I'm gonna reach for the stars
Although they look pretty far
I'm gonna find my own way
And take a chance on today
A while later, the group found a spot under a stone outcrop to camp and gathered enough kindling and larger branches for a fire. After setting it up, Sunny clicked her hooves together, creating sparks that ignited the kindling and started the fire. Once it got going, Zipp flapped her wings once at the fire, and it roared to life.
Hitch, on the other hoof, sat separate from them, struggling to start his fire by rubbing a stick against another. Considering his position, you'd think Hitch, of all ponies, would know how to get a proper fire going, but apparently, that was one of the things he had no clue about, evidenced by the oversized logs he was trying to ignite.
Sonic sat between Zipp and Pipp, looking at a picture he took with Tails and Knuckles years ago while quietly humming the melody of one of his favorite songs. He looked over at Hitch and rolled his eyes in annoyance, and the mares looked over with amused looks planted on their faces.
"You need some backup, sheriff?" Zipp asked.
"No, thank you, I've got it!" Hitch spat back. His face lit up as he finally got a little flame going, but it fell as the fire immediately died.
"Oh, that was sad to watch. Come on, don't be a hero, dude; Come get warm," Zipp offered, but Hitch continued to be stubborn.
"Hey, Sunny, maybe you should talk to him," Sonic said, nudging the mare. "I think he's more willing to listen to you than the rest of us."
Sunny nodded, and as she walked over to talk to Hitch, Sonic looked back at the photo in his hand. His ears fell against his head as sadness rippled through his body, but the others never noticed as they talked with each other.
Sunny then returned to the fire and sat by Zipp as she gestured for Hitch to come over. He reluctantly did, but he kept his distance from the others. Sunny joined in on the other's conversation until Zipp noticed Sonic sadly looking at something.
"Hey buddy, what's with the long face?" She asked Sonic, putting a hoof on his shoulder. The rest of the group finally looked at him, and some, like Izzy and Pipp, gasped in surprise to see the confident and happy attitude of his gone.
Sonic looked up and saw the others, even Hitch, looking at him expectantly. He sighed and put the picture on the ground, spinning it around so the ponies could see it better.
It showed Sonic in the middle, his arms wrapped around Knuckles and Tails' necks, each smiling at the camera with closed eyes. If it wasn't obvious just by looking at the photo, these three were more than just friends - they were the blue hedgehog's family.
"I think it's about time I explained how I ended up in Equestria," Sonic blurted out, receiving curious looks from Hitch, Zipp, and Pipp but worried glances from Sunny and Izzy.
"Sonic, you don't have to if you don't..." Sunny tried to reply, but Sonic cut her off.
"It's not a question of being ready or not. It's something I have to do; I owe it to you guys. I've been trying to avoid bringing it up the whole trip, but it's about time you knew. Besides, it's not fair that I know why you're here, but you don't know why I'm here."
Sunny wanted to protest, but she couldn't think of anything, so she sat down and let Sonic speak.
"First of all, I want to clarify that where I come from, we are always in danger of being attacked at least twice a week," Sonic starts. "A crazy scientist named Robotnik - although I affectionately call him Eggman to mock him - is obsessed with conquering the world and is always looking for some way to hurt everyone with his machines. I've been dealing with him since I was a kid, and to this day, it's still going. We have a very nice and healthy arch-enemy relationship." He says the last part sarcastically, then points to the picture.
"These two here are my best friends, Tails and Knuckles. Tails is the little brother I never had, and meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to me. We met when the most macabre thing Robotnik did was kidnap animals and use them as power sources for his machines."
"He did what with the animals?!" Hitch interrupts, standing with a growl.
"Are you implying that's not the cruelest thing he's done?!" Pipp asked fearfully.
"Unfortunately, yeah," The hedgehog sighs. "Eggman's ambitions grew over time, and therefore, his plans reached levels that, to this day, continue to give me nightmares. But that doesn't matter yet..." He said calmly as if it was no big deal, puzzling the ponies. "Then there's Knuckles, who punched me when we first met. Nope, no kidding, he literally punched me as soon as he saw me. But he's justified; ol' Eggy tricked him for the first time, and he didn't know he was fighting the wrong guy. He didn't realize until Eggman stole a huge gem from him called the Master Emerald, which Knuckles swore to protect."
"Did you say 'tricked him for the first time'? Have there been others?!" Zipp asked in confusion.
"I've lost count of how much he's been fooled," Sonic replied with a bored look. "But despite all the crashes we've had, we've put that in the past, and now we're what I like to call 'competitive friends'. We help each other when needed, of course, but we're rivals for fun. He's like a big brother to me and Tails. Together, we tore apart Eggman's plans every time he showed up, and we always emerged victorious. Always… until he created Infinite."
"Infinite?" Izzy asked with amusement. "Sounds like a weird name."
"Oh yeah, he's nobody important. He just knocked me out during our first meeting and made me a prisoner for six months while Eggman took over the world," Sonic said again like it was no big deal, and the ponies looked at the blue hedgehog with concern as he waved it off. "Minor, unimportant details. But in the end, I managed to escape thanks to an old friend I hadn't seen in a while, and I helped my friends get the world back. After that, Eggman disappeared for a few months, and I was able to enjoy some peace with my friends..."
Sonic allowed himself to smile briefly, remembering all the good times he'd had with Tails and Knuckles. But the image of the fox crying and screaming desperately came to his mind for a split second, and his smile disappeared.
"But... three days ago... Knuckles was guarding the Master Emerald as usual when one of Eggman's ships appeared over the island he lives on. The knucklehead thought he could handle it, but he was outnumbered and sent a distress signal to Tails. As soon as he received it, we decided to give Knuckles a hand." Sonic continued to explain, frowning as he clenched his hands into fists. "We destroyed the robots, but one exploded, and... Tails and Knuckles were knocked out. I got them to safety and decided to fight Eggman alone. Without knowing it, I fell right into the lion's den."
The others looked at each other with unease, unsure where the blue hedgehog was going with this.
"After searching for a while, I came across a dark room with a strange machine in the middle. Once I entered, the lights came on, and Eggman appeared. He explained that he would travel to another world to conquer it and leave ours alone after losing so many times. It made my blood boil just thinking about it... innocent and defenseless lives in his clutches... I wasn't going to allow it. I wasn't going to let another world - this world - suffer because of Eggman and his delusions of grandeur. I got so mad I used the power of seven very powerful Emeralds to try to destroy the machine I saw earlier, as I believed its supposed purpose was to open a portal to another world. It never crossed my mind that it might've been a trap before Eggman locked me inside and activated it," Sonic continued, his voice beginning to crack. He paused to hold back the urge to cry, then continued.
"Everything afterward happened so fast, and even for me, it's still hard to take in... Knuckles came in and knocked out Eggman, and then tried to help Tails get me out of the machine... but it pulled the Emeralds out of me and used their power to open a portal that sucked me and the Emeralds in. I promised Tails and Knuckles I'd be back, but the last thing I saw... it still haunts me..." The hedgehog shivered as a ghostly scream echoed through his mind. "Tails was... so hurt, so desperate to save me that seeing his face covered in tears broke my heart... and the worst part is, that's the last thing I saw of him before waking up in the field we passed earlier, at the foot of that giant cherry tree. So here I am, with no way to know if they're safe, with five talking ponies around a campfire and trying to make their world a better place," Sonic finishes with a sad smile.
The perception the ponies held of Sonic dramatically changed after practically hearing his life story, mainly for Hitch and Pipp. As everypony saw him now, that carefree and playful soul Sonic showed himself to be on the outside hid dark and difficult moments inside. Yet despite everything he'd been through, despite his current situation, he kept smiling like nothing had happened.
"Now, I know everything I've said sounds very tragic and sad and blah blah blah, but please don't change how you look at me. I'm a guy who goes with the flow and is willing to do anything to live life to the fullest, and no trauma or pain can change that. Even if I miss my home and friends, I feel... happy because I have you... and Hitch," He says the last part in a mocking tone.
The others burst out laughing, instantly breaking the tension. Even Hitch laughed a little but stopped. "Ha ha ha, very funny."
As the laughter died down, Zipp decided to pick up the subject.
"Listen, Sonic, if you ever feel lonely or sad again, just say so. We'll help and support you however we can," Assured the pegasus.
Besides Hitch, the others nodded in agreement. This surprised Sonic; he barely knew these ponies, but they already considered him that close of a friend.
"Thank you, all four of you. I appreciate it…" Sonic said before shaking his head quickly, making his quills stand straight up and give him an afro. "So what's the next step, captain?" He asked Sunny jokingly, doing a military pose. The ponies laugh, but mainly because of his funny hairstyle.
"I think we should set off at first light. Last stop: Bridlewood," Sunny answered, then noticed Izzy's expression turn sad. "Izzy? What's wrong?"
Sonic fixed his quills and focused on Izzy.
"It's just that... being with you ponies and hedgehog has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I guess... I just don't want our adventure to end," Izzy explained while slightly getting happier.
"But Izzy, you'll get your magic," Sunny stated with optimism while Izzy smiled.
Hitch then looked at both Sonic and Izzy.
"Can I ask you both a question? Why did you come to Maretime Bay?" He asked, curious.
"When I woke up, I was very disoriented. I wanted to get an idea of where I was and then figure out how to get back home, then Izzy ran into me," Sonic explained first. "She told me about... herself, and I decided to help her. Why? I guess it was in my heart... I'm willing to help anyone who needs it because it's the right thing to do. I guess... it's an instinct of duty I must heed."
"And I always wanted to visit," Izzy spoke next. "When I was a filly, I found this pretty lantern. It had a message inside saying that I had friends in Maretime Bay," Izzy pulled out the note she had shown Sonic a few days earlier and showed it to the rest.
Sunny's ears perked up, and she put on the biggest smile the group had ever seen from her. Sonic looked between the photo and the mare, putting two and two together before his jaw dropped.
"I-It was you!" Izzy said with surprise, passing the note to Hitch, who then passed it to Sunny.
"I made it with my dad. We always promised each other that, someday, we would prove that all ponies are meant to be friends… We'll do our part, hoof to heart," Sunny finished with a smile, holding the note close to her chest.
Everyone else smiled, and Sonic picked up his picture with Tails and Knuckles from the ground, looking at it one last time as a big smile spread across his face. He put the photo in his quills and then heard Hitch draw everyone's attention.
"Hey..." He said. "I want to do my part." This made Sunny smile even more. "What do we have to lose, right?" He asked rhetorically, causing the group to cheer. "I have to admit, a Unicorn forest does sound kind of magical."
"You know, everything that has happened so far feels so weird," Pipp said. "This whole adventure feels surreal, to be honest."
"You can say that again, sister," Zipp replied with a smirk while the others giggled.
"Yeah, sure," Sonic simply said with his eyes closed, scratching one cheek. When he felt too much silence, he opened his eyes and found the whole group staring at him, confused. "What? Did... did I say something wrong or...?"
"Uh... Why were you so calm when Pipp said all this has been crazy?" Sunny dared to ask.
"You mean all we have lived since we left Maretime Bay? Please, this is all like a walk in the park to me," He replied calmly. After that, the group stared at him in disbelief.
"Y-You're joking, right?" Pipp asked nervously, hoping that Sonic was messing with them.
Sonic smirked a little, then stretched and fell to the ground. "Remember when I said the worst thing Eggman could do was kidnap animals, and then his ambitions grew? Well... I can't list them all, but among the worst things he has done, we have the time he destroyed the moon, the time he split the world into seven gigantic pieces, the time he built a time machine and tried to erase me from existence; the time he enslaved an alien race and locked them up in his intergalactic amusement park... Oh yeah, there are some other things he wasn't involved in, like the time I fought King Arthur and became a knight, or the time I ended up trapped in a magical book and had to defeat an evil genie to get out... and that's not even half of the things I've lived so far." He finished explaining.
When he got up to face everyone, he was surprised to find everyone with their jaws dropped. He then smirked and spoke again.
"I'm just used to weirder stuff happening all the time. This adventure is fresh and new to me, and while not with the same amount of craziness I'm used to dealing with, it's still a fun ride that I'm totally in."
"...You've seen aliens?!" Hitch asked, still in disbelief.
"From all shapes and colors, sheriff," Sonic replied joyfully.
"You've been on a magic book?!" Sunny and Izzy asked excitedly.
"Trapped on one, but yeah. It was pretty fun."
"You fought in space?" Zipp asked with curiosity.
"So many times I already lost count."
"You were a knight?!" Pipp asked, surprised and flustered.
"Technically, I still am. Yes, I may not have fancy heavy armor or a fine golden sword, but I earned the title, and it still stands today, so... yeah, I'm a knight," He replied, still feeling calm about everything that had happened in his life. He could feel the others still had questions, but he looked up at the sky and knew it was time to sleep.
"I'd love to keep answering your questions, but we should rest and recharge our batteries. Tomorrow, we're restoring magic for sure, so let's sleep before letting the questions continue, okay?"
Although the others did want to ask more questions, they nodded since they felt a little tired, so they decided to follow Sonic's plan and get some sleep.
However, Sonic wasn't tired at all, but he tried to fall asleep anyway, although he could still hear Tails scream when he closed his eyes.
'Don't think about that right now,' He thought. 'It'll only hurt you more...'
She couldn't tell the exact time, but Pipp knew it was too early, and she still couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried.
Hearing parts of Sonic's history and some of his adventures made her feel terrible as she looked back at what she did to maintain the lie that she could fly. Thinking of how she treated Sonic since his arrival in Zephyr Heights only made her feel worse.
Ultimately, she sat up and blearily rubbed her eyes as she stifled a yawn. Then she noticed there were only four sleeping ponies.
'Where's Sonic?' She wondered, looking around.
She wouldn't have to wait long to get an answer. The sound of a softly singing voice drifted into her ears, and she turned around to find a familiar blue figure sitting on the edge of a cliff. To her surprise, he sang pretty well despite not being a professional. The pegasus slowly approached him, and little by little, the lyrics became clearer...
I'm gonna reach for the stars
Although they look pretty far
I'm gonna find my own way
And take a chance on today
"You sing very well," Pipp complimented, startling Sonic before he turned slightly to see the pegasus princess.
"I'm not the type to sing a lot. I only do it when it comes to my heart, although doing it for fun occasionally isn't all that bad," Sonic said with a little smile. "Can't sleep either?"
"No," Pipp replied, sitting next to Sonic. "My thoughts won't allow it."
"Same," Confessed the hedgehog. "I'm still worried about Tails... I know he's strong, and if Eggman messes around, he'll do anything to stop him... but the thought of something bad happening to him while I'm not there... it scares me."
"You know, for somepony with a free spirit, it's hard to imagine you having problems," said Pipp. She quickly corrected herself as the hedgehog looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing; it's just... hard to believe that something awful is happening to you. With such a joking and rebellious attitude..."
"It's a defense mechanism, I guess," Sonic says, shrugging. "I prefer to pretend I don’t have any problems and make silly jokes because deep down, I'm terrified and stressed over so many things... That's why I hide behind such a liberal attitude; it helps me contain fear and forget things for a moment..."
Sonic sighed ruefully as he gazed at the stars, and Pipp didn't say anything else. Now, she felt much more guilty about how she treated him before. After a moment of silence, Sonic decided to break it.
"And what about you?" He asked, looking at the mare out of the corner of his eye. "What's keeping you up?"
"It's just that..." Pipp stops, rubbing a hoof against her arm before continuing. "I feel like I've been a jerk..."
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked her confused.
Pipp sighed and kept talking. "Ever since I was little, I was never into sports or figuring out how to fly like Zipp was. Mom always taught me that I should never trust earth ponies or unicorns, as well as keep lying about how we were able to fly. And it started on an early stage of life that... eventually, I just became a character, and lost my true self..."
Sonic started feeling more sympathy for the pegasus and decided to let her finish. He'd already let out what he had, and she listened; now, it was his turn to listen.
"It made me be a big jerk to Zipp. I love her as a sister, I really do, but... due to how I was supposed to act, I treated her and everypony else horribly... I even mistreated you without caring about how you felt. What kind of a pony does that make me? The only reason the Pipsqueaks even care for me is because I'm a royal… a stupid, worthless, pathetic mistake of a royal..." Pipp trailed off as tears fell down her cheeks, and she silently wept.
Sonic was in disbelief. All this time, Pipp had been acting this way because that's how she'd been taught, and she hid her emotions to the point that she just stopped caring.
'Dammit,' Sonic thought. 'I feel bad for thinking of her like I did. Well, I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover; she's an excellent and interesting book; she just has a… questionable cover.'
He looked at her again and spoke up. "Look at me, princess."
Pipp slowly looked up at him, and when she looked into his eyes, the hedgehog wrapped his arms around her for a hug. It caught her off guard, yet it felt... warm and welcoming, so she accepted it.
"Don't you dare think those things about yourself are true," Sonic begged her, squeezing the mare slightly. "You acted like this because your mom taught you it was right, and she acted like that because that's how her mom taught her. I'm not the kind of guy that can talk about family since I never met mine, but I know it's never too late to fix some of your mistakes, even when it seems impossible."
Pipp felt terrible again. She didn't treat Sonic in the best of ways since meeting him, yet here he was, helping her to feel better. That strange feeling in her chest came back, but this time, she didn't try to push it aside. She hugged Sonic back, a little smile forming on her lips.
"I'm sorry, Sonic... for how I've treated you this whole time," She apologized, breaking the hug.
"I'm sorry too, Pipp. I... may have accidentally, intentionally pulled the lever that made your strings go haywire... Guess I shouldn't touch things if I don't know what might happen..." He confessed, a little embarrassed.
"Hey, you didn't mean to do it. I think we've all done something we didn't mean to, one way or another," She replied with a smile. "By the way, was all you said earlier true? Have you really been to space and in a magic book and all that stuff?"
"You wouldn't believe everything I've been through just so I could stop an egg with a mustache," He replied with a smirk, making Pipp giggle. "Well, I think we should get some sleep, unless you have something else you want to talk about."
"No, I think we've said everything we needed to," Pipp replied, standing up.
"Alright. But if you have something else to say, call me, and I'll be here in a flash," Sonic assured with a smile.
They quietly walk back to the camp, finding the rest still as they were when they left - asleep. However, Pipp decided to question two more things. "Hey, Sonic, who was that 'Shadow' guy you mentioned earlier?"
Sonic chuckled and looked at Pipp. "Long story short, he's me but edgy and grumpy."
"And that song were you singing when I found you?"
"A lullaby someone taught me. I don't remember who did, but it's stuck with me ever since. I like to sing it to myself when I feel down; It helps me to relax," He explained. "If you want, I can show you the full thing sometime."
"I would love to," She replied with a little smile.
"Well then, time to bed. 'Night, Pipp," He said, lying on the ground.
"Good night, Sonic," She said back, doing the same as the hedgehog.
Soon enough, both were fast asleep, but they were unaware that Hitch had been awake the whole time and heard everything.
'Maybe I should apologize as well...' He thought before falling asleep.