//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Special Delivery, Pt. I // Story: Sonic Generations: Friendship is Timeless // by GreenS21 //------------------------------// BLUE STREAK SPEEDS BY... The quiet tranquility of a checkerboard-patterned grass-covered field was disturbed as a blue blur suddenly shot across the grass, kicking up loose blades of grass behind it. While too fast for the naked eye to properly see, a closer look revealed it to be none other than Sonic, the blue hedgehog running while letting his arms dangle behind him. Interestingly, he held a blue and orange cylindrical tube in his right hand, the kind of tube that was often used to transport important documents around large buildings like hospitals. His hand gripped it tightly as he ran, ensuring that there was no chance he’d drop it. Sonic grinned as he approached a raised section of grass, the rock beneath it adorned with checkerboard patterns similar to the grass. He came to an almost complete stop as he reached the front of it and leapt up, landing on top of the hill before jumping back down onto the grass below on the other side, landing in a crouched position. He took off a second later, running under a larger rock formation while flipping over a rock that had fallen inside and sliding out through the other side of the formation. After a few seconds, he rolled to get back on his feet and resumed running, dashing towards a shuttle loop and going through it before jumping off the edge that came shortly after the end, landing on his feet. “Heh, I love this place!” he smiled to himself as he continued on his way. After a little while more of running, the blue hedgehog could see his destination coming into view: a small town near the beach with roads leading to the United Federation’s capital city, up into the mountains, and going past the area he was in, known simply as Emerald Town. Coming to the edge of the green hill area, Sonic leapt down onto the road below, stopping for a moment. He then turned to his left and ran, at a slower pace, into the town, making a right at the third turn and passing by a house shaped like a familiar two-tailed fox’s head. Just down the road from that was Tails’ Lab, a mostly metal building that had a red circle with the fox’s two tails in the center on its sides. Sonic slowed down as he reached the corner and turned, coming to a stop in front of the building and turning to look at the black sliding doors that marked the entrance. A second later, they slid away from each other as they opened, revealing the lab’s owner behind them. “Welcome back, Sonic!” Tails greeted. “Hey, Tails! You knew I was coming, huh?” Sonic smiled. Tails chuckled, “Well, yeah. I knew thanks to the tracker I put inside the capsule. When the signal started moving, I knew you had found it and would be back soon. Figured I might as well be ready for you. Come on in!” The fox turned around and walked into his lab, Sonic following him through the doors, which soon slid back into their closed position behind him. Sonic let his eyes wander as the duo walked into the main room of the lab, looking over the large computers and metallic floors that made up Tails’ lab. Unlike the fox’s workshops, his lab didn’t exactly have the same lived-in feel, seeing as he mainly used it when he had big projects that were harder to work on at his workshops and, due to how close it was to his house, he didn’t stay overnight often. Looking over towards one side of the room, he saw the virtual reality system that Tails had set up for Emerl to use to hone his skills. Looking towards the center of the room, he saw Tails’ latest project: a large mechanical tube stretching from the floor to the ceiling placed in the center of the aiming sight-like shape within the octagon that marked the middle of the room. TAILS' PROJECT Following Tails over to a large computer panel that had some smaller screens above it and was hooked up to a supercomputer, Sonic placed the tube in his hand on top of the panel next to a framed picture while Tails sat down in a chair in front of the panel and began typing on the keyboard in front of him. Looking over at the fox, Sonic commented, “I gotta say, Tails, I’m impressed. It’s only been two weeks and you’ve already come up with something that can breach the space between dimensions!” Tails stopped typing and looked up at him, “Heh, thanks, Sonic! But remember, this is still just a prototype; it’s got a long way to go before it’ll be able to do what we want it to.” Sonic replied, “All the same, though, it’s already proven to have teleporting capabilities similar to that device you built some time ago. If it can do that with just the regular energy you’ve been supplying, and you’re sure you’re done doing your research, we’ll be one step closer to seeing Equestria and everyone there again.” Tails nodded, “Right.” Looking over to his left towards the tube in the center of the room, the cables for which were connected to the side of the panel in front of him, he explained, “After reviewing all the information on Equestrian magic that Twilight gave me, I’ve come to the conclusion that Chaos energy and pony magic are actually very similar. With a burst of the Chaos Emeralds’ power, a small Chaos Control can be generated and transfer physical matter across time and space. While it’s like this, it can be converted into a form that can be focused and picked up by magic users, thus returning it to normal.” Sonic asked, “So Conservation of Mass is maintained in a sense?” Tails nodded, “Exactly. That’s how Twilight was able to conjure up her glasses, and why Spike is able to send letters to Princess Celestia with that green fire he breathes. The Chaos Emeralds, essentially, are able to do the same thing through the energy they contain. As such, if we can cause a Chaos Control strong enough to break the barrier and convert matter, it should be picked up by a receiver in Equestria and converted back into matter.” Sonic said, “Well, it sounds like you’ve got everything covered, Tails.” Tails replied, “We’ll see. All the other tests on this device have checked out so far. Now it’s time for the big one.” He looked over to the right, where he had his radar hooked up to his computers. Standing up and walking over to it, he grabbed a screwdriver he left on the panel with his right hand and picked up the radar in his left hand. As he flipped it over so he was looking at the cover on the back, Sonic asked, “You sure you’re not going to ruin your radar by doing this?” While beginning to loosen the screws holding the cover on, Tails answered, “It should be fine. I’ve already hooked it up to the lab computers, so it’s getting a steady stream of power. And just to be on the safe side, I made sure to copy all the data on it onto my computers so I have an extra copy as back-up in case something does happen to my radar. I don’t want to lose any of my data, especially after it’s helped me to, hopefully, root out any hiccups in my new transporter.” Sonic smiled, “Thinking ahead as usual, Tails. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Tails finished loosening the last screw and, after pulling it out, removed the cover. He then pulled the Chaos Drives inside the radar out and set the radar back down on the panel. He then grabbed the spare Power Cores he had salvaged from the Egg Pawns back in Frog Forest from inside one of the drawers on the panel and turned and walked past Sonic, the hedgehog watching as he walked over to the tube in the middle of the room and installed the Chaos Drives and Power Cores into it. Afterwards, Tails walked back over to Sonic and asked, “Did you bring it?” Sonic nodded, “Of course I did! I’ve been hanging onto it since we wrote it!” He reached into his quills with his right hand and pulled out the scroll Twilight had let Tails keep, the seal on it still intact. He held it out to the fox, “You want to look it over one last time?” Tails nodded and took the scroll in his hands, sliding the seal off and setting it on top of the panel while he unrolled the scroll and started reading it to himself. After a minute, Tails looked up at Sonic and said, “Looks good to me. I’d say it’s ready to be sent!” He rolled the parchment back up and slid the seal back onto it to keep it closed. He then handed it back to Sonic and grabbed the tube sitting on top of the panel with both hands, sliding it open on the top with his left hand and holding it out to Sonic, who slid the scroll inside and let Tails close it. The fox then held the tube between both hands and stared down at it for a moment. Sonic noticed this and asked, “Tails?” The fox shook his head and looked up at Sonic and said, “Sorry. It’s just… if the time-space transfer is successful, we’ll have no way of knowing whether it makes it to Equestria or not. I know the signal from the transmitter can be picked up from anywhere on the planet, but I don’t think it can be picked up from anywhere else, least of all another dimension. I just hope it works.” Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder, “Tails, I know you. Sure, you’ve had moments where things don’t work out as you expect them to, like when you were trying to calibrate your machine to understand the Wisps or the Tornado 2 not having landing gear, but the rest of the time you’re spot-on. Your machine’s gonna work. I know it will.” TIME FOR THE REAL THING Tails smiled, “Right, of course.” While holding the tube containing the letter in his left hand, he turned and walked over to his machine. When he was standing in front of it, in front of the glass part that joined the two black parts, he pressed a button on the tube, causing the glass part to slide up into the top of the machine. Tails then set the cylinder in his hand inside and pressed the button again, causing the glass to slide back down around the cylinder. He then walked back over to the computer, taking his seat and checking the systems one last time as Sonic came up to stand behind him and to his left. After a moment, Tails looked up and nodded, “Everything checks out. Here goes.” He raised his right hand and placed it on top of a lever on the panel, wrapping his fingers around the top of it. Sonic reached over and placed his right hand on top of Tails’ a moment later, Tails turning his head to smile up at him and the hedgehog returning the smile. Tails then turned to look back at the computer screen, both him and Sonic pushing the lever up together. They both let go once it was all the way up and turned their heads to look at the tube. The machine started humming as it powered up, then, a few moments later, the inside of the glass began to glow brighter. After a few seconds, electricity began to fill the inside of the tube, surrounding the cylinder on the inside. As the duo watched, the light on the inside of the machine began to change colors, likely due to the Chaos Drives and Power Cores. The light began to look more like an aurora, multiple colors appearing as the light filled the tube. Soon, it completely blocked out Sonic and Tails’ view of the cylinder inside and, after a couple of seconds, a bright flash erupted that forced them to turn away. When it died down and they looked back at the machine, they could no longer see the cylinder inside the large tube. Sonic spoke first, “Tails?” The fox turned back to his panel and typed something in. After several seconds, he replied, “I’m not picking up the signal from the transmitter. Wherever it is, it’s not on this planet anymore.” Sonic smiled, “So it’s on its way.” Tails nodded, “Yep. Just about drained the Power Cores and Chaos Drives to do it, but as far as I can tell, it worked.” Sonic said, “Twilight and her friends ought to be thrilled when they get our letter.” AS SURELY AS THE WIND BLOWS Tails replied, “Yeah.” He looked at the picture sitting on his panel, which displayed the group shot Omochao had taken at the end of Sonic’s birthday party. As expected, Sonic, Tails, Spike, the Main Six, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were front and center with everyone else gathered around them and the picnic table. The remnants of the birthday cake Pinkie had prepared could also be seen, sitting in the middle of the table. “I wonder what’s going on with them right now,” Tails thought aloud. Sonic came up behind his seat and said, “They’re probably having plenty of adventures of their own back home. I’m sure they’ll have plenty of stories to tell us next time we see them.” Tails looked back at him over his shoulder, “And we’ll have stories to tell them too, right?” Sonic nodded, “Yeah. Speaking of which, you’ve been helping with the planning for this year’s All-Stars Racing Gran Prix, right? How’s that going?” Tails replied, “It’s going well. After hearing about that whole invitation mess at the Olympics, the planning committee took no chances with the invitations to the races. Once they were all finished, they were promptly sent out. That was a few days ago; they should make it to everyone who competed last year soon.” Sonic asked, “Anyone new going to be showing up?” Tails answered, “Yep. The committee approved some of the new entrants that wanted to sign up and sent invitations to them as well. I didn’t see the full list, but it looks like we’re going to be joined by a racing superstar and your new friend Ralph.” Sonic smiled, “Sweet! He is a nice guy when he’s off the job. Maybe he’ll get to win a medal or a trophy to take home with him.” He then said, “Hey, I heard a rumor that there’s going to be water and air racing in addition to the racing from last year. Is that true?” Tails nodded, “Yeah, but don’t worry. I’ve already started on some blueprints for new racers for us. They’re at my workshop; I’ll make sure to have them ready in time.” Sonic nodded and they both looked back at the group picture. While looking at the gathering, Tails eyed the Elements of Harmony and Chip’s necklace and held a hand to his chin in thought. Sonic’s eyes moved to the side and he noticed the contemplative look on the fox’s face. “Something on your mind, Tails?” he asked. Tails lowered his hand and replied, “Sort of. Ever since that day, I’ve kind of been wondering why Chip’s necklace reacted the way it did with the Elements of Harmony. It’s like they worked perfectly with one another, like they were the same thing, which is a bit odd.” He looked back at Sonic, “Chip’s necklace isn’t an Element of Harmony, right?” Sonic shrugged, “Beats me. Chip has been around for millions of years, though. Even if he doesn’t usually take the form we saw him in when Eggman broke the planet apart, that necklace has probably been around as long as he has. And since Light Gaia represents positive traits…” Tails hummed to himself and looked back at the picture, “Is there a connection? Have the Elements of Harmony existed for longer than a thousand years? Is there more to Chip’s necklace than we know about?” Sonic said, “Well, it’ll be a while before you can get all your questions answered, Tails. But we both know somebody who can answer some of them and help you come up with theories now. Plus I’m sure he’d like to hear about what’s been going on with us lately.” Tails smiled, “Professor Pickle! That’s a great idea, Sonic!” He stood up from his chair, “Last time I talked to him, he said he was leaving Shamar and going back to Spagonia. I’m sure he’s back at Spagonia University now.” Sonic spoke, “Really? Well, let’s go pay him a visit, then.” Tails nodded, “Okay! I left the Tornado-1 at my workshop in Central City. Let’s give it some time up in the air and fly to Spagonia together.” Sonic nodded and they both left the lab, Tails locking the door behind him as they stepped outside. They both then sped through Emerald Town, turning right after they passed Tails’ house and heading into Central City. A short while later, Tails sat in the Tornado-1’s pilot seat while Sonic stood behind him on the platform on the plane’s tail. Tails guided the plane onto the start of the runway next to his workshop, stopping for a moment once it was pointed straight towards the other end of the runway. He then looked behind him and up at Sonic and asked, “All ready to go, Sonic?” Sonic held his right thumb up, “You bet. Let’s go, bro!” Tails smiled and raised his right hand up, closing it into a fist and bumping it against Sonic’s. He then faced forward, placing both hands on the sides of his Miles Electronic while Sonic held onto the handles in front of him with both hands. The fox then set the plane moving again, the plane accelerating as it started down the runway. As the Tornado-1 got closer to the end of the runway, Tails pulled back, causing the bi-plane to begin lifting off the ground. It was soon off the ground completely and heading straight up, climbing up over the low-lying buildings past the end of the runway and clearing the wire fence at the end. With the takeoff successful, Tails plotted a course for Spagonia, the Tornado-1 and its occupants flying off into the clear blue skies. ________________________________________ CELESTIA'S CHAMBER Princess Celestia was lying down on her mat in front of the fireplace in her private chamber, a quill under the influence of her magic gliding across the scroll in front of her when she heard a knock at her door. Pausing for a moment, she turned slightly on her mat so she could turn her head easier and called, “Come in.” The doors opened inward and a familiar dark blue alicorn stepped through them, the sight of her bringing a smile to Celestia’s face. “Good afternoon, sister. I hope I am not interrupting anything?” Luna wondered. Celestia replied, “Not at all, Luna. My meetings this morning turned out to be shorter than expected and I was able to finish looking over the new petitions that were brought in yesterday and decide on them, so I decided to take a little break until my scheduled afternoon appointments start.” As she spoke, she held her quill up so Luna could see. The blue alicorn eyed the quill and craned her neck to try to see what her sister had been doing. She caught a glimpse of the scroll sitting on the mat before Celestia moved slightly, blocking her view. Looking back at her sister, she asked, “Are you planning to put in a new stained glass window, Celestia?” The white alicorn’s eyes shifted down in the direction of the scroll before looking back at her little sister and replying, “Possibly.” She turned her head to look down at it, regarding her work. Her sketch depicted what the finality of Eggman and Discord’s plot might look like in stained glass form. At the bottom stood everyone who had been present at the final battle; above them, the Bearers of Harmony were enclosed by a large version of Chip’s necklace, which had Super Sonic floating in front of the necklace’s jewel. The Bearers were shooting the power of their Elements up at the jewel, all of them coalescing and exiting the jewel as a rainbow that was fired up at the Time Eater, Dr. Eggman, and Discord. After looking at it for a moment, Celestia used her magic to roll up the scroll and placed her quill back in its pot before turning back to Luna and asking, “So what can I do for you, Luna?” The younger alicorn replied, “I was wondering if you were hungry yet, Celestia. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor arrived at the castle a few minutes ago for the royal luncheon. I told them I would get you and asked an orange pegasus guard to lead them to the Royal Dining Hall.” Celestia chuckled, “Ah yes, the luncheon. I almost forgot that was today.” She stood up and walked over to her desk, picking up a scroll and tucking it under her right wing. She then walked over to Luna, “It feels like it’s been a long time since I last saw them. Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.” Luna turned and exited the chamber, Celestia following her and using her magic to pull the doors closed behind her. The guards standing at the sides of the entrance stood at attention until the two sisters left their sight, at which point they relaxed slightly. THE LUNCHEON After a short walk, the sisters arrived at the door to the Royal Dining Hall, a unicorn guard saluting and using his magic to open the door for them. They stepped inside and found Princess Cadance and Shining Armor sitting together to their left. The royal couple stood up when the two alicorns entered, Cadance happily saying, “Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna! It’s so good to see you again!” As she and Celestia walked to the other side of the table, Luna said, “Celestia and I are in agreement, Cadance. It has only been two weeks, yet it feels as though it has been much longer than that.” Shining replied, “We were actually thinking the same thing just now, Princess Luna.” Celestia chuckled as she and Luna sat down together, “I see great minds think alike.” Soon afterwards, the castle chef and an assortment of servants entered the room, the servants pushing carts that had covered dishes on them. It didn’t take long for the servants to serve the princesses and Shining Armor and, once the meal started, both sides launched into conversation about recent affairs in both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. When the four ponies got to the end of their meal, Princess Cadance asked, “So Aunt Celestia… have you heard anything from the Equestria Games Committee?” Celestia nodded, “Indeed I have, Cadance.” Using her magic, she pulled the scroll out from under her wing and levitated it over to the pink alicorn while saying, “This arrived just the other day. I believe it will explain things better than I’ll be able to.” Cadance took the scroll in her magic and unfurled it once it was in front of her. She read it to herself quietly, Shining trying to read it over her shoulder. He didn’t get far before Cadance exclaimed, “YES!” She spun around in her seat and hugged Shining tightly, “The Committee approved it! They’re going to send their inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, out to the Crystal Empire!” Shining wheezed, “That’s great, Cadance… Um, could you let go now…?” Cadance blushed and quickly released her grip on the stallion, smiling sheepishly at him and chuckling a bit. After Shining caught his breath, he gave a chuckle of his own before saying, “I’m excited too, Cadance, and I know the crystal ponies are going to be excited when they hear this, but we still need to be ready for the inspector’s arrival. Are we going to have enough time to prepare?” Cadance reassured him, “We’ll have plenty of time, Shiny. Just look at the date!” She turned the letter towards him and let him take it in his own magic while she said, “This will be great! It’ll be the perfect excuse for a spa visit, and I can even get my hair done up the traditional Crystal Empire way! We’ll be sure to give the inspector a personal tour of the Crystal Empire and give her plenty of reason for it to host this year’s Equestria Games together!” Shining lowered the letter and looked up at Cadance, “Actually, Cadance… I don’t know if I’ll be available to greet her.” Cadance looked confused, so he explained, “We just finished finalizing the training schedule for the Games, and on that day, I’m going to be coaching for the Track and Field events. I don’t know how much free time I’m going to have that day, and if you’re going to get your hair done up nice and it takes longer than expected, I’m not sure either of us will be available to greet this Ms. Harshwhinny.” Cadance held a hoof to her chin, “Oh… I hadn’t thought about that. What’ll we do if that does happen?” Luna cleared her throat, causing both Shining Armor and Cadance to turn and look at her. The Lunar Princess then said, “If I might make a suggestion, perhaps you could invite Twilight Sparkle and her friends to come to the Crystal Empire on that day. If something should come up, perhaps they can help you, whether it involves meeting with this Ms. Harshwhinny or helping to sway her approval in the Crystal Empire’s favor.” Cadance smiled, “Aunt Luna, that’s a wonderful idea! I don’t like the idea of inviting Twilight and her friends to the Crystal Empire without a good reason, and this would definitely be a good reason! It’ll even give me a chance to try something with Twilight!” Shining looked at her in confusion, “Try what?” Cadance winked at him, “Don’t worry, Shiny. During his birthday party, Sonic mentioned he noticed something about Twilight to me. I thought about what he said and I think I might be able to help Twilight deal with some of her anxiety.” Shining nodded, though he was still a little confused. Cadance then thought out loud, “Oh, it’s too bad Sonic and his friends aren’t here. They could probably help greet the inspector too, and knowing them, they’d like to compete in the Equestria Games too.” A sly smile grew on Celestia’s face and she said, “Actually, it’s probably better that they aren’t here for this.” When everypony looked at her, she explained, “If I remember correctly, Ms. Harshwhinny is a bit of a stickler and something of a perfectionist. She might not like seeing animals running around the Crystal Empire, especially if she hasn’t heard of them yet. In fact, even the sight of a dragon scale might upset her enough to make her immediately rule out the Crystal Empire as a host for the Games.” Shining raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure, Princess Celestia? That seems a bit… well, harsh for an inspector.” Celestia shrugged, “Well, that’s only what I’ve heard, Shining Armor. I’ve been at the Equestria Games in the past, and everypony I’ve talked to has told me she’s rather strict. That’s apparently the reputation she’s made for herself.” Cadance tapped her chin with her hoof, “Hmm… This might require a little bit of research. In any case, I should write a letter to Twilight and her friends to let them know about this.” She stood up and said, “Please excuse me, aunts, but I should probably take care of this now while I’m thinking about it.” Celestia replied, “Of course, Cadance. I’ve made sure to tell the maids to keep your old private keep clean in case you ever visited for an extended period of time. It should look exactly the way you remember it, so take care of what you need to while you’re here. This is still your home, and you are more than welcome in it.” Cadance nodded, “Thank you, Auntie Celestia!” Shining stood up, “I’ll go with you, Cadance. There are a couple ponies I’d like to see while we’re here anyway.” Celestia and Luna stood up as well and followed the couple to the door. The two ponies stood outside the doors while the sisters stood in the doorway, Celestia reminding them, “The next train to the Crystal Empire won’t be leaving until later this afternoon, so be sure to enjoy your time here in Canterlot, both of you. We’ll be sure to come find you when it’s closer to that time if you’ve both been gone for a while.” Both Shining Armor and Cadance thanked her and they both walked away, heading to the right down the castle hallway. Once the couple was out of sight, Luna looked up at Celestia and asked, “Why did you say that, Celestia?” The white alicorn glanced down at her in confusion, “What do you mean, Luna?” Luna answered, “You didn’t have to refer to Sonic and his friends simply as ‘animals’. And what was that comment about dragon scales for? Were you implying that this Ms. Harshwhinny does not like dragons?” Celestia turned to walk away, but motioned for Luna to follow her, the blue alicorn walking alongside her as they walked to the left down the hallway. “Luna, I do not think of Sonic, Tails, or any of their friends as mere animals, but anypony that doesn’t live in Ponyville and possibly the Crystal Empire might. And I was merely giving Cadance a possible example of how strict Ms. Harshwhinny is said to be. She’s a new inspector; all I know about her is what I’ve heard other ponies say.” ROYAL PREPARATIONS Luna said, “Surely she’d make an exception for the hero of the Crystal Empire. Need I remind you that Twilight said that Spike delivered the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance?” Celestia replied, “First of all, it was more of a group victory between Spike, Twilight, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and the crystal ponies. Twilight found the Crystal Heart, Spike took it with him, Cadance and Shining Armor worked together to get it in place, and the crystal ponies gave it its power. Second, I highly doubt my niece would not invite Spike, but ultimately, it is her decision.” Luna released a miniscule sigh as she looked forward. She then spoke, “Sister… it has been two weeks. Surely you have not forgotten what that Dr. Eggman said to you already?” Celestia tensed up slightly, but calmly replied, “I have not.” Luna asked, “So why do you continue to play these games? I admit to playing games with ponies myself, but you said you would do your best not to ‘troll’ everypony so much, especially Twilight Sparkle. When are you going to start doing that? When are you going to stop referring to Twilight as your most faithful student? She may still be growing, but she’s made a home for herself in Ponyville. Surely she’s not much of a student anymore, and I already expressed my misgivings on referring to her mission to help the Crystal Empire as a ‘test’ to you.” By this time, they had reached the doors leading to Celestia’s chamber. As she stepped in front of the doors, Celestia turned her head to look back at Luna and said, “Luna, you can be quite the worrywart yourself. Twilight still has some work to do, but soon she truly won’t be a student. As a matter of fact, I have something I need to do to help speed that along.” Luna cocked her head, “What are you planning?” Celestia winked, “That’s my secret, little sister.” Luna gave her an exasperated look, but Celestia simply turned her head and used her magic to open the doors to her chamber. Before she could pass through the doors, Luna, deciding she wasn’t going to be one-upped so easily, spoke, “Very well then, Celestia. You go do whatever you’re planning to do, and I’ll do what I’m planning to do.” She turned and started walking away as she finished, “And unlike your ‘soon’ for Twilight Sparkle, my plans will be coming to fruition tonight.” Celestia stopped at that and turned her head to look back at Luna. “Tonight…? What are you going to do, Luna?” The blue alicorn stopped and looked back over her shoulder. She then winked, “That’s my secret, big sister.” Celestia pouted and stuck her tongue out at Luna, causing the younger alicorn to giggle as she continued on her way. Celestia watched her for a moment before shaking her head and going into her chamber, closing the doors behind her. Inside, Celestia walked over to her desk, upon which sat a black book that had two stars swirling around on its cover. Celestia looked down at it for a moment before picking it up with her magic and holding it in front of her. “Star Swirl the Bearded’s spell book…” She levitated up a small, light brown parcel and a piece of parchment with writing on it, sliding both the book and the paper inside. She then sealed the flap with a red sticker and placed the address for the Golden Oak Library on the package. It was all set to be mailed out. She set the package down on her desk and looked at it. “If anypony can finish Star Swirl the Bearded’s unfinished spell, it’s you, Twilight. But first…” She turned her attention away from the package and walked over to her bookcase. Using her magic, she pulled out a book with a brown cover that she had been reading extensively and opened it to the correct page. “First we must see if what Sonic thinks can come true. We must find out if Discord can be reformed or not.” She sighed softly to herself, “But I can’t give this task to Twilight. I don’t know what Discord did to her and Sonic, and hopefully I’ll never have to know, but I don’t think she will be a good choice to be in charge of him. Whatever happened will surely still be heavy on her mind, which I cannot blame her for. Perhaps one of her friends would be a better choice. Perhaps Fluttershy can do it?” She nodded to herself, “Yes, perhaps she will be willing enough to give him another chance. Perhaps the Element of Kindness can get through to him. Either way, whether this works out or not, with this spell, the Elements will be safe from his magic, and they’ll be in Twilight’s possession.” Her eyes shifted back to the parcel on her desk, “And then, after that is done… perhaps I will be able to spend more time with Twilight, try to make up for lost time.” She turned and, while still carrying the book with her magic, headed for the chamber doors. As she passed by her mat, she sensed something and came to a stop. It felt like a strange burst of magic, similar to the one she sensed around the time the Time Eater was sent to Equestria, but much more faint. She turned her head to look at the scroll sitting on the mat, eying it for a moment before continuing on her way. “Stranger things have happened, I suppose,” she thought to herself as she left her private chamber. Meanwhile, in Ponyville SCHOOL'S OUT The bell at the Ponyville Schoolhouse rang, signaling the end of another school day for Ponyville’s little ponies. Normally, there would be ponies that left right after the bell while others were slower getting out for any number of reasons, but that was not the case today. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo found themselves flanked behind and on their sides by most of their classmates as they left the schoolhouse, though they did ease off slightly as the three fillies stepped out through the door and walked down the front steps and onto the cobblestone road. Almost as soon as they reached the ground, however, the ponies swarmed around them like they had just gotten their cutie marks, Snips crying, “Aw, come on! We want to see it!” Snails nodded, “Come on, just one little look, eh?” Sweetie Belle tapped her chin with a hoof thoughtfully, “Um, I don’t know…” Twist stepped closer to Apple Bloom and asked, “Pleathe, Apple Bloom? I thowed you my cutie mark when I got it, and you had no problem thowing uth your cutie pox cutie markth. Why can’t you thow uth your picture?” Apple Bloom replied, “Twist, just ‘cause we said ‘no’ earlier doesn’t mean we ain’t gonna show it ta y’all.” Snips whined, “Then why won’t you show us NOW?!” His question caused all the ponies to start clamoring, all of them wanting to see the picture in Apple Bloom’s saddlebags. Scootaloo finally said, “All right, calm down, everypony! We’ll show you the picture!” The other ponies cheered while the orange pegasus filly walked over to Apple Bloom and dug her head inside her left saddlebag. She then pulled her head out, her mouth gently closed around the top of a photograph. The ponies all gathered around to get a good look at it. The picture showed Sonic, Tails, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders together, Sonic and Tails standing up beside each other while the Crusaders hung on both of them. Apple Bloom was seated in the crook of Sonic’s left arm with an open mouthed smile, the hedgehog’s right thumb pointing up, while Babs was perched on his right shoulder, giving a sideways glance at the camera with a smile. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were perched on Tails’ left and right shoulders respectively, the fox holding his left hand up slightly to wave at the camera while Sweetie Belle was smiling with her mouth open and Scootaloo’s smile showed some of her teeth. After looking at the picture for a couple of seconds, Snails asked, “Uh, which one is who again?” Apple Bloom spoke first, “The blue hedgehog on the left is Sonic!” Sweetie Belle nodded, “And the two-tailed fox on the right is Tails!” Snails said, “Ah~. So you three were with them the whole time?” Scootaloo slid the picture back into Apple Bloom’s saddlebag and answered, “Well, not the whole time, but yeah, we tagged along for some of that adventure.” Snips asked, “What were they like? Were they cool?!” Scootaloo replied, “Yeah, like ice cold!” Pipsqueak asked, “Were they really friends with Princess Luna?” Apple Bloom nodded, “Absolutely!” Featherweight asked, “Did either of them fly?” Sweetie Belle smiled, “They both flew all over the place!” Rumble asked, “Was Tails Sonic’s best friend?” Apple Bloom replied, “He was like his little brother!” Twist asked, “Were Sonic’s spikes sharp?” Sweetie Belle nodded, “I was waiting for him to get stuck in something!” Shady Daze said, “They sound like big stars! Did they shine like stars?” Scootaloo grinned, “You could just about go blind looking at them!” The Crusaders’ classmates started chattering excitedly amongst themselves at these answers, the general consensus being that Sonic and Tails were amazing. Unfortunately, the excitement was interrupted by Diamond Tiara’s voice, “Are you serious?” Everypony turned to see the two rich ponies standing at the top of the steps. “All of you actually think a blue hedgehog and a two-tailed fox are great? Please!” Silver Spoon said, though given the way she glanced over at Diamond Tiara after she was finished speaking, one had to wonder if she was simply saying what her fellow earth pony wanted to hear. “What’s the big deal about them? They sure didn’t seem all that amazing to me! What did they actually do that you’re all gawking over?” Diamond Tiara snidely asked. Scootaloo spoke up, “They’re heroes, Diamond Tiara, and they saved all of Equestria along with their own world! You’re just mad because Sonic made sure your dad finally gave you what you deserve!” Most of the other ponies nodded at this. Diamond Tiara glared, “Well, yeah! I’m still in trouble with my dad thanks to that blue tattletale! My dad would have listened to me if he hadn’t been such a… such a cheater!” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow, “Cheater? That’s the best you can come up with?” Apple Bloom added, “And how did he cheat anyway, Diamond Tiara? By not bein’ a bully like you and showin’ yer dad proof that ya are? ‘Sides, ya had no right ta say what ya did about Trixie, ‘specially after she helped protect Ponyville from them dark creatures!” Diamond Tiara retorted, “So? She could still be a fraud! She always liked to talk big; I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s making plans to mess with some other town right now!” Apple Bloom replied, “Yeah, well, you don’t know that! You have no idea what she’s like now, so why don’t ya quit bein’ rude fer a change!” Scootaloo smirked, “Yeah! Isn’t that what got you in trouble with your dad in the first place?” A few giggles rose up at that. Diamond Tiara glared angrily at the Cutie Mark Crusaders, getting ready to say something. Before she could, however, Cheerilee stepped out of the schoolhouse and stopped just behind the magenta filly and Silver Spoon. She looked at her students, “Oh my! Is there something going on out here?” Her class, except for Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, answered all together, “No, Miss Cheerilee!” The schoolteacher replied, “Oh. I heard shouting and thought there was something wrong.” She was silent for a moment before she said, “Well, if anypony has anything else that they want to ask me about, I’ll be here for a little longer. Otherwise, I’ll see you all on Monday!” The ponies all nodded, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Pipsqueak, Featherweight, and Rumble turning and walking away from the schoolhouse afterwards while Twist, Shady Daze, Snips, and Snails decided to stay a little longer, all of them having thought of something to ask Cheerilee. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon decided there was no point in hanging around and started walking after the leaving ponies, their eyes focused on Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. As they got close to the end of the fences, however, the two rich ponies spotted Filthy Rich waiting along the side of the fence on their right. The business pony greeted their classmates, who returned the greeting, and then quickly intercepted his daughter, Silver Spoon slinking away to stand off to the side. While Filthy Rich was talking to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon listened in, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom said goodbye to Featherweight, Pipsqueak, and Rumble, the three colts heading for home while the Crusaders turned and walked the other way. As they walked, Sweetie Belle asked, “Hey, what do you guys think Sonic and his friends are up to now?” Apple Bloom shrugged, “Who knows? They’re probably all back to doin’ whatever they normally do and are havin’ fun.” She smiled, “And we’re gonna have fun at Pinkie Pie’s party later, right?” Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded at her. Scootaloo asked, “Hey Apple Bloom, can I have that picture?” The olive filly replied, “Sure Scootaloo, what for?” The orange pegasus answered, “I just want to take it to the clubhouse and put it somewhere safe. Sonic and Tails agreed to have their picture taken with us for our club scrapbook and I don’t want anything to happen to it.” Apple Bloom nodded, “Okay.” She turned her head and dug into her left saddlebag, soon pulling out the picture. She then walked over to Scootaloo and stuffed into her right saddlebag. She then stepped back and said, “Ah gotta go help Applejack with some work on the farm, so Ah’ll see y’all later at Pinkie’s party, okay?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded and the three fillies went their separate ways for the time being.