//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Taismo: Discovering Equestria // by RockStarMLP //------------------------------// Morning dawned following a long night of fun and entertainment in Ponyville that was the result of Tails and Cosmo’s friends finding them and the Team JAG Band performing a concert for the townsponies. The party went so late before it was time to call it a night, mainly when Twilight shared a letter she received from Princess Celestia with everyone. The Master Four agreed that it was best for everyone that were visitors to this new world should go rather than just them, Tails and Cosmo, so they decided to stay the night in Ponyville. Seeing how the library was only so big and couldn’t house an entire party to sleep, Twilight’s friends offered them all places to sleep. Applejack took all the band except Tails to sleep in the barn, telling them “There’s plenty of blankets to sleep under and hay to use as beds and pillows.” Sonic and the gang were offered to sleep at Rarity’s boutique, but they insisted that they would be fine if allowed to stay at the library, so the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Snowstar went with her instead. /)∞(\ They all slept peacefully and awoke without a problem. Some felt more tired than others but that all depended on how much they exerted themselves yesterday, except for Pinkie Pie. Those who were unfamiliar with her antics couldn’t understand a pony with so much energy, but then again, some reminded themselves of who they were and what they’ve accomplished, so they never bothered to question it. Tails, Cosmo and Twilight awoke and got themselves ready for the meeting in Canterlot, and around noon everyone else returned to the library. Applejack brought a cart full of apples to serve as a snack, to which some took no hesitation to wait before regrouping and already enjoy an apple on the walk over. The sound of a train whistle could be heard coming from a distance, most likely the Canterlot Express. “That must be the train we need to take. We better get to the station before we miss it,” Twilight said, pointing her hoof to the train station across the field from her home. “I reckon we better get a move on then,” agreed Applejack, and the ponies began to walk their way towards the station. Their guests, however, didn’t move at all, and gave them a different suggestion. “We don’t need to take the train,” Aelita said, and suggestively asked Tails “Do you think you can get us there?” “I might be able to, but it’s hard to say. I’d need to sense the right Ki to the palace to pull it off,” the fox replied. Sonic smirked to himself, but Amy noticed this. “Oh Sonic, are you going to run off on us?” she asked him, foreseeing some disappointment. “Yeah, but it will help out. He finds me, he gets the rest of you there,” the hedgehog answered. He then asked the ponies “Where is this palace anyway?” The ponies were confused by this conversation, having no idea what they were referring to. Rainbow Dash told him “Uh, it’s all the way up there,” and from where she flapped in the air, she pointed her hoof at the direction of the capital city. Sonic looked up at the distant city, placed high up on a mountainside, its towering buildings reaching higher into the sky. “Alright, shouldn’t be too hard to get there. Give me about two minutes, buddy. I’ll try to find the right spot to appear at,” he said, and before a word could be said, the superfast hedgehog raced away with a blue streak left showing his path. “Is he really going to run all the way to Canterlot? Why in all of Equestria would he want to do that?” Rarity asked confused. “That’s Sonic for you. He always wants to go for a run. You get used to it,” Rouge explained. “Um, excuse me,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sorry, I hope you don’t mind me interrupting, but we’re going to miss our train.” “Don’t worry, we don’t need to take it,” Cosmo said with a grin. “We’ll be able to get us all there without a problem.” “How do you plan to do that?” Twilight asked. “Just wait a couple minutes,” Tails answered, and so they did. The ponies were still lost about the entire idea and asked what they were planning, so Gohan explained to them about a technique his father learned and taught to a few others, including Tails. When the minutes passed, the fox tried to sense Sonic, finding him but still moving rapidly. It took a few seconds before the Ki he sensed stopped moving, and when it did he said “Alright, we’re all set. Everyone join together.” Cosmo rested a hand on his left shoulder, followed by Amy, then Ami, then Yumi, then the Master Four, then so on. Twilight set a hoof on his right shoulder, followed by Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, a concited – her way of saying confused and excited at the same time – Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom, Snowstar, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Tails took his index and middle fingers of his right hand and put them against his forehead, focusing himself in the process. In his left hand, he held the purple Chaos Emerald. “Hang on, everyone. Here we go,” he told them. As he used the technique, Apple Bloom murmured to her friends “I ain’t so sure about…” /)∞(\ “…this.” Before the yellow filly could finish her sentence, the entire ground found themselves in the royal courtyard of the Canterlot Castle. Standing behind them to get their attention was Sonic, who said “Nice places you got here. I could’ve been here in a minute flat, but a decided to take a quick look around.” Apple Bloom felt speechless for a moment after seeing herself and everypony appear in Canterlot instantly, like magic. The amazement passed through to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, all three having their jaws dropped and eyes staring around. “What happened? Did we make it?” Snowstar asked, the only pony unable to know exactly what had just happened. “Uh-huh,” Scootaloo answered, that being all she could say. “Wow! That’s a handy little technique,” Twilight said. “That was totally cool! One second we were in Ponyville, and the next second – literally the next second – we’re in Canterlot! Talk about having such a super awesome bag of tricks!” Pinkie yelled. “It has its usefulness,” Tails said, trying not to sound as much of a brag as his statement could be taken. A door into the palace then opened, a stallion stepping out in formal attire. “Twily!” The voice caught everyone’s attention, especially its familiar tone for one pony in particular. When they turned to see who it was, Twilight saw her older brother, Shining Armor, and the two ran up to greet each other with a hug. “It’s good to see you, Kid. Did you catch an earlier train?” “No, we found a different means of travel,” she replied. The group then stepped up towards them and she quickly introduced him to the non-pony visitors. “…and this is Shining Armor, my B.B.B.F.F.” When they looked at each other confused by what that meant, she broke down the acronym- “Big Brother Best Friend Forever.” “It’s nice to meet you all,” the B.B.B.F.F. said. “Twily, all the other Princesses are waiting for you. We should get to the throne room now since you’re all here.” “Of course. Lead the way, please,” she replied. “Alright. Let’s see how this goes,” Knuckles thought to himself. “The sooner it’s done, the sooner I can return to the Master Emerald.” /)∞(\ Shining Armor led the group through each corridor that led to the Princesses, with the Mane 6 giving a little tour of the sights that were seen. Even Cosmo had a couple moments to mention things she had learned in her short time there, mainly when pointing out a couple stain-glassed windows showing Equestrian history. They soon arrived at the closed doors of the throne room, and Shining Armor used his magic to open them to reveal what was inside. Two lines of Royal Guards stood from the doors to about two-thirds to the throne, half holding spears and half playing horned instruments to signify the group’s arrival. Standing on each side of the throne were Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night, and Princess Cadance, the Crystal Princess. Sitting at the center was the Princess of Equestria, Princess Celestia. The three alicorns waited in their positions as the large group walked up towards them, them stopping several feet before the throne, with Twilight and her friends standing right up at the staircase. Celestia stood up and walked down to greet her faithful subjects, who bowed to her in return, even Twilight. “It is wonderful to see you all again,” Celestia greeted them. “And there’s no need to do that anymore, Princess Twilight. I admire the respect you try to show, but being a Princess yourself, it is unnecessary.” The purple alicorn knew this, but being a peer of her former mentor was a position she was still not use to, so her action was a force of habit. “I’m sorry, Princess Celestia,” she said. The grand white alicorn smiled and replied “It is quite alright, Twilight. Now as I can see, you and your friends have brought company as I had requested. What do you say you can introduce us to your new friends?” “Of course, now where to start…” Twilight said, trying to think of how to introduce everyone. An idea then came to mind and she suggested “Perhaps we could reintroduce you to someone you already know, Princess.” She stood to the side and waved a front leg towards the Seedrian that found her way to Canterlot last week. Cosmo, with Tails following, stepped forward to greet the Princesses with a bow of respect. “Hello again, your highness,” she said. “Hello, Cosmo, and may I say how wonderful it is to see you again. I can see that your quest has found pleasing results,” Celestia said. Her eyes then turned to the new being that stood before her, stating “Am I to assume this is the one you were in search for?” “Yes he is,” the Seedrian answered. “Princess Celestia, I’d like you to meet my best friend, the man that makes my world complete, and so much more.” Tails bowed to the Princess and said “It is an honor to meet you, Celestia. I am Miles Prower.” Recalling what Twilight’s letter had named him otherwise, the Princess replied “So you are the one also known as Tails. I must say that it is a great honor to meet you after hearing so much about you from not just your loved one, but from Twilight Sparkle as well.” “Thank you, your highness,” the fox said in return. “If I may say on behalf of Cosmo and myself, although we’ve seen only a little of your world, it is a beautiful and magnificent place. You must be proud to have such subjects and peers like Princess Twilight and her friends, as we are honored to have met them.” “It is quite the pleasure. Allow me to introduce you to Princess Cadence, and my sister, Princess Luna,” Celestia said in return, and each other Princess greeted them. “It is nice to meet you,” Cadence said happily. “Yes, it is of great joy to meet you, young Miles,” Luna followed. “Perhaps you would not mind answering a question for us.” The couple looked at each other for a second, then turned back towards the Princesses. “What is your question?” asked Cosmo. “I can ask this, sister,” Celestia said to her sibling, and turned her attention back to the couple. “We have heard about trouble with dragons that took place yesterday, and how Twilight and figures of gold sent them away. Would you please explain about what happened regarding this?” Tails thought that perhaps that this question was best answered through demonstration, telling the Princesses “Let me show you,” and with a quick focus, ascended to his Super Saiyan form. “You see, I have abilities that increase my strength, such as this. It helps out when I’m in a fight against a strong enemy. But regarding Twilight, she used her magic, enhanced with this.” He then showed them the purple gem he held in his hand, it glowing brightly with Chaos energy. “I don’t think I’ve seen such a gem since the Elements of Harmony,” stated Luna. “Where did you find that?” “It’s called a Chaos Emerald,” Cosmo explained, “one of several gems that contain incredible power. Twilight combined her energy with that of the emerald to originally open a portal to send the dragons across Equestria. We had no idea that the two powers would open a path between our worlds.” “I see,” Celestia said, and her eyes looked up at the other interdimensional guests. “I must admit that such capabilities are almost predictable, but almost never shown. Thank you for showing us your great strengths to protect my subjects. Now, who else do I have the pleasure of meeting today?” The Master Four stepped forward to stand in a line before the Princesses. “Allow us to introduce ourselves, your highnesses,” Yugi said. They stood directly in front of Celestia, and then they did a different bow of respect all at once. They got down on a knee and rested an arm straight down with a fist against the ground, their heads bowing down as well. Jason spoke up and said “We are the leaders of the dimensional syndicate known as Team JAG, whose sole purpose is to maintain and protect the lives of all who wish for peace, tranquility and love in their lives. We are the four leaders of this organization, titled as the Master Four. I am Jason, and in order down the line is Ash, Gohan, and Yugi. It is our honor to meet you all this day.” “Talk about a formal introduction,” Rarity whispered to her friends from where they stood. “No kidding. They know when to mean business,” Rainbow Dash added. Twilight then told her fellow Princesses “As they said, they’re leaders of a whole team of other worldly beings, and in more ways than one. Perhaps we shall get acquainted with the others that are here as well?” “Of course, go right ahead,” Cadance said, stepping forward to stand next to Celestia. The Master Four stood back up on their feet and took the responsibility of introducing the rest of their friends that made up the Team JAG Band, and a brief summary of their origins with it. Tails and Cosmo took the liberty of introducing Sonic and the others from Mobius themselves, explaining how close they were as compared to the ponies they came to know during their time in Ponyville. Each introduced individual gave a greeting of their own to the Princesses, and the three greeted them in return. Last to be introduced was the blind little filly that hid herself behind her friends that were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Come here, young filly,” Celestia said, noticing the filly’s tried but failed attempt, in a non-demanding and elegant voice to sound kind. The filly, scared at first, slowly walked her way towards the Princess, unable to notice some ponies and Mobians in her path, but they cleared away before she would walk into them. She stopped just a couple feet in front of the Princess, and bowed her head. “Hello,... your highness. It is, an honor to meet you,” she said, a short pause of nervousness at the beginning. The white alicorn looked down at the filly, identifying her blindness when she was walking up. “What is your name, little one?” she asked. “My… my name… is Snowstar, your majesty,” Snowstar answered. “Ah yes, you’re Snowstar. Princess Twilight has mentioned you in her letter,” Celestia said. Standing from her position, Luna looked down at the blind pegasus carefully. She saw her, but what she was seeing left her baffled and asking herself “How is this possible?” over and over in her mind. This filly’s appearance, it was the mirror image of her dearest friend from over a millennium ago. It was like looking at a perfect copy of a pony long gone by mortality. There came the point where she couldn’t just keep wondering if this was real or not, and stepped forward. “Excuse me,” the Princess of the Night said as she approached the filly, “but I must ask you about your origin. Does the name ‘Snowdrop’ mean anything to you?” “You bet it does!” Pinkie Pie answerd, much to the alicorn’s surprise. “She’s the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Snowdrop… or something like that.” “I… I can’t believe it. You are a perfect reflection of her,” Luna said to Snowstar. “This is surprising beyond all belief. I never thought that she…” “Relax, my sister,” Celestia advised her sibling. “I’m confused,” Amy whispered to one of the ponies. “What is she so worked up about?” “The royal sisters there, Celestia and Luna, they’ve been around a might longer than other ponies. They’ve been around for so long, they knew ponies way back when most of Equestria didn’t exist,” Applejack explained. Rouge then stated her observation on the matter with “They’ve been around that long, huh? Well I’d like to learn their cosmetic secrets because they don’t look that old at all.” “Well of course they wouldn’t. Alicorns such as them possess magic greater than anypony else, which helps them in more ways than glorious and youthful complexion,” Rarity said to the bat, almost scolding towards what could be read as an insult. Luna kept looking down at the filly for a couple moments before finding the voice to ask “How did you meet Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends from Ponyville, young Snowstar? I don’t recall ever crossing paths with you in the town during previous visits.” Snowstar felt very uncomfortable with telling the story again, and hesitated doing so by staying silent. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stepped up around to talk to the Princesses. “It’s a long story, Princess Luna, and it’s not exactly easy for her to talk about," Scootaloo started “But the truth is she ran away from home because she was being treated so mean that she couldn’t take anymore,” Apple Bloom added. “We found her wonderin’ in my family’s orchard and helped take care of her before those dragons came out of the forest and attacked us.” “And when we were trying to escape them, everypony else found us, and that Chaos Emerald thing she had when we found her,” followed Sweetie Belle. Luna first said “I see,” and her attention, surprising to her, shifted straight from Snowdrop’s descendant to the Mobian fox. “That is when you said you ‘transformed’ yourself, correct? Was it a difficult challenge to face those monsters?” Tails shook his head no and replied “They were very simple to handle. I just became a Super Saiyan to see if they would be intimidated enough to stand down and leave, but we were wrong. The fight itself wasn’t difficult at all, compared to who I’ve faced in our past.” “What kind of enemies would that be?” asked Shining Armor. “Many enemies, honestly,” Gohan answered. “You see, part of Team JAG existing in the first place is to combat evil from all dimensions, because they too work together to try and conquer any world at any time. They serve under the title the Brotherhood of Darkness, and are led by the most dangerous rivals we ever face.” “The Metarex and Galvatron,” said Twilight. All the interdimensional visitors except Tails and Cosmo looked at the newest Princess. They didn’t know how she knew about their mechanical rivals. “Twilight, did Tails and Cosmo… educate you about them?” asked Yugi with some caution. “You… you could say that,” answered a different pony, being Fluttershy. “We, um, actually…” “We saw everything, with one of Twilight’s spells,” Rainbow said. Celestia turned towards her subjects to ask “Who exactly are you talking about?” /)∞(\ Those of Team Sonic took it upon themselves to explain about the Metarex, starting with Cosmo who had the closer connection based from the history between the vile machines and her clan. They each described about the first war where they traveled across their galaxy to fight Dark Oak, the Metarex leader, and retrieve the scattered Chaos Emeralds. When the topic of the war’s climax came up, the Master Four took over, explaining about Galvatron, some of his colleagues, and what actions they and many others have done over the years in numerous dimensions. The element of the band was explained through the Revival event over seven years ago, and how that’s been carrying on and evolving ever since. The Mane 6 knew a lot of these details already, so what new things they heard they could relate to in some ways and understood from experience, but the fillies listened in stun, and the Princesses became more and more educated of these new visitors in their world. When explanations ended, all four fillies went “Whoa” simultaneously, blown away by these stories and some of which they’d rather not believe true. “I guess that explains this Team JAG you have,” Cadance stated. “So many enemies from so many different places, it’s frightening just by the thought. How do you manage to handle it all?” “That’s part of why the Team exists,” Dan Fenton said, “to work together to stop whatever our enemies try to throw at us.” “Including our more recent events involving Dark Oak’s acquiring of the Chaos Emeralds that brought our friends to your world in the first place,” added Ash. Twilight looked up at her former teacher, who she thought as speechless if she didn’t hear the Princess say “You all clearly fight with your lives to protect those who cannot protect themselves. What you’ve shared with me, however, is not easy to take in.” “We wouldn’t imagine how it could,” Jason told her. “What we can assure you is that the battles happen, but not every moment of every day, only when occurring. From what we’ve learned from your peer and subjects, you have similar circumstances as well.” “Yes, we have. Embodiments of chaos, love-hungry armies, tyrants from the shadows, just to name a few. But never were there events with such immensity and magnitudes as yours,” Celestia replied. Luna felt uneasy about learning all of this, and addressed her older sibling with great concern. “This is a threat to Equestria, my sister. Our worlds now connected opens everypony to untold dangers and horrors.” “What are you saying, Princess Luna?” asked Scootaloo. “She’s saying that the connection between our worlds, mainly Mobius and Equestria, puts everypony at risk,” Celestia answered. “We wouldn’t allow something like that to happen. The Brotherhood only knows of worlds with those that go to them because of common ground. Even with how we socially network throughout all worlds, they wouldn’t find you without someone here wanting to find them,” Gohan said. “Or if someone here does something evil and diabolical that gets their attention,” added Knuckles. “Don’t be sayin’ stuff like that. We’ve had our share of bad ponies in the past, but none of them as vile as that Brotherhood you’re fightin’,” Applejack told the echidna. “I’m just being honest. If there’s something or someone here powerful enough,…” “Man, Knuckles, relax about that, will ya?” Sonic interrupted. “We wouldn’t let them get anywhere near here.” A timid Snowstar asked “How… how would you? If they’re that bad… would they try to beat you?” “Yeah, they can try, but fail,” the hedgehog replied confidently. “But it doesn’t change the potential risk on Equestria’s safety, and without the Elements of Harmony,…” Luna was saying, but stopped after mentioning the Elements. Celestia’s thoughts built up as most of the group shared more opinions about this. The Changelings, Sombra and Discord were difficult enough when confronted, more so with Nightmare Moon, but the sound of this Brotherhood could mean untold horrors like her sister said. Even recalling meeting Cosmo didn’t give her a fully trustworthy decision to follow through with. She knew there was only one source to turn to and consider what the best mindset of this is. “Twilight,” the white alicorn said, “you and your friends have been closest to our guests more than anypony else. You know them and where they come from the best. What do you think of all this?” This was more than just Celestia asking for a suggestion. This was one Princess seeking the wisdom and guidance of another. In the past, Twilight was always trusted to know what she was doing with only one or two times where the older Princesses would act as a guiding force, or a story’s occasional deus ex machina, but now, it takes a new level of importance. She looked upon her friends for mental inspiration, then the fox they found crash outside of their home of Ponyville, and then the flower girl who found them. The week’s memories and events, they formed a chain in her conscious. Something sparked for the first time since when the six Elemental ponies came together and reformed Nightmare Moon into Luna. “Princess Celestia, I think… no, I know, that we shouldn’t have to worry,” Twilight said. The entire group’s attention focused on her, the purple alicorn explained her stance, with the help of her five best friends. “After getting to know Tails and Cosmo throughout this last week, we have learned so much about what other worlds have to offer. More importantly, we learned more about them, who they are and how they treat life like we do. They became more than misplaced Mobians in our world- they are others who we can trust, and have respect for. Regardless that there are threats from where they are from, or their greater levels of threat, these new friendships we made are more important.” “Yessir,” Applejack went on to add. “That couple is mighty wonderful company to be with.” “Yeah, and they tried helping out with what we do a few times. And the way Tails fought those dragons, they know how to handle trouble, and be awesome doing it,” Rainbow Dash followed. “And how they acted with us, and especially with the friends who had found them here, it’s a kind of friendship that reminds me of my own friends that I’m surrounded with every day,” Rarity stated. “Totally. I mean, sure there are big mean bad guys where they’re from, but they don’t let them get to them. In fact, they deal with so much so often and still enjoy the best times of life,” added Pinkie Pie. “Anyone who is as loving and respectful as they are would never bring trouble to anyone else,” Fluttershy said. Twilight then spoke again, saying “I strongly disbelieve that getting to know our new friends, all of them, has left Equestria in danger of new enemies. What we have discovered is a brand new connection with new friends, and from we’ve come to know, there are many new discoveries we have yet to scratch the surface to learn.” She paused from facing her fellow Princesses, and turned to stand by and speak to Tails and Cosmo. “After learning about what these two mean to those they care about, what they mean to each other, and how we’ve come to mean to them, I wouldn’t want to send them away with no hope of returning. Whatever possible threat there could be against Equestria, I know we all can handle it, and we know we have great friends to stand by our side to help us, just as they know we would for them.” Cosmo hugged the purple alicorn when she stopped speaking, with Tails finding himself and the two being surrounded by the other five ponies. A strong bond was being displayed between the two and six, and Celestia and her peers listened with much consideration. When the hug broke, the majestic white alicorn said “If that is your case, my little ponies, I look forward to see what great things may come.” The eight of them were very happy to hear her say that, and the same with the fillies and the couple’s friends, but Celestia wasn’t finished speaking. “However, I would still like some time to think about this myself. I have no doubts in what I’ve come to learn about Tails, Cosmo, and all those new who stand before me, but as my sister has said, I must think of what’s best for my little ponies. I must ask that I take some time to consider everything I’ve come to learn and view to see if I have any reason to reconsider. In the mean time, I will not forbid our worlds from interaction, and those of Team JAG are more than welcome to return to Equestria, whenever they please.” The Master Four all kneeled to the ground as they did before, with Jason telling the Equestrian ruler “Thank you, Princess Celestia, and you may take all the time you wish to think. We will honor and respect any choice you feel is best, as we have with all others.” When the four stood back up, the Princesses each nodded and smiled at their respect. With a brief moment of silence passing, Snowstar decided to ask “So, what should we do now?” “I know,” Tails answered, and he and Cosmo looked at each other with the same desire in mind. “It’s time for us to leave and go back home.” “Yes,” Cosmo agreed, and looked back at all their friends from home and the band. “If it’s alright with you, we’d like to make a trip back to Ponyville first.” /)∞(\ After bidding farewell to Celestia, Luna and Cadance, Tails used instant transmission to get the large group back to Ponyville, arriving at the library. From there, all the ponies but Twilight and the fillies raced off to finish last-second errands, but not before everyone agreed to meet at the band’s stage as the Master Four would reopen a portal to Mobius to start cleaning away their belongings. Only two hours would pass, but given all the time they spent in Canterlot it was the late afternoon by the time the entire group gathered again at the field under Rainbow Dash’s home. Phineas and Ferb’s handy work already got the entire stage and all the band’s equipment through the portal, which then shrunk down just large enough to fit a few people at a time. Even with heavy hearts beginning to show their weight, the time for farewells had come. “Well that’s everything,” Sonic said. “Guess it’s our turn to get going.” The band decided to go ahead and leave first, each of them having a moment to say a goodbye and their thanks to the ponies. Aelita went through first as she said “It was great meeting you all. We’ll see you soon!” Phineas was next, saying “Thanks for the great time. We definitely need to do this again soon.” Ferb briefly added “Without Chaos Control next time,” and the two waved goodbye and exited. “Thanks a lot for helping Tails and Cosmo out. I’d love to stay longer, but I have a wedding to get back to planning,” Kim told them. Ron followed that with “The most ‘booyah’ wedding ever I must add. But seriously, you ponies are the coolest ponies ever. Thanks for hosting our first show with the band!” The couple then made their way through the portal. “I don’t think the girls back home are going to believe this one,” Dan chuckled to himself. “It’s been fun. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you soon.” Ami decide to share some culture with them, by speaking in her native language. “Subete no kawai poni arigato arigato!” Yumi, deciding to stick with universal speaking, added “You ponies rock. It’s been a jam!” With that, the musical duo left. The Master Four looked towards Team Sonic, imagining that they would be next, but they were wrong. “Would you please mind going back before us?” Amy asked them. There was an initial confusion about it, but only for a couple seconds, not being a big deal for them. “Sure, we’ve got to maintain the portal back on Mobius anyway,” Yugi said, which was technically true. He was the first of the four to say goodbye, telling the ponies “It was a real honor meeting you all. I can’t wait to come back and see you all again.” “I think that’s a mutual feeling,” Gohan added, with some humor. “Thanks for everything you’ve done. This is a very special world you have here.” A couple ponies tried to argue that, but Ash interjected with “You do have a great world, and you should be proud of it, just like with each other. I’d wish we could stick around and see more, but there are other worlds that still need our attention.” Jason, the last of the four, said “This new discovery may lead to great things, and after this last day, we sure hope for it. Thank you, ponies, thank you.” He then looked towards Team Sonic and told them “We’ll keep it open as long as you need,” and then stepped through the portal itself. This just left the groups of Equestrians and Mobians together. It was also the most difficult time of this farewells, seeing how close how the most well-known couple of multiple dimensions came with the ponies. Sitting near the portal were the covered and carefully placed outfits they were given, and the purple Chaos Emerald on top of them. Judging by what the ponies had in tow, those extra items would be coming back to Mobius with them. Quiet was the environment surrounding them at first, for perhaps a good minute, before a pony was first to speak. “It’s been some kind of week,” said Twilight humorously, “wouldn’t everypony agree?” “Eeyup,” Applejack said, mimicking her brother. “You have no idea,” Knuckles said, referring to the events away from Equestria. “But it’s been great here, nonetheless. This is a pretty cool place, definitely worth a good run some time,” Sonic added. Everyone chuckled, and the Mane 6 then turned their attention to Tails and Cosmo. They all felt happy that things worked out for the couple, but their eyes still looked sad. “I guess… I guess this is goodbye,” Pinkie Pie said, herself starting to cry as she used a handkerchief to clean tears from her eyes. “Calm down, Pinkie,” Rainbow said, sounding, and acting, as the most collective of the ponies. “It’s not like it’s a goodbye forever.” “Right,” Tails said. He had to clear his throat right after, claiming something had ‘gotten caught’ on it. “Listen, everypony, I just wanted to…” He paused for a moment, unsure of how to exactly say what he was thinking. “I can’t thank you enough for everything, and I mean everything, you’ve done for us. “You welcomed us into your homes and into your lives. You helped heal me back to normal and tried to find Cosmo for me. I don’t think I know where we could begin to repay you for everything you’ve done for us. We couldn’t have been luckier to have been brought to such a great world and immediately meet amazing, amazing new friends like you. Thank you.” “Come on, Tails,” Twilight told him, “you know you don’t need to thank us. We were happy to help however we could.” “And I’m sure that if the shoe was on the other hoof… or foot, given anatomy… that you would do the same for us if we appeared in your home,” Rarity added. “Of course we would, but we still,…” Cosmo started to say, but she felt a small break in her emotional wall, and started to gently cry tears. “I can’t tell you how lucky my life has been when I find myself in new worlds, and so many great people have helped me. Thank you all so much, for keeping me and my closest friend somewhere that felt so much like home.” She felt Amy and Cream step up to each side of her, comforting their once missing friend. “If there is anything Tails and I could every do in return, please, please don’t stop from asking. More importantly, thank you for being who you are, and such wonderful friends.” Most of the ponies began to act the same as her, except for Rainbow Dash, who tried to shake off the ‘sappy’ attitude she kept trying to hide. Fluttershy spoke next by saying “We were happy to help, and we’re more than happy to have met you, and meet so many who care about you as well.” She then stepped forward, and presented the couple a small gift. “Here. This is a pack of seeds from flowers at my home. I know how much you love gardening, so, if you would want to, you can add these to your own home garden.” She gave the packet to Cosmo, and following her, each pony stepped forward to give additional gifts. “I figured you wouldn’t mind a Sweet Apple Acre apple bushel, and along with a recipe for the Apple family famous apple pie,” Applejack said, giving her gift next. “Just don’t be plantin’ any apple seeds or I might lose your business,” she added as a good joke. “I couldn’t help but put these together when I was creating my masterpieces that are your new attires,” Rarity followed, giving them each some jewel-encrusted accessories. “Here’s a nice little neck tie for Tails, and for you, Cosmo darling, a diamond-embroidered handkerchief.” “And here, I asked the Cakes if you could take this back with you to share,” Pinkie Pie said, handing them a big square box. “It’s our new mega-fudgy-triple-chocolately-icing-smotheredly-fruity-sweetly-tasty-surprisely cake! It’s a brand new recipe, inspired by you, and this is our first one. And I didn’t even taste it- Pinkie Promise.” Next was Rainbow Dash, holding her ‘sappiness’ back still, handing them something everypony couldn’t believe – a sealed jug of the Apple family’s cider. “I couldn’t really decide on what to give you. I tried to get an extra copy of the latest Daring Do book, but I figured you’d already be getting a book. This is some reserve cider Applejack gave me last cider season, the last of a few really. Here, you two enjoy it.” Lastly was the Princess of the group, who used her magic to levitate a book up and hand it to Tails. The cover read ‘Equestria: The History Made.’ “It was my own copy when I was first Celestia’s student. I read that book so much I know it from cover to cover. I have a spare book in the library, and this one also has a bunch of notes I’ve taken for years. I figured, since you showed us your history, maybe until next time, you can read about ours,” she told them. She felt her faithful assistant nudge at her leg, reminding her to add “Oh, and Spike put a little something extra in there for you, too.” Tails opened the front cover to reveal not only a few sheets of notes Twilight mentioned, but a couple pictures as well. They were from the times in the library- one of the couple on the balcony, one with them and the alicorn researching, one with them and her having a laugh, and lastly, a group photo, from the party Pinkie through when the couple reunited. Tails and Cosmo were in the center, surrounded by all of the Mane 6. The two looked at all the gifts they were given, and couldn’t say a word. They really didn’t know what to say for that matter, other than what they already have. Amy, Cream and Cheese took the stuff to set aside as the couple stepped forward to the ponies. Cosmo then wrapped her arms around Twilight and Fluttershy, the first two in front of her, and hugged them tightly. “Thank you so much. You’re all such wonderful friends,” she said, trying not to break out in full force tears. Tails stepped up behind his beloved to share the same thought. “This means so much to us. You all mean so much, to all of us. Thanks, guys.” He then found himself being surrounded by Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity, and shared a hug themselves. It then morphed into Tails and Cosmo being in the center as the Mane 6 surrounded them in one big hug. There was no holding back any tears that wanted out, all of them overwhelmed with such happiness. Sonic and the gang then got around the one big group to form an even larger group hug, saving the gesture from Sonic and Knuckles who respectively stood at each side. “Thanks for watching out for them. It was really cool of you,” Sonic told the ponies. “Thank you all so much,” Cream followed, with Cheese adding “Chao!” “You’re not bad, girls, not bad at all,” added Rouge. “I hope we get to meet with you again. We have to repay you someday,” Amy told them. “Maybe someday. Until then, thanks. You guys are alright,” Knuckles said. All of a sudden, Spike and the fillies got in front of the whole group, with an Equestria-styled camera set up. Spike positioned himself to take a picture as the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Snowstar told the group “Come on, everypony, smile…” The group stood still just long enough for a bright flash to occur. And then, they took their leave. Sonic, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Knuckles and Rouge were first, also offering to take the couple’s gifts through the portal for them. More specifically, the echidna took the emerald to avoid it getting turned into a bat’s new ring. Tails and Cosmo were a step away from home, but not before turning back one more time to see Princess Twilight Sparkle approach them. Out of their respect, they bowed before her. “Thank you, your highness, for everything you’ve done for us,” Tails said to her. Twilight just smiled appreciatively and replied “You’re very welcome, and thank you for what you’ve done for us as well. We look forward to seeing you all again, very soon.” Both Tails and Cosmo decided to give Twilight one last hug, to which she returned with just as much care. When it broke, the couple looked into each other’s eyes and held their hands together as they took the first step through the portal. Cosmo turned back to say “Goodbye, everypony!” and waved to them. Everypony just watched as their two newest friends, and their two closest friends from a new world, vanished through the dimensional portal as they waved as well. Just as the couple crossed through to return to their home, the bright portal shrank and closed itself behind them, ending the first of many adventures between Tails, Cosmo and Team JAG with the Mane 6, Ponyville, and all of Equestria.