Nix: Collision

Chapters

Chapter One: Attack
Chapter Two: Observations
Chapter Three: Arrival
Chapter Five: Apprehended
Chapter Six: Awoken
Chapter Seven: Detective Work
Chapter Eight: Interruptions
Chapter Nine: The Guardian's Revival
Chapter Ten: Recovery
Update
Prologue: Dream Runners
Chapter Four: Illusion

Chapter One: Attack

“So, remind me,” I said to Tails as we gathered our items, “how did Robotnik manage to get the Emeralds?”

The yellow, two-tailed fox gave a sigh as he packed up his radar. “He managed to open up the Special Zone and retrieve them while we were all busy holding off an attack on Knothole.”

“He’s gotten smarter.”

“Not really.” Tails looked at me. “I just think he’s gotten… more shrewd.”

He handed me a radio transceiver. I raised an eyebrow. “You do know I can talk to you guys telepathically, right?”

“True,” he responded, “but we can’t do that with each other. And before you say you can open up a psychic link,” he added, cutting off my response, “you need to remember that you can’t fight and ‘talk’ at the same time.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I hooked the transceiver onto my ear and followed Tails out to the others.

Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, and Amy Rose were all standing at the edge of the camp, waiting for us. We greeted each other warmly, and Tails handed the receivers over to them. “You each know the plan?”

Sonic nodded. “Yep. We’re going to strike now, and hopefully clear the way for the other Freedom Fighters to attack.” He glanced around. “Though, we seem to be missing someone…”

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Shadow the Hedgehog appeared at my side. I couldn’t resist the urge to smirk and elbowed him gently. “What took you so long?”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. Tails gave him a transceiver, which he immediately placed on his head. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Alright. Sonic, you and Shadow go on ahead. The rest of us will catch up.” Tails looked at me. “Unless Nix wants to go with them?”

Nix stood next to me in spectral form. “I’m pretty sure Sonic and Shadow can handle themselves nicely,” he responded. The blue hedgehog gave him a thumbs up, while the black hedgehog just smirked. He returned back into my body.

“Hey, Shadow!” Sonic faced the dark hedgehog. “Race you to the base!”

Shadow snorted. “Must everything be a competition to you?” He didn’t protest, however, and the two quickly sped off for the base. I heard the sound of robots being destroyed a few seconds later.

“Well, looks like they’re on the job,” I commented. “Let’s go.”

The others nodded, and we made our way towards Robotnik.

***

Doctor Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, genius roboticist with an IQ over 300, was appalled.

“All this planning, all this scheming, and already I’m being overrun by that pesky hedgehog and his friends!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“Don’t forget that human feller,” Cubot said. The yellow cube robot placed a finger on his chin. “What was his name? Jarrod? Gerald?”

“It’s Jared,” corrected Orbot, the red ball robot rolling his eyes, “and he’s right; you shouldn’t forget about him.”

“And I haven’t!” Robotnik pressed a button on his Egg Pod, and on the screens they saw several badniks jump out of the walls towards the teen. “Ha! Let’s see how he deals with them!”

Jared raised an arm, bringing his blade up. He swung down, and there was a flash of light, before all the badniks were destroyed from a resulting Chaos Boom.

Robotnik sighed. “Hm. I guess I should have gone for something harder.”

He turned his gaze to another screen, showing Sonic racing away from several Swatbots. Knuckles and Amy were behind him, destroying the Swatbots with ease. Robotnik groaned. “They’ll be here any minute!”

He turned back to an Egg-Robo, who was busy configuring a giant machine. “You! Is it ready yet?”

“Ready and calibrated, Dr. Eggman,” the robot responded.

“It’s Dr. Robotnik,” he growled through gritted teeth, as the robot walked back. He flew over in his Egg Pod, inspecting the machine.

The machine in question had seven ports, one of the seven Chaos Emeralds in each port. A row of tubes were in the back, glowing with stolen Chaos energy. Lightning flew from each emerald, sapping more and more energy. Purple and neon-blue energy arced around the machine, making it groan under the strain.

“Good, good,” Robotnik murmured. “At least that’s going to plan—”

“Uh, Doctor?” Orbot interrupted. “You might want to see this…”

“What is it?” The doctor turned and flew over, inspecting the screen.

“Hey, guys, I think that’s the door!” Sonic said on screen, pointing to a large vault covering.

Shadow teleported over, dropping the remains of a Buzz Bomber. He raised an eyebrow at what Sonic was pointing at. “No, I bet that’s that bathroom.”

“Did…” Jared came over, regarding Shadow with mild amusement. “Did you just use sarcasm?” The hedgehog rolled his eyes.

Tails flew over. “Looks like the door’s password protected,” he said, pointing to a keypad to the side.

“Any idea how long it’ll take?” Knuckles asked as he and Amy arrived.

“Maybe a few minutes.” Tails glanced behind them, where a huge group of robots were approaching. “I’ll need you guys to cover me while I work out the code.”

“Got it,” Jared said, the others nodding their agreement. They turned, and began assaulting the robots.

“Damn it!” Robotnik yelled, slamming his fists at the side of the pod.

“What’s up, Doc?” Cubot asked.

“What’s up is that they’ll be here any minute!”

“Aw, c’mon, Doc, there’s no way that kid could crack it—”

“Fifty percent done!” Tails yelled back to the others.

“... On second thought, maybe he can,” Cubot murmured.

“Not. Helping.” Robotnik growled under his breath. “Blast it all! If I fail one more time—” He shook his head. “I’d better start up the machine.”

He flew the pod over to the machine, and pressed a button. Instantly, the energy syphons picked up their pace, draining the emeralds quickly. He pressed another button, and the machine spat out another bolt of energy. The bolt held in midair for a second, before suddenly vanishing. A second later, a white crack in the air appeared, widening with every second.

Robotnik grinned. “Yes… finally, I’ve done it!” he gloated, laughing maniacally.

***

“Got it yet, Tails?” I called over my shoulder as I blasted a Swatbot away.

“Almost done!” he yelled back.

Suddenly, I felt the very fabric of space-time shake. I turned my head to the door, and sensed a rip in the dimensions.

He’s doing it, Nix thought.

“Tails! Get that door opened! Now!” I ordered.

“Got it!” He inputted the code, and the locks released. The door opened slightly, hissing as it slid apart.

“Activating Emergency Lock,” a computer voice said.

I bit back a curse as the door stopped moving. “Shadow!” I commanded. “Blast it!”

He nodded and skated over. He placed his hands on the door. His eyes glowed white as he shouted, “Chaos Blast!”

A fiery explosion erupted from his hands, engulfing the door. The force was enough to drive the robots back.

“It’s open!” he shouted.

We nodded, and before any of the robots could recover, we raced through the crack into Robotnik’s room.

“Hey, Eggman!” Sonic shouted. “We kinda trashed your place! Hope that’s not a problem!”

“Shut it, Sonic!” Eggman shouted back from his pod. “It’s Robotnik! Why don’t you correct your friend, Jared?” He looked at me.

I smirked. “In my universe, we refer to you more as the former than the latter.”

“Grr… that doesn’t matter!” He gestured behind him, where a crack in dimensions could be seen. “I’ve done it! I’ve broken through the universe! Now I can easily pass through it with my robot army, and conquer whatever universe I land in!”

“And what makes you think we’re actually going to let you do that?!” Knuckles yelled.

“Easy!” Robotnik pressed a button, and from the ground rose several Swatbot Mk. II’s. “You’ll be busy dealing with the hired help.”

The Swatbots began shooting at us. I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a beam, while Sonic jumped and dodged. I lobbed a batarang at one of the bots, hitting it in the chest and causing it to explode.

“You call this the hired help?” Sonic taunted as he Spin Dashed into another bot. “I doubt they’re even paid!”

The doctor didn’t bother to respond, pressing another button. Out of the ground popped out several more bots, and they began shooting various beams and lasers at us.

I glanced up, and saw that the rift was growing bigger. Shadow threw Chaos Spears around us, destroying some of the bots. “Jared!” he yelled. “You have to get him!”

“Right!” I glanced around, seeing that my friends could manage. A Swatbot moved towards me; I sweeped it with my leg, and as it fell, I sliced its top off. I grabbed its head and lightly kicked it, activating a laser beam.

The beam shot out, shooting towards Robotnik. “What in the name of—” He swerved his pod, narrowly dodging the beam as it struck the ceiling.

He glared at me. “You’ll pay for that, Guardian.”

I smirked, before suddenly launching a Chaos Flare at him. He easily dodged the attack. “And just what was that supposed to do—”

“Yah!” I suddenly appeared in front of him, throwing my sword as hard as I could.

“Yipe!” He ducked, the sword just missing his head. He pressed a button, and a mechanical arm shot out of his pod. It knocked me in the gut, sending me flying back into the wall with a grunt.

“Argh… son of a—” I gasped as I looked up.

My sword had its point imbedded in one of the tubes. The energy was quickly leaking out, faster than it should have. Robotnik looked equally shocked, but he turned and glared at me.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” he shouted.

“Yeah, not gonna lie. No idea,” I answered, slightly dazed.

The whole room began shaking. We were tossed easily around, and somehow a wind managed to fly by us.

“Jared!” Shadow shouted. “What the hell’s happening?”

“Your Guardian friend, Shadow,” Robotnik responded, “may have just tampered with forces even he cannot handle!”

He pointed to the rift, which had widened immensely. There was another flash of light, and suddenly more white rifts appeared.

“What’s happening?” Shadow asked again.

“Rift in space-time…” I murmured. “Must have… fluctuated… too much energy to control… overload…”

The Chaos Emeralds began tugging at whatever binded them to the ports, ripping apart wires and steel. They began gravitating towards the holes, light flashing off of them.

I suddenly felt myself being tugged. My eyes widened in shock, and I managed to shout in my dazed state, “Grab hold of something!”

The others were beginning to feel the tug as well. Desperately, they grabbed onto whatever they could, whether it was steel beams or the floor itself. Robotnik struggled to fly away from the pull, but his pod could only get so far before he was tugged even closer.

“Boss!” Cubot exclaimed. “This doesn’t look good!”

“I know it doesn’t look good, you nincompoop!” Robotnik shouted back. “And, unfortunately, I can’t seem to do a damn thing about it!”

The machine was slowly being ripped apart, the tubes and cylinders cracking and morphing into misshapen works of metal. More energy cracked out, and more white holes appeared. The pull intensified, and we found ourselves being dragged away from the ground into the air.

“Gragh!” Knuckles grunted. He grabbed Tails and Sonic, desperately trying to not fly away. Amy grabbed me, while I held onto Shadow. “Jared! Any ideas on what to do?!”

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking!” I responded.

“Well, think faster!” Shadow roared.

Before I could respond, a huge support beam began toppling towards us, loosened by the pull. Shadow and Amy saw it coming, and instinctively moved to the side. I managed to roll away, the beam landing next to me with a loud thud.

The force was enough to loosen everyone’s grip. We began gravitating towards the holes. Knuckles tried to grab the ground, but was easily torn away.

“Agh!” he shouted as he was suddenly thrown through a rift.

“Knuckles!” Sonic cried, before he too was pulled away.

Amy and Shadow tried to hold on longer, but were quickly pulled away by the forces, vanishing into the white rifts.

Robotnik’s base began collapsing into the rifts, the metal exterior crunching under the forces at hand. Parts of the ceiling vanished into the rifts, revealing a blue sky above us. The machine roared as it was completely torn apart, its various pieces vanishing into various rifts.

Robotnik shouted something incoherent, probably a curse; then, he too was pulled away, his pod and his robots vanishing into another hole.

“Tails!” I shouted, grabbing the fox. “Hold on!”

“I’m… trying!” he shouted back. His eyes suddenly widened. “Look out!”

I turned my gaze, seeing a large mess of metal flying towards me. Before I could dodge it, it collided with me. I accidentally loosened my grip on Tails, feeling the breath knocked out of me.

“Jared!” he cried, desperately reaching out for me.

It was too late; he was sucked into a rift.

I tried to recover, but was hit in the head by an even more massive hunk of metal. The blow was enough for me to see stars, and I reeled back, flying through the air. Through bleary eyes I saw one final chunk of the base come flying at me. I closed my eyes.

The chunk collided with me, sending me flying through the same rift that Tails had gone through. Whiteness enveloped my vision as I went through.

Nix tried to say something, but his voice became garbled and distorted. It felt like he was being ripped from me; desperately I latched onto his presence, preventing him from being torn away.

Something hit me hard in the back of the head, and I saw darkness at the corners of my vision. Before I blacked out, I had one final thought:

My fault. All my fault.

***

As the energy died down, the Freedom Fighters could only gape in shock. The base had completely vanished, almost as if it was torn completely from the earth. They could see the blue sky, with the sun setting into the afternoon. The vibrant heavens were a stark contrast to the grey land beneath it.

The five that had gone in were gone; none of their bodies could be found. The Fighters could only assume that they had gone wherever the base had; there was no hope of getting them back.

One Freedom Fighter, a purple cat, looked at the sky, worried for her friends. She felt even more concern for a particular hedgehog.

Nix… where have you gone?

Chapter Two: Observations

Twilight Sparkle stared in shock through her telescope as the white flash faded. Her mind took a moment to evaluate this new wave of information, before she levitated over a scroll. The flash had been brief; and she had thought she had seen some “things” fall through; but she couldn’t be sure. Around her were neatly ordered bookshelves; she and Spike had spent most of the day fixing up the library. The sun was starting to set, its bright rays jutting past rolls of clouds, showing that it was nearing afternoon.

She furiously scribbled out her observations, careful to be extremely detailed in her notes. Soon she had filled out the scroll, complete with diagrams and charts.

“Twilight?”

Twilight yelped and dropped the scroll, whipping around. She let out a sigh as she saw who it was. “Spike, what’s wrong?”

“You saw that flash, right?” Spike the baby dragon asked fearfully.

“Well, I couldn’t exactly have missed it,” she responded. “In fact, I’ve been writing down my observations. I plan on showing Princess Celestia them.”

Spike still looked a bit uncertain. “Do you think that… that it was aliens?”

Twilight gave him a confused look. “What, you mean that white flash?”

“Yeah, couldn’t it have been like an alien attack?”

Twilight deadpanned at him.

He looked away. “It’s a legitimate question…”

She sighed, turning away and resuming notetaking. She was just about to finish another scroll, when…

“YAH!”

A multi-colored blur suddenly flew in, bringing behind it a strong wind that knocked down Twilight’s books. The unicorn ducked as her cyan friend flew by, landing on a bookcase.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

“No time!” Rainbow Dash the pegasus righted herself, facing her unicorn friend. “Gotta get you out of here!”

“What? Why?” Before she could react, Rainbow began pushing her towards the door. “Rainbow, stop!”

Seeing that the pegasus had no intention of doing so, Twilight lit her horn and teleported a few feet away, appearing behind Rainbow. “Wha-Twilight!” Rainbow cried. “C’mon, no time for games!”

“Could you at least tell me what the hay is going on?!”

“You saw the flash, right?” Twilight nodded. “Then you should know what’s going on!”

“I really don’t…”

“Ugh! Do I really have to spell it out to you?” Rainbow placed a hoof on her face. “Whatever it was, it’s dangerous, that’s for sure! And we have to go investigate it!”

Before Twilight could respond, Spike suddenly spat up a letter. Twilight levitated it over and began to read:

My Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle,

It is likely that you have seen that white flash in the sky a few minutes ago. Luna and I saw it as well, and have our foremost astronomers working on the issue. I am writing to you to see if you know anything about the event that we do not—any notes or observations you have written down are welcomed.

We are unsure if this poses a threat; but I want you to remain where you are. If a threat arises, I do not want to place the Elements in danger; especially after the Elements being used so recently with Discord. Please respond as soon as possible.

Princess Celestia

Twilight levitated her scrolls with her notes over to Spike. “Spike, please send these to Princess Celestia.” The dragon nodded, and held the scrolls in his hands. A second later, he shot out a green flame, teleporting the scrolls back to the Princess.

“See?” Rainbow said. “Now we have to go out and investigate.”

“But Princess Celestia has asked that we don’t,” countered Twilight. “We don’t want to endanger the Elements!”

“We don’t need the elements to go investigate something!”

“Ah’m going to have to agree with Twilight there, Sugarcube,” a Southern-accent drawled out.

They turned, finding Applejack in the library’s door. She walked inside with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity following.

The Southern Earth pony continued, “We don’t know what that flash was, either. Going out there without a plan and any further information would be mighty foolish of us.”

“But we can’t just stay back here and let some random force take over Equestria!” protested Rainbow.

“Rainbow, dear,” Rarity said, “there’s no proof that that white flash was anything dangerous.”

“There’s no proof that it isn’t!”

“We shouldn’t wait for proof to hit us in the face!” exclaimed Pinkie. “We should go out there, and hit proof in its face!”

They stared at her for a moment, before Rainbow forced a grin. “See? Pinkie agrees with me!”

“What do you think, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

The timid, butter-yellow pegasus instinctively shrunk under everypony’s sudden gaze, but calmed herself. “I… I think we should wait and see what the Princesses think.”

“A wise choice,” said Applejack. “That makes four against two. Sorry, Rainbow; looks like we wait.”

Rainbow sighed. “Fine! Just, when this comes back and bites us in the behind, don’t come running to me!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

Hopefully I’ll be able to talk to Celestia in Canterlot tomorrow, she thought. Perhaps we’ll be able to discuss our findings.

***

Princess Celestia stood out on the balcony in Canterlot, looking out into the distance. Her purple eyes narrowed on the spot where the flash had been seen, now a fairly simply blotch of sky. Her sun was now in its afternoon stage, creating an orange backdrop to the blue foreground. The sky had been cleared by the pegasus ponies in the morning, allowing her to view the scenery clearly.

She frowned in contemplation, still wondering what that flash of light was all about. It had been a wide-scale flash, as most of Ponyville and Canterlot had seen it. She and Luna did their best to lessen the growing worry of the populous, but they were beginning to grow anxious.

What worried her the most was the amount of power she felt when that flash occurred. It reminded her of the Elements of Harmony, perhaps just as powerful. It had sent invisible shockwaves through her, shaking her to her very core. The amount of energy given off was enormous, and frightening; it almost seemed otherworldly.

Otherworldly, she mused. Strange… I haven’t felt anything like that before. I’ve certainly beheld creatures and entities of greater power; yet nothing can compare to this.

“Sister?” Luna called from the inside. “Are you alright?”

Celestia turned and smiled slightly at her sister. “Just fine, sister.”

Luna gave her an uncertain look, walking up to her. “Celestia… what’s wrong? Is this about the flash earlier?”

Celestia laughed a little. “Is it really that obvious?” Her smile fell. “Yes, it is quite worrisome. I have no idea where that power originated from.”

Luna faced the horizon. “Perhaps it was nothing more than an inundation of magic?” she suggested.

Celestia shook her head. “I don’t think so; it didn’t seem… magical.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t worry about it too much,” Luna said. “We’ve our best astronomers and observers working on it. Speaking of which,” she added, “I would assume you’ve seen Twilight Sparkle’s report?”

The sun princess nodded. “Yes. Though it doesn’t differ much from what we already know.”

Luna placed a wing on her older sister. “Nonetheless, you shouldn’t worry about it too much. You’ve already an entire kingdom to care for.”

Celestia sighed. “I hope you’re right Luna.”

Luna nodded, and walked back inside, leaving Celestia staring out into the distance.

She felt a little guilty. She hadn’t mentioned that the flash had seemed awfully similar to the one she had seen in her dream. She shook her head; she couldn’t worry anymore. Hopefully, by the next the day, the issue would be resolved.

Chapter Three: Arrival

A lone statue in the Canterlot garden began to shake tremendously. Cracks appeared in its grainy structure, revealing the fleshy form of the imprisoned. First there was a dragon-like red snake tail at the back, waving slightly. Then the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat. A bat’s right wing and a pegasus’s left came after. A lion’s right arm and an eagle’s left claw appeared, followed by a goat beard and white bushy eyebrows. Two yellow eyes with red, differently-sized pupils peeked through the stones, followed by a long snake tongue.

The figure glanced around, testing his body. He raised his claw, and snapped; the ground melted into chocolate. He snapped again, returning it to normal.

He stared in shock at the ground, before his lips morphed into a sinister grin. “I’m free,” he realized. “I’m freeee!”

He glanced up, and saw a white flash in the sky. Seconds later, he saw what appeared to be creatures falling from it. One of the creatures fell towards the Everfree forest.

He grimaced. “Ugh, awake for only a few minutes and already Celestia’s messed something up.” He sighed. “Well, I might as well go out and investigate what’s going on over there.”

He stretched, beating his wings and flying into the air. He zoomed towards the forest where the creature had fallen.

***

Shadow awoke, groaning as he rubbed the back of his head. Where am I? he thought, glancing around. All he could see were dark trees and grass. The sky was completely blocked out by the dense canopy. He heard no sounds, no signs of wildlife.

No one else had landed with him, and he was unsure if anyone else even landed in the same land he did. He pressed a hand to the communication device in his ear. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

All he got was static. This forest must make it hard for us to communicate, he reasoned. I have to get out of here.

He began racing in a random direction, his Jet Shoes easily pushing him forward. Trees and foliage roared by him, but nothing seemed to change. He ducked under a branch, and found himself in another clearing that seemed little different to the one he had landed in.

“My, my,” a voice suddenly called. Shadow glanced around, fists clenched. “Are you lost?”

“Who are you?” Shadow demanded.

A dragon-like creature suddenly popped in front of him. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said, smirking.

“Sorry, I don’t give my name to strangers,” Shadow growled. “Now, unless you want to become a pile of mush, I suggest that you tell me who you are and how to get out of here.”

“Well, now, making demands, are we?” The draconequus smirked. “You’re in the Everfree forest. Home of the most dangerous creatures in the world!”

Shadow narrowed his eyes. “I haven’t seen any signs of life in here.”

“Well, it was home to the most dangerous creatures.” The draconequus sighed. “The name’s Discord, if you must know. I’m—”

“Strange looking,” Shadow commented.

Discord huffed. “I don’t recall asking for your opinion.” He floated down to the ground. “Follow me. I’ll show you the way out.”

Shadow hesitated, but conceded to follow. He had no idea if this Discord could be trusted, but as he was his only way out of here, he had little choice but to walk with him.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Discord said jovially as they walked. “Where are you from?”

“Not from around here.”

“Oh, that was obvious.” Discord faced him. “You did fall out of the sky, along with a few others.”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “Have you seen them? Where are they?”

“Easy, there, buddy,” Discord said. “You’re the first thing I saw. I don’t know where the others fell.”

Shadow sighed, slightly disappointed.

“You still haven’t told me your name,” Discord pointed out.

“And I’ve already told you, I don’t give my name to strangers.”

“Well, we’re hardly strangers now, are we?” Discord flew around him. “I gave you my name. You are technically obligated to give me yours.”

“And what makes you think that I’d willingly tell you that?”

The draconequus smirked. “Not very trusting, are you?”

“It’s a wise policy.” Shadow’s eyes grew slightly distant, as if remembering something. “An… ally of mine has a similar conduct.”

“Great minds think alike, don’t they?” Discord chuckled. “Trust is never a good thing. You should never trust someone just because they say to. You’d do well to remember that.”

Shadow didn’t say anything, choosing instead to nod slowly.

“So, what brings you here? I mean, besides falling from the sky?”

Shadow sighed. This guy just doesn’t let up, does he? “What do you mean?”

“No one simply falls out of the sky with no reason.” Discord eyed him curiously. “What was the white flash about, anyway?”

“What makes you think I’d tell you?”

“I’m just curious, man.” He flew towards him, looking at him closely. “You’re definitely a hedgehog. Though no hedgehog I’ve ever seen wears gloves or shoes. Or moves fast, for that matter.”

Shadow smirked. “Like I said, I’m not from around here.”

“Oh, so like from another planet?”

Shadow grinned darkly. “You could say that.”

Discord eyed him for a moment. “… you’re not going to tell me anything, are you?”

“You’ve got one thing right.”

***

Newt Glint was by no means a good pony. He got around in the world the old-fashioned way: by lying, stealing, and kicking away the trash. He was the best at his trade, stealing from the helpless, the weak.

He smirked as he made his way through the Everfree Forest. Many a pony had gone through these woods, and had often fallen to the creatures within. He had made this journey many times, always coming back with something new. His customers were always astounded at his findings, always asking where he found them.

He always answered, “A friend gave it to me.”

It didn’t matter that the friend had nearly always been departed. As long as his business was booming, he was happy. Even if he had to pick through a few corpses now and then.

Newt found himself in a clearing. He smiled at what he saw. Some sort of blue creature lay on the ground. He seemed to be knocked out, as his eyes were closed.

Newt walked over, seeing that the creature was some sort of hedgehog. What kind of hedgehog wears shoes and gloves? He figured it was just another creature of the Everfree.

He was about to walk on by when something caught his eye. Glancing back, he saw something glowing next to the creature. Curious, he trotted over. There was a green jewel next to the blue creature, absolutely brilliant in quality. He licked his lips; it would definitely draw up a nice profit.

“Sorry, blue thing,” he murmured, pushing the hedgehog to the side and grabbing the emerald. A few quills flew up and landed on him, but he didn’t notice. “But Newt’s gotta do what Newt’s gotta do.”

Satisfied in his findings, he began walking away, humming to himself contentedly.

***

“You’re telling me you rule this land?” Shadow asked Discord.

“Well, of course!” answered the draconequus. “What did you think I was, a peasant?”

Shadow gave him a shrug. “You don’t look like a ruler.”

“Since when did appearance’s matter?” Discord sighed. “But, in a way you’re right. I used to look like a ruler; until they took over.”

“They?”

“They call themselves the Princesses. Though they’re more like tyrannical dictators than members of royalty. I used to rule this land in complete harmony; but then they overthrew me, usurped my throne, and plunged the land into chaos!”

Discord resisted the urge to burst out laughing at his lie.

Shadow crossed his arms. “So? What does that have to do with me?”

“Well, you see, I want to take back my kingdom. And I want you to help me!”

The black hedgehog shook his head. “Sorry; sounds like a personal problem.”

“Oh, but come on, my hedgehog friend!” Shadow flinched at the last word. “You’ve definitely got a heroic attitude! I mean, you haven’t attacked me yet; and only a villain attacks a random stranger!”

“You’re point being?”

Before Discord could answer, Shadow spotted something out of the corner of his eye. “Get down!” he whispered, dragging the draconequus behind a bush.

Shadow saw what appeared to be a horse walking past. He carried with him a large jewel that Shadow instantly recognized. A Chaos Emerald?

“Discord? Who is that horse?”

“Hm?” Discord looked at the pony. An idea formulated in his mind. “That’s one of the Princesses spies!” he quickly said. “He must be on the look out for me!”

“That’s not all,” Shadow murmured, pointing at the jewel. “He’s got something that belongs to me.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Discord said, tapping the side of Shadow’s head. “You have to stop him!”

Shadow winced slightly when Discord tapped his head, but shook it off. He nodded and, after waiting a moment, took off after the pony.

Discord smiled as Shadow left. The moment that hedgehog leaves the forest, he thought, he’ll be in for a surprise.

Chapter Five: Apprehended

“Urgh… why can’t any of Eggman’s plans ever not go awry?” Sonic murmured. He got to his feet and looked at his surroundings, noticing that he was in a forest. “Strange… this reminds me of Knothole… and yet…”

He was quick to notice the eerie silence that surrounded him. Most forests that he was familiar with were brimming with the sounds of wildlife. He was used to hearing the birds chirp, the squirrels run around with their chestnuts, maybe even the occasional raccoon.

Of course, he had to take into consideration the number of times that peaceful setting had been interrupted by Robotnik’s forces.

He sighed. He pressed a finger to his communicator. “Hey, anybody read?”

No answer. He sighed again. “Well, that settles it. Maybe I’ll be able to find some help outside of this forest.”

He noticed a beaten path before him. What appeared to be hoof marks trotted outward, and he presumed they would lead to the outside world. He glanced one more time at his surroundings, before jogging down the path.

***

After a few minutes of walking, he eventually saw what appeared to be a small town on the outside of the forest. It was bustling with life, and he could see that its citizens were all hard at work with some activity or another. A small cottage was the closest building to him. He walked over to it and peered inside, but found no signs of life. Sighing, he resolved to instead go into the town and seek answers.

As he crossed a bridge, he noticed that the town’s citizens were… not what he would call “normal.” They were horses, of various colors and sizes. Several seemed to have a horn on their head, while others had a pair of wings attached to them. Most, however, lacked these features, and they seemed to be the more down-to-earth.

Most noticeably, however, was that they all talked.

I’m in a land of talking horses, Sonic thought. Either I’ve finally lost it, or this is all just some crazy dream.

He pinched himself and, seeing that he could still feel pain, removed the latter from the list of possibilities.

I should ask one of the locals where I am. He started walking into the town. The ponies didn’t seem to notice him for a bit, so he walked up to a pair of ponies sitting on a bench.

The first pony was beige colored, with a blue mane with a pink streak in it, and cerulean eyes. She sat on her stomach, and was busy talking to the pony next to her. This pony had a horn on her head, was was a shade of mint green with a brilliant cerulean mane. Sonic noticed that they both had images on their flanks.

They both turned as he approached, their eyes widening in shock.

Unsure of what to do, Sonic simply said, “Um… hi?”

The mint unicorn’s lips curled into a smile, while the beige pony’s mouth became a look of pure terror. The unicorn appeared to try and say something, but was cut off by the beige pony.

“AAAAAGH!” she shrieked, jumping up into the air.

Sonic recoiled in shock. “Whoa, whoa! Calm down! I don’t mean any harm—”

The pony screamed again, this time with more words, “Help! Somepony help!”

Sonic was unsure what this “somepony” was, but he felt panicky. “Listen, I just wanted to ask some questions—”

“It’s him!” she screamed. “The murderer!”

Sonic’s eyes widened. “Wait, what—!”

Now the mint unicorn had caught on, and had begun screaming loudly, attracting the surrounding ponies’ attention. They, too, began screaming about some murderer. Sonic glanced around, looking for the person in question.

He blinked, then pointed to himself. “Wait… me?!”

“There he is! We’ve found him!” a voice suddenly called out.

He looked up, and saw a squad of flying ponies looking down at him. Three of them were wearing sleek flying suits that were blue and had lightning patterns around them. The fourth pony had a rainbow mane and a cyan coat, and was looking at Sonic with absolute menace.

Sonic began backing up. He was certain, from the looks the ponies gave him, that they were not here to chat. It’s no biggie; I can outrun them! Hopefully…

“Spitfire!” cried the flying pony with a navy-blue mane. “He looks about to run!”

The one with a fiery orange mane responded, “Noted, Soarin. Alright, flying formations. Rainbow, keep an eye at him while I try to reason.” Rainbow, the cyan mare, nodded, but still glared at Sonic.

“Alright! You down there!” Spitfire ordered. “Stay where you are and you will not be harmed!”

“As if!” Sonic retorted. “I’ve only been here for minutes, and already I’m being called a murderer!”

“Listen, buddy,” Rainbow growled. “It won’t do you any good to deny the truth.”

“But I haven’t done anything!” he cried. “I only just got out of that forest—”

“Lies!” Rainbow broke formation and suddenly flew towards him!

Sonic sucked in a breath and turned, blasting off with a boom. “Sorry, but I don’t intend to be detained at the moment!” he yelled over his shoulder, grinning as he noticed the cyan mare stare at him in shock.

“Rainbow!” Spitfire commanded. “After him!”

Rainbow shook her head, gritting her teeth. She began accelerating towards him, flapping her wings as hard as she could. The wind blew by her face and flung back her lips, but she was still a distance away from the hedgehog.

She’s fast, Sonic noted as he ran through the town. Gotta move faster! Concentrating, he began accelerating until a blue arc appeared in front of him, seemingly cutting through the air. He knew, however, that he wouldn’t be able to hold his Sonic Boost for long; without a Chaos Emerald, he only had a few seconds of Boosting.

“Impossible!” Rainbow exclaimed. “You mean he can do the boom too?!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” he retorted.

She growled, flapping her wings so fast that they became little more than blurs. “You think that you can come to Equestria and disrupt the peace?!” she yelled after him. “You think you can joke, after what you’ve done?!”

Equestria? Is this what this place is called? “I haven’t done anything!” he tried to remind her, not noticing that she was slowly catching up. “I literally just woke up after falling from the sky!”

“More lies!” Soon a white arc appeared before her, cutting through the air just as Sonic’s Boost was beginning to die out. “You think you can harm ponies just because you can?! Is that what you think?!”

“That’s not—” He cut himself off with a gasp as he turned to look at her. The arc had narrowed to such an angle that Rainbow was becoming like an arrow, easily whizzing through the air. “Huh?”

Suddenly, Rainbow seemed to explode, as every color of her name shot out from her like some sort of pulse. She accelerated so fast that Sonic had barely any time to blink before he was hit from behind, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud. His brain didn’t even register the amount of pain he felt as he saw darkness at the edge of his vision.

So… fast! was his last thought, before the darkness consumed him.

***

“Good work, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire commended the cyan pegasus. “He nearly got away; had it not been for your Sonic Rainboom, he might have escaped into parts unknown.”

Rainbow blushed under the praise. “Aw, it was nothing, Ms. Spitfire, ma’am. Just doing my job as a citizen of Equestria.” She looked down at the blue hedgehog with a smirk on her face. “What should we do with him now?”

“We’ll take him to Canterlot. I’d imagine that the Princesses would like a word with him,” Spitfire answered, gently taking hold of one of the hedgehog’s arms. Rainbow took the other, though not as gently. He groaned slightly, but made no move to fight back. They carried him into the air, before flying towards Canterlot.

Chapter Six: Awoken

Celestia eyed the creature before her, unsure of what to make of him. He was a blue hedgehog, but unlike any species in Equestria. He stood on two legs, and wore white gloves and red-and-white shoes on his feet. He had a few bruises from when Rainbow had tackled him.

“I’m telling you!” he protested. “I haven’t done anything—”

A blue barrier suddenly formed around his mouth, muffling him. Celestia looked at Luna in shock. “You will speak when told to,” Luna ordered. The hedgehog nodded and, after a moment, Luna released the spell.

“Who are you?” Celestia asked first.

“I’m Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!” Sonic answered. Though he said it with confidence, inwardly he was faltering under the princesses’ stern gazes. “And, like I said, I have not done anything—”

“Are you really going to lie to us?” Luna asked, narrowing her eyes at the hedgehog.

“I’m not lying—”

“We have countless witness accounts of you attacking those guards!”

“But—”

“We have physical proof of your role in that earth pony’s demise!”

“I—”

“Do you honestly expect that we would believe your lies?!”

“I am not lying!” he snapped.

“Luna,” Celestia called, “let him speak.”

The moon princess glared at her sister, but conceded. She maintained her cold gaze towards the hedgehog.

“Please! Let me explain!” Sonic pleaded. “I just woke up not minutes ago in some random forest! I had just fallen through a white rift—”

Celestia started. “What? You were involved with that?”

Sonic gulped. “Well, not exactly.” He quickly explained how he and his friends had been fighting Doctor Robotnik, and how a mechanical malfunction occurred. “It must have sent us here!”

“I see… do you know about the massive energy everypony felt when those rifts opened up?”

“Energy?” Sonic thought about it for a few moments, before answering, “You must be talking about the Chaos Emeralds. Robotnik was using them to power his machine.”

“Just how powerful are these ‘Chaos Emeralds?’” Luna asked.

Sonic briefly described the extent of the Emeralds power. He didn’t go into too many details, as he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible and regroup with the others.

“Please, you have to let me go! I have to find my friends!”

“And why should we let you go?” Luna asked. “So you fell from the sky. That still doesn’t explain why you murdered those three ponies!”

“Again, I didn’t murder anybody!” Seeing how Luna wasn’t buying it, he tried to formulate an excuse. “Look! If my friends and I fell through that rift, that means Robotnik did too! And you are all in grave danger!”

“A likely story!” Luna scoffed. “Your friends couldn’t manage to stop him, yet we only needed four pegasi to stop you!”

Sonic couldn’t help but agree with that. Nevertheless, he tried once more: “That doesn’t matter! I don’t know what you guys have faced in the past, but you’ve never faced someone like the Doctor!”

“Enough!” Celestia ordered, making the two fall silent. “Sonic… your concerns are noted. Rest assured, however, that Equestria will be fine against the Doctor.”

“But—”

“You are still under suspicion for the murder of three ponies, however. And, so far, you have done little to provide counter-evidence of your involvement.”

Haven’t you heard a word I’ve been saying? Sonic wanted to shout, but he kept his mouth shut.

“We will deal with this Robotnik matter sometime else. In the meantime, you will be sentenced to the dungeon indefinitely.”

Sonic’s quills drooped as he took this news in. Even Luna was shocked at her sister’s choice. .Celestia noticed Sonic’s look and shook her head. “I am sorry; but this is my decision. Guards!” she called, two of them rushing in. “Take Sonic to one of the prison cells below.” They nodded and quickly removed the hedgehog from the premises.

Once they were gone, Luna turned to her sister. “Celestia! Have you gone mad? We should have sent that creature to the sun!”

Celestia shook her head. “Perhaps… but, he has said he was involved with that white flash earlier. I would like to investigate the matter further.”

Luna sighed, but protested no further. “I hope you’re right in this, Tia.”

“Me too, Lulu.”

***

“Argh…” I groaned, eyes closed. “Son of a—” I gasped as pain suddenly rocketed up the back of my head. It was enough to make me curse, but I managed to bite my tongue. The pain slowly died away, and I gradually opened my eyes.

A wooden ceiling greeted me, and I noticed that I was in a comfy bed. I checked my jean pockets, and was relieved when I felt the Tetraforce charm and Lantern Ring safely tucked inside.

I noticed that my jacket had been removed. I glanced around, seeing another bed next to me. I saw a familiar form covered by a blanket. I shuffled out of my bed and gently shook the form.

“Mmm… hmm?” Tails murmured from beneath. He blinked twice, before looking up at me. “Jared!”

I nodded. “Glad to see you’re awake.”

He got out of bed, glancing around at our surroundings. “Ugh… where are we? Last thing I remember was falling through that portal…”

“Yeah, about that,” I said, rubbing the back of my head and grinning sheepishly. “I’m… sorry that happened.”

Tails smiled at me. “It’s alright, Jared. It’s not entirely your fault.” I smiled a bit at that, but still felt immensely guilty.

“To answer your first question,” I said, “I think we’re in some cottage of some sort.” I shook my head. “Though I don’t remember ever walking in here.”

“That must mean we were brought here by someone,” concluded Tails. “But by who?”

I walked over to a nearby window, peering outside. Directly in front, I could see a small town, with several roads branching out in the four cardinal directions. I presumed that they would lead to other places.

“And why are we in someplace secluded?” I wondered aloud. “Shouldn’t we be in town or something?”

Tails shrugged. “Maybe this was the closest place a person could get to.”

“That’s a possibility.” I glanced to the side of the window, seeing the edge of a forest. “If that’s the case, then perhaps we had fallen into the forest over there.” I shook my head, feeling the remnants of the fall. “But that still doesn’t make any sense. Why here? We should be in a hospital.” I shivered. “Or, if this place like my universe, in a governmental facility.”

“Maybe they thought we would be better off staying here instead of the town.” Tails placed a hand on my shoulder. “No offense, Jared, but I’m pretty sure that your universe is among the ones that does that whole ‘lock them up’ stuff.”

I sighed. “I would hope that it is the only one…” My eyes flicked back to Tails face, where I saw concern in his eyes. Something occurred to me. “Where are the others?” I asked.

“The others?” He blinked, before continuing, “Oh, our friends? I’m not sure.”

I pressed a finger to the communication device in my ear. “Hello? Anybody read?”

All I could hear was static. Tails tried to do the same thing, coming up with the same result.

“Couldn’t you send out a telepathic message?” Tails asked.

I shook my head. “I have to be able to know exactly where everyone is in order to that. And that takes a lot of concentration.”

We looked down, lost in our thoughts. “What do you think, Nix?” I asked after a moment.

Silence.

“Nix?”

Again, I heard nothing from my hedgehog companion.

Panic rose up in my throat. “Nix? C’mon, talk to me.” I closed my eyes. I know you’re there… right?

I couldn’t feel his presence, nor hear any semblance of his voice. “Oh, no,” I groaned. “Don’t tell me that portal somehow messed up my connection to him!”

Tails, meanwhile, had taken off his communicator and was inspecting it. It didn’t seem to be physically damaged. “It looks like the devices have been damaged internally,” he noted.

“Any chance you can get them fixed?”

“If I had some tools, perhaps. But, as you can see, I don’t exactly carry wrenches around with me.”

I sighed. “Great. So we’ve landed in some random place, had our communications ruined, I lost my connection to Nix, and we have no idea where the others are. How could this possibly get worse?”

“Sonic could be mistaken for Shadow again.”

I gave him a flat look. “Don’t even joke like that.”

Tails walked up to the window, looking outside. “Do you… you know—”

“Recognize this universe?” I finished. “Oddly enough, no.” I gestured outside. “But it looks… familiar. I’m not sure why. Maybe if we explore a bit, I’ll remember.” He nodded in understanding.

I glanced at the doorway, and saw that my blue leather jacket hung on it. I grabbed it, making sure that the Grapple Gun and the spare batarangs were alright, before putting it on. “I guess we’d better see whoever took us here, huh?” I suggested. Tails nodded in agreement.

We didn’t even get out of the house before we were met with something peculiar.

It was a horse creature, though smaller than normal. It had a butter-yellow coat to it, with a pink mane and bright. blue eyes. A pair of wings sat on its sides. It had what appeared to be a trio of butterflies on its flank. It eyed us in shock, mouth open, and was carrying a tea set in its hoof.

I didn’t bother questioning the latter detail; I was so used to finding weird creatures in my adventures that it was nearly a given.

“Um… hello!” I said, trying for a reassuring smile. “Could… could you show us to your owner, please? We’d like to speak to them.”

The horse creature said nothing, mouth still gaping. I sighed. “I don’t know what I expected; for it to talk?” I facepalmed. “It’s a horse… of course it wouldn’t.”

“Actually, I’m a pony,” the “pony” said in a feminine voice, before squeaking and placing a hoof on her mouth.

I stared at her for a few seconds, both Tails’ and my mouth open in shock. “Y-y-you can talk?!” Tails stammered.

“Y-y-you can, too?!” the pony stammered back.

I was busy mentally facepalming. What exactly did I expect? It was only a matter of time before I found a talking equine.

The pony’s eyes suddenly rolled back, and she fell back, dropping the tea set. “And… she’s out. Great,” I muttered.

***

“I’m sorry!” I apologized to the pony. “I didn’t mean any offense when I asked for your owner!”

“I-it’s okay,” the pony said. We had managed to revive her a few moments later, and through considerable effort, managed to get her to talk to us as calmly as she could. “I wasn’t hurt or anything.” We had already cleaned up her mess, and were sitting comfortably in the living room.

“Um… if you don’t mind me asking,” the pony implored, “… who are you two?”

“I’m Tails!” Tails said, smiling brightly.

“I’m Jared Berberabe,” I said, slightly grinning. “You can just call me Jared.”

“Those are nice names,” she said quietly. “But… I’m sorry… what exactly are you?”

“Hm? Oh, I’m a fox,” Tails said.

“I’m human,” I answered, tilting my head. “I take it you’ve never seen one of my kind before?”

She shook her head. “Um… no…”

Tails smiled kindly at the pony. “So what’s your name?”

“Um… I’m…” She mumbled something incoherent.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Tails asked.

Before the pony could answer, I did so for her. “Her name is Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Huh? Y-you could hear me?”

I nodded, grinning. “But,” she continued, “how?”

“Let’s just say I can do things like that,” I answered, refraining from going into too much detail about myself. “Anyway, I presume you are the one that found us in the forest?”

“Y-yeah. How’d you know you came from the forest?”

“For one thing, my jacket has a few traces of green on it, most likely a result from foliage. Tails here has a few shrubs in his fur.” Tails glanced down at himself, before rubbing away the shrubs. “Also, as this is the closest place to the forest, I would assume that anyone who found us in there would send us here, for want of efficiency.”

“That’s… that’s really smart!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “How’d you know all that?”

“Eh heh heh,” I chuckled. “Like I said, I’m known for doing things like that.”

“But… how’d you both end up in the forest?”

Tails began telling her how we had gotten here, starting with how we had attacked Doctor Robotnik’s base. He went into great detail talking about the white portal. Fluttershy’s eyes widened even further when he had finished.

“Y-you mean, you were involved with that white rift?” she asked.

Tails nodded. “Yes. Have you seen any of our friends around?”

“I-I don’t think so. I only found you two. Please don’t be mad!” she added quickly.

I gave her a confused look. “It’s alright, Fluttershy, we’re not mad.”

“Are you sure? We were fighting with a red echidna, a pink female hedgehog?” Tails asked. Fluttershy shook her head at those descriptions. “What about a black hedgehog?” Again, she shook her head. “A blue hedgehog?”

She suddenly gasped, flying into the air quickly. “W-w-what about him?” she shrieked.

“He’s our friend!” I tried to reassure her, but to no avail.

“F-friend? Why would you be a friend to somepony as mean and evil as he is?”

“What are you talking about, Fluttershy?” Tails asked, worried. “Sonic wouldn’t do something bad!”

“H-here!” She flew over to a table, coming back with a newspaper in her hooves. She handed it to Tails. “R-read the front article!”

Tails began reading. “Three ponies attacked and killed… suspect caught… blue hedgehog?” He looked back up at Fluttershy. “You mean they think that Sonic murdered those three ponies?”

“Well,” Fluttershy said quietly, “he’s the prime suspect. So far, there hasn’t been any other evidence that anypony else was involved.”

“Where is he now?” I asked.

“P-probably in a Canterlot dungeon.”

I walked up to a window. “And which way is that?”

“It’s to the north of Ponyville.” Noticing my questioning look, she added, “The town directly in front of us.”

I nodded, before walking over to the door. I pushed it open, and sunlight blared in my vision, making me squint.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Fluttershy asked.

“They’ve got the wrong guy,” I answered.

“B-but the evidence… and the witness accounts…”

“I know Sonic. I’ve known him for five years. And I know he would never harm an innocent’s life.” I glanced at Tails. “Coming?”

He nodded, and walked out with me.

“Wait!”

We turned, seeing Fluttershy fly out behind us. She looked away briefly, before looking at us, determination in her eyes. “I… I’d like to go, too.”

“Really?” Tails asked.

She nodded. “If you say that Sonic’s your friend… then he must be a good person.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“Because… I think you two are good people. And you would never be friends with a bad person.”

I smiled. They’re friends with Shadow and me, though. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Oh!” she gasped. “I forgot you two can’t fly.”

“Er, actually,” Tails said. He began whirling his twin namesakes, gently flying into the air.

Fluttershy gaped in shock, unable to believe that this fox was able to fly.

Tails flew over and reached his arms down. Taking the cue, I reached up, allowing him to grab my wrists. “You okay, Tails?”

“Yep!” he answered. “C’mon! We’ve got a friend to save!”

***

“That stupid Guardian and his antics!” Robotnik growled at the monitor. “It’s lucky that my base managed to survive the pull between dimensions! How fortunate that we managed to land somewhere secluded, away from everybody else!”

A robot rolled up to him. “Sir, here is the report you requested on this land.”

“Excellent! Let’s hear it.”

The robot yammered off statistics, ranging from oxygen levels to potential profit from mining minerals. What Robotnik was more interested in, however, was the level of technology this world had.

“Observations suggest they have yet to create anything advance,” the robot droned. “They have steampunk era technology, nothing more. They appear to use medieval weapons over advanced arms.”

“I see,” the doctor murmured, rubbing his chin.

“However, our sensors indicate that there is a large amount of energy present at a specific location. Specifically, a city built into the side of a mountain.” The robot pulled out a chart, showing it to the doctor. The readings indicated a mass influx of energy all together, but suggested that individually, the power was miniscule. Much like the emeralds, Robotnik noted.

“What kind of power are we dealing with here?” he asked.

“We require further analysis to decide that,” the robot replied. “However, our reports suggest that this power is about as powerful as the emeralds.”

“I see.” Robotnik looked down at the robot. “Repair all of our troops. Swatbots, Egg-Robos, anything that can be salvaged. We’ll be paying that city a visit later on; they have something I want.”

“Yes, Doctor.” The robot wheeled off.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Doc?” Orbot asked him. “I mean, Sonic and the others are still here.”

“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I’m prepared this time.” He turned away, facing the monitors once again. He drummed his fingers together, smiling evilly.

Chapter Seven: Detective Work

“You’re serious?” Knuckles asked his pink companion. “Sonic’s in jail?”

“Of course I’m serious!” Amy exclaimed. She waved the newspaper in front of the echidna’s face. “Just look at the front article.

Knuckles grimaced as he read it. “Reminds me way too much of that whole issue with Shadow all those years ago.”

“Yeah. Speaking of Shadow, where do you think he is?”

“Probably looking for answers as to where we are.” Knuckles shrugged. “Or being a loner.”

“And the others?”

“Sonic’s in jail, so Tails and Jared are probably trying to find him. Communicators are shot, so we can’t tell them where we are.”

They glanced around. They were in the city where Sonic was apprehended—apparently it was called Canterlot—after having woken up on its border. The streets were filled with talking ponies, all either ignoring the two or giving them the stinkeye.

Knuckles snorted. “Man, what’s their problem? We haven’t done anything yet, and already they’re giving us mean looks.”

“Must be the culture,” Amy commented. She walked up to a stallion who was sitting at a coffee table. “Excuse me, sir, which way to the Canterlot dungeon?”

He barely glanced at her. “I’m not going to talk to filth like you.”

“F-filth?!” Amy screeched. She got closer to the stallion, and he finally made eye contact. He shivered under her harsh gaze. She pulled out her Piko Piko hammer from her skirt (Knuckles still had no idea how she stored it there) and grinned at the stallion menacingly.

“Now, unless you want to know what getting hit with a two hundred pound hammer is like, tell me where the Canterlot dungeon is.”

“R-r-right that way, Miss!” he stuttered, pointing down the street towards a building embedded in a mountain. “Just go down there! I promise, you’ll find it there!”

“You had better,” she said menacingly, “or I’ll be back.” He gulped.

She walked back to Knuckles. “Well? Shall we go?”

He sighed. No wonder Sonic is afraid of you. “Yeah, let’s go before this guy hurls. Poor choice of coffee, I might add,” he called over his shoulder, causing the stallion to look down at his cup guiltily.

***

Judging from what Fluttershy had said, it had only been a few hours between the murder and the apprehension of Sonic. That meant that, if what she said about Canterlot was true, the bodies would still be there for the reporters to view.

We flew in low, landing in the street. A few ponies gave us odd looks, but most ignored us. We walked up to the alley where the murder took place. A crowd of ponies of various shapes and sizes surrounded the alley; we had to push our way through.

“What?!” one of the police ponies was saying to a cadet. “What do you mean our lead detectives is out?!”

“H-he came down with the pony pox, sir,” the cadet stammered. “T-this is the first day of most of the officers here.”

“Are you kidding me?!” the police pony roared. “You mean I’m surrounded by inexperienced cops?!” He sighed angrily. “Fine, then. Just cover up the bodies.”

Not just yet, I thought to myself. “Wait!” I called.

All eyes suddenly turned to me, first cynical, then surprised, then shocked. “What the—what the hay are you?” the police pony asked.

I glanced at his uniform, seeing it had three lines on top of each other in a hexagonal shape. “Sergeant, don’t cover up the bodies just yet!” I said, ignoring his question.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “And why not? Listen here, whatever you are, we’ve caught the suspect. There’s no need to further this investigation!”

I was vaguely aware of the many reporters who were staring at me, busy writing on their notepads. I stepped forward. “You may have missed several crucial details, sir.”

He scoffed. “Oh, please. We’ve already got enough evidence to say that the suspect is the actual murderer.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “… what’s your name, Sergeant?”

“Bullock, kid. Justice Bullock. You hear that, reporters?” he added. “You had better spell it right!”

“Very well, Sergeant Bullock. Are you a reputable officer?”

“Am I a—why, of course! I take this job very seriously!”

“What’s Jared doing?” I heard Fluttershy say to Tails.

“Something special,” Tails said back. I glanced at him, seeing that he had a small smile on his face. “Just listen.”

“Really, now?” I continued. “So, that must mean that you have a good reputation!”

“Yup!” He grinned. “I’ve caught every culprit of every crime on the first try!”

“I see. Then, perhaps it would interest you to know that you’ve messed up this time?”

He glared at me. “What are you saying, kid? That I don’t know how to do my job?”

“Not at all,” I said calmly. “Just that you caught the wrong culprit.”

He gritted his teeth. “Listen, kid, I don’t take kindly to people thinking that know better—”

“Would you rather have an innocent person go to jail for a crime he did not commit?” I argued. He flinched at my words, as did the crowd. “Would you want that stain upon your reputation? I can see the headline: ‘Sergeant Bullock, finally wrong after so many rights!’”

I took another step forward, this time much closer to the bodies. I ignored their stench, staring Bullock in the eye. “You have made a massive grievance, officer,” I said calmly. “A huge mistake. A gigantic error. And, unless you wish for me to not rectify your situation, do not cover the bodies.”

The crowd was rendered silent at my cold command. I stared Bullock down, trying to look as intimidating as I could muster. He started, hesitated, then sighed. “Alright, kid. I may not look like it, but I’m always open to suggestion.” He gestured at the crime scene. “Show me how we’ve captured the wrong guy.”

I nodded, bending down. I first inspected the non-armored pony. “What’s his name?”

“Newt Glint. He was a common thief. Stole jewels and such.”

“I see.” I leaned in close, looking at the corpse carefully. I saw something stick out, and picked it up gently. It was a blue spine.

“There!” Bullock said. “That’s the damning evidence we found. It points to that blue hedgehog feller.”

“It certainly is a blue quill of a blue hedgehog, I’ll grant you that.” I stepped over, inspecting the other side. “But I’m not looking for coincidence. I’m looking for evidence.”

“What do you mean? It’s not evidence?”

“Precisely. So you found a few blue quills on him. I found a few foreign hairs on you before. Does that mean you were busy killing your cadets?” He gulped, nodding at my point.

I checked the spot where Newt had been killed. It was a large wound, in the shape of a triangle. “So he was rammed in from something sharp. Like a pike, or…” I blinked. “Or a spear.”

I glanced up at Bullock. “When did they die?”

“Newt died a few minutes before the guards did.”

I nodded. “Meaning, that the killer did not have time to change weapons after his first kill.” I rotated Newt’s head, seeing a faint bruise on his face. “He had also punched Newt, perhaps knocking out.”

“‘He?’” a reporter questioned.

“I’ve seen my fair share of fist marks before. Males are generally larger than females.” I pointed to the bruise. “You’ll see that it’s more flat than indented, meaning Newt here was hit by someone with flat knuckles. Statistically, males have flatter knuckles than women.”

I moved back to the wound, inspecting it. I leaned down, breathing in slightly. I fought down the urge to throw up. The flesh had been burnt, obviously stabbed with something hot. It had to be hot enough to melt the skin, judging by how stretched the fibers had become.

“There,” I said, pointing. “The murder weapon was some sort of spear, and it was also something hot enough to char the flesh.” I stood and quickly walked over to the other corpses, seeing that they had similar wounds. “However, the weapon was not a traditional spear, as the wounds do not fully go through the body. In fact,” I added, shifting one of the guard’s bodies around to make the wound face up, “I think the spear grew wider at the end.”

“What makes you say that?” Bullock asked.

“The outside of the wound is slightly larger than the inside. Taking into account that the weapon was not traditional and was probably more or less the head of a spear, then all this points to a shorter, wider, individual spearhead. Not to mention, it would be hot enough to burn flesh.”

“So if it’s short and hot enough to burn, why didn’t the murderer get hurt by it as well?” Bullock asked.

I grinned at him. “Good. You’re asking the really good questions now.” I rubbed my chin. “That puzzles me as well. Anything that small and hot would have burned the user either way. Unless…” I closed my eyes as I thought.

“Unless?” he prompted.

“… Unless the weapon was not heated.”

“That’s absurd! You can’t char flesh without having a heated weapon!”

“Allow me to explain. The weapon could have been constructed out of pure energy. Energy isn’t necessarily hot. The user can change how the energy is used, and therefore how they experience the energy.”

“What kind of energy are you speaking of?”

I frowned, murmuring, “It can’t be. Can it? Maybe…”

I placed a hand over Newt’s body, closing my eyes. I felt around for a certain remnant of energy.

…There!

“Oh no…” I murmured, opening my eyes. “That is not good.”

“What is it? What’s not good?” Bullock asked me desperately.

I ignored him, too focused on what I had found. Why’d he do it? This isn’t like him at all…

I ran around the body, looking into the building where it was found. All I could see inside were stolen jewels; nothing that would warrant murder. And yet… and yet…

“What did the witnesses see after the crime?” I asked.

“Er… they said that the creature vanished in thin air,” one of the cadets said. I nodded, but said nothing. He teleported...

“Hey, kid!” Bullock cried. “Don’t leave us hanging!”

“Hanging…” I mumbled, walking back over to the scene. “That’s what they’re going to do, aren’t they? They’ll hang him for something he didn’t do.”

“Kid? Are you talking about the suspect? They won’t hang him immediately,” he tried to reassure me.

I nodded. “That means there’s still time.”

I began walking away, but before I could leave, Bullock asked one last time: “How were we wrong?”

I faced him. I didn’t want to reveal who I had concluded was the real murderer, as I myself was still in disbelief. Still though, I couldn’t leave them uncertain of my analysis.

“Here is my conclusion,” I stated. “The murderer used an energy-amplified weapon of some sort to kill Newt. He used the same weapon for the guards, as he did not have time to change the weapon. The weapon was short and not a conventional weapon. The marks on the bodies, the same shape of the wound, and the same charring of flesh reveal that. After he killed them, he teleported away. And, I’m fairly certain that spines don’t burn flesh away like this weapon did.”

Tails had come to the same conclusion as I did. We shared a sad, but knowing look.

“Sergeant Bullock,” I continued, “you have arrested the wrong person. The real killer is still out there. The hedgehog you arrested is unable to use such weapons. Only a select few are able to generate such tools.”

“Sir? Could we have your name? And what are you going to do now?” one of the reporters asked as I began walking away.

I looked at Tails and Fluttershy, nodding to them. I faced the reporter who asked me the question. “My name is Jared Berberabe. I am going to rescue the suspect from his wrongful apprehension.” I glanced back at Bullock. “You know what to do.”

“Do you at least know who the true culprit is?” another reporter pony asked.

I sighed sadly. “Yes.”

“Who is he?”

“… be on the lookout for a black hedgehog, Sergeant. He’s your culprit. Alert the royal guard when this is over. And if you find him,” I added, looking back at the Sergeant with sadness in my eyes, “tell him… a friend wants to talk.”

I looked back at Tails and Fluttershy. “Let’s go.”

I pulled out the Grapnel Gun out of my jacket, the crowd gasping when they saw it. I pointed it up, and pulled the trigger, hearing the hook catch something. With another button press, I zoomed upwards, vanishing above the rooftops. Tails and Fluttershy flew after me, leaving the press and officers with shock looks on their faces.

***

“Just… who was that?” a cadet asked.

“You heard him,” Bullock grunted. “He’s Jared Berberabe. And… I think he’s an ally.”

Already the press were flipping their notepads and scribbling down notes about a mysterious bipedal creature who had singlehandedly shown up the city’s best cops. A few glanced to the sky, where Jared had vanished, wondering who he was.

Chapter Eight: Interruptions

Twilight had arrived with Rainbow Dash at Canterlot’s castle. She and the pegasus were waiting for the Princesses, the rulers having checked up on the prisoner below.

“You should have been there, Twilight!” Rainbow was bragging. “He tried to get away, but I pulled off a Sonic Rainboom and smacked him to the ground!”

“That’s nice, Rainbow,” Twilight said, “but don’t you think that was a bit harsh?”

“Harsh?” Rainbow glared at the unicorn. “He killed three ponies! He’s lucky I didn’t do anything worse to him!”

The doors behind them opened up, revealing Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. “Howdy, everypony!” Applejack greeted. “How’s everypony holding up?”

“We’re fine, Applejack,” Twilight answered.

“Good job on catching the murderer, Rainbow,” Rarity complimented.

Rainbow beamed. “Yeah, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie exclaimed, jumping around. “I should totally throw us a ‘Caught-The-Bad-Guy’ party later!” She emphasized her point by suddenly pulling out her confetti cannon and firing a few rounds.

Twilight blew away a few pieces of confetti before asking, “Where’s Fluttershy?”

“She said she found some creatures in the Everfree that needed her help,” Applejack answered. “She said she’ll take care of them as quickly as she can, then she’ll meet us here.” Twilight nodded, turning back to the throne.

There was a flash of light, and Luna and Celestia reappeared on their thrones. The ponies nodded to them. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight called. “How is the prisoner?”

“He’s been taken care of, Twilight,” Celestia answered. “But… I still find it troubling how—”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness!” Rainbow interrupted, flying up to the sun princess with an arrogant smirk. “If he tries anything, Rainbow Dash will put him in place!”

“I’m not worried if he tries anything,” Celestia said. “I’m worried about what he said.”

“He said he was involved with that white rift earlier,” explained Luna, “as well as being part of a group of creatures who were attacking a certain Robotnik’s base.”

“Robotnik?” Applejack asked. “Who’s that?”

“From what Sonic said to us, he’s an evil tyrant from where he came from,” answered Celestia. “That white rift was a result of a mechanical failure from wherever Sonic originated.”

“Evil tyrant? Shouldn’t we be more worried about this Robotnik guy, then?” Twilight asked.

Celestia shook her head. “For all we know, Sonic could be lying. And if he isn’t, then Robotnik shouldn’t pose much of a problem. Those creatures Sonic was fighting with were unable to stop him; so we should be able to easily.”

“Should he try anything,” Luna added.

They nodded, though Twilight still felt a bit unsure. She gazed down the hallway leading to the dungeons, wondering about the prisoner below.

***

Sonic stared through the bars of his cell, depressed. The dark bars taunted him with the temptation of freedom. He had tried to Spin Dash through the bars already, but whatever they were made of hindered his spiky backside from cutting through.

He slumped over with a sigh. Just like the time I was in jail, he thought, smiling darkly. Once again, I’m imprisoned for something I did not commit.

He frowned. But who could have killed those ponies? Shadow, maybe? He shook his head. No; Shadow doesn’t do that. He doesn’t kill without a reason.

Suddenly he heard sounds coming from the front of the dungeon.

“Hey! Who gave you two permission to come down here?” a guard exclaimed.

“I did!” a female voice responded. Sonic’s eyes widened in shock at the familiar voice.

“Miss, sir,” the guard said, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“No way, buddy!” the female said. “Not while you have my Sonic in some nasty cell!”

“Miss, please—” The guard was abruptly cut off by the sound of a hammer smacking a head. Sonic winced. He had been on the receiving end of that hammer many times before, and his heart reached out to the now unconscious guard. At least he only had to face it once…

“Hey, Sonic!” A red echidna stepped into view, smiling at the hedgehog.

Sonic grinned back. “Heya, Knuckles. What took you so long?”

“We had to find a way to sneak past the guards,” Knuckles answered. “We managed not to alert anyone above.” He walked over to the cell. “Here, let me help.”

He winded up his arm, motioning for Sonic to get out of the way. After the blue hedgehog did so, Knuckles launched himself forward, punching down the iron bars. The door clanged against the back of the cell, the sound singing freedom to Sonic’s ears. He grinned at the echidna. “Nicely done!”

Suddenly he was tackled by a pink blur. “Oh, Sonic!” Amy cried, hugging him fiercely. “Are you okay? Did those nasty guards do anything to you?” Her eyes flashed fire. “When I get my hands on that horse that capture you—”

“Easy, Amy!” Sonic tried to console her. “I’m fine! Nothing broken!”

Amy eventually broke away, and Sonic stepped out of his cell. “Where’s Tails and Jared?” he asked.

“We must have been separated,” Knuckles answered. “And, seeing as how our communicators are dead, we have no way of talking to each other.” He noticed Sonic’s worried look. “Don’t worry; by now they’ve probably already heard what happened, and are on their way now.” Sonic nodded at that.

“Where do we go from here?” Amy asked.

“Well, first we should probably clear Sonic’s name,” Knuckles suggested. “I assume you have an idea of who would do it?”

Sonic nodded. “I guessed Shadow… but it seems so unlike him.”

Knuckles nodded. “Agreed. But he’s the only other possibility.” He cracked a smile. “Maybe Jared will be able to help with the investigations.”

They began walking towards the stairs. “We’ll have to be careful,” Knuckles advised. “We don’t want to be caught like this, so be quiet.” They nodded, carefully moving up the steps towards the throne room.

***

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy gasped as we made our way towards the castle. “How on Equestria did you do all that?”

Hmm… Equestria must be where we are, I concluded. “What do you mean?”

“You were like a detective back there!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. “It’s nothing, really. One of my many talents.”

We had managed to evade the mass of reporters following my little investigation, and were now calmly walking towards the castle. Most of the ponies spared giving us a look, so we weren’t besieged by questions.

“Where did you learn stuff like that?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’ve been taught by the best in the business,” I answered mysteriously. She seemed satisfied with my answer.

“Wow… I don’t think I’ve met anypony as smart as you or Twilight!” She paused. “Then again, I’ve never met a human before. Are all humans that smart?”

I assumed that by “anypony” she meant “anybody;” it was probably this universe’s language. “Some, yes. A majority aren’t, though. Who’s Twilight?” I asked.

“Twilight Sparkle? She’s a friend of mine. A lavender unicorn. She’s the student of Princess Celestia.”

“Princess Celestia?” Tails asked. “Is she the ruler here?”

“Co-ruler,” Fluttershy answered a bit quietly. “She and her sister, Princess Luna, help rule over all of Equestria.”

I fell silent for a moment, before asking, “Are they reasonable?”

Fluttershy gave me a confused look. “I would think so. Why?”

“If they have Sonic in the dungeon, I would like to reason with them to get him out of there.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll listen. They’re very wise.” I nodded at that.

We resumed some silence, with Tails and I occasionally glancing around. It was no shock to me that we had landed in another intelligent civilization, yet alone another universe, but I knew that Tails still was in awe over it. I smiled a bit at that. I had reacted similarly the first time I ever went through a universe boom; perhaps I even overreacted, as I had landed in Sonic’s universe first.

“You said that you knew who did the crime,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Could you tell me who it was that did it? If you don’t mind,” she added meekly.

I glanced at her. “I’m really hoping I’m wrong on this one; but all evidence points to Shadow the Hedgehog.”

“Shadow? Who’s that?”

“Remember that black hedgehog I mentioned back at your cottage?” Tails said. “That’s him. He was one of our friends who fell through the white rift with us.”

“And you think that he would do something like… this?” she clarified. I nodded. “But… why would he do something like that?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. The next time I see him, I’m going to confront him on the issue.”

We fell into another silence, before Tails spoke up. “Jared, something’s been bothering me.”

“What is it?”

“You said the weapon was some sort of energy spear, right? One that was heated at the tip and quite short?”

“Yes…”

“That sounds like a Chaos Spear. But…”

“But?”

“Wouldn’t that mean that there’s Chaos energy in this place?”

Fluttershy seemed startled at the mention of Chaos energy. I stopped walking, and turned to look at Tails. “… Actually, that makes sense.” I rubbed my chin. “Assuming that Equestria has some Chaos within it, then it would follow that the Chaos Emeralds would land us here. Especially since Chaos energy is attracted to each other.”

I noticed Fluttershy’s scared look. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I-it’s just…” She let out a slow breath. “We… haven’t exactly had good experience with chaos before…”

I nodded knowingly. “That’s okay. Chaos by nature is unstable. However, it is up to the user to decide how that Chaos is used.”

She nodded at my explanation. I tilted my head at her curiously. “Did something involving Chaos go wrong?”

She blew a strand of pink away from her face. “You could say that. It’s a long story, though; and right now, we have to help your friend.”

I smiled a bit. “Then you’ll have to tell me later, won’t you?” She smiled back slightly, and we continued towards the castle.

It didn’t occur to me to look to the sky, where several pods were descending from an unknown location.

***

Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy had nearly gotten out without a hitch. Not a single pony had met them, and Sonic’s freedom was just within their reach.

Until they were met by a bat pony.

The vampire-like equine stared at them from the darkness, analyzing. He had been watching when the hedgehog had been thrown into the dungeon. While his fellow guardsmen were away, he had taken it upon himself to watch the prisoner, should anything go wrong.

He was slightly unnerved at the prospect of fighting two more creatures. He was fairly certain he could take on the hedgehog; but with the echidna and now pink hedgehog around, he was unsure.

Apparently his nervousness was able to penetrate the subconscious, for Sonic suddenly asked, “Is something watching us?”

Knuckles gazed at the spot where the bat pony stood, though he saw nothing. He stepped forward, intending to examine it up close.

The bat pony cursed his luck. Of course they had to be able to see through his darkness!

He threw his wing out, startling the echidna, before suddenly hitting him in the face with his hoof. Knuckles reeled back in shock.

“Gah!” Amy yelled, drawing her hammer. The bat pony eyed the weapon with unease. “A vampire!”

“Hey, wait—” Before Sonic could continue, Amy swung wildly. The bat pony flew up, dodging her strike. He then slapped her across the face with his wing, stunning her. He turned and bucked her with his hooves, sending her flying into the side wall.

Knuckles got to his feet, groaning. “Of all the miserable luck,” he grumbled. He ran forward, catching the bat pony off guard. He delivered a feint to the side, then uppercutted, launching the pony up.

“Knuckles! Stop—” Sonic yelped as the bat pony suddenly flew towards him. He curled up, just barely dodging the attack. Knuckles leapt over him, going for the pony. “Hey! Everybody just calm down!”

No one would listen. Amy got to her feet, swinging her hammer, the side glancing off of the bat pony’s head. He rolled with the blow, vanishing into the shadows. He reappeared behind her, bucking her once again into the wall. Knuckles swung his arm, catching the pony by the neck. He slammed him against the wall, shaking the foundations of the building.

“Knux! Please! We’re going to get caught!” Sonic tried to say.

Suddenly, down the corridor, a group of guards rushed forward, brandishing their spears. “Halt!” the one in the lead ordered. “Cease this conflict!”

The trio backed up against the wall, while the guardsponies with horns glowered at them.

“Is it too late to cancel my tour of the castle?” Sonic said weakly.

The horns all lit up, charging a beam.

“Guess so,” Knuckles murmured.

They were suddenly blasted through the wall, ending up in the throne room where the Mane Six and the sisters were. The ponies stared at the fallen trio in shock, while guards from everywhere filled in.

Sonic was the first up, looking at his surroundings sheepishly. “Uh… sorry for the rude entrance—”

He was suddenly tackled by Rainbow. The cyan pegasus glared at him angrily. “And just what do you think you’re doing, Fuzzball? Are you trying to break out of here?”

“Hey! Get off of him!” Amy got to her feet, eyeing the pegasus with hate in her eyes. She swung her hammer, and Rainbow yelped and flew away, landing back with her friends. The Mane Six stepped forward, as did Luna and Celestia, glaring at the trio.

The three stepped closer to each other. Sonic didn’t want to fight, but Knuckles had his hand raised and fists clenched, and Amy had her hammer held up high. They stared back at the ponies, unsure whether to attack or to remain silent.

***

The pods began to fall, landing on the outskirts of city. Robots of various types stormed out, beeping and looking at the town with red eyes.

They moved forward, keeping to the city’s edges, remaining in the dark. None of the citizens noticed them. When their master gave the order, they would fulfill their one objective:

DESTROY.

***

“Could you let us through?” Tails asked the guards up front. “It’s urgent that we see the Princesses.”

The guard pony shook his head. “Sorry; no citizens can enter the castle without permission.”

“Are you sure?” Tails still tried. “It’s really important.”

The guard emphasized his point by locking his spear with the other guard, crossing the two weapons in front of the door.

Tails sighed. He walked back over to us, at the bottom of the stairs. “Looks like we’re not getting in the traditional way.”

I was about to respond, when I heard an enraged voice shout out.

“First you kill three ponies; and now you try to break free?! We should banish you to the sun for your impetuous attitude!”

Fluttershy cowered under the voice. “That’s-that’s Princess Luna!”

“They’re probably talking about Sonic,” I reasoned. I sighed. “Knuckles and Amy probably went to break him out, but now they’ve been caught.” I shook my head. “So much for my wishes for a reasonable entrance.”

“What are you going to do now?” Fluttershy asked.

I thought for a second. “Both of you. In the air,” I ordered. They gave me confused looks, but nonetheless flew up. “Follow my lead.”

I took the Grapnel Gun out of my jacket, calibrating it. The guards noticed the action, and gave me confused looks. I pointed the gun out, just slightly above the doors.

They did not like the action, and moved to brandish their spears.

“Now!” I shouted. I pulled the trigger, and the hook shot out. It latched neatly into the ledge. With a press of my thumb at a side button, I activated the Grapnel Boost. The line reeled towards the hook quickly, shooting me off my feet. Tails and Fluttershy followed closely as I accelerated.

Just as I approached the doors, I made the hook let go. I stuck my feet out so that the soles would hit the doors first. The guards looked up at me in shock.

My feet connected with the door solidly, and a second later I had kicked the doors away, swinging them open. Sunlight shone through the opening, casting our shadows. I fell and rolled, landing in a crouched position. Tails and Fluttershy were at my sides.

I saw a lavender unicorn—Twilight, I assumed—standing next to an alabaster unicorn and an orange pony. A pink pony stood next to that one, with a cyan pegasus flying above. A white pony with a horn and wings stood up front, next to a smaller, dark-blue pony with the same features.

“Ooh, look!” the pink pony exclaimed. “More creatures!”

Everyone else in the room looked at us in shock, before Sonic cracked a grin. “Tails! Jared!” he greeted. “What took you so long?”

“I was busy clearing your name,” I answered, placing the Gun back in my jacket. I noticed that Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy were surrounded by guards. I smirked. “Couldn’t even wait for me before getting into trouble?”

He chuckled at that. “What can I say? Force of habit.”

“What the—” The cyan pegasus fixed a glare on me. “Hey! What the hay are you doing here?”

“Well, I was hoping I could talk to the rulers of this place.”

“As if!” She pointed a hoof at me accusingly. “You’re here to free that hedgehog creep!”

“Yes. That too.”

She seemed caught off guard by my blunt statement. “W-well, if you think you’re going to get away with that, then you’re dumber than you look!”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy scolded. “That’s no way to talk to somepony!”

“Fluttershy?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “What are you doing with those two?”

“They were the critters I found in the forest, Twilight,” the butter-yellow pegasus answered. “They fell from that white rift that we all saw.”

“Fluttershy! Get away from them!” Rainbow exclaimed. “They could be dangerous!”

“No!” Fluttershy planted her hooves. “They really aren’t that bad! I mean, I get that Jared is a bit odd looking, but he’s not a bad person!” A bit of guilt poked out of my subconscious at the last part, but I fought it away. “And neither is Tails! They said that Sonic didn’t kill those ponies!”

“And you believe them?!” Rainbow cried incredulously.

Fluttershy looked away for a second, then looked at Rainbow with a strong gaze. “Yes,” she answered simply.

The cyan pegasus was rendered silent by her friend’s response. I decided to speak up. “Princess Celestia?” The white, larger pony looked up at the mention of her name. That makes the dark-blue one Princess Luna. “That white rift you saw earlier was a result of a mechanical failure in Sonic’s universe.”

“Universe?” Twilight asked. “You mean… you’re from an entirely different universe?” She seemed excited at that.

I nodded. “An evil doctor, named Robotnik, created a machine that would allow him to conquer another universe. We tried to stop him, but—” I looked away slightly, feeling a bit guilty, “—thanks to my carelessness, we disrupted his machine. We were launched across space-time, and ended up landing here.”

Celestia looked at me with growing curiosity. “Interesting,” she said. “That’s the same story Sonic was saying earlier.”

Luna, however, regarded me with a cold gaze. “That still does not explain the hedgehog’s actions.”

“You mean the murders?” When she nodded, I smirked slightly. “He didn’t do them.”

The ponies protested against my claim. I calmly reiterated my analysis of the crime, as well as my conclusion.

“If what you say is true,” Celestia said, “then who killed those ponies?”

I hesitated, still unwilling to believe it. Yet all evidence pointed to him, and him alone. As much as I hated to admit it, it was the biggest possibility.

“The killer is one of our team. His name is Shadow the Hedgehog. He looks very similar to Sonic, which explains why you arrested the first hedgehog you saw.”

“Ha! An evil twin?” Rainbow glared at me. “As cool as that sounds, I don’t buy it!”

I ignored her outburst. “Furthermore, since we landed in this universe, that means Robotnik has likely done the same. No doubt he plans on taking over Equestria.”

“What makes you think he’d do that?” Twilight asked.

“Because he’s an evil tyrant bent on ruling the world,” I answered, “and this fits his parameters for conquest.”

There was a moment of silence as the ponies took this information in. They glanced at us, then back at Sonic, then at each other.

I thought I heard something, like a hum, from behind, and I turned my gaze briefly. Tails noticed the sound as well, and moved his head slightly.

Look out, a voice suddenly spoke in my head.

I was caught off guard by the sudden reappearance of my friend. Nix?

He didn’t get a chance to respond. Sonic was watching us, when he suddenly saw what was making the hum. “Watch out!”

Tails and I quickly saw the source of the hum, and the fox dove to the side as a laser beam suddenly shot at him. Another beam aimed for Fluttershy, the pegasus caught off guard by Sonic’s cry. I dove for her, tackling her to the side, the laser burning my jeans. I rolled with her, shielding her form with my body.

I glanced over my shoulder, and saw an advanced model of Robotnik’s Buzz Bomber staring back at me. It didn’t take long for me to realize what was happening.

“We’re under attack!” I yelled. The Bomber shot another laser at me, and I managed to dodge it. I quickly shot my Grapnel Gun to the ceiling, and shot off, avoiding another beam. I landed next to Twilight, gently releasing Fluttershy. Before the lavender unicorn could say anything, I rolled away as another beam shot for my face.

Everyone else were still caught off guard by the sudden attack. They were slowly beginning to recover, but I knew they wouldn’t recover fast enough. I slipped a hand into my jacket, pulling out one of my batarangs.

“Hey, Buzz Boy!” I taunted, catching the robot’s attention. “Over here!”

It buzzed at me and fired several more beams. I ducked under one and dove over the other, rolling and getting to my feet. As it launched another laser, I jumped and flipped over. Before I landed, I threw my arm across, releasing the batarang. It struck the Bomber between its eyes, and it hissed in pain before exploding into pieces.

“What was that?” Celestia asked.

I looked outside, and caught my breath.

An army of robots were marching in from all sides of Canterlot, posing an enormous threat to the citizens. “Celestia!” I ordered. “Gather any guards you have!”

“What?! Why?” Luna asked.

I turned back at them, and there was a slightly perturbed gleam in my eyes. “Because this place is under attack by Robotnik!”

Sonic smirked. “Eggman certainly knows how to make an entrance!”

“No time for banter!” I commanded. “Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy! You know what to do!” They nodded. Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy raced past the guards, while Tails flew out of the castle.

“If any of you can fight, please! Do so to protect the city!” I yelled. Twilight and the other ponies shared a brief look, before nodding. They raced out, though not before Rainbow gave me one last stinkeye.

Celestia ordered her guards out, as did Luna, the ponies quickly stampeding outside. The Princesses gave me a worried look. “What about you?” Celestia asked.

I smiled grimly. “I’m going to fight.” With that, I ran outside and launched the Grapnel Gun forward. I pressed the Grapnel Boost function, and zoomed towards the battlefield. Celestia and Luna watched me go, confusion and worry in their eyes.

Chapter Nine: The Guardian's Revival

They split up into smaller groups unintentionally. Tails flew over Twilight as she ran, blasting away several robots with her magic. Knuckles fought next to Applejack and Rarity, the three of them doing their best to repel the threat. Pinkie Pie fought (or rather, she fought while the latter cowered) with Fluttershy near the entrance to the castle. Amy was with them as well. Sonic, meanwhile, somehow ended up with the pony he least expected: Rainbow Dash.

“Take that, you clanking freaks of metal!” Rainbow yelled as she bucked away a Motobug. “I get first swipe at the hedgehog!”

“You’ll have to get in line!” Sonic yelled back, grinning. He jumped up and performed a Homing Attack on three Buzz Bombers Mk. II, bouncing off the three of them and rendering them destroyed. “Ah, I’ve forgotten how satisfying that is!”

He yelped as a Swatbot fired a laser beam at him. He ducked at the last second, the laser knocking away a Caterkiller. “Hey! Not cool!” Sonic Spin Dashed into the Swatbot, kicking its head off with the base of his foot.

There was a gush of air, and Sonic looked up, seeing the trio of flying ponies from earlier. They quickly got to work, whipping up mini tornadoes and destroying several robots in the process.

“The Wonderbolts!” Rainbow exclaimed.

The one called Soarin glanced down, seeing Sonic below. “Er, Spitfire? Shouldn’t we arrest the hedgehog?”

Spitfire barely glanced back down at the hedgehog. “He can wait. Right now, we’ve a city to save.”

She’s got her priorities straight, Sonic thought, grinning as he smashed another robot’s head in.

Rarity was having a bit of trouble with her robots. “Can’t they at least try to avoid my mane?” she complained as she kicked a robot away.

Knuckles grunted back, “They’re kind of dumb, Miss…”

“Rarity.”

“Miss Rarity,” he finished. He uppercutted a Swatbot Mk. II. “They don’t exactly know what a mane is.”

“Hmph!” Rarity huffed, using her magic to lift up a Swatbot’s head and throwing it at a group of Caterkillers. “How rather uncouth of them!”

“They’re robots, Rarity!” Applejack yelled, lassoing up a group of Egg-Robos and throwing them to the side. “They’re not exactly gentlemanly!”

Knuckles grinned. These two were certainly entertaining to watch banter. He glanced over to Applejack. The orange earth pony grinned back at him.

“Look out!” he yelled as an Egg Pawn reached out to grab her. He suddenly used his spiked gloves to tunnel underground, popping up beneath the Pawn. He uppercutted, then grabbed its foot and slammed it to the ground, wrecking its wiring.

“Thanks, pardner!” Applejack said, smiling.

Tails and Twilight were busy repelling the invading robots to the east side of Canterlot. Twilight had managed to get most of the citizens to a safe bunker, while Tails used his twin namesakes to destroy several Badniks.

“Those tails are pretty strong!” Twilight complimented, causing Tails to blush a bit.

“That, or these Badniks are weaker than I thought,” he replied.

Twilight launched a few more bolts of magic at the robots, destroying several. She yelped as large, hammer-wielding Egg Pawn suddenly jumped forward, swinging the hammer down. She jumped to the side, just barely dodging the attack. “Help!”

Tails flew down and pulled out his Magic Hand—a long-range punching weapon in the shape of a punching glove. He shot it forward, and it drilled a hole in the gargantuan Egg Pawn’s shoulder. He pulled out his Energy Ball arm cannon and fired it, taking out the robot’s head.

“You okay?” he asked Twilight.

She took a moment to gather her breath. “Yes, I’m better. Thanks to you,” she added, blushing a bit at the last remark.

Tails didn’t seem to mind. “Good,” he said, nodding. She stood up, facing the onslaught of robots. “Think you can keep going?”

She smirked slightly. “I’ll be fine.”

Towards the entrance of the castle, Pinkie Pie was somehow managing to push away most of the robotic forces. Her party cannon was busy blasting away several of the enemies, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. Amy was swinging her hammer wildly.

“Whee!” the pink pony exclaimed, as she destroyed a Swatbot Mk. II. “This is so much fun! Like that Canterlot Invasion!”

“Please don’t say that,” Fluttershy said quietly, cowering in the back. Her pink mane draped over her eyes, and she was in a state of panic.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” Pinkie exclaimed, turning back to the scared mare. “You have to fight too!”

“Oh, but I couldn’t!” she said back. “I couldn’t stand trying to hurt anypony!”

Pinkie was about to respond, but then a Swatbot shot a laser at her cannon. It blew up into pieces of confetti. “Aw!” Pinkie complained. “I really liked that model!”

“DESTROY. CONQUER. FOR ROBOTNIK,” one robot droned on and on.

“Aw, that’s boring! C’mon, put a bit more life into that!”

“DESTROY! CONQUER! FOR ROBOTNIK!” the robot tried again.

“There we go!” Pinkie clapped her hooves together happily. “I knew you had it in you!”

An Egg Pawn suddenly fired a laser at her. She ducked, but was hit by another laser, throwing her back to Fluttershy.

“Oh no! Pinkie!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“No, mom,” Pinkie said, dazed. “I don’t wanna farm the rocks today…”

Amy growled. “Get back, you annoying robots!”

In response, one of the robot shot her in the chest. She reeled from the blow, before another robot shot her hammer. It flew out of her hands, leaving an opening. An Egg Robo then shot her again, and she was knocked out.

The army of robots began advancing on them. Fluttershy looked at them with fear in her eyes, unsure of what to do. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

***

Now! Nix yelled to me. I nodded, shooting my Grapnel Gun out. It struck a robot in the chest. I activated the Grapnel Boost, accelerating towards the robot at such a high velocity that its censors didn’t pick me up.

I brought my feet forward, and impaled the robot, shooting right through the chest.

“ERROR. ERROR,” it stuttered, before shutting down due to the critical damage.

Fluttershy gasped. “Jared!”

I winked at her. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!”

Another robot, this time an older Swatbot, stepped forward, pointing its wrist laser at me. Quickly, I darted forward, grabbing the arm. I brought it down as I swung my knee up, shattering the arm where its elbow was. The Swatbot beeped in pain, and I threw it over my shoulder, punching through its visor.

I slipped a hand back into my jacket, pulling out several small smoke bombs. I threw them at the ground, and shortly after, dark plumes of smoke masked my presence. The robots fired randomly, completely missing us as I grabbed Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Amy and grappled away.

I landed at the top of the castle’s balcony, where a few guardsponies met me. “Get the pink pony immediate medical attention!” I ordered. I quickly turned, running outside. Fluttershy tried to call for me, but I didn’t respond.

I flicked my wrist, and summoned my energy sword. The blade was made of pure, blue energy, specially crafted for my use. It was about three feet in length, and little arcs of lightning ran across it.

I leaped over the balcony, diving down with my sword in front of me. With a yell, I impaled an Egg Robo in the chest, knocking away several other robots with the shock wave. I kicked the Robo away, before moving onto the other robots. I swiped and stabbed, all the while dodging beams and blades. My sword easily cut through the metal, pieces of robots flying past me as I performed a spin attack.

You sure you don’t need my help? Nix asked as I sliced off a Swatbot’s head.

Yeah, I think I’ll manage.

“Chaos… Blitz!” I shouted. A shield of Chaos energy surrounded me, and I charged forward, driving away all the robots in front of me. Explosions rocked my sides, but I kept going until the Blitz died away.

I jumped and flipped, landing over where Knuckles and the two other ponies were. “Jared!” Knuckles exclaimed. “There you are!” He punched a robot towards me, and I swiped up from under it, cutting it in half.

“Sorry I was late!” I said, backstabbing another robot. “Had to get Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Amy out of danger.”

The orange pony responded, “Thank you mighty for that, stranger! Wouldn’t want those two to be out of commision!” As she bucked away a Motobug, she added, “Name’s Applejack, by the way.”

She didn’t notice the Buzz Bomber sneaking up on her, but I did. “On your left, Applejack!” I shouted. She looked up, seeing the Bomber about to attack, but had no room to dodge.

I threw a batarang at the Bomber, the object nailing it between the eyes. It fell down, but before it hit the ground, I jumped and grabbed it, throwing it towards another group of robots.

“Thanks for the assist, Jared!” Applejack said. She lassoed up several Motobugs and Caterkillers (I still wondered why Robotnik bothered to still use those), throwing them over her. “Rarity! Heads up!”

The white unicorn, Rarity, turned and bucked the confined robots back into the air. Knuckles dashed forward, and uppercutted them to pieces.

“Nice combo!” I complimented.

Knuckles grinned, but his smiled dropped. “Look out!” he called.

I turned too late, and was hit by a large Egg Pawn with the butt of a giant axe. The blow sent me flying away, landing me some distance from Knuckles. I found myself surrounded by Egg Pawns of various sizes and types.

How about now? Nix asked.

Nah. I’ll be fine.

“Jared!” Knuckles called, trying to push past his own set of robots.

“Stay back!” I yelled back, brandishing my sword. “I’ve got this.”

He gulped, but nodded, much to the chagrin of Applejack.

“What are you doing?” she asked him, confused. “We have to help him!”

Knuckles shook his head. “If Jared says he’s got this, he’s got this.”

“How do you know?” Rarity asked.

“Because he’s—” He cut himself off as I began my attack, the two ponies gasping as they watched.

I swung my sword hard, cutting off the head of the axe of the giant Egg Pawn. I jumped and kicked off its chin, backflipping and down-stabbing another Egg Pawn. I jumped away as it exploded, throwing several more batarangs into their chests. I raised my sword to block a laser, before charging ahead and stabbing through the attacker’s eyes. I ducked as a beam raced towards me, allowing the beam to take off the other robot’s head. I rolled to the side, cutting another Pawn in half.

Another large Pawn, wielding a hammer, raced towards me along with the axe-wielding pawn. I jumped back as they swung their weapons, making the earth shake. I raced up the arm of the hammer, kneeing the Pawn in the chin. Before it could recover, I grabbed its head and kicked away, bringing it to the ground. I rolled, launching my feet out behind me, blasting through several other Pawns with a yell.

The axe-wielding Pawn tried to attack me with its stick; I dove to the side as it swiped, knocking away several Pawns and destroying them. I grabbed a batarang and threw it, and it embedded itself in the Pawn’s eye. It began to swing wildly, spinning on its axis as it tried to hit me. I flipped over the stick, landing lightly on it before kicking off of it again. I landed on its arm, and stabbed down, cutting off the circuitry. Its stick-wielding arm lowered, and I leapt over to the other arm, taking it out of commision with a similar strike. I then hooked my leg around, nailing the Pawn in the chest with the heel of my foot. It fell to the ground with a loud thud.

I jumped onto its chest, raising my sword. It tried to say something, probably an order to attack, but I cut it off by impaling it with my blade. The lights in its eyes dimmed slightly, but I could tell it was still fighting.

“Chaos Bolt!” I shouted.

Above, the clouds suddenly swirled together, and a bolt of blue lightning struck down. I leapt away with my sword as the bolt raced towards me. It struck the fallen Pawn in the chest, completely wrecking its circuitry as well as sending out an electric pulse, disabling the surrounding Pawns. The overcharge of electricity was enough to make the Pawns all explode.

I stood in the wreckage, a bit out of breath, the robots’ dead bodies all around me. Knuckles, Applejack, and Rarity came over, the latter two in awe, while Knuckles just grinned at me.

“How in the hay did you do that?!” exclaimed Applejack.

I was about to respond, when I heard a shout at the east. That’s Tails! Nix realized.

“We’ll have to cut this talk short,” I said, shooting the grapnel gun to the east side of the city. I zoomed away, leaving the two ponies still in shock over the spectacle.

“Just… who is he?” Rarity asked Knuckles.

Though he knew they wouldn’t understand at first, the echidna smiled and answered, “That… is the Guardian of the Omniverse.”

***

“I’ve got your back, Tails!” I yelled as I swung my sword at a Badnik. Tails nodded as he shot out another Energy Ball.

I faced the west, Tails the east, while Twilight faced the south. We huddled together, keeping most of the robots away. I shot out a Chaos Volt at several, paralyzing them long enough for me to stab them away.

“Eggman’s really pulled out all the stops on this, hasn’t he?” Tails commented.

I nodded. “Robotnik’s not playing around.”

“Wait,” Twilight said. “Who’s Eggman?”

“He’s Robotnik,” Tails explained. “We just started calling him that as a taunt. If you see the man, it’s because he’s shaped like an egg.”

Twilight giggled. “That’s a funny name.”

I snorted. “You can blame Sonic for that.”

The ground shook as Robotnik’s largest robot—an Egg Massive—stepped forward. It’s torso was in the shape of half of a hemisphere. Its arms were long and metallic, outfitted with various weaponry. It glared at us through white slits, practically leaking destruction.

I gulped. “So… who calls dibs?”

“I do!” a random voice shouted.

I turned to the source. Some sort of skunk-panda hybrid stood to the side. He was purple and gold colored, with various color streaks in his fur. He seemed like a punk, and he had several rings and piercings all around his body. He wore red and gold flamed velcroed shoes on his feet.

I nodded, not asking for his name. Any potential help was welcomed. I motioned for Tails and Twilight to step back, and they did so, fighting off the robots behind us.

The newcomer ran forward, kicking the robot in the leg. He raised a hand and blasted out a dark beam of energy—I assumed some form of magic—zapping the robot in the chest. I leapt forward, stabbing the Egg Massive in the shoulder. I shot a Chaos Volt through the sword, shocking the arm. The Massive groaned, and threw me off.

The skunk-panda slid under the Massive, facing its back. He shot out another beam of magic, and the Massive staggered forward. I jumped forward, grabbing my sword and kicking the Massive back towards the skunk-panda. He kicked the robot back towards me. I jumped and yelled, stabbing my energy blade through the back of the robot’s head. To finish the job, I called down a Chaos Bolt, completely disabling all the surrounding enemies.

Twilight and Tails walked over, the unicorn looking at me in shock. “You can use Chaos magic?” she asked fearfully.

I shook my head. “Chaos energy,” I corrected. She still looked confused; I mentally decided to explain it to her later on.

I glanced at the skunk-panda, before giving him a brief thumbs up. He nodded, before dashing off to parts unknown.

“Who was that?” Tails asked.

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, and I honestly don’t care.”

The fox stepped forward. “Thanks for helping us,” Tails said to me, holding out a hand.

I shook it, smiling kindly. “It was no problem, really. I’d do it again.” I chuckled. “You guys always get into so much trouble.”

Tails chuckled back. “And you always get involved.”

My eyes glinted mischievously. “That’s one of the perks of being the Guardian, Tails.”

Twilight regarded me with a confused look. She was about to ask what I meant, when I heard a certain blue hedgehog’s yelp from the north side of the city. I grinned. “Sounds like trouble for our hedgehog friend.”

I looked back at the two of them. “Are you two good here?” Tails nodded for them.

I pulled out by Grapnel Gun, and zoomed off, leaving the fox and the unicorn to watch over the fallen robots.

“Tails?” Twilight asked. “What did Jared mean by, ‘the Guardian?’”

Tails smiled. “I’ll tell you when this is over.”

***

How are you holding up? Nix asked as I leapt across the rooftops, making my way for Sonic.

Getting tired. Might need you soon, I answered.

You should let me help now, he protested. You can’t do this on your own.

I know what I can do, and I know what I cannot do, I responded.

He was silent at that, and I pursued the conversation no further.

Sonic saw me on the rooftops, and waved to me. I jumped down, landing lightly next to him, sword brandished. “What took you so long?” he asked with a smile.

“Helping the others,” I said tiredly. “How’s Rainbow doing?”

“The rainbow pegasus?” Sonic’s grinned widened even further. “She’s no longer bothering me. Though I guess it’s because those Wonderbolt ponies are here.”

I nodded. “Reminds me a psychological effect called—”

I ducked as a beam shot towards me, Sonic rolling away. I growled. “Wow. That was incredibly rude. I was just about to explain something fascinating to Sonic—”

I was cut off by a missile that flew towards me. Thinking quickly, I jumped back, kicking a foot up. I lightly tapped the missile so that it was flying up. It exploded harmlessly against the sky. I dashed forward and stabbed the robot in the chest.

“As I was saying, it reminds me of a psychological effect called—”

“Hey, egghead!” Rainbow called to me, giving me an annoyed look. “The explanation can wait! Just start smashing those robots!” She yelped as a Buzz Bomber tried to attack her, flying away at the last second. Sonic jumped and Homing Attacked the Bomber, destroying it.

“Got your back!” Sonic called cheerfully.

“H-hey! I was fine!” Rainbow protested.

I stabbed another robot, then was hit in the back by a Swatbot Mk. III. I grunted and rolled away, my jacket burnt slightly. My eyes flashed angrily. “That was my favorite jacket, you buckethead!”

I darted forward, grabbing the wrist cannon and ripping it off. I kicked high, sending the Swatbot into the air. One of the Wonderbolts, a pegasus with flaming orange hair, flew by, knocking the Swatbot away. It recovered, and tried firing missiles at the flying mare.

“Oh no you don’t!” I yelled. I dashed forward and focused my eyes on the missiles. I concentrated, and suddenly the missiles stopped in midair.

“What the—” Rainbow gasped as she and Sonic saw what I was doing. “How’s he doing that?!”

Sonic grinned. “Did I mention that Jared’s a telekinetic?”

I did my best to ignore their talk. The Swatbot seemed confused, as it tried to wave away the missiles. I reached a hand out, and flung my arm towards the Swatbot. The missiles followed, slamming into the bot and exploding.

I fell to my knees. “I’ve… forgotten how tiring that can be,” I said, struggling for breath.

“We’re not done yet, kid,” the orange-maned pegasus said as she bucked away several Bombers. I nodded and managed to get to my feet.

Several Swatbot Mk. II fixed their systems on me, and began firing their lasers. I ducked away, diving behind several Badniks and using them as shields. A laser hit my ankle, and I grunted in slight pain. I kicked a Motobug towards the Swatbots, knocking them off their feet. Before they could recover, I jumped over them.

“Chaos Flare!” I shouted. Fire shot from my fingertips, melting their metallic bodies. I flipped and rolled, punching through another Swatbot. “I really, really hate robots right now!” I yelled.

“What about Mega Man?” Sonic called back as he deftly kicked an Egg Robo.

I paused for a moment after I smashed an Egg Pawn’s head. “Okay, I hate evil robots right now,” I corrected.

We smashed and destroyed nearly all the robots in the area. The lights faded from their eyes, and soon the sounds of lasers faded away, replaced with an eerie silence. The others ran up to us, all looking tired and exhausted.

“Is that it?” Rarity asked.

She was answered with a roar from the north edge of the town.

“Guess not,” Knuckles grunted.

I looked to the edge of the town, where the roar came from. A gigantic, metallic wolf stood at the edge, next to what appeared to be a metallic tiger, a robotic bear, and a metal gator. They eyed us with cold, metal eyes. They began to advance.

I already knew we were in no shape to take them on. But, if I can draw them away…

Nix grunted in affirmation to my idea.

“You round up any citizens you can find, and get them to safety,” I ordered.

They nodded. Sonic asked, “What about you?”

“I’m going to stop them.”

“What?! Are you crazy?!” Rainbow glared at me. “You think you can take them on all on your own?!”

“I don’t think,” I said. “I know.”

“Then we should be allowed to fight with you!” she protested.

The robots picked up their pace, practically running for us.

“This is no time for arguing, Rainbow,” I asserted. “You get those citizens to somewhere safe, then you wait at the castle.”

“No way, pal! I’m not going to let you fight in your own!”

I glanced at them. They had unsure looks on their faces.

I turned away. “Please, go. I’ll be fine. I have a friend who’s coming to help.”

Sonic started. “You mean he’s—”

“Yes.”

Sonic looked at me. He knew that, with Nix by my side, I would be okay. “You heard him,” he said to Tails and Knuckles.

They nodded, and raced off to help any citizen they could find. Spitfire turned to the ponies. “Let’s do this.” They raced off, with the ponies following behind.

Twilight and Rainbow, however, had not left yet. “Go,” I ordered.

Twilight shook her head. “We’re not leaving a friend to fight alone.”

“It’s a bit too early to call me a friend, Twilight,” I said, my fists clenching as a wave of unease passed over me. “And, I’d like you all to survive long enough for me to call you that.”

I turned to face them, trying to look confident. “I’m telling you, I can handle myself. I’ve a friend, remember?”

“What makes you think that you can take them on?” Rainbow asked crossly.

I didn’t answer at first, turning away. The robots were much closer, and I could hear them snarling at me.

“Because, Rainbow Dash,” I said quietly, “I’m the Guardian of the Omniverse.”

Twilight, seeing that I had no intention of leaving, lit her horn. Rainbow’s protests died away as they teleported to safety.

I clenched my sword tightly, my knuckles turning white. My heart raced, and my breath quickened as adrenaline shot through me.

Are you ready? I asked Nix.

Are you? he responded.

I nodded at his response. Good answer.

The robots advanced towards me, baring their teeth. I narrowed my eyes at them, raising my sword. “You want me? Come and get me.”

My roar mingled with theirs, and they began to attack.

***

Are you sure you’ll be able to be summoned? I asked Nix, just barely dodging the wolf’s swipes at me.

There’s enough Chaos energy for you to use lighter Chaos attacks, as well as for me to talk to you, he answered. I think I’ll be fine. Dodge left.

The last remark was directed as the bear robot swung its hands down. I dove to the side, the earth cracking beneath the weight of its hands. I turned and shot my Grapnel Gun at it; it turned quicker than it should have, and caught the hook in its hands.

“Oh, that’s not good,” I said.

The bear threw its arm, throwing me with the hook. I crashed against the side of a house with a grunt. I rose in a daze, the tiger jumping for me. I ducked under, elbowing up as the tiger’s claws raked the building. It growled in pain, and I rolled under it.

The wolf snarled at me, before launching itself towards me. I tried to jump to the side, but the wolf caught my body in its grasp. It swung me to the ground, cracking the earth, and leaned down and roared in my face.

Did Robotnik program this thing to have saliva glands? I thought as I felt what seemed like spit hit my face.

I summoned my sword, and crashed the butt end on the side of the wolf’s face. It howled in agony. I pulled my feet back and kicked forward, knocking it off of me.

I didn’t have much time to recover, as the tiger had gotten to its feet. It swiped at me, cutting my chest with its claws. I yelped in pain, backflipping away.

Pain exploded in my left calf, and I looked down, seeing the metal gator clamping its jaws on my leg. I hit it repeatedly at the top of its head with my sword’s handle, and it finally released me after a few blows. I kicked it away with my good leg.

Suddenly, something grabbed me from behind. It was the robotic bear! It held me in the air, poised above its mouth. Panic flooded within me as it suddenly made to drop me into its maw. Thinking quickly, I shot my legs out, stopping my fall by planting my feet at the edge of its mouth.

A bear’s bite is extremely strong! Nix reminded me. You won’t be able to hold out in that position!

“Chaos Bolt!” I shouted, managing to jump clear as the lightning struck the beast. I landed on my feet, but collapsed onto a knee.

The bear roared in pain. The bolt had blasted away most of its face, leaving behind its endoskeleton frame. It glared at me through its one working eye, and while it did not speak, I already knew its intent.

I looked around, seeing that the other mechanical beasts had surrounded me. They glared at me, teeth bared, and slowly began advancing upon my position.

***

Sergeant Justice Bullock had seen a lot in his work. He had seen muggings, burglaries, even the occasional murder.

None of that compared to what he witnessed today.

Canterlot, despite the best efforts of the heroes, was in ruins from the robotic attack. Buildings were broken, sidewalks cracked. The very earth looked unstable from all the blows the ground sustained.

He and his cadets stood at the castle’s balcony, rescued by Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts. Glancing around, he noted that the Princesses, the Bearers of the Elements, and several guardsponies were with them.

A yellow, fox-like creature stood next to a red echidna, watching over a pink, female hedgehog with short spikes. Bullock learned that they’re names were Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, respectively, the latter having been slightly injured by one of the robots. Tails and Knuckles were busy treating her injuries, and Amy seemed appreciative of their help. Pinkie Pie was also doing much better, back to her normally exuberant self.

There was a gust of wind as a blue blur raced up the steps, delivering one final citizen. “The city’s been cleared,” he said. “The citizens are either in their protective bunkers or here in the castle.”

Celestia nodded at that, saying nothing.

One of Bullock’s cadets started. “Sir! That’s the hedgehog we arrested!”

“Brilliant work, detective,” Bullock said dismissively. “Listen, Mr. Hedgehog—”

“The name’s Sonic, dude,” Sonic said jovially.

“Mr. Sonic, we—I—owe you an apology.” Bullock rubbed the back of his head. “We arrested you for a crime you didn’t commit. I swear, if that bipedal, hairless ape friend of yours didn’t come around, you’d have been sent to the gallows for sure.”

Sonic chuckled. “It’s not a big deal, really. Jared has to get me out of trouble often, anyway.”

“Trouble, eh? That does seem to follow you around.”

“What can I say? Trouble is my middle name!” The hedgehog leaned in close, and whispered under his breath, “Actually, it’s Maurice; but don’t tell anybody.”

Bullock smiled at that, but his smile fell as he remembered something. “Say, where is Jared?”

Sonic’s look grew darker, and he sighed. He pointed wordlessly to the center of Canterlot. Bullock looked to where he pointed, and saw the human fighting a group of animal-like robots.

“He’s taking them all on? On his own?” he cried incredulously.

Sonic nodded. “Yeah. He made us get the citizens to safety while he held off the robots.”

“But the citizens are all safe now! Shouldn’t you be out there, helping him?”

Sonic, however, noticed something in Jared’s eye. It was something familiar, a glint of confidence in the face of certain doom. It was a look that always preceded Jared utilizing a daring plan; and, in Sonic’s experience, that look meant that Jared already knew the outcome of the battle.

He found himself smiling. “I don’t think we’ll need to.”

Bullock looked at him in surprise, but then shook his head. He didn’t know much about Jared, but from the little that he knew, he figured that the kid could hold his own. He and Sonic continued watching the battle in silence.

***

What’s this? Shadow asked from the back of the throne room. My allies are siding with these ponies?

He shook his head at the incredulous idea. No… there’s no way they would side with tyrannical leaders. Jared would never let that happen.

He pondered the situation for a moment. Perhaps they’re biding their time, waiting for the moment to strike. He nodded at the possibility. A worthy tactic. No doubt they’re planning on overthrowing those two.

Gripping the Chaos Emerald in his hand, Shadow whispered, “Chaos Control!” and teleported away. He landed in a small chamber, where the artifacts he had come to retrieve lay.

Discord had spoken of these “Elements of Harmony” as if they were something to be feared. The sisters had used them to usurp Discord’s rule and banished the former king from his kingdom. As Shadow looked over the artifacts, however, he couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed. Five of them were in the shape of golden necklaces, while the sixth was a golden tiara.

Shadow stepped forward, and grabbed the tiara. Discord had not specified which one to grab, but, as he had told Shadow that the Elements needed all six in order to work, the hedgehog decided that any artifact would do. He held it lightly, feeling a bit of power flow through it, reminding him of the power that the Chaos Emeralds wielded.

The sounds of the battle outside raged on, and Shadow distinctly heard Jared shouting out Chaos attacks on the go. He smirked; Jared, despite not being a natural Embodiment of Chaos, was still among the most powerful Chaos users that Shadow knew. This battle will be over soon.

He glanced back at the Elements. There was no physical way he could carry them all; Discord would have to be satisfied with just one for now. He gripped the Emerald once more and, after a moment to make sure no one was watching, teleported away.

***

Have you identified their structural weaknesses yet? I asked Nix.

Almost there! he responded.

Well, hurry up! I don’t think I can keep dodging for long—

“Agh!” I shouted as the wolf’s claws sliced my back. I rolled forward, ending up at the base of a tower. Nix, come on—

Got it! he shouted.

I grinned. Alright, let’s do this.

The robots advanced, and I could have sworn I saw what seemed to be confidence in their features. Their teeth were bared, ready to move in for the kill.

I stood, rising to my feet. I concentrated, feeling the wind pick up around me. Rocks, pebbles, and dust flew around me, creating a light veil that masked my confident smile.

“Gotcha,” I said, as the Chaos energy I needed flowed through me.

“Chaos… Control!” I shouted.

A giant bolt of lightning suddenly struck me, flashing every color. The bolt’s blow pushed all the robots back, and their systems beeped in confusion. The light completely enveloped everything, creating a bubble of Chaos energy around me. My eyes flowed pure white, as my yell morphed into two distinct voices; one, foreign, slightly higher in tone than the other, familiar one. The light expanded, casting overhead all of Canterlot, as the last of the Chaos energy was absorbed and released.

When the light finally faded, what stood next to me would come as a total shock to the ponies.

An anthropomorphic hedgehog, of my height, stood to my right. He was dark-green, with darker blue streaks at the top edge of his quills. His blue eyes darted around, carefully analyzing the robots. A pair of white gloves covered his hands, and he clenched them tightly. A pair of lighter blue, smooth shoes with a single green stripe on each covered his feet. Arcs of miniature lightning bolts raced around him, and his eyes glowed with electric intensity.

He glanced at me, and smiled. “It’s nice to see you again, Jared.”

I smiled back. “Good to have you back, Nix.”

The beasts recovered, and snarled at us. Nix smirked. “They’re awfully rude, aren’t they?” He flicked his wrist, and his own variant of the energy sword appeared in his hand. “You up for a bit more smashing?”

I raised my own sword. The Chaos energy had rejuvenated me, and I was ready to fight. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Jared always had an arrogant streak to him. Usually that overconfidence was well-justified; we were among the most powerful Chaos embodiments, after all, and most challenges could be easily contested and conquered.

Unfortunately, sometimes Jared didn’t think he needed help, and often that illusion of independence would land him in a heap of trouble.

I reflected on how Jared had acted when we first arrived here. I couldn’t directly speak to him, as our synchronization had been messed up, but I could at least observe his actions. I understood that the way he acted towards the police and reporters—confident, cold, and calculating—was necessary, but I still believed that it would have been better to have acted more kindly towards them. After all, they had no experience with Sonic; and, if you were asked to apprehend a hedgehog creature, would you really question which one?

I suppose I can thank Fluttershy for making a good first impression, I thought as we stared down the beasts. Had it been that Rainbow Dash pegasus, Jared would have been less eager to help out.

I smiled slightly. How ironic that someone as arrogant as Jared disliked arrogance from anyone. He always said that arrogance should be justifiable; and if it wasn’t then you were a fool.

Perhaps that was why he often was in a state of self-loathing…

I snapped out of my thoughtful daze as the tiger lunged for me. I jumped to the right, avoiding the creature, allowing it to smash into the base of the tower. The gator tried to attack Jared, but he jumped and bounced off of it, landing behind the metallic reptile.

“I guess I’ll get the left, you get the right?” he called, facing down the bear.

“Looks like it,” I responded, lifting my sword. “Aim for the joints!” I added. He nodded and took off.

The tiger growled and pulled its head out of the wall. It turned to face me, eyes flashing with hatred. The wolf approached from my right, intending to cut me off.

They both charged at me, pawing at the ground and snarling so as to disorient me. I quickly jumped up and back, making the two collide face first. I launched a few Chaos Volts at the two; since I was more adept with Chaos-based attacks than Jared, the Volts were much stronger, short circuiting one of the tiger’s eyes. The wolf, strangely enough, seemed slightly unfazed, but was still blown back.

The tiger roared in pain, swiping blindly at me. I used my blade to deflect one of its attacks, then palm heeled it straight in the snout. It reeled back, and I drove my sword through its neck. Its cry caught in its throat, and it weakly pawed at me, trying to push me off.

I was hit from behind by the wolf’s tail, throwing me from the wounded tiger. I rolled and turned, facing the metallic canine. I dropped my sword and revved up into my own Spin Dash variant, becoming a green and blue ball of spikiness. I shot off, dodging the wolf and striking the tiger. I easily cut through the tiger’s rear legs, effectively paralyzing it.

The tiger roared in pain as it’s legs were rendered as stubs. It actually whimpered a bit, and a bit of guilt crept up my throat. It’s just a robot, I tried to reassure myself.

I turned and dashed for the tiger, my sword pointed ahead of me. I drove the blade through the tiger’s head, cutting off its cry.

“Chaos Blast!” I shouted.

The tiger’s body suddenly exploded as the Blast engulfed it in an orange ball of fire. I jumped away, landing back at the tower. Bits and pieces of the tiger flew across the courtyard, landing with quiet thunks.

“One down,” I muttered.

I saw out of the corner of my eye Jared fighting both the gator and bear. He drove his blade through the bear’s knee, twisting it so as to completely destroy the leg. The bear howled, taking a swipe at Jared with its massive paws. He ducked, making the bear hit the gator.

Jared launched his Grapnel Gun at the gator, impaling the hook in its eye. He Grapnel Boosted towards it, slamming his feet into the gator’s eye socket, knocking off half of its head. Before it could recover, he reached down and took hold of its chin, flipping over and throwing it on its back. He swung his sword at the gator’s neck, shouting as he did so, “Chaos Slash!” His sword glowed a bright red-orange, easily slashing through the gator’s neck like it was butter. The gator let out a gurgle, then suddenly stopped as oil sloshed out of its dismembered head.

Jared stood over the dead robot, grinning madly. The bear suddenly punched him forward, and he was tossed back to me, landing at the base of the tower.

“Ugh,” he groaned, getting to his feet. “Still, though, that makes two down…”

“Two to go,” I finished for him.

The wolf and bear stepped towards us. We stood back-to-back, hands and sword raised, ready.

I’ve an idea, Jared said to me.

Let’s hear it.

When he spoke it to me mentally, I nodded. Good call.

“Chaos Flash!” I shouted, bringing my hands to the side of my head. A flash of light shot out, blinding the wolf and bear.

Jared threw his sword in the air, before leaping over me towards the wolf. “Now, Nix!”

I jumped up and flipped over, kicking the sword with the back of my foot. It shot straight for the bear, impaling itself in the chest, making it roar. Jared, meanwhile, grabbed one of the wolf’s paws and twisted it, ripping apart the wiring as it yelped in pain. The bear roared again, and I ran straight for it. I jumped and kicked the sword in even further, shooting it through the bear’s back.

I grabbed its neck and flipped over it, using my momentum to bring the bear to the ground with a heavy thud. Before it could swipe at me, I revved up into a Spin Dash and spun straight into its chest. Its cries grew more and more quiet as I completely demolished the insides, and the last of its life left is glass eyes. A pang of regret rang through me as I remembered that I never liked this particular attack; it was always a bit too brutal for me.

I hope I never have to do this to a living being, I thought, getting up and looking at the mess. The bear’s head had lolled back, the eyes peering away, the light gone.

“Chaos Flare!” Jared shouted, shooting fire at the wolf.

The beast seemed to grin, as the fire didn’t do anything. Jared gave a confused look. “What the—”

He tried again. “Chaos Flare!”

Again, the wolf seemed to absorb the fire. It stepped forward, growling at Jared.

“What the hell?!” Jared shouted as the wolf lunged for him. He dove away, landing next to me. “Seriously, what is that thing made of?! Why is it absorbing all of my attacks?!”

He began to get frustrated, and a somewhat red aura surrounded him. I noticed this and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Jared, calm down.” He glanced at me, and nodded, the red aura fading somewhat.

The beast charged once more, and we split. The wolf suddenly swung its tail towards Jared, knocking him back to the tower with a low grunt. The wolf turned to me, baring its teeth.

I had a hunch as to why it managed to absorb Jared’s Chaos attacks, but I needed to make sure. As it lunged for me, I accelerated towards it, summoning Chaos energy to my side. I boosted, a faded green cone suddenly appearing in front of me, seemingly cutting through the air. We collided, and a shockwave shot out, cracking windows and the earth. The wolf somehow managed to keep me at a stalemate, with neither of us moving the other.

I reached a hand under, placing it on the wolf’s chest. A small ball, similar in shape to the one that I had made with the Chaos Blast, appeared in my palm. The ball suddenly expanded, completely covering the wolf’s chest. It looked at me in confusion.

“Chaos Boom!” I shouted.

The ball exploded, enveloping the entire city in an orange light. The entire city shook under the immense power that the Boom gave off. The buildings’ windows cracked, and the sidewalks turned to little more than dust. The earth shattered, revealing the pipework below Canterlot. A storm of rock and dust blew to the south, vanishing into the horizon.

The palace’s walls cracked and groaned under the strain, and Sonic and the others ducked for cover. Celestia used her magic to shield them all. Through the shield, she looked at us in complete shock, in awe of the amount of power I had just unleashed.

I was launched way back, to the edge of the city. Jared still stood at the base of the tower. I rolled and skidded, coming to a stop nearly fifty yards away from where I had set off the explosion. A cloud of dust rose up behind me.

I groaned, before unsteadily getting to my feet and viewing what lay ahead.

The wolf’s body had been torn away, leaving only the metal endoskeleton to view. Its face had been wiped away, leaving only one orb for viewing. In its chest was a large, jade ball, and it glowed with energy. It seemed dazed after being exploded, and managed to glare at me through its one good eye.

As I suspected, I said to Jared. That’s a—

—Chaos Syphon, he finished with a nod. And, by the looks of it, a more advanced model. That explains how it was able to absorb my Chaos attacks.

It can’t absorb all of it, though.

Right. Let’s supercharge this bad boy.

The beast snarled at me, and started making its way towards me. I closed my eyes, summoning the surrounding Chaos energy around me. I placed my hands on top of each other, wrist to wrist, and placed them at my hip. A ball of electric-blue-gren energy slowly formed, growing bigger and bigger each second.

The wolf picked up its pace, running towards me at breakneck speed. Its cries seemed desperate, crazy, as it gunned for me.

“Chaos…” I muttered. Lightning suddenly appeared around the ball.

I heard Jared mutter the same thing, and felt a bit of Chaos energy gravitate towards him. I swore I even heard Sonic whistle as he saw what we were about to do.

The wolf had nearly reached me. I could practically fear its spit hitting my face.

My eyes shot open. They glowed pure white, and several rings of lightning rose around me. My quills waved in the wind as I brought the summoned Chaos energy forth.

“Pulse!” I shouted with Jared, shooting my hands out with the fingers curled back.

Two gigantic beams of Chaos energy shout out from our hands, colliding with the beast with a solid boom. My beam, blue-green in color, had several arcs of lightning racing around it, and struck the Chaos Syphon in the front. Jared’s was a lighter electric-blue, and hit the Syphon in the back. Both Pulses radiated lightning and electricity, shocking the wolf. We blasted it with all our might, the Pulses slowly eating away at the endoskeleton.

The jade ball could only absorb so much energy before it began cracking. At first, only a few, small cracks appeared; but they grew larger, spreading throughout the ball. Finally, the orb was completely demolished, as the two Pulses punched through it.

Did we get it? Jared asked.

Yeah, I think we did—

Our mental talk was cut short. When our Pulses collided, there was a huge, blue-green explosion. Teal and neon-green light enveloped everything, blinding everyone in Canterlot. The wolf’s roar was rendered silent by the explosion, and our own cries were deafened.

Chapter Ten: Recovery

When the light had faded, Sonic removed his hand from his eyes. He looked down at the city below, watching as the smoke and ash rose.

He smiled.

There, in the middle of the courtyard, were the remains of the mechanical wolf. Jared and Nix’s Pulses had completely demolished it, leaving behind little trace of its existence. The other mechanical beasts had been destroyed in the resulting explosion, and most of the robotic invaders had simply disintegrated under that much Chaos energy. The two Guardians stood at the ends of the city.

He looked to his side, where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood. They stared in shock at the aftermath, unable to comprehend the amount of power that Nix and Jared wielded. Sonic looked behind them, where the ponies they had teamed up stood. They, too, had looks of awe and shock on their faces.

Sonic chuckled lightly. I remember when I first saw the Chaos Pulse. I had thought Shadow’s Chaos Blast was powerful up until that point!

“That… that was…” Twilight Sparkle stuttered.

“COMPLETELY AWESOME!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping up into the air. “How the hay did they do that?!”

Sonic chuckled at the mare’s exuberance. He saw that Rainbow Dash was still glaring down at the two in suspicion. They’ll grow on her, he thought.

Knuckles and Tails came over with Amy, the three of them grinning. “I knew they had it in them,” Knuckles said cheerfully, earning a light laugh out of Tails.

Suddenly, the Guardian pair collapsed to the side. Sonic frowned. “Looks like we’re needed.”

He jumped over the railing, and saw that Princess Celestia was following behind. He ran over to Nix and helped the green hedgehog up, while Celestia used her magic to right Jared.

“Urp… Your Highness?” Jared groaned. “Could you… release your hold? I wouldn’t want to… ugh… sully your bubble…”

Celestia caught the hint and released the bubble. Jared turned over and threw up on one of the robotic carcasses. The Princess looked a bit sick at that.

Jared let out a sigh. “Sorry you had to see that… my body isn’t a natural Embodiment of Chaos, so I’m not used to using that much Chaos energy in one go.” He bent over and placed a hand on his head. “Ugh…”

Suddenly, he was enveloped in a light blue light. Sonic and Nix looked over, and saw that Princess Luna had arrived and had cast a bubble spell around Jared. He at first tried to protest, but Luna cast a Mute Spell on him.

She nodded, turning her gaze over to the two hedgehogs. “You two had best follow closely.”

They nodded. Sonic glanced at Nix. “You up to it?”

The green hedgehog smiled slightly. “I think so.”

He closed his eyes and concentrated. A light green aura surrounded him, and he suddenly floated up. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked at him in shock.

Nix waved a finger. “Side effect of being a powerful telekinetic, is that you can float yourself with your psychic powers.” Luna and Celestia exchanged a confused look, but nodded anyway. They all made their way back to the castle.

***

“How is the city doing?” Celestia asked one of her advisers.

“The citizens have all been accounted for,” the female pony answered. “Nopony was killed, though several have sustained mild injuries.”

“I see. What about the city itself?”

“Many buildings have been demolished, Your Highness. We’ve numerous reports of shops and business owners having their establishments destroyed from the attack.”

Celestia nodded. “Well, they were just buildings. We should be thankful that none of our citizens were hurt.” The advisor nodded, and was dismissed.

The Princess of the Sun turned her attention back to the creatures that had helped save the city. The Mane Six were up front with her, looking at the six. They stared back, apprehension filling the air and weighing down their throats, preventing them from speaking.

“I suppose a thank you is in order,” Celestia finally spoke, causing the Mobians and human to look at her in surprise. “Thanks to your efforts, along with the six ponies here, none of our ponies were hurt. You have our sincere gratitude.”

They nodded their thanks back.

“But,” she continued, “that does not mean we can truly trust you.” She shifted her gaze towards Knuckles and Amy. “You two not only broke into a place of royal sanctum, but freed a suspected murderer.” Knuckles winced as if in pain, but made no protest; Amy, however, seemed to glower at the princess.

Celestia looked at Sonic. “And you are still under suspicion for those murders, Sonic.”

“Your Highness,” Jared said. “I’ve already established that Sonic could not have done those murders. I’ve given a highly likely suspect—”

“Your conclusions have been noted,” Celestia interrupted, “however, I have to take into account the fact that you are friends with Sonic. You could be trying to trick us into letting him go.”

“So you’re saying I would be biased in favor of Sonic?” Jared shook his head. “Of course I would be biased. He’s my friend and my personal hero. Why wouldn’t I?” He glanced up at Celestia. “If I told you that your sister killed five of my people, how would you approach it? Would you instantly give her up, or would you defend her until irrefutable evidence has been presented?”

“I hardly see why that matters—”

“And irrefutable evidence has been submitted,” he pressed. “Sergeant Bullock assisted me in my investigation. I’ve determined that the cause of death could not have been by Sonic’s hands nor quills.”

“But you keep saying that this Shadow used a Chaos Spear to kill them,” Celestia argued. “How do we know that Sonic can’t utilize the same attack?”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Jared suggested, gesturing at Sonic. “Sonic, show them your best Chaos Spear.”

Sonic started, but nodded. He flicked his wrist and shouted, “Chaos Spear!”

Nothing happened. “Are you sure you know how to make a Spear?” Jared asked.

Sonic shook his head. Jared turned back to the princesses. “Only certain Chaos users are able to morph the energy into weapons or objects. Sonic here, despite being an Embodiment of Chaos, is unable to generate the amount of power needed to create such weapons.”

To demonstrate further, Jared flicked his wrist and shouted the same shout. A small spear appeared in his hand, before dissipating. The princesses looked at him, slightly worried. “As you saw just now, I have the ability to generate certain weapons and objects. However, I do not specialize in utilizing these Chaos attacks.”

“What’s to say that you didn’t kill the ponies?” Rainbow tried to argue.

Jared glared at her. “Seriously? We’ve confirmed it was a hedgehog, not a human.”

“W-well what about that green one?” She pointed at Nix, who raised his hands in slight alarm.

Jared simply sighed. “Nix could not have been there. At all. It is impossible for him to do that unless there was some other force at work.”

“Why is that?” Luna asked.

“I am connected to Jared,” Nix answered, stepping forward. “Literally. My soul is entwined with his.” And I do mean literally. “We cannot be separated unless Jared allows me to.”

“That casts suspicion on Jared, then,” Luna said.

“What would I have to gain from killing three ponies?” Jared asked.

Admittedly, no one could answer that question. Jared sighed. “The same question can be applied to Shadow.” He turned to Sonic and the other Mobians. “Was there something up with Shadow during my absence? Any signs of a break in mentality?”

“I don’t think so,” Tails answered. “Sure, he was always a loner, and had an angry streak, but he never acted like this.”

Jared nodded at this information. “I told Sergeant Bullock to have the police be on the lookout for Shadow. The Royal Guard should do the same.”

They all fell silent as they took this in. Jared had somehow managed to assert himself as the natural leader, already giving out orders for the police and now the princesses. Celestia couldn’t help but be slightly impressed at how the human carried himself, despite him knowing that there was a ton of suspicion hanging over them.

Jared winced as a jolt of pain shot through him. He glanced down at his right arm, seeing a trail of blood running down the side. Fluttershy also noticed. “Oh, you poor dear,” she cooed, walking over. “Let me help with that—”

Jared shied away, surprising the butterscotch pony. “No, it’s okay. I heal fast.” He slipped his arm back into his jacket.

“… Regardless of whether or not Sonic killed those ponies,” Celestia said after some time, “I still cannot fully trust him to be on his own.” She looked at the hedgehog. “We still have our suspicions about you, Sonic.”

“So what are you going to do?” Jared asked.

Celestia pursed her lips but said nothing, looking at the creatures with uncertainty. The silence that followed was mind-blowing. Jared blinked in shock, unable to comprehend that Celestia still had not decided what to do.

He tapped his foot impatiently, crossing his arms and letting out an annoyed snort. Celestia still remained unspoken, as did Sonic and the others, who looked on with anxious looks.

I am unsure if I can trust these creatures, Celestia thought. My instincts tell me that they can be trusted… but the fact that they can wield the monstrous Chaos as weapons makes me pause in decision.

Jared finally let out an angry sigh, throwing his hands up in the air. “Fine! Ruminate all you want; right now, I can’t be bothered to wait.” He briskly turned and shot the Grapnel Gun outside, shooting off into the distance, leaving the creatures stunned and confused.

As soon as Jared had vanished outside, I stepped forward. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna?” I addressed. “I’m… sorry for the way Jared acted.”

They looked at me in surprise. “That’s… very kind of you, Nix,” Celestia said.

“May we inquire as to why Jared acted as such?” Luna asked, a bit angry.

“Jared never trusts any form of governmental authority completely,” I explained carefully. “Even the most reasonable ones he regards with distrust until proven otherwise.”

“Why is that?” Celestia asked.

“We’ve had some… bad experiences with governments in the past,” I answered, rubbing my neck nervously. “Jared’s universe’s government tried to subdue both of us the first time we revealed ourselves. That didn’t end on a happy note for any of us.”

“Why was he so impatient in waiting for my judgement?” Celestia asked. “Could he not consider everything at stake?”

“On the contrary, Your Highness. He already considered everything.” Seeing their confused looks, I continued, “In the time that it took you to address Knuckles, Amy, and Sonic, Jared had already looked at the possible sentences that you could give to Sonic and evaluated which ones were logical and reasonable. What made him impatient was that you hadn’t seemed to do the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jared works fast in his mind. And he often expects others to do the same.” I shook my head. “He thinks that regals such as yourself should be able to think and consider everything efficiently, with little pause, and easily grows impatient when none in the room ‘see’ as quickly as he can.

“Furthermore, Jared finds it somewhat hard to believe that not every creature has his skills of investigation.” I looked at Fluttershy and Tails. “You two saw how he talked to Sergeant Bullock. With restrained impatience. He already determined the cause of death as well as the weapon, yet was appalled to see that the police—the very force that should have solved these murders—was working on flimsy evidence.”

I faced Celestia and Luna. “Jared believes that investigative skills of his caliber are necessary to every creature. But he refuses to teach anyone how to achieve that level, as he believes that the individual should seek out how.”

I looked down, feeling a bit of guilt creep up my throat. “I would guess that Jared is unsure of what to make of you ponies, because you had missed what he considers the obvious and important details.”

Once again, the room fell to silence. While Sonic and the Mobians were accustomed to Jared’s quirks, I knew that the ponies would be surprised, if not a bit shocked at them. I considered waiting for Celestia’s decision, but a part of me wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so that we could help out the city.

Thinking quickly, I faced the other princess in the room. “Princess Luna, what do you think?”

Princess Luna blinked, caught off guard by my question. “Er…” She narrowed her eyes and looked down, thinking. “I… I think we should forego giving Sonic a sentence until after we’ve helped the city recover.” She looked back up, and her eyes carried with them her authority. “Twilight, have your friends help these creatures of Mobius in reconstructing the city.”

They were a bit shocked at the command, but Twilight nodded anyway. Quickly, we made our way outside to assist the city in rebuilding.

***

Several ponies glared at me as I moved several broken pieces of wood from the wreckage site. No doubt they blamed me for the destruction caused, but I ignored their stares, focusing on the task at hand.

As I worked in silence, my mind spoke in volumes. I found myself thinking about my sudden departure and attitude towards the princesses. I at first thought that my surprising callousness was due to the adrenaline rush that I had felt in the fight; but remembered one crucial detail.

I had never felt like this before. I was never this callous, this impatient and weary. At least, not before my death…

I shook my head, forcing that thought aside. I couldn’t bring myself to remember that; the memories were too painful.

My thoughts drifted over to Fluttershy. I appreciated her hospitality and kindness towards Tails and I, even though we were from another universe. Her kind demeanour nearly brought a smile to my face. I was uncertain, however, of what to make of the other ponies. Those five seemed drastically different from Fluttershy, and I had no idea if I could fully trust them.

I sighed. It was inevitable that, at some point, we’d be forced to get to know each other very soon, thanks to Robotnik getting involved. Nervousness erupted in my heart, and I suddenly felt afraid that I would have to reveal more than I wanted to. I fought this feeling down as best as I could, though remnants still lingered.

I glanced around, looking at all the destruction. Robotnik certainly sent in quite the army, I reflected. He wouldn’t waste his machines on simply destroying a city, however; he’s smarter than that. So why would he attack with such a huge force?

Perhaps he thought something worth taking was here?

I decided that I would have to ask the princesses about this matter later on, and shook the thought out of my head for the time being.

I heard the clip-clop of hooves, and glanced over my shoulder to see a familiar butterscotch pegasus walk over. I waved at her, and she approached, a bit cautious; no doubt still a bit surprised at my callousness. We got to work, carefully putting a building back together as best we could. I used my telekinesis to place several boards back in place, while Fluttershy flew up and got to work patching up the roof.

“All this destruction,” Fluttershy said quietly, causing me to look up at her. “All this carnage…” She looked down at me, her blue eyes filling with empathetic tears. “Jared… why would Robotnik do all this?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea. I thought it might be because he was after something here—”

“No, I mean… why would he want to destroy anything? Doesn’t he see that it’s wrong?”

I placed another board on the building, letting out a slow sigh. “That’s a question Sonic and I have asked for years now. We never truly understand why Robotnik does what he does.” I stepped back, looking at the building. It was now partially reconstructed, though the windows were still shattered. “If I had to guess… it’s due to the issue of truth verse ideals.”

“Truth verse ideals?”

I gazed up at her thoughtfully. “It’s a constant issue between what we consider good and evil. Is there a good and evil—a true sense of morality? Or is that just our idealism, our rationalizing, our justification or condemnation of ideas? Robotnik wishes to have a world that he can rule over, because he thinks he can do better than the existing governments can.”

“But that’s absurd!”

“Is it?” I frowned, rubbing my chin. “The doctor is a genius, able to create such amazing robotic pieces. If he wanted to, he could have easily made the world a better place with his creations.”

“So why didn’t he?”

“Perhaps he thought that the world was beyond his saving. In a place where there is war over petty things, perhaps he reasoned that his creations would be wasted on such a broken planet.” I sighed. “And in a way he’s right. Sonic’s world is much like mine; our governments and countries are imperfect, nearly on the verge of war over small matters.”

“You’re not from Sonic’s world?”

I winced as I realized I had slipped up. I chose to ignore the question and continue on. “So, to ‘save’ the world, perhaps Robotnik figured that the only thing to do was to take over and remake the world with his ideals and truths in mind.”

“But no one pony has the right to take over! What about the good ponies that try to not create conflict between each other?”

“I don’t think Robotnik could see that. He was too busy looking at the big picture to consider the smaller images. To him, good and evil are ideals that cannot be fulfilled unless someone is in control of them.” I sighed. “And he’s right. Laws were created in order to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. And people in power made those laws for us.”

She flew down to me, looking at the building as we finished up. “So he thinks he’s doing the right thing?”

“A long time ago, he did. But now? Now he’s broken and obsessed with conquering the world. Whatever good intentions he had in the past, if any; they’re all gone now, replaced with a man bent on total annihilation and conquest.”

“And you and Sonic fight against him?”

“Mostly Sonic. I’m… usually busy doing other things. But yeah, we do fight against him.”

“Do you… do you think that he could come back from this way? Come back to those good ideals that he had long ago?”

I stared at her for the longest time, mulling over the question. “… I am not sure, Fluttershy. I don’t know if anyone can come back from the brink.”

She nodded, though she didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. We moved on to another building, getting to work.

I rolled up the sleeves of my torn jacket, and caught Fluttershy looking at my arms. She gazed at me in surprise. “You were right; you do heal fast. Faster than any normal creature I’ve seen.”

I am no ordinary creature. I nodded in silence, and turned away. I could still feel her questioning gaze boring into the back of my head.

***

Rainbow and Twilight were near the castle, working on the nearby buildings. While Twilight helped organize several ponies into relief and aid groups, Rainbow quickly flew around the buildings, doing her best to remove the rubble and replacing broken boards. She flew down to Twilight, the two of them gazing out over the courtyard. Their eyes landed on the Mobians working.

“Twilight,” Rainbow said, “I really don’t think we can trust these Mobians.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“We don’t know what kind of power we’re dealing with here. You saw that monkey thing; he has Chaos powers!” She flew up, crossing her front hooves. “And that blue hedgehog… I still don’t trust him.”

Twilight let out a sigh. “I have to admit, I’m unsure of what to make of them. But,” she added, fixing a stern look at the pegasus, “we have to work with them through this mess. Between that Shadow character killing those ponies, and this Doctor Robotnik’s attack, they could be our best hope at understand what is really going on.” She shook her head. “I don’t think we should trust them fully, either. But I do think we should give them the benefit of the doubt.”

Rainbow didn’t say anything, still glaring at the Mobians with distrust.

Sonic and Nix were working together on a small shop. Their super speed garnered a lot of attention from the locals, several commenting on how fast they were. Sonic took this with pride, while Nix simply nodded. They quickly removed all the rubble, and did their best to repair the walls and floor.

They talked for a bit, discussing their next course of action. “I guess we should focus on one, clearing your name once and for all; two, finding Shadow and discussing why he killed those ponies; and three, stopping Robotnik from taking over,” answered Nix.

Sonic nodded. “That sounds good to me.”

Tails flew over and helped replace several shingles from the roof. “We should also be on the lookout for the Chaos Emeralds,” he advised. “Robotnik’s going to be looking for them as well; it would be good if we found them all first.” Sonic and Nix nodded at his suggestion.

“What about the ponies?” Sonic asked.

“What do you mean?” asked Nix.

“What do you make of them?”

Nix looked over at Twilight and Rainbow, regarding them thoughtfully. “… They probably don’t trust us completely. And I think we should act the same for them. However,” he added, looking back at the hedgehog and fox, “I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt. Try to trust them.”

“That won’t be easy with Jared,” Sonic commented.

Nix shook his head. “It never is. Hopefully he’ll grow to trust them as well.”

Tails smiled. “I’m sure he will.”

Meanwhile, Knuckles and Amy were by the west side of the city, helping replace several broken structures.

“I still don’t completely understand why you were extremely aggressive towards that cyan pegasus,” Knuckles commented as he hefted a large board.

“Are you kidding? She was going to hurt Sonic! My Sonic!” Amy protested. “I was only protecting that which I hold very much close to me!”

Knuckles sighed as he placed the board down. “That may be true, but I’m certain that anyone would have reacted as Rainbow reacted.” He looked knowingly at Amy. “We were attempting to free a prisoner, after all. It was only natural that the guards and the other ponies would react with hostility.”

Amy snorted. “Please! That still doesn’t make her aggression any less distasteful.”

“I could say the same about you,” he muttered under his breath.

“Did you say something?”

“Er… nope.”

They continued working for a bit, before Amy looked up and saw Sonic relaxing with Nix and Tails. “Looks like they’re done over there. I’m going to go make sure Sonic’s okay,” she said, leaving Knuckles behind.

“The guy’s fought literal demonic earth gods and watery monsters,” Knuckles muttered as he watched her go. “I doubt that a pegasus would do any harm.”

He got back to work, using his impressive strength to replace several brick walls. He glanced over his side, and saw that Applejack was approaching him. He cracked a smile. “Hey.”

“Heya,” she greeted, smiling back. She helped him transport a few more bricks. “Ah hope you don’t mind, but Ah was kinda listenin’ to yer conversation with that pink girl.”

Knuckles chuckled. “Yeah. She’s quite the hassle, I’ll admit.”

Applejack fixed her cowboy hat. “What you said to her though? That was mighty wise.” She cracked a grin. “I didn’t peg you for a philosopher or somethin’ like that.”

It was a compliment, and Knuckles was quick to realize this. “And I didn’t figure you to be a strong pony,” he shot back. He looked away, slightly blushing. “Truth be told, though… in the past I probably wouldn’t have said those things.” He glanced up, where Jared and Fluttershy were. “Jared has taught me a bit on how to be wise…”

Applejack looked at where he was looking. “He seems different from the rest of y’all. No offense,” she added quickly.

“None taken. It’s true; he is different.” He glanced back at Applejack. “But I still respect him anyway.”

She nodded, and they continued working.

***

Rainbow flew over to where Fluttershy and Jared were. She noticed Jared sifting through rubble, while Fluttershy was beside a crying filly. The filly’s parents were behind her, concern in their eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked the fellow pegasus.

Fluttershy looked up. “This poor filly lost her favorite doll in the attack.” She turned back to the filly. “Shh… it’s okay, it’s okay. Could you tell me what it looks like?”

The filly described the doll as small, and in the shape of a small rabbit. She said that it was a light blue, and had a tear in its left ear. “Have… have you seen it?” she asked Fluttershy tentatively.

Fluttershy sadly shook her head.

The filly sobbed louder into Fluttershy’s mane. She tried whispering more kind words to her, and the parents eventually intervened and took their child away. They whispered their thanks to her, though she still felt a bit sad.

Rainbow glanced back at the hunched over human. “What’s his problem?”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“Why wasn’t he helping you take care of that filly?”

“Because… he was busy removing wreckage?”

“Exactly!” She glared at Jared. “What kind of pony puts sorting through trash above comforting a crying child?”

Fluttershy couldn’t answer that question, nor did she want to. She watched Jared silently toss more rocks and rubble away. His eyes were narrowed in concentration, and he seemed to not have heard Rainbow’s conversation.

Jared’s wiser than he looks, Fluttershy thought. There’s no way he didn’t hear that filly’s cries. There’s got to be a reason why he didn’t help comfort her…

“C’mon, Fluttershy,” Rainbow grumbled, gesturing back to the courtyard. “Let’s just leave this dude here.”

“But… but what if he needs help?”

“Trust me; he’s beyond helping.” Fluttershy glanced back at Jared. He seemed to have slightly flinched at Rainbow’s words, though he said nothing. His actions, however, became more subdued, as if he was hurt.

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy scolded. “That is not a nice thing to say!”

She shrugged. “And he doesn’t seem like a nice guy.” She flew off, leaving Fluttershy behind.

She glanced back at Jared, and he finally spoke up. “… You can go. I’ll catch up in a bit.”

She nodded, a bit unsure, but flew off to regroup with the others.

***

Princess Celestia and her sister had flown down to the center of Canterlot to meet with the ponies and Mobians. She noted that Jared appeared absent; a quick scan around revealed that he was still in the same spot, sifting through the wreckage.

The Mobians and the ponies were evidently tired out by all the work. They had dust all over them, and were hunched over slightly, breathing heavily. “Most of the buildings have been repaired as best as they could,” Nix informed her. “We’ve also managed to remove most of the robots from the area.”

Celestia nodded. “Good. Let’s hope we never have to suffer another attack.” They nodded solemnly at that, and turned their gaze to where Jared still worked.

A few Canterlot ponies trotted up, eyeing the human with distaste. “I say, what a positively revolting creature,” one stallion commented. “Sullying his hands and dirtying his clothes? How positively uncouth!”

He turned and saw that the Mobians and the Mane Six looked similar. “How can you possibly go out looking like that?”

“We were busy helping reconstruct your city,” Knuckles growled.

“I see… well, you certainly did a number on our fair city.” He snorted in disdain. “Still, though, would it be so much trouble as to take a bath? I can smell the commonness coming off of you!”

Nix smirked tiredly. “That may be the princesses you’re referring to.”

The stallion looked up, and saw the stern gaze of Princess Celestia boring into him. He made a sound that sounded like a squeak and an apology, before scampering off.

She returned her gaze back to Jared, and it morphed into one of confusion. “What on Equestria is he doing? That rubble has been sorted and removed already…” Luna nodded her confusion.

Jared abruptly stood. His jacket and clothes had been completely covered in dust and ash. His black hair mingled with the particles in the air, and his skin had been tinted a light grey. On his knuckles were several scrapes that revealed the strenuous activity of removing rock and stone. He did not seem tired, but breathed slowly.

In his right hand was a small object. Fluttershy gasped when she saw it. It was a light-blue doll, in the shape of a rabbit, with a tear in its left ear. She glanced at Rainbow, and saw that she had her mouth open in surprise.

Jared walked over to where the filly and her family rested, the doll in hand. He knelt down and presented the object to the filly. Her eyes lit up in surprise, looking down at the doll then back up at Jared. No words were spoken, and the parents looked at him in complete shock.

He smiled kindly as she took the doll in her hooves. Her eyes filled with happy and surprised tears. She suddenly leaped forward and hugged him, wrapping her hooves around his body. He hugged her back, eyes closed, as the filly sobbed happily into his jacket. The parents had tears in their eyes, and mouthed their thank yous to him. He waved off their thanks with a shake of his head, implying that it was no problem.

The filly eventually released him, and happily galloped off with her parents. She waved a final farewell at Jared, which he returned.

He walked over to the group, his smile fading as a look of seriousness took hold. He noticed that Nix was smiling, while Fluttershy was absolutely beaming. The others had looks of shock and awe at his display. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna regarded him with curiosity, but said nothing.

He glanced at Rainbow, and the two shared a look. Rainbow looked sheepish and yet somewhat impressed; Jared looked tired and more resigned. He nodded to her; a brief gesture, but it spoke volumes as to what he was implying. The cyan pegasus looked away, turning red with embarrassment.

He heard everything, Fluttershy realized, her smile faltering. Oh, Rainbow…

Jared looked at Celestia and Luna—and bowed respectfully. “The city’s been mostly restored,” he said quietly. “It should only take a few days for the city to recover.”

Celestia nodded her thanks. “There’s still one other matter, though,” he added, looking back up.

“Yes,” Luna said. She looked at Sonic. “We’ll discuss this inside. After all of you have been properly cleaned and taken cared of,” she added, gesturing to their dirty forms.

They nodded tiredly, and together made their way back to the palace. Jared walked with Fluttershy in the back. She gazed at him for a moment, before suddenly hugging him. He gasped in surprise but, after a moment of hesitation, hugged her back.

“I’m sorry about Rainbow,” she said quietly.

“Don’t be; she’s right,” he said vaguely, earning a look of confusion from the yellow pegasus.

They walked inside, the palace doors shutting behind them securely.

Update

Prologue: Dream Runners

The sun princess looks to the sky, where a loud boom is heard. She sees a white crack appear, then another, then another; several different holes. The breaches let out a roar, and she sees what appears to be creatures falling from them.

Desperately, she tries to flap her wings to catch them; but can’t. Shocked, she looks down at her sides, where she sees a metal robot holding her wings down. The robot has a smile on its face, but it has no warmth. Sinister intent lie in those teeth, eyes blank and focused on her. It lets out a laugh that chills her to the bone; it’s so evil, so malicious. She feels fear threaten to take over as she stares back in shock.

Suddenly, the robot is gone. She looks around, and sees the remnants of a battle. She sees bodies of various creatures lying on the ground. She senses no life in these bodies. Their eyes are dull and opened, looking at the sky with blank expressions.

She looks ahead, and sees what appears to be a bipedal creature fighting an egg-shaped creature in a pod. The biped is thrown to the side by an energy blast; he does not get up. She hears the egg creature laugh crazily, the sound enveloping her. She tries to move to save the bipedal, but finds she cannot.

Behind her, an army of robotic beings rise and grab hold onto her. They begin pulling her down, down, down, and soon her hooves are sinking into the very ground. She tries to cry out for help, but a metal claw covers her muzzle, silencing her. The egg creature readies another blast on the fallen bipedal creature. She can only watch as he fires it. There are no screams.

Her gaze snaps back to the sky, where a fleet of floating ships descends and begins firing onto the land. The egg creature’s laughter surrounds her, growing louder and louder with each second. Her vision begins to blacken, and soon, all she sees is darkness.

***

“Gah!” Celestia gasped, shooting up from her bed. Her light-green-and-pink mane billowed out behind her, and sweat drops rolled down her sides. “What was-what was—”

“Sister!” Luna called, throwing open Celestia’s door. “I heard you shout! What is wrong?”

Celestia took a moment to calm herself, looking at her sister. Luna’s blue mane floated absentmindedly behind her, her horn glowing so as to provide a bit of light in the dark room. Celestia remembered that it was night time, and it was Luna’s turn to raise the moon.

“Sister?” Luna asked. “What has happened?”

“I’m… not sure, Luna,” Celestia answered. “I… I had a dream.”

“What was it about?”

“I… I saw…” She looked away. “Creatures… falling from the sky… and a madman’s laughter… surrounded by an army of metal.” She clenched her eyes shut. “I saw fires, heard ponies screams. I think… I think I saw somepony die…”

“Celestia…” Luna came over, placing a wing over her big sister comfortingly. “It was just a nightmare, I assure you.”

Celestia struggled to breathe slowly. “I… I sincerely hope you’re right, Luna.” She glanced at the Princess of the Night. “I hope this is little more than a dream.” She hugged her little sister close, not wanting to let go, for fear of seeing that horrific vision again.

Soon, however, Luna had to return to her duties. Celestia bade her a good night, and tried to get comfortable in her bed.

Yet she couldn’t. The visions of a young “man” arriving… the hills on fire… the “man’s” last breath… they swirled around her head, making her unsure and hesitant. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to block away the images; it only served to heighten their clarity.

She would not get a good night’s sleep.

***

My name is Jared Berberabe.

I am the Guardian of the Omniverse.

And this is my death.

I’m in a burning field. All around I see the trees ablaze, the bark and trunks screaming in agony. I can barely stand, blood trickling down my arms.

I look to the sky, and see a giant ship on a collision course for Smash Mansion, home of the Smashers—fighters from various universes. The Halberd, Meta Knight’s ship, had been taken over by the forces of Ridley and SA-X, and is now spiraling towards an explosive death.

“Please, get to it,” I pray quietly.

I turn my gaze back to the field. Through my tired, brown eyes, I see a lone figure at the other side of the field. She stares back at me through cold slits. She wears a Power Armor, similar in shape to Samus Aran's, though deadlier and wielded with much more malice. She smirks at me, her smile revealing sharpened teeth that could intimidate even the hardiest of men.

I show no fear, despite feeling it deep inside. Panic threatens to take hold as I watch.

My blue leather jacket is torn, the sleeves hanging by the streams. My black combat boots are muddied, and my faded blue jeans are dirtied and have grass stains on the knees. My raven hair is shuffled a bit by a coming breeze, my lips slightly open as I breathe slowly. Exhaustion seeks to overcome me; yet I fight it off, willing myself to stay put.

Neither of us say nothing, staring at each other with tension rising. As the seconds pass, I feel my will weaken. I glance at my hands. The Lantern Ring and Tetraforce have been exhausted, and I am nowhere near a recharging station for either. The energy sword in my right hand drops to the ground, clanging against the dead grass.

The figure begins to move closer, her smile widening with each step. She points her arm cannon at me, and for a moment, I think she’s about to fire; yet she holds from pressing the trigger. She seems content to giving me a slow end.

And a slow end seems imminent, as I know that I can’t fight. I am drained of all energy; and the Chaos energy is too little for me to use.

Desperately, I reach out to my friend, hoping for a plan.

Nix, I think to him, what do we do?

He says nothing for a while; then, with sudden clarity and a tone of resignation, he answers, I don’t know.

I let out a slow breath. So this is the end. The end of our journeys. The end of our story.

I hear him grunt a yes. I feel disappointed; there was so much I wanted to do. So much I should have done.

It’s been an honor,Nix suddenly says. You know… being with you. Through it all.

I manage a smile. I could not have asked for a better friend than you, Nix. I feel my eyes mist up. You are like a brother to me, you know that?

I feel the same for you…

The figure grows closer. Nix and I say no more, but I can tell he is fighting from breaking down.

Am I ready? I think. For the end?

I had long expected that my duty as the Guardian would lead me down a dark path. Yet here I am, staring Death in the face, and for all the time I have spent preparing for the end, I still feel scared.

Serena.I remember the one I love. She’ll be without me.

My friends. My family. All the allies I’ve made, the heroes I’ve fought with. I’ll be robbed from them. And them from me.

I still say nothing, staring at the figure. I manage to look a bit defiant, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of seeing my defeat.

She hisses, and her arm cannon transforms into a blade. I eye it with unease, but still say nothing.

There is a bright flash of light, and we look up to see a golden hedgehog pushing back against the Halberd. I manage a weak grin, knowing that her plan has failed.

She snarls, and dives forward, and I see no more. Only pain and an aching dullness fill my senses.

***

I awoke in a cold sweat in my tent. I was still reeling from my dream, so I was still disoriented. Instinctively I threw my hand to the side and grabbed my sword.

“Chaos Flash!” I shouted, bringing enough light to the tent. I sighed as I looked around.

A few stacks of books lay in the corner, while an open notebook lay next to my bed. On the pages were several diary entries I had inputted a few days prior.

A small smile came across my lips. I hadn’t really been much of a chronicler, but in recent years, I had found it quite comforting.

Today, the Freedom Fighters and I were launching a final attack on Doctor Robotnik’s base. The evil robot maker, bent on ruling Sonic’s world, had long been a menace—a menace that the Freedom Fighters wanted to remove.

His latest plot should not have concerned me, as they usually didn’t need my help.

But, as I had come to learn, Robotnik’s latest scheme was of grave importance.

He had managed to not only collect the seven Chaos Emeralds—artifacts in Sonic’s universe that were extremely powerful—, but he had also managed to construct a machine that would be able to tear apart space and time. He had long been aware the existence of multiple universes, and aimed to find a weaker universe to conquer with his robotic army.

Once I had heard the words “space-time” and “conquer,” I had immediately set off to join the Freedom Fighters.

I cannot let Robotnik get away with this. As the Guardian, I am supposed to prevent universes from clashing. To not do so would mean to be a fake protector of Creation.

“But I’m the only one,” I said aloud. “The only protector.”

“Well, technically, I’m still here.”

Nix the Hedgehog rose out next to me. His green quills stood out sharply, and though he was but a spirit, I remembered that they could cut through solid steel. He gave me a wry smile. “I hope you didn’t forget about me being the other half of the Guardian, Jared.”

I chuckled a bit. “Sorry; I’m so used to the Guardian being singular that I keep forgetting that it’s actually two people.”

“Anyway,” he said, “looks like morning’s about to break. We’d better get out and be ready.”

I nodded. I opened my jacket, checking the contents. I had several batarangs stored, as well as a custom Grapnel Gun for getting to higher places. I smiled, seeing that I was ready.

I let out a slow breath, and prepared to step out to the sunlight, but I hesitated. I remembered the dream, how vivid it was, and my breath caught in my throat.

Nix noticed my hesitation. “It’s about the dream, isn’t it?” I nodded. He sighed. “Don’t you think we should… you know… tell someone?”

I shook my head. “We’ve more pressing matters than a dream, Nix.” He didn’t seem satisfied with my answer, but nodded anyway. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the tent, preparing myself for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Chapter Four: Illusion

Fire.

That was what Shadow saw.

All around him, the buildings of the nearby city were ablaze. He heard the screams of dying creatures everywhere, disorienting him. This reckless abandon of the value of life completely disgusted him; how could rulers so callously throw away their subjects’ lives?

He shook his head. As much as it pained him, he couldn’t stay for long. If he was caught, he would be held up; and most likely be thrown in some sort of dungeon. A part of him, however, reasoned that he should stay for a little while. Perhaps he would try and free this burning land from its tyrannical sister rulers.

The thieving pony rounded a corner, and Shadow quickly followed after him, sticking to the darkness that the smoke created. He didn’t breathe, for fear of attracting attention with his coughing.

The pony shuffled through a dumpster, looking for something. He gave a disgruntled sigh, and moved away, continuing down the alley. Eventually he reached a brick wall; he tapped it three times, and suddenly the bricks moved away, revealing a secret entrance.

A hideout? Shadow thought. What else is this creature hiding?

The pony glanced at the Chaos Emerald once more, before darting inside. Before the bricks could close, Shadow dashed through them. The outside world suddenly quieted, replaced with the building’s inner silence.

What he saw inside almost made him throw up.

The carcasses of dead creatures hung on the walls, bloody and devoid of skin. Their faces were pulled back into looks of horror, a remnant of the time before their demise. Several seemed to have been picked clean, the meat just barely sticking to the bones. Chaos… he cursed.

The pony suddenly turned, and Shadow quickly ducked away into a corner.

***

Hmm… I could’ve sworn I heard something. Newt shrugged, and grabbed a towel. He walked over to one of the display cases and opened it, cleaning the jewels inside. I wonder if I can get that white unicorn from Ponyville to buy this gem? he mused.

***

I’ve seen my share of sickos, but what kind of deranged menace actually cleans his victims’ dead bodies? Shadow shook his head, still remaining in the darkness.

The pony hummed a quiet tune, before putting away the cloth and closing the case. He walked to the back of the room, presumably to lock away the emerald.

Shadow recognized this as his chance, and darted forward, eyes flashing angrily. This creature didn’t deserve to live; it was his responsibility to ensure that that he didn’t claim any more victims. I’d be doing the Princesses a favor, as well, seeing as how they haven’t done anything yet.

He made his way into the back room, carefully observing the creature. He didn’t seem keen on relinquishing his hold on the emerald. Seeing no other option, he decided to try something different.

He cleared his throat.

Newt Glint turned around with a gasp. “What the—hey!” he exclaimed, pointing a hoof at Shadow. “How’d you get in here? Business hours are closed!”

“It’s morning,” Shadow responded dryly, making Newt drop a bead of sweat. “And besides, what kind of person has business when there are burning buildings outside?”

“Burning buildings? What are you, high?” Newt tried to sound confident, but Shadow was easily intimidating him with his cold glare and threatening demeanor. “Besides, what do you want anyway?”

“That emerald for starters,” Shadow said, pointing at the Chaos Emerald.

“Oh, this one?” Newt held it up. “You can have it; for the right amount of bits.”

These bits must be their currency. Shadow narrowed his eyes. “That’s not an option.”

“Then I guess we don’t have a deal.” He smirked.

“I need that emerald more than you do,” Shadow tried.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“What about those burning creatures outside? The countless lives that are being perished?”

“Buddy, I have no idea what you’re talking about! And besides, it’s everypony for himself in this world!” Newt shook his head. “Judging from what you’re saying, though, I’d guess that this emerald has some sort of power to it?” He grinned. “Guess I’ll be holding onto this for a long while!”

“Give it to me, or else!” Shadow growled.

“Or else what?” Newt laughed darkly. “You’ll get the guards to come and get me? You’ll be arrested for breaking and entering on the spot!”

Shadow was silent for a moment. “… you’re right,” he finally said, making Newt look up in confusion. “Judging by how I didn’t see any guards helping the citizens… they probably wouldn’t care, would they?” He took a step forward, voice dripping with menace. “They wouldn’t care about the fact that you have carcasses on your walls—just like how the Princesses don’t care for the senseless loss of life out there!”

Newt was unsure about what the hedgehog was talking about. He assumed that by carcasses, he was talking about the various jewels and heirlooms that he had “acquired” over the years. He frowned. “Hey! I worked my ass off trying to get those where they are!”

“Worked your ass—” Shadow took another step, his anger reaching a boiling point. “Is that what you think life is? Something that you can freely acquire? Have you no respect for the living?”

Newt felt his heart skip a beat at the hedgehog’s tone. He took a step back, his grip on the emerald loosening. “N-now, buddy, I don’t know where you’re getting this ‘life’ stuff from, but I assure you, all that stuff in my shop are all dead.”

“I’m sure of it,” Shadow angrily responded. He grew closer, and Newt thought he saw a red aura surrounding him.

“H-hey! Look, m-maybe we can cut a deal! I can sell you another item, if you want!” he nervously bargained, doing his best to put on a winning smile.

“You’re kind sickens me,” Shadow snarled. “No regard for your fellow man; going so far as to kill and frame the innocent… you don’t deserve to live.”

With a flick of his wrist, he shouted, “Chaos Spear!”

A golden spear head appeared in his left hand, glowing in the dim room. It seemed to have been constructed entirely out of energy, and gave off a heated aura.

“Since I can’t convince you through sensible terms to give me that emerald,” Shadow growled, “then I guess I’ll have to resort to more… persuasive measures.”

Newt felt his back press up against the wall. “D-don’t hurt me!” he pleaded, dropping the jewel. “Here, you can have it! No charge! T-tell your friends to swing on by; I’ll give them a discount!”

“Thanks,” Shadow said dryly. “But… I’m afraid that your business endeavors end here.”

With a swing of his arm, he brought the Spear down, and Newt’s pleas turned into choking sounds as blood filled his lungs.

***

Shadow briefly felt a pang of guilt as he left, but he brushed it aside. He didn’t deserve to live, anyway. And since the people in authority aren’t doing anything, I had to step in. He glanced down at the green Chaos Emerald, now safely in his grasp. That, and, I had a personal reason to put him down for good.

He tried to convince himself that what he did was the right thing, but there remained a nagging doubt at the back of his mind. He locked it away, shaking his head. Have to get back to the others and Discord.

He took a moment to consider everything that had happened. One minute we’re fighting the Doctor, the next we’re in another place with talking equines. He chuckled ruefully. In another time, I’d have called myself crazy; but, seeing as how I have the Guardian of the Omniverse to talk to, I’d say that this is as normal as it gets.

Still, though, I never expected to land in a place such as this.

He pushed a switch on the wall, and the bricks slid away, revealing the sunlight.

And the burning scenery. Shadow winced as he stepped out, trying to focus on getting back. He was hard-pressed for time; each second wasted, his allies could be getting injured or attacked. Once I get back, I’ll tell the others what has happened. They’ll be able to back Discord and me up, and we’ll be able to free this land from the sisters’ tyrannical rule. That is, he added solemnly, if I can find the others.

“Halt!” a voice cried out.

He turned, and saw two guards standing in the alley, eyeing him with wary looks. They had horns on their heads. “Yes?” he said, fighting down the urge to call out the two on their apparent disregard for the ravaged scenery.

The one on the left, a equine with a brownish mane, glared at him. “What are you doing in Newt Glint’s shop?”

Shadow narrowed his eyes. “If this is about his killings, I’ve already taken care of him.”

“His what?” the guard questioned. Meanwhile, his partner glanced at Shadow closely, eyes trailing down his arms. He gasped when he reached his gloves.

“S-sir!” he stuttered in a young voice, pointing a hoof at Shadow’s hand.

The hedgehog glanced down, biting back a curse. Caught up in his thoughts, he failed to remember to wash away the evidence of his work.

“That’s… that’s…” The younger guard could only stare in shock.

“Easy there, kid,” the elder guard stated, though he faced Shadow with a worried expression. “Sir, what exactly did you do to Mr. Newt?”

Shadow shrugged. “What you didn’t do, I’d imagine.”

“You… killed him?”

“I prefer to say I did what any sensible person would do. I removed a threat.”

The elder guard took a step forward. “Sir, you’re coming with us on the grounds of murder.”

“Murder?!” Shadow exclaimed angrily. “Look around you! Don’t you see the burning buildings?! Don’t you hear the screams of dying citizens? What the hell are you doing about that?”

The guards glanced around, seeing only a peaceful scenery. A few ponies on the sidewalks stopped to look, but Shadow didn’t notice them.

“Buddy,” the elder guard managed to say, “looks like you’re coming with us to the asylum.”

He stepped forward, but Shadow held up a hand. “Are you going to do your job and save this land?” He sneered. “Don’t tell me you guards follow the princesses!”

“Well, of course we do!” the younger guard exclaimed. “To the letter!”

“I see… you really have no regard for the life of your citizens.” Shadow closed his eyes. “You disgust me.”

“Hey!” The younger guard’s horn suddenly glowed, a ball of white forming around it. “You better retreat that statement!”

“You’re coming with us,” the elder guard said, his horn also lighting. “Whether you like it or not.”

“No,” Shadow simply said. He summoned a pair of Chaos Spears to his side. “If I have to leave behind more bodies in order to save this land from the corruption that seeks to destroy it, I will.”

The guards stood little chance. Shadow smirked as the bodies fell. “They deserved it,” he murmured to himself.

Seeing that his work was done, he gripped the emerald in his hand. “Chaos… Control!” he shouted. A second later, the emerald glowed, and he was enveloped in a white light. When the light died down, he had vanished.

***

Unbeknownst to him, there were several ponies who had been watching the whole spectacle. Terrified, they each ran towards the police station, shouting something about a “hedgehog creature with crazy powers.”

A call was put out. “Be on the lookout for any hedgehog creatures. They are suspected of killing two guards and a citizen. If found, do not approach. Contact the royal guard and the authorities immediately.”

Rainbow Dash growled to herself when she heard the call. She didn’t know who this hedgehog creature was, but if he thought he could get away with murder in Canterlot, he was dead wrong.