Miles had all but forgotten this feeling…
The whipping breathe of the cold breeze that rippled through his fur.
The dance with death each time he narrowly collided with some sort of debrie.
The complete and utter freedom of going where he wanted, how he wanted.
Running was amazing.
It was something that he had done all the time when he was younger. You know…when HE was still around. The two of them would run, run, run, and just keep running. Both to and from danger. According to Sonic, there’s no problem that running couldn’t solve.
Of course his logic was terribly flawed, and on more than one accounts running got them into more trouble. Despite that however, he wished he could hear that flawed logic once again if only for a fleeting chance.
The fox yelped with surprised as he narrowly missed an oversized rock. He shook his head and berated himself wholeheartedly. “Focus Miles! Stay frosty Focus! Distraction can only get you messed up…or killed. Rule number one in Sonic’s guide to freedom hand book.” Miles sighed. “Of course the only other rule was have fun with it.” He grumbled but smiled all the same. “Stupid hedgehog…”
Miles jumped into the air, grabbing a low hanging branch when he did so. He flipped once upon it before letting go, and landing on the same branch with relative ease. From there he jumped from tree branch to tree branch, swinging, bounding and flipping his way through the forest. It wasn’t long before he jumped into a large clearing, landing with a role as to not hurt himself.
Regaining his bearings he looked around the area, finding that he had indeed reached the end of the forest. He glanced around shifting through his bag, pulling out the map that Zacora had given him. “Let’s see…That rock formation is there…meaning that I came from the west entrance of the Everfree instead of the south one. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings…” He looked towards a random direction. “Ponyville is then that way I assume…”Shifting the map back into his back he set at a slow walk, enjoying the scenery. So distracted was he that he failed to notice a cyan object quickly blasting towards him until it was too late
“Gang way!!”
Miles watched as something hard came crashing down upon him. It didn’t hurt him badly, he had been hit with things way harder, but the force still sent him careening to the ground none the less. When he next awoke from his daze he found something very soft and fluffy blocking his field of vision. He reached up and gripped it slightly feeling the texture of what landed on him. When he did he heard a slightly moan, silence and then a yelp as whatever it was jumped high into the air.
“What the hey you pervert!”
A female voice?
Miles sat up and rubbed the back of his head to find a very angry pony looking down at him. She was cyan if fur color and her mane every color of the rainbow. Upon her flank he noticed a cloud with a lightning bolt the same color as her mane upon it. His eyes drifted back up and found she had piercing glare within her magenta eyes, the focus of which was directed towards him.
“P-Pervert?” Miles said groggily. “What do you…?” His voice trailed off before noticing that she was hovering into the air with a set of wings, her forehooves behind her back as she rubbed at a certain spot. Miles looked at her, and then to his hand, then back at her, then back to his hand. His eyes widened in understanding and his countenance went from confusion to dread in no time at all. “O-Oh…” He quickly stood up and raised his palms in the air in a defensive manor. “I-I didn’t mean to I swear!”
“Yeah right perv!” She eyed him with a scrutinizing eye before speaking again. “Who are you anyway? What are you?”
“M-Miles…Miles Prower. I’m a fox.”
The cyan mare raised an eyebrow “A fox? You look more like a slightly better version of a diamond dog...” She landed on the ground and began to inspect him closely, circling around him with squinted eyes. When she was behind him she noticed the two big fluffy tails resting heavily upon the ground. “What’s with the freaky two tails thing anyway?”
Miles’s eye twitched. While he was feeling bad about what he had did to her that didn’t stop him from being annoyed by the question. “It’s not freaky…I was born with them. See?” Miles moved his tails upon and down, both moving the opposite of each other in the process. “Besides who are you to say anything Rainbow Butt.”
“That’s Rainbow Dash!” The mare huffed. “And I was born with my mane and tail like this! Very rare but more normal then having two tails!”
The fox looked away with folded arms and began to walk off. He really didn’t have time to deal with this crazy pony all day. “Well I can see you’re ok despite that god awful flying you did so I’ll just be off. Later!”
“Hey! I’m not done with you yet! You didn’t even apologize for groping my flank!” She caught up to the now agitated fox hovering above him. “Besides I was distracted by your fluffy white orange butt! That’s why I crashed!”
“Really?” He gave a smug smile. “Is my butt that amazing?” He asked, cutting his eyes towards the mare.
“W-What! NO! That’s not what I meant!” The mare glared at him. “Say you’re sorry dang it!!”
“Ok Sorry! Happy now?”
“That didn’t sound like you meant it!”
“Well take it however you want!”
“No way! Make a real apology or I aint leaving!”
“Then you’d better be getting use to my company!”
Both mare and fox huffed and looked away. They both of them walk/flew, muttering silent curses under each other’s breaths as they slowly made their way to Ponyville.
~
Chip pressed himself against the window along with a pink mare with a deep pink mane. A set of balloons plastered on the sides of her flank. Both were playing a game of Super Eye Spy, which both were terrible at.
Twilight took the time to once again go over the letter she had received via Spike mail.
Dear Twilight Sparkle
I have gone over you letter you have sent me and found it in my best interest to have you come here to Canterlot so that I may speak with your new friend so that I may talk with him as well. If what he says is true then I fear for the country of Equestria. Please come As soon as you are able to my dearest student.
Also I have somebody here that I would like you to meet as well. I was told she and her companion had just woken up not too long ago. I do believe, in some way, that the little creature and the one I have found are connected somehow. I will speak with her and then when you come I will with him.
Your Princess
Celestia of Equestria
Twilight looked over to the small creature focusing in on he and Pinkie’s conversation.
“Well I think we can stop this game…Everything is moving too fast.”
The pink mare sighed. “Yeah…but it was a good Ideal anyhoof. Well what do you want to play next?”
Chip thought for a long hard moment. “Well we played eye spy in every compartment in the train. Then we played eye spy in the sky. Eye spy far away and Eye spy up close…what else can we do?”
“Hmmm Party?”
Twilight huffed. “No Pinkie Pie. He had one already back at Ponyville. Besides seeing you two have a sugar rush inside of a confined space is not good for my heart.”
The lavender mare looked towards the little being. “So tell me, what is your world like? How different is it from this one.”
Chip placed a finger on his chin as he looked upwards. “Well, for starters, we live in the land of the sky. It big and beautiful and…lots of green forest and what not. There are Cities and towns like the Capital and Saigonia with big buildings and everything.”
Fluttershy, who had been listening intently, rose a hoof up as if she was in a class room. “Um…and the animals?”
Chip smiled. “Well…I guess it’s the same here. Bunnies and pigs and the norm.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You’re not considered animals there?”
“No. Their Mobiens. They walk and talk and everything.”
“So…what type of animals make up you Mobiens?” Twilight inquired.
“Well…cats and dogs. Pigs. Hedgehogs. Honestly any animal here you can think of, a Mobien can be one.” Chip fluttered towards the pink mare landing in her curly mane. “There are horse type Mobiens too, though they don’t look like you.”
“Oh. So you have, ahem, Ponies as well? Are their unicorns and pegasi?”
“Didn’t see a pegasi, but I did see a unicorn once. I think his name was…Rock Black…Pretty cool guy.”
Pinkie looked up at him. “What about you? You keep saying their and them but you never refer to yourself as one of them or they. Arn’t you a Mobien as well?”
Chip seemed to deflate a little at the pink ponies question. “I…um…that is…I’m a Gaia. We were little fairies that made their home in the Land of Darkness.” He gripped the pink ones hair a little tighter. “That is…until Robotnik came.”
Twilight vaguely remember hearing that name come from the little guys mouth back at Fluttershy’s and could tell by his tone that she may have struck a nerve. Still, her carious nature got the best of her. “What…happened? Did he do something?”
“We…we were the first of his victims when he took over the Land of Darkness. He destroyed our villages and our homes and…and…” He looks away. “Only a few from my clan survived. We made sanctuary in the Land of the Sky. I was…alone though. My family nowhere to be seen…”
Fluttershy’s eyes were full of tears as she pulled Chip into a loving embrace. “Oh, I’m so sorry you poor dear.”
“Wow!” Pinkie exclaimed. “He really sounds like a big old Mean McMeaniepants!”
Chip chuckled as he snuggled into Fluttershy’s hooves. “It’s ok though because that’s when Tails and Sonic took me in.” Chip smiled lightly. “They were like bothers to me. They always told me about their adventures, even took me on a few.”
“They really sound like nice…um…Mobiens.” Twilight said with a smile.
“Yep! I was lucky to find friends like them.” He looked down. “I…I hope Tails is alright…He was caught in the blast too and…”
Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. “I’m sure he’s just fine. If he is as cool as you say he is then no doubt in my mind. Besides I have to throw him a party! No! Make that two parties! One for introducing him to Ponyville and one for reuniting with your brother!”
Chip slipped from Fluttershy’s grasp, any sad atmosphere gone in a instant. “Oh! Oh! There has to be cake! I like cake! Chocolate’s my favorite!”
“Oh! Mine too!” Pinkie beamed brightly. “We can have chocolate fudge and chocolate brownies and chocolate pie!”
“And chocolate cupcakes and chocolate éclairs and chocolate milk!” Chip continued.
“And lots and lots of chocolate candy bars!” They both finished laughing uproariously.
Twilight turned away placing a hoof over her stomach. “I already feel the tummy ache…”
Fluttershy giggled before placing a comforting hoof over the lavender unicorn’s shoulder.
~
Shadow awoke with a start, franticly looking around the room when he did so. Finding himself in a warm comfy bed, he sighed with relief. Memories of last night came back to him slowly. The night out on the town with that alabaster mare with the bouncy purple mane had been, to him, the most tiring thing he could have ever done in his life. It didn’t help matters that Knuckles had been heckling him the whole time whenever Rarity had left them to themselves. Shadow gritted his teeth. Revenge could wait until they were far enough away from any of those beings to know.
He slipped himself from the bed, and after a quick shower, the black hedgehog slipped his cloak boots and gloves on. He really did have to admire the work the mare had done on his clothing. No longer where they dingy and dirty as they once was before, each one was cleaned and pressed, the cloth feeling like new against his black fur. He had refused any money compensation, much to Knuckles displeasure, and had grudgingly agreed for her to work on his old clothing instead.
“The mare is good…” He said to himself before turning around facing the red echidna sleeping peacefully on a nearby chair. He frowned before making his way to his friend and with a swift kick, forced him to wake up sharply and none to friendly. “Wake up Echidna. We’re leaving.”
With the frailing of arms Knuckles fell to the floor, landing lopsidedly upon his chin. “What the hey Shadow!” he got to his feet and stared a hole through the hedgehog. “You couldn’t wake me up normaly!?”
“Hmm…I could have but it’s a pain to do so.” He turned for the door. “We need to get going. Find the others. And then go home.”
Knuckles his tied limps. “Not sticking around for your girlfriend eh?”
Shadow flinched as he reached for the door. “She was helpful but I would rather not waist time on a drawn out goodbye.” He paused. “And another girlfriend remark from you and you’ll see just how much of my kindness has been drained.” He opened the door and steped outside to find a white mare reaching up to knock on his door.
“Oh! Your awake I see.” Rarity beamed brightly. “I was just comeing to get you. Brakefast is being served down staries. Would you like to accompy me?”
Before shadow could utter a word Knuckles brushed past him. “I’m all for that! Lets eat!”
The irritated hedgehog watched as the echidna made his way to the stare way. “I’m going to kill him…”
“Oh come now. It’s the least I can do for you after saving my life.”
He looked back towards the mare as she looked up at him. Her eyes shined brightly under the brightness of the light above them. With a low growl he stormed off towards the direction Knuckles was heading. “Fine…but this is the last favor…”
“Wonderful.” Rarity mused. “Mayhap you could tell me a little about yourselves as well while we dine. You barely said a thing last night.”
Shadow only grumbled as he looked away. This was going to be a long day.
~
Miles gaped as he watched Zecora trot coolly towards him. His mind slowly but surely trying to wrap around the fact that she was even there at all. He had left her, in the dust back at the Everfree. He wanted to ask her, he needed to ask her where the heck did she come from, but the words could not form in his mouth what so ever. All he could do was stand dumbfounded, mouth agape.
Zecora, ignoring his gaze, calmly made her way to the fox and closed his mouth . “Beware of open maws. A bug flying into it will produce many ha’s.” She smiled as she turned to Rainbow Dash. “I see that you two have met. That’s good, so now we can get this over with.”
The cyan mare looked between the two of them. “Wait? You’ve met before.”
“In a word, yes. He came crashing into my house, and I welcomed him as a guest.” Zacora smiled lightly.
Rainbow looked at the fox threateningly. “Right…so If you know him then I’m outta here. Only stayed so that he wouldn’t cause any more trouble…” She turned away. “Or grope any more mares.”
That brought him out of his stupor. “What!? I said it was an accident! Besides I didn’t know what I was grasping. He turned away. Besides, for all I knew it could have been a big fluffy pillow filled with bricks.”
“Was that a compliment or an insult?!” Rainbow yelled.
“I’ll let you figure it out…” Miles said with a smirk. He didn’t know why, but he enjoyed getting a rise out of her.
The mare glared at the fox before turning about. “Whatever! I’m leaving!”
Before she could however, Zecora stepped on her tail and kept her from going too far. “I am sorry Rainbow Dash, but I must insist. Stay a while and assist.” She looked towards a giant tree that looked more like a home then anything. “I could not find Twilight anywhere nearby. For where did she leave, and why.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I think she Pinkie and Fluttershy went to Canterlot. Something about meeting the Princess. I would have gone but I had weather duty today. Applejack is busy with Sweet Apple’s and Rarity is in Phillydelphia.”
“I see…” Miles waked a ways off. “Well I’ll be heading to Canterlot then. Its where I needed to go anyway.”
“Well your outta luck fox boy.” Rainbow quipped. “Next train doesn’t come for another hour. Besides why do you need to see Twilight.”
Miles thought for a moment. “That’s classified.” He turned to Zecora, ignoring groan of irritation. “Which way is Canterlot?”
Zecora pointed in the distance. “It is a mountin side castle. Missing something like that is no hassle.”
He smiled and nodded before taking up a runner’s position. “Right. Later Zecora.”
Rainbow gaped. “What? You planning on running the whole way there?” She smiled smugly. “It would do you better to wait and take the train.”
The fox looked towards the mare before a smile played across his lips. Without a word he blasted off, creating a backlash of wind when he did so. Rainbow was nearly thrown into the sky at the sheer impact of the g-force of the wind the fox created. When the dust settled down, all she could see left of him was an orange dot disappearing in the distance. She stared for a moment longer before taking to the skies.
“Hey! Come back here!”
Zecroa shook her head as she watched the two of them leave. “This should be quite the interesting tell, I just hope that all goes well.”