//------------------------------// // 1. A world of Talking Ponies // Story: Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: A New Generation // by BronySonicFan //------------------------------// Nothingness was soothing to Sonic in a circumstance like this. A place where the mind is empty, free from worries, and where even the most serious of problems would disappear. It was cozy and tranquil, and while it wouldn't last forever, the hedgehog enjoyed it while he could. But a voice began to echo in his mind. It sounded far away, but Sonic would recognize that voice anywhere. A tiny fragment of something recent flashed through his mind like a memory. It was... it was Tails. And he was... crying? Why was he crying? Little by little, the memory lengthened until he got the whole picture... and he wished he hadn't figured it out. Eggman's machine, the portal, Tails' desperation to get him out of there, his and Knuckles's eyes filled with sadness, knowing they couldn't save him. The reason for Tails' scream and his horrified look returned, and that woke him up. "TAILS!" Sonic screamed desperately, reaching a hand to grab ahold of Tails out of instinct. He freezes as his mind registers what he sees. He sat in a massive field of flowers, stretching as far as he could see in every direction. The hedgehog felt something hard and rough against his back, and as he slowly stood up, Sonic saw it was a gigantic tree he was lying against, which, now that he looked closer, looked like a cherry tree. Sonic had traveled the world so many times that he knew every corner of Mobius, but he didn't recognize this place, so it was clear the hedgehog was lost. 'Tails... Knuckles...' Sonic thought, clenching his fist. 'I don't know where I am or how I'll get out of here... But I promised I'd come back, no matter what the cost. Although, it would be good to check where I am in the first place. I mean, if I want to get back home, I have to get my bearings in this new world at least.' Sonic started looking for anything that could clue him into where he was. But beyond the tree, there was only the field of flowers, and there wasn't anything else for miles. 'Maybe I should run and look for a city or town. Hopefully, they speak English and can guide me,' the hedgehog muses to himself, rubbing a finger against his chin. 'Well, assuming they won't run away terrified when they see me...' His ear twitched as he heard something coming from behind him. Turning around, he found a... pony? She was a unicorn, now that he looked closer. Her fur was purple, and her curly indigo-blue mane and tail bounced as she trotted. Her horn was light blue, her eyes were somewhat pink, and on one side, she had a kind of tattoo. It was a blue heart with a button in the middle and three needles in the top. She was humming something under her breath, looking at the ground with a smile, unaware of what was in front of her. That was, of course, until a pair of red sneakers with a white stripe down the middle entered her field of vision. The unicorn slowly looked up until she was nose to nose with Sonic. The hedgehog got a little nervous, fearing that, seeing a creature like him, she would run away scared. Let's say the reaction he got was... unexpected. "Hi, new friend!" The mare greeted, jumping around Sonic and examining him. "What are you doing in a place as remote and empty as this? And how come I've never seen somepony like you?" 'That's... not the answer I expected,' Sonic thought as his gaze followed the mare's bouncing. 'But I ain't complaining either.' "Hello, uh, unicorn," the hedgehog greets nervously. "Honestly, I don't have the slightest idea where I am. I ended up here by accident, and... to be fair, I've never seen a unicorn in my life either." "So you're not from Equestria?" the unicorn asked, finally stopping and facing the hedgehog. "So this place is called Equestria…" Sonic thought out loud, to which the pony nodded. "Yeah, it's not a place I know of." "Well, welcome to the not-so-magical-anymore land of Equestria!" the unicorn joyfully exclaimed. "Not so magical anymore?" Sonic asks, curious as to what the mare meant by that. "You'll have to specify a bit, kiddo." "Many, many moons ago, we had magic; we are unicorns for a reason. But one day, poof, it left and didn't come back," the pony explained briefly. "We think the Pegasi have something to do with it, but no one is willing to go to their city to investigate, not even me." "Okay… so you guys used to have magic, but one day it just disappeared," Sonic sums up, and the unicorn nodded. "And if you don't have magic, what exactly are you doing here?" "Oh, I'm headed to Maretime Bay, home of the Earth ponies," the mare said excitedly, pulling a small piece of paper out of her mane and handing it to Sonic. "I found this piece of paper when I was a filly, and ever since then, I've always wanted to go." The paper was a drawing, clearly by a girl, of an earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus together under a rainbow. The picture also had a note reading: 'Dear unicorns and pegasi, You have friends in Maretime Bay. Come visit us!' Sonic found the gesture adorable and gave back the note. "Well, I better get going. See ya!" the unicorn said, going back on her way. "Hey kid, do your parents at least know you're out here? Or your unicorn friends?" Sonic asked out of curiosity. The pony stopped. Although the hedgehog only saw her back, he could see the mare's ears fall flat against her head. "I-I... I don't have any unicorn friends," she confessed, her voice cracking. "And I haven't heard from my parents for years, so... I'm all alone." Sonic instantly regretted asking. "Sorry... I shouldn't have asked," he apologized, but now the hedgehog was in a predicament. Part of him told him he needed to find a way to get back home before Eggman tried to take over the world, but another part, screaming much louder, told him to help this unicorn. Besides, he was a hero, and helping is what a hero does, no matter what. Nodding to himself, he made his choice and walked over to the pony. "Okay, listen to me," Sonic said, getting the pony's attention. "I'm coming with you to Maretime Bay. I need to find a way to get back home, anyways, and maybe they can help me there. Besides, I'm always willing to help my friends." The unicorn's eyes sparkled as she looked incredulously at the hedgehog. "R-Really?! I'm your friend? And you're going to help me?!" "I always keep my word," Sonic assured, placing a fist on his hip. "By the way, I think we haven't introduced ourselves properly." "Oh, right! My name is Izzy, Izzy Moonbow!" the unicorn said, holding her hoof out. "And I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog," said the hedgehog, shaking Izzy's hoof. "So, ready to go to Maretime Bay?" "I was born ready!" The two unlikely new friends head off, Izzy leading the way while Sonic trails behind the unicorn mare. While he would've preferred to run, Sonic admitted that going slow for once was a significant change of pace, and he got to admire the scenery as he walked and talked with Izzy, the two of them getting to know more about each other. They'd been so focused on chatting they never noticed a lighthouse off in the distance, standing tall above a quaint town by the sea. "So that tattoo on your flank is called a Cutie Mark, and it only appears when you've discovered your special talent?" Sonic said, to which Izzy nodded energetically. "And what would your special talent be?" "I can create anything with whatever I have available," Izzy explained. "I could make a nice umbrella just with cardboard tubes and a garbage lid!" "So you give a new purpose to garbage, huh? You remind me of a friend at home who creates all kinds of super useful gadgets with anything," Sonic chuckles while trying not to think of the last time he saw Tails. "I'm sure you guys would get along." "And you come from a world that is always under attack from this 'Eggman' guy, right?" asked Izzy, to which Sonic nodded. "That's a weird name..." "It's more of a nickname, but it fits like a glove," Sonic said, but he could hear the anger in his voice when he thought of the evil doctor. He shakes it off and changes the subject to deter his rage. "Hey, you mentioned earlier that the three pony races split up a long time ago. Why'd that happen?" "I don't know, nopony knows," the unicorn shrugs, confusing Sonic as he arches a brow. "It's been so long that nopony remembers why we stopped talking anymore. It's like somepony was trying to keep the three races apart..." "That's weird... if it happened so long ago, why don't you try to understand each other again? I don't see any reason why you should stay apart." "That's just what I think!" Izzy exclaims with exasperation. "It's just a matter of talking, that's it..." An idea popped into her mind, but it was more of a request as she turns to the hedgehog. "Hey, Sonic! You said you could run fast, right?" "Faster than the speed of sound, my friend," Sonic confirms with a smirk. "Why? Want me to show you?" Izzy nodded energetically, and Sonic chuckled. He raced around Izzy dozens of times in a matter of seconds. The unicorn tried to keep up with the hedgehog's speed, but it made her dizzy. "Sweet stars! That was amazing!" Izzy exclaimed, holding her head as she tried to balance herself. "That was nothing, compared to how fast I can go," Sonic said, rubbing a finger under his nose as he stroked his ego. "But let's leave the demonstrations for another time; we're here." Sonic pointed a thumb forward, and Izzy gasped when she saw many Earth ponies doing nothing but going about their day-to-day life. But as they approached the entrance, an earth pony spotted the duo and fled in terror. As the pair walked further into the town, more earth ponies ran away, screaming in fright. "Why is everyone running?" Izzy asked innocently, then gasped excitedly. "Are they playing a game?" "I don't think so, Izzy," Sonic shook his head, frowning. "I mean, I understand that reaction with me. It's what I thought would happen when I met you back in the field, but with you? The only difference about you from them is this right here," He points to the pony's horn. "I guess these ponies have lived far too long from the pegasi and unicorns to the point they see you as monsters." They noticed someone groan, and they looked ahead to see an earth pony mare lying on the ground a few meters ahead of them, holding her head as she slowly got up. Her fur was orange, her magenta mane hanging behind her neck, and her eyes were emerald green. Her cutie mark was a cluster of three pink stars, a blue trail following the largest. A cyan saddlebag strapped to her hung at her side, a six-sided star with five smaller ones around it etched into the flap. Three badges are attached to the strap, but Sonic doesn't pay much attention to those since they are too small to make out any details from where he is. The earth pony shook her head, but as she looked, she gasped when she spotted Izzy and Sonic looking at her. Izzy decided to be the first to speak. "Hi, new friend! My name is Izzy!" the unicorn said enthusiastically, while Sonic waved a hand to say hello. The earth pony scrambled to her hooves and didn't break eye contact with Izzy before speaking. "U-Unicorn!" She exclaims excitedly. Too bad the other Earth ponies didn't share her enthusiasm. They started running and screaming; some ponies ran into the buildings and locked themselves in, lowering the shutters in hopes Izzy wouldn't see them. Others pulled away the manhole covers and jumped down while everyone else tripped over their hooves in their panic. Sonic watched this unfold with a bored expression, and he let out an exasperated sigh. "I know I said I was expecting this kind of reaction, but this already seems exaggerated," Sonic groans, returning his gaze to the earth pony, who was looking at him in confusion. "So… what's up?" Earlier that day... The sun was shining brightly on the lighthouse standing on the outskirts of Maretime Bay. An earth pony named Sunny Starscout lived here, and little did she know, the greatest adventure of her life was about to begin. She was getting ready to leave the house and head into town but took one more look at a photo of what appeared to be a blue stallion with glasses and a wooden pendant shaped like a star hanging around his neck. "Today is the day, Dad. I have a plan this time. Wish me luck!" Sunny exclaimed happily. She trotted out of the lighthouse, and the door slammed shut behind her, jostling the photo and making it crooked. Sunny opened the door again and fixed the picture frame before closing the door carefully. She puts on her helmet and skates before pushing off. She rolls down the hill to the town and begins singing. Good morning, Sun No time to chat, I gotta run 'Cause I've got places to be So much to do Excited, yes, and nervous, too A change is starting with me I never worry 'bout upsetting carts, hardened hearts Or wonder "Will I belong?" I've heard it enough I'm calling their bluff I'll never get lost in the grey There's something inside Burns bigger than pride Shines out of me, lighting the way Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (be my day) Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (oh-oh-oh-oh) Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (gonna be my day) Gonna be my day (ooh-ooh) Hey there, hello The friends I make, the friends I know Today, you answer my call Instead of hiding, instead of staying stuck inside Instead of building your wall Come on and party with me Join the band, understand We'll all be singin' this song I've heard it enough I'm calling their bluff I'll never get lost in the grey Go big or go home Get real or get known Get ready and raring to say Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (be my day) Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (ooh-ooh) Everyone's afraid Always judging, never budging Ain't it time we made The team, the dream Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh We'll open our eyes Sun starting to rise And finally able to say Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (gonna be my day) Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (gonna be my day) Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be my day (be my day) She heads towards the Canterlogic factory, but somepony she'd known since childhood stops her. "Aha! There you are, Sunny," says Hitch, the town's sheriff. "Just the pony I was expecting." He was a stallion with yellowish fur, turquoise hair, and brown eyes. His cutie mark is a horseshoe on a shield with two turquoise hearts underneath it. A belt slung over his chest has a silver sheriff's badge clipped onto it, signifying his status. "Morning, Sheriff Hitch! I see you brought the whole squad along again," Sunny gestures behind Hitch, and he looks down to see two seagulls and a crab standing beside him. "What is it with me and critters? It's like they're attracted to me or something. Come on, guys, give Hitch a little space," The three critters took one step back before he and Sunny resumed talking to each other. "So what's up?" Sunny asked. "Oh, please, like you don't know," Hitch sarcastically says. "Today is the annual presentation at Canterlogic." "Hey, I'm headed there right now!" Sunny said enthusiastically, moving toward the building before Hitch stopped her again. "Uh, no, you're not, because I know you've come up with a hair-brained scheme to sabotage it, and if you think you gonna simply walk on through––" "Hey, Hitch~," she said in a singsong voice. "No." "Come on!" Just then, two other ponies walked by. "Good morning, Sheriff Hitch." Hitch quickly responded to them. "Morning, Mayflower, Dahlia. Sunny, I'm on duty." He said with a hint of annoyance. Ignoring his tone, Sunny held her hoof up, waiting for Hitch to do the same. He groans, and he reluctantly does their hoofshake. "Up high, down low, hitch it to a post! Flip it sunny-side up and on a piece of toast!" "Okay?" said the stallion once they were done. Then, a red stallion approached, wheezing heavily. "I did what you asked for, Hitch. She never left my side, not even once," he gasped, nearly collapsing out of exhaustion. "Oh hey, Sprout. You okay?" Sunny asked with worry. "You seem wheezy." "That's Deputy Sprout to you!" Sunny shrugs, then once more tries to head toward Canterlogic. "Hey! W-Wait up! I'm not finished! Sunny!" Hitch gallops in front of the mare, making her stop. "Sunny, we both know how this goes. Every year, you try to sneak in, and every year, I stop you." "Look, you have nothing to worry about. I'll go into the factory, deliver my smoothies––" "Uh-uh!" Sprout interrupts. "You can't even step a hoof in there! My mom had you banned!" "But I..." Sunny tries to protest, but Hitch cuts her off. "I'm asking you as your friend, Sunny, not as sheriff. Just please try not to pull any stunts today." "Okay, Okay. I'll try," Sunny says with a crushed look. "Thank you. Now, give your delivery to Sprout and go home." But before he could watch Sunny, somepony dropped some paper onto the floor, making him run after them. "Hey, hey! That's a violation of Code 33!" Sunny attempted to skate to the building, but Sprout stood in her way with a smug look. "Buh-bye." Sprout watched as Sunny rolled away defeated, but when Sprout wasn't looking at it, Sunny looked at the factory with a smirk, a plan forming in her head. Afterward, the show began, and everything was going well. A couple of new inventions were shown off, like a hat that lets you see the sky, anti-unicorn caps, and even a balloon pack, which only floated the pony who strapped it on out of the building through the only open window. Okay, how did he happen to fly through the one open window in the room? Eventually - and unfortunately - Sunny came onto the stage and tried to convince everyone that they should befriend both Unicorns and Pegasi. Like all her previous attempts, it didn't work, and she left Canterlogic in defeat. Later on, Sunny was packing up her smoothies while Hitch scolded her for what she did. "Do you have any idea how many laws you broke in there?!" "I'm sure you're about to tell me," Sunny retorted, rolling her eyes. "Actually, for once, I can't! Because there's so many!" Hitch exclaimed angrily. "I tried to warn you. I can't keep associating with some pony who breaks every rule and causes chaos wherever she goes. I'm the sheriff!" "Exactly! Other ponies look up to you! You can help!" Sunny exclaimed. "The law is the law, Sunny, and I'm here to uphold it and keep everypony safe." "Aha! You just said 'everypony', that includes pegasi and unicorns!" "Come on, Sunny, what did you think was gonna happen? You give a little speech, and then what? Everypony just, magically welcomes unicorns and pegasi into Maretime Bay? You keep saying there's nothing to be afraid of. Well, then, prove it." Sunny tried to think of something, but couldn't find the words. "All that pony unity stuff was just a foal's bedtime story made up by your dad. Like it or not, this is how it is and always will be. I'm the last real friend you got in this town. You really want to lose me too?" Sunny looked away in shame, and Hitch shook his head as he trotted away. Sunny watched two Foals running after each other until they saw a poster of a bad pegasi. One pretended to be a pegasus, chasing after the other foal. Seeing this, Sunny sat down on a nearby bench and looked up to the sky. "I wish you were here, Dad..." she said sadly. The silence is interrupted when a stallion runs behind Sunny, panting to catch his breath before screaming and running off. Sunny didn't look up, but a mare running made her look up in confusion. More hoofsteps drew her attention, and she looked around to see a crowd of ponies running away in a panic. "What the...?" More and more ponies came running towards her, and she tried to figure out what was happening. "What's going on? What's happening? Ugh!" She's knocked down by somepony, and she takes a moment to recollect herself. When she looks up, she gasps. There, standing before her, was a unicorn. "Hi, new friend! My name's Izzy!" The unicorn exclaimed. Sunny mind was reeling, and she couldn't believe it. A real unicorn! "U-Unicorn!" She exclaimed excitedly. More ponies screamed in terror and ran away. Some decided to hide while others tried to get as far away as possible. This made Izzy curious. "Ooh, is everypony playing hide-and-seek?" she said while watching a stallion hiding behind an ice cream stand. "I see you!" "Ah! It's a unicorn!" the stallion screamed, then jumped into the sea. Sunny was about to say something, but another voice spoke up. "I know I said I was expecting this kind of reaction, but this already seems exaggerated," a blue hedgehog said, turning his gaze to Sunny. She had no idea what to say, much less how to react to… whatever he was. "So… what's up?" Once again, the mare couldn't speak when the voice of Hitch rang out. "Hey, what's going on?" the stallion asked as he rushed out of the station with Sprout. Looking around, he gasps when he spots Izzy standing there. "Unicorn attaaaaaaaack!" he shouted, making Sprout panic and run into a wall, knocking him out. Hitch slammed a hoof into a button, and an alarm sounded off across the town. "This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not! A! Drill!" announced the Sheriff. He ran at it, hoping to capture it, but along the way, he saw a foal in the middle of the street, crying its eyes out. "A vulnerable young pony!" He jumped over some objects before grabbing the foal and giving it to a random mare. "Gotcha! Your son is safe now, ma'am." "This isn't my foal!" the mare called out. "You're welcome!" He proceeded to give out orders to some of the ponies still out in the streets. "Bring me the Splat-a-pult! Activate the unicorn trap! Pick up that litter!" he ordered. Random parts of the tiled street retract, revealing large red circles with X's on top. They pop up everywhere, making Sunny gasp. She looked over at Izzy, who was walking towards the sea, not realizing she was walking straight toward one of the open traps. "Wow! Is that the sea? I've never seen the sea!" exclaimed the unicorn. Sunny was about to warn her, but a blue blur zipped toward the unicorn and brought her back alongside Sunny. She was confused by how the unicorn got from over there to next to her instantly. "You good, Izz?" asked the blue hedgehog, while she just nodded to him. "Great, because that was a close one. Try to be more careful, okay? I don't think we're so welcome here."