6. The Manesquerade Ball
In Mane Melody, the Mane 5 were styled by Jazz and Rocky.
Pipp had a golden strike on her mane, a mix of purple and golden glitter on her legs, yellow eye shadows, a golden stripe on her wings, and a purple musical note painted on her hooves.
Sunny wore light blue eyeshadow, had a mix of light blue and yellow glitter on her legs, and had sun rays painted on her hooves.
Izzy had purple strikes and sparkles on her mane, green eye shadows, pink and green glittered legs, and three Bridlewood crystals painted on her hooves.
Zipp wore a mix of pink and aquamarine eye shadows, the same glitter colors on her legs, more light blue stripes on her mane than usual, light blue fully painted hooves, a pink stripe on her wings, and white lightning painted over them.
Finally, Hitch wore pink eye shadows, had a pink stripe on his mane, had a fully pink-painted tail, and had green and pink glittered legs. He also planned to put purple stars on his hooves.
"Okay, I saw this one look in the magic mirror that screamed, 'Sheriff on the Town'!" Hitch told Jazz with a smile as he approached her. "Can you do the hoof stars?" he asked her.
"Only if you plan on showing them off on the dancefloor tonight!" Jazz replied with a smirk.
"This is going to be the best Manesquerade Ball ever!" Pipp stated with a smile.
"I can't bel-izzle we're invited to the most glamouriffic event in Zephyr Heights!" Izzy cheered with a smile, holding some letters on her hoof.
"Just wait until everypony at the ball sees the Unity Dance I choreographed for us!" Sunny told Zipp with a smile, even though the pegasus didn't seem too excited about this.
"Um, excuse me, Jazz?" Izzy called out as she sat on a chair while Jazz gave Hitch the stars he requested. "Can you do a glitter topcoat on my horn?!" Izzy asked with excitement.
"You know how we do!" Jazz replied with a smile as she went over and grabbed a purple bottle with spray.
Then, she sprayed Izzy's horn with green glitter as she hummed to herself, and once she was done, Rocky came by and gasped at her work.
"My hoofness, Jazz. You've done it again!" Rocky said with a smile.
Then Jazz gave Izzy a mirror so she could see her horn, now glowing with green stripes. This made Izzy gasp. "It's everything!" she cheered with glee.
Just then, Team Sonic entered the salon, but they all looked terrible: The three of them seemed to have dust and dirt around their bodies; Tails had a tail covered with bandages, Sonic had a small burn on his left arm, and Knuckles' longest quills were now short.
"We made it!" Sonic said with an awkward smile and a twitchy eye. "It took us ten minutes, a fight with Eggman, and waste the Fire Flower power-up... But we made it!" he added, while Tails groaned and fell facewards to the ground.
Everyone else gasped in horror at how they were looking, and both Pipp and Izzy immediately rushed to check on their boyfriends. Sunny came by and helped Tails get up, and the young fox shook and grabbed his head.
"For the love of... What happened to you?!" Izzy asked with concern looking terrified at what happened to Knuckles' quills.
"Is this a burn?!" Pipp asked in a panic, looking at the small burn on Sonic's left arm, and all he could do was chuckle sheepishly.
"How did you guys end up like this?" Hitch asked with concern as he approached Knuckles.
"Well, it's a long story..." Knuckles said with a frown as he put his fists on his hips and looked at the ceiling.
Team Sonic was fighting against Eggman's Egg Emperor inside a volcano. The fight started near Maretime Bay, but they all eventually started to lead the fight so far that they ended up inside the volcano.
Suddenly, we see Sonic and Knuckles constantly Spindashing against the machine while Tails keeps it in place with several clones using electrical yellow lassos from their watches.
Suddenly, we see the Egg Emperor bouncing Sonic like a basketball, which made the hedgehog groan in pain as he constantly booted a ball between the ground and the Egg Emperor's sword.
We see Knuckles constantly punching the Egg Emperor while the machine tries to protect it with the shield.
Next, we see the Eggbeater on the floor, covering its face, while Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are all kicking it all around with multiple clones of themselves.
Finally, with the machine defeated, they discovered it was just another decoy, making them all deadpan. Then, Tails brought out the Fire Flower and used it, turning his yellow fur into red, while his shoes turned fully white with a yellow zone, and then he made a fireball appear from his hand.
The next thing we know? Team Sonic was screaming as they flew in the air because Tails used the fireball to burn down the Egg Emperor, making it explode.
The trio landed facewards on Maretime Bay's beach, and the crash made Tails lose the power-up since his fur and shoes returned to normal. Then, the three stood up with groans of pain and looked ahead with bored expressions.
Back in the present, Team Sonic still had bored expressions, standing in the same positions as when they stood on the beach.
"... Maybe not so long..." Knuckles said with a tired tone.
"Aww, you poor thing!" Izzy said sadly while hugging and nuzzling her cheek with his boyfriend's. "I can't believe that Eggman guy did this to you!" she said with a frown before kissing Knuckles' nose.
"Well, I would say it was Tails' fault..." Sonic tried to say, but then Tails looked at him in disbelief while raising his hands, confused. "... But I was the one who suggested using the Fire Flower, so... Yeah, this is kind of my fault..." he confessed with his arms crossed and a bored expression while Pipp came by and applied a towel on his face.
"Well, he finally admits it!" Tails said with a frown before Sunny grabbed his face with a hoof and cleaned him up.
Meanwhile, Jazz and Rocky were finishing fixing Zipp's mane, much for her eternal disgrace and annoyance. "Uh, you don't have to," she said with an awkward smile.
"Of course we have to!" Rocky said with a smile.
"You are going to the Zephyr Heights Manesquerade Ball!" Jazz pointed out excitedly, and Rocky nodded in agreement. "Everypony who attends always looks beyond," she added with a smile.
"True..." Zipp recognized as she waved her hoof so Jazz and Rocky would stop fixing her mane. "But shouldn't you two be getting ready, then?" she asked them with a smirk.
"Us?" both Jazz and Rocky asked, confused.
"Yes, you!" Pipp said happily as she approached them and pulled out two invitation cards. "You're invited!" she sang with a smile.
"Huh, I didn't know we were invited!" Rocky said, both excited and panicking.
"Neither did I!" Jazz said, also excited and panicking.
"What are we gonna wear?!" Rocky asked.
"I don't know, but it's gotta be beyond!" Jazz stated while placing her hooves on Rocky's shoulders.
"Beyond, beyond!" Rocky said as he and Jazz grabbed their hooves and squealed excitedly before entering the backstage.
As they did so, Sunny checked herself in the mirror before smiling and looking at her friends. "Alright, selfie time!" she declared excitedly as she gathered with Izzy, Pipp, Hitch, and Sparky.
At this point, Team Sonic left the way while Zipp took a selfie with her phone.
"Does this feel like too much?" Izzy asked Pipp with a sheepish smile.
"'Too much'? Izz, Izz, Izz, it's a big deal to be invited!" Pipp pointed out with a smile.
"Wow, I guess we're gonna need more glitter then!" Izzy stated with a confident look.
Then, Jazz and Rocky returned, with Jazz holding many things on her hoof. "How do we choose our looks?!" Jazz asked in a panic.
"Easy! The only dress code is to wear what makes you feel fancy!" Pipp replied as she grabbed a tiara from the stuff Jazz brought and put it on.
"And you have to wear a mask!" Zipp added as she pulled out a one-eye mask resembling her Cutie Mark but with a wing on the left side.
"Why?" Hitch asked, confused.
"The Manesquerade is the place to see and be seen by ponies you can't recognize who don't know who they are seeing!" Pipp explained to him with a smile.
"Because everypony loves a mystery!" Zipp stated with a smirk.
However, it didn't take long for Sunny to notice that Team Sonic was not only not ready but also didn't even try to prepare. Sonic gave Tails an apple and put it in his mouth while Knuckle removed Tails' bandages from his tail.
"Guys, aren't you preparing for tonight?!" Sunny asked them with concern.
"One second, Sunny-Bunny..." Sonic replied, hugging Tails while Knuckles checked the fox's tail, which seemed a bit broken.
"Alright, here I go..." Knuckles announced, sharing a quick look with Sonic. The hedgehog nodded at him. "One, two..." he started.
After that, he fixed Tails' tail back to its position, which caused Tails to scream in agony and pain because of the apple. Everyone watching cringed, and Zipp and Sunny even covered their hooves, feeling concerned about him.
After a few minutes, Tails let go of the apple and sighed in relief, carefully touching the tail Knuckles, which had just been fixed.
"Man... Last time it broke, it didn't hurt like this..." Tails said with sadness, wiping some tears he let out because of the pain.
"Because last time, your powers awakened and fixed it for you," Sonic pointed out to him with an awkward smile. "But don't worry—next time we see Eggman, we'll kick him on the eggs!" he assured him with a smile and wink, and Tails smiled back at him for saying that. "Anyways, what did you ask, Sunny?" he asked her.
"That if you guys are not preparing for the Manesquerade Ball?" Sunny asked again, this time calm.
"Oh, that..." Sonic said with a cringed expression. "Yeah, heheheh... Look, um... The boys and I were talking, and..." he started hesitantly.
"The entire concept of the Ball gets fucked up because of us..." Knuckles said with a bored expression while pointing at Sonic and Tails.
"... There were a thousand other ways you could have phrased that, but... Yeah, we don't know if we should go..." Tails said with a sheepish smile. "I mean... Look at us! We're the only anthropomorphic creatures in Equestria!" he pointed out.
"Wait, hang on... You guys think you shouldn't go because the point of using masks gets lost with you three?" Zipp asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah... It's not that we don't want to go, but this..." Sonic said, pointing at himself with his hands. "T-This doesn't work," he pointed out.
"Pfft! You guys are babbling!" Pipp said as she flew closer to them. "I already have sooo many ideas on how to style you! I have it all under control, don't worry! And, even if it's true that everypony will still know who you three are, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun!" she pointed out.
"It still doesn't change that we're not ponies, you know?" Knuckles pointed out. "And besides, the entire thing is called 'Manesquerade' because you have manes... We don't!" he added with a frown.
However, they all suddenly heard a maniac laugh. Turning around, they saw Tails sitting on a chair, turning around with a mischievous grin and his hands together.
"But what if we had them?" Tails questioned sinisterly.
"What? Manes?" Knuckles asked, confused.
"Tails... You're not planning on making one of your experiments on us, right?" Sonic questioned with a frown and a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I'm not planning to... because I already did!" Tails declared with a huge smile. "Well, kinda... Technically, it's still a prototype, but not simultaneously..." he said confusedly. "Ugh, you know what? Just follow me! I'd rather show you all!" he said, walking towards the exit.
"Oh, this better be good..." Knuckles said with a frown as he and everyone but Jazz and Rocky followed Tails out of the salon.
In Opaline's Castle, Eggman entered the Throne Room with a huge smirk as he hummed himself a tune.
"You seem quite happy today, Ivo..." Opaline pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "May I ask why?" she questioned.
"Oh, I'm feeling wonderful today, Opaline!" Eggman replied with a grin. "While my Egg Emperor had Sonic and his stupid friends busy, I sneaked in my robotic Flicky to the Crystal Brighthouse... And I got some sweet and delicious info! Of course, there's still the fact that Zephyrina is still a pain in the ass, BUT! Trust me when I say that this might be the best news we have heard in a while!" he stated confidently.
"I'm listening," Opaline said curiously while Misty entered the Throne Room.
Eggman then whistled, and the robotic Flicky entered through the window. It landed on Eggman's shoulder and projected Zipp's Investigation Board in front of Opaline and Misty.
"While it's true that this damn pegasus hit the jackpot in some aspects, she still has no idea of what you are, not where we are!" Eggman said with a grin. "But even better than that: This means she has no idea on how dangerous you are, nor how to locate us!" he stated.
"They'll be vulnerable if we get the Crystals from them!" Opaline said with a huge grin. "Oh, Ivo. You have made me happier today! And because of that..." she stated before turning to see Misty. "I'm feeling rather generous today. So, you are no longer grounded," she told the unicorn.
"Seriously? Thank you so much," Misty said with a smile, bowing before her.
"Yes... I should be thanked," Opaline grinned as she passed her. "It's very impressive of me to trust you again," she said as she started walking in circles around Misty.
"It is!" Misty replied nervously.
"But I also need to teach you a lesson," Opaline declared, and Misty gulped after hearing that. "You're not coming with me. You need to stay here and watch the lair while I go back and snag that slippery Dragon Stone," she stated with an evil smirk.
"This feels like a test," Misty muttered with concern.
"Because it is, Misty," Eggman stated with a frown. "While Opaline gets her Stone, I'll be busy on my lab for the day. Got some... research to do about the last Emerald's location..." he stated, as he turned around and grinned mischievously. "You'll be in charge of watching this place while she's out and I work. Understood?" he asked her, and Misty gulped before nodding with a sheepish smile. "Good," Eggman stated, then retired to his lab.
In reality, he wasn't going to research the place where his Metals found the last Chaos Emerald, but neither Opaline nor Misty had to know that.
"And maybe I trust you to keep an eye on the lair, Misty," Opaline told the unicorn before heading towards the exit. "The fact that you need to think about it should inform how you act, " she said, leaving the castle.
As she did so, Misty looked at the ground with concern. "So this is a test, huh? Well, I should stay..." she told herself, walking towards the throne. Then, an idea popped into her mind. "Even though Opaline probably wouldn't know if I went to see my new friends... Now, Eggman could, but he said he'd be in his lab the whole day!" she said happily, heading towards the exit as well.
However, when she was going to leave, she turned back to see both Eggman's lab's door and Opaline's throne, which made her ears lower and her mind doubt.
"But Opaline would say mean things to me if she found out, and Eggman would be disappointed, too," Misty pointed out to herself. Then again, my friends don't say mean things to me," she pointed out again before groaning, frustrated. "Why is every decision so hard?!" she complained aloud before sitting down and sighing. "I wonder what fun thing they're all doing right now," she said with concern and curiosity.
At Electronic Tails, Tails himself seemed to be looking for something inside the cabinets he had there.
"Come on, come on!" Tails said with concern. "I know I put it in here somewhere!" he assured with concern.
As he looked through his cabinets, the rest seemed to be waiting for him, with Sonic and Knuckles having bored expressions while the rest were curious about what Tails was looking for.
"'Chinchilla,' 'bunny,' 'cat,' 'mouse'..." Tails read as he took out some small tubes and carefully placed them on the table. "Where's the pony one?! Those are the most recent ones, and I know I put them here!" he complained with concern.
"Uh, what are those things?" Pipp asked, confused.
"Whatever you do, don't drink them!" Knuckles warned with a frown. "Sonic and I made the mistake of doing so, and... Well..." he tried to explain, but he blushed, embarrassed.
"He transformed into a bunny for one month, and I became a chinchilla for a whole week..." Sonic replied with a frown. "It was the worst week of my life... I couldn't go and run as I always do! It was torture..." he complained with an anxious expression.
"Well, as you said, it was your mistake," Tails pointed out as he kept researching. "I told you to not grab those tubes, but you still did! You should be thankful it didn't last that much. My original prototype had a gap of 6 months," he said with a frown.
"If you're saying that, waiting for us to apologize, keep waiting," Sonic said with a bored expression.
Tails rolled his eyes and kept looking until he finally found what he was looking for. "Bingo!" he cheered, getting out of the cabinet and putting six tubes with a weird substance on the counter: Two were purple, two were turquoise, and two were silver.
"Ooh! What do these turn you into?!" Izzy asked as she tried to grab one.
However, Tails immediately dragged the tubes away from her. "Into something you already are, Izz: A pony!" he said with a smile.
"Huh/What?!/No way!" Hitch, Sunny, and Zipp said, respectively, not believing what Tails said.
"Wait... You're telling me that these tubes... can turn us into ponies?!" Sonic asked in shock, his eyes widening.
"Mm-hmm!" Tails replied with a nod. "Now, to avoid all the mistakes that happened when you and Knuckles turned, I made sure that they're ready! Experimented with them, tested them on a few subjects, and even added something that will ensure that the time we stay as ponies isn't too long!" he explained with a smile.
"W-Whoa! So, if you guys drink this and actually turn into ponies, does that mean that––" Pipp tried to ask.
"You could come to the Manesquerade Ball and not be recognized at all!" Izzy finished instead with a huge smile.
"That's exactly the plan here!" Tails replied happily. "The best part? All the effects are completely natural! Our transition to ponies will be natural, and we'll get the cool things you guys can do! Of course, depending on which kind of pony we become..." he explained.
"Man, if this works, I might share a few words with you, and not only for encouragement," Zipp told Tails with a smirk and a wink, which made Tails blush slightly and chuckle.
But then, the young fox shook his head and looked back at Sonic and Knuckles. "A-Anyways! So, which pony do you guys want to become?" he asked them with a smile.
"Wait... We can choose?!" Knuckles shouted in shock.
"Duh! If we're gonna become ponies, we gotta choose for sure!" Tails declared. "The silver tubes are for earth ponies, the turquoise ones for pegasi, and the purple ones turn you into a unicorn!" he explained.
Sunny approached and gasped. "You based the substances in the Unity Crystals?!" she asked excitedly.
"Yup! Not only have those Crystals got style, but they're also easier to remember," Tails pointed out with a smile before looking back at Sonic and Knuckles. "Come on, guys! Pick it up!" he said with a smirk.
At this, Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other before grinning at each other and nodding.
"Well, if we're free to choose, I'm gonna go with a pegasus!" Sonic stated as he grabbed one of the turquoise tubes. "I'm already the fastest thing alive in the ground. I think it's time to reach new horizons!" he smirked.
"I always felt curious about how strong earth ponies are..." Knuckles said with a grin while grabbing one of the silver tubes. "Guess I can finally get my answer!" he stated happily.
"Well, I'll go with the pegasus. In all honesty? I wanna keep flying, but It would be cool to levitate stuff, tho!" Tails said, grabbing the remaining turquoise tube and putting the rest aside.
With this, Tails stood in the middle of Sonic and Knuckles while three hesitated to drink this. Even if Tails made sure it could work, doubts were still among the team.
"So, um... Just to be aware: When does the effect end?" Sonic asked.
"Well, I used this weird ingredient with a pink color called 'Happily Ever After Drop'..." Tails replied while rubbing his chin. "It said that applying this would make any effect disappear by midnight. Does that say anything?" he asked.
"Yeah, it does..." Sonic said with a smirk.
"Well..." Knuckles started as he removed the top of his tube, and Sonic and Tails did the same. "To the bottom!" he stated with a grin.
And so, by hesitating for a second, Team Sonic gulped down to the last drop of their respective tubes while the Mane 5 looked at them nervously, especially Izzy and Pipp, who hugged each other while they felt nervous for their boyfriends.
Once the trio of anthropomorphic animals had finished drinking, they looked at each other, expecting something. But nothing happened.
"... I feel the same..." Knuckles said with a bored expression.
"Yeah, I expected to feel the effects as soon as we drank it, like the last time... All I feel is a sipped a cheap copy of Sunny's smoothies..." Sonic said with a confused look. "But it does taste nice, though... What did you put in these?" he asked Tails with a smile.
"Um... some Strawberries?" Tails replied, confused.
But then, before anyone could say anything else, the three of them got surrounded by a glowing aura of their respective skin colors, and everyone in the room panicked, with Izzy and Pipp now hugging even tighter.
"Uh... Tails?" Sonic called out. "This is normal... Right?!" he asked in panic.
"Um... kinda?! I honestly don't know!" Tails replied with wide eyes and concern.
"Please don't explode, please don't explode, please don't explode..." Knuckles begged out loud as he put his hooves together.
Then, their glow became so bright that everyone closed their eyes, and the Mane 5 covered their faces with their hooves.
After a while, they thought the glow was finally over. However, when they opened their eyes, they could only see dust where Team Sonic used to be.
"Uh... guys?" Sunny called out with panic.
For a few seconds, there was only silence filling the room until the three members of Team Sonic all collectively groaned.
This made the Mane 5 sigh in relief, and both Izzy and Pipp let go of each other with heavy sighs, glad that their boyfriends and Tails were fine.
"Ugh... Tails, what the heck was that?" Sonic asked as the dust started to fade away.
"What should I know? I don't recall this being part of the 'transformation' effect..." Tails replied with a loud groan.
But then, when the dust faded away, the Mane 5 and Sparky all shared a loud gasp, while Izzy and the sisters' faces got completely and bright red.
This was because Tails' experiment worked: Team Sonic were ponies now!
Sonic turned into a blue pegasus with green eyes, a dark blue mane and tail, blue wings with light blue and red feathers, a white zone on his legs, red hooves, and a blue flame with lightning around as a Cutie Mark.
Tails became a yellow pegasus with an orange mane and tail, blue eyes, brown hooves, yellow wings with white feathers, still two tails, and a box of tools with yellow lightning as a Cutie Mark.
Finally, Knuckles turned into a red earth pony with a darker red mane and tail, pink eyes, brown hooves, and his boxing gloves with bigger knuckles surrounded by red electricity as his Cutie Mark. He was also taller than Sonic and Tails and seemed to have really strong and well-built hooves.
Team Sonic, now turned into ponies, stood up and shook their heads with dizzy expressions, but once they heard the Mane 5's gasps, they looked at them confused.
"Uh, guys? Everything okay?" Sonic asked, confused, as he extended a hoof to point at them. "You seem confused... about... something..." he said slowly and shocked because he realized now that he had a hoof instead of a hand.
Tails and Knuckles looked at him and gasped once they noticed his transformation.
But then, they looked at each other and gasped again as they started to look all over their bodies to confirm that they had all successfully turned into ponies.
"This... This is something else!" Sonic said with a huge smile as he checked all over his wings and body. "Tails, you absolute mad lad, this worked!" he said, grabbing Tails from his shoulders and shaking him a lot.
"Hohoho! Just look at these!" Knuckles cheered with a grin as he flexed one muscle from his hooves, making Izzy gulp and wave a hoof to herself while her face reddened. "Earth pony stallion, and I still have my beloveds!" he said confidently while smirking.
That pushed Izzy to the limit, and she fainted while Pipp caught her in time and flapped a wing on her, but she wasn't any better: Just seeing her boyfriend as a handsome pegasus stallion was driving her crazy as well.
"You have to live to believe..." Hitch said as he approached his friends, who had now become stallions like him. "This worked! Now you are all ponies like us and stallions like me!" he cheered with a smile.
"Oh, you bet!" Knuckles stated with a smirk as he hoof-bumped with Hitch.
"We still have to ensure everything's in order, though..." Tails pointed out with an awkward smile.
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, we gotta check that our wings do work, that our respective magic does, that we do have Cutie Mark magic, and check if our unique qualities from before being ponies are still there..." Tails explained.
"Like our Super Speed?" Knuckles asked.
"Or our cool and pretty neat electric powers?" Sonic asked with a smirk as he opened his eyes, and a slight spark of electricity went through his wings and eyes.
That was what pushed Pipp to the edge, as she also fainted dramatically, with Izzy ending on top of her.
"Okay... It's sure to say that our powers are still there... I think..." Tails said, raising a hoof and focusing. Yellow sparkles got around him, and he created a mug with his powers, which made his eyes widen. "Yeah, we still have them," he said amusedly. What about you, Knuckles?" he wanted to ask him.
However, Knuckles had already exited the workshop, startling every pony.
"Well, our speed is intact, too!" Sonic pointed out with a smirk.
But then, the entire ground rumbled, startling everyone in the workshop and causing Pipp and Izzy to wake up.
"What was that?!" Izzy asked in a panic.
Deciding it was best to investigate, Sunny and Sonic rushed to the exit, with everypony else following behind.
Soon enough, they all arrived at the Crystal Brighthouse, where they found Knuckles stomping his hooves hard enough on the ground that his electrical powers showed. His Cutie Mark glowed as the floor rumbled and cracked, leaving big holes.
"Knuckles! What the fuck are you doing?!" Sonic asked him with a concerned frown.
But then, Knuckles softly stomped a hoof forward, which glowed green. This caused the ground to repair itself, as the cracks closed and the grass grew back and even left a few flowers around.
At this, Knuckles smirked while Sunny and Tails approached him and stared at the ground in awe.
"Is that all the checking you needed?" Knuckles asked Tails with a confident smirk.
"I... Actually, yes, it is!" Tails said with a surprised look. "Regarding earth pony transformation, at least... Pegasi? That's still a work in progress!" he stated, turning around and walking towards Sonic.
"B-But I don't get it!" Sunny said, confused. "You have earth pony magic, but you can also crack holes?! I have never seen any earth pony do that before! How can you do it?!" she asked Knuckles with panic.
However, all Knuckles did was look at her with a bored expression while his eyes turned red and showed electrical sparks for a second, which made Sunny's eyes widen in realization.
"Oh... right... You have super strength by nature... I forgot..." Sunny said nervously and smilingly while Knuckles smirked and rolled his eyes.
"Dude, it's hard to believe you became a pony! It's gonna take me a while to get used to this..." Hitch pointed out as he and Izzy arrived, even though the latter was still blushing like mad.
"W-Well, I-I think..." Izzy tried to say nervously, but she couldn't stop feeling nervous about her boyfriend's new look.
Knuckles noticed this, so he smiled sweetly and lifted her face with one hoof, increasing Izzy's blush. "Now, now, Ms. Moonbow. I get you feel flustered, but behind this new aspect, I'm still the same Knuckles at the end of the day," he assured her.
Izzy felt her heart melt when she saw how he looked at her, but she still smiled back. So, she nuzzled against his chest with a loving smile while Knuckles nuzzled over her head, smiling.
Meanwhile, Tails approached Sonic, hoping they could experiment with their new pegasi forms.
"So, you just want me to fly here and there and test if the pegasi magic works on me and if I can use my super speed in mid-flight?" Sonic asked Tails with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup!" Tails replied with a smile. "It's just a test to see if your powers work, so don't get too excited––" he tried to add.
However, Sonic already smirked and opened his wings, and as soon as he flapped them, he boosted at top speed towards the air, which made Tails, Zipp, and Pipp cover their eyes because of the dust he left behind.
After that, Sonic had already flown above the clouds, much to his surprise. "... Okay, maybe I got too excited..." he told himself with amusement.
Still, he smirked. Then, he dived towards the floor at top speed with his wings closed, opening them again and flapping them once. This allowed him to use his boost ability and flail in the air at top speed.
Sonic felt amazing by flying this fast: It was almost like running, but now that he had wings, the sky was literally the limit, and he could make so many tricks and twists in the air that went from hard to impossible by running.
"And Pipp said levitating stuff was better than flying! HA!" Sonic cheered with a huge smirk, then exhaled into the air again.
All the time he flew at fast paste, he left a blue aura behind him, all because of his super speed.
Then, Sonic smirked and boosted towards the air, moving at top speed and starting to make shapes with the clouds at such a fast paste that no pegasus should normally achieve.
He did a perfect pony shape with the cloud before diving in again, this time towards the ocean. However, he didn't hesitate and just grinned even more because when he was about to hit the water, he flapped his wings right on top of it and boosted towards the Crystal Brighthouse.
But his last move was also making the water above him splash, and once he noticed that, he looked at his reflection in the water, smiling at his new form, before starting to flap his wings even faster.
By doing so, his Cutie Mark glowed bright, as electrical blue sparks appeared around his wings, making him flap them even faster. And once his eyes shifted from green to blue, he braked the sound barrier and boosted even faster towards the Brighthouse, as the water above him reacted as if he made an explosion.
Then, Sonic elevated himself and finally dived to the ground, landing there and forcing his hooves to stop him. Sonic cheered loudly after doing all of this and shook a bit because he had gotten wet.
"Man! That's exactly the kind of sensation I was waiting for!" Sonic cheered happily as he rose again while flying back with his friends. "The insane adrenaline I just felt cannot be compared with anything! I love being a pegasus! Tails, why didn't you think of making us ponies before?!" he questioned jokingly.
However, looking back at his friends, he was startled to see their shocked expressions. Their jaws dropped. Pipp's face was so red that it could almost be compared to Sprout's fur.
"... Uh... You guys doing good?" Sonic asked with an awkward smile.
"Man... It was just making a demonstration... Not doing a whole fucking and raw show on how to fly!" Knuckles said with a huge grin.
"I cannot bel-izzle that you just did that!" Izzy said cheerfully.
"Wow, Sonic! I think you're adapting to your pony form quickly! Which is good, 'cause now you'll be natural in the Manesquerade Ball!" Sunny cheered with a smile.
"You have dominated the pegasus inside you!" Hitch said with a wink.
"I... I cannot even believe you did all that on your first day as a pegasus..." Zipp said with utter shock. "It took pegasi weeks to learn how to fly, and you just flew as if you've been doing it your whole life!" she pointed out with amusement. "I don't know if I'm jealous, confused, excited, or all of them... But that was incredible!" she cheered, now smiling at him.
"I think I like sides of you I never even knew existed..." Pipp said with a gulp, still incredibly red.
At this, Sonic smirked before boosting in front of her and lifting her chin with a hoof as Pipp's ears lowered and her heart beat incredibly fast. "I think you might be falling for me again, Princess~" he flirted with her, winking.
Pipp's ears let out some smoke because of the heat, and she started to laugh awkwardly while looking around nervously before looking back at her changed boyfriend with a loving gaze.
But then, Tails got in the middle of them with a sheepish smile. "I hate to break this out, but I gotta say that you did put on a show, Sonic!" he told the blue pegasus with a smile. "Still, that left me to prove my new form, honestly? I don't know if I want to..." he confessed nervously while his ears lowered.
"Hey, buddy!" Zipp called out as she placed a hoof on Tails' shoulder. "I get why you feel insecure: You got your new form just 10 minutes ago, and you're still trying to get used to it... But I think you'll never learn how to adapt to it if you never try out your new abilities," she pointed out.
"Zipp is right, Tails," Sunny agreed as she approached him and wrapped a hoof around his neck. "It's okay to be afraid of your new form, but it wouldn't hurt to try it out a bit, don't you think?" she said with a smile.
"That still doesn't make me any less nervous..." Tails replied. "I mean, when it comes to fly, I'm just used to spinning my tails around and––" he tried to point out as he looked back at his tails, just for his eyes to widen when he noticed that he still has two tails, even as a pony. "Holy crap! I didn't know I still have them!" he said with surprise.
A few minutes later, Zipp grabbed Tails from his hooves as they were both in the sky.
Of course, Tails was still really nervous about this, but Zipp, Sunny, and even Sonic encouraged him to at least try it out, so he accepted as long as somepony would help.
Zipp immediately offered to help him out, and here they are now, with Tails holding Zipp's hooves a bit tighter than either of them would like to, as the younger pegasus gulped while flapping his wings.
"Hey, Tails, look at me," Zipp called out, but he was just too nervous because he was looking at the ground, which made Zipp carefully lift his chin so he would face her. "Listen. All you gotta do is focus on flapping your wings. Not so hard, but not so soft, either. You gotta find a balance so they can lift you in the air, you know?" she explained to him with a smile.
Tails blushed slightly when she grabbed his chin, but his blush decreased slightly when she let go. "Well... I used to do that with my tails... Spin them hard and long enough to stay on air... I guess with pegasi, it's the same?" he asked.
"Yeah! With wings, of course, but it's the same science!" Zipp replied with a smile. "And most importantly, you just have to believe in yourself," she winked.
Tails didn't blush this time, but he did find her wink adorable. Still, he focused back and took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and let go of Zipp's grip as he flapped his wings at a moderate speed to stay in the air.
As he opened one eye to check if he was still flying, he felt surprised to see he was still in the air, and even if he still could look how high he was now, he wasn't panicking.
It was like Zipp said: Flying but with wings instead of tails.
"I... I'm flying..." Tails said with a little smile. "It... It's true! Hohoho! I'm flying for real!" He cheered as he happily made some loops around Zipp.
"See? It wasn't so hard now, was it?" Zipp said, smirking as she started to fly backward. "Now, let's see how good you are at flying with your new pegasus form," she said mockingly.
"Uh, Zipp? What are you––" Tails tried to ask. However, it didn't take him long to understand what she was up to, so he smirked and opened his wings. "Oh, I'm gonna catch you!" he stated, flapping his wings and shooting at her.
At this, Zipp smirked even more, and she started to fly across the sky at top speed, with Tails getting behind her and flapping his wings hard enough to reach her.
Despite Zipp being the superior flier as a pegasus, Tails still managed to reach her, as he looked at her with a mocking smirk. But of course, this only made Zipp roll her eyes at his attitude, so she started flapping her wings faster, moving away from Tails and startling him.
Still, the young pegasus tried to catch up by flapping his wings faster, but it wasn't working... And yet, he had an idea, one that made him smirk.
Meanwhile, Zipp seemed confident that she was ahead of Tails, but when she looked at her side and saw that Tails was not only at her side but also starting to fly ahead of her, she felt surprised.
"H-How are you––" Zipp tried to ask with shock.
But then, she noticed Tails spinning his tails quickly and flapping his wings hard. Thanks to his unique quality, this gave her a boost, and even though she knew she was losing, she still felt happy to see how fast he had adapted to fly as a pegasus.
Suddenly, Tails' Cutie Mark started to glow, while his tails and wings got yellow sparkles of lightning. Then, his eyes turned yellow with some electric sparkles, and once he flapped his wings again, he boosted at the speed of sound, breaking the sound barrier just like Sonic did earlier.
At this, Zipp stopped in her place and looked amazed at Tails. Her eyes sparkled a bit, and her cheeks reddened.
Meanwhile, Tails made some loops in the air while leaving a yellow trial, as he cheered loudly now that he could properly fly.
Now that Team Sonic were ponies and adapted to their new forms perfectly, Pipp and Izzy quickly applied a makeover over them for the Manesquerade Ball.
Sonic now had green and silver glittered legs, green eye shadows, a green stripe on his wings, mane, and tail, and blue lightning painted on his hooves.
Tails had red and blue glittered legs, red and blue stripes on his tails, mane, and wings, a mix of red and blue eye shadows, and a yellow engine painted on his hooves.
Finally, Knuckles had purple and pink glittered legs, pink and purple stripes on his mane and tail, a mix of pink and purple eye shadows, and red crystals on his hooves to match Izzy's blue ones.
With Team Sonic ready, the group, minus Zipp, gathered outside the Brighthouse and prepared to depart towards the Manesquerade Ball in the Marestream since the Tornado IV was designed exclusively for finger use. Right now, Tails had no fingers.
As Hitch emerged from the Brighthouse and approached the group, Sparky put on a brown tie with yellow circles and excitedly babbled.
"Don't forget your masks, everypony!" Izzy told the rest with a smile as she gave Sunny her mask, which was half purple to represent the night and half golden to represent the day.
She also gave Hitch his mask, which was purple with slightly green decorations, as both Sunny and Hitch put on their masks and laughed.
Then, Izzy went over with Team Sonic and brought them their masks. Sonic's mask was blue with certain pink and golden details, Tails' was yellow with slight pink, white, and light blue decorations, and Knuckles' was red with some purple and green details.
The trio put on their masks, as they fit perfectly on them, even as ponies. "Guess the body transformation couldn't change or head measures!" Sonic pointed out with a smirk.
Then Izzy gave Pipp her golden mask with purple details. The pegasus smiled and grabbed it but then chose to put it away.
Soon enough, Zipp also emerged from the Brighthouse, holding a basket with food in her mouth and humming a little melody. This was weird to her, and Pipp noticed that.
"What's your deal?" Pipp asked her, confused.
"I'm bringing some snacks onboard! Why?" Zipp asked back while putting the basket down and raising an eyebrow.
"You're happy," Pipp pointed out, concerned. "You're never happy when you're forced to do something. And you're usually especially unhappy about going to the Manesquerade Ball," she smirked.
"That's because... I'm planning to research Alicorn magic in the Palace library archives," Zipp whispered with a smile. "In the secret section!" she added, bringing out her mask and putting it on.
When she heard this, Pipp gasped in shock. "But that's off-limits!" she pointed out with concern.
"Yeah... Can't you do this any other day?" Sonic asked with a bored expression as he and Tails approached the sisters. "I get that you wanna prevent Opaline from stealing all the magic and all, but why choose something made specifically to not work to do your detective stuff?" he questioned with a sarcastic tone.
"Also, Sunny's been bugging us about her Unity Dance for weeks!" Tails whispered at her with an anxious expression. "And I got the feeling she's gonna be even more unbearable with that today, so I don't think you're gonna be so lucky with your investigation..." he pointed out. "Also, if I hear one more time about that dance, I'm gonna be insane!" he complained while falling sideways to the right.
"Aaaaand he's broken..." Sonic deadpanned while Pipp giggled at his attitude, and Zipp helped him to stand up out of concern for him.
"Who's broken?" Misty's voice spoke.
Everyone turned to see that Misty had arrived with them, and it's sure to say that she escaped from the Castle without Eggman's permission.
With her arrival, Izzy turned around and smiled. "Whoa, Misty!" she exclaimed happily, launching to the unicorn and hugging her tightly. This startled Misty for a second. "What a fun surprise!" Izzy said excitedly, while Misty chuckled a bit.
"Where have you been? We missed you," Sunny added with a smile as she approached the two unicorn mares.
"Yeah! We haven't seen you in forever!" Tails added as he approached her with a smile.
However, Misty looked confused at him and smiled awkwardly. "U-Um... Sorry... I don't wanna be disrespectful, but... Do I know you?" she asked, a bit nervous.
Tails raised an eyebrow and blinked a few times before realizing why she was so confused. "Oh, right! Sorry, my stupid lack of thinking twice sometimes and me... I'm Tails! As a pony, but Tails all the same!" he told her with a smile as he removed his mask.
Misty's eyes widened after he said that. "What?!" she asked in disbelief.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true!" Sonic added with a smirk as he and Knuckles approached and removed their masks. "Tails here made a pretty cool thing that turned us into ponies until midnight!" he explained.
"Sonic? Knuckles?!" Misty questioned, and both of them nodded with smirks. "Whoa, okay... This is not what I expected after getting out of the lair––" she tried to say, but then her eyes widened at what she was about to say. "Of-of home!" she corrected herself with a nervous chuckle. "I-I couldn't come before because I had stuff at home! I live at home in a house," she assured nervously.
At this, everypony else looked at her confused, with Knuckles almost pulling out a 'The Rock Eyebrow' expression.
"You know how it is when you're trapped at home doing chores, and it feels like you're grounded in a lair?" Misty said quickly with a nervous chuckle. "Me neither... Hey, look at that. Are you getting ready to go to a place?" she asked, quickly changing the subject and noticing Zipp's mask on her hoof.
"Not just any place," Sunny pointed out with a smile. "We're going to the Manesquerade Ball!" she stated excitedly.
"The most glam night for Zephyr Heights!" Pipp said as she and Sonic walked around before bowing to each other.
"But this year, we're invited!" Sonic stated with a chuckle.
"Wow, that sounds like a big deal!" Misty said with an amused expression.
"Well, it's a really important thing, where there's food, music, strangers who don't know you that you don't know either... Do I have to keep going?" Tails told Misty with a smirk and a wink, slightly pushing her shoulder while Misty blushed and chuckled awkwardly.
"Oh! Oh! Oh, I have an idea!" Izzy exclaimed all of a sudden. "Misty should come with us!" she suggested with a smile while wrapping a hoof around Misty's neck.
"Now you're talking!" Tails said with a chuckle, placing a hoof over Misty's shoulder.
"Yass!" Pipp agreed as she approached the unicorn mare. "Misty, you will love it! It's just a total thing," she assured me with a smile.
"You want me to go with you? To a thing?" Misty asked with a smile.
"Yass!" Pipp replied with a smile.
"Yeah!" Zipp, Team Sonic, and Hitch said with smiles as well.
"Come with us!" Izzy said happily.
"Wow. I've never been invited to a thing before," Misty confessed with a sweet and warm smile. "It sounds fancy... and full of ponies who don't know me," she said with panic, her front hooves trembling slightly because of her nerves.
"Nopony will know who anypony is!" Pipp assured her with a smile.
"True! Because we all wear masks!" Tails assured, putting on his mask again and smiling sweetly at Misty.
"Oh. I don't have one of those. And I don't feel very fancy..." Misty said with sadness and disappointment.
At this, Izzy and Pipp smiled at each other before placing their hooves on Misty's shoulder and guiding her inside the Brighthouse. "Leave that to us!" they said with smiles.
After a few minutes, Izzy and Pipp came back.
Misty walked behind them, now wearing golden eye shadows, pink and yellow glitter on her legs, yellow glitter on her horn, and yellow butterflies on her hooves.
"Ta-da!" both Izzy and Pipp said with smiles as they presented Misty's new look.
At this, everypony else cheered at her new look, while Pipp gave her a mirror so Misty herself could see her new look, and when she did so, she smiled.
Then, Izzy extended her a mask that looked like the left wing of a peacock. Misty grabbed it and put it on with a smile.
"So, are you in?" Zipp asked her with a smirk.
"I'm in!" Misty declared with a smile.
And with this, everyone cheered once again before heading towards the Marestream.
Once inside, Zipp sat on the pilot's seat and turned on the Marestream as the vehicle lifted the ground and then boosted in the air, heading towards Zephyr Heights.
Inside the Marestream, Izzy, Misty, and Tails all sat on the couches in the passenger room.
Just then, Sparky came by and sat at Misty's side.
"Ahh... Isn't flying great?!" Izzy asked Misty cheerfully, but then she gasped and pulled out some goggles. "Watch this!" she exclaimed, then put on the goggles and stuck her head out the window. "I can taste the wind!" she managed to say as her face pushed back from the wind while screaming.
"That's quite a weird way to experience flying... Then again, she's the same pony that once made a glider to fly along with Zipp and me, so I shouldn't be surprised," Tails said with a smirk while Misty giggled at his comment.
But then, Misty saw Sparky at her side, and she felt uncomfortable as he looked at her with suspicion, so she gave him a sheepish smile. "Hey there, Sparky…" she said to him before making sure that Tails nor Izzy were paying her attention so she could whisper to the baby dragon. "It's okay. I won’t try to take you," she muttered nervously.
Sparky babbled and looked confused at Misty while both Izzy and Tails looked at her strangely, with Izzy taking off her goggles after taking her head out of the window.
"Are you two okay?" Izzy asked, concerned.
Misty stood in silence for a while until she started to panic. "I didn't do anything! I swear!" she assured nervously.
"But we didn't blame you for anything..." Tails pointed out with a raised eyebrow. However, once he and Izzy shared a look, they both smiled and nodded.
"Can you give us a minute, bud?" Izzy asked Sparky with a smile.
Sparky nodded at her, then went to the driver's cabin with a giggle.
"It's okay, Misty!" Izzy started with a smile.
"We know what's going on with you!" Tails added as he sat on Misty's other side.
"You do?!" Misty asked in a panic.
"It's as obvious as the horn of your head!" Izzy pointed out her own horn while Misty looked worried.
"You… are nervous!" Tails said cheerfully.
Misty felt surprised when she heard this, but she still exhaled, relieved, and smiled. "Oh. Yeah. You got me. I'm nervous!" she admitted.
"Well, you don't need to be! You need to be you!" Izzy stated with a smile.
"Not exactly sure that ponies like it when I'm just being me…" Misty said with worry as she jumped off the couch.
"The what now?!" Tails asked playfully with a raised eyebrow. "That's just blasphemy! Of course, they like the real you, Misty! I know we do!" he assured her.
Misty blushed after hearing that, but her blush disappeared as her concern returned. "What if I do something awkward?" she asked concerned.
"You won't," Izzy assured her. "But even if you do, nopony will know it's you. Because of masks!" she added cheerfully as she put on her mask. "Oh, have you seen Izzy?" she acted playfully with a fancy tone.
Tails chuckled at her before putting on his mask to follow her game and look at Misty. "Now you try!" she said to Misty.
Misty also decided to play along, so she put on her mask and blinked a few times, still confused.
"Hmm…" Izzy looked around, acting as if she couldn't see Misty. "Hello, there, stranger!" she playfully told Misty. "If you see Misty, can you give her this charm bracelet I made for her?" she said while bringing out the bracelet.
The bracelet had the icons of the Mane 5's Cutie Marks and Team Sonic's logos she had seen on their stuff, with Misty's fake Cutie Mark on it with crystals on each side.
"It has the Cutie Marks of her new friends on it!" Izzy said with a smile.
"And our logotypes as well!" Tails added cheerfully.
Misty felt surprised by this, looking at the bracelet with amusement. "For me? I… Thank you..." she said with a smile, accepting the bracelet and putting it on her left hoof.
Izzy smiled back at Misty and gave her a wink, while Tails removed his mask and gave her a warm smile.
"Eee!" Sunny squealed excitedly as she approached Misty, Izzy, and Tails. "Okay, everypony! I know you've all been waiting for me to teach you the moves for the Unity Dance I choreographed for us!" she exclaimed joyfully while Sonic and Knuckles followed behind.
"What's a Unity Dance?" Misty and Izzy asked, confused, while Tails put on a bored expression as the three ponies removed their masks and looked at Sunny.
"Seriously?" Sunny deadpanned as she brought out her phone. "It’s on the group text," she pointed out with a smile, showing a video from her phone.
The video showed Sunny making the moves for the dance.
"Canter skip, double clip…" Sunny said in the video.
"Well, I guess we'll learn the steps along the way because I rarely check the messages on the group," Sonic said with a bored expression.
"I barely check my phone at all," Knuckles said with a slight frown.
"Lucky bastards..." Tails groaned in silence with a twitchy eye.
"Just imagine it…" Sunny said with a thoughtful smile. "All three pony-kinds, dancing together in perfect unison at the grand hall of Zephyr Heights Palace!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"I’m sorry, Sunny," Misty said with doubt. "But, um… I don’t think I can perform in front of other ponies," she worriedly.
"Aww, there's no reason to be shy, Mist!" Tails told her with a smile as he playfully nuzzled against her, but that made Misty blush even more, and her heart beat hard. "You don't mind if I call you Mist, right?" Tails asked her, a bit concerned.
Misty smiled at him and denied with her head, which made Tails smile back at her.
"This dance is about everypony working together and supporting each other," Sunny told Misty, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "And it's fun! Once we practice, you'll be fine," she assured her with a smile, and Misty smiled back.
"That is if we even have time to practice..." Sonic pointed out with a bored expression.
"What do you mean?" Knuckles asked, confused.
Just then, the Marestream shook violently, startling them. They looked out and saw it had landed on the palace's landing pad.
"Oh..." it's all Knuckles said with amusement, while Sonic looked at him mockingly.
Then, Hitch exited the pilot's cabin with Sparky on his back. "We're here! Let's go!" he said excitedly, and Sparky babbled excitedly.
"You ready to rock this red carpet?" Pipp asked her friends with a smile as they all cheered in agreement. "Mask up, everypony!" she instructed as everypony put their masks on and exited the vehicle, except for Sunny.
"Wait!" Sunny called out. "We need to rehearse! I can't do a unity dance alone!" she pointed out with concern.
"We'll dance it when we'll dance it, Sunny-Bunny," Sonic said with a smirk. "You cannot force this kind of stuff," he pointed out.
Skye and Dazzle were next to the red carpet at the Zephyr Heights Castle.
"Skye Silver here at the grandest and glitziest Manesquerade Ball red carpet Zephyr Heights has ever seen," Skye Silver announced as he and Dazzle were at the red carpet of the Royal Palace for their live news coverage. "Isn't that right, Dazzle?" he asked her with a smile.
"Yes, Skye! The first ZH Ball to include all ponykinds of Equestria," Dazzle replied, and the Pippsqueaks (Seashell, Glor,y and Peach Fizz) whistled happily while the cameras flashed as ponies kept arriving.
"What a historical event!" Skye nodded as ponies around were taking pictures of the ponies walking by with them wearing masks.
Just then, Jazz and Rocky appeared next to Skye and Dazzle.
"Hi, Dazzle Feather, ZBS Tonight," Dazzle greeted the two ponies. "What are you wearing, and who are you really?" she asked them.
"Only the best!" Jazz said through the mic with a smile.
"And wouldn't you like to know?" Rocky asked playfully, smiling, as he and Jazz continued walking.
"So true! I would like to know!" Dazzle answered with a smile.
Meanwhile, the Mane 5, Misty, Sparky, and Team Sonic had come up in the elevator to the red carpet entrance to the ball.
"Wow!" they all cheered in awe. Sonic whistled in amazement, and Pipp took a selfie with her phone.
After that, everypony headed towards the red carpet.
But then Queen Haven, Cloudpuff, Zoom, and Thunder landed in front of them, each wearing masks as they walked down the red carpet.
"How amazing is this, Cloudpuff?" Haven asked with a smirk. "Thanks to the masks, nopony knows who I am! Heehee!" she giggled gleefully.
But Queen Haven spoke too soon once she approached Skye and Dazzle.
"Excuse us, Your Majesty," Skye said as he and Dazzle bowed before Haven, which made her frown. "May we ask a few questions for the red carpet?" Skye asked.
"Why are you bowing and calling me 'Your Majesty'?" Haven asked, trying to act like she didn’t knoww them. Skye and Dazzle looked confused. "I’m sorry, but I don’t appreciate your assuming," she added.
"Oh, I’m so sorry, Queen," Dazzle apologized.
And then, Cloudpuff barked at them and shook his head, telling them to play along.
"I mean, whoever you are," Dazzle quickly corrected, now understanding. "It's just so hard to tell who is who with everypony wearing masks!" she added.
"You said it, Dazzle!" Skye agreed with a smirk. "I’m sure everypony at the ball will be asking: 'Who is this mysterious stunning mare'?" he added with a laugh.
"Whew!” Haven sighed in relief as she, Cloudpuff, Zoom, and Thunder continued walking down the walkway.
The Mane 5, Misty, Sparky, and Team Sonic saw this, looking at Haven confused.
"What is she doing?" Sunny asked first.
"I don't wanna be that guy, but she does know she's not fooling anypony here, right?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ugh, Mom does this at the ball every year…" Pipp explained with a sigh, but then she smiled at her friends. "Okay, team. Showtime!" she announced.
After that, she walked down the carpet while striking poses as the ponies cheered and took pictures of her.
"Over here! Over here!" one of the ponies in the crowd called out.
"Oh yeah!" Pipp exclaimed with a smile as she kept posing.
"Who are you wearing?" another pony asked.
"Princess Pipp, you look iconic!" another another pony called out.
They look pretty much the same, just with masks and a makeover. Their Cutie Marks are also visible, so it's pretty easy to tell it's them.
Then, Pipp came closer to the Pippsqueaks and took a selfie with them.
Next, Sunny and Izzy stood together and posed at the cameras as pictures of them were taken.
Now, Hitch and Sparky stood next to the pictures as Sparky grumbled excitedly and jumped off Hitch's back, walking on the red carpet and winking at the camera.
"A baby dragon on the red carpet?!" Shutter asked excitedly as she kept taking pictures of Sparky. "I can't even. Too cute!" she exclaimed.
Then, Team Sonic also walked down the carpet, with Sonic looking over at the cameras with his iconic smirk and wink. At the same time, Tails smiled at the cameras and waved his hoof, and Knuckles stroked some poses, even smirking confidently at the cameras.
Nopony could imagine this was Team Sonic with pony bodies, and they honestly wanted to keep it like that.
Next, Misty walked across the carpet just when a picture of her face was taken. "Ahh!" she cried out, startled, as other ponies took more pictures. Misty backed up a bit and then walked next to Zipp. "You mind if I trot back here with you so I’m not in any pictures?” she asked nervously.
"Why don't you want to be photographed?" Zipp asked, confused.
"Uh… The same reason as you?" Misty replied with a nervous smile.
"Hmm, can't argue with that!" Zipp said with a smile.
They entered the castle once the entire group passed through the red carpet.
The Mane 5, Misty, and Team Sonic entered the Throne Room.
They all felt amazed at the layout of the ball and the ponies dancing around with masks on, with both Sonic and Knuckles whistling at the sight.
"Hay-Fever-Happy Berries, this is beautiful!" Izzy beamed happily after a gasp.
"It is!" Misty agreed with a huge smile.
"I said it last season, and I'll say it again: I love Equestria!" Sonic exclaimed with a smile.
Then, Pipp brought them to the small buffet table. "We have chocolate fountains, whipped cream waterfalls, peanut butter puddles, and my personal favorite: cookie towers!" she beamed, gesturing to each sweet item they were serving for the night.
At this, Hitch grinned before grabbing a circular cookie, dipping it in fudge, and eating it.
"Hitch! You did not just do that!" Izzy barked, earning a surprised look from Hitch.
"Did I do something wrong?" Hitch asked.
"Uh, yes!" Izzy smiled, turning to the Whipped Cream Mountain and putting some on her horn. "You forgot the whipped cream, duh!" she flicked it onto Hitch's cookie, and he ate it but got the whipped cream on his nose completely.
"I've never been so happy to be wrong!" Hitch grinned.
"Well, there's a first time for everything!" Knuckles stated with a mocking smirk. "Like the fact that I don't know how I'm gonna grab food with these..." he pointed out, looking at his hooves with concern.
"It's pretty sticky!" Sonic said with a smile as he grabbed a cookie and topped it with chocolate and whipped cream. "It's like the 'stick to walls' thingy that Spider-Man has, but it doesn't look gross," he said, eating his cookie happily.
"Huh..." Knuckles replied, grabbing a cookie with his hoof and looking closely at it. "For once, you might be right, Hed—I mean! Sonic. Sorry, old habits die hard..." he pointed out with a sheepish smile.
Everypony else chuckled at that, but just then, Misty and Tails saw Zipp trotting off, which made them both raise their eyebrows.
"Huh?" Misty asked, confused, as Tails and she followed Zipp while hiding behind a pillar. "What are you up to?" she asked with suspicion.
"Zipp, please don't do this tonight," Tails muttered, concerned. "Why does she always put her job over her friends?! I get it; she's worried about Opaline and Eggman," he pointed out with a frown. Misty panicked a bit when he mentioned their names. "But that's no reason to be so bold and leave her friends behind! Ugh..." he groaned.
Misty could tell that Tails was tired of Zipp doing this, and in all honesty, she was tired too because Zipp kept messing with Opaline and Eggman's plans... And yet, she also agreed with Tails' point that she's leaving her friends behind way too much.
"Um... And what if we go and tell her that?" Misty suggested him with a smile. "I mean, it is tiring that she messes everything you guys wanna do because she's worried," she pointed out.
"I don't know... It does make me mad, but maybe we shouldn't stop her... I don't wanna mess with her job..." Tails said with a conflicted look while his ears lowered.
"I'm not saying we should let her stop; I'm saying we should maybe, you know, tell her to do this on a not-so-inconvenient occasion that involves our friends?" Misty pointed out with a nervous smile.
Tails' ears perked up at this. He looked back at Misty before smiling confidently. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess we can try!"
And so, both nodded before carefully following Zipp without anyone noticing, not even their friends.
Speaking of them, Sunny gathered those who were at the time so they could rehearse their Unity Dance.
"One more time!" Sunny called out to her friends. "It's canter, skip, double click. Hoof it up! A twirly shift!" She danced a demonstration for them.
The others tried to follow Sunny's dance moves, but while Hitch was struggling, Hitch and Sonic had a weird time making sure they could even move their hooves a bit to dance, so nopony but Pipp seemed to execute the moves right.
"Canter, skip, and…" Pipp spoke, but then, she and Hitch fell to the floor with a yelp.
"Click! Yes!" Izzy cheered as she just moved freely with a cheery smile, while Knuckles had no idea what was going on anymore, and Sonic could barely move right now.
"Suddenly, having hooves became difficult..." Sonic muttered with annoyance.
Sunny raised an eyebrow at what had happened. "Seriously?! Ugh! That is nothing like what I said!" she pointed out, frustrated, before sighing in defeat. "Let me show you again," she said with a bored expression.
Meanwhile, somewhere across the ballroom, Alphabittle, who's wearing a mask, was levitating two cups of drinks as he walked to the throne, where Queen Haven and Cloudpuff are.
"A glass of punch for the palace queen," Alphabittle said to Haven with a smile.
At this, Haven gave a fake gasp. "Who, me?" she asked playfully, smirking Alphabittle. "Shh…" she shushed him with a smile. "You recognize me when nopony else does," she stated, walking off her throne and to Alphabittle.
"Wait, you think that––?" Alphabittle tried to ask, confused, since Haven still believed nopony could recognize her.
"Absolute!" Haven answered with a smile. "Only my closest friends and family ever know it’s me while I’m masquerading," she added with a twirl.
Alphabittle laughed at this. "Really?" he asked with a smirk.
"Mm-hmm!" Haven nodded.
At this moment, Alphabittle knew she wasn't joking. "Oh, you're serious!" he said, surprised. "Oh, I'm so sorry for blowing your cover," he apologized in a whisper.
Haven smiled at him, then turned and walked off with Alphabittle following her to the other side of the throne. "No apologies needed, Alphie. Nopony heard," she assured him. "But since we share a secret, could I ask you a friendly favor?" she asked him.
"Mm-hmm, of course," Alphabittle nodded with a smile.
"Don’t tell anypony who I am," Haven whispered with a smile.
"Yes, indeed, your maj--" Alphabittle stopped himself quickly. "I mean, yes… whoever you are, mysterious young mare," he corrected himself while Have smiled at him as he tapped his cup with hers.
"And I will cheer to that," Haven said with a smile as she and Alphabittle tapped their drinks together. "Aw!" she said as she and Alphabittle laughed together.
And yet, none of them knew that the door behind the throne room was slightly open.
Meanwhile, Zipp, unknowingly followed by Misty and Tails, went down one hall to where the Zephyr Heights Royal Archives Secret Section was.
"Huh? 'Royal Library Archives: Authorized Ponies Only’?" Zipp read before snorting a bit. "Who's more authorized than a princess?" she asked with a smirk.
Then, she looked around to ensure she was alone before pressing the hoof scanner, which accepted her and opened the door, so she entered the library.
Of course, she didn't notice that Misty and Tails peeked around the corner and quickly ran in, with Misty getting caught in the closed doors by her hips for a moment before entering.
Inside, Zipp put on her Z-Googles and hovered up to one shelf. "That's what I'm talking about. Enhance!" she said confidently while her Z-Googles zoomed in as she read some titles. "Magic for Ponies... History of Zephyr Heights, 10th Edition…" she read, pulling out one book and then putting it back before taking another. "The Unexpurgated Book of Unicorns and Their Diets… Huh? Well, that's weirdly specific..." she commented.
Meanwhile, Misty and Tails walked around nearby, looking at all the books.
"Wow. I didn't even know Equestria had this many books," Misty said, surprised, as she pulled out one book with dust on it.
"Nopony else did either..." Tails pointed out with a cringed expression. "Why are there so many books, anyway? And who's crazy enough to read all of them?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"No idea..." Misty replied as she blew dust from the book she grabbed, which made both Tails and her sneeze, sending Misty to fall back into another bookshelf while several books fell on her. "Ow!" she cringed in pain.
"You okay, Mist?" Tails asked her with concern, flapping his wings to fly and check on her head since he was now almost the same height as Pipp in his pony form.
But as he did so, Misty blushed, embarrassed. She suddenly gasped as she grabbed a book that fell in front of her, one with the image of an alicorn on it. "Alicorns of the Ancient World," she read before gasping again and removing her mask.
I bet Opaline would reward me for something like this.
"Huh..." Tails said as he looked at the book cover she grabbed. "This seems to be the kind of stuff that Zipp's looking for..." he pointed out, landing at Misty's side and rubbing his chin.
But then, Zipp landed, and Misty and Tails screamed cutely. "Misty? Tails?!" Zipp asked in surprise as Misty yelped and covered the book while both Tails gave Zipp a sheepish grin. "Did you guys follow me?" Zipp asked, confused, as she took off her Z-Googles.
"Uh, us?" Misty asked innocently. "W-We're not followers," she said with a nervous chuckle. "Just because we're in the same place doesn't mean we followed you," she quickly said.
"But… you did follow me," Zipp pointed out as she frowned at Misty.
Feeling the tension rising, Tails immediately frowned and stepped before Misty. He was not in the mood to hear Zipp's nonsensical suspicions about Misty again.
"Yes, we did follow you, Zipp," Tails said with a frown. "Misty only did it because she wanted an excuse not to be around big crowds. You know you didn't have to come with me, right?" he turned to Misty with a smile.
Misty blushed again at him, smiling, but she still got herself together. "I-I know..." she replied. "Massive herds of ponies just freak me out, so I thought I could follow the other ponies' friends I know that don't also dig crowds?" she said, looking at the two ponies nervously.
"Hmm…" Zipp thought for a moment before shrugging. "True. We do have that in common," she admitted.
"As for me? I came here because... I AM TIRED OF YOU!" Tails snapped suddenly, opening his wings, and yellow electric sparks appeared in his eyes and wings for a second.
That sudden scream made Zipp take several steps back from him while Misty's eyes widened since he had never seen Tails being mad before.
"Y-You... What?" Zipp managed to ask, even though she was scared about the answer she could get.
"Zipp, when was the last time that you actually helped out on something that doesn't involve you sneaking away suddenly just to research about our enemy?" Tails asked with a frown while closing his wings. "I get that stopping Opaline and Eggman is important, I really do... But that does not give you any right to sneak away and do whole-ass research to get back to square one anyways!" he pointed out.
"Hey, I helped with the 'Sunny Side Up' show the other day, remember?" Zipp replied with a frown.
"And beyond that?" Tails asked with a bored expression and raised an eyebrow.
Zipp raised her hoof and tried to reply... But no words came out of her mouth. Instead, her eyes widened in shock as she realized that Tails was right: She was becoming obsessed with her investigation.
"You see what I mean?!" Tails said with rage. "Zipp, everypony around you is moving on, growing, learning... Loving! But you? Your entire investigation will destroy your life if you keep going. What if the key to defeating Eggman and Opaline cannot be investigated until after they make their move? What then?!" he questioned.
After pretty much shouting at her, Tails finally started to calm down while Zipp sat down and looked down at the floor with lower ears and a lost expression.
On the one hoof, this was very important: The entire magic of Equestria was at stake, and she couldn't just sit around and wait for a miracle to happen because that's not what a detective does... But on the other hoof, Tails had a point: Her obsession with discovering Twilight's message and Opaline's actual race consumed her.
Now, it was just her interactions with her friends... But what would it be tomorrow? Her family? Her royal duties? Her entire life?
Misty, however, couldn't believe that Tails did all of that so easily. if she ever had that much pressure from Opaline and/or Eggman and snapped, she'd probably be dead... But Tails just stood up and straightly told Zipp what was concerning him.
She admired that and smiled at the young pegasus's sigh.
"... Y-You... Tails, you're right..." Zipp said with an anxious look. "Ponyfeathers, I'm so concerned about losing my magic again... I didn't realize how it made you all feel..." she said regretfully.
Tails felt bad for yelling at her, but now that he was telling her his concerns, he decided to keep going.
"I'm not done..." Tails said conflictedly while Zipp's and Misty's eyes widened. "Zipp... I've been feeling concerned about you for a while. Ever since the Unicorn Sleepover, to be precise," he confessed.
Zipp and Misty gulped: Zipp because she could tell what was coming and Misty because she felt she would be involved.
"Ever since we met Misty that day, all you do is look and talk about her as she was the walking representation of the line, 'Mystery at sigh! Please come seek me!'" Tails said sarcastically while opening his hooves. "Whenever something off happens, your first target is her! Sunny's lantern, Sparky's disappearance, the thief that tried to take away the Crystals for the second time... Is like if you painted an invisible target on her back!" he pointed out with a frown.
"Well, she does tend to act weird sometimes..." Zipp pointed out.
"Oh, wow! A pony that lacks social skills and is very shy among many ponies is suspicious!" Tails said with a sarcastic smile and tone. "You act as if she were the only pony in Equestria who's shy and barely talks to anyone," he said with a frown. His eyes widened, and he looked back at Misty with a sheepish smile. "No offense, Mist!" he told her.
"Um... None taken!" Misty replied nervously.
"Look, Zipp. She has done things that might not be normal, but if we're going down that logic, you should have suspicions about Izzy, too," Tails said with a frown. "After all, she tends to do things that we do not see as normal, and I don't see you trash-talking about her because of that!" he pointed out angrily.
Now, this was something else...
First, he stands up and says with no fear what he hates about Zipp, but now he's defending her from Zipp's shenanigans. Misty was surprised by Tails' action, which made her smile her cheeks also turned red.
Wait... Why is she blushing at seeing him again? And why is her heart beating so fast? This makes no sense to her...
"Okay, okay, okay!" Zipp's voice spoke with panic, bringing Misty back to reality. "I get it! You don't like that. I'm blaming Misty for things we already know she didn't make... But why are you so protective over her?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
She would lie if she said that she wasn't a bit jealous of how Tails defended Misty from her all the time, but she couldn't let her feelings for Tails get the best of her right now.
"Because I can sympathize with her," Tails replied, not with a frown anymore, but still upset. "She... She's never had friends before us, so she acts like she does. There's no bigger meaning behind her actions, Zipp. Is just like with Izzy: She's never interacted with so many ponies before, which is why she's still adapting to the concept of friendship to this very day!" he pointed out.
"Wait..." Zipp said, but now looking at Misty. "Is that true? You act awkward and nervous around us because you never interacted with ponies that much?" she asked.
"I... Um, I... Yes..." Misty replied with a sad expression. "I never had friends as a kid, and... I'm honestly scared to lose the ones I already made... And not only because of my lack of social skills..." she confessed with concern. "Tails, remember what you asked me that night? Besides never having friends before?" she asked him.
"Uh, yeah?" Tails replied, at first confused, but then his eyes widened. "W-Wait... You're gonna tell her about––" he tried to ask with concern, but Misty covered his mouth with a hoof.
Then, the unicorn mare sighed and got in front of Zipp with a conflicted expression. "Zipp, you were suspicious about me not being from Bridlewood that night... And you're right! I am not from Bridlewood. I didn't even grow there!" she confessed with sadness.
"W-What?!" Zipp screamed in shock, while Tails' eyes widened in surprise that she said it. "I-I was right?! You don't come from Bridlewood?!" she asked, still trying to process it.
Misty nodded and then gulped nervously. "B-But that's not all... I… I... I don't have a Cutie Mark!" she also admitted, wiping her fake Cutie Mark off her flank.
Zipp and Tails gasped in shock, especially because not even he saw that one coming.
"I know. It's shocking," Misty said, looking down at the floor. "And the truth is… I never had one..." she added with concern.
"I read about kids not getting theirs until they're 10, but a grown mare... This is both interesting, surprising, and concerning..." Tails said with worry.
"I knew it!" Zipp exclaimed suddenly, with Tails glaring at her. "Well, I didn't know that. But I knew there was something different about you!" she smiled.
"But different's not bad… right?" Misty asked.
"Of course not!" Tails told her with a smile. "Just because you're different doesn't mean that is bad!" he pointed out.
"But, ahh… I was right!" Zipp kept cheering with a smile.
"Yep. Your instincts were spot on," Misty said.
"Boom-zippity. Detective skills on point!" Zipp broasted to get a smack on the head by Tails. "Ow!" she yelped.
"Not helping, Zipp!" Tails said firmly.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to rub it in," Zipp apologized to Misty and Tails before turning to the unicorn mare. "But why didn't you just tell us?" she asked with concern.
"Maybe we would have freaked out, and besides Zipp, Sunny would also bomb you with questions—let's be real—" Tails pointed out. "But we would have understood! Why did you not tell anyone?" he asked, concerned.
"Well… I figured you wouldn't want to be my friend if you all knew!" Misty cried out, sobbing and then running to the door in tears.
"Wait!" Zipp called out.
"Misty!" Tails shouted as he and Zipp trotted after Misty.
"It's okay. You don't have to say it," Misty cried. "I'll just leave and then--" she tried to add.
"You can't! We need you," Zipp called out, and Misty stopped with surprise.
"You do?" Misty asked in surprise as she turned to the two ponies.
"Of course we do!" Tails assured with a smile. "We need you to stay because we like you, Misty, Cutie Mark or not," he added.
Misty felt surprised by hearing this, but she still smiled at them.
"And you know what? We're all different in our ways, but our differences make us who we are. How boring would that be if we were all the same?" Zipp joked as she flew forward a bit before landing.
"Take me as an example. We wanted to try out how it feels to be ponies for the ball, but... In all honesty? I think I prefer to be the little fox I've always been. It's just who I am!" Tails said with a smile. "And being different makes friendship so cool!" he added.
"Really?" Misty asked with a smile.
"Super, really," Zipp answered, also smiling.
"But let's cut back on keeping big secrets, okay?" Tails said with a chuckle. "We don't want detective Zipp going on another quest for truth that might hurt anypony!" he added, slightly pushing Zipp's shoulder, as the pegasus blushed and laughed a bit.
"That is something I could do," Misty said with a smile.
"And I'll work on the whole 'being suspicious of you' thing," Zipp assured the mare with a smile.
Then, Zipp and Misty touched their hooves, promising to work better for themselves.
"Good, 'cause you seriously need to work on that," Tails said with a smirk. "Also, sorry for snapping like that before... I was just concerned that you'll get too much into your investigation, leading you to get yourself hurt... I cannot allow that..." he said with a slight blush, and Zipp immediately blushed.
Misty raised an eyebrow as they both blushed at each other, and she couldn't help but frown a bit. Why did she do it, though? She didn't know, but she didn't like to see this either.
Still, she shook her head and laughed awkwardly. "So if we aren't keeping secrets anymore, then I think I should show you this," she stated as she trotted off, grabbed the Alicorn book, and gave it to Zipp.
Zipp gasped as she looked at the book. "Alicorns of the Ancient World?!" she asked in shock. "Where did you find this?" she requested Misty.
"Uh, it sort of found me!" Misty admitted.
"It fell on you," Tails corrected with a smile as they chuckled happily.
Zipp frowned a bit when Tails and Misty laughed together, but before she could even question anything, the door to the library opened suddenly, and Pipp popped her head.
"There you three are!" Pipp called out, startling Zipp as she put the book away. "What are you doing?! Come on! Sunny is trying to teach us––" she explained as she flew in.
"The dance!" Misty said in realization.
"Yes!" Pipp confirmed. "And she's freaking out because we are running out of time to rehearse!" she pointed out as she held out her phone but then looked at a bookshelf. "Aw, look. All of my old Spooky Stables books, aww!" she flew up and took pictures of the books. "Anyway, are you guys coming or what?!" Pipp asked the others as she flew to the door.
"What d'ya say, Misty? Are you down to a dance we don't know?" Zipp asked Misty with a smile.
"In front of everypony?" Misty asked in a panic. "I'll make a fool of myself!" she pointed out nervously.
"Not if we do it together!" Tails pointed out with a smirk and a wink.
"But I don't know any of the moves," Misty pointed out.
"Let us tell you a little secret," Zipp said as she approached her ear. "None of us do," she whispered with a chuckle, removing her mask and putting it on.
"Let's just make it up as we go!" Tails stated, also putting his mask back and giving Misty hers with a giggle.
Misty giggled and put on her mask while Zipp returned for the Alicorn book. "Whoops! Can't forget this!" Zipp said as she picked up the book.
After that, the three of them left the library with smiles.
Misty, Zipp, and Tails returned to the throne room as they approached their friends.
Sunny was worried at the snack table while Hitch and Knuckles tried to cheer her up, and Sonic seemed to be complaining about something.
"Now, come on, Sunny. It's not that bad," Hitch smiled, trying to reassure her.
"You're right. Ha! It's fine," Sunny said in a panicked tone. "We're just about to perform a unity dance that will be completely un-unified!" she cried out in panic.
"I guess when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound ideal…" Hitch said with a sheepish smile.
"Worst-case scenario? Ponies make fun of us for a whole week before something even more stupid happens that calls their attention," Knuckles pointed out.
"Yeah... Rule of the internet: It evolves quickly so we won't be laughed at for so long..." Sonic agreed, closing one of his wings with a hoof, only for his other wing to open again. He groaned and did the same, but with his other wing closed, the other one opened again. "Ugh, come on! It's been doing that for the past hour! Having wings is fun, but not when I can't close them!" he groaned.
"Shouldn't they close like some kind of reflex?" Sunny asked, confused. "That's how my wings, Zipp's, and Pipp's work," she pointed out.
"Well, they've been opening for no reason for the past hour, like I said!" Sonic complained with a frown to try and close his wings again, miserably failing in the process. "Ugh, I give up..." he deadpanned.
"Thank Chaos. My only existential crisis so far is that my name has no sense anymore now that I have no knuckles," Knuckles said with a relaxed smile.
"Huh... You're taking it too well," Hitch pointed out amusedly.
"Oh, I'm not. I'm just good at hiding my pain," Knuckles replied, as one of his eyes twitched, which made Sunny and Hitch cringe, while Sonic rolled his eyes in annoyance.
With Jazz and Rocky, Izzy showed them her homemade DJ player. "Ta-da!" Izzy cheered.
"Now that's what I call a DJ Deck!" Jazz complimented with a smile.
"Me too!" Rocky agreed.
"Really?!" Izzy asked excitedly. "I call it a disco platter. Huh! It must be a Unicorn thing," she commented.
"So what do you want us to do?" Rocky asked curiously.
"Simple!" Izzy said with her usual cheery smile. "You two bring the grooves, and we'll bring the moves. Ooh!" she danced a bit before getting close to them. "That means to play our song, and we'll dance to it!" she whispered loudly.
"Ready, Izzy?" Sunny called out as Izzy turned and saw Sunny waving at her.
"Ooh! That must be your cue!" Izzy said excitedly to the two stylists, thinking that Sunny was telling her it was time before she trotted off to Sunny.
At this, Jazz and Rocky smile. "Hit it, Rocky!" Jazz said with a smile.
"You got it, Jazz!" Rocky answered with a smile.
Then, Rocky started the DJ player while Jazz pointed to Thunder and Zoom. Zoom pressed a button that brought out a bright disco ball.
"Wait! It's starting?!" Sunny asked in a panic once she heard the music and saw the disco ball. "No, no, no! We're not ready! We don't have everypony!" she called out in panic.
"Oh… Was that not the cue?" Izzy asked nervously.
"No! It's not time yet!" Sunny snapped.
"Well, I guess we'll have to improvise," Sonic stated with a smirk. "Give me that mic, Izz!" he called out to the unicorn mare.
Izzy nodded and gave Sonic a microphone while he boosted his wings to the center of the ball. Even though he struggled to keep his wings closed, he shrugged it off and decided to leave them open.
"What up, what up, Manesquerade Ball?!" Sonic called out, then mimicking a party horn sound. "Everypony clear the dance floor for something that will blow you away! Away…" he added with a smile.
As he spoke, Sunny approached him. "Sonic, this is a bad idea!" she whispered, concerned.
"Too late, it's happening! Take it or leave!" Sonic whispered back before using the mic again. "And now, a special performance of the Electric Unity Shuffle!" he announced.
However, Sunny looked nervous and backed away while Hitch and Knuckles arrived. "What do we do?! This isn't the message of unity I wanted to send!" she pointed out in worry.
"Don't worry, Sunny. They'll follow your lead. They always do," Hitch assured me with a smile.
"What is the first move again?" Izzy asked Sunny in a whisper.
At this, Sunny took a deep breath before walking up to the dance floor. "It goes like this…" she said as she stood in the middle of the dance floor.
As a light turned on over her, she started to dance. Pipp appeared before her, and Izzy came from behind as the three ponies danced in sync.
Sunny:
Somepony give me a shimmy
Somepony give me a shake
Give me a twist and shout
And just feel the bass
Sonic appeared from behind Pipp, Hitch appeared in front of Sunny, and Knuckles in front of Izzy, with the six ponies dancing in sync.
Sunny and Pipp:
Hey, hey!
Pipp:
Come on and let your mane down
Yeah, pony, play
Pipp sang as she danced back before flying around happily.
Izzy:
You gotta show me
How you work it today
Izzy sang next as she danced around and turned her back and head with a smile.
Mane 5 & Team Sonic:
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-ahhh
Hitch:
Shake it, shake it, shake it
Hitch sang as he shook his body. Then, Misty, Zipp, and Tails approached their friends. Zipp encouraged Misty to join in, and Misty excitedly joined the others as she and Sunny touched hooves and twirled around.
Sunny:
Shake loose, bust a hoof
Show me your pony moves
Sonic:
You gotta let your mane down
Yeah, let it sway
Pipp:
Let it sway!)
The girls danced together in sync, with Misty joining them.
Knuckles:
You gotta show me
How you're slayin' today
Knuckles sang as Izzy while the couple danced together with smiles on their faces.
Pipp:
Dance, feel the rhythm
Pipp sang as Sonic came next to her.
Sonic:
Everypony move your hooves
Tails:
Ow!
Izzy sang as the Mane 6 and Misty then started singing together as they danced while the ponies at the Ball watched them dance and sing.
Mane 5, Misty & Team Sonic:
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-ahhh
Tails and Misty:
Shake it, shake it, shake it
Izzy sings as she and Misty dance together. The ponies start moving the song, and Zoom and Thunder move their heads to the beat.
Mane 5, Misty & Team Sonic:
Shake loose, bust a hoof
Show me your pony moves
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-ahhh
Shake it, shake it, shake it
Jazz and Rocky moved to the music while Sparky made some break dance, and Cloudpuff moved to the music next to him.
Haven and Alphabittle watched the performance as well. "You know what this reminds me of?" Haven asked Alphabittle.
"My amazing dance skills on Just Prance?" Alphabittle guessed as he hopped up a bit before smiling at Haven.
Haven laughed and tapped Alphabittle's hoof. "No! It reminds me of my Pipp and Zipp," she sighed. "The palace just feels so empty without them," she added with sadness.
"Isn't that them?" Alphabittle asked with a smile, pointing to the dancefloor while the crowd cheered.
Haven looked to where Alphabittle pointed, and her eyes widened with surprise. "My hoofness, you're right!" she said with a wide smile, seeing her daughters circling together in the air. "You go, girls!" she cheered happily to her daughters.
But then, Alphabittle narrowed his eyes as he saw Misty dancing next to Izzy, not recognizing her since he knew almost all the Unicorns from Bridlewood, but before he could get a closer look, a pony blocked his view. Alphabittle decided to shrug it as he turned and saw Haven smiling at him, and he smiled back while the two ponies walked closer to the dance floor.
The Mane 5 and Misty then posed as Misty took a selfie with a smile.
Dance, feel the rhythm
Everypony's got the moves
Pipp:
Ohhhh, yeah!
Mane 5, Misty & Team Sonic:
Dance, feel the rhythm
Everypony move your hooves
Sunny:
Ooo!
At the song's end, the Mane 5, Misty, and Team Sonic struck a pose as the crowd cheered at them for the performance.
Later, after the ball, the group returned to Brighthouse, where they watched the video of their Unity Dance on Pipp's phone, which was recorded during their performance.
"This video is ridiculous," Hitch commented with a smile.
"Ridiculously awesome!" Izzy cheered.
Pipp gave laughed at that. "Just like us," she said.
"At least it ended well!" Sonic pointed out with a smirk before looking at Sunny at his side. "And you were so worried for nothing!" he joked, pushing her shoulder slightly while Sunny giggled.
Misty looked down a bit as she got up from the chair and sighed, then looked at her friends with a smile. "Well, I should probably be getting back home. Thank you all so much for inviting me," she said happily.
"No sweat," Pipp replied with a smile. "We had a total ball with you, Misty!" she joked, which made her and Sparky laugh. "'Cause literally..." she added with a sheepish smile.
Misty chuckled at that while the Mane 5 and Team Sonic gave Misty a group hug.
"Aw, group hug!" Pipp called out happily.
Misty smiled and sighed happily as they all broke the hug. Then, she turned to Zipp and Tails and said, "Thanks, guys, for saying I was your friend."
"Well, you are!" Zipp answered with a smile.
"And no matter what, you'll always have us," Tails assured with a wink.
"Come visit any time," Zipp continued. "Maybe we can even research Alicorns together?" she suggested.
"I'd like that!" Misty agreed with a smile as she walked out the door. Zipp and Tails smiled at her.
But as Misty left and everypony else headed to the kitchen for a midnight snack, Team Sonic started to glow brightly again.
"Oh boy, here we go again..." Sonic muttered with annoyance.
Then, their bodies glowed bright once more as they were lifted in the air for a few seconds before shining even brighter.
Once the light disappeared, the Mane 5 stopped covering their faces. They saw that Team Sonic had returned to their Mobian forms, even with their shoes and gloves on.
Team Sonic opened their eyes and gasped when they saw the change. They all checked that everything was in order, with Sonic checking his quills, Knuckles closing his fists and smashing them together, and Tails checking his fluffy tails and hugging them.
"Ugh, thank Chaos!" Sonic cheered with a smile. "Being a pegasus and flying around was cool and all, but once I lost control over my wings and they did whatever they wanted, the fun was over," he pointed out with a bored expression.
"Existential crisis over!" Knuckles cheered and made some fighting moves in the air with his arms. "My name has sense again, and my fists are back, too!" he said aloud, while Sonic also rolled his eyes with a smirk.
"Oh, I wouldn't have minded staying as a pony longer, but these fluffy fellas are too good never to have again," Tails said with a smile, still hugging his tails.
"So, how would you describe your one-day experience as ponies?" Hitch asked with a smile.
"Well, after today, I genuinely have more respect for you guys and the insane amount of things you can do without fingers," Sonic said with a smile. "I know it looked like I could do it just fine, but I struggled for ten minutes, so I respect you guys even more now," he said with a bored expression.
"I was at least two times close to starting and walking around in my hind legs because a part of me kept forgetting that I turned into a pony now..." Knuckles said with an amused expression. "And I felt like I needed another name because... What's the point of being named 'Knuckles' when you have none?!" he asked with panic.
"Like I said, I wouldn't have minded staying as a pony longer... I liked it!" Tails said with a smile. "But, also... I did miss many things I could do as myself."
"Yeah, we respect you more for how incredibly skilled you guys are as ponies," Sonic said as the Mane 5 smiled at them. "But we also learned to appreciate ourselves even more. I don't think I can survive with a wing spreading the whole time!" he said with a bored expression once again.
"Yeah, that usually happens when your wings are used excessively," Zipp smirked.
At this, Sonic slowly frowned. "Are. You. SHITTING ME?!" he complained out loud with a groan, while everyone else bursted out laughing. "Oh, ha-ha-ha, very funny..." Sonic said sarcastically, using an eye roll and crossing his arms.
In Opaline's Castle, Misty returned to the castle before Opaline, sitting alone in the Throne Room.
It also seemed that Eggman didn't notice that she left. He never left his lab, making Misty think he had been there the whole day.
Then, the door to the Throne Room opened, and Misty stood up and saw Opaline coming in. "Well, well, well. You followed my instructions. I'm impressed," Opaline said with a smile as she approached Misty.
"You are?" Misty asked, surprised.
"But not as impressed as you will be when you see what I've acquired," Opaline stated as she brought out the Dragon Stone. "Behold! The Dragon Stone!" she announced, holding the stone up. "Bask in its glory!" she added.
Misty gasped at the Stone. "Woo! Wow!" She said with a smile.
At this, Opaline looked at Misty with a bored expression. "Okay, calm down. That’s too much basking. Don’t get too excited," she told Misty as she walked off, holding the Dragon Stone. "We still need to charge it, so we still need dragon fire," she explained.
"Fire?" Misty asked in panic before realizing what she meant. "Oh... yeah. I'm sorry. I haven't seen that baby dragon again recently," she lied nervously. "I'm so sorry," she apologized again.
"Not as sorry as I am," Opaline retorted as she left the Throne Room and closed the door.
Misty sat down again and pulled out her phone, giggling as she saw the selfie she had taken with her friends during their Unity Dance as the song played again.
Zipp was in the bedroom before her Investigation Board at the Crystal Brighthouse.
Sitting on Zipp's chair, Sparky also chomped on the Alicorn book.
"Hey, buddy! That’s mine!" Zipp lectured Sparky as she got her book back from him, and Sparky whimpered in disappointment.
After that, Zipp opened the book and gasped at what she saw.
"Now we’re getting somewhere," Zipp smirked as she read the book. As she turned the pages, she saw something that caught her attention, so she brought out her magnifying glass to get a closer look. "Pages ripped out?" she asked in surprise. "Looks fresh..." she pointed out before looking at Sparky with a raised eyebrow, thinking he had ripped out the pages or eaten them.
Sparky made happy, burbling noises, shrugged, and shook his head, telling her it wasn't him.
"It's almost like somepony didn’t want me to find what was on them..." Zipp theorized thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her magnifying glass.
Back at Opaline’s Castle, Misty sat in her room alone, looking sad.
Just then, she heard something and gasped because she saw Opaline's shadow coming close to her, so she quickly placed some paper under her pillows and hid them while Opaline came in.
"My evilness, Misty!" Opaline called out, brushing her hoof on Misty's doorway, with some dust flying off. "It’s a pig sty in here. Clean it up!" she yelled, making Misty flinch while Opaline left the room.
Misty stood quiet as she lifted her pillow again, seeing the pages from the Alicorn book she ripped as she read them, feeling guilty that she had to do so... But a part of her felt that she needed to keep the mystery going for Zipp.
Then, she looked at the selfie she had taken with her friends on her phone and the bracelet Izzy had given her on her left hoof, and she sighed in guilt and regret for doing this to her friends.
Eggman groaned as he threw another book away.
He spent the entire day searching for something in a bunch of books he took from Opaline's library, but so far, he had nothing. He was so invested in his research that he forgot about Misty, so she could go out of the Castle with no trouble.
"No..." Eggman said with anger, throwing another book backward and grabbing another one. "No!" he groaned again, launching the book backward as well and then grabbing the other book. "Ugh, this one has empty pages! What kind of stupid would leave white pages on their book?!" he questioned with rage.
However, he knew a trick or two about this kind of book because that made his eyes widen, so he quickly grabbed an ultraviolet light and applied it over the pages, to grin sinisterly when he saw invisible draws of the Unity Crystals and some text around it hidden with invisible tint, just what he was looking for.
"Please bring me what I seek..." Eggman begged as he started to read the text quickly. And then, his eyes stopped in one paragraph. "Hmm... 'Magic Absorber Spell'... 'This spell can revert the effect on the Unity Crystals to steal magic instead of give'..."
And then, his grin grew bigger at the next part.
"Hahaha... 'Even no magical beings can use it'!" Eggman read and cheered out loud. "Opaline, you better watch your back. Because I'm keeping my friends close... And my enemies even closer!" he declared, as he started to laugh loudly like a maniac.
The concept of "Sonic characters becoming pony OC's" is actually a scrapped idea I had for the very first story. When this episode came out, my mind immediately said "Fuck it, is not scrapped anymore!"
Now, while I would have loved to do more with their pony forms, this episode was already getting longer than I needed it to be, which is why I had to rush Team Sonic's thoughts on being ponies at the end.
Also, Team Dark had no room in here today, but they'll have it next episode... Specially with the cliffhanger it's gonna leave.
Oh well. It was what it was, I guess. Also, any idea why Eggman need a magic absorber spell? Meh, who cares? He's evil and he does evil stuff, take it or leave.
P.S: Thanks to JD1 for editing this chapter! 
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Uragiri. Azamuki. Norowareta kao no kizu.
Huh? Oh, sorry, must’ve blacked out there.
Anyway, this was a good chapter.
Not the way I expected for Team Sonic to become ponies, but hey, if it’s something they can do by choice then that helps with certain issues going forward, if you know what I mean.
I apologize for that.
Anyway, then there’s the stuff with Zipp, Tails, and Misty. All I can say right now is that I am getting my lawn chair ready for whenever reality hits out little fox friend like Amy’s hammer to the face.
Especially since now Eggman has what I can only describe as a doomsday weapon in the form of a spell that who knows the possible side effects.
Also, I caught that reference you may or may not have snuck in there.
Wow, awesome chapter, and wow team sonic turned into ponies when they are invited to the manesquerade ball, while Opaline and Eggman are busy with their plans, Misty snuck out and join the fun with the others, and while Zipp searched for clues, Tails and Misty followed her and talked her about things while Tails snapped at Zipp for only focusing on her mystery and not spending time to her friends while Misty confessed about her not having a cutie mark and they made up and Zipp have the Alicorn book. And team sonic, Misty and Mane 5 did their dance together and had fun as Misty had fun as well, but took the pages of the Alicorn book from Zipp and kept it a secret while Eggman found a magic absorbed spell, I had a feeling things are about to get more and more interesting and exciting, awesome job, keep up the great work
Awesome job 😎 👍
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!🎆🎆🎆🎆
Is it bad to say that Sunnys look in the episode for the ball is probably my favorite out of the mane 5? Because she looks beautiful in it and her Mask makes me think it references Twilight & Celestia as the princesses she looks up to.
I DESPERATELY want to see someone draw this. I want a physical representation of this SO badly it’s hilarious
Now that was pretty good.
And Sonic and his team looked good as ponies, even if it was temporary.
I loved this chapter wish they stayed ponies to be with there lovers that would be SOOO CUTE AND AWESOME 😍
11628986
Probably have a long talk once everything is done, I’ll tell you that.
That's such a nice and clever touch. I love it!
Intentional or not, this is a pretty nice call forward to Frontiers.
So Eggman is stabbing Opaline in the back after all... Why am I not surprised?
By the way, I sent you two messages, but I wasn't sure if you saw them or not. Just wanted to check to be sure.