Sonic and Pipp hid in a dark alley from the Pegasi running up and down the streets, angry at their royals and in search of the runaways.
"So, what now?" Pipp asked, still mad at Sonic for ruining her performance. The hedgehog just rolled his eyes and looked at the pegasus princess.
"Well, I have to find a safe spot for you, just as I promised to your mom, and then I'm finding my friends so we can restore some magic. You're welcome to join if you'd like."
"Why would I want to join the ponies - and hedgehog - that ruined my night?!" She exclaimed, pacing from one side of the alleyway to the other.
"Again, you're welcome for saving you, princess," Sonic said with evident sarcasm.
"I didn't ask you to save me!"
"You're right, your mother did," Sonic said with a smirk, but it immediately faded. "And even if she didn't ask, I would've saved you anyway."
"I doubt it," She huffed.
"You know nothing about me to be so sure about that."
"And you know nothing about me either!" She shouts. Before Pipp could say anything else, Sonic put a hand over her mouth and pulled the princess behind a trash can. She starts to protest, but Sonic holds a finger to his lips and gestures to the front of the alleyway. Pipp peeks over to see the shadow of a pegasus on the wall, seemingly looking around for something.
She quickly pulls back behind Sonic, and the pair wait for the other pony to leave. It feels like an eternity passed before the pegasus left, and they let go of the breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.
Sonic turns to Pipp again to keep the discussion going, this time at a lower volume.
"I do know things about you, Pipp. And let me give you a little spoiler: NONE of them are good," He stated, and the pegasus gasped slightly but kept her frown. "Do you really want to hear what I think about you?"
"Go on," She sighs. "It can't be any worse than what random ponies on the internet say anyway..."
Sonic watched Pipp, waiting for her to regret it, but after a moment of silence, he sighed. "You're arrogant, egotistical, you only care about the outside, you want to be the center of attention, you don't care how others feel, and you're very comfortable living a lie that cost your whole kingdom's trust. Also, your lying skills are terrible; I could tell you were lying about royals being the only ones capable of flying a mile away. Do you want me to keep going? Because I'm not done yet."
The look on Pipp's face after he finished was... expected, but it surprised him anyway. She was in shock, which was expected, but her eyes reflected her pain, and her lips started to tremble as all signs of anger left her. Sonic felt sorry for Pipp, but he didn't regret telling her all that. After all, she should've known that the truth would get out eventually, no matter how hard she or her mother tried to hide it.
Pipp felt something wet trickle down her cheeks, and as she passed a hoof over one of them, she realized she was crying. She wasn't sobbing, however, but she let the tears out and stayed silent since everything Sonic said hurt. And deep down, she knew it hurt that much because it was true, and it just made her feel even worse.
Sonic leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and stared at the floor, not daring to speak either since he thought he had said enough. Yet, he felt the need to say something else...
"However..." He started, and Pipp looked at the blue hedgehog with fear that he would say something worse. "I'm in no position to say that all of that is true."
Pipp looked at him in surprise."B-But you just said..."
"I said that those are things I think from you. But I never said they were true, did I?" He asked, arching a brow. Pipp wanted to say something else but couldn't find the words, so she shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that many of those things are just wrong perceptions from me, but I can say certainly that one of them isn't true: The one where I said you don't care about how others feel."
Pipp rubbed her shoulder as her ears flattened against her head, and she finally spoke up. "But you're not wrong about that one. I have been living a lie, not caring about how others would feel if they ever found out that we can't fly either..." She said sadly. However, Sonic wasn't planning on letting the princess feel like this, even though it was against everything he said moments ago.
"The way I see it, you were lying to make them feel safe," Sonic corrected, and Pipp's jaw dropped. "I'm not saying I like how you lied to all of them and felt comfortable with it, but I kinda understand why. Both you and your mom felt like they would feel safe - from something not that dangerous in the first place - if they believed the royals could fly."
"...I… guess I see your point... but still... I lied to them for so long that now I feel like a failure. And Zipp... she just abandoned me. Now, all the kingdom knows the truth... You should have just left me hanging in there..." She said, turning around and sitting down. "That's what I deserved for being a liar..."
Sonic chuckled, then sped in front of Pipp to kneel and look her straight in the eyes. "Regardless of whether I like you or not, I was going to stay and help you and your mom escape."
"But why?" Pipp questioned, still feeling like she deserved to stay hanging in the Throne Room. "Both mom and I mistreated you, mistaken you for a porcupine, and yelled at you when you decided to help. Why help ponies like us escape?"
"Because I believe everyone deserves a second chance, Pipp," He answered with a smile. "I could have left both of you there and followed my friends to the exit. Instead, I listened to my heart and decided to help and give you another chance. So, what do you say if we re-introduce ourselves? This time properly, of course."
Sonic stood up and held his hand out to her. Pipp giggled as she stood up and put her hoof on the hedgehog's hand.
"Hello, I'm Princess Pipp Petals from Zephyr Heights," She said elegantly.
Sonic decided to play along, kneeling again, still holding Pipp's hoof.
"Nice to meet you, Your Majesty," He said in a deep, serious voice while kissing her hoof gently, making her blush a bit and her wings pop open. "My name's Sonic the Hedgehog."
As he stood up and let go of Pipp's hoof, he noticed her flushed expression and open wings but decided not to ask since it likely wasn't his business to know.
"N-Nice to meet you, S-Sonic..." Pipp nervously replied, closing her wings as she tried to hide her blush.
"Now that we've properly introduced ourselves let's find a safe spot you can stay and..." Pipp cuts him off mid-sentence.
"Actually, about your offer of joining you..." Pipp said, smiling awkwardly.
"So you're coming along for the ride, huh?" He said with a smirk, making Pipp blush slightly again.
'What the Tartarus?' She thought to herself. 'You need to let those weird thoughts aside, Pipp. Don't forget he still ruined your show, maybe not on purpose, but he did it anyway. Besides, he's not a pony, making these thoughts even weirder!'
"It's just that I think it's better to go with you than stay here alone," She quickly replied after her strange mental battle. "Besides, I have a pending talk with my sister."
"Guess you're right on both things. It was stupid of me to think of making you stay here alone. But are you sure you wanna come?" He asked, half expecting Pipp to turn around and say no.
"Absolutely sure," She confidently stated.
"Well then..." He said, quickly picking the mare up bridal style again and causing blood to rush to her face again. "Let's find your sister and my friends!"
Crouching, the hedgehog looks up and tenses his legs. "Here we…" He can almost see a countdown in front of him, and once it hits one, he smirks. "…GO!"
Sonic pushes against the ground and jumps into the air, quickly going past the roof and landing on it. He then boosts over the rooftops of Zephyr Heights while Pipp tightly wraps her hooves around Sonic's neck. She couldn't help but feel something weird in her chest, and warmth rushed into her cheeks again as she watched the hedgehog's serious expression while running.
"I-I'm never going to get used to this..." She admitted.
"To what? Me running too high speeds or carrying you bridal style?" He asked, still focused on where he was going. Pipp wasn't talking about either, but she decided not to say that and play along.
"Both," She replied with a little smile. It wasn't a lie; it was still weird for her to move this fast and be carried in such an odd way.
After several minutes of searching from the rooftops, Sonic finally spotted his friends huddled in another alley. He carefully set Pipp down and smirked as he walked towards the group. Pipp glared at Zipp while Sonic focused on the rest.
"Oh no, no, no, no... It's not here!" Sunny cried out as she rummaged through her saddlebag.
"Seriously?!" Zipp grumbled. Hitch was also there, but he had no idea what they were talking about. Izzy, on the other hand, noticed someone was missing from them.
"Uh, guys?" She called out, grabbing everyone else's attention, "Where's Sonic?"
It wasn't until Izzy asked that Sunny and Zipp noticed the absence of the blue hedgehog. They looked around to see if he was nearby, but his voice echoed from the dark part of the alley.
"Miss me already?" Sonic playfully said as he walked out of the shadows. "I was out for like five minutes or so." The mares breathe sighs of relief, happy their friend hadn't gotten lost or hurt.
"Where did you go?" Zipp asked.
"Well, let me say you're terrible at keeping things safe," Sonic chuckles, reaching a hand into his quills. "'Cause I had to go back and get you a little present."
He pulls the Pegasus Crystal out, and Sunny gasps as Sonic hands it to her.
"The crystal!" She exclaims, taking and placing it back in her saddlebag.
"That's a nice storage space!" Izzy complimented.
"Thanks," Sonic replied with a smile, then remembered somepony and looked at Zipp. "Oh yeah, I also went to save your sister. I tried to save your mom, but she said no, so I just saved Pipp. You're welcome, by the way."
Pipp finally stepped out from the shadows. "Somepony needs to explain why that thing was so important that you had to ruin my whole show over it!"
"Trust me, it is," Zipp said while walking up to her sister, but Pipp snapped back at her.
"You left me hanging there! In the spotlight! Now everypony knows we can't fly... And I had to be saved by someone that's more worried about me than my own sister!" She said, pointing at Sonic.
Hitch, who had been silent this whole time, moved toward Sonic, who was leaning on a wall.
"What is your main goal here?!" He asked angrily, to which Sonic rolled his eyes and smirked.
"To live every second as if it were the last. I like adventure, and wherever there is one, I'm in. That, and I also like having fun."
The darkness of the alleyway is pushed back as one of the giant TV screens in one of the buildings outside the alley turns on. The group looks up to see the pegasus anchor from before with a grim expression.
"This just in. The blue porcupine captured earlier has broken out and taken Princess Pipp with him!"
Behind her, footage of Sonic holding Pipp is shown, and the camera follows them as he runs away from the Throne Room and into the city.
"You did what?!" Zipp exclaims, whirling around to face the hedgehog. He facepalms and rubs his eyes.
"They're never going to get that I'm a hedgehog, are they?" He groans, then looks at Zipp with a bored expression. "I'm the fastest thing alive; I told you that before. And your mom told me... no, made me promise to keep Pipp safe, so I just did that."
Buzzing from under Pipp’s wing makes the pegasus pull her phone out to see what it is, but she immediately regrets it as the notification plays.
"A warrant is out for the arrest of the princesses," Said a pegasus, as pictures of Pipp and Zipp pull up on the screen before switching to a clip of Queen Haven.
"Pipp! Zipp! Save yourselves!" The queen begged, then posed dramatically.
"At least now we know who Pipp inherited being so photogenic from," Sonic whispers to Izzy, and she giggles. Pipp, however, starts to freak out.
"What?! This isn't happening. This is so not happening––"
"Pipp!" Zipp interrupts. "Forget all of that! We think we can bring back magic, but we need the crystal."
Pipp stares in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? We can't trust them!" She points toward everyone else.
Sonic rolls his eyes, growling in frustration before getting close to Pipp.
"Look, princess, I feel like I should have said this when we were in that alley before, but we're sorry that our little plan ruined your show," He said in a tired but honest voice. "It was simple: We get the crystal, then get out of the palace, and let your little show keep going with no one noticing we were there in the first place. Ruining your performance was not in the plan, but things get out of hand and... well, you know the rest. But nothing of that was on purpose, and I'm pretty sure that if we did try to ruin it, we probably wouldn't have made it. So again, we're sorry."
The rest of the group, Hitch included, nodded in agreement, and Pipp's angry look softened a little, although she was still mad.
"Look, Pipp, you can come with us to Bridlewood so we can find the unicorn crystal and restore magic, or you can stay here hidden," Zipp stated.
Pipp thought for a moment, and then Sonic spoke again.
"Besides, I saved your life, so you kinda owe me one," He said with a little smile. "How about you show us the way out of here?"
Pipp sighed in defeat and looked at the group with determination. "Fine, I do know a way out. Come on!"
The rest of the group ran after her, but Hitch stood where he had been the entire time. "What?! Wait! You can't just... But I'm the sheriff!"
"Not in this town, Donut Lord!" Sonic yelled from a distance, with the rest of the group laughing loudly.
Hitch sighed in frustration and galloped after the rest. Together, they escaped from the Pegasi city with little to no issue and began moving toward Bridlewood. As they left the city behind, Sonic caught up with Pipp and started running backward as he faced her.
"By the way, you have a wonderful singing voice. And although you didn't manage to finish the song, I must admit it's quite catchy. Keep up with the amazing work!" He complimented, then winked at her and fell back to bring up the rear.
Pipp knew it was just a compliment, nothing new for her, yet that strange feeling in her chest came back, and she blushed again but put those thoughts aside and focused on running. Perhaps she was overwhelmed by everything that had happened that her mind was thinking some weird stuff...
Out in the middle of a grass-field, the group of heroes, with Pipp reluctantly joining them, were on their way to Bridlewood to find the Unicorn Crystal.
Sonic couldn't help but notice the tree they were close to was the same tree he woke up by when he arrived in Equestria. A thought flashed in his mind, and he ran towards the whole tree and returned in a split second since he didn't find what he was looking for.
'They're not here,' He thought. 'Then where are the Chaos Emeralds? They have to be here in Equestria, but where?'
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Sunny shouting, "...Is this way!" and then looked at her as she continued walking alongside Izzy and Zipp. Sonic followed up but stayed behind because he wanted to keep an eye on Pipp and Hitch. After all, he promised Haven he would keep her safe, and he thought looking after the Sheriff was a good idea.
"What am I doing here?" Hitch asked out loud. "Hoofing across daisy fields, looking for a magical crystal that doesn't even exist!"
"It was supposed to be my best show ever, and now it's over," Pipp said dramatically. "I'm a criminal, and it's all because..."
"Of them," Pipp and Hitch said simultaneously.
"And that's so not cool," Pipp angrily said, then kept moving.
"No, it is not… did I just agree with a Pegasus?" Hitch asked himself, realizing what he said.
Sonic heard everything and decided to slow down to have a little talk with the two ponies.
"Guys, just get over it," He tiredly exclaimed. Pipp and Hitch stared at him with confusion and anger, so he proceeded to explain further. "Look, I get it. You were both raised to believe that the other pony races were enemies and dangerous, and you still don't trust them at all, but that's something you can change if you have the will to do it. So far, we haven't tried to harm anyone, and if we did, it was because things got out of hand, but we intend to make this world a better place."
Sonic stopped and pointed to Sunny. "And to do that, you must have the courage to take the first step. She already did, and it's up to us to follow her example or cast her aside. Nothing I say will change your mind, but try to go with the flow. Who knows, maybe you'll end up enjoying it."
As Sonic turned back around, Pipp and Hitch felt something strange inside. Fault? Grief? They didn't know what it was, but one thing was for sure: What Sonic told them got through to them. They didn't completely trust him, or the rest, really, but at least they would try to let go and go with the flow, as the hedgehog said. Pipp decided to catch up to her sister while Hitch stayed behind, mumbling to himself.
"Oh, by the way, Donut Lord..." Sonic said with a smirk, making Hitch growl. "Your badge is missing. Weird for a Sheriff to not have a badge if you ask me."
"What? What are you...?" Hitch tried to ask as he touched his sash, only to discover that Sonic was right. His badge wasn't in its place anymore. He started to freak out and pointed at Sonic. "You stole, didn't you?!"
Sonic blinked a few times before bursting out into laughter. "Yeah, sure! I love to steal shiny badges that are meaningless to me," He said, wiping away a tear. "And I thought Shadow's jokes were terrible."
"Y'know, I did see a shiny badgey thing on the ground a few hours ago," Izzy admitted, popping into the conversation.
"Hours?!" Hitch exclaimed with worry.
"Well, maybe it's for the best. Between you and me, buddy, that badge was creating an unhealthy power dynamic," Izzy mumbled before dashing off, singing a song.
Sonic chuckled at the sight and then put his arm around Hitch's neck. "You know, she's not wrong at all. So, good for you!" He exclaimed before running ahead.
The group kept walking until they arrived at a destroyed bridge. Sonic poked his head over the hole in the bridge, tossed a rock over, and waited for it to hit the bottom. He started to lose patience and looked at his wrist as if he had a clock while tapping his foot. The hedgehog's ear twitched, meaning he heard the rock hit the bottom, and he cringed slightly.
"Thirty seconds exactly. Well, if you try to cross, there will be more than a dead end down there," He joked.
"What are we gonna do?" Sunny asked, looking at Izzy.
"Any ideas, Zipp?" Pipp asked her sister, trying to mock her.
"You know what'd be great right now? Let me think... Maybe something like... The ability to fly!" Zipp snapped back. The two sisters started to fight while Hitch walked over to Sunny.
"Oh well, that's the end of that!" He said joyfully. "Time to go home! I wished I could say it was nice to meet all of you, but it wasn't."
"Real smooth," Sonic said sarcastically.
While the rest keep fighting, Sunny can't take it anymore and practically explodes.
"Everypony, STOP!" She shouts, making Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch freeze while Sonic rolls his eyes and turns around.
He spots a thick tree nearby and decides to investigate. Once he looked closer, he could tell the tree was tall enough to cross the gap, and he called out to Izzy. "Hey, Izzy, come take a look at this!"
"Wow!" Izzy exclaimed, gazing up at the tree as she trotted over. "This tree is huge!"
"I think it's tall enough to help us cross to the other side," Sonic explained, rubbing his chin with a finger. "We just need to find a way to make it fall..."
"Oh, I can help with that!" Izzy said excitedly, and Sonic moved back and looked at her curiously. Izzy began to chip away at the tree with her horn, making quick work of the bark like she was using a chainsaw and not her horn. Sonic's jaw hit the ground in shock, but he was more impressed that the unicorn could do this.
"Everypony happy now?" Sunny asked the rest when a loud crash and branch snapping echoed through the chasm. They look over to see Izzy standing next to a felled tree that crosses the expanse.
"Ta-da!" Izzy said, proudly gesturing a hoof to the makeshift bridge. Sonic gave the mare a golf clap, impressed by how quickly she cut the tree.
"Alright!" Zipp exclaimed.
"Oh great..." Hitch said with annoyance.
"Nice work there, Izzy. That's a trick of yours I didn't expect!" Sonic complimented.
"Come on, everypony!" Sunny exclaimed as she hopped onto the improvised bridge.
They crossed with no problem and then kept walking through another grass-field. Once Sonic was on the other side, his ear twitched again because he thought he heard someone screaming. He looked around but found nothing out of place, so he shrugged and kept going.
"So, how far we are from Bridlewood, Izzy?" Sunny asked.
"Not too far from here, but I think we may have to camp tonight," Izzy answered as she looked at the sky, noticing the blue skies beginning to darken.
"Well, if that's the case, let's find a spot to stay for the night, and then we'll keep going tomorrow," Sonic suggested, receiving nods from the others except Hitch.
'Guess I'll worry about the Emeralds another time,' Sonic thought before following the group in search of a suitable camp area.