Chaotic Origins

     "You know what? I'm outa here," Knuckles suddenly announced. He walked out the door and left everyone inside wondering where the sudden change of attitude in the echidna had come from. Ultimately, they ended up ignoring his sudden departure.

     "So how are we supposed to find this Oni-whatsit guy anyway?" Rainbow asked. Sonic looked as if he was about to answer, but stopped before he could say anything.

     "That is a good question. Tails, how are we finding this guy?" Sonic turned to face his friend. Tails pulled out his handheld.

     "Because of Onigami's unique characteristics, he has a distinct power signature. It isn't too strong, but I can track him if he's within fifty miles of our position." He pressed a few buttons, causing a map to appear on the screen. It showed the continent, and a dot with sweeping radar symbols coming from it showed their position.

     "So I'm assuming that dot is us," said Sonic, pointing to the screen.

     "Exactly. Right now, Onigami is farther than 50 miles away, but my handheld will alert me the moment he comes in range." Tails told him.

     "But darling, that won't do us much good if he can teleport," Rarity pointed out. Tails was lost in thought for a moment.

     "I guess I can't help that. But some warning will be better than none." he decided. He looked around ruefully at his destroyed lab. Sonic winced. He hated destroying things in his friend's lab, but it still happened pretty often.

     "Want some help cleaning up?" he offered. Tails immediately refused.

     "No, you should show them around the city. Humankind is going to need to get used to them if we're going to work together. Besides, you haven't explored the city in a while." Tails shot him a grin. Sonic groaned.

     "I...suppose," he conceded. Rainbow, of course, callously ignored his discomfort.

     "Yeah! We need to educate this world! They don't know how awesome I am, and I wouldn't want to leave anyone with that gap in their experience!" Rainbow cheered. Then she noticed the five unique glares being sent her way. She immediately thought of the Mare-Do-Well incident.

     "I mean how awesome WE are," she amended. "Yeah, that's what I meant." Her friends all smiled again, suddenly all sweetness and light.

     "Good for ya, sugarcube. Anywho, let's get goin', shall we?" Applejack said. Sonic forced a grin onto his face.

     "Sure!" he said out of gritted teeth.

     They all realized why he was so uncomfortable with going to the city. Everywhere, there were ads and signs and screens with his name and his picture with his trademark grin and thumbs up. Products all over the place had the words 'Approved by the Fastest Thing Alive' written on them in big letters.

     "This is so cool! You're a hero and a celebrity all in one, Sonic!" gushed Rainbow. Rarity agreed.

     "Indeed, darling. You never told us you were so well known around here." The rest of the girls nodded in agreement. Sonic shuddered.

     "I hate it!" he admitted. "I don't want to be famous! I mean, it's better than being shot at, which went on for a while, but I never asked to be on every screen in downtown."

     "But why don't you like being well known?" Twilight asked. "Surely it comes with advantages, right?"

     "If by advantages you mean the mob of people trying not to be seen following us, then yes, there are advantages. This happens every time I go to the city." Sure enough, when the girls turned around to look, they saw a group of no less than 50 people duck into ally ways and behind garbage cans to avoid being seen.

     "Oh, Sonic! Can I get your autograph?" asked a thick voice in front of them. Sonic stopped to look at the asker.

     "Franky, I've given you my autograph twice already. Isn't that enough?" Despite Sonic's obvious irritation, he kept his voice polite.

     "But you're the greatest hero in all of Mobius. No one could get your autograph too many times." The slightly chubby man in front of them put his hands together in a pleading gesture. Sonic sighed.

     "Sorry, not right now, Franky. If it makes you feel better, I'll come down and get a hot dog later." Sonic told the man.

     "Oh, okay," the man said sadly. He walked away, but quickly regained the bounce in his step. Sonic smiled ruefully.

     "I hate saying no to the guy. I've known him for years, he sells the best hotdogs in town. Still, he means well. He's one of the less crazy kooks in this town." Sonic explained. Then he stopped and looked at the group. "Oh, come on! I was hoping this wouldn't happen!"

     "What wouldn't happen?" asked Fluttershy softly.

     "Pinkie's gone."

     "No I'm not, silly! I'm right here! Why would you think I was gone?"

     "Aahh!" Sonic yelped. He spun around to see the party pony herself standing right behind him. He glared at her, then smiled wearily.

     "Try not to wander, 'kay Pinkie? You can get lost real quick here," he told her. She giggled.

     "Silly Spiky! I wouldn't get lost!" she told him with a grin so big that her eyes closed because there wasn't any more room on her face. "See? The train station's right over there, and that way is the nearest subway entrance, and that way is the university. Ooh! Ooh! And the bakery is over... thataway!" she said excitedly. Sonic stared at her.

     "How...?" he started.

     "Don't question it. It ends badly, trust me," Twilight said, putting a hoof on his arm. He shook his head, still not believing it.

     "Still, it took me a week to start knowing my way around this place." Sonic seemed disturbed, but brightened up.

     "Come on. There's something I want to show you." He turned around and walked briskly before turning down a dark looking alley.

     "Where ARE we going? I would hate to get my hooves dirty. I just got a hooficure!" Rarity complained.

     "Don't worry, we're almost there." Sonic walked forward, and suddenly the alley turned into a small courtyard. It was surrounded on all sides by tall buildings. The yard contained an old stone cottage and an old but sturdy swingset. There were about five kids who screeched in joy the moment they saw the hedgehog.

     "SONIC!" They cried in unison. Sonic crouched down, and they all flung themselves into his arms. He held them tight, smiling in simple joy at them.

     "Hey guys! How ya been doing? You haven't been irritating poor Samantha, have you?" They all giggled at his teasing.

     "No, they've been much happier since you fixed up that old swingset." They all turned to see an aging woman with black hair walking toward txhem. Her hair was shot through with gray, but her face told of a long and happy life, even though it may have been a simple one. She smiled at the hedgehog, and looked up to include the ponies in her smile. They smiled back.

     "Sonic, how come you're so dark now?" asked one of the kids. He was a small boy with spiky black hair that went everywhere, despite being pretty short.

     "Yeah! And what's with these weird marks? They glow!" remarked another. She had long platinum blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. She was probably the youngest, being only five or six. The oldest was the boy who had spoken earlier, being about twelve.

     "Well, I would tell you the whole story, but it would take too long." he told them.

     "Aaaww. Please?" they begged, putting on the most adorable set of puppy eyes that the world had ever seen. Fluttershy positively melted at the sight.

     "Another time. I promise." he told them. Then he grinned at them. "Would you like to make some new friends?" he asked them. Their eyes shined even brighter. They began hopping up and down, their smiles growing ever wider, if that were possible.

     "Well, they're right there! Go introduce yourselves!" He turned to the ponies, who were suddenly assaulted by five eager, bouncy little children. Sonic sighed and walked to the back of the cottage.

     "Cassondra? You can come out now. No one's going to hurt you. I promise." he said softly. A little girl, only about 4 years old poked her head out.

     "Are you sure?" she asked, frightened.

     "Of course I'm sure. I would never let anything hurt you, you know that." he told her. All the other ponies were occupied. Pinkie was giving rides. So was Rainbow, but she was flying slowly a few feet off the ground. Fluttershy was telling stories, and Rarity was showing off her mane and tail. Twilight was showing them her magic, lifting them up slowly, and teleporting about. Only Applejack saw the exchange between Sonic and the little girl.

     Cassondra hesitated. Then she lifted her arms in the universal gesture for 'pick me up'. Sonic complied, holding her snug against him. She giggled.

     "You have marks on you now!" She traced the one that adorned the side of Sonic's face with her finger. He smiled at her.

     "Come on, I want you to meet the others. They're really nice, and I know how much you like ponies." She gasped softly.

     "Ponies?" she squealed. Sonic nodded and brought her to the rest of the group so she could introduce herself.

     Samantha walked up and placed a hand on the hedgehog's head, ruffling his ears.

     "You've done wonders for these kids. They are the finest bunch o' younguns I have ever seen." She looked around at the walls of the courtyard. Some time ago Sonic had planted vines, so now they crawled up the sides, filling the air with the sweet scent of jasmine.

     "If only I could repay you for all you've done for us. How many batches of kids have you helped? Five, six?"  she smiled mournfully, her hand still ruffling Sonic's ears. He didn't look up.

     "You know I could never take anything from you, Samantha." He smiled at the sight of the children so happily playing with the Mane 6. Cassondra was now gently inspecting Fluttershy's wings, smiling giddily.

     "I know. But they really do love you to death. They see you as their father." She smiled down at the hedgehog.

     Sonic walked towards the kids, out of Samantha's reach. She looked at him sadly.

     "Alright guys, I think it's time to go." The chorus of moans was not restricted to the kids, for the ponies didn't want to go either. All six children flocked up to his side.

     "Aren't you going to stay this time? You always have to leave!" said the boy with spiky hair.

     "I know, Leo, I know. But I have to go. Save the world, and all that stuff." Leo pouted. Then Sonic smiled at him.

     "I'll come back as soon as it's done, I promise."

     "Pinkie promise?" asked the blonde girl. The ponies were at first confused as to how a human knew a pony tradition. Then they saw her stick out her smallest finger. Sonic did the same, wrapping his pinkie around hers.

     "Pinkie promise," he agreed. The kids all cheered. Then he turned to go.

     "Come on, guys. There's lots more I need to show you." He walked out of the courtyard, and the ponies followed. Cassondra waved the hardest of them all, standing on tiptoe to make sure she was seen.

     Once they were out of sight from the courtyard, Sonic found himself in the middle of a group hug.

     "Sonic, it is the sweetest thing that you take care of those children," Twilight said. She, being the closest, looked up at him. She noticed he was blushing.

     "Indeed, darling, it is such an act of generosity to help with those childrens' wellbeing." Rarity spoke up.

     "Ah agree! You may seem like a strong fighter with a can-do attitude, but yer just a big ol' softy!" Applejack told him. Sonic looked a little uncomfortable with all the praise. Well, that and being called a softy.

     "Really, it's not that big a deal. I found the place, I help out a bit every once in a while, and that's it." Sonic slowly pulled himself out of the hug.

     "But it is a big deal!" Rainbow cried out. "You slow down just to make a bunch of kids happy. You don't care that they're immature or slow, you just take care of them un...uncon..."

     "Unconditionally, I think is the word you're looking for," Twilight interrupted.

     "Yeah! Even I don't do that!" Rainbow finished. Sonic grinned nervously.

     "Either way, there's a lot more stuff in this city. Come on." With that he turned and led the way down the alley. The girls shared a look. Obviously, he didn't like being praised. They still thought it was adorable, though.

     He showed them all sorts of places: shops and secrets and places to get good deals on things you didn't know existed. Rarity, of course, insisted on going to the mall as soon as she saw it. Sonic tried to dissuade her, but finally gave in when all six of them agreed on going in.

     "Fine. But only for a few minutes." Every moment they spent in there seemed to make him more nervous. Suddenly, he went rigid, causing Fluttershy, who had been hiding behind him from all the people, to bump into him.

     "Oh, my! I'm sorry!" she said softly, only to notice that the hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. She tried to locate him, but it was in vain. So she tried to see what had scared him off. She looked to where he had been looking before he disappeared, but only saw a pink hedgehog in a red dress and boots. She shrugged before going to hide behind Rarity.

     Sonic, who was hiding on top of a beam that held up the ceiling, sighed in relief. She hadn't seen him. He should be fine as long as he kept track of...wait. Where'd she go?

     "So who are you hiding from?" asked a high pitched voice behind him. He spun around, a shocked yelp escaping his lips. To his relief, it was a pink pony and not a pink hedgehog.

     "Amy. She's a pink hedgehog. She has a bit of a crush on me, and I try to avoid her most times." he explained. He now realized she had walked behind a display, going out of sight for a moment. Now she was back where she was before, examining the jewelry.

     "Oh, I know her. When she saw me she asked if I knew you, I said 'yeah, course I do silly!', then she asked if you were here with me, and I said 'you bet ya!' and then she said to tell me she was looking for you, and I said 'okay!' and then she said thanks, and then I walked away, and then I saw you up here, and then I asked you 'so who are you hiding from?' and then-"

    "Okay, Pinkie, I get the gist!" He held up his hands in front of him to stop the torrent of words coming from the pink pony.

     "Oh, I almost forgot!" Pinkie said.

     "What'd you forget?"

     "She also asked me to bring you to her if I could."

     "Pinkie, don't. That would just end badly. For everyone."

     "A promise is a promise!" Pinkie announced before shoving him off the beam.

     "Wait!" he yelped, but he was already in the air. He landed with a thud, but managed to land on his feet. He almost fell over when he hit the ground, but managed to keep his balance.

     "Sonic! There you are!" squealed Amy. She rushed over and crushed him in a hug.

     "Nice to see you too, Amy," he gasped out of his collapsing lungs. Then he pushed her away as gently as he could. Then she frowned at him.

     "What is this?" she asked, pointing at Sonic's new color scheme.

     "It's a long story, Amy."

     "I've got time."

     "Well, I don't."

     "Then what are you doing in the mall?"

     "I'm showing some out-of-towners the city. They insisted on coming here."

     "How out-of-town are they?"

     "Different dimension out-of-town."

     "And you didn't tell me?" Amy asked with an affronted gasp.

     "I didn't exactly get the chance, Amy," he huffed.

     "Well, you do now. Ooh! We've never gone shopping together before." She reached over and linked her arm with his, and pulled herself right next to him.

     "Fine. I'll introduce you to the girls." He disengaged his arm from hers and walked into the shop the ponies were currently monopolizing.

     "Oh, it's not fair! Everything here is designed for humans! Not one of these dresses would fit!" Rarity complained.

     "Hey Rarity," Sonic called out. "Maybe, if you're so set on buying something, you should look into jewelry or desk trinkets. You know, souvenirs."

     Rarity contemplated this for a moment before noticing Amy.

     "Oh, now who is this? Your special somepony, perhaps?" she asked coyly. Amy nodded happily while Sonic shook his head emphatically.

     "Acquaintances," he corrected. Amy gave him a look.

     "You're always so shy about it, Sonic!" she giggled.

     "Maybe there's a reason for that," he grumbled to himself.

     So they spent the next few minutes wandering. Rarity did indeed find a few trinkets to bring back, and Sonic got them for her with his own small stash of rings. Amy complained that he never got anything for her, so Sonic silenced her with some chocolate.

     She didn't complain for the rest of the day.

     They finally made their way back to Tails' workshop, where they found a great deal of the mess had been cleaned up. Tails was currently bent over, fixing the wiring on one of his bigger consoles. As soon as he noticed them walk in, he straightened up and dusted some of the grime off his fur.

     "Hiya! So, how was the city?" he asked. The responses ranged from 'busy' to 'awesome', but all of them were positive.

     "Any sign of big, bad, and ugly?" Sonic questioned. Tails shook his head.

     "Well, that's either a good thing or a bad thing," he mused.

     "How so?" Twilight wondered.

     "On the one hand, we have a breather to gather resources and plan. On the other hand, we have no idea what Onigami's up to. He could be creating a trap or making an army. We just don't know."

     "Either way, it ain't no use worryin' about it. Fer now, we should just get some rest. It's gettin' dark, ya know." Applejack suggested.

     "But where are we going to sleep? I don't get a very good night's rest on the floor, and I need my beauty sleep!" complained Rarity. Sonic shook his head and laughed.

      "Don't worry, we've got a few pullout beds downstairs. You can sleep down there." Tails informed them. "As for me, I'm going to keep cleaning up in here. I want to finish in the next day or so." Sonic gave him a thumbs up before heading down the stairs. The Mane 6 followed him.

     He showed them their beds. They were doubling up, as there were only three beds, but it was okay. Applejack and Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy all climbed into their beds. After climbing in, they all got comfortable.

     "Well it's not the same as a cloud bed, but it still work," announced Rainbow. Fluttershy laughed softly beside her. The beds were fairly large, but Fluttershy and Rainbow had known eachother since they were foals. They had no problems with snuggling up close to eachother. As for the rest of the girls, though, they all kept to their sides of the bed.

     "I didn't notice any other beds. Where is Sonic going to sleep?" Twilight suddenly asked.

     "I can go check on him if you like, Twi," Rainbow offered.

     "I'd like that, thanks Dash." Twilight said. Getting out of the bed, Rainbow gingerly climbed up the stairs. Poking her head out, she saw Tails busy with his head stuck into a hole in one of his machines. Rainbow snuck out past him, half flying so her hooves wouldn't make sounds against the metal floor.

     Once she got out the door, she flew straight up about thirty feet. Once there, she scanned the horizon for any telltale blue streaks or dust trails. Not seeing any, she spun in a circle, wondering where to search first. She got her answer when she spotted him stretched out on the roof.

     She flew up as quietly as she could, trying not to wake him up. That was all in vain, however, for as soon as she got over the roof Sonic's eyes flew open and he was on his feet.

     "Oh. It's just you, RD," he said, before sitting back down. Rainbow settled down next to him, folding her wings tight to her sides.

     The metal underneath her was smooth, but not as cold as she expected. It was pleasant, actually, the slightly cool surface on her fur.

     "So why are you up, Dash?" he asked her. He was sitting with his legs stretched out straight in front of him, leaning backwards with his palms flat against the roof. She sat with her back legs coiled beneath her, and her front legs straight against the metal.

     "Oh, a few reasons. The stars, for one."

     "So you like stargazing?"

     "Not often, but, yeah. The stars are different here though. They...they...I don't know how to describe it."

     "They're wrong." Rainbow turned to him in surprise. "I noticed that, in the virtual reality thing. The stars were different. I watch the stars every night here, and I know them by heart. The stars there, they weren't in the same patterns. The constellations, the galaxies, they were all different. It was like looking into the face of a stranger that you thought was your friend." Rainbow realized that was exactly the way she felt.

     "And the stars feel more distant here," Rainbow pointed out. "In my world, the stars are arranged by Luna. Every night I can look up and see the hard work and care of a princess. Here, all I see are points of light."

     "It was the other way around for me, but yeah, I get what you're saying." They sat in silence for a few minutes. Rainbow felt her eyes closing before Sonic suddenly burst into laughter. She stared at him, her half awake eyes widening.

     Sonic wiped away a tear of mirth before explaining. " Do you realize how serious that conversation was? Here we are, the fastest and most carefree beings ON THE PLANET, and we sound like Twilight and Tails!" Rainbow quickly grasped the absurdity of the situation, and couldn't help but laugh herself.

     "Yeesh, but this whole Onigami guy has got me on edge. I only just realized how serious and morbid I must sound. No wonder Pinkie was after me!" he joked. Rainbow smiled. His smile seemed genuine in a way his previous smiles just hadn't carried. This was the real Sonic the Hedgehog, Rainbow realized.

     Then she smirked. Even her thoughts were serious now. They were all on edge because of the threat they faced. Well, no longer. Rainbow knew that she could smile all the way through the next battle and back into Equestria.

     'Funny', she thought to herself. 'I thought it was Pinkie Pie's job to make ponies smile.' Then she remembered the real reason she had come out here in the first place.

     "I came out here for another reason too..."

     Once Rainbow got back inside, she told all the girls about her conversation with Sonic. They also thought it was funny that he could so easily bring the smiles back to ponies, no matter how fearful they were.