//------------------------------// // Volume I - Chapter 2: Morning with the Sparkles // Story: Equestria Girls: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 // by sonicfan05 //------------------------------// After escaping from the city of Seaddle, Sonic ran through the night, determined to get home before his new family noticed that he was missing. For the past eight months, he had been sneaking out of the house, using his powers to save people and stop robberies. But almost every time, his new family and friends found out about his late "activities" and got in trouble. He was hoping that this time around that he'd do his hero duty as quickly and quietly as possible. Despite that, Sonic was in high spirits, still feeling the adrenaline thrill from his earlier heroic action. It was a very good feeling of stopping the bad guys and actually put his power to good use instead of running away. And he planned to keep doing it, even if he had to sneak out at night to do it. His eyes lit up as he spotted a familiar bridge leading to his hometown. He ran past the bridge at record speed just as the morning sun rose from the mountain. With a sudden idea, Sonic took a quick detour towards one of the tallest mountains in the area and climbed up with his speed. As soon as he reached the top, Sonic faced his favorite town and shouted toward the morning sky. "Good morning, Canterlot City!" Sonic proclaimed joyfully, hearing his own voice echoing across the town. Satisfied, Sonic used his speed again to run back down the mountain and resumed his route toward home. Home. Sonic thought with pure happiness. Eight months ago, he never thought in his wildest dreams that he’d be able to get any friends, let alone a family. Ever since his battle against Dr. Robotnik, the Equestria Girls, as well as Cadance and Shining Armor, took him in. While he mostly lived with the Sparkles, he was passed around between the girls to spend time with them. With Applejack, aka Cowgirl, he would either help out at the Apple Family’s farm for the harvest or go play with Apple Bloom. For Rarity, aka Fashion Queen, Sonic would help out by posing for the kids' fashion lineup, much to his displeasure, or learn how to sing with Sweetie Belle. With Fluttershy, aka Animal Girl, he would help her out caring for the sick animals at the shelter. For Pinkie Pie, aka Cotton-Candy Girl, he would assist in baking all the confessionary treats and sometimes eat them afterward. Rainbow Dash, aka Skittles, will either do sports together, race around the town, or, to his surprise, do some yoga in the morning. Sometimes even Scootaloo would join in on the fun. With Twilight, aka Brainic, he allowed her to do some non-harmful experiments on him on his speed and take Spike out on a walk around the park.  And Sunset, aka Equestrian Girl, spends time with her the most. They do almost everything together; playing games, jogging, playing video games, creating art, and even going out for ice cream. Whenever the others see these two together, they are often viewed as brother and sister. Or even… Sonic quickly shook his head, trying to shake that idea off of his mind. The Equestria Girls weren’t the only ones. Ever since he and the girls sent Robotnik packing, most of the town, especially the students of Canterlot High were surprisingly welcoming. They would either wave him by with a friendly smile as he ran by or they chased him down, begging him to give them autographs. This surprised and amazed Sonic that none of the people of Canterlot City weren’t freaked out that he is in fact a talking blue anthropomorphic hedgehog. But then again, with magical girls flying around with pony magic and things keep popping up in town from Equestria, nothing surprises anyone in this town anymore. I better get back home before anyone notices that I'm gone! Sonic thought as he made a quick turn down the road toward the neighborhood. As he ran past the Canterlot City’s park, he suddenly stopped running when his nose whiffed up a very familiar scent. Oooh! I recognize that delicious smell! But where was it– With a quick glance at a very specific direction from within the park, Sonic grinned after he put two and two together. So she's at it again, eh? Sonic thought with a chuckle. Sonic glanced in the direction of the Sparkles’ residence and paused for a moment before he faced the direction of the "smell" again. Well… maybe a quick morning snack wouldn't hurt! Somewhere in the wooded section of the park, hundreds of harmless trap-like contraptions were scattered everywhere in the middle of the dirted area. There were cages, ropes, metal boxes, oversize sticky patches, large nets, hidden ditches, etc. While this many traps in one place are viewed as “excessive” to most people, but not to this particular teenage girl who was trying to catch this speedy blue devil for years. This minty-haired girl, who turned out to be Lyra Heartstrings, was hiding from within the bushes, and a camo boonie hat with leaves in place of her pink head brace. She was hiding in the area staking out after setting up the track for over five hours now. Her eyes were bloodshot due to lack of sleep, but the teen’s strong will helped pushed past her tiredness. That, and several cups of espressos also helped too. With her mini binoculars, Lyra spied on that one spot at the very center of the area. There were piles of chili dogs just sitting in the middle of the ground with a snare trap hidden beneath the pile. Lyra made sure to rig that trap in a way that it will go off before anyone could even blink, something that not even the blue blur could dodge. “I got you this time, Blue Devil!” Lyra chuckled with a crazed smile on her face. “The moment, even a fraction of your hair touches those chili dogs, you’ll be trapped like the blue rat you are! And I’ll be the one who has the last laugh!” Lyra cackled madly, confident that she’ll be one to win this time around. “So you think you can catch him this time?” “Oh, I know I’ll catch him this time!” Lyra responded with a smirk. “It took me all night to set this state-of-the-art trap! So it has to work!” “But aren’t you tired?” “Oh don’t worry about me!” Lyra assured, waving her hand behind her. “I’ve drank at least six espressos, so I’m as awake as I can–” Lyra froze. Her brain had finally caught up to her that someone is talking to her directly behind her. Slowly, Lyra turned her head around to see the owner of this mysterious voice, and then her eyes widened when she found out the last person, or most specifically, the last creature she expected to be talking to her right now. “Hi there!” Sonic waved. “GAH!” Lyra screamed, nearly jumping out of the bushes.  She quickly turned her head towards her main trap, only to stare in shock that all of the chili dogs had disappeared, despite that they were there a second ago. And worst of all, her trap didn't go off at all. Angered, she turned her head back at the hedgehog, who was enjoying his chili dog,  and then pointed at him with her shaking arm. “H-how’d you avoid my traps!?” Lyra demanded. “Super Speed, remember?” Sonic said casually, finishing his chili dog with one gulp with a smirk. “Aaaaaaand you were slightly off with those settings of your traps. I give it two stars at best!” Lyra growled, infuriated that he bested her yet again. “Why you little–” Lyra tried to dive at Sonic to grab him, only for Sonic to casually step aside and for her to land face-first in the dirt. Lyra looked up just in time to see Sonic making funny faces at her, wiggling his tongue as he did so. This angered Lyra further as she quickly got herself up and then gives chase. “Come back here you–” Unfortunately for her, Sonic sidestepped yet again before she could catch him, causing her leg to step into a snare trap. Before she could process her misstep, she felt the rope immediately tighten around her ankle and pulled her up upside down towards the tree, causing her to scream.  Sonic chuckled as he watch Lyra struggled with her own predicament. “Crazy Lyra caught in her own trap! Classic! That never gets old!” “Curse you, Blue Devil!” Lyra shouted as she tried to shake her ankle to free herself. “Once I’ll get out of this, I’ll–” “Lyra!” Lyra stopped struggling as she and Sonic turned to see another teenage girl and Lyra’s best friend, Bon Bon, slowly approaching them with a look of disapproval. She then looked up at her friend with a raised eyebrow. “You’re out here again!?” she scolded, shaking her head. “Honestly, it’s not good to keep doing late-night stakeouts so close to our graduation!” “Oh, morning, Candy Queen!” Sonic greeted cheerfully. “Good morning, Sonic!” Bon Bon greeted back with a friendly smile before facing her best friend with an annoyed look. “Why do you keep doing this? I thought the two of you are good now!” “We are… mostly,” Lyra answered, crossing her arms despite being upside-down. “While he did apologize for humiliating me all these years ago, he still insulted my honor of dodging my traps. Therefore, I will continue to come up with ways to capture him before we graduate!” “Lyra, graduation is just days away!” Bon Bon huffed, narrowing her eyes. “And you should be a little more friendly to him instead of treating him–” “Oh it’s fine, Candy Queen,” Sonic assured with a smile. “It was all in good fun. Besides, coming up with ways to foil your friend’s traps is always fun and never boring!” Lyra growled in annoyance. “Enjoy your victory, Blue Devil! I will capture you if it's the last thing I do! Just you wait!” she then attempted to loosen the rope around her ankle. “Grrr! Stupid snare trap!” As Lyra continued to struggle, Sonic and Bon Bon stared at her for a moment before they looked at each other and then back at Lyra. Sonic awkwardly cleared his throat loudly, getting Lyra’s attention. “Um… do you need help? I can get you down in a second.” “No thanks!” Lyra said coolly, much to Bon Bon's displeasure. “I can do this myself! I got out of this many times before!” “Eh, suit yourself," Sonic shrugged. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you here, Sonic?" Bon Bon asked with a curious expression. "Oh, I was here because I smelled Crazy Lyra’s chili dogs," Sonic answered. "No, I mean why are you out here in the first place?" Bon Bon clarified. "It's way too early in the morning even for you to be up at this time." Sonic froze, moving his eyes back and forth as if he were trying to come up with an answer. "I… woke up early today to, um… take an early morning run! You know, as part of my daily exercise routine!" Bon Bon cocked an eyebrow. "Did Sunset and Twilight know you were out here?" "Oh, look at the time!" Sonic said quickly, checking his 'invisible watch'. "I should get going now! See ya around!" Before Bon Bon could say a word, Sonic zipped away from the area at high speed, disappearing through the trees. Bon Bon stared at the area where Sonic disappeared, wondering about the reason behind Sonic’s strange behavior. “Finally, I thought he would never leave!” Bon Bon snapped out of her thoughts when her friend retorted suddenly. “Do you mind helping me out, Bonnie?” Lyra asked, as she once again tried to untie the snare. Bon Bon stared up at her friend in both confusion and frustration. “If you actually needed help, then why didn’t you take his offer?” “I don’t need help from him!” Lyra growled, tugging the rope. “I refuse to give him any satisfaction!” Bon Bon huffed, throwing up her arms. “You’re so stubborn, Lyra! You know he wouldn’t gloat over you like that!” “Don’t care!” Lyra retorted, irritating Bon Bon further. “Now would you please get me down!” Bon Bon frowned at her friend’s behavior, crossing her arms. “Well gee, I don’t know Lyra. Since you said you got yourself out many times before, maybe I’ll just leave you to it!” Lyra immediately stopped what she was doing and looked at Bon Bon. She was desperately trying to find any signs of humor on her friend's face, but her friend's expression remained serious. “Eheheh… you’re kidding, right?” Lyra asked, slightly worried. Bon Bon, who wasn't the least bit amused with her friend's antics, simply turned around. “I better get back to my family’s bakery,” she said casually. “I should bake some goods before the morning rush.” As Bon Bon walked away from the area, Lyra tried calling her back. “Wait, Bon! Bon Bon! Bonnie! Come back here!” Lyra shouted, desperately pulling her snare rope to free herself. “You’re just kidding, right? Please don’t leave me here!” But Bon Bon ignored her pleas and continued to make her way back to town.  “Bon Bon! BONNIE!” After Sonic made a quick escape from Bon Bon's prying, Sonic continued to run back towards the Sparkle residence. With a few quick turns around the neighborhood, Sonic finally reached his destination, which was a tall purple mansion. He quickly sped his way up the house and stood on top of the roof, peering down the window leading to his room. After checking to see if the coast was clear, he quietly opened the window and jumped forward into the room, and landed softly on the floor.  Only for him to accidentally knocked over his bowling pin. Luckily, he managed to catch it before it landed on the ground. He sighed in relief as he gently placed the bowling pin on the floor and focused on his bed. With the easy part out of the way, he now has to deal with the hard part, which is sneaking back to bed without alerting everyone. He could just speed towards his bed, but due to the old floorboards in this attic, they could cause a loud noise even just a light pressure on the floor. The last thing he needed was for everyone to know that he had snuck out… again. Sonic carefully took his first step, only for him to make a light creek sound from the floor, making him wince from the sound. He slowly took the next small step, trying to be more gentle this time, only to make another creek sound. Determined, Sonic took another small step toward his bed. Only to make another creek sound which was louder than the previous two creeks. “Oh, come on!” Sonic exclaimed quietly. Sonic looked down and noticed for the first time that something was sticking underneath his right shoe. Curious, Sonic lifted his right leg and picked them off of his shoe, which turned out to be three one-hundred-dollar bills that he accidentally took with him after taking out the robbers. "...Uh oh!" Sonic muttered, worried about his unintended theft. Both Sunset and Twilight had a talk with him already about money and no need to steal things for survival anymore, not that he plans to anymore. But even without the knowledge about money, three hundred dollars is a lot and a big deal if they’re missing. He’s already on thin ice for sneaking out, but if Sunset and Twilight find out about this, he’ll be in trouble big time, even if he didn’t mean it. He quickly made his way over to his dresser with a “keep out” sign on the front. He gently pulled the drawer out and placed the bills inside, making a mental note to somehow return them later. Before he shuts the drawer, he noticed a familiar brown folded-up paper on the side. Gently, Sonic picked up the paper before he quietly closed the drawer. Sonic then unfolded the paper, revealing an old map that he used to flee many worlds before he arrived on Earth. What always stood out to him on the map were some strange old symbols in front of an image of the emerald, which Sonic still doesn't understand to this day. As he process this, something soft fell off the map and landed on the floor. Sonic gently picked up the item off the floor, which turned out to be a brown and white striped feather, once belonging to someone very dear to him. “...Longclaw,” he whispered in fondness and pain. Longclaw, an owl guardian, has been there with him since he was born. Up until he fled to Earth and left her behind, Longclaw was with him until the very end. Despite that she was originally assigned to protect him, Sonic always viewed her as a mother to him and tried to do something nice for her like picking up sunflowers… including the day when they were attacked by the Echidna warrior tribe. All because of his careless mistake, which still haunted him to this day. Before Sonic was forced to depart, Longclaw originally advised him to never stop running and keep himself hidden. But thanks to Rainbow Dash’s advice, Sonic decided not to run away anymore and only use his power to stop bad guys and protect his friends. He may not be alone anymore, he still thinks about Longclaw every day. And while this wasn’t what Longclaw had in mind, Sonic hoped that she’d at least approved of him using his powers for good. Even when she was no longer around. “I miss you, Longclaw,” Sonic whispered, softly brushing his finger on the feather. “I’m trying to make you proud.” With a sigh, Sonic took out his ring pouch from his quills, stored the map inside the pouch, and placed the pouch on top of his dresser. As Sonic yawned, he pulled the covers from his bed before jumping in it himself. “And now, for a little… shut-eye,” Sonic yawned, as he covered himself with the blankets. Sonic smacked his lips and closed his eyes, getting ready to drift into dreamland. Or at least, he tried to drift to dream if it weren’t for a certain purple and green dog who ran up the attic stairs and then jumped on Sonic’s bed. “Wakey, wakey, Sonic!” Spike announced before licking Sonic’s face, waking him up abruptly.  “Spike? Spike! Agh!” Sonic grunted, trying to shoo Spike away. “Knock it off! Morning breath!” Spike continued to lick him until Sonic scooted away from him to the other side of his bed. Sonic then gave him an annoyed glare to which Spike gave him a knowing look. “What?” Sonic demanded. “You went out late at night playing hero again… didn't you?” Spike stated. Sonic frowned. “I wasn't playing! I am being a hero!” Spike smirked. “So you admit it! You snuck out again!” “Shhhh!”  Sonic shushed desperately as he looked behind him. When he saw no one was listening, he turned back to the snooping dog. “Okay, yes! I did!” Sonic admitted in a whispered tone. Spike frowned. "Why do you keep doing this? You know Twilight and Sunset told you not to!” Sonic rolled his eyes. "Because I'm trying to be a hero! It's what heroes do!" Before Spike could argue, Sonic quickly begged in a hushed tone. "Please don't tell them! They're already stressed enough with their upcoming graduation and dealing with the Devil Lady!" Spike cocked an eyebrow. “Devil Lady?” “You know! That mean new Principal of CHS who was once the president of the school board and a mother to one of the CMCs' friend?” Spike blinked. “Spoiled Rich?” “Bingo!” "...Fine!” Spike complied, jumping off the bed but not before giving Sonic a stern look. “But you owe me some doggie treats!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Sonic muttered, pulling the covers over his head as Spike walked away. With Spike now gone, Sonic can finally get some well-deserved shut-eye. “Sonic? You’re still in bed?” ‘Oh, COME ON!’ Sonic exclaimed inwardly. He groaned loudly as Sunset entered the attic, along with Spike.  Sunset lightly shooked Sonic. "C’mon Sonic, up and at 'em! It's time for breakfast!" While Sunset was shaking Sonic, Spike walked to the other side of Sonic’s bed and yanked the covers with his teeth. This caused Sonic to be pulled off the bed with the covers and roughly land face-first on the floor. "Alright, alright! I’m up!" Sonic moaned, raising his head slightly. “I’m up!” Sunset grinned in amusement. “Better hurry, Dean Cadence’s pancakes won’t eat themselves!” As Sunset walked away, Sonic glared at Spike, who was giving him his mischievous expression. ‘Note to self: get back at Spike later!’ he thought. After Sunset informed Sonic about breakfast, she carefully made her way down both stairs and headed to the kitchen.  As Sunset made her way toward her destination, Sunset glanced all around the Sparkle house. It was still surreal to her that she is now living in a home belonging to her best friend’s family. Shortly after the battle with Robotnik, Sunset confessed to Twilight that she’ll be evicted from her home shortly after she graduated. She would have stayed for another year or so, but her sleazy landlord decided to increase her rent so high that not even her part-time job could cover it. When Twilight heard about that, she offered Sunset to move in with her family until they can find a dorm in whatever college they were choosing. And she wouldn't take no for an answer. About a month later, Sunset moved out of her old apartment and into the Sparkle household, who welcomed her with open arms. They even turned their guest room into Sunset’s official room for her to sleep, study, or even game to her heart’s content. Sunset is forever grateful to Twilight and her family’s kindness, and she would help out in any way she can to return the favor despite Twilight and the Sparkles' insistence. The best part about living with the Sparkles was spending more time with her best friend, Twilight. Aside from studying for final exams, they did a lot together. They watched a lot of movies, stargazing, lab experiments, read books, and even played video games together.  Well, Twilight watched Sunset playing video games than playing them herself, but it’s the thought that counts.  But what they did together the most was having one on one conversations with each other. While Sunset already knew her friend since the Friendship Games, Sunset learned something new from Twilight every day. Sunset is always looking forward to these conversations with her best friend or even just spending time with her in general. The best part about being with Twilight is seeing her smile whenever she discovers something new.  And that smile alone was enough to make Sunset feel… Sunset quickly shook those thoughts out as she was about to step into the kitchen. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she spotted the married couple who was there before her. Shining Armor, Canterlot's police officer and an Alumni of Crystal Prep Academy was reading his morning paper at the table while Cadance, a former dean and the current principal of Crystal Prep Academy was making pancakes. The two noticed her presence the moment she walked in with Shining Armor nodded to Sunset in greeting before resuming his paper while Cadance gave her a warm smile. "Good morning, Sunset!" Cadance greeted. "Morning Dean Cadance. And morning Shining Armor," Sunset greeted back before taking her seat at the table.  "Sunset, you know that you call me Cadance," she said kindly as she was filling up Sunset’s coffee, much to Sunset’s appreciation. "You lived here for half a year, remember?" "Sorry, force of habit! It's still hard to get used to it," Sunset said sheepishly before taking her first sip. She then smiled at Cadance's large belly. "And how's the little one?" "Still as active as ever!" She said fondly, softly rubbing her belly. "Hard to sleep with her moving all around in there." Shining lowered his paper, cocking an eyebrow at her wife's statement. "And just how do you know that our kid is a girl?" Cadance smirked. "Mother instinct." Shining scoffed playfully. "Well, my money's on a boy!" "Wanna bet?" Cadence challenged playfully. "Loser treats everyone to dinner for graduation?" "Heh! You're on!" Shining accepted with a smirk. "This will be an easy win!" Sunset shook her head in amusement at the couple's antics. "So when are you due?" "Around three more weeks," Cadance answered, looking at her belly with her motherly smile. "But I can't wait to meet our child." Shining Armor smiled at his wife, who was just as excited about the birth of their child. "For today's news on Equestria Daily," A female newscaster reported, coming from the Sparkles' family tablet. "A fire broke out at Canterlot High last night, which took place within the gymnasium. Luckily, all the students and staff facilities were able to escape safely without any injuries or worse, and the fire was put out by the town's firefighters before more damage was done. The cause of the fire is still unknown and still under investigation." "Good grief!" Shining sighed, rubbing his temples. "That stunt the CMCs pulled last night really caused a big stir in our town! We haven’t had an incident this big since the baseball incident from Sonic!” “I’m just glad that no one was hurt,” said Cadance with a frown. “And that Auntie Luna managed to convince the town to keep the CMCs out of trouble. It really was an accident after all.” “Those girls are lucky that they’re minors and that it was an accident! We managed to cover up their identities,” Shining stated. "And what about Spoiled?" Sunset asked. "Isn't she in trouble?" "As a cop… I'm afraid I can't share any details," Shining said vaguely with a deep frown as if he was angry. “But let’s just say… you won’t like it.” Before Sunset could ask to clarify Shining’s statement, Cadence spoke up. “Vice Principal Luna called earlier. She wanted you to visit her at her home this afternoon. She’ll explain everything to you later.” “About Spoiled?” Sunset inquired. “And among other things,” Cadence added. Sunset’s interests were peaked. After the incident from the CMCs last night, Vice Principle Luna announced that the school is closed for the time being due to the damages. The fact that Luna wanted to talk to her in person suggests that there was something Luna wanted to tell her that couldn’t be discussed over the phone. She hoped that it wasn’t anything bad that would threaten her, Sonic, and her friends. The last thing anyone would want is another Robotnik incident. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard some sudden footsteps entering the kitchen. Sunset and everyone else looked toward the entrance to see Twilight, who was already all dressed and ready to go. However, they noticed that Twilight was walking rather haggardly and had dark rings under her eyes due to a lack of sleep. “Morning, Twilight!” Cadence said kindly. Twilight blinked toward Cadance. “Hmm? Oh… morning.” Twilight yawned as she took her seat. Cadence gently handed Twilight her cup of coffee, who nodded in thanks. As Twilight took a sip, Sunset stared at her best friend in worry. “You okay, Twi?” Sunset asked. “I’m fine,” Twilight answered after finishing her coffee in just one gulp. “Just… still a little tired.” Sunset furrowed her brows. “But Twilight… you haven’t had any good sleep as of late. Are you sure you’re okay?” “You haven’t been staying up all night doing experiments again, haven’t you?” Shining interjected with a stern look. “We’ve told you to cut back on that.” “I haven’t!” Twilight insisted. “I’ve been limiting my late-night experiments as of late.” Shining Armor then frown deepened. “Are you still upset after that Timber kid broke up with you? I don’t know what he did to you but I swear–” “No!” Twilight cried loudly, before clearing her throat. “No, it’s not Timber. He didn’t do anything wrong to me. And it was me who broke up with him because our relationship didn’t really go anywhere and we ended on a friendly note. Besides… it’s been over a month ago.” Cadence frown in concern. “Then what was it Lady Bug?” Twilight paused, diverting her eyes away from them. “I’m just… nervous about the upcoming graduation.” Shining cocked an eyebrow. “Since when do you get nervous?” He suddenly received a slap on the shoulder from his wife, who was giving him a brief glare before facing Twilight. “It’s understandable, Ladybug. Graduation can be nerve-wracking for everyone, even the most gifted of students, but it’s nothing to worry about. With a genius mind like yours, I’m sure you’ll get your diploma, Twilight.” “Oh! Yeah… “Twilight nodded a little too eagerly. “I’m sure I will…” “Well, whatever’s the case, just try to get some sleep,” Shining added gently. “You’ve been acting like a zombie as of late due to your lack of sleep.” Sunset frowned worriedly. While Twilight’s brother was a little too blunt, she silently agreed with him. Something was going on with her nerdy friend that caused her to sleep less, and it was not due to her being nervous about graduation. She remembered that Twilight was super excited to graduate high school, especially being graduated along with their friends. And on top of that, Twilight’s strange behavior happened months before the upcoming graduation. Sunset had a feeling that she knew what it was really about, but didn’t want to press her friend about the subject. At least, not yet. "Speaking of lack of sleep…" Shining mumbled, pointing towards the doorway. They all turned to see Sonic, who was slowly walking into the kitchen with a very sleepy look. He yawned as he took a seat near the kitchen table. "Morning, Sonic! Did you get any good sleep last night?" Sunset asked, despite knowing the answer already. "Huh?" Sonic looked at Sunset with a sleepy gaze. "…Oh! Yeah, yeah I um…" He let out a huge yawn, then smacked his lips. "...can you repeat the question?" Sunset frowned. She knew Sonic had snuck out again after checking his room last night. While the CMCs caused the "incident" at school was bad enough, Sonic secretly being the “hero” behind their backs was just as stressful. It didn’t help that Sonic, while unintentionally, caused some damage in Seaddle due to the flood. Unlike Twilight, she wanted to have a word with him about his “heroic activities”. Before Sunset could speak, Cadence interrupted. “I made some fresh pancakes, Sonic,” Cadence said kindly as she placed a plate full of pancakes in front of Sonic. “Fresh off the griddle just the way you like them!” Sonic blinked sleepily at his pancakes. “They’re so… fluffy. Like buttery… pillows.” Sonic suddenly fell face-first on top of his pancakes and began to snore. While the older couple grew concerned about the blue hedgehog, Sunset and Twilight looked at each other with knowing looks. They were about to wake him up, but the news from the tablet interrupted them. “And in other news!” The newscaster stated with an image of a flooded Seaddle in the background. “An attempted armored truck robbery happened at Seaddle late last night, only to be foiled by what many witnesses described as quote… a mysterious talking blue creature–” “Aaaaaaand I’m up!” Sonic shouted loudly with a sudden energy, lifting his head off of his pancakes. “Bright-eyed, bushy quilled, and ready to start the day!” Before everyone could blink, Sonic used his super-speed to rush towards the tablet, shuts it off, and store it in the kitchen drawer before he ran back to his seat. “This twenty-four-hour news cycle is so exhausting! It might be time to cut the cord!” Sonic cried while giving them his over-the-top convincing smile. Both Sunset and Twilight had deadpanned expressions. They both knew that Sonic was trying to hide his involvement at Seaddle while also attempting to divert away from their “conversation”. This wasn’t the first time they had that talk with the blue hedgehog about this particular topic. They weren’t sure if Sonic was actually thinking he was fooling them or trying to delay the inevitable.  Either way, Sonic won’t be able to dodge the subject forever. “Listen, Sonic,” Sunset sighed before giving him her stern look. “I think we should have a little chat–” “Oh, yes! Let's chat!” Sonic quickly interjected, cutting Sunset off. “How’s the senior’s pre-graduating party? Did you all have fun? Was there any dancing?” “Not really,” Twilight replied. “The kind of ‘party’ we get was nothing but some useless lecture by Spoiled. But then things got wild when the CMCs took over and gave us their own ‘party’ and then things… just got out of hand.” Sonic tilted his head in interest. “Oh yeah? What happened?” “Let’s just say… there were some wild animals and fire involved and the CMCs were grounded as a result,” Sunset jumped in before narrowing her eyes. “Now don’t try to change the subject! We have a bone to pick with you!” “Did someone say ‘bone’!?” Spike popped up from below their table with an excited expression. “No, Spike. That was just an expression,” said Twilight, trying her best not to smile at her dog’s happy energy. She turned back to Sonic with a frown. "And Sunset's right. We need to talk to you, specifically about your strange behavior!" Sonic had a nervous expression as he glanced toward the older couple. Unfortunately for him, they also stared at him sternly, silently telling him to spill the beans as well. Sweat was pouring down from each side of the blue hedgehog’s head and his eyes darted around the room, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. "W-well…" Suddenly, the back door of their family kitchen flew open, catching everyone by surprise. Shortly after that, a rush wind flew into the kitchen with a light trail of rainbow color behind it. The rainbow blur then stopped near their kitchen table, revealing to be none other than Rainbow Dash. “Yo! Morning, everybody!” Rainbow Dash greeted cheerfully before addressing Sonic. “Sup’, Sonic!” “Skittles!” Sonic cried cheerfully, both happy to see his sister figure and an opportunity to get out of his situation. “And how are you on this fine morning?” “Well, I’m feeling great!” Rainbow Dash whooped with a full tooth grin. “You up for our daily morning poses!?” “Would I?!” Sonic smiled back as he pointed to himself. “This hedgehog is ready to become a pretzel!” “And are you ready for our annual morning jog around Canterlot City?” Rainbow Dash challenged playfully. “I was born ready!” Sonic responded with a determined grin. Just as the two speedsters were ready to rush out the door, Sunset quickly interjects. “Hold on, Rainbow Dash!” “We were actually in the middle trying to have a conversation with Sonic!” Twilight added, staring at Sonic sternly. Sonic inwardly groaned, his plan to bail was quickly dashed. Rainbow Dash blinked, shifting her gaze between Sonic and everyone else. “Oh? Was I interrupting? My bad!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes immediately brightened at the sight of Sonic’s plate. “Oh sweet! Pancakes!” Rainbow Dash quickly took a seat and began stuffing her face with the pancakes off of Sonic’s plate, much to everyone’s disgust. “Sure… help yourself,” Shining remarked sarcastically. “Anyway!” Sunset coughed, getting herself back on track from that awkward moment. “We really need to talk to you about your–” “Oh, I just remembered!” Sonic announced suddenly. “I have to take my bud, Spike out for a walk! The poor dude really needs to go!” Spike gave Sonic a bewildered expression. “But I don’t have to–” Sonic quickly rushed to Spike and placed his finger on Spike’s lips. “What’s that? Your bladder is full!? Sonic said loudly. “Don’t worry buddy, I shall take you to your favorite hydrant from the other side of town! We must post haste!” “Hey, wait!” Spike cried just as Sonic lifted him up and then they disappeared out through the back door with his super speed. “Don’t I have a say in thiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssss!?” Everyone, except for Rainbow Dash, was staring at the door for a moment before Shining Armor let out a chuckle. “Heh, he’s a slippery one! I’ll give him that!” Sunset huffed in frustration, rubbing her forehead. “Okay, are we gonna do this every time he sneaks out? Does he think we didn’t notice?” “He is probably afraid that we’ll get angry or upset at him if we pried out of him,” Twilight reasoned. “I’m not angry at him,” Sunset assured with a worried frown. “I’m just… very concerned for his well-being!” Twilight moved closer to Sunset, giving her a soft look. “Look, I know we’re all on edge since the CMC’s stunt last night, and him doing late-night crime-fighting didn’t help much. But you and I both know that he was only trying to put his powers to good use, just like us with our magic.” Sunset sighed. “I know that, and I’m not discouraging him to not use his powers. But the problem is… he just doesn’t understand the responsibility of using his powers. His actions nearly put everyone in danger. Heck! He nearly flooded the city! And even with the fact that no one is hurt, Sonic will still be in trouble in the eyes of the law." Sunset frowned. "Including them!" Twilight had a look of understanding. "You mean, G.U.N.?" Shining Armor tilted his head in curiosity. "Gun?" "...yeah, G.U.N. Also known as The Guardian Units of Nations," Sunset nodded. "Those guys are the secret worldwide military and law enforcement of our country, which are hidden in the eyes of the public. It was bad enough that they've been watching me since the Fall Formal, but after an incident by Sonic, they showed up at our school and chased us half a year ago by Ro–" Sunset paused when she noticed Twilight had a very uncomfortable look. …him!" Sunset finished. During that event, not only Twilight was briefly kidnapped by that "man", she, unfortunately, learned from him that Twilight was actually adopted and not related to the Sparkles. And on top of that, she was also that man's so-called "lost cousin". Even after this man is no longer around many months back, Twilight still hasn't gone over her trauma.  Shining Armor’s eyes widened in realization before his expression turned to anger. “Oh, you mean the guy with that huge mustache of his who held me and the students captive, chases you girls, and took my wife hostage?” “…the very same,” Sunset confirmed. “If you haven’t sent him to that mushroom planet… let’s just say I’ll end up sending him to the hospital before sending him to jail!” Shining growled. Cadence grasped her husband’s shoulder to calm him down. “At least that man is gone now. We won’t have to worry about him anymore.” Twilight said nothing as she shrink into herself in worry which Sunset noticed. Sunset made a mental note to help her friend out to go over her trauma in any way she can, but for now, she has to return to the topic at hand. "Anyway, if Principal Celestia hadn't gotten involved like she did, we could've been arrested and locked up in some study labs by now. And I'm sure that she's the one who kept them at bay now so that they didn’t bother us." Twilight tilted her head. "But… isn't that a good thing that they left us alone?" "Not entirely," Sunset sighed. "Just because they left us alone, that doesn't mean that they stopped watching us. I had a gut feeling that the next time we used our magic or if Sonic had done something, they'll be all over us and Sonic again!" Sunset felt her arms shaking in worry. "And the fact that they haven't done anything yet, even after Sonic's many nightly 'outings'… really scares me."  Sunset shuddered as she shut her eyes. But that didn’t stop those images of her friends and Sonic possibly being hauled by G.U.N. and sent back to their base to get locked up. Or worse, getting experimented on. She would rather be taken in their place than watch her friends becoming lab rats, especially since it was her fault that she brought magic into this world. She didn’t know what to do if that ever happens to them. Her shaking stopped when she felt someone gently touches her arm. Sunset opened her eyes to see Twilight who was also worried, but also giving her a look of comfort. “I'll admit Sunset… I'm scared too. I don't know what GUN is planning and what to do about Sonic, but we're not alone. Whatever happens, we got friends on our side, including Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadance.” Twilight turned to the couple. “Right guys?” Both Cadance and Shining nodded in unison without hesitation. Twilight smiled at them in thanks before facing Sunset again and squeezing Sunset’s hand. “Don’t worry, Sunset. If those men in suits try anything, we can figure things out… together.” Sunset blushed but smiled as she squeezed Twilight’s hand. “Y-yeah… together.” “Aw, look at you two!" Both Sunset and Twilight immediately turned towards Rainbow Dash who was giving them a teasing look.  "You both are practically acting like worried parents! You're practicing being a couple before making things more official?” Sunset nearly choked while Twilight’s expression became shocked in embarrassment. “What!? Rainbow Dash!” Twilight squawked with a tint of red on her cheeks. "We are not a couple!" “Oh, just leave the two alone, Rainbow Dash!” Cadance commented. “Thank you, Cadence!” Twilight said gratefully. Cadance then smirked. “Though, I must say… you two would make a cute couple!” Rainbow Dash laughed heartedly and Shining smirked at the comment as Twilight’s face became as red as a tomato. “CADANCE!” Twilight shouted. Sunset said nothing as she was blushing from all the teasing. She then loudly cleared her throat, desperate to change the topic. “A-anyway! My issue is that he knows that we know! I just don’t understand why he won’t let us talk to him?” “Well, he is a teenager,” Shining reasoned with a shrug. “I mean, what do you expect? The last thing any teen wants to do is to talk about their problems.” He looked pointedly at Sunset, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash as he said it, which the trio took notice of. “Hey… why are you looking at us when you say that?” Rainbow Dash spoke up for the group. “Yeah, we talked about our problems!” Twilight added while Sunset nodded in agreement. “Oh, really?” Shining cocked an eyebrow at her sister. “Were you planning to tell us that you were bullied at Crystal Prep and that your former Principal blackmailed you to join the friendship games?” Twilight winced at that, memories of her time at Crystal Prep coming back at her. Shining then turned to Sunset. “And were you planning to talk to your friends about feeling left out after the Fall Formal and that you were about to be kicked out of your old apartment?” Sunset craned her neck, ashamed for not telling her friends about her feelings, and felt like she should solve things on her own. Shining then turned to Rainbow Dash. “And were you planning about the trauma of being left behind after the disappearance of your–” “Shining!” Cadance scolded loudly. Shining immediately paused the moment Rainbow Dash looked like she was on the verge of tears at the mention of her late uncle. Guilt weighed in his heart for unintentionally hurting the teen. “S-sorry… I went a little too far there,” Shining apologized softly before resuming his lecture more gently. “My point is while you three are growing up and becoming adults, at the end of the day, you are all still teenagers yourselves… and still have a lot to learn in life. And while you all think you can try to solve things on your own, there’s no shame in talking and asking for help… especially from a close friend who is always there on your side through thick and thin. You just have to let them in. Remember that.” The entire kitchen was as silent as a tomb, as the three young girls were processing Shining’s words. A moment later, it was Sunset who broke the silence. “That was a good speech and all Shining Armor, but this doesn’t solve our problem with Sonic,” said Sunset. Twilight furrowed her brows. “And even if we approach this gently, he’ll just make an excuse and run away. I wish we knew how to get him to open up.” While everyone was trying to come up with a solution regarding Sonic, Rainbow Dash was in the background in silence. While she didn't fault Shining for trying to offer the piece of his advice, just mentioning her long-lost uncle still hurt her even to this day. So many years have passed since his disappearance during his mission and many, including her father, presumed her uncle to be "gone". While her faith in her uncle diminished year by year, somehow her gut was telling her that her uncle is still alive. With a sad sigh, Rainbow Dash turned and stared at the picture of younger Twilight, assuming in her pre-school years, and Shining Armor, fishing on a rowboat in the middle of a lake with smiles on their faces. In Rainbow’s mind, however, she imagined the younger versions of herself and her uncle in their place.  Rainbow Dash remembered when her uncle used to take her on fishing trips whenever they had free time, even though fishing wasn't really her thing. Despite that, she missed those days when she got to spend time with him whenever an opportunity presented itself. And sometimes when they didn’t get a single fish, they would just talk about anything that comes to mind, even some problems that she wouldn't share with anyone else… And just like lightning, an idea suddenly came to her mind. With a small smile, she turned towards the group. “Actually,” she announced, getting everyone's attention. “I think I may know a way to get through to him!”