//------------------------------// // 8. No magic and No way home, but Hope is never lost // Story: Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: A New Generation // by BronySonicFan //------------------------------// The group knew they'd been caught, and it was apparent there was no way they could talk out of this one. "An Earth pony," Alphabittle said in an intimidating voice. "And Pegasi!" Zipp spoke up while she and Pipp took their horns and blankets covering their wings off. "And a Unicorn, which you knew already!" Izzy stated determinately. "Oh, sure, let's just ignore the blue hedgehog that's also here..." Sonic said with sarcasm; frustrated that nopony was referring to him. "I know it doesn't look like it, but we're here to help," Sunny said, stepping forward. "Help? We don't need help, especially from ponies and hedgehog like you," Alphabittle scowled. "Give me the crystal!" Sonic frowned while looking at Alphabittle, and he stepped forward and jabbed a finger at the unicorn's chest. "Now listen here, you ponyfied Gandalf. Sunny won that crystal fair and square by playing your stupid dance game! So we're in our right to leave. Besides, you're not as scary as you may think, so stop playing as if everything has to go your way!" This was the group's first time seeing this side of the hedgehog. They knew Sonic had his moments, but now they were looking at an angry Sonic, something they would never get used to seeing. However, his angry expression quickly changed to a smirk. "Also, if you try to stop us, I'll be forced to say some forbidden words.” "You wouldn't dare," Alphabittle growled. "Yes, I will." "No, you won't." "Yes, I will." "No, you won't." "Yes, I will." "No, you won't." "No, I won't." "Yes, you will." "Thanks for the permission!" Sonic exclaimed, and Alphabittle's eyes slammed open as he realized what happened too late. "Magic! Wing! Feather! MAYONNAAAAAAAISE!!!" And just like that, the unicorns and Alphabittle started to shout 'Bing Bong!' as they did the 'dance'. This time, Sonic didn't hold his amusement back and laughed at the unicorn's antics. "HAHAHAHHAHAHA!! Oh, you all look so ridiculous!" He laughed, holding his stomach and pointing at the unicorns. "Go, go, go!" Sunny shouted as the group escaped from the building, with Sonic taking their prizes from their pedestals and shoving them in his quills. "You'll pay for this!" Alphabittle shouted after the runaway ponies. "Sorry about that!" Izzy called out. "Thanks for the tea!" "So long, suckers!" Sonic said, blowing a raspberry as he followed the group out. "Good job back there, Sonic!" Hitch complimented. "Meh, no big deal. I just did what I knew was the best for us. Now, let's get out of here before things get harder!" Sonic exclaimed, taking the lead and guiding the group to the exit of Bridlewood. They were getting close when rustling leaves to their right made them screech to a halt, watching as another pony emerged from the bushes. To everyone's surprise, it was Queen Haven, panting slightly and covered in scratches and leaves. "Mom?!" Zipp and Pipp exclaimed, galloping up to their mother and hugging her. "Oh, my darlings!" Haven exclaimed, hugging her daughters. "Thank hoofness!" "You escaped!" Zipp smiled. "How did you find us?" Pipp asked. The bushes rustled again, and Cloudpuff jumped out, knocking Hitch down and proudly presenting the Sheriff's lost badge in his mouth. "Ah! My badge! Yes!" Hitch held the badge in victory before clipping it back on his sash. He petted the winged dog and scratched behind his ear, much to Cloudpuff's pleasure. Queen Haven turned back to her daughters. "Oh, I'm so glad I found my little fillies. Now, I know that if you just come back with me, we can explain everything. Spin the story, and they'll love us again. R-Right?" "I don't think that's how things are supposed to work..." Sonic muttered to himself. They heard hoof steps coming their way and spotted a crowd of angry unicorns running toward them before stopping. "Let us explain!" Sunny pleaded, only for a voice to interrupt. "There she is!" Zoom said. They all turned to see a squad of pegasi guards walk out of the bushes, the one leading them being Zoom. "Your criminal highness! You're coming with us!" "Ah! Unicorns!" Thunder screamed, throwing a tennis ball at Alphabittle, who just frowned as it bounced harmlessly off him. "Give me back my crystals and leave Bridlewood!" He demanded. "Your crystals? That crystal belongs to me!" Haven spoke up. "Not anymore, it doesn't! I won it fair and square." Alphabittle lied, making Sonic angry again, but this time... it was different. Something was growing inside him... rage, more rage than he'd ever felt. "Hah! I certainly doubt it!" Haven scoffed. "Unicorns are known to be cheaters!" "You Pegasi always thought you were better than us!" Alphabittle glared. "Hey, that's our queen you're talking to!" One of the guards shouted. "She's not a queen here!" One of the unicorns barked. "Who do you think you are?!" Another guard snapped. "We're gonna zap you with our horns!" The unicorn retaliated as another joined the scuffle. "This is our land! You're not welcome here!" "Surrender the crystal, or we'll use our powers against you!" Alphabittle threatened. "I'd like to see you try!" Queen Haven challenged. With that, something snapped inside Sonic. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel a strange power coursing through his body, begging to be released. His eyes turned blue, and some of his quills glowed the same color as electric sparks came out of them. Tired of listening to the ridiculous argument between unicorns and pegasi, he let everything out. "ENOUGH!!!" The hedgehog roared as massive bolts of electricity exploded from his body and struck around him. Luckily, none of the bolts hit anypony, but the damage was done. Everyone, his friends included, stared at him in fear, horrified to see the sudden explosion of anger and electricity from the hedgehog. When Sonic looked back at the ponies with a frown, he was surprised to see them cowering away. A blue glow from the corner of his eye drew his attention to his arm, and he was confused when he saw neon blue electricity arcing around it. He looked around himself and was shocked to discover it wasn't just covering his body; it was coming from it. Sonic looked again at his hands, clenching them as he took a deep breath to calm down. To his relief, the energy faded, and his eyes became green again. 'That was... weird...' He thought, then looked back at Haven and Alphabittle and frowned again. "You know, for two adults that are supposed to be responsible over their people, you're acting like five-year-old kids fighting over the last piece of candy," He said angrily, but not as much as he was a few seconds ago. "Ever since Izzy, Sunny, and I left Maretime Bay, the only thing we've been trying to do is restore magic while all of you have been so busy fighting each other and trying to blame someone else for the bad things you deserved! How is it that someone like me, who isn't even from this dimension, has managed to befriend two earth ponies, two pegasi, and one unicorn in less than three days, while all of you haven't even tried to in who knows how long?!" "Bing-Bong!" Sonic sighed, and his face softened. "Look, I know that you can all become friends with one another if you just try instead of being guided by rumors and things that you've heard and spread for years," He explained, then pointed at himself and his friends. "Just take a look at us. A blue hedgehog from another dimension and five ponies from different races. Who says we can't change the story?" "Did he just say 'Magic'?" A random unicorn asked. "This is a trick," Zoom guessed. Sonic gave a bored expression as he rolled his eyes and then looked at Sunny and Izzy. He smiled, walking over to them before taking the crystals from his quills. "Maybe you should be the ones doing the honors," Sonic said with a smile. "After all, it's thanks to the both of you we're here today," He handed the pegasus crystal to Sunny and the unicorn crystal to Izzy. "You're wasting your time, kid," Alphabittle huffed as he and Queen Haven watched. "Ready, Izzy?" Sunny asked. "Ready!" Izzy nodded. Everypony watched in anticipation as Sunny and Izzy proceeded to join both crystals together, but Zipp nudged the hedgehog. "Hey, Sonic," She whispered. "What was that thing before?" "I don't know, and I don't want to talk about that right now..." Sonic quickly replied. 'I know I can't ignore it, but whatever that was, it could have hurt someone,' He thought. 'From now on, I should be more careful when I get mad.' Sunny and Izzy's eyes sparkled with excitement as they closed the distance between their crystals for a perfect fit. But nothing happened. Sunny was in disbelief. "It... It..." "Why didn't it work, Daddy?" A unicorn colt asked. "'Cause it was all just make-believe," His father answered sadly. "We can try it again!" Sunny pleaded desperately. "Maybe... Maybe w-we did it wrong somehow..." But the unicorns and pegasi didn't want to hear any of it, so they turned and walked away. "Wait... Wait, don't go!" Looking down at the crystals, Sunny repeatedly touched them together. "Oh, come on... Work... Work! Please work! Come on!" "Sunny..." Hitch comforted his heartbroken friend. "It's okay. You did everything you could." "I... I thought it would work..." Sunny sobbed, looking up at Hitch. "I was so, so sure of it..." The rest looked at her sadly, and Sonic felt he had failed his word. He promised to help magic come back, but it didn't happen. "What do we do now, Sunny?" Zipp asked sadly. Sunny sighed in defeat. She gave the Unicorn Crystal to Alphabittle, walked over to Haven, and returned the Pegasus Crystal. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you," She apologized to Haven and Alphabittle, then started to walk back home. "Sunny! We can't give up!" Pipp exclaimed, making Sunny stop and turn around to look at her friends. "I thought I could make a difference..." She said, looking at the unicorn colt, who looked back at her. "But everywhere I go, I just make things worse..." That last line made her friends look in disbelief, even Sonic, who wasn't as optimistic as usual. "That's not true! We're all in this together, right?" Izzy asked the others, who nodded in agreement except for Sonic, although no one noticed. Yet, Sunny still felt defeated. "I'm so sorry I let you all down," She said, then turned to face Sonic, who looked lost in his thoughts. "And Sonic... I'm sorry that we won't be able to get you home," She said, a tear falling down her cheek as she walked away, her head hung low. Sonic looked at her quickly. He wished he could crack a joke and cheer her up or say anything that could make her feel better... but he wasn't in the mood to joke around or feel optimistic either. The idea that he not only failed his new friends but also that he may never see his old friends again destroyed him on the inside. Hitch sighed before walking after her but turned to face the group. "I guess this is goodbye… friends." "You better hurry, sheriff," Zipp said sadly, and Hitch nodded before catching up with Sunny. Sonic watched the two Earth Ponies make their way home in defeat, and he felt like it was time for him to leave, too. After all, magic wasn't coming back, so the best he could do now was leave these ponies alone and keep searching for some way to get home, even though it seemed impossible. "...Guess I should keep going, too," He sighed, then turned around and walked off. "Sonic?" Pipp called sadly. "There's no reason for me to stay either," Sonic replied. "I'd like to stay, I really do, but... what's the point if I'm causing trouble with each place I go? I'll either end up scaring ponies, locked down, or treated like an enemy. All I wanted was help to go home... but I'm not welcome in this place. The best for everyone is if I leave." "That's not true!" Izzy yelled desperately. "T-There has to be something we can do..." "I really want to believe there's something, Izzy... but I'm afraid there's no way things can get better for me," He replied, then faced Haven. "Your majesty... I kept my promise; you can ask her if you don't trust my word," He said to Haven, then looked at Alphabittle. "And Alphabittle, I'm sorry for the mess I caused in your tea room when I yelled the forbidden words," He apologized to the unicorn, who looked at him with sadness and sorrow. "I'll leave so I won't cause any more trouble." He then walked away and aimlessly wandered, getting lost in the woods. After walking for a few minutes, he found himself by a cliff in the forest that seemed nice and quiet. He sat on the edge and looked up at the sky with sadness. "I promised I'd come back, Tails..." He said, tears falling down his cheeks. "But for the first time in my life, I'm not sure I can keep my word..." Memories of the two-tailed fox flashed through his mind, and Sonic remembered the day he met Tails for the first time... A young Sonic, maybe 7 to 8 years old, was looking for a place to land his plane, and when he spotted a small island nearby, he headed toward the coastline. Once he landed, the young hedgehog decided to explore the place. "Alright, time to take a little vacation!" A few days after his arrival, the hedgehog sensed someone was following him during one of his runs. At first, he thought it was nothing, but looking back, he spotted a little two-tailed fox close behind. The fox panicked when he realized Sonic saw him and hid in some bushes. Sonic found this strange, but he shrugged and continued. The little fox still followed him for a while. 'Meh, let him do what he wants,' Sonic thought at first, but after a while, he began to feel curious about why the fox was chasing him, so he decided to put him to the test. He ran off quickly, but when he thought he had lost him, he was surprised to find the little guy beside him, his tails spinning like a helicopter propeller and keeping him aloft. Sonic was surprised he could fly and keep up with him. He screeched to a stop, and the fox barely stopped before coming face-to-face with Sonic. The hedgehog stared at the fox, making him nervously squirm in place, but Sonic's expression softened once he spoke. "So, you can keep up with me, huh? By the way, why are you following me? Not that it bothers me, but I find it weird you're doing it without knowing who I am." The fox didn't know what to do, but he swallowed some of his nerves before speaking. "S-Sorry…" He said, a little scared and intimidated. "I-It's just, I saw you on the beach, and I really liked your plane! But I also saw you running super fast, and I thought it was really cool! I thought I could be as cool as you, too, and, well, I decided to follow you!" "You wanna be like me, huh? Well, you don't need to if you're already great," added Sonic. "You have two tails that you can fly with, and on top of that, you're sneaky. It took me a bit before I realized you were following me, little buddy. What's your name?" The boy was a little sad. "I-I don't like my name... I'm... Miles Prower..." "So your name's Miles... are there people messing with you if you don't like it?" Sonic asked, and the fox nodded slowly. "Bullies, those good-for-nothings. Well, don't worry about them anymore. I'll teach you some tricks so they don't mess with you ever again... Tails." The boy looked at Sonic, surprised and excited. "W-what did you call me?" he asked. "Tails. It suits you pretty well, after all. That way, I don't have to call you something you don't like," Sonic said with a smile, then put an arm around Mi- no, Tails' neck. "Starting today, it's Sonic and Tails against the world!" The hedgehog exclaimed. Tails got excited and couldn't help but happily fly around. The electricity from before returned, but this time, it didn't shoot everywhere; it was just there. Tears fell down Sonic's cheeks, and he couldn't help but sob. He really missed his little buddy. The electricity faded faster this time, but he never realized it came back in the first place, or maybe he did, but he was so sad that he couldn't care less. Sonic laid back and looked at the sky as his tears finally dried. He wasn't thinking about anything since a lot was happening. Right now, he just wanted to feel the same peace he felt at the abandoned station in Zephyr Heights. The sky disappeared, now replaced with the face of a certain pegasus princess. "Hey," Pipp said with a little smile. "Hey," Sonic replied, smiling back. He sat back up, and Pipp sat beside him, just like at the campfire. "I thought you were going to leave..." Pipp said after a minute of silence. "I was. But I needed time to put my thoughts in order," Sonic sighed. "Besides, the longer I can stay here, the better. I don't want to go... but I'll eventually have to. What about you, Pipp? What are you doing here?" "I was looking for some privacy to think as well. Izzy's trying to convince Alphabittle to let her visit Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay, and Zipp's trying to do the same with Mom, but I don't think it's going anywhere," "I wish that all races would forget about their prejudices and misconceptions. Everything would be easier... but life is never easy, whether we like to accept it or not," Sonic confessed. "Yeah, I wish things would be different," Pipp replied sadly, then perked up slightly. "Hey, um, I know this is probably not a good time, but... could you teach me that lullaby now?" She blushed slightly. "O-Only if you want, of course..." "...Yeah. I think I can do that. I need to relax a bit, so singing it will help me a lot... and I hope it helps you too," He replied with a little smile. The hedgehog cleared his throat, ran through the lyrics a little, and closed his eyes before letting the melody in his mind carry him away... Sonic: Take off, at the speed of sound Bright lights, colors all around I'm running wild, living fast, and free Got no regrets inside of me Not looking back Not giving up Not letting go I'll keep on running 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 The sky with stars so bright The colors feel so right I never felt like this I'll keep on running The sky with stars so bright The colors feel so right Just take my hand We're gonna reach for the stars Tonight Tonight Pipp was stunned. The lyrics, the way he sang, his voice. Sonic turned out to be somepony much different than she believed, and she was starting to like being wrong about him. Wake up living day by day Do what I want, and I'll do it my way The world is flying right below my feet Got no regrets inside of me Not looking back Not giving up Not letting go I'll keep on running Before singing the next verse, another melodious voice sang beat Sonic to it. Pipp: 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 The sky with stars so bright The colors feel so right I never felt like this I'll keep on running Sonic was surprised that Pipp joined him, but he smiled slightly and joined her in the last verses. Sonic & Pipp: The sky with stars so bright The colors feel so right Just take my hand We're gonna reach for the stars Tonight Tonight "It's so beautiful," Pipp sniffed, whipping a stray tear away. "I didn't think a lullaby could have such deep and beautiful lyrics." "I can't remember who sang it to me the first time, but I really appreciate it," Sonic said with a sad smile. "It makes me feel better when I'm down. And it worked like a charm; I feel better now, not just because of the song but also because of you. You know, for singing it with me." Pipp blushed a little, but it faded as she smiled and replied. "Anytime, Sonic. And it really helped me, too; I feel that I can put my thoughts in order now, despite everything that's happened so far." "Yeah, I know what you're talking about," Sonic said. "Oh, here you are!" A voice calls out, and Pipp and Sonic turn around to see Zipp and Izzy approaching them. "You got me worried, Pipp," Zipp said, worry and anger lacing her voice, then looked at Sonic with confusion. "And I thought you said you were going to leave." "I still have no way home, and I have nowhere else to go either, so here I am," Sonic replied with a neutral expression. "Well, we came to say goodbye," Izzy said sadly. "We couldn't convince the Queen or Alphabittle, so... this is it." "But, if you're really the fastest thing alive, you can get in the castle with nopony noticing. So I think you can visit us anytime!" Zipp said to Sonic with a smile. "Oh, you can bet I'll do that. It may make your mom mad, but it's totally worth it," He replied, smiling back. "I wish the Crystals would've worked," Pipp said. "Maybe things would be different right now..." "Yeah... I'm pretty sure magic will bring everypony back together..." Sonic said out loud. Then something clicked. "Everypony... everypony..." Sonic repeated, and the mares looked at him curiously. "We found two crystals, but there are three pony races. Pegasi, unicorns, and... earth ponies... OH, SWEET CHAOS!!! I feel like an idiot!" "What's gotten into you?" Zipp asked, finding Sonic's change of attitude weird but smiling anyway. "You were sad a few seconds ago; now you're talking about everypony and the crystals, and now you're all happy." "I think I know what went wrong with the crystals!" Sonic said, making the mares gasp. "It was so simple, but I didn't realize until now!" "What do you mean?!" Pipp asked. "What went wrong?!" "You see, we found out about the Pegasus and Unicorn Crystal because Zipp showed us that stained glass window in the old terminal below Zephyr Heights, but that aside, we found out about a Unicorn Crystal as well. But there was a missing panel in the middle, and we never stopped to think that maybe it wasn't a panel but a third window!" Both Izzy and Pipp were confused about what Sonic explained. Zipp, however, started to put two and two together and gasped. "Are you saying there might be an Earth Pony Crystal?!" "Now you're getting the idea, Zipp!" Sonic smirked, snapping his fingers. "What?!" Izzy and Pipp yelled in surprise. "But that means... we still have a chance to restore magic!" Izzy said happily. "Exactly!" Sonic shouted. "The only thing we have to worry about now is to make up an excuse so Haven and Alphabittle let you go..." "Why make an excuse? We've done a lot of stuff so far without permission," Zipp pointed out. "I mean, if you just want to go ahead of them and run as fast as we can to Maretime Bay, sure, let's just do that..." He said blankly. "...I see your point, but nothing we say will change their minds!" Izzy exclaimed. "...Okay then, if they don't want to listen, then let's play in the rule-breaker style!" Sonic said. "Which means?" Pipp asked, receiving looks from the others saying, 'Are you serious?', and then snapped. "Oh... oh, I get it now. Alright, let's go!" The group bolts for Maretime Bay, and on the way, they pass by Queen Haven, her pegasi guards, and Alphabittle. "Izzy!" Alphabittle called. "Where are you going?" "Pipp? Zipp?!" Queen Haven called after her daughters. "Get back here!" "Sorry, mom!" Zipp called out. "But we gotta go!" "Go? Go where?" "To Maretime Bay!" Sonic answered. "Sunny needs our help!"