worried. He's not at the castle, none of the CMC have seen him, Gabby says he hasn't been by the post office...I hope something terrible hasn't happened to him," Twilight whispered. "I pray that Eggman didn't get him." "I doubt it. Spike's dealt with guys like Eggman before," Rainbow Dash chimed in. "Yeah, he's from another reality where he loses to someone slower than me, but still, it's the same principle." "No, it's not. Sally told me about Eggman on the way over and...he's different than most of the foes we've face," Twilight said. "Discord, Tirek...maybe even Sombra. They have nothing on him. The only one I could compare him to is the Storm King and that's the closest one of our villains could get." "Is he really that bad?" Fluttershy asked. "According to Sally, yes. He's ruthless, cunning, has no love or compassion in his heart...and he nearly conquered Sally's entire world," Twilight told her friends. Her friends all turned to her, waiting to hear more. "Throughout all of Equestria's history, we've always had the advantage that our foes have had to invade us. Had to dethrone us. We've always been on the seat of our power, having strongholds and numbers to call upon." "But Sally and her fighters have never had that. They've always been fighting an uphill war against Eggman. And, according to her, even after all the years of fighting they managed to free maybe half the world from his influence." "So he's a bad customer. We'll deal with him the same way we've dealt with every other prima donna villain who thought they could beat us. Together," Rarity stated. "I have no doubt of that. Just like I have no doubt in any of you. We've dealt with this before. It's...everypony else I'm worried about. Eggman, while not the most powerful, seems like the most cunning foe we've ever fought, perhaps more so than Sombra. And with the two of them working together. That's a lot of intelligence on their side." "Yeah, and we've got you. And the former princesses. And Sally and her friends. Whatever those varmits have up their sleeves, we can deal with it," Applejack said. "Of course. I know you're all right, but...had our situations been reversed, with Sally in my hooves and me in hers...would I have been able to protect their world the same way I can this one?" "Of course you would Twilight." Twilight looked over at Pinkie still in her fort, with only the tip of her mane revealing her location. "Because you bring ponies together. And you learn from your mistakes. That's two things that villains never do. Yeah, Sombra and Eggman are working together for now, but Stick's bet five hundred zenny that it won't last. And that's a bet I won't go up against." "She has a point. Every time our foes have teamed up, they've imploded before it was all said and done," Fluttershy agreed. "And even Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, despite not have yet reached that point, were still bested by us." "So come on Twilight, stop worrying about it so much and just get some sleep, because tomorrow is business as usual. Set off, kick flank, and save the world," Rainbow stated. She put a mask over her eyes and leaned back on her bag. "So they sound tough. Whoopee. We'll still win. We always do." "Heh, I guess you're right," Twilight said. She walked over to her bed and settled down, her friends doing the same. "I don't know what I would do without you guys." "Pull your mane out, probably." "Thanks Rainbow." Her friends drifted off to sleep quickly, leaving Twilight alone to look out the window and slowly raise the moon into the sky. She knew she should trust her friends words, that they've been here dozens of times before. But something about this time felt different. Like the harmony of Equestria was being disrupted. Also, she was scared. Spike's disappearance wasn't helping. He was fine, she thought to herself. He had to be. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't. But as she finished setting the moon on it's path for the night, Twilight made a mental note to talk to Sally again tomorrow. Maybe figure out what Eggman might want with a baby dragon. "Twilight?" "Yeah, Applejack?" "We'll find him. Ah promise. And if Eggman's got him, we'll save him. Because nopony messes with family." "...thanks, Applejack."