Sonic Forces: The Sombra Warsby ChrisTheGamer95ChaptersGive and TakeRetrievedAwokenBack In TimeGive and TakeIt was meant to be a simple recon mission. A milk run, if you will. The esteemed Wonderbolts soared high above, staring down at the barren wasteland that was once a peaceful world full of happy ponies and colorful towns. Ever since the war against King Sombra and the Crystal Empire started, Equestria's resources have started to run thin. If they could find anything useful in these parts of the world, it would be rare. "Find anything yet?" Fleetfoot called over to the others. "Negative." Soarin replied. "Same here. What 'bout you, Spitfire?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning her head to face their leader. After another moment of staring down, Spitfire stared back and started to bark commands. "Guys, angle down forty-five degrees. We're being watched." Rainbow blinked. "By who?!" "Shadowbolts." Without anymore questions, all four Wonderbolts dipped down to the ground and landed, looking back up to the skies to find five shadowy figures descend after them. As they landed the Wonderbolts could get a clear view of their enemies. In front of them were the pegasi, Nightshade, Stratus, Starry Skies, Charger, and Blueball Blitz. The Shadowbolt leader stepped forward, a devilish grin plastered on her face. "You know, it would be easier if you just surrendered to King Sombra's Empire." "Cut the crap! You know damn well that we would never join you!" Spitfire shouted. Nightshade chuckled. "Well, you try to be reasonable... and look where it get you..." In a flash, the Shadowbolts and Wonderbolts clashed, Nightshade and Starry Skies going after Spitfire and the other three found a match against another Wonderbolt. Nightshade and Starry Skies started their all-out assault on the fiery mare, smirking as Spitfire struggled to keep up. "I thought you Wonderbolts didn't get tired." Starry Skies taunted, throwing a roundhouse kick. Spitfire saw her chance and ducked under her leg, grabbing it in the process. "We do get tired, but we don't get sloppy." The captain then spun Starry Skies around before tossing her at Nightshade. She narrowly dodged her comrade, growling in annoyance. "Clever. But would you really have been satisfied with a grapple like that?" Nightshade then darted up to Spitfire as she started to ascend. With her spare leg, Spitfire then smashed Nightshade in the face. As the Shadowbolt leader staggered. Spitfire started to escape, but Nightshade soon shrugged off the blow and tailed behind her. Soarin and Stratus struggled against one another, hooves locked together. Both looked for an opening against one another. A scowling Soarin tried to use his hind legs to sweep Stratus and knock him off balance, but his opponent was quicker to the punch. Soarin soon fell to the ground as the Shadowbolt assaulted him in every direction, using his speed to land solid blows on his fallen prey. A battered and beaten Soarin shot an angry look at Stratus. "Don't you dare lay a hoof on my friends." "Don't worry, I won't." Status softly chuckled, quickly chopping him on the neck, practically shutting down Soarin's body in seconds. "I'll let my friends do that." Fleetfoot and Charger slammed each other constantly, hoping to outdo each other in a war of attrition. All the while, both were hoping to catch up to Spitfire and Nightshade to help their respective leaders. One more side bash put Fleetfoot in front by a few inches, but Charger was not going to have that. The Shadowbolt silently pulled out a potion with his mouth. Its strange orange substance was going to help him end this quickly. He chucked the bottle at his Wonderbolt enemy, nailing her on the back. As Fleetfoot continued to gain ground, she suddenly felt something pierce her back. Turning her head, she found her entire body begin to cover itself entirely with black crystals. "Spitfire! Charger's heading towards- ACK!" The cold, shiny, crystalline solid only allowed her to finish half of her warning as the crystals finished encasing her body. Fleetfoot's frozen body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, a look of horror plastered on her face. Spitfire and Nightshade swooped down towards the ground below, pulling up just in time to avoid smashing into the ground at 120 miles per hour. "Get back here!" Nightshade shouted. The battle of attrition was wearing her patience thin. Spitfire kept dipping and rising, trying to get Nightshade off her tail. However, as the other mare started to show signs of fatigue, Charger tackled the Wonderbolt out of the sky and onto the ground. With her wings and hooves pinned down, Charger grunted. "You know what needs to be done. Go." Nightshade nodded, taking off towards the last of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire tried her best to struggle free from his grasp, but she knew it was all in vain. Charger was the alchemist and muscle of the team. She wasn't going anywhere. Blueball Blitz randomly dashed around Rainbow Dash, stopping on the dime, only to go a different direction. The rainbow-maned mare did her best to keep up and even slowly started to close the gap. "You really think you can keep up?! 'Cause you can't!" Rainbow gritted her teeth at the insult. She hated being called slow, even if it wasn't specifically stated. With one more bust of energy, Rainbow Dash flew ahead of Blueball before turning around and unleashing a hoof to her face. She stopped dead in her tracks. Another punch emitted a loud crack. She then ascended over Blueball Blitz and rammed her straight into the ground Dash stood up and scoffed. "You know, I can be a jerk and do a lot worse, but I don't want to stoop to your level." "RAINBOW DASH!" She quickly snapped her head to the sound of a young mare. Rainbow's gaze drifted over to someone she never thought would be in a place like this. The young filly known as Scootaloo waved to the Wonderbolt from behind her rock cover. At her side, a small pile of smoke bombs were stacked sloppily to her right. "Scootaloo?!" Dash briskly trotted over to her biggest fan. "What are you doing here?! You need to get home, quick!" "But I wanna stay here and fight!" Scootaloo whined. "I can handle myself just fine. I've got smoke bombs and my own four hooves." Rainbow couldn't help but admire Scootaloo's confidence. She was willing to do almost anything to impress her. Such bravery, or, was it stupidity. Either way, this hit high on the list of things Scootaloo has done to try and impress her. "Okay, squirt. While I am flattered that you want to follow in my hoofsteps, this isn't the best time or place. Please, you've gotta get outta here!" With a bit of hesitation, Scootaloo nodded. "Okay, Rainbow. I'll write you a letter in a few days." With one last smile from Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo started back for home. Before she could even get more than a few feat, however, Nightshade grabbed the young filly by her mane. "Nightshade!" Rainbow started. "Let her go! Or else..." "Or else what? You're in no position to be giving out orders." As the pegasus started to back up, she felt a burning sensation strike her leg. She quickly turned her head to find Charger and Stratus standing mere inches away from her. As she tried to move out of the way of a second strike, her leg's injury slowed her down and she took another hit, this time breaking her left wing. She lashed out in pain, trying to remain silent. Tears of pain wanted to form in her eyes, but she kept them back regardless. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction. As Nightshade stepped forward. Rainbow put on the bravest she could muster in her current state, hoping to maybe intimidate her. "You know what, I'll let the brat go. Just like you asked." Nightshade tossed the filly aside, letting her hit the ground a few inches away. "You know, you've been a pain in the ass for a while now. You just seem to keep getting better and better. Let's fix that. Permanently." Nightshade took another step forward, grabbing Rainbow's left wing with her hoof all the while the two stallions of the group holding Rainbow in place. The Shadowbolt leader tightened her grip. Finally, with an angered grunt, She pulled with all of her might, tearing Rainbow's wing straight out of it's socket. A sickening snap filled the air. Rainbow Dash's eyes shrunk in complete horror. "Aw, what's the matter? Sad over a damn little wing? I could have done a lot worse..." Nightshade taunted. For Rainbow Dash, it might have well been her life. In a fit of rage, she screamed, letting all of her frustration and pain out at once. "GIVE IT BACK TO ME! YOU CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!...." Rainbow's screams echoed across the battlefield and quite possibly much further. She just couldn't take it anymore. Her pride and joy was dangling in the hooves of the Shadowbolt leader. Rainbow didn't care about the blood pouring from her side. She didn't care about the stinging sensations that flooded her body's nervous system. She didn't care about the shocked and horrified look Scootaloo gave her. She wanted her wings. Without them, she was nothing. "Give... it back... I need it... You can't... I need it. Give it back...." Her voice slowly, but surely broke into uncontrollable sobs. She wanted to think that this was just a dream. Just some horrible nightmare that she would wake up from any second. But, alas, that was not the case. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Nightshade trotted up to the fallen Rainbow Dash, kicking her over on her side, laughing manically. "Come on. Where's that fighting spirit I once saw? One injury and your a weak little crybaby. If your gonna be a poor sport, I might as well end you." "Leave her alone!" Scootaloo shouted, running straight towards the Shadowbolts. She would not stand and watch as her idol bit the big one. "Rainbow Dash is ten times the pony all of you are combined!" "Scootaloo..." Rainbow stammered. "R-Run, Scootaloo." With her message delivered, Rainbow Dash passed out from blood loss. The filly's eyes widened. The Rainbow Dash she knew would never say something like that. Why would she want to be running at a time like this? The pony she looked up to was in trouble and she needed her help. She flung her hoof forward at the leader with the intent of doing whatever damage she could. Nightshade caught the hoof with little trouble. "Oh, look who's trying to be a hero. You're out of your league, kid." As the Shadowbolt leader raised her free hoof to strike Scootaloo down, she closed her eyes and braced for impact. Suddenly, Scootaloo seemingly vanished as a blue streak whisked by, taking the young girl with it. "How about you fight someone well past your league!?" Turning to the voice, the Shadowbolts looked at the strange figure in front of them. Standing atop a nearby rock structure was a bipedal blue creature with slick, yet sharp spines down his head and back. White gloves were worn over his peach colored hands. Finally, sleek, red sneakers with a single white stripe and golden buckle covered his feet. "What? Ain't ya ever seen a hedgehog before?" He said in a joking tone. It caught everyone off guard. No one had heard such a surprisingly genuine care-free tone since the war had begun. He then gently sat Scootaloo down and gave a warm smile to her. "Sit tight, kid. I'll take it from here." His voice was confidant and strong, yet kind and loving. "Who's this freak?" Charger asked. In a fraction of a second, the strange hero disappeared, only to reappear in front of the stallion, giving him a good punch to the jaw. He sprawled back a few feet from the blow. "Freak? That's harsh. I'm a hedgehog! HEDGE-HOG! I'd spell it out for you, but I've got something different in mind." He jumped into the air and curled up into a ball; a glowing blue energy wrapping itself around him. He then started a rapid assault on the Shadowbolts, first taking out Blueball, then Stratus and Starry Skies. Nightshade took more than a single hit, however. But surly enough, even she was starting to get overwhelmed. The blue hedgehog continued bouncing off of her; getting faster with each blow. After the tenth Homing Attack, the mysterious hero uncurled and posed in mid-air. "Let's go!" He flashed a quick smile before curling up and launching a final attack. With one more strike, Nightshade fell to the ground beside the other Shadowbolts. "Aw. What's the matter? Couldn't keep up? I may have forgotten to mention that I move faster than the speed of sound." He casually dusted the dirt off of his side and smirked. "You've dug your own grave." Was the only response he got back from Nightshade. As the Shadowbolts took their leave, the mysterious hero looked back at the terrified orange filly. She took a step back. "Hey, kid. I'm not gonna hurt you." He said, holding both his arms out to emphasize his point. Reluctantly, Scootaloo trotted out of hiding. "Why did you save me?" "Because you needed saving. Why else?" He joked. "But all joking aside, your friends over there look like they need some help."The mysterious hero picked up the unconscious Rainbow Dash and set her on Scootaloo's back. She was surprisingly able to hold her weight. "There's a hospital back at Ponyville. We should hurry before her condition gets any worse." Scootaloo suggested. The hedgehog nodded. "I think that's around where our base of operations are. Kill two birds with one stone, right?" Silence filled the air for what seemed like an eternity before Scootaloo spoke up once more. "Who are you?" The bipedal blue hedgehog pointed a finger to his chest and smirked. "You're looking at the guy who's gonna help save this world from whatever evil creep is threatening it; Sonic the Hedgehog!" RetrievedThe cold air brushed against Scootaloo's mane as she balanced Rainbow on her back. They had been running for about half an hour with the young filly panting as she struggled to keep up with a low-speed Sonic. But she had to keep up the pace. The pony she looked up to since she could speak was currently on death's row. "Sonic, how much further?" she asked as the blue blur skidded to a stop. He stared up at the cliff side in front of them. "Hey, Tails! Ya' mind lettin' me and my new friends in?! It's a bit of an emergency!" Scootaloo jumped as the rock wall slowly, but surely opened up to reveal a fairly sizable room willed with gizmos and gadgets on the inside with a blue logo of Sonic's head painted on the floor. "Whaddya think?" A bipedal orange fox with two tails and gloves and shoes jumped out of his seat in front of a large monitor. "Tails, my friend, you have done it again!" "Wow..." Scootaloo gasped as she took in everything around her. The strange and confusing technology around her slightly hypnotized her with their bright colors. She then shook her head, remembering the injured Rainbow Dash on her back. "...so that's when I found this little girl right here. I'm sure you can do something about getting that other flying horse a new wing." Sonic finished. Tails nodded and put a hand to his chin. "I should have everything I need in my lab." He then turned to Scootaloo. "Go and set your friend in the infirmary... um... Sonic what was her name again?" It was Sonic's turn to think. After a moment, he sweat dropped. "No idea. I got swept up in the moment." "It's Scootaloo and the pony on my back is the best flier in the entire world and my personal idol, Rainbow Dash!" The young filly beamed with pride as she ran off to the right hallway. Tails then cupped his hands and yelled, "Second door on the right!" Scootaloo stopped and turned her head to nod before going towards the first door on the left. Tails playfully shook his head and turned to Sonic once more. "I'll go and help Scootaloo get Rainbow Dash to the infirmary. I'm pretty sure you don't wanna stay for the surgery, so go ahead and take this." He handed the blue blur and small ID card. "This'll get you back in once you return, Oh, and before I forget, bring those other two back here. They'll need some medical attention as well." Sonic gave his best friend a thumbs up as Tails ran off in Scootaloo's direction. The town of Ponyville was currently in shambles. While a few buildings still stood in a decent form, most were filled with broken glass and holes in the walls. Sonic parkoured off of the broken homes, using momentum in his favor. With Tails operating on the injured pegasus, Sonic had a bit of time to do some thinking and run. As he wall jumped between the alleys he couldn't stop thinking about that 'Rainbow Dash' girl. With a name like that, she had to be fast, right? He assumed she would probably need some time to get accustomed to her new limb, but for the life of him, Sonic could not name a good place to do this from what this world was giving him. Of course, what Sonic considered good was much different from others. "Hmm. Maybe I can have Tails build a track or somethi-" "Please... Stay away!" Sonic's train of thought shattered as a feminine voice struck his eardrums. It was soft and young, but more importantly: scared. Jumping up onto the rooftops again, he looked down at a small group of stallions all surrounding two girls who looked no older than Scootaloo. The first pony was a white unicorn with a pink and light-purple curly mane. "Whaddya want with us!?" The second pony had a southern accent and a little bit more confidant tone, but not by much. Her light yellow coat and brilliant amaranth red mane stuck out in the grey skies. "Just give us that little jewel of yours and we'll let you go." The tallest of the group grabbed the unicorn with their magic and narrowed his eyes. "But at the same time, you don't really have a choice. Do it, or your friend bites it." As much as the earth mare looked like she wanted to fight back, the thought of her friend getting hurt restrained her. She could see the look of fear overtake her friend. The blue blur had seen enough to draw his conclusions. Springing into action, Sonic jumped off of the roof, landing right behind them. "Come and get some!" He shouted, getting into a fighting pose with his signature smirk on his face. "What? Who's this guy?" one of the thugs asked. "Who cares? Get him!" The leader shouted, throwing a small butterfly knife with his magic. Sonic, being the cocky hero he was, decided to preform a small break dance, ducking under the weapon by mere inches. The stunned thugs watched as the strange hero jumped back onto his feat and yawned. "Come on. Aiming for the eyes? That's just cheap." As another thug went up for a melee attack, Sonic grabbed his arm and threw him with a back flip, sending him into a wall and knocking him unconscious. "Also, this is what you do for kicks? Threatening little kids? There are so many better options!" The blue blur curled up and moved in the blink of an eye, taking out the other two crooks with a Spin Dash, leaving the leader as the last of the group standing. "Don't come any closer! I have two hostages! You wouldn't want them to get hurt, would you!?" Sonic could hear the outright fear in his tone and felt a small amount of pity. "Fine, I won't come any closer." He held his hands up as if to signal his "defeat." The thug sighed in relief. "That's right. Now, give me everything you've got." "As you wish!" Sonic quickly grabbed a medium-sized rock and clutched it in his hand. He then charged up another Spin Dash before using all of that momentum to chuck the rock at his head. The thug fell backwards from the blow at an alarming rate, dropping the unicorn filly and leaving everyone in complete shock. "Wow! I even surprise myself sometimes!" He then bent down and looked at the unconscious leader. "You know, for a minute there, I wasn't sure I could pull that off. Ah, who am I kidding? We BOTH knew how this was gonna end!" Sonic chuckled, only to be interrupted by a single cough. "Uh, are ya' talking to the unconscious stallion?" the earth mare asked in a nervous tone. A moment passed before Sonic thought up a suitable comeback. "Um, that's between me and the stallion. So, are you two okay?" They both nodded. "Thanks to you. We were looking for a friend of ours and I guess we lost track of where we were headed. After that, we ran into them and I think you know the rest." the white filly smiled. "I'm Sweetie Belle and this is Apple Bloom." "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! Hero of worlds. Righter of wrongs. Fastest thing alive." Apple Bloom tilted her head. "You don't look like any hedgehog I'll ever seen." she stated. Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah. Aren't they usually brown, black, or peach?" "I have no idea what you're talking about, but you mentioned that you're looking for a friend?" Sonic continued, shrugging off the question. Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah. She's an orange pegasus about our age with a dark magenta mane." "You mean Scootaloo?" Both fillies' eyes widened. "You've seen her?" "Of course! She's back with Tails in our base." "Tails..?" Sweetie Belle started. "It makes much more sense when you meet him." Sonic chuckled. "Oh right, before it slips my mind, that guy mentioned something about a jewel you had?" The mention of those valuables made the two fillies start to slowly back up. "Don't worry. I'm just curious." With some reluctance, Apple Bloom pulled out a perfectly cut emerald with a mystical dark green glow to it. Sonic's gaze drifted to the glowing jewel as his jaw dropped. "Whoa! You found a Chaos Emerald!" Apple Bloom immediately dropped the emerald at the mention of "Chaos." "Sweetie found it outside of her house this morning. But I don't want anything to do with it if that's Chaos related!" Apple Bloom took another step back. Picking up the emerald, Sonic continued to stare intently into the strange item. "I'll go into more detail once we get back to my base, but all you need to know is that this is very important. Like, 'your last ice cream in the middle of summer' important." The two started to move forward, intrigued by what this really was. The blue blur seemed to think intently for a moment before making his mind. "Grab onto my leg." "Ya'll sure 'bout that?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head again. "Either grab on, or your walking to our base." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle immediately latched onto his leg. "Okay. Let's go!" Holding up the emerald, he focused a portion of it's energy and shouted "CHAOS CONTROL!!!" A bright flash of light emitted from the emerald, this time much more intense. Suddenly, in a flash, they vanished into thin air without a trace. Well, nothing but a single, small, golden ring. AwokenDarkness clouded Rainbow Dash's vision. She could see something faintly coming into view, or more specifically, someone. As more and more of her sight came back, the outline of the figure was now more clear than ever. "S-Scootaloo?" she murmured, finally regaining all of her vision. The young filly turned, getting up from her seat and running up to her idol. "Rainbow Dash! You're all right!" "Like you thought I wouldn't be? I've been knocked unconscious before. Gonna take more than that to slow me down!" Dash boasted. Scootaloo smiled, seeing that her confidence hadn't dropped after the battle. Just then, Tails walked into the room, head down in a strange yellow device. " Gotta connect the clotractic capacitor to the quadratic module..." He then bumped into the bed Rainbow sat in. He looked up and nervously chuckled. "Sorry. I was working on a modifier for my Miles Electric and I forgot to look in front of me. But, anyways, go to see your awake. I'm Miles "Tails" Prower, but you can just call me Tails." Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion. This thing wasn't a pony, that was for sure. But, it sure acted like one. Them, her mind finally started to process the area around her. It didn't look like the Ponyville Hospital that she normally went to. This place looked much more... advanced. As if something clicked in her mind, all of Rainbow's memories came flooding back to her. Memories of the battle played back over and over again in her head. But, at last, one final memory drove its way to the front. Rainbow's eyes shrunk as a realization overcame her. She violently tore off the cover to look at the hole in her side. But, to her absolute shock, instead of finding bloodied bone, in its place was a metallic grey titanium wing about the size of her organic counterpart. Each large feather was replaced with cold metal cylinders with thin, rounded tips that mimicked the other wing in shape. ".....W-What is... THIS?!" She tried to thrash about as Tails did his best to hold her down, but inevitable failing. "Easy!" Tails and Scootaloo continued to hold her down with all of their might. "We thought you'd be happy! With this Prototype X-20 Hyperwing , you'll be back to flying in no time!" Rainbow's expression lightened slightly, but only slightly. "Where's my REAL wing!?" Tails' expression saddened. "The state from which you came in here, mechanical surgery seamed like the best option. Your left wing most likely couldn't be reattached even if it was here." "You don't get it, do you? That wing was with me since the day I was born. It was my very source of pride. I may have one true wing, but it's not the same! How would you like it if I took away that extra tail of yours?!" Scootaloo then stepped forward. "Come on Rainbow. Tails here did everything he could to give you a new wing. Please don't be mad at him. If anything, I think it makes you look even awesomer than before!" Rainbow wiped a few tears from her face. "Y-You really think so?" "You bet! I would NEVER lie to you!" A smile formed from Rainbow's lips. She could tell that Scootaloo was being sincere with the compliment. Arguing anymore would only make the three of them feel worse. The guilt Rainbow had for lashing out in the first place tore away at her morale. "Thanks, Squirt. Saying that says a lot to me-" Before the cyan mare could finish, a blinding green light filled the room. As the light faded away, Sonic, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle revealed themselves, oblivious of which room they were in. "Oh, yeah! I love doing that!" the blue blur cheered. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle shivered, still holding onto Sonic's leg. "Never again... Never again... Never again..." Sonic sweat dropped, turning to the earth pony attached to his other leg."It wasn't that bad, right Apple Bloom?" "Ah'm gonna throw up..." As Apple Bloom looked up, Sonic could see her pale green face. "Bathroom's to right across the hall." he weakly chuckled. As the young girl quickly ran off, Sweetie Belle finally looked in front of her to find a stunned Scootaloo with the widest smile she had seen in a long time. "Sweetie Belle!" "Scootaloo!" The two embraced in a warm hug as the others watched and smiled. "Apple Bloom and I have been looking everywhere for you!" "I'm glad to see you, too. Trust me, once Apple Bloom finishes hurling in the bathroom, we have a lot of catching up to do." "It's only been five hours." "Well, those were very strange five hours." As the two fillies continued conversing, Sonic looked at Rainbow Dash. " 'Sup?" He causally said. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, but I think you've already heard of me, considering I saved your life as well as Scootaloo's." The cyan mare chuckled. "Nope, never heard of you, but I think YOU'VE heard of me. The name's Rainbow Dash; the fastest flier to ever come out of Cloudsdale." Sonic smiled and lowered his brow slightly. "Nope, never heard of YOU either." By the way, mind if I look at your new wing. The pegasus nodded, extending her mechanical wing into view. Sonic's stare directed itself at Rainbow's wing, then back to Tails. "Not bad, little bro. I gotta hand it to you, for a 12-year-old, you sure can do some awesome stuff." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in both shock and amazement. "A 12-YEAR-OLD OPERATED ON ME?!" Sonic shrugged casually. "Yeah. He's the best person I know when it comes to tinkering with machines. Trust me, he never gets anything wrong when it comes to what he does! At least, I hope so." he joked, unaware of the worries that ran through the mare's mind. WARNING! RAINBOWDASH.EXE HAS STOPPED WORKING Rainbow's eye twitched. After Apple Bloom finished throwing up her lunch and Rainbow go out of the sick bay, everyone sat down in the main room. As people traded their stories for a good hour, Sonic finally stood up. "Now, I know this is a bit strange meeting a totally awesome hero and his cool genius sidekick." Sonic motioned to Tails, who waved to the others. "But we've got some explaining to do. As the group leaned in to hear what he had to say, Sonic pulled out the Chaos Emerald he got from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Everyone stared intently into the mystical jewel. "This is a Chaos Emerald. To put it simply, these things have been life savers in the past and if we can get all seven of them, we can totally end this war without any problems." "That's not very descriptive." Rainbow Dash deadpanned. Sonic smirked, continuing his lecture. "Well, how about this? They allow teleportation which is how Scootaloo's friends and I got here." "Don't remind me." Apple Bloom groaned, still remembering the nausea she suffered from her first experience. "Along with that, we can also use these to manipulate chaos energy, obtain super forms, get free WiFi, you know, stuff like that." "Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up a sec." Rainbow intervened. "Chaos energy?! What's that? A remnant of Discord's power?" "I don't know who that is, but I can assure you, the energy I'm talking about hasn't had an official clear and cut backstory of where it originated since the beginning of time. At least, as far as I know." Sonic tossed the emerald up and caught it over and over again like it was a toy. "Well, I don't get why you're acting so casually." Apple Bloom growled. "This isn't some game we're playing, you know. The Crystal War against King Sombra has been leading on for three years! " "Well..." Sonic started, pointing a thumb to his chest. "You're looking at the guy who's survived a fall from space, defeated genies, demi-gods, massive hulking robots, survived a hyper-go-on powered black hole, and more recently, corrected the flow of time itself. Oh, and by the way, I've been doin' this for 26 years. So, you wanna keep on going, or are we good?" The blue blur flashed a wide grin and lowered his brow slightly in amusement, watching as Apple Bloom almost fell over in her seat. "You don't look 26." Scootaloo interjected. "You see, I'm technically only 20. Don't ask. I never understood it either." He then turned back to the others. "Any other questions?" No one spoke. "Good. Well, now that that's out of the way, Rainbow Dash, You're coming with me." She nodded, puffing her chest out with pride. "Finally! Time to get back out there and kick some butt!" "Wait, have you even tested your wing?" Sonic asked. Rainbow immediately went silent. "That's what I thought. Just try and keep up!" With a flash, Sonic ran out the door, leaving behind a blue streak. "Oh, it is on!" Rainbow narrowed her eyes and flapped her wings. In one move, she lifted her hooves off the ground and took off after Sonic. Even though she was keeping up her speed, however, she struggled to keep her balance and soon found herself face first in a pile of dirt. Luckily, Sonic had stopped a few feet ahead and darted back towards her. After pulling the young mare out of the ground, the blue blur put a hand to the back of his head and nervously smiled. "Okay, Dashie. We've got some work to do..." Rainbow then rose back on her hooves and shook her head. "Don't worry! I got this!" She then pulled herself off the ground and managed to keep her balance... for a hole five seconds. She then landed back on the ground, rapidly itching the fur around her metal appendage. "What? It's really itchy!" Sonic then applied an ancient technique used since the dawn of time. Raise hand. Extend palm. Apply to face. Back In TimeRainbow Dash has spent what felt like an eternity chasing after a running Sonic. Even though her hindered speed slowed her down, the gap between the two remained relatively the same. Whether that was due to the blue blur slowing down or the pegasus slowly getting accustomed to her new wing, she seemed to be doing well with her mechanical appendage. As Sonic skidded to a stop, Rainbow did the same, almost flying straight into him in the process. "Hey, what's up?" she asked, leaning to the left to get a look at what was ahead. "Whoa..." It was now that she finally took the time to take a look at her surroundings. Lush green plains with a plethora of palm trees and bright moving flowers covered the area. Checkerboard-like designs painted the ground to symbolize racing flags and going fast. Tree log bridges hung over a bright blue lake filled by a constantly flowing waterfall. The terrain was uneven, branching out into different paths. "Well well, I was wondering where this place went." Sonic stated, slowly walking forwards. "What is this place?" Rainbow asked, tailing close behind him. Sonic turned his head and smiled. "Green Hill Zone. My home and place to have fun. Pretty cool, huh?" He then gave a light chuckle with a determined stare in his eyes. "How 'bout we go for a run? Just make sure you keep up this time." The cyan mare returned the gesture. "Worry, about yourself, big guy." "Okay, if you say so... 3-2-1 Go!" Sonic quickly shouted, speeding off towards the hills ahead. Rainbow's eyes widened, taking a second to realize what just happened. "Hey, come back here, you!" With a leap, Dash spread her wings, pursuing the blue blur. Her balance had gotten much better from the trip here and she felt almost nothing holding her back in her mind. Cue Back in Time) As the music around him kicked in, Sonic slowed down looked behind him to see a determined Rainbow Dash flying a few feet behind him, but still keeping up at an equal speed. "Hey, not bad!" he shouted, giving her a thumbs up before accelerating once more. Rainbow narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. Feeling the wind rush past her body was just what she needed. "Just you wait! I haven't even kicked into second gear!" After Sonic dashed over the grassy plains, he jumped up and pushed himself off of a jagged rock before dodging the others in mid air. Rainbow started to dart around the boulders in a similar fashion to Sonic. With one last jump, the blue blur boosted straight off the last rock and landed on the path below with the pegasus angling down and barrel rolling to the lower land as well. As they continued on, Sonic and Dash quickly approached a shuttle loop. The blue blur jumped up and curled into a ball before landing and blasting off even faster than before. A blue streak tailed behind him as he tore through the area. Rainbow then tilted to the side before preforming several full loops through the hole of the structure. A rainbow streak followed her as she lit up her path. As Sonic finished the massive loop, he uncurled and bounced off of a flat topped red spring placed conveniently at the end of the loop. As he threw his arms forward, the blue blur smiled, seeing the breath-taking view of the world around him. It was moments like these that made him feel truly alive and savor every moment of his adventures. He then snapped his head to the sound of Rainbow Dash finally catching up and flying right beside him. A single look was enough to tell she was having as much fun as he was. In fact, she looked kind of cute to Sonic. But he didn't want to think about it too much. In a single move, Sonic started spinning to lower his altitude and quickly drifted at contact with the ground to turn towards the final structure. After running over the bridge with Rainbow flying through a waterfall, Sonic started running through a corkscrew loop while the young cyan mare flew straight through the middle. Ironically enough, Sonic managed to make it through his route first with Dash coming out a second later. The two continued at high speeds into the forest, both experiencing and enjoying the thrill of their adventure with genuine smiles on their faces. (Back in Time Fades Out) The path they traveled on led the two through the entire Green Hill Zone and eventually found themselves watching the sun set over the horizon. The speed demons were currently sitting on a ledge that overlooked the main section of the area. Sonic was currently regaling the tales of his adventures from his past. "...And then I started running. You should have seen the look on the doctor's face as the Death Egg blew up." The mare rolled her eyes in amusement. "Your life is just one big adventure, isn't it?" Sonic shrugged his shoulders. "Normal day in the life of the fastest thing alive." "Hey, that title still hasn't been officially handed out!" Rainbow gave a playful punch to Sonic's side. "But anyways, what was with that music?" "Huh?" "You know, that whole 'Back in Time' song that was playing while we explored." She watched as Sonic chuckled to himself before giving an answer. "You'd be surprised what kind of music that my world will give out. I actually really like it. Sets the mood for things pretty good." "Yeah, I guess I gotta give you that, it was pretty awesome, but more importantly, what was the point of this? You know, besides getting me accustomed to my new wing." Rainbow asked, fluffing her wings out slightly. The blue blur turned back to Dash and took a deep breath. "When was the last time you ever stopped and had a little fun since this whole war of yours started?" The mare seemed to think long and hard before shrugging. "It may be an ongoing battle, but ya' gotta learn to loosen up a bit." Sonic then started to smile again. "Besides, what good is an adventure if it's not any fun?" Rainbow let his words sink in. Before the war, she had been a carefree mare living her life on the edge and seeking thrills just for kicks. When she became a Wonderbolt to combat King Sombra and his hypnotized army, she had lost a part of herself and it wasn't until not that she finally realized what it was. "Well, we better get going." Sonic said, stretching his arms and walking away. "H-Huh?" Rainbow stuttered, getting back on her hooves. "It's getting real late. I don't know about you, but I usually like sleeping in a bed. Besides, we've got work to do tomorrow." "Yeah. I guess your right. I wouldn't want to get Scoots worried 'bout me." As the two continued back, Sonic spoke up once more. "The kid really likes you. She gave you nothing but praise when I talked to her. Reminds me of when I first met Tails." Rainbow then tilted her head. "Your sidekick?" "He's more than just my player two. He's my best friend and been by my side ever since good 'ol 1992" Sonic stated. Suddenly, the duo heard a buzz come from Sonic's quills. Reaching in, the blue blur pulled out a yellow device similar to Tails' Miles Electric. Turning it on, a worried Tails popped up on screen. "Sonic! We need you back here quick! Ponyville is under heavy fire!" Sonic's expression darkened slightly. "Say no more, buddy. Hang tight!" Storing his screen back in his head quills, Sonic turned back to Dash as the two nodded to each other. "Alright. It's go time!" Sonic and Dash then took off at breakneck speeds towards the town, hoping to make it in time to save as many as they could.
Give and TakeIt was meant to be a simple recon mission. A milk run, if you will. The esteemed Wonderbolts soared high above, staring down at the barren wasteland that was once a peaceful world full of happy ponies and colorful towns. Ever since the war against King Sombra and the Crystal Empire started, Equestria's resources have started to run thin. If they could find anything useful in these parts of the world, it would be rare. "Find anything yet?" Fleetfoot called over to the others. "Negative." Soarin replied. "Same here. What 'bout you, Spitfire?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning her head to face their leader. After another moment of staring down, Spitfire stared back and started to bark commands. "Guys, angle down forty-five degrees. We're being watched." Rainbow blinked. "By who?!" "Shadowbolts." Without anymore questions, all four Wonderbolts dipped down to the ground and landed, looking back up to the skies to find five shadowy figures descend after them. As they landed the Wonderbolts could get a clear view of their enemies. In front of them were the pegasi, Nightshade, Stratus, Starry Skies, Charger, and Blueball Blitz. The Shadowbolt leader stepped forward, a devilish grin plastered on her face. "You know, it would be easier if you just surrendered to King Sombra's Empire." "Cut the crap! You know damn well that we would never join you!" Spitfire shouted. Nightshade chuckled. "Well, you try to be reasonable... and look where it get you..." In a flash, the Shadowbolts and Wonderbolts clashed, Nightshade and Starry Skies going after Spitfire and the other three found a match against another Wonderbolt. Nightshade and Starry Skies started their all-out assault on the fiery mare, smirking as Spitfire struggled to keep up. "I thought you Wonderbolts didn't get tired." Starry Skies taunted, throwing a roundhouse kick. Spitfire saw her chance and ducked under her leg, grabbing it in the process. "We do get tired, but we don't get sloppy." The captain then spun Starry Skies around before tossing her at Nightshade. She narrowly dodged her comrade, growling in annoyance. "Clever. But would you really have been satisfied with a grapple like that?" Nightshade then darted up to Spitfire as she started to ascend. With her spare leg, Spitfire then smashed Nightshade in the face. As the Shadowbolt leader staggered. Spitfire started to escape, but Nightshade soon shrugged off the blow and tailed behind her. Soarin and Stratus struggled against one another, hooves locked together. Both looked for an opening against one another. A scowling Soarin tried to use his hind legs to sweep Stratus and knock him off balance, but his opponent was quicker to the punch. Soarin soon fell to the ground as the Shadowbolt assaulted him in every direction, using his speed to land solid blows on his fallen prey. A battered and beaten Soarin shot an angry look at Stratus. "Don't you dare lay a hoof on my friends." "Don't worry, I won't." Status softly chuckled, quickly chopping him on the neck, practically shutting down Soarin's body in seconds. "I'll let my friends do that." Fleetfoot and Charger slammed each other constantly, hoping to outdo each other in a war of attrition. All the while, both were hoping to catch up to Spitfire and Nightshade to help their respective leaders. One more side bash put Fleetfoot in front by a few inches, but Charger was not going to have that. The Shadowbolt silently pulled out a potion with his mouth. Its strange orange substance was going to help him end this quickly. He chucked the bottle at his Wonderbolt enemy, nailing her on the back. As Fleetfoot continued to gain ground, she suddenly felt something pierce her back. Turning her head, she found her entire body begin to cover itself entirely with black crystals. "Spitfire! Charger's heading towards- ACK!" The cold, shiny, crystalline solid only allowed her to finish half of her warning as the crystals finished encasing her body. Fleetfoot's frozen body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, a look of horror plastered on her face. Spitfire and Nightshade swooped down towards the ground below, pulling up just in time to avoid smashing into the ground at 120 miles per hour. "Get back here!" Nightshade shouted. The battle of attrition was wearing her patience thin. Spitfire kept dipping and rising, trying to get Nightshade off her tail. However, as the other mare started to show signs of fatigue, Charger tackled the Wonderbolt out of the sky and onto the ground. With her wings and hooves pinned down, Charger grunted. "You know what needs to be done. Go." Nightshade nodded, taking off towards the last of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire tried her best to struggle free from his grasp, but she knew it was all in vain. Charger was the alchemist and muscle of the team. She wasn't going anywhere. Blueball Blitz randomly dashed around Rainbow Dash, stopping on the dime, only to go a different direction. The rainbow-maned mare did her best to keep up and even slowly started to close the gap. "You really think you can keep up?! 'Cause you can't!" Rainbow gritted her teeth at the insult. She hated being called slow, even if it wasn't specifically stated. With one more bust of energy, Rainbow Dash flew ahead of Blueball before turning around and unleashing a hoof to her face. She stopped dead in her tracks. Another punch emitted a loud crack. She then ascended over Blueball Blitz and rammed her straight into the ground Dash stood up and scoffed. "You know, I can be a jerk and do a lot worse, but I don't want to stoop to your level." "RAINBOW DASH!" She quickly snapped her head to the sound of a young mare. Rainbow's gaze drifted over to someone she never thought would be in a place like this. The young filly known as Scootaloo waved to the Wonderbolt from behind her rock cover. At her side, a small pile of smoke bombs were stacked sloppily to her right. "Scootaloo?!" Dash briskly trotted over to her biggest fan. "What are you doing here?! You need to get home, quick!" "But I wanna stay here and fight!" Scootaloo whined. "I can handle myself just fine. I've got smoke bombs and my own four hooves." Rainbow couldn't help but admire Scootaloo's confidence. She was willing to do almost anything to impress her. Such bravery, or, was it stupidity. Either way, this hit high on the list of things Scootaloo has done to try and impress her. "Okay, squirt. While I am flattered that you want to follow in my hoofsteps, this isn't the best time or place. Please, you've gotta get outta here!" With a bit of hesitation, Scootaloo nodded. "Okay, Rainbow. I'll write you a letter in a few days." With one last smile from Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo started back for home. Before she could even get more than a few feat, however, Nightshade grabbed the young filly by her mane. "Nightshade!" Rainbow started. "Let her go! Or else..." "Or else what? You're in no position to be giving out orders." As the pegasus started to back up, she felt a burning sensation strike her leg. She quickly turned her head to find Charger and Stratus standing mere inches away from her. As she tried to move out of the way of a second strike, her leg's injury slowed her down and she took another hit, this time breaking her left wing. She lashed out in pain, trying to remain silent. Tears of pain wanted to form in her eyes, but she kept them back regardless. She wouldn't give them that satisfaction. As Nightshade stepped forward. Rainbow put on the bravest she could muster in her current state, hoping to maybe intimidate her. "You know what, I'll let the brat go. Just like you asked." Nightshade tossed the filly aside, letting her hit the ground a few inches away. "You know, you've been a pain in the ass for a while now. You just seem to keep getting better and better. Let's fix that. Permanently." Nightshade took another step forward, grabbing Rainbow's left wing with her hoof all the while the two stallions of the group holding Rainbow in place. The Shadowbolt leader tightened her grip. Finally, with an angered grunt, She pulled with all of her might, tearing Rainbow's wing straight out of it's socket. A sickening snap filled the air. Rainbow Dash's eyes shrunk in complete horror. "Aw, what's the matter? Sad over a damn little wing? I could have done a lot worse..." Nightshade taunted. For Rainbow Dash, it might have well been her life. In a fit of rage, she screamed, letting all of her frustration and pain out at once. "GIVE IT BACK TO ME! YOU CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!...." Rainbow's screams echoed across the battlefield and quite possibly much further. She just couldn't take it anymore. Her pride and joy was dangling in the hooves of the Shadowbolt leader. Rainbow didn't care about the blood pouring from her side. She didn't care about the stinging sensations that flooded her body's nervous system. She didn't care about the shocked and horrified look Scootaloo gave her. She wanted her wings. Without them, she was nothing. "Give... it back... I need it... You can't... I need it. Give it back...." Her voice slowly, but surely broke into uncontrollable sobs. She wanted to think that this was just a dream. Just some horrible nightmare that she would wake up from any second. But, alas, that was not the case. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Nightshade trotted up to the fallen Rainbow Dash, kicking her over on her side, laughing manically. "Come on. Where's that fighting spirit I once saw? One injury and your a weak little crybaby. If your gonna be a poor sport, I might as well end you." "Leave her alone!" Scootaloo shouted, running straight towards the Shadowbolts. She would not stand and watch as her idol bit the big one. "Rainbow Dash is ten times the pony all of you are combined!" "Scootaloo..." Rainbow stammered. "R-Run, Scootaloo." With her message delivered, Rainbow Dash passed out from blood loss. The filly's eyes widened. The Rainbow Dash she knew would never say something like that. Why would she want to be running at a time like this? The pony she looked up to was in trouble and she needed her help. She flung her hoof forward at the leader with the intent of doing whatever damage she could. Nightshade caught the hoof with little trouble. "Oh, look who's trying to be a hero. You're out of your league, kid." As the Shadowbolt leader raised her free hoof to strike Scootaloo down, she closed her eyes and braced for impact. Suddenly, Scootaloo seemingly vanished as a blue streak whisked by, taking the young girl with it. "How about you fight someone well past your league!?" Turning to the voice, the Shadowbolts looked at the strange figure in front of them. Standing atop a nearby rock structure was a bipedal blue creature with slick, yet sharp spines down his head and back. White gloves were worn over his peach colored hands. Finally, sleek, red sneakers with a single white stripe and golden buckle covered his feet. "What? Ain't ya ever seen a hedgehog before?" He said in a joking tone. It caught everyone off guard. No one had heard such a surprisingly genuine care-free tone since the war had begun. He then gently sat Scootaloo down and gave a warm smile to her. "Sit tight, kid. I'll take it from here." His voice was confidant and strong, yet kind and loving. "Who's this freak?" Charger asked. In a fraction of a second, the strange hero disappeared, only to reappear in front of the stallion, giving him a good punch to the jaw. He sprawled back a few feet from the blow. "Freak? That's harsh. I'm a hedgehog! HEDGE-HOG! I'd spell it out for you, but I've got something different in mind." He jumped into the air and curled up into a ball; a glowing blue energy wrapping itself around him. He then started a rapid assault on the Shadowbolts, first taking out Blueball, then Stratus and Starry Skies. Nightshade took more than a single hit, however. But surly enough, even she was starting to get overwhelmed. The blue hedgehog continued bouncing off of her; getting faster with each blow. After the tenth Homing Attack, the mysterious hero uncurled and posed in mid-air. "Let's go!" He flashed a quick smile before curling up and launching a final attack. With one more strike, Nightshade fell to the ground beside the other Shadowbolts. "Aw. What's the matter? Couldn't keep up? I may have forgotten to mention that I move faster than the speed of sound." He casually dusted the dirt off of his side and smirked. "You've dug your own grave." Was the only response he got back from Nightshade. As the Shadowbolts took their leave, the mysterious hero looked back at the terrified orange filly. She took a step back. "Hey, kid. I'm not gonna hurt you." He said, holding both his arms out to emphasize his point. Reluctantly, Scootaloo trotted out of hiding. "Why did you save me?" "Because you needed saving. Why else?" He joked. "But all joking aside, your friends over there look like they need some help."The mysterious hero picked up the unconscious Rainbow Dash and set her on Scootaloo's back. She was surprisingly able to hold her weight. "There's a hospital back at Ponyville. We should hurry before her condition gets any worse." Scootaloo suggested. The hedgehog nodded. "I think that's around where our base of operations are. Kill two birds with one stone, right?" Silence filled the air for what seemed like an eternity before Scootaloo spoke up once more. "Who are you?" The bipedal blue hedgehog pointed a finger to his chest and smirked. "You're looking at the guy who's gonna help save this world from whatever evil creep is threatening it; Sonic the Hedgehog!"
RetrievedThe cold air brushed against Scootaloo's mane as she balanced Rainbow on her back. They had been running for about half an hour with the young filly panting as she struggled to keep up with a low-speed Sonic. But she had to keep up the pace. The pony she looked up to since she could speak was currently on death's row. "Sonic, how much further?" she asked as the blue blur skidded to a stop. He stared up at the cliff side in front of them. "Hey, Tails! Ya' mind lettin' me and my new friends in?! It's a bit of an emergency!" Scootaloo jumped as the rock wall slowly, but surely opened up to reveal a fairly sizable room willed with gizmos and gadgets on the inside with a blue logo of Sonic's head painted on the floor. "Whaddya think?" A bipedal orange fox with two tails and gloves and shoes jumped out of his seat in front of a large monitor. "Tails, my friend, you have done it again!" "Wow..." Scootaloo gasped as she took in everything around her. The strange and confusing technology around her slightly hypnotized her with their bright colors. She then shook her head, remembering the injured Rainbow Dash on her back. "...so that's when I found this little girl right here. I'm sure you can do something about getting that other flying horse a new wing." Sonic finished. Tails nodded and put a hand to his chin. "I should have everything I need in my lab." He then turned to Scootaloo. "Go and set your friend in the infirmary... um... Sonic what was her name again?" It was Sonic's turn to think. After a moment, he sweat dropped. "No idea. I got swept up in the moment." "It's Scootaloo and the pony on my back is the best flier in the entire world and my personal idol, Rainbow Dash!" The young filly beamed with pride as she ran off to the right hallway. Tails then cupped his hands and yelled, "Second door on the right!" Scootaloo stopped and turned her head to nod before going towards the first door on the left. Tails playfully shook his head and turned to Sonic once more. "I'll go and help Scootaloo get Rainbow Dash to the infirmary. I'm pretty sure you don't wanna stay for the surgery, so go ahead and take this." He handed the blue blur and small ID card. "This'll get you back in once you return, Oh, and before I forget, bring those other two back here. They'll need some medical attention as well." Sonic gave his best friend a thumbs up as Tails ran off in Scootaloo's direction. The town of Ponyville was currently in shambles. While a few buildings still stood in a decent form, most were filled with broken glass and holes in the walls. Sonic parkoured off of the broken homes, using momentum in his favor. With Tails operating on the injured pegasus, Sonic had a bit of time to do some thinking and run. As he wall jumped between the alleys he couldn't stop thinking about that 'Rainbow Dash' girl. With a name like that, she had to be fast, right? He assumed she would probably need some time to get accustomed to her new limb, but for the life of him, Sonic could not name a good place to do this from what this world was giving him. Of course, what Sonic considered good was much different from others. "Hmm. Maybe I can have Tails build a track or somethi-" "Please... Stay away!" Sonic's train of thought shattered as a feminine voice struck his eardrums. It was soft and young, but more importantly: scared. Jumping up onto the rooftops again, he looked down at a small group of stallions all surrounding two girls who looked no older than Scootaloo. The first pony was a white unicorn with a pink and light-purple curly mane. "Whaddya want with us!?" The second pony had a southern accent and a little bit more confidant tone, but not by much. Her light yellow coat and brilliant amaranth red mane stuck out in the grey skies. "Just give us that little jewel of yours and we'll let you go." The tallest of the group grabbed the unicorn with their magic and narrowed his eyes. "But at the same time, you don't really have a choice. Do it, or your friend bites it." As much as the earth mare looked like she wanted to fight back, the thought of her friend getting hurt restrained her. She could see the look of fear overtake her friend. The blue blur had seen enough to draw his conclusions. Springing into action, Sonic jumped off of the roof, landing right behind them. "Come and get some!" He shouted, getting into a fighting pose with his signature smirk on his face. "What? Who's this guy?" one of the thugs asked. "Who cares? Get him!" The leader shouted, throwing a small butterfly knife with his magic. Sonic, being the cocky hero he was, decided to preform a small break dance, ducking under the weapon by mere inches. The stunned thugs watched as the strange hero jumped back onto his feat and yawned. "Come on. Aiming for the eyes? That's just cheap." As another thug went up for a melee attack, Sonic grabbed his arm and threw him with a back flip, sending him into a wall and knocking him unconscious. "Also, this is what you do for kicks? Threatening little kids? There are so many better options!" The blue blur curled up and moved in the blink of an eye, taking out the other two crooks with a Spin Dash, leaving the leader as the last of the group standing. "Don't come any closer! I have two hostages! You wouldn't want them to get hurt, would you!?" Sonic could hear the outright fear in his tone and felt a small amount of pity. "Fine, I won't come any closer." He held his hands up as if to signal his "defeat." The thug sighed in relief. "That's right. Now, give me everything you've got." "As you wish!" Sonic quickly grabbed a medium-sized rock and clutched it in his hand. He then charged up another Spin Dash before using all of that momentum to chuck the rock at his head. The thug fell backwards from the blow at an alarming rate, dropping the unicorn filly and leaving everyone in complete shock. "Wow! I even surprise myself sometimes!" He then bent down and looked at the unconscious leader. "You know, for a minute there, I wasn't sure I could pull that off. Ah, who am I kidding? We BOTH knew how this was gonna end!" Sonic chuckled, only to be interrupted by a single cough. "Uh, are ya' talking to the unconscious stallion?" the earth mare asked in a nervous tone. A moment passed before Sonic thought up a suitable comeback. "Um, that's between me and the stallion. So, are you two okay?" They both nodded. "Thanks to you. We were looking for a friend of ours and I guess we lost track of where we were headed. After that, we ran into them and I think you know the rest." the white filly smiled. "I'm Sweetie Belle and this is Apple Bloom." "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! Hero of worlds. Righter of wrongs. Fastest thing alive." Apple Bloom tilted her head. "You don't look like any hedgehog I'll ever seen." she stated. Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah. Aren't they usually brown, black, or peach?" "I have no idea what you're talking about, but you mentioned that you're looking for a friend?" Sonic continued, shrugging off the question. Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah. She's an orange pegasus about our age with a dark magenta mane." "You mean Scootaloo?" Both fillies' eyes widened. "You've seen her?" "Of course! She's back with Tails in our base." "Tails..?" Sweetie Belle started. "It makes much more sense when you meet him." Sonic chuckled. "Oh right, before it slips my mind, that guy mentioned something about a jewel you had?" The mention of those valuables made the two fillies start to slowly back up. "Don't worry. I'm just curious." With some reluctance, Apple Bloom pulled out a perfectly cut emerald with a mystical dark green glow to it. Sonic's gaze drifted to the glowing jewel as his jaw dropped. "Whoa! You found a Chaos Emerald!" Apple Bloom immediately dropped the emerald at the mention of "Chaos." "Sweetie found it outside of her house this morning. But I don't want anything to do with it if that's Chaos related!" Apple Bloom took another step back. Picking up the emerald, Sonic continued to stare intently into the strange item. "I'll go into more detail once we get back to my base, but all you need to know is that this is very important. Like, 'your last ice cream in the middle of summer' important." The two started to move forward, intrigued by what this really was. The blue blur seemed to think intently for a moment before making his mind. "Grab onto my leg." "Ya'll sure 'bout that?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head again. "Either grab on, or your walking to our base." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle immediately latched onto his leg. "Okay. Let's go!" Holding up the emerald, he focused a portion of it's energy and shouted "CHAOS CONTROL!!!" A bright flash of light emitted from the emerald, this time much more intense. Suddenly, in a flash, they vanished into thin air without a trace. Well, nothing but a single, small, golden ring.
AwokenDarkness clouded Rainbow Dash's vision. She could see something faintly coming into view, or more specifically, someone. As more and more of her sight came back, the outline of the figure was now more clear than ever. "S-Scootaloo?" she murmured, finally regaining all of her vision. The young filly turned, getting up from her seat and running up to her idol. "Rainbow Dash! You're all right!" "Like you thought I wouldn't be? I've been knocked unconscious before. Gonna take more than that to slow me down!" Dash boasted. Scootaloo smiled, seeing that her confidence hadn't dropped after the battle. Just then, Tails walked into the room, head down in a strange yellow device. " Gotta connect the clotractic capacitor to the quadratic module..." He then bumped into the bed Rainbow sat in. He looked up and nervously chuckled. "Sorry. I was working on a modifier for my Miles Electric and I forgot to look in front of me. But, anyways, go to see your awake. I'm Miles "Tails" Prower, but you can just call me Tails." Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion. This thing wasn't a pony, that was for sure. But, it sure acted like one. Them, her mind finally started to process the area around her. It didn't look like the Ponyville Hospital that she normally went to. This place looked much more... advanced. As if something clicked in her mind, all of Rainbow's memories came flooding back to her. Memories of the battle played back over and over again in her head. But, at last, one final memory drove its way to the front. Rainbow's eyes shrunk as a realization overcame her. She violently tore off the cover to look at the hole in her side. But, to her absolute shock, instead of finding bloodied bone, in its place was a metallic grey titanium wing about the size of her organic counterpart. Each large feather was replaced with cold metal cylinders with thin, rounded tips that mimicked the other wing in shape. ".....W-What is... THIS?!" She tried to thrash about as Tails did his best to hold her down, but inevitable failing. "Easy!" Tails and Scootaloo continued to hold her down with all of their might. "We thought you'd be happy! With this Prototype X-20 Hyperwing , you'll be back to flying in no time!" Rainbow's expression lightened slightly, but only slightly. "Where's my REAL wing!?" Tails' expression saddened. "The state from which you came in here, mechanical surgery seamed like the best option. Your left wing most likely couldn't be reattached even if it was here." "You don't get it, do you? That wing was with me since the day I was born. It was my very source of pride. I may have one true wing, but it's not the same! How would you like it if I took away that extra tail of yours?!" Scootaloo then stepped forward. "Come on Rainbow. Tails here did everything he could to give you a new wing. Please don't be mad at him. If anything, I think it makes you look even awesomer than before!" Rainbow wiped a few tears from her face. "Y-You really think so?" "You bet! I would NEVER lie to you!" A smile formed from Rainbow's lips. She could tell that Scootaloo was being sincere with the compliment. Arguing anymore would only make the three of them feel worse. The guilt Rainbow had for lashing out in the first place tore away at her morale. "Thanks, Squirt. Saying that says a lot to me-" Before the cyan mare could finish, a blinding green light filled the room. As the light faded away, Sonic, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle revealed themselves, oblivious of which room they were in. "Oh, yeah! I love doing that!" the blue blur cheered. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle shivered, still holding onto Sonic's leg. "Never again... Never again... Never again..." Sonic sweat dropped, turning to the earth pony attached to his other leg."It wasn't that bad, right Apple Bloom?" "Ah'm gonna throw up..." As Apple Bloom looked up, Sonic could see her pale green face. "Bathroom's to right across the hall." he weakly chuckled. As the young girl quickly ran off, Sweetie Belle finally looked in front of her to find a stunned Scootaloo with the widest smile she had seen in a long time. "Sweetie Belle!" "Scootaloo!" The two embraced in a warm hug as the others watched and smiled. "Apple Bloom and I have been looking everywhere for you!" "I'm glad to see you, too. Trust me, once Apple Bloom finishes hurling in the bathroom, we have a lot of catching up to do." "It's only been five hours." "Well, those were very strange five hours." As the two fillies continued conversing, Sonic looked at Rainbow Dash. " 'Sup?" He causally said. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, but I think you've already heard of me, considering I saved your life as well as Scootaloo's." The cyan mare chuckled. "Nope, never heard of you, but I think YOU'VE heard of me. The name's Rainbow Dash; the fastest flier to ever come out of Cloudsdale." Sonic smiled and lowered his brow slightly. "Nope, never heard of YOU either." By the way, mind if I look at your new wing. The pegasus nodded, extending her mechanical wing into view. Sonic's stare directed itself at Rainbow's wing, then back to Tails. "Not bad, little bro. I gotta hand it to you, for a 12-year-old, you sure can do some awesome stuff." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in both shock and amazement. "A 12-YEAR-OLD OPERATED ON ME?!" Sonic shrugged casually. "Yeah. He's the best person I know when it comes to tinkering with machines. Trust me, he never gets anything wrong when it comes to what he does! At least, I hope so." he joked, unaware of the worries that ran through the mare's mind. WARNING! RAINBOWDASH.EXE HAS STOPPED WORKING Rainbow's eye twitched. After Apple Bloom finished throwing up her lunch and Rainbow go out of the sick bay, everyone sat down in the main room. As people traded their stories for a good hour, Sonic finally stood up. "Now, I know this is a bit strange meeting a totally awesome hero and his cool genius sidekick." Sonic motioned to Tails, who waved to the others. "But we've got some explaining to do. As the group leaned in to hear what he had to say, Sonic pulled out the Chaos Emerald he got from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Everyone stared intently into the mystical jewel. "This is a Chaos Emerald. To put it simply, these things have been life savers in the past and if we can get all seven of them, we can totally end this war without any problems." "That's not very descriptive." Rainbow Dash deadpanned. Sonic smirked, continuing his lecture. "Well, how about this? They allow teleportation which is how Scootaloo's friends and I got here." "Don't remind me." Apple Bloom groaned, still remembering the nausea she suffered from her first experience. "Along with that, we can also use these to manipulate chaos energy, obtain super forms, get free WiFi, you know, stuff like that." "Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up a sec." Rainbow intervened. "Chaos energy?! What's that? A remnant of Discord's power?" "I don't know who that is, but I can assure you, the energy I'm talking about hasn't had an official clear and cut backstory of where it originated since the beginning of time. At least, as far as I know." Sonic tossed the emerald up and caught it over and over again like it was a toy. "Well, I don't get why you're acting so casually." Apple Bloom growled. "This isn't some game we're playing, you know. The Crystal War against King Sombra has been leading on for three years! " "Well..." Sonic started, pointing a thumb to his chest. "You're looking at the guy who's survived a fall from space, defeated genies, demi-gods, massive hulking robots, survived a hyper-go-on powered black hole, and more recently, corrected the flow of time itself. Oh, and by the way, I've been doin' this for 26 years. So, you wanna keep on going, or are we good?" The blue blur flashed a wide grin and lowered his brow slightly in amusement, watching as Apple Bloom almost fell over in her seat. "You don't look 26." Scootaloo interjected. "You see, I'm technically only 20. Don't ask. I never understood it either." He then turned back to the others. "Any other questions?" No one spoke. "Good. Well, now that that's out of the way, Rainbow Dash, You're coming with me." She nodded, puffing her chest out with pride. "Finally! Time to get back out there and kick some butt!" "Wait, have you even tested your wing?" Sonic asked. Rainbow immediately went silent. "That's what I thought. Just try and keep up!" With a flash, Sonic ran out the door, leaving behind a blue streak. "Oh, it is on!" Rainbow narrowed her eyes and flapped her wings. In one move, she lifted her hooves off the ground and took off after Sonic. Even though she was keeping up her speed, however, she struggled to keep her balance and soon found herself face first in a pile of dirt. Luckily, Sonic had stopped a few feet ahead and darted back towards her. After pulling the young mare out of the ground, the blue blur put a hand to the back of his head and nervously smiled. "Okay, Dashie. We've got some work to do..." Rainbow then rose back on her hooves and shook her head. "Don't worry! I got this!" She then pulled herself off the ground and managed to keep her balance... for a hole five seconds. She then landed back on the ground, rapidly itching the fur around her metal appendage. "What? It's really itchy!" Sonic then applied an ancient technique used since the dawn of time. Raise hand. Extend palm. Apply to face.
Back In TimeRainbow Dash has spent what felt like an eternity chasing after a running Sonic. Even though her hindered speed slowed her down, the gap between the two remained relatively the same. Whether that was due to the blue blur slowing down or the pegasus slowly getting accustomed to her new wing, she seemed to be doing well with her mechanical appendage. As Sonic skidded to a stop, Rainbow did the same, almost flying straight into him in the process. "Hey, what's up?" she asked, leaning to the left to get a look at what was ahead. "Whoa..." It was now that she finally took the time to take a look at her surroundings. Lush green plains with a plethora of palm trees and bright moving flowers covered the area. Checkerboard-like designs painted the ground to symbolize racing flags and going fast. Tree log bridges hung over a bright blue lake filled by a constantly flowing waterfall. The terrain was uneven, branching out into different paths. "Well well, I was wondering where this place went." Sonic stated, slowly walking forwards. "What is this place?" Rainbow asked, tailing close behind him. Sonic turned his head and smiled. "Green Hill Zone. My home and place to have fun. Pretty cool, huh?" He then gave a light chuckle with a determined stare in his eyes. "How 'bout we go for a run? Just make sure you keep up this time." The cyan mare returned the gesture. "Worry, about yourself, big guy." "Okay, if you say so... 3-2-1 Go!" Sonic quickly shouted, speeding off towards the hills ahead. Rainbow's eyes widened, taking a second to realize what just happened. "Hey, come back here, you!" With a leap, Dash spread her wings, pursuing the blue blur. Her balance had gotten much better from the trip here and she felt almost nothing holding her back in her mind. Cue Back in Time) As the music around him kicked in, Sonic slowed down looked behind him to see a determined Rainbow Dash flying a few feet behind him, but still keeping up at an equal speed. "Hey, not bad!" he shouted, giving her a thumbs up before accelerating once more. Rainbow narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. Feeling the wind rush past her body was just what she needed. "Just you wait! I haven't even kicked into second gear!" After Sonic dashed over the grassy plains, he jumped up and pushed himself off of a jagged rock before dodging the others in mid air. Rainbow started to dart around the boulders in a similar fashion to Sonic. With one last jump, the blue blur boosted straight off the last rock and landed on the path below with the pegasus angling down and barrel rolling to the lower land as well. As they continued on, Sonic and Dash quickly approached a shuttle loop. The blue blur jumped up and curled into a ball before landing and blasting off even faster than before. A blue streak tailed behind him as he tore through the area. Rainbow then tilted to the side before preforming several full loops through the hole of the structure. A rainbow streak followed her as she lit up her path. As Sonic finished the massive loop, he uncurled and bounced off of a flat topped red spring placed conveniently at the end of the loop. As he threw his arms forward, the blue blur smiled, seeing the breath-taking view of the world around him. It was moments like these that made him feel truly alive and savor every moment of his adventures. He then snapped his head to the sound of Rainbow Dash finally catching up and flying right beside him. A single look was enough to tell she was having as much fun as he was. In fact, she looked kind of cute to Sonic. But he didn't want to think about it too much. In a single move, Sonic started spinning to lower his altitude and quickly drifted at contact with the ground to turn towards the final structure. After running over the bridge with Rainbow flying through a waterfall, Sonic started running through a corkscrew loop while the young cyan mare flew straight through the middle. Ironically enough, Sonic managed to make it through his route first with Dash coming out a second later. The two continued at high speeds into the forest, both experiencing and enjoying the thrill of their adventure with genuine smiles on their faces. (Back in Time Fades Out) The path they traveled on led the two through the entire Green Hill Zone and eventually found themselves watching the sun set over the horizon. The speed demons were currently sitting on a ledge that overlooked the main section of the area. Sonic was currently regaling the tales of his adventures from his past. "...And then I started running. You should have seen the look on the doctor's face as the Death Egg blew up." The mare rolled her eyes in amusement. "Your life is just one big adventure, isn't it?" Sonic shrugged his shoulders. "Normal day in the life of the fastest thing alive." "Hey, that title still hasn't been officially handed out!" Rainbow gave a playful punch to Sonic's side. "But anyways, what was with that music?" "Huh?" "You know, that whole 'Back in Time' song that was playing while we explored." She watched as Sonic chuckled to himself before giving an answer. "You'd be surprised what kind of music that my world will give out. I actually really like it. Sets the mood for things pretty good." "Yeah, I guess I gotta give you that, it was pretty awesome, but more importantly, what was the point of this? You know, besides getting me accustomed to my new wing." Rainbow asked, fluffing her wings out slightly. The blue blur turned back to Dash and took a deep breath. "When was the last time you ever stopped and had a little fun since this whole war of yours started?" The mare seemed to think long and hard before shrugging. "It may be an ongoing battle, but ya' gotta learn to loosen up a bit." Sonic then started to smile again. "Besides, what good is an adventure if it's not any fun?" Rainbow let his words sink in. Before the war, she had been a carefree mare living her life on the edge and seeking thrills just for kicks. When she became a Wonderbolt to combat King Sombra and his hypnotized army, she had lost a part of herself and it wasn't until not that she finally realized what it was. "Well, we better get going." Sonic said, stretching his arms and walking away. "H-Huh?" Rainbow stuttered, getting back on her hooves. "It's getting real late. I don't know about you, but I usually like sleeping in a bed. Besides, we've got work to do tomorrow." "Yeah. I guess your right. I wouldn't want to get Scoots worried 'bout me." As the two continued back, Sonic spoke up once more. "The kid really likes you. She gave you nothing but praise when I talked to her. Reminds me of when I first met Tails." Rainbow then tilted her head. "Your sidekick?" "He's more than just my player two. He's my best friend and been by my side ever since good 'ol 1992" Sonic stated. Suddenly, the duo heard a buzz come from Sonic's quills. Reaching in, the blue blur pulled out a yellow device similar to Tails' Miles Electric. Turning it on, a worried Tails popped up on screen. "Sonic! We need you back here quick! Ponyville is under heavy fire!" Sonic's expression darkened slightly. "Say no more, buddy. Hang tight!" Storing his screen back in his head quills, Sonic turned back to Dash as the two nodded to each other. "Alright. It's go time!" Sonic and Dash then took off at breakneck speeds towards the town, hoping to make it in time to save as many as they could.
