Alright friends, it is time to move onto the next chapter. Shadow and Twilight are winning, and their poll will close next chapter. Now, remember, the "Tails Pairing" poll is CLOSED! However, there WILL be a new poll opening up soon! This is for the "Boss Fight" on "Hearts and Hooves Day" between Queen Chrysalis and Spike!
These are the two choices I have up.
Choice S. The Metal Sonic Rival Fight from "Sonic Generations" (Letter by title: Stardust Speedway remix)
Choice N. The theme of Metal Sonic from the Arcade "Sonic the Fighters", (Letter by title: Never Let It Go)
The choice is yours!
The next couple of weeks went by relatively normally-except for the time Twilight went crazy freaking out about not writing a friendship report. Of course, when Twilight started going about creating a problem to learn about and writing a friendship report to Princess Celestia about, Spike did what he later called "the logical" thing and wrote Princess Celestia about it. She later decreed that everypony-not just Twilight-would write her a report when they learned something about friendship.
Shadow the Hedgehog later admitted to Spike that (though he had remained straight-faced the entire time) seeing the normally-calm mare freaking out was kind of amusing, though not to the point where he found humor in her fears-as unfounded as they were.
Gilda the Griffon had remained in a coma after falling unconscious and was still in the Ponyville Hospital-though Rainbow Dash and Sonic visited her daily. With the words "Metal Empire" coming from her mouth before her coma-all of Equestria was on high alert for signs of Metal Sonic.
While everypony would have loved to tear that infernal machine apart (especially the griffon civilizations after the "unfounded" attack on one of their own), no one had spotted any sign of Metal Sonic.
Today, however, everypony (and Echidna, Hedgehog, or Fox) was decorating the town. Twilight was dressed up as Starswirl the Bearded, Spike...wasn't dressed except in his shorts, cape, and jacket. Sonic was dressed like a vampire-too many 'memories' to even consider being a werewolf, Rainbow Dash was dressed like one of Nightmare Moon's Shadowbolts, and Shadow was in his everyday outfit.
"So what is this holiday? It kinda looks like Halloween." Sonic said, and Tails ducked behind a building when he saw a decoration of a ghost. He had dressed as a mad scientist. Fluttershy-who Tails had gotten out of her house-was no better-as she was cowering behind everything she could find-the timid mare did not have enough courage to face her fears on a night named after an evil version of Princess Luna. She didn't even dress up.
"I don't know what Halloween is, but tonight is Nightmare Night. A night where young foals go house-to-house to get candy, and we leave candy behind as an offering so Nightmare Moon doesn't eat us." Rainbow Dash said.
"So basically it's this dimension's version of Halloween." Shadow said, as Pinkie suddenly jumped up behind the group yelling loudly-trying to frighten somepony. Shadow, however, just stood there with an "are you serious?" look on his face, especially after glancing at her chicken costume.
Scootaloo, however, had dressed as a werewolf-on Sonic's suggestion, and had gone off trick-or-treating with a chaperoned group of foals her age, including Sweetie Bell and Applebloom.
"By the way, we know about Fluttershy, but what's wrong with Tails?" Twilight asked watching the two hiding underneath a table.
Sonic frowned before spotting what had scared Tails so badly. "That explains it." Sonic said, pointing at the decoration, "He's afraid of ghosts, it's like my fear of being underwater-but I think I may have accidentally caused that fear."
This caused Shadow to raise an eyebrow. He had hung around the intelligent fox-and was impressed by his IQ score of 300, but he had never heard of Tails' fear of ghosts....though he did see that Tails was afraid of lightning.
"What do you mean, 'accidentally caused it'? How can you make someone afraid of ghosts?" Twilight asked.
"Well.....it was some time ago-one year after I met him." Sonic said, "We were traveling across Angel Island after stopping Eggman's 'Death Egg' from launching and he was trying to repair it. There was a desert-like area called Sandopolis Zone...and we had to explore a temple...."
Flashback
Sonic stopped as he saw a small, cute-looking ghost floating above his head just floating along, looking like it was lost. Tails had to stop suddenly, barely avoiding the (back then) plump, black-eyed hedgehog's spiny back.
"Dawww. Who's a cute little ghostie. You are! You are!" Sonic said, pointing a finger at the ghost.
"S-Sonic....I don't like this place." Tails said, his black eyes glancing around nervously, "I-it's really creepy."
Right after he said that, the lights in the temple started dimming.
"A-And it's getting REALLY dark in here. We should go!" Tails said, clasping his hands tightly together.
Sonic, on the other hand, closed his eyes and turned his head to Tails.
"Nonsense!" Sonic said, "Nothing will happen! Right ghostie?" He said. The temple was now almost pitch black.
In the place of the small, cute ghost was a monstrous, horned ghost with devilish purple eyes.
"Ghostie?" Sonic asked, stunned, as the ghost let out an angry cry and lunged at them.
Tails spun his two tails like a turbine and took off screaming "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!"
"T-Tails! Wait for me!" Sonic yelled, as he ran after him-the ghost chasing after both of them.
Flashback end
"Right....because going through a haunted temple at a young age isn't traumatizing at all." Twilight said with a blank look on her face as she tapped a hoof on the ground.
"What?! He wanted to come! And....I...have taken him to therapists." Sonic said, throwing his hands in the air before shaking his head. "By the way, nice wizard costume!"
"IT'S STAR-SWIRL THE BEARDED! ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS UNICORNS IN HISTORY!" She shouted.
"Sonic....You froze up a little when you told me about some watery areas you explored. Labyrinth Zone, Aquatic Ruins, Hydrocity zone, Aquarium Park...." Rainbow trailed off, "You went underwater in those areas, didn't you."
"Yeah." Sonic admitted, shrugging. "But can you blame me? I can't swim! I sink like a rock underwater and unlike 'Mr. Ultimate Life-Form' here." Sonic said, pulling Shadow next to him.
"Don't pull me into this." Shadow said, pushing away from Sonic.
"I cannot breathe underwater-so I have a great risk of drowning." Sonic finished, and Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in horror.
"What?" Sonic asked, seeing her expression, "I developed a trick where I can breath in air from large air bubbles underwater, and I learned how to jump multiple times underwater to rise to the surface. (Like in Sonic Colors) Also, I can run fast enough to run on the surface of the water."
"What? How is that...know what? I don't want to know." Twilight said, "I had too many problems trying to understand Pinkie Pie's 'Pinkie Sense' to even attempt to understand how that is possible."
After she said that, the door to the Library tentatively opened, and Spike peered out from the doorway. "Go on ahead guys, I think I'll sit this one out." He said, before shutting the door.
"Spike...."Twilight said, "What's the matter with you? You said that you've mostly accepted your permanent new appearance."
"Except that tonight is Nightmare Night...A night when ponies are so easily scared and illogical." Spike said from inside, "I'll just hand out candy."
"And you're letting that fear control you?" Sonic said, "In a way, you're letting Metal Sonic win. He's gotten a hold on your emotions! Are you gonna let that happen?"
With that, the door was flung open and Spike glared at them, his red eye gleaming in the dark night.
"Not. A. Chance. But you all owe me!" Spike said, pointing at them.
"Eh." Sonic shrugged, "I'll just let you copy my spin-dash later."
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Nightmare Night theme: Mystic Cave Zone
"I told you this was a bad idea." Spike said, as ponies continuously screamed and ran away in fright.
"Nah. That's because ponies are too obsessed with the 'Nightmare Moon' past of Princess Luna...who as you may forget, is standing right next to you." Sonic said, pointing a thumb at Princess Luna to Spike's right.
It had been a terrible time, as soon as Rainbow Dash left to go pull pranks by zapping ponies with a weak lightning bolt (and had gotten Knuckles multiple times), Princess Luna had arrived to connect with her subjects. Even Spike had been cornered by Zecora-who had to make sure Spike's growth before his partial "metalization" was not caused by greed.
However, Spike's statement soon proved correct because they all went running-screaming in terror as soon as they spotted Luna.
Fluttershy wouldn't even come out to speak to Luna properly-much to Tails' ire-who had no problem speaking to her. They had quickly solved Luna's 'Royal Canterlot Voice' problem, and tried including her in multiple games and activities. However, there was one constant problem.
Pinkie Pie.
The hyperactive mare kept stirring up mayhem whenever ponies started accepting Luna by making them think she was about to eat them....it was really starting to annoy both Luna AND Shadow.
"Thy am thinking of cancelling Nightmare Night forever if this keeps up" Luna finally admitted, much to the horror of Twilight.
"No way! That will completely alienate you from the public if you cancel a popular holiday!" Sonic said as Spike stood in front of her, holding his arms to the side as if he was trying to prevent her from moving.
"They want something to fear?" Shadow said, as his quills started glowing red slightly, "Then I'll give them something new to be afraid of." Right after he said that, he leaped in front of a group of ponies led by Pinkie Pie herself.
"Hi Shadow! You afraid of Nightmare Moon too? It's alright to be scared." She said.
"Quiet you fool! You're driving someone who wants to only be friends away for a pathetic reason!" With that, Shadow's eyes narrowed and yellow electricity started crackling around his hands.
"You want to be afraid? You should really be afraid.....of me. Chaos.....SPEAR! With that declaration, Shadow threw his right hand forward and a spear of lightning was launched at them.
All of the ponies started screaming as they scattered to avoid the attack, which exploded on the ground and left a small crater.
"Don't worry....I'll destroy all of you quickly." Shadow said, narrowing his eyes and sneering at them.
"Do it again!" Pinkie Pie yelled.
"....WHAT?!...." Shadow said, utterly confused.
"Duh! It's Nightmare Night! A night we all love to be scared!" She said, and he slapped his forehead.
"Luna...next time....don't come to socialize during a holiday about fear!" He said.
"But thy thought that since the holiday was about us...." She said, before her eyes widened.
"When thy subjects were screaming in terror, they weren't afraid of us! They were celebrating!" Luna realized.
"Exactly!" Pinkie Pie said, and chatters of agreement came from the ponies around them.
"Well then..." Luna said, here eyes narrowing as a smirk graced her face, "Best continue tradition!" With that, she let a loud, almost evil laugh out and flew off to chase others.
As she watched Luna fly off, Twilight Sparkle levitated a piece of parchment in front of her and pulled out a quill and started writing.
Dear Princess Celestia,
When you first sent me to Ponyville, I didn't know anything about friendship. I met somepony tonight who was having the same problem -- your sister, Princess Luna! She taught me that one of the best things you can do with friendship is to give it to others, and help them find it themselves! And I'm happy to report that all of Ponyville has learned that even if somepony seems a little intimidating, even scary, when you offer them your friendship, you'll discover a whole new pony underneath. And even if my Star Swirl the Bearded costume didn't go over, this still turned out to be the best Nightmare Night ever!
"Alright Spike, time to send this note to Princess Celestia." She said, and Spike inhaled before launching a small green flame and teleporting the letter.
"Just be glad I can still do that after being turned 75% robot." Spike said.
"Actually, the correct term for someone who has both organic and robotic components is cyborg, but your statement is correct." Tails said, as he walked up.
"Ghost!" Someone shouted, making Tails scream in terror and fly off into a tree. Behind him stood Rainbow Dash, who did not have a lot of time to laugh before she was zapped by Princess Luna.
A small foal dressed as a pirate by the name of Pipsqueak ran up to her and declared "Luna, you are my most favorite princess EVER!" before running back off into the crowd. Luna smiled at the declaration. She was about to continue with her participation when Spike belched out a letter in a gout of green flames.
"Princess Luna...apparently we are needed at the library. A carriage is awaiting us there. We are being sent to investigate Angel Island." Twilight Sparkle said, "Wait here, we'll go get our friends."
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After a carriage landed on Angel Island, and everyone piled out, they really took the time to look around.
"So this large green gem is called the Master Emerald? It holds the entire island in the sky?" Rarity asked. How could a simple gem hold an entire island airborne?
"Ever since Tikal prevented it from being used for evil and sealed away Chaos, the Guardian God of the Chao, it has been the duty of my tribe to keep it safe. Even though I am the last of my tribe, I will continue the duty carried out by my ancestors." Knuckles said, looking over the Master Emerald.
"So, Spike....ready to learn the spin-dash?" Sonic asked, making everyone look at him in confusion-except for Twilight, Rainbow, and Shadow. Spike gave a firm nod and his red, left eye started to glow.
"Watch and learn!" Sonic said, before curling into a spiky ball and spinning in place, before suddenly zooming forwards.
"Spin-dash data....successfully copied." Spike droned out in an almost monotone voice before he curled and spun in a blue-and-purple ball and shot forward.
"Not bad!" Sonic said, uncurling the same time as Spike.
"Naturally, I am Twilight's assistant, I have to learn quickly!" Spike said, rubbing his right hand against the metal.
"So, Knuckles, what are some locations on this island?" Applejack asked him, glancing around.
"Well, this is the Altar of the Master Emerald. There's a tropical forest that has finally regrown since Eggman's forces burned it. Next we have Hydrocity zone, an underground city of ancient ruins halfway submerged in water." Knuckles said, but was cut off when Sonic started pacing while repeatedly mumbling.
"I don't have to go there again. I don't have to go there again."
"Okay...." Knuckles said, watching him, "We have the Marble Garden Zone, which is a hillside settlement...but it is prone to earthquakes and tremors. There is also, for some reason, a Carnival Night Zone."
"CARNIVAL?!" Pinkie Pie shouted, suddenly in his face.
"Get. Away. From. My. Personal. Space." Knuckles growled out, clenching his fists before Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Thank you, Spike." Knuckles said, clearing his throat. "I don't really know how or why there's a 24-hour carnival on this island, but there is. There's also the IceCap Zone, a steep mountain always coated in snow with deep snowdrifts and massive caverns. There is the ruins of Eggman's Launch Base Zone-which was used to launch the Death Egg but it was not successful thanks to Sonic."
"No problem!" Sonic said, his chest puffing out in pride.
"I like relaxing in the Mushroom Hill Zone, where mushrooms of many sizes and shapes grow...HEY WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" Knuckles shouted the last part as Spike and Rainbow Dash broke down laughing.
"And why are the mushrooms so relaxing?" Rainbow asked.
"Actually" Sonic said, "Most of them are big enough to provide shade."
This quieted everyone.
"For once, thank you for that Sonic." Knuckles said as he took a deep breath, "There's the ruins of the Flying Battery Zone-one of Eggman's old warships, and we have Sandopolis Zone-a desert area with many ancient ruins, quicksand pits, and sheer cliff faces. There is also an ancient temple that is somehow haunted by light-fearing ghosts."
At this statement Tails was huddled up in a ball repeatedly muttering "The ghosts won't get me. The ghosts won't get me." While Fluttershy fussed over him.
"There's a volcanic mountain called Red Mountain, and deep inside it is the Lava Reef Zone. You shouldn't really explore it unless you have a fire-shield or are lava proof. That is since it has many huge magma pits and lava falls." Knuckles said.
"This Lava Reef sounds too dangerous for any pony to explore." Luna said, tilting her head.
"Trust me. I don't like going there myself." Knuckles said as he shook his head and continued, "I cannot show you where the Hidden Palace Zone is, as that is the ancient, secret temple built by the echidnas. One of my favorite places to really unwind is the Sky Sanctuary Zone. This Zone is made up of ruins that float in the sky and has teleporting orbs scattered across it. Finally there is the Wild Canyon-ruins of the echidna civilization...why does your Princess want to know about this island, by the way?"
"She was thinking of having the Summer Equestrian Games here-since Angel Island is now part of Equestria-if it was alright with you." Twilight Sparkle said, re-reading the letter.
Knuckles started growling, but stopped and took a deep breath.
"The best place would be the Mushroom Hill Zone since it is closer to the middle of the island, but we'd have to set up a teleporting station to reach the island from the land, a stadium would have to be built, and a safe passageway would need to be constructed." Knuckles said, thinking those things would deter the idea.
"Great! Glad you agree!" Twilight said, scribbling 'his answer' on a parchment and having Spike send it to Celestia.
Knuckles' eye twitched before he sighed in defeat.
"I'll go move the Master Emerald to the Hidden Palace Zone...might as well keep it out of sight if the public will be here."
Sonic's telling of the Sandopolis Zone temple was inspired by this comic.
