Super Sonic Rainboomby Starkeeper_PonyficChaptersPrologue: Phantom PortalsChapter 1: Unexpected AdoptionChapter 2: Pinkie Pie Parenthood PartyInterlude: Meet the ApplesChapter 3: Summer Sun PreparationsChapter 4: The Nightmare ReturnsChapter 6: The Nightmare FallsChapter 7: Gilded FriendshipChapter 5: The Nightmare RisesPrologue: Phantom Portals"Is everyone okay?" Sonic asked as he finished off the last of the robots. "We are, thanks to you! Cutting it kinda close, though, pal," Tails chuckled. Sonic smirked as he kicked away a robot part in front of his foot. "Uh, yeah, that's kinda how I roll!" he pointed out smugly before turning to the extremely devious-looking Dr. Eggman. "Okay, let's finish this, Eggman!" "It will be your finish, Sonic!" Eggman cackled. "Behold the power of my ultimate masterpiece!" Sonic narrowed his eyes and prepared to attack the Eggmobile, but a reddish purple flash struck him back. Sonic stuck the landing and looked up to see Shadow standing in front of him, arms crossed and face scowling. "Shadow!?" Sonic gasped. "You're... you're working with Eggman?" Shadow made no attempt at a reply. Suddenly three other familiar faces dropped in. "Zavok?" Sonic realized, tensing. "Metal? Chaos?" Eggman cackled violently as a fifth figure descended imposingly. It appeared to be a jackal, with a long tail, a face mask with one eye covered, and a shimmering red gem in its chest. It glowed with a dark red aura and gave Sonic a condescending glare. Sonic grunted, recovered from his momentary shock, and dashed at the new guy, who swiftly dodged and flew into the air. Tails gasped. "This guy is faster than Sonic!" he exclaimed. Sonic tried for a spin attack, but the jackal dodged, kicked him up, and sent him flying into a wall. Sonic groaned as he hit the ground before forcing himself back up. Tails frowned. "No, wait, it's something else... Gotta scan this guy and figure him out," he murmured, pulling out a scanner and lifting it up toward the jackal. Zavok charged up and threw out a punch, which Sonic blocked and returned, throwing Zavok back. Sonic tried for another strike at the jackal, but was denied and barely dodged Metal Sonic's flying attack. Chaos grabbed Sonic, who pushed back until the jackal rushed at Sonic's unprotected back and sent him careening into the ground. "Nice!" Eggman crowed. Sonic coughed as he pushed himself up. "...Tails, I need to know what's going on with this guy!" he pleaded. "I'm trying, Sonic," Tails panicked, "but these readings are all messed up! They don't make any sense!" Sonic dodged a tail swipe from the jackal, but was immediately thrown back into a wall, and Eggman's crew began a game of "Kick the Hedgehog" and threw Sonic around. "Running! Out of time here! Tails!" Sonic yelped between kicks before he crashed to the ground, falling unconscious. "SONIC!" Tails cried, dropping his scanner and clambering forward. He stood in front of the hedgehog, weakly raising his arms, before being knocked well away by a body slam from Zavok. The jackal descended in front of Sonic's unconscious form and laughed. Eggman howled in cackles. "Excellent work! Now, let's get him onto the Death Egg!" Infinite stared at Sonic, motionless. "Infinite, what are you waiting for!?" Eggman demanded. "Waiting for you to realize your plan is idiotic at best," Infinite replied gruffly. "WHAT!?" Eggman roared. "You dare-" Infinite zipped over to Eggman and loomed menacingly. "Sonic has bested you in every encounter. You really think he wouldn't be able to escape the Death Egg?" Eggman stammered, "W-well, even if he were to escape his prison, which has a less than one percent chance of happening, mind you! But even if he escaped, he'd have no way of getting back to the planet!" "Not alone," Infinite admitted, "but no matter how foolish it might be, his 'friends' are... astoundingly loyal. The little fox knew it was hopeless, I saw it in his eyes, but... he still tried to protect Sonic. Who's to say they won't attempt a rescue when they find out where he is? Because I'm certain they will." "Attempt is the key word!" Eggman protested. "And if they succeed?" Infinite challenged. "Say they get him back to the planet, but have to sacrifice one of their number. Now your archenemy is in a position to attack you, and very angry with you over his loss." Eggman began sweating. "W...Well, do you have any BETTER ideas!?" he asked. Infinite snickered. "Of course I do. Here's my plan: create an illusory perfect world for Sonic. Send him there, and then close the opening. Even if he's able to leave- which is unlikely- he won't even want to. Perhaps implant some false memories so that if one of his 'friends' somehow, by some stroke of sheer blind luck, manages to get into the illusory world, it'll be a 'my world versus your world' situation." Eggman considered this. "Hm, it's got merit, I suppose. Fine! You do your plan, I suppose." "Gladly," Infinite huffed before raising a hand to create the portal beneath Sonic. Tails cried out and leapt at Infinite as Sonic fell into the portal, scratching the Phantom Ruby lightly during Infinite's brief moment of shock. The portal sparked briefly, but then faded. Infinite grunted, having recovered from his momentary shock, and glared at Tails. "You have ten seconds to run before I obliterate you," Infinite warned. Tails whimpered, trembling, and stumbled away. Eggman and Infinite's combined laughter echoed through the skies. Chapter 1: Unexpected AdoptionAuthor's Note (May 30, 2021) Edited to remove the awkward video juice bit and clean up a few spelling and grammar errors I noticed after publishing. Chapter 1: Unexpected Adoption Rainbow Dash yawned as the late morning sun glistened in the air. A day off from the weather team meant she had the time for a nap. She hopped up to a cloud, patted down a bit of the wayward fluff, and settled down to sleep. Before she could drift off, though, a strange noise pierced the air. Rainbow opened her eyes to look for the source, and saw a red flash at the edge of town. She grumbled at her own curiosity and rushed over to find out what it was. She landed near where she thought she’d seen the flash and looked around. Seeing nothing, she prepared to shrug it off and get her nap started, when a cry from above startled her. She looked up to find something small and dark blue falling from the sky. On instinct, she rushed up to grab it. She investigated the thing in her hooves. It was a dark blue creature with a somewhat long black nose and spikes on its head and back. Suddenly, Rainbow recoiled at realizing that the creature had what was essentially two sets of eyelids in one eye. She calmed herself by finding she could ignore it if she gazed at him head-on or from the side. It had a tan belly, muzzle, and forelegs, the ends of which were covered in white fabric. “Gloves!” Rainbow realized suddenly. She remembered Fluttershy making them for the injured paws of a few monkeys that had found their way into her care. The creature jumped and opened its eyes, or more accurately eye, but Rainbow firmly decided to ignore that detail and pretend the creature just had a strip of white between two eyes. It whimpered and Rainbow quickly descended and landed on the ground. The creature glanced around fearfully. “...Hey, there, little guy,” Rainbow murmured awkwardly. “Uh... what are you?” The creature didn’t answer. “Right, dumb question, since I don’t even know if you can talk,” Rainbow sighed. “Uh... huh. Maybe Fluttershy’ll know what you are,” she murmured. The creature looked slightly less nervous. Rainbow gently placed the creature on her back and said firmly, “Alright, hold tight, little guy.” She punctuated her statement with guiding his paw to her neck. The creature seemed to understand, as it hugged her neck tightly. Rainbow straightened her wings and took off at a steady pace. The creature gasped happily and giggled, to Rainbow’s delight. “Astah!” the creature suddenly exclaimed. “Astah, peez!” Rainbow processed the request. “...You want to go faster?” she guessed. “Yah!” the creature confirmed. “Heh, I like your style, little guy!” Rainbow decided. She ramped up the speed slightly. “Wheeeee!” the creature giggled. In fairly short order, Rainbow had arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage. The creature gazed curiously at the various animals surrounding, looking quite intrigued at the sight of a snoozing fox. Rainbow knocked on the door. “Um, I-I-I’m c-c-c-coming!” Fluttershy stammered. The door slowly opened as she peeked out before she sighed in relief. “Oh, it’s just you, Rainbow.” “Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow chuckled. “Uh, so, this little guy came kind of out of nowhere and... I can’t tell what he is. Thought you might know?” Fluttershy gazed at the creature and grinned. “I’m not sure, but I can check one of the encyclopedias... but I can say it’s absolutely adorable!” The creature blinked and crossed its arms. Fluttershy giggled as Rainbow protested, “Hey! He’s not adorable, he’s cool!” Fluttershy waved Rainbow in. “The two aren’t mutually exclusive!” she pointed out giddily. The creature shared a look with Rainbow. “Does he have a name?” Fluttershy absentmindedly asked as she pulled out a nonzero number of books. Rainbow paused, thought over what she knew about the creature, and decided, “Sonic feels right...” Fluttershy grinned. “Oh? How so?” “Well, I know he likes to go fast,” Rainbow shrugged. “And... well, he seems to like it!” Sonic was beaming. Fluttershy laughed musically and turned to the books. After an hour of fruitless searching, Sonic was snoring, Rainbow was having trouble staying awake, and Fluttershy’s face was implanted in a book in frustration. “I can’t believe there’s nothing that looks like him in here,” Fluttershy wheezed. “I don’t think there are more than two more detailed encyclopedias in all of Equestria, and those only document more insects, I know for a fact!” Rainbow moaned. “I just wanted to nap on my day off,” she whimpered helplessly. Fluttershy offered a smile. “Well, why don’t you and Sonic go do that? I’ll go back through and see if there’s anything I missed... after I get some tea and get Angel for emotional support.” Rainbow nodded and nudged Sonic. “C’mon, Sonic. Let’s go nap somewhere more comfortable,” she murmured. “Okie, Mama,” Sonic yawned. “So seepy...” Fluttershy’s eyes lit up at the way Sonic addressed Rainbow, while Rainbow just froze. Sonic clambered up onto her back, and Rainbow quickly blinked tears out of her eyes as she walked out, pointedly ignoring Fluttershy’s gaze. Fluttershy quickly turned to the rabbit sitting on the video camera. “You got the last five minutes, right, Angel?” she whispered. The bunny nodded vigorously. Fluttershy squealed happily. She couldn’t wait to spring it on Rainbow later. Rainbow yawned as she drifted back up to the clouds and picked a suitably fluffy one. Despite what Applejack and others assumed, she had a method for choosing a napping spot. There was a specific cloud size and fluffiness necessary for optimal naptime, Celestia dammit! She snapped out of her mental rant and carefully applied a layer of magic to the top of the cloud, in case Sonic fell out of her wing and onto the cloud. Not that Rainbow was mimicking what her mom had done before she’d really gotten the hang of flight, obviously! She just didn’t want Sonic hurting anyone else by falling off. Or himself, Rainbow forced herself to admit. When Sonic curled up into a cozy little ball beneath Rainbow’s wing with a happy sigh, she decided she could get used to being a mom... at least until she could find Sonic’s actual family. With that thought, Rainbow drifted off to sleep. Chapter 2: Pinkie Pie Parenthood PartySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Interlude: Meet the ApplesAuthor's Note I was going to keep this as part of chapter 2 but couldn't find a way to make the transition make sense, so have a free extra chapter! Interlude: Meet the Apples Rainbow cracked her neck with a pleased sigh as she glided from the weather management facilities, having hashed out a schedule for the week’s weather. “Alright, so... grocery shopping is done, the week’s weather’s been planned...” Rainbow mentally listed the morning’s tasks and checked them off. “So... what’s left? I need to meet with Fluttershy to check some stuff for Sonic’s biology, go figure out how to legally adopt him... jeez, that’s gonna be a huge hassle, isn’t it? Pretty sure the Equestrian legal system doesn’t have any paperwork for ‘completely unknown species falls out of the sky and attaches to somepony,’ cause that doesn’t normally happen, does it?” Rainbow’s musings were interrupted by Applejack waving her down. “Rainbow, ya got a moment?” she called. Rainbow dropped to the ground. “Yeah, what’s up? Need something?” Applejack shrugged. “Well, I was just wonderin’ if you could bring Sonic ‘round Sweet Apple Acres so Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and Granny could meet ‘im. Apple Bloom ain’t got many friends other than that li’l Twist filly and it might do her some good, and if he’s there he might as well meet Granny and Big Mac.” “Sure, I can do that,” Rainbow agreed. “Um, gotta meet up with Fluttershy real quick to check up on some of Sonic’s biology stuff, but I’ll head over there right after.” “Sound’s good! Lookin’ forward to introducing him to my family!” Applejack replied with a grin as she trotted off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres while Rainbow darted off to get Sonic from Pinkie’s foalsitting care at Sugarcube Corner and take him to Fluttershy’s cottage. After she and Fluttershy figured out the details Fluttershy wanted- namely Sonic’s preferred diet, internal body temperature, heart rate, and a test of what Fluttershy could gauge of Sonic’s innate magical energies- Sonic hopped on Rainbow’s back and Rainbow trotted off toward Sweet Apple Acres, deciding to let her wings relax for a few hours. The glares and looks were less hostile than the day before, but Rainbow made sure to keep Sonic distracted from any particularly nasty ones. Applejack welcomed Sonic and Rainbow before introducing Sonic to her family. Each Apple had an entirely unique reaction. Granny Smith was startled initially, but quickly lost any hint of hesitation and began grandmothering Sonic to his slight vocal displeasure. Apple Bloom watched Sonic curiously from a distance until curiosity won her over and she carefully approached, like one of Fluttershy’s critters seeing something shiny. Sonic suddenly reached out a finger and tapped Apple Bloom’s muzzle, sending the filly into giggles, and she began a game of tag. For Rainbow Dash, though, Big Mac’s reaction to Sonic was the most interesting. He slowly crept forward, trying not to scare Sonic. This proved unnecessary, as Sonic looked at Big Mac and his mouth went into a circle shape. “Woah... Big,” Sonic murmured. “...Eeyup,” Big Mac replied. “Really big.” “Eeeeyup.” “Scary?” “Nnnope.” “Cool!” Big Mac proceeded to hoist Sonic onto his back and walked him around Sweet Apple Acres, calmly explaining what life was like on the farm to an utterly enraptured Sonic. After about an hour of Apple Bloom pestering Rainbow with questions about Sonic, Rainbow realized she hadn’t seen him in a while and rushed off to look. She found him curled up with Big Mac under an apple tree on one of the tallest hills on the farm and struggled to keep her squees in check. Applejack and Apple Bloom hurried up to join Rainbow, and had no such inhibitions. Applejack’s extended “daw” lasted until she ran out of breath, and Apple Bloom repeatedly called Big Mac an “enormous softie” until he was hiding his face behind his hooves. Sonic had woken up by this point and was giggling fiercely. Rainbow joined him with a slight chuckle before getting Sonic on her back, securing his cloud-walking amulet, and taking flight toward their home to get started on the mental testing that Fluttershy insisted on getting him. Chapter 3: Summer Sun PreparationsA year passed, and Sonic proved to be quite the rambunctious kid, but one who possessed a heart of gold rivaling Pinkie Pie’s. Before long, his friendly demeanor- and a few conversations with Rainbow Dash- had won over even the most hostile Ponyvilleans. Soon after the first anniversary of Sonic’s adoption- which Rainbow decided to place as his birthday- the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration was announced to be in Ponyville. Rainbow received a message from Canterlot requesting that she take care of the event’s weather, and she couldn’t have been more excited to receive such an important job. Sonic didn’t really understand, but he was happy that Rainbow was so excited. The day before the event, Sonic was listening to some of DJ Pon-3’s new music while Rainbow was out clearing the clouds at the edge of the town. A lavender unicorn with a dragon on her back walked up and frowned at the clouds overhead. “Y’know, I thought there was supposed to be a pegasus clearing the clouds,” the unicorn scoffed. “Rainbow Dash, I think,” the dragon piped up. “That’s my mama!” Sonic offered, jogging over to meet them. The unicorn yelped when she saw him. “What in the name of Celestia are you?” she asked curiously, clutching Sonic in a pink aura. Sonic yelped as he was lifted off the ground, raising his arms in front of his face, and a rainbow blur zipped down instantly. “Hi, Mama,” Sonic whimpered. “That’s my son you’re messing with!” Rainbow protested. “Let him go!” The unicorn blinked and dismissed her magic. “Alright, I’m sorry. I take it you’re Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow nodded, holding Sonic protectively. “I’m Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn explained. “Princess Celestia sent me to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow. I heard you were supposed to be taking care of the weather?” Rainbow nodded again with a small grin. “Yep! If you’ll notice there’s not a cloud in the sky at the edges of Ponyville, and I would have already gotten everything else done if you hadn’t tried to-” “Alright, I said I was sorry!” Twilight groaned. “Well, it does appear that you have the weather under control, so I’ll be on my way to check out the decorations.” “Oh, that’s Rarity!” Sonic replied happily. “Be careful around her.” “...Why?” the dragon asked. “She’ll try to stick you in a super fancy dress,” Sonic groaned. Rainbow snickered. “Yeah, be careful.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Alright, then.” She trotted off, apparently not noticing the dragon had hopped off her back. “I’m Spike!” the dragon offered. “I’m Sonic!” Sonic replied. “SPIKE!” Twilight suddenly called. “GET OVER HERE!” “Uh, maybe we can hang out later?” Spike suggested. Sonic eagerly nodded before Spike rushed ahead. Rainbow quickly rushed around to finish clearing out the clouds above while Sonic returned to his music, before Pinkie hopped up and smacked a pair of invitations in front of them. “Party at the Golden Oaks Library!” she whistled. Rainbow snickered. “I assume for Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn from Canterlot?” “Yep!” “What time?” “Sunset, since it’s doubling as a Summer Sun Celebration party!” Pinkie explained before bouncing off. “Heh, guess you’ve got your chance to hang with Spike at sunset, then,” Rainbow chuckled. “C’mon, let’s go run your music stuff by the house and check on Fluttershy to try to get her ready for meeting Twilight.” “Sounds good to me!” Sonic agreed. As sunset fell, Sonic and Rainbow were ushered into the library by a very excited Pinkie Pie. The lights were turned off as they heard Fluttershy fawning over Spike while Twilight just groaned. Rainbow and Sonic held back a few shared snickers. Twilight shoved herself and Spike in and slammed the door. “Rude much?” Spike muttered. Twilight sighed. “Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?” Pinkie took her cue masterfully and turned the light on with a fanfare of kazoos. “Surprise!” the crowd of ponies in the library called. “Howdy-doody, Twilight Sparkle!” Pinkie proclaimed. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!” “How do you know my name!?” Twilight demanded. Rainbow sighed. “I told her, don’t worry. She hasn’t broken reality to learn about you... yet...” Twilight looked aghast while Spike chortled. Fluttershy let herself in and Pinkie recovered from the interruption and began chattering away at Twilight, who looked like she’d prefer Tartarus over Pinkie’s chatter. “...And so I figured since you were coming to look at the Summery Sunny Celebration, I thought it’d be a super-stuPENdous welcoming party idea to combine them, and now that you’re here you can make lots and lots of friends!” Pinkie finished. Twilight glared. “I. Am not interested. I’m only here to-” “-Make sure Ponyville is ready for the Celebration,” Spike interrupted, “and make some friends, like Princess Celestia said!” Twilight glared. “Can we have a minute?” Spike muttered. “You guys can go ahead and start the party, we’ll be right back out.” Pinkie nodded sagely, while Spike led Twilight up a set of stairs into a concealed room. Rainbow was quickly distracted by a member of the weather team checking in about what the schedule would look like after the Celebration, and Sonic took the time to slip away, unable to resist the temptation to eavesdrop. “Spike, really!?” Twilight demanded. “What?” Spike frowned. “Why’d you have to-” Spike cut her off. “If you’ll look at the scroll, it specifically says you’ll need to make friends here! She wants you to stop being such a loner! Even I know it’s not good for your mental health to stay stuck in a tower without any extra company!” Twilight sighed. “Fine, I’ll participate. But I won’t like it, and as soon as I possibly can, I’m going to look up the Elements of Harmony and figure out how to get Princess Celestia to listen to me!” Sonic hurried back down quietly and waited for Spike to come down. The dragon appeared triumphant, if slightly grumpy, and Twilight looked frustrated and angry beneath her obviously forced smile. Rarity and Applejack made eye contact, nodded, and swept Twilight into the party, not letting her sulk alone for a moment. Spike met up with Sonic and Rainbow and the three shared some comics and action book interests. As midnight approached, Spike realized how relaxed Twilight looked and mentioned something to Sonic, who grinned. “Rarity and AJ are good at that. It’s... awesome how much they work together,” he sighed. “Even though they’re so dif- diffa-” “Different?” Spike suggested. “I’m not good with big words yet,” Sonic sighed. Spike laughed. “Actually, how old are you?” he wondered. Sonic frowned. “I... dunno. Mama became my mama... a little longer than one year ago, but...” he trailed off with a yawn. “Um, Mama thinks I was three or four when she found me.” “Twilight hatched my egg... like, thirteen years ago?” Spike sighed. “But I’m still a baby by dragon standards... and it sucks, because Twilight still treats me like a baby. Even if I’d be basically a teenager by pony standards.” “Good thing I don’t have to deal with that yet,” Sonic sighed. “Wake me up when it’s time for the sunrise...” “Taking a nap?” Spike guessed. “I think Mama’s bedtime of two hours after sunset is fair,” Sonic groaned as he curled up. Spike chuckled and went off to grab a cupcake... before grabbing two and making sure to save one for Sonic. Author's Note I just want to say thanks for the awesome reception on this! I was really nervous about posting this before, but it's been amazing how supportive everybody's been! Chapter 4: The Nightmare ReturnsSonic woke to a series of gentle nudges. He yawned and opened his eyes to see Spike. “Good, you’re awake!” Spike said. “C’mon, it’s time to watch the sunrise!” Sonic nodded and stretched before taking the cupcake Spike offered and scarfed it down quickly. “Thank you,” Sonic allowed as he and Spike joined the crowd of ponies heading toward Town Hall. Spike frowned. “...I really hope Twilight’s wrong about what’s gonna happen today.” Sonic asked, “What does she think is gonna happen?” Spike shook his head. “It’s... probably nothing. Just an old mare’s tale about some kind of Mare in the Moon.” “I’m sure Mama can handle it! She’s awesome!” Sonic encouraged Spike. “Or Princess Cele-sti-a!” Spike thought about it and nodded. “Yeah, Princess Celestia has kept Equestria safe for a thousand years. She... should be able to handle it if it’s real... Right?” he murmured uncertainly. Sonic gave Spike a side hug and Spike smiled. “Well, if it’s anything like the comics there’ll definitely be some heroes popping up. Guess we don’t have a reason to really worry!” Sonic nodded. Once the doors to the town hall closed, Mayor Mare stepped up. She cleared her throat and said proudly, “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!” A massive cheer erupted from the crowd. Mayor Mare raised a hoof to quiet the crowd and continued, “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria...” Sonic shot a glance over at Twilight, who was staring outside worriedly. He watched her flinch as something happened outside. “...Princess Celestia!” Mayor Mare declared. Fluttershy’s bird choir began a chorus as Rarity opened the curtains. Nothing happened. Fluttershy quieted her birds as Rarity ducked into the room. “This can’t be good,” Twilight murmured, while Spike and Sonic echoed her sentiment. Sonic whimpered, and Spike patted his shoulder with a smile. “Remain calm, everypony!” Mayor Mare insisted. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable-” “She’s gone!” Rarity announced. A peal of thunder split the room. Dark blue fog streamed in as an evil voice cackled. Twilight whispered fearfully, “No... Nononononono...” A dark alicorn dressed in steel blue regalia formed from the fog. “Oh, my beloved subjects. It’s been... so long since I’ve seen all your precious little sun-loving faces,” she sighed with a wicked grin. “What did you do with our princess!?” Rainbow demanded, jumping into the air. Applejack pulled her back by her tail. “Ain’t nothing good gonna come for her if ya go ‘n’ get yerself killed,” she whispered harshly. The alicorn scoffed. “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?” she asked, leering at the crowd. Pinkie hopped up. “Um, I dunno, but I can guess! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty!” The alicorn rolled her eyes as Pinkie babbled on. Applejack shoved a muffin in Pinkie’s mouth to shut her up. A tiny light smirk graced the alicorn’s lips before she recovered and taunted, “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. “I did!” she proclaimed. “And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!” Sonic gulped and got a bit closer to Spike. Nightmare Moon raised a mildly approving eyebrow. “Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me. Then you must also know why I'm here.” Twilight froze. “You're here to... to...” she gulped, unable to finish as a crowdful of eyes locked onto her. “Remember this day, little ponies,” Nightmare Moon commanded, “for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” Lightning flashed as the alicorn cackled. Mayor Mare recovered from her terror and ordered the stunned guards, “Seize her! Only she knows where the princess is!” The guards, taking the orders gratefully, flew in to strike. “FOOLS!” Nightmare Moon roared, her eyes flashing white. Lightning blazed through the air, downing the guards. Sonic winced as he saw them crash to the ground. A memory drifted into his head that he hadn’t experienced and didn’t remember but somehow still wanted to forget. A wisp of someone else’smenacing laughter made him feel sick with fear. He shook his head, clearing the memory- or vision- and checked his surroundings. If he got enough speed heading to that column, kicked off at that position, and balanced a run on that banner, he might be able to get in a strike on Nightmare Moon while she was distracted- “Oh, no you don’t,” Spike hissed, gripping Sonic’s arm tightly. “I’m not letting you get yourself hurt.” Sonic sighed and nodded. “Sorry, I... I just... feel like I need to, for some reason. I dunno-” his quiet explanation was cut off by a wisp of blue smoke racing out and Rainbow rushing after it with a fierce demand to return. “Mama, wait!” Sonic panicked, racing out after her. Rainbow turned and sighed, wrapping Sonic in a hug. “It’s okay, Sonic. I’m not gonna go after her alo-” Twilight interrupted Rainbow by barreling out of the town hall and rushing toward the library. Spike was on her back. “...Where’s she going?” Rainbow wondered. “Why don’t we find out?” Applejack suggested as she exited with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie in tow. Sonic and Rainbow nodded. Sonic bore witness to what Spike quietly described as a “Twilight Freakout.” She was racing around the library, yanking books out of every shelf. “Elements... Nightmare Moon... ugh, where are they? How do I find out about the Elements of Harmony?” Fluttershy spoke up. “Um, T-Twilight, what a-are the Elements of H-Har-Harmony?” “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon!?” Rainbow demanded. Twilight froze, having missed their arrival. She looked at the confused, worried, and angry faces and sighed. “...I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon,” Twilight explained hesitantly. “Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, or where to find them! I don't even know what they do!” “‘Elements of Harmony,’ huh?” Pinkie pondered. “Did you check under ‘E’?” Twilight groaned in disappointment. “...Why was that not the first thing I thought of?” Pinkie, Sonic, and Spike shared a giggle. Twilight rolled her eyes and searched the titles before pulling out a thick book. “The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide... This passage seems relevant. ‘There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. These Elements are Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth Element is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now... the Everfree Forest.’” “Th-the-the Ever-fr-free F-fo-forest?” Fluttershy stammered, trembling. Rainbow offered a comforting wing and looked at Sonic. “I know you’re going to go, and probably gonna bring Spike, right?” Twilight shared a look with Spike and nodded. “Only because I saw him taking a nap with Sonic during the party. Otherwise I’d make him stay here to get some sleep.” Spike chuckled. “Then I’m going with you,” Rainbow stated firmly. “Sonic and Spike bonded during that party, and I’m not letting Sonic go off without me.” “And Ah better make sure Rainbow doesn’t go ‘n’ do somethin’ stupid,” Applejack chuckled. Rarity sighed. “Oh, why not? I’m coming too, darlings.” Twilight tried to protest, but Pinkie placed a hoof on her mouth. “C’mon, Twibright!” “It’s Twilight.” “Sorry! Twilight! Right! Point is, I’m going with ya too! Not gonna let my best buds go off for an adventure party without me!” Pinkie declared. Fluttershy sighed. “I-If you’re all going... then I-I’m going too!” Twilight sighed. “There’s no way I’m talking you all out of this, is there?” “Nope!” they said in unison. Twilight sighed. “Fine, I guess.” She planted Spike on her back and stormed out with a lantern gripped in her magic. Rainbow let Sonic on her back and flew after Twilight, and Fluttershy joined her in flight, albeit slower. Applejack kept a brisk, steady trot, Rarity walked with flair and overpracticed grace, and Pinkie giddily hopped after with a proclamation of “This is gonna be fun!” It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the Everfree Forest, and Twilight halted before entering. “Are you sure you want to come?” she asked, obviously expecting at least one of them to say no. “We ain’t lettin’ our friend go in the Everfree Forest alone!” Applejack insisted. “It’s too dangerous for that even in the day!” Rainbow agreed. “Who knows what’ll be lurking in there at night, ready to attack a pony on her own!” Sonic yelped, and Fluttershy and Applejack sent death glares Rainbow’s way. She gulped nervously. “W-Which is why we aren’t letting you go alone! There’s no way we can’t take on whatever’s in that forest together!” she added quickly while giving Sonic a reassuring hug. Fluttershy sighed. “Adrenaline junkie,” she muttered in frustration under her breath, to Rarity’s shock. “I must say, Fluttershy,” Rarity remarked, “that was quite... assertive of you!” Fluttershy shrugged. “I’ve known Rainbow for so long, she’s like a sister to me,” she explained. “It’s easier to be assertive with her than with most ponies.” Rarity considered her words and nodded with a smile as they walked into the forest. Chapter 6: The Nightmare FallsAfter the group recovered from Pinkie’s infectious laughter, Twilight led the group onward, with an audible sigh of relief when some of the trees cleared. “Never thought I’d be so happy to see the moon,” she chuckled. An affirmative grunt echoed her sentiments. “Does anypony else hear rushing water?” Fluttershy asked before they turned a corner and came upon a roaring river. “Well, we do now,” Applejack chuckled. “Now, how’re we gonna cross this?” “I hear someone crying,” Sonic murmured. Twilight’s ears pricked up and she nodded. The group followed the noise and came upon a purple river serpent with bright orange hair and a mustache expertly styled on one side and torn off on the other. “Oh, what a world, what a world!” the serpent cried. “E-Excuse me, sir, why are you crying?” Twilight finally asked. The serpent sniffled and looked down at Twilight. “Well, I don’t know,” the serpent moaned. “You see, I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now... I look simply horrid!” “Oh, give me a break,” Rainbow muttered under her breath. Applejack sighed. “That’s what all the fuss is about?” “Why, of course it is!” Rarity admonished. “How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely, luminescent scales!” The serpent sniffled and managed a smile. “Oh, y-yes, I know!” Spike’s face took on a look of annoyance as he rubbed at his own scales. “And your expertly coiffed mane!” Rarity praised. “Oh, thank you!” Rarity beamed. “And your fabulous manicure,” she added. “Yes, it’s so true!” the serpent sighed. Rarity’s expression darkened. “And all of it ruined without your beautiful mustache.” The serpent sobbed and wailed, “It’s true, I’m hideous!” Rarity glared. “I simply refuse to let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!” she declared before pulling out one of the serpent’s scales. He winced. “What did you do that for!?” Rarity gripped the scale in her magic and twirled it before slashing. Her tail fell off in one fell swoop and she gripped it carefully in her magic before levitating it up to the serpent’s nose. It gently fused to where his mustache would’ve been with a small sparkle. “Oh, my mustache! Thank you so very much!” the serpent gratefully sighed. “You look positively smashing!” Rarity squealed. “Rarity, your beautiful tail,” Twilight lamented. Rarity winced and smiled weakly. “Oh, it’s alright, my dear. Short tails are in this season! ...Besides, it’ll grow back.” “Wouldn’t the mustache grow back too?” Sonic pointed out. Rarity chuckled. “Well, yes, but... see, the river’s calm now. It’s not hard to be generous with something so small for such an important result.” Twilight gasped. “Oh, you’re right! We can cross now!” she realized, and began crossing. “Let’s-” A purple hump shot out of the river, quickly joined by several more in a bridge formation capped off by the serpent’s head. “Allow me!” he insisted. Twilight nodded and hopped across, quickly joined by the rest of her group. “Thank you!” Sonic called out as the serpent prepared to leave. The serpent flashed a smile before swimming off. A bit more walking, with the group in fairly high spirits, led them to a chasm between them and a ruined building. “It’s the castle!” Twilight realized. “We’re almost there!” Excited, she galloped forward. “Twilight, wait for us!” Applejack called, chuckling. Twilight suddenly skittered to a stop. Rainbow quickly darted over as Twilight’s front hooves slipped over the edge of the chasm and she pulled the unicorn back. “What’s with you and almost falling off cliffs... today? Tonight? In this adventure. That works,” Rainbow decided. Twilight rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. “Wouldn’t have done it if I’d realized the bridge wasn’t connected to the other side,” she retorted. “How do we get across this?” Pinkie wondered. “It’s too far for Rainbow and Fluttershy to carry us, and I left my balloon stash at home!” Rainbow pushed a bit of weather magic into a wing flap and peered through the hole in the fog she’d created. “Don’t worry, I got this!” she chuckled. “Although, Sonic, you mind hopping off for a sec?” Sonic nodded, slipped off her back, and moved to Fluttershy’s. Rainbow darted down into the fog and rose back up with the other end of the bridge in her hooves. She flew over to the other side and pulled the bridge to the waiting posts. As she began to tie it down, she heard a voice calling her name behind her. “...Who’s there?” she called back. Three pegasi in dark reflections of the Wonderbolt outfits stepped from the path to castle ruins. “Hello, Rainbow Dash,” the middle one said. “Welcome to the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters.” “Uh, thanks, I guess?” Rainbow shrugged. “...Can I help you?” “Yes, you can,” the middle pegasus replied. “You see, we have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria.” “Cool,” Rainbow said, eyes occasionally flicking toward her friends. “That flyer being you, of course.” Rainbow ignored the temptation to preen. “That’s high praise,” she responded noncommittally. “Would you mind passing that info along to the Wonderbolts? I’ve always wanted to join.” “The thing is, we would like you to join us, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow frowned. “And you are?” The three pegasi posed. “The Shadowbolts. We’re the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria... as soon as we get a captain of great swiftness... bravery... and pure magnificence.” Rainbow sighed. “...Look, just get to the point. I’m kinda trying to help my friends stop eternal night?” she sighed impatiently. The middle Shadowbolt chuckled. “We need you to be our captain, Rainbow Dash. But the... initiation requires the power of unfiltered moonlight, so... if you choose to finish this now we won’t be able to take you on.” “...No.” The Shadowbolts gasped and grumbled. “But why not?” “Fame isn’t worth abandoning my friends over,” Rainbow replied simply. She then raised her voice to where her friends could hear and added, “And I’d rather be loyal to the ones who I know care about me than the ones who’d try to turn me against my friends!” She turned around and finished tying the bridge. “So you can shove that offer.” Rainbow flew back over to the group and sighed. “What was that, Rainbow?” Pinkie asked. “Some group of nerds called the Shadowbolts,” Rainbow replied with a roll of her eyes as Sonic clambered onto her back. “They wanted me to abandon you guys to become their captain, because the initiation could only take place in moonlight. I’m honestly kinda insulted, does Nightmare Moon really have that low an opinion of me?” The group shared a laugh, albeit a slightly nervous one, before charging into the castle together. They were met by a huge stone pedestal bearing five stone orbs with hexagons chiseled into them. “The Elements of Harmony...” Twilight murmured. “We found them!” Rainbow and Fluttershy immediately flew up to bring the orbs down. “Careful, careful...” Twilight warned. Pinkie’s eyes darted around. “One, two, three, four, five... where’s the sixth one?” “When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed,” Twilight quoted. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked. “...I have an idea,” Twilight allowed, her horn lighting up. “But you guys should probably stand back.” “Alright, we’ll be at the... well, I don’t guess it’s a door no more,” Applejack chuckled, coaxing a bit of levity into the suddenly tense atmosphere. “If y’all need us, just call.” Twilight nodded before kneeling in front of the Elements. “Come on, come on...” Twilight muttered, horn shining brighter. “You’ve got this, Twilight,” Spike whispered. Sonic and the girls echoed his sentiment, even Pinkie remaining quiet enough to not break Twilight’s concentration. Applejack noticed Nightmare Moon’s smoke shooting toward Twilight and glared. “I don’t think so,” she growled, lifting a rock and sending it powering into the smoke. Twilight gasped, but everyone rushed forward. “Get the spark going!” Sonic encouraged. “We’ll hold her off!” The smoke formed into Nightmare Moon’s true form and she cackled. “You really think you can defeat me? Not even your precious Celestia could stand up to my power. How do you have a chance?” “B-Because we have e-each other!” Fluttershy insisted. “And we’re protectin’ our friend!” Applejack declared. Twilight gasped softly, her mouth slowly growing a smile. “The spark... The Elements...” Her horn flashed from lavender to magenta, and a sixth orb descended from the skies. The rest of the orbs began to circle the other ponies as all were lifted into the air. “These orbs...” Twilight realized. “They were never what we were looking for. We needed to find the spirits of the Elements of Harmony. The ponies that exemplified each Element.” Nightmare Moon stepped back, her horn beginning to glow defensively. Twilight lowered her head and smiled. “Applejack, who reassured me when I was doubting by showing her inner honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the pained manticore with the purity of her kindness! Pinkie Pie, who pushed back the darkness with the light of her laughter! Rarity, whose heart calmed the sorrowful serpent when she bore her generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who even for her heart’s desire, did not falter in her shining loyalty!” “But that’s only five Elements!” Nightmare Moon protested. “You still don’t have the sixth!” “That’s the funny thing,” Twilight chuckled. “In some way, I’ve always had the sixth Element. But seeing that everyone here was willing to fight you just to buy a little time for me... for their... friend... it allowed the Element to manifest... the Element of Magic!” The Elements glowed so bright Sonic and Spike couldn’t keep their eyes open, and when it faded, Twilight bore a crown with a magenta gem in the shape of the star in her cutie mark. The rest of the ponies wore necklaces similarly stylized to them. Rainbow’s was a crimson lightning bolt, Pinkie’s was a cyan balloon, Rarity’s was a purple diamond, Applejack’s was an amber apple, and Fluttershy’s was a pink butterfly. They barely had time to admire them before Nightmare Moon fired a blast, which Twilight’s magic quickly deflected. “Come on, girls! It’s time to bring the sun back!” Twilight proclaimed. With a resounding cheer, the Elements began shining brilliantly and a rainbow swirled around them. Spike cheered while Sonic just watched, transfixed and strangely nostalgic. Nightmare Moon tried to flee, but was bound in rainbow chains as the rainbow arced into the skies and plummeted onto her. A pulse of light finished the display and the ponies collapsed to the floor. While Spike went to go check on the Elements, Sonic tiptoed over to where Nightmare Moon had been. In her place was a light blue female alicorn with a periwinkle mane and tail and crescent moon cutie mark, displayed on a patch of fur black as night. Sonic’s four-year-old mind missed the obvious connection and he poked the alicorn awake as the sun rose brilliantly into the sky. The alicorn sputtered awake. “Hey, I’m Sonic!” Sonic offered. “What’s your name?” The alicorn breathed unsteadily as she gazed into Sonic’s eyes. “We... We are Princess L-Luna. Wh... what has happened?” “Luna.” The word was soft, but firm, and Twilight turned to its source happily while her friends bowed. Princess Celestia gave Twilight a quick hug and acknowledged the others before standing over Luna. “...Hello, Ce-Celestia,” Luna squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut. Whatever she expected wasn’t what happened next, as Celestia swept Luna into a passionate hug. “It’s been so long, little sister,” Celestia sobbed. “I missed you so much.” “Sister?” Twilight gasped. Luna burst into tears. “W-We missed you s-so much t-too, Tia!” she wailed. “We never meant to-” “I know,” Celestia whispered. “It’s not just your fault, Lulu. If I’d realized sooner... If I’d paid more attention...” Pinkie’s eyes began spewing tears and Sonic decided to intervene. “Group hug!” he called. The ponies took his suggestion and Celestia burst into giggles. “Thank you, little one,” she nodded. Sonic grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. “Now... this is Luna, my little sister... I suppose ‘little’ has a more acute meaning now.” Luna couldn’t help a giggle. “Twilight Sparkle, I am... so very proud of you,” Celestia murmured. “I knew you could do it.” “But... you told me-” “I only told you that you needed to make some friends,” Celestia explained. “That’s what I said!” Spike complained. Everyone present giggled, including him after a momentary pout. “I knew that you had the magic to free Luna, but that you would need true friendship to unleash it,” Celestia continued calmly. “I’m glad Spike made me listen to you, then,” Twilight replied with a grin. “Princess...” “Yes, Twilight?” “...Is it alright if I stay in Ponyville?” “Of course, my faithful student,” Celestia replied knowingly. “I would not wish for you to abandon your friends.” “Pinkie, when’s the ‘Twilight’s staying in Ponyville and also the lost Princess has returned’ party?” Rainbow asked jestingly. “Um... tomorrow!” Pinkie replied earnestly. Sonic laughed as he basked in the sunlight. Rainbow sighed happily and stood next to him. “Best. Celebration. Ever,” she murmured. Sonic agreed as Pinkie babbled on about Luna, Celestia, and Twilight’s preferences in cake and streamer colors. The Everfree didn’t seem so scary when the sunlight shined. Author's Note This would've been out earlier today but I spent all morning anticipating Nintendo's E3 presentation and in the hype afterwards it slipped my mind. Hope you enjoy! Also, while you're here, I put together a group for this series now! So far it's got one forum post where you can submit ideas for more pairings and that's about it. Chapter 7: Gilded FriendshipIn the weeks after Luna’s return and Twilight’s new assignment to learn about the magic of friendship in Ponyville, Sonic’s life slipped into an easy routine. He’d wake up with Rainbow, get down to hang out with Spike or Big Mac, and watch as Twilight’s circle of friends engaged in their daily adventures and shenanigans. Of particular delight to Sonic was when Rainbow and Pinkie realized their mutual love of pranking and proceeded to, over a three-day period, somehow prank everyone in Ponyville, sans Fluttershy. The day after Rainbow and Pinkie’s pranking spree, Rainbow and Sonic were awoken by a knock at the door to Rainbow’s home. Rainbow opened the door to see a griffon waiting. “Hey, Dash!” the griffon chuckled. “Gilda! It’s been forever!” Rainbow grinned, raising her hoof for Gilda’s claw to bump. “It’s great to see you!” “Mama, who’s this?” Sonic asked, rubbing his eyes. Rainbow grinned. “Sonic, this is my old buddy Gilda. Gilda, this is my adopted son, Sonic. I adopted him a little over a year ago.” “Huh. Didn’t take ya for the parent type, Dash,” Gilda commented. “He fell outta the sky in front of me and we share at least two base traits. We’re both blue, and we both like to go fast!” Rainbow joked. Gilda snickered. “Well, guess if he’s that much like you he’s pretty cool.” Sonic grinned. “Mama’s... at least twenty percent cooler than me, but I try!” Gilda cackled. “That’s what I like to hear!” Rainbow beamed proudly. “So, what brings you? Just looking to hang?” Gilda groaned. “Griffonstone is so boring, and everygriff over there’s in a bad mood... not like that’s new, but it’s becoming more oppressive.” Rainbow cringed sympathetically. “Well, a friend of mine’s been helping me with a pranking spree and we’re gonna try and prank as many ponies as we can at once. You wanna help?” Gilda’s answering grin was viciously giddy. Pinkie’s voice shortly called out, “Rise and shine, Rainbow Dash! It’s a brand new day and we’ve got a lot of new pranking to do!” Rainbow grinned. “That’s the friend I was talking about. C’mon, let’s go introduce you!” “‘Kay,” Gilda shrugged. “I do wanna warn you, she can come on kind of strong, but she’s cool once you get to know her,” Rainbow explained. “Heh, I gotcha,” Gilda snickered. Rainbow let Sonic onto her back and flew down to the ground with Gilda. “Woah!” Pinkie exclaimed in surprise. “Who’s this?” “Pinkie, this is my griffon pal Gilda. Gilda, this is my friend Pinkie Pie.” “‘Sup,” Gilda nodded. “A griffon?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head. Rainbow explained, “Half-eagle, half-lion-” “-And all awesome!” Gilda crowed. Rainbow flashed a grin. “Well, it’s nice to meetcha, Gilda!” Pinkie nodded, extending her hoof. “Any friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine!” Gilda moved to shake Pinkie’s hoof, only to yelp in surprise when a fart noise rang out. Rainbow snickered and Pinkie and Sonic burst into giggles as Pinkie raised her hoof. “The whoopie cushion on the hoof trick... it’s ALWAYS funny!” Pinkie exclaimed between laughs. Gilda smirked. “Heh, not half-bad. So, Dash, who were you thinking we’d prank first?” “Ooh, is she gonna join us?” Pinkie asked excitedly. Rainbow nodded. “If you don’t mind!” “Of course not! Another prankster will be super duper helpful for pranking the whole town!” Pinkie insisted. “Wait, the whole town?” Rainbow asked excitedly. “You figured out a plan for that?” Pinkie nodded virtuously. “Well, except for Fluttershy since she’s so sensitive, but we can do everypony else!” Gilda raised an eyebrow. “...Why do we need to care about that?” Rainbow frowned. “Hey, Fluttershy’s like a sister to me,” she interjected. “She’s not a very brave pony but she’s there when it counts. If you’ve got a problem with keeping her out of the pranks, we can do this without you.” Gilda held up a claw in surrender. “Chill, Dash, just wanted to make sure we weren’t givin’ anyone a free pass they didn’t need.” Rainbow nodded. “In that case, what’s the plan, Pinkie?” Pinkie grinned. “Alright, get in close...” Sonic hurried along the roads of Ponyville to Fluttershy’s house so he could keep her distracted and away from the town proper while Pinkie, Gilda, and Rainbow could put their prank into action. He giggled as he envisioned the results of the prank Pinkie had planned. The whole town covered in flour? The sight would be hilarious. He met Fluttershy outside her house. “Oh, hello, Sonic!” she giggled. “What brings you?” Sonic bit his lip. “Um...” Fluttershy suddenly narrowed her eyes. “The girls have told me about Rainbow and Pinkie’s pranking spree. Is this part of that?” Sonic whimpered. “S-Sorta, Mama met an old friend named Gilda and she and Mama and Pinkie are gonna prank the whole town but Mama and Pinkie didn’t want you getting pranked because they know how sen-sa-tive you are,” he blabbered. Fluttershy rolled her eyes in amusement and sighed. “Well, I appreciate Rainbow’s concern for me,” she decided. “I was planning to head into town for a bit to grab some groceries, but if that’s not an option right now I can wait for a while.” “Mama packed me some snacks!” Sonic offered. Fluttershy giggled. “Of course she did... don’t tell her I said this, but it’s frankly adorable how much she cares for you.” Sonic snickered. “Okay! I won’t tell!” “So, um... you want me to read you a book?” Fluttershy suggested. Sonic shrugged. “If you have one of the cool ones,” he allowed. Fluttershy waved Sonic into her house. “Well, I’ll let you decide if I do,” she offered. Sonic nodded in response. An hour later, Sonic and Fluttershy were invested in a game of Go Fish with Harry and Angel when an explosion rattled the windows. The four of them jumped at the noise and Sonic rushed over to the window. A massive off-white cloud of dust rose from Ponyville. “...Was the prank covering Ponyville in flour?” Fluttershy asked. Sonic nodded with a goofy grin. “...You know what, with that level of dedication, I can’t even be mad right now,” Fluttershy mumbled. “Mom said you’d say that,” Sonic replied. Twilight paced in front of Rainbow, Gilda, and Pinkie Pie with rage blistering on her face. “So.” Twilight spat out the word with enough intensity to blow a leaf away. “You three. Decided to... what was it again?” “Prank the whole town by covering it in flour,” Pinkie supplied. Twilight’s eye twitched. “Yes... that.” “Wheat like to apologize for the trouble,” Rainbow offered, her face the picture of innocence. “Y-Yeah, sorry, w-we barley thought it through,” Gilda added as the three pranksters broke into snickers. Pinkie said through her giggles, “G-Girls, I... I think we... we oat to apologize to Twi-” Twilight’s horn lit up with magic. “You have three seconds to run before I toast you.” Rainbow and Gilda took to the skies, while Pinkie got flour in her nose and sneezed herself out of Twilight’s field of vision. Twilight giggled to herself as the mass telekinesis spell she’d prepared gathered every grain of flour in the town and carefully pulled it toward a few bins set up by Applejack and Rarity. “Those three are such goofs,” she sighed with an eyeroll. Dear Princess Celestia, I’m sure you saw the massive flour cloud over Ponyville. Don’t worry, it’s been cleaned up. Today I learned a lesson from Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, all it takes to bring two of your friends together is something they both love to bond over. ...In this case, it was a massive prank, re: the cloud of flour. It was if not amusing at least cathartic to hear Fluttershy lecturing Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow’s old friend Gilda on how dangerous their prank could have been. The definitely funny part was watching Fluttershy realize how bold she was being. You know, maybe I learned two lessons today! Sometimes our friends can bring out sides of us that we didn’t even recognize we had! Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle Author's Note I didn’t mean for this to take so long to write, but IRL stuff kept me super busy in July and then I ended up with a nasty head cold that ended my motivation to write for a while. I should be back into the swing of things now, though! Next chapter: Dragonshy! Chapter 5: The Nightmare RisesRainbow and Sonic found themselves grateful that Twilight brought a lantern with her, and Sonic made a point of thanking her for it. Twilight shrugged. “You’re welcome.” “Yeah, I agree with Sonic!” Pinkie chipped in. “It’d be suuuuper dark and spooky without it! Like, we probably wouldn’t even be able to see if the ground was about to collapse beneath us!” The ground immediately collapsed beneath them. “You had to say it, Pinkieeee!” Rarity squealed as she began tumbling down. “Fluttershy, quick!” Rainbow called as she raced toward the unicorn. Fluttershy almost began panicking but steeled herself quickly and rushed to grab Pinkie. The pegasi gently set their friends down on the solid ground below before racing back up to grab Twilight, Applejack, and Spike. Twilight’s hind legs were off the cliff, and she was clinging desperately to Applejack, while Spike was doing the same to Twilight. Rainbow nodded and prepared to catch Twilight, while Fluttershy got into position to do the same. “Alright, Twilight!” Applejack stated firmly and clearly. “I’m gonna let y’all go.” “What!? W-why?” Twilight gasped. “A-Are you trying to-” Applejack huffed. “Rainbow and Fluttershy are right behind ya to catch, alright? I trust ‘em to catch y’all.” Twilight tried craning her neck to see but couldn’t. “Twilight, Spike, I promise, y’all will be safe. Just trust that I’m bein’ honest.” Twilight whimpered fearfully but nodded. Applejack let go, and Twilight fell with a scream of fear that immediately stopped itself when Rainbow caught her with a bemused chuckle. Fluttershy grabbed Spike, and they were brought down carefully while Applejack gracefully leapt down a few outcroppings on the cliff. “Th-Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight offered shakily when the farmer rejoined the group. “Told ya they’d catch ya,” Applejack chuckled. “Can we talk about that?” Sonic mumbled worriedly. “The ground just... fell. It... it doesn’t do that.” “And the timing, too,” Rarity pointed out. “No matter how unnatural the Everfree Forest is, I never thought it would have any sense of dramatic timing.” Twilight considered their words and frowned. “Those are some good points,” she admitted. “I felt some kind of magic pass by right before the ground collapsed. I would’ve mentioned it but, you know, I didn’t really have time and wasn’t sure it was anything to worry about. I wonder if... maybe Nightmare Moon herself is trying to stop us?” Rainbow frowned. “She’s got an enormous superiority complex and the power to back it up- it’s not just anypony who could take on Princess Celestia and win. Why would she want to keep a bunch of town ponies from getting to her... unless she thinks we pose an actual threat.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “W-woah, I hadn’t th-thought about that...” she whispered. “B-but why would she-” A roar split the air as a massive beast charged forward. “A manticore!” Twilight realized. “It’s blocking our way to the castle. We’ll have to get past it!” Sonic privately realized Twilight had said “we” and not “I” and couldn’t help a grin despite the terrifying beast rapidly approaching. The manticore roared again, and most of the ponies prepared to fight, except for Fluttershy, who suddenly grew deeply contemplative. As her friends prepared to charge, she darted ahead of them and called out a meek “Wait!” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Fluttershy?” she asked. “Y’all got an idea?” Fluttershy turned to face the manticore. “That roar... it sounded...” she trailed off. “...Fluttershy?” Twilight asked nervously. “What are you doing?” Fluttershy took a deep breath and approached the manticore. The manticore raised up a paw to strike her, roared, but then winced. “Shh... It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to see what’s wrong, okay Mr. Manticore?” The manticore whimpered and held out a paw. Gouged deep within the pads laid a nasty purple thorn. “Oh, you poor, poor thing,” Fluttershy murmured sympathetically. “Would you like me to get it out for you?” The manticore nodded vigorously in response and yowled. “Alright, it’s probably going to hurt for just a second, okay? But then it’ll be better,” Fluttershy explained. The manticore visibly bit back a roar as Fluttershy pulled the thorn from its paw. She rushed away and quickly returned with a leaf and some vines. She proceeded to carefully place the leaf over the wound and wrap the manticore’s paw in a makeshift bandage. The manticore fervently began licking Fluttershy’s mane and purring. Twilight and the others took the opportunity to trot past. “Aww, you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are,” Fluttershy cooed. Rainbow rolled her eyes. After Fluttershy rejoined the group, Twilight asked, “Fluttershy, how did you know?” “What do you mean?” Fluttershy responded. Twilight shook her head. “About the thorn?” “I didn’t,” Fluttershy shrugged. “He just sounded like he was in pain, and... I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to show him some kindness.” Twilight looked like she was considering that and nodded carefully. “Well, I guess if the manticore’s not going to object we should get moving. The map in the book said we’ve got a long way to go.” Her companions nodded and forged ahead. The forest around them grew darker as the moon disappeared from view and Rarity shuddered. “I would have liked a reprieve from the sight of all that muck, but... not like this,” she squeaked. Sonic whimpered and hugged Rainbow’s neck tightly as the darkness grew oppressive and the ponies grew closer. “Really wish I hadn’t lost the lantern at the cliff,” Twilight groaned. Fluttershy smacked into Rainbow. “Oh! Goodness, I’m sorry!” “It’s okay,” Rainbow replied. An unpleasant squelch preceded Applejack muttering, “Egh, I think I stepped in someth-” A shriek from Rarity interrupted. “It’s just mud,” Applejack protested, before looking up and yelping in terror. Sonic and Rainbow looked around to see menacing, twisted faces all around them and shrieked. The screams of terror and Fluttershy’s hyperventilating were suddenly drowned out by Pinkie bursting into laughter. “P-Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “Wh-What are you doing!?” Pinkie giggled and blew a raspberry at one of the faces, and the darkness around them lifted enough that the group could see that the faces were just shapes in tree bark. A light tune began to play and Sonic cocked his head. “Is that music?” “C’mon girls, don’t you see?” Pinkie piped up, before she burst into song. “When I was a little filly and the sun was going down...” “Oh, tell me she’s not,” Twilight groaned. “The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown...” “She is,” Rarity sighed. “I’d hide under my pillow From what I thought I saw But Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way To deal with fears at all!” “W-Well, then what is?” Fluttershy protested. “She said, ‘Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall Learn to face your fears You’ll see that they can’t hurt you Just laugh to make them disappear!’ Ha! Ha! HA!” The face nearest to Pinkie vanished in a puff of pink smoke. Everyone else gasped in surprise. Pinkie began pulling everyone to various trees and some force of nature sent them all to giggles and laughter. Pinkie grinned and leapt back into song. “So, giggle at the ghostly Guffaw at the grossly Crack up at the creepy Whoop it up with the weepy Chortle at the kooky Snortle at the spooky!” “And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he’s got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna...” Pinkie trailed off into laughter before sighing and finishing with a heartfelt, “Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!” The whole group collapsed into giggles as Pinkie’s song finished. Author's Note This was going to be combined with chapter 6 but it was getting a little too long so you'll get three of the Elements here and the other three and Nightmare Moon's defeat with the next chapter. Also, in case you didn't see my blog post, I'm working on another one of the stories in this series (which I need a name for, do any of you have any good ideas? Only thing I could come up with is PWNY-ReVerse) for Gravity Falls's Dipper and Mabel Pines as raised by Bright Mac and Buttercup to be released on the show's 9-year anniversary! So if you like Gravity Falls and my writing keep an eye out for that, I guess.
Prologue: Phantom Portals"Is everyone okay?" Sonic asked as he finished off the last of the robots. "We are, thanks to you! Cutting it kinda close, though, pal," Tails chuckled. Sonic smirked as he kicked away a robot part in front of his foot. "Uh, yeah, that's kinda how I roll!" he pointed out smugly before turning to the extremely devious-looking Dr. Eggman. "Okay, let's finish this, Eggman!" "It will be your finish, Sonic!" Eggman cackled. "Behold the power of my ultimate masterpiece!" Sonic narrowed his eyes and prepared to attack the Eggmobile, but a reddish purple flash struck him back. Sonic stuck the landing and looked up to see Shadow standing in front of him, arms crossed and face scowling. "Shadow!?" Sonic gasped. "You're... you're working with Eggman?" Shadow made no attempt at a reply. Suddenly three other familiar faces dropped in. "Zavok?" Sonic realized, tensing. "Metal? Chaos?" Eggman cackled violently as a fifth figure descended imposingly. It appeared to be a jackal, with a long tail, a face mask with one eye covered, and a shimmering red gem in its chest. It glowed with a dark red aura and gave Sonic a condescending glare. Sonic grunted, recovered from his momentary shock, and dashed at the new guy, who swiftly dodged and flew into the air. Tails gasped. "This guy is faster than Sonic!" he exclaimed. Sonic tried for a spin attack, but the jackal dodged, kicked him up, and sent him flying into a wall. Sonic groaned as he hit the ground before forcing himself back up. Tails frowned. "No, wait, it's something else... Gotta scan this guy and figure him out," he murmured, pulling out a scanner and lifting it up toward the jackal. Zavok charged up and threw out a punch, which Sonic blocked and returned, throwing Zavok back. Sonic tried for another strike at the jackal, but was denied and barely dodged Metal Sonic's flying attack. Chaos grabbed Sonic, who pushed back until the jackal rushed at Sonic's unprotected back and sent him careening into the ground. "Nice!" Eggman crowed. Sonic coughed as he pushed himself up. "...Tails, I need to know what's going on with this guy!" he pleaded. "I'm trying, Sonic," Tails panicked, "but these readings are all messed up! They don't make any sense!" Sonic dodged a tail swipe from the jackal, but was immediately thrown back into a wall, and Eggman's crew began a game of "Kick the Hedgehog" and threw Sonic around. "Running! Out of time here! Tails!" Sonic yelped between kicks before he crashed to the ground, falling unconscious. "SONIC!" Tails cried, dropping his scanner and clambering forward. He stood in front of the hedgehog, weakly raising his arms, before being knocked well away by a body slam from Zavok. The jackal descended in front of Sonic's unconscious form and laughed. Eggman howled in cackles. "Excellent work! Now, let's get him onto the Death Egg!" Infinite stared at Sonic, motionless. "Infinite, what are you waiting for!?" Eggman demanded. "Waiting for you to realize your plan is idiotic at best," Infinite replied gruffly. "WHAT!?" Eggman roared. "You dare-" Infinite zipped over to Eggman and loomed menacingly. "Sonic has bested you in every encounter. You really think he wouldn't be able to escape the Death Egg?" Eggman stammered, "W-well, even if he were to escape his prison, which has a less than one percent chance of happening, mind you! But even if he escaped, he'd have no way of getting back to the planet!" "Not alone," Infinite admitted, "but no matter how foolish it might be, his 'friends' are... astoundingly loyal. The little fox knew it was hopeless, I saw it in his eyes, but... he still tried to protect Sonic. Who's to say they won't attempt a rescue when they find out where he is? Because I'm certain they will." "Attempt is the key word!" Eggman protested. "And if they succeed?" Infinite challenged. "Say they get him back to the planet, but have to sacrifice one of their number. Now your archenemy is in a position to attack you, and very angry with you over his loss." Eggman began sweating. "W...Well, do you have any BETTER ideas!?" he asked. Infinite snickered. "Of course I do. Here's my plan: create an illusory perfect world for Sonic. Send him there, and then close the opening. Even if he's able to leave- which is unlikely- he won't even want to. Perhaps implant some false memories so that if one of his 'friends' somehow, by some stroke of sheer blind luck, manages to get into the illusory world, it'll be a 'my world versus your world' situation." Eggman considered this. "Hm, it's got merit, I suppose. Fine! You do your plan, I suppose." "Gladly," Infinite huffed before raising a hand to create the portal beneath Sonic. Tails cried out and leapt at Infinite as Sonic fell into the portal, scratching the Phantom Ruby lightly during Infinite's brief moment of shock. The portal sparked briefly, but then faded. Infinite grunted, having recovered from his momentary shock, and glared at Tails. "You have ten seconds to run before I obliterate you," Infinite warned. Tails whimpered, trembling, and stumbled away. Eggman and Infinite's combined laughter echoed through the skies.
Chapter 1: Unexpected AdoptionAuthor's Note (May 30, 2021) Edited to remove the awkward video juice bit and clean up a few spelling and grammar errors I noticed after publishing. Chapter 1: Unexpected Adoption Rainbow Dash yawned as the late morning sun glistened in the air. A day off from the weather team meant she had the time for a nap. She hopped up to a cloud, patted down a bit of the wayward fluff, and settled down to sleep. Before she could drift off, though, a strange noise pierced the air. Rainbow opened her eyes to look for the source, and saw a red flash at the edge of town. She grumbled at her own curiosity and rushed over to find out what it was. She landed near where she thought she’d seen the flash and looked around. Seeing nothing, she prepared to shrug it off and get her nap started, when a cry from above startled her. She looked up to find something small and dark blue falling from the sky. On instinct, she rushed up to grab it. She investigated the thing in her hooves. It was a dark blue creature with a somewhat long black nose and spikes on its head and back. Suddenly, Rainbow recoiled at realizing that the creature had what was essentially two sets of eyelids in one eye. She calmed herself by finding she could ignore it if she gazed at him head-on or from the side. It had a tan belly, muzzle, and forelegs, the ends of which were covered in white fabric. “Gloves!” Rainbow realized suddenly. She remembered Fluttershy making them for the injured paws of a few monkeys that had found their way into her care. The creature jumped and opened its eyes, or more accurately eye, but Rainbow firmly decided to ignore that detail and pretend the creature just had a strip of white between two eyes. It whimpered and Rainbow quickly descended and landed on the ground. The creature glanced around fearfully. “...Hey, there, little guy,” Rainbow murmured awkwardly. “Uh... what are you?” The creature didn’t answer. “Right, dumb question, since I don’t even know if you can talk,” Rainbow sighed. “Uh... huh. Maybe Fluttershy’ll know what you are,” she murmured. The creature looked slightly less nervous. Rainbow gently placed the creature on her back and said firmly, “Alright, hold tight, little guy.” She punctuated her statement with guiding his paw to her neck. The creature seemed to understand, as it hugged her neck tightly. Rainbow straightened her wings and took off at a steady pace. The creature gasped happily and giggled, to Rainbow’s delight. “Astah!” the creature suddenly exclaimed. “Astah, peez!” Rainbow processed the request. “...You want to go faster?” she guessed. “Yah!” the creature confirmed. “Heh, I like your style, little guy!” Rainbow decided. She ramped up the speed slightly. “Wheeeee!” the creature giggled. In fairly short order, Rainbow had arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage. The creature gazed curiously at the various animals surrounding, looking quite intrigued at the sight of a snoozing fox. Rainbow knocked on the door. “Um, I-I-I’m c-c-c-coming!” Fluttershy stammered. The door slowly opened as she peeked out before she sighed in relief. “Oh, it’s just you, Rainbow.” “Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow chuckled. “Uh, so, this little guy came kind of out of nowhere and... I can’t tell what he is. Thought you might know?” Fluttershy gazed at the creature and grinned. “I’m not sure, but I can check one of the encyclopedias... but I can say it’s absolutely adorable!” The creature blinked and crossed its arms. Fluttershy giggled as Rainbow protested, “Hey! He’s not adorable, he’s cool!” Fluttershy waved Rainbow in. “The two aren’t mutually exclusive!” she pointed out giddily. The creature shared a look with Rainbow. “Does he have a name?” Fluttershy absentmindedly asked as she pulled out a nonzero number of books. Rainbow paused, thought over what she knew about the creature, and decided, “Sonic feels right...” Fluttershy grinned. “Oh? How so?” “Well, I know he likes to go fast,” Rainbow shrugged. “And... well, he seems to like it!” Sonic was beaming. Fluttershy laughed musically and turned to the books. After an hour of fruitless searching, Sonic was snoring, Rainbow was having trouble staying awake, and Fluttershy’s face was implanted in a book in frustration. “I can’t believe there’s nothing that looks like him in here,” Fluttershy wheezed. “I don’t think there are more than two more detailed encyclopedias in all of Equestria, and those only document more insects, I know for a fact!” Rainbow moaned. “I just wanted to nap on my day off,” she whimpered helplessly. Fluttershy offered a smile. “Well, why don’t you and Sonic go do that? I’ll go back through and see if there’s anything I missed... after I get some tea and get Angel for emotional support.” Rainbow nodded and nudged Sonic. “C’mon, Sonic. Let’s go nap somewhere more comfortable,” she murmured. “Okie, Mama,” Sonic yawned. “So seepy...” Fluttershy’s eyes lit up at the way Sonic addressed Rainbow, while Rainbow just froze. Sonic clambered up onto her back, and Rainbow quickly blinked tears out of her eyes as she walked out, pointedly ignoring Fluttershy’s gaze. Fluttershy quickly turned to the rabbit sitting on the video camera. “You got the last five minutes, right, Angel?” she whispered. The bunny nodded vigorously. Fluttershy squealed happily. She couldn’t wait to spring it on Rainbow later. Rainbow yawned as she drifted back up to the clouds and picked a suitably fluffy one. Despite what Applejack and others assumed, she had a method for choosing a napping spot. There was a specific cloud size and fluffiness necessary for optimal naptime, Celestia dammit! She snapped out of her mental rant and carefully applied a layer of magic to the top of the cloud, in case Sonic fell out of her wing and onto the cloud. Not that Rainbow was mimicking what her mom had done before she’d really gotten the hang of flight, obviously! She just didn’t want Sonic hurting anyone else by falling off. Or himself, Rainbow forced herself to admit. When Sonic curled up into a cozy little ball beneath Rainbow’s wing with a happy sigh, she decided she could get used to being a mom... at least until she could find Sonic’s actual family. With that thought, Rainbow drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 2: Pinkie Pie Parenthood PartySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Interlude: Meet the ApplesAuthor's Note I was going to keep this as part of chapter 2 but couldn't find a way to make the transition make sense, so have a free extra chapter! Interlude: Meet the Apples Rainbow cracked her neck with a pleased sigh as she glided from the weather management facilities, having hashed out a schedule for the week’s weather. “Alright, so... grocery shopping is done, the week’s weather’s been planned...” Rainbow mentally listed the morning’s tasks and checked them off. “So... what’s left? I need to meet with Fluttershy to check some stuff for Sonic’s biology, go figure out how to legally adopt him... jeez, that’s gonna be a huge hassle, isn’t it? Pretty sure the Equestrian legal system doesn’t have any paperwork for ‘completely unknown species falls out of the sky and attaches to somepony,’ cause that doesn’t normally happen, does it?” Rainbow’s musings were interrupted by Applejack waving her down. “Rainbow, ya got a moment?” she called. Rainbow dropped to the ground. “Yeah, what’s up? Need something?” Applejack shrugged. “Well, I was just wonderin’ if you could bring Sonic ‘round Sweet Apple Acres so Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and Granny could meet ‘im. Apple Bloom ain’t got many friends other than that li’l Twist filly and it might do her some good, and if he’s there he might as well meet Granny and Big Mac.” “Sure, I can do that,” Rainbow agreed. “Um, gotta meet up with Fluttershy real quick to check up on some of Sonic’s biology stuff, but I’ll head over there right after.” “Sound’s good! Lookin’ forward to introducing him to my family!” Applejack replied with a grin as she trotted off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres while Rainbow darted off to get Sonic from Pinkie’s foalsitting care at Sugarcube Corner and take him to Fluttershy’s cottage. After she and Fluttershy figured out the details Fluttershy wanted- namely Sonic’s preferred diet, internal body temperature, heart rate, and a test of what Fluttershy could gauge of Sonic’s innate magical energies- Sonic hopped on Rainbow’s back and Rainbow trotted off toward Sweet Apple Acres, deciding to let her wings relax for a few hours. The glares and looks were less hostile than the day before, but Rainbow made sure to keep Sonic distracted from any particularly nasty ones. Applejack welcomed Sonic and Rainbow before introducing Sonic to her family. Each Apple had an entirely unique reaction. Granny Smith was startled initially, but quickly lost any hint of hesitation and began grandmothering Sonic to his slight vocal displeasure. Apple Bloom watched Sonic curiously from a distance until curiosity won her over and she carefully approached, like one of Fluttershy’s critters seeing something shiny. Sonic suddenly reached out a finger and tapped Apple Bloom’s muzzle, sending the filly into giggles, and she began a game of tag. For Rainbow Dash, though, Big Mac’s reaction to Sonic was the most interesting. He slowly crept forward, trying not to scare Sonic. This proved unnecessary, as Sonic looked at Big Mac and his mouth went into a circle shape. “Woah... Big,” Sonic murmured. “...Eeyup,” Big Mac replied. “Really big.” “Eeeeyup.” “Scary?” “Nnnope.” “Cool!” Big Mac proceeded to hoist Sonic onto his back and walked him around Sweet Apple Acres, calmly explaining what life was like on the farm to an utterly enraptured Sonic. After about an hour of Apple Bloom pestering Rainbow with questions about Sonic, Rainbow realized she hadn’t seen him in a while and rushed off to look. She found him curled up with Big Mac under an apple tree on one of the tallest hills on the farm and struggled to keep her squees in check. Applejack and Apple Bloom hurried up to join Rainbow, and had no such inhibitions. Applejack’s extended “daw” lasted until she ran out of breath, and Apple Bloom repeatedly called Big Mac an “enormous softie” until he was hiding his face behind his hooves. Sonic had woken up by this point and was giggling fiercely. Rainbow joined him with a slight chuckle before getting Sonic on her back, securing his cloud-walking amulet, and taking flight toward their home to get started on the mental testing that Fluttershy insisted on getting him.
Chapter 3: Summer Sun PreparationsA year passed, and Sonic proved to be quite the rambunctious kid, but one who possessed a heart of gold rivaling Pinkie Pie’s. Before long, his friendly demeanor- and a few conversations with Rainbow Dash- had won over even the most hostile Ponyvilleans. Soon after the first anniversary of Sonic’s adoption- which Rainbow decided to place as his birthday- the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration was announced to be in Ponyville. Rainbow received a message from Canterlot requesting that she take care of the event’s weather, and she couldn’t have been more excited to receive such an important job. Sonic didn’t really understand, but he was happy that Rainbow was so excited. The day before the event, Sonic was listening to some of DJ Pon-3’s new music while Rainbow was out clearing the clouds at the edge of the town. A lavender unicorn with a dragon on her back walked up and frowned at the clouds overhead. “Y’know, I thought there was supposed to be a pegasus clearing the clouds,” the unicorn scoffed. “Rainbow Dash, I think,” the dragon piped up. “That’s my mama!” Sonic offered, jogging over to meet them. The unicorn yelped when she saw him. “What in the name of Celestia are you?” she asked curiously, clutching Sonic in a pink aura. Sonic yelped as he was lifted off the ground, raising his arms in front of his face, and a rainbow blur zipped down instantly. “Hi, Mama,” Sonic whimpered. “That’s my son you’re messing with!” Rainbow protested. “Let him go!” The unicorn blinked and dismissed her magic. “Alright, I’m sorry. I take it you’re Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow nodded, holding Sonic protectively. “I’m Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn explained. “Princess Celestia sent me to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow. I heard you were supposed to be taking care of the weather?” Rainbow nodded again with a small grin. “Yep! If you’ll notice there’s not a cloud in the sky at the edges of Ponyville, and I would have already gotten everything else done if you hadn’t tried to-” “Alright, I said I was sorry!” Twilight groaned. “Well, it does appear that you have the weather under control, so I’ll be on my way to check out the decorations.” “Oh, that’s Rarity!” Sonic replied happily. “Be careful around her.” “...Why?” the dragon asked. “She’ll try to stick you in a super fancy dress,” Sonic groaned. Rainbow snickered. “Yeah, be careful.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Alright, then.” She trotted off, apparently not noticing the dragon had hopped off her back. “I’m Spike!” the dragon offered. “I’m Sonic!” Sonic replied. “SPIKE!” Twilight suddenly called. “GET OVER HERE!” “Uh, maybe we can hang out later?” Spike suggested. Sonic eagerly nodded before Spike rushed ahead. Rainbow quickly rushed around to finish clearing out the clouds above while Sonic returned to his music, before Pinkie hopped up and smacked a pair of invitations in front of them. “Party at the Golden Oaks Library!” she whistled. Rainbow snickered. “I assume for Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn from Canterlot?” “Yep!” “What time?” “Sunset, since it’s doubling as a Summer Sun Celebration party!” Pinkie explained before bouncing off. “Heh, guess you’ve got your chance to hang with Spike at sunset, then,” Rainbow chuckled. “C’mon, let’s go run your music stuff by the house and check on Fluttershy to try to get her ready for meeting Twilight.” “Sounds good to me!” Sonic agreed. As sunset fell, Sonic and Rainbow were ushered into the library by a very excited Pinkie Pie. The lights were turned off as they heard Fluttershy fawning over Spike while Twilight just groaned. Rainbow and Sonic held back a few shared snickers. Twilight shoved herself and Spike in and slammed the door. “Rude much?” Spike muttered. Twilight sighed. “Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?” Pinkie took her cue masterfully and turned the light on with a fanfare of kazoos. “Surprise!” the crowd of ponies in the library called. “Howdy-doody, Twilight Sparkle!” Pinkie proclaimed. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!” “How do you know my name!?” Twilight demanded. Rainbow sighed. “I told her, don’t worry. She hasn’t broken reality to learn about you... yet...” Twilight looked aghast while Spike chortled. Fluttershy let herself in and Pinkie recovered from the interruption and began chattering away at Twilight, who looked like she’d prefer Tartarus over Pinkie’s chatter. “...And so I figured since you were coming to look at the Summery Sunny Celebration, I thought it’d be a super-stuPENdous welcoming party idea to combine them, and now that you’re here you can make lots and lots of friends!” Pinkie finished. Twilight glared. “I. Am not interested. I’m only here to-” “-Make sure Ponyville is ready for the Celebration,” Spike interrupted, “and make some friends, like Princess Celestia said!” Twilight glared. “Can we have a minute?” Spike muttered. “You guys can go ahead and start the party, we’ll be right back out.” Pinkie nodded sagely, while Spike led Twilight up a set of stairs into a concealed room. Rainbow was quickly distracted by a member of the weather team checking in about what the schedule would look like after the Celebration, and Sonic took the time to slip away, unable to resist the temptation to eavesdrop. “Spike, really!?” Twilight demanded. “What?” Spike frowned. “Why’d you have to-” Spike cut her off. “If you’ll look at the scroll, it specifically says you’ll need to make friends here! She wants you to stop being such a loner! Even I know it’s not good for your mental health to stay stuck in a tower without any extra company!” Twilight sighed. “Fine, I’ll participate. But I won’t like it, and as soon as I possibly can, I’m going to look up the Elements of Harmony and figure out how to get Princess Celestia to listen to me!” Sonic hurried back down quietly and waited for Spike to come down. The dragon appeared triumphant, if slightly grumpy, and Twilight looked frustrated and angry beneath her obviously forced smile. Rarity and Applejack made eye contact, nodded, and swept Twilight into the party, not letting her sulk alone for a moment. Spike met up with Sonic and Rainbow and the three shared some comics and action book interests. As midnight approached, Spike realized how relaxed Twilight looked and mentioned something to Sonic, who grinned. “Rarity and AJ are good at that. It’s... awesome how much they work together,” he sighed. “Even though they’re so dif- diffa-” “Different?” Spike suggested. “I’m not good with big words yet,” Sonic sighed. Spike laughed. “Actually, how old are you?” he wondered. Sonic frowned. “I... dunno. Mama became my mama... a little longer than one year ago, but...” he trailed off with a yawn. “Um, Mama thinks I was three or four when she found me.” “Twilight hatched my egg... like, thirteen years ago?” Spike sighed. “But I’m still a baby by dragon standards... and it sucks, because Twilight still treats me like a baby. Even if I’d be basically a teenager by pony standards.” “Good thing I don’t have to deal with that yet,” Sonic sighed. “Wake me up when it’s time for the sunrise...” “Taking a nap?” Spike guessed. “I think Mama’s bedtime of two hours after sunset is fair,” Sonic groaned as he curled up. Spike chuckled and went off to grab a cupcake... before grabbing two and making sure to save one for Sonic. Author's Note I just want to say thanks for the awesome reception on this! I was really nervous about posting this before, but it's been amazing how supportive everybody's been!
Chapter 4: The Nightmare ReturnsSonic woke to a series of gentle nudges. He yawned and opened his eyes to see Spike. “Good, you’re awake!” Spike said. “C’mon, it’s time to watch the sunrise!” Sonic nodded and stretched before taking the cupcake Spike offered and scarfed it down quickly. “Thank you,” Sonic allowed as he and Spike joined the crowd of ponies heading toward Town Hall. Spike frowned. “...I really hope Twilight’s wrong about what’s gonna happen today.” Sonic asked, “What does she think is gonna happen?” Spike shook his head. “It’s... probably nothing. Just an old mare’s tale about some kind of Mare in the Moon.” “I’m sure Mama can handle it! She’s awesome!” Sonic encouraged Spike. “Or Princess Cele-sti-a!” Spike thought about it and nodded. “Yeah, Princess Celestia has kept Equestria safe for a thousand years. She... should be able to handle it if it’s real... Right?” he murmured uncertainly. Sonic gave Spike a side hug and Spike smiled. “Well, if it’s anything like the comics there’ll definitely be some heroes popping up. Guess we don’t have a reason to really worry!” Sonic nodded. Once the doors to the town hall closed, Mayor Mare stepped up. She cleared her throat and said proudly, “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!” A massive cheer erupted from the crowd. Mayor Mare raised a hoof to quiet the crowd and continued, “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria...” Sonic shot a glance over at Twilight, who was staring outside worriedly. He watched her flinch as something happened outside. “...Princess Celestia!” Mayor Mare declared. Fluttershy’s bird choir began a chorus as Rarity opened the curtains. Nothing happened. Fluttershy quieted her birds as Rarity ducked into the room. “This can’t be good,” Twilight murmured, while Spike and Sonic echoed her sentiment. Sonic whimpered, and Spike patted his shoulder with a smile. “Remain calm, everypony!” Mayor Mare insisted. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable-” “She’s gone!” Rarity announced. A peal of thunder split the room. Dark blue fog streamed in as an evil voice cackled. Twilight whispered fearfully, “No... Nononononono...” A dark alicorn dressed in steel blue regalia formed from the fog. “Oh, my beloved subjects. It’s been... so long since I’ve seen all your precious little sun-loving faces,” she sighed with a wicked grin. “What did you do with our princess!?” Rainbow demanded, jumping into the air. Applejack pulled her back by her tail. “Ain’t nothing good gonna come for her if ya go ‘n’ get yerself killed,” she whispered harshly. The alicorn scoffed. “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?” she asked, leering at the crowd. Pinkie hopped up. “Um, I dunno, but I can guess! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty!” The alicorn rolled her eyes as Pinkie babbled on. Applejack shoved a muffin in Pinkie’s mouth to shut her up. A tiny light smirk graced the alicorn’s lips before she recovered and taunted, “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. “I did!” she proclaimed. “And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!” Sonic gulped and got a bit closer to Spike. Nightmare Moon raised a mildly approving eyebrow. “Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me. Then you must also know why I'm here.” Twilight froze. “You're here to... to...” she gulped, unable to finish as a crowdful of eyes locked onto her. “Remember this day, little ponies,” Nightmare Moon commanded, “for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” Lightning flashed as the alicorn cackled. Mayor Mare recovered from her terror and ordered the stunned guards, “Seize her! Only she knows where the princess is!” The guards, taking the orders gratefully, flew in to strike. “FOOLS!” Nightmare Moon roared, her eyes flashing white. Lightning blazed through the air, downing the guards. Sonic winced as he saw them crash to the ground. A memory drifted into his head that he hadn’t experienced and didn’t remember but somehow still wanted to forget. A wisp of someone else’smenacing laughter made him feel sick with fear. He shook his head, clearing the memory- or vision- and checked his surroundings. If he got enough speed heading to that column, kicked off at that position, and balanced a run on that banner, he might be able to get in a strike on Nightmare Moon while she was distracted- “Oh, no you don’t,” Spike hissed, gripping Sonic’s arm tightly. “I’m not letting you get yourself hurt.” Sonic sighed and nodded. “Sorry, I... I just... feel like I need to, for some reason. I dunno-” his quiet explanation was cut off by a wisp of blue smoke racing out and Rainbow rushing after it with a fierce demand to return. “Mama, wait!” Sonic panicked, racing out after her. Rainbow turned and sighed, wrapping Sonic in a hug. “It’s okay, Sonic. I’m not gonna go after her alo-” Twilight interrupted Rainbow by barreling out of the town hall and rushing toward the library. Spike was on her back. “...Where’s she going?” Rainbow wondered. “Why don’t we find out?” Applejack suggested as she exited with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie in tow. Sonic and Rainbow nodded. Sonic bore witness to what Spike quietly described as a “Twilight Freakout.” She was racing around the library, yanking books out of every shelf. “Elements... Nightmare Moon... ugh, where are they? How do I find out about the Elements of Harmony?” Fluttershy spoke up. “Um, T-Twilight, what a-are the Elements of H-Har-Harmony?” “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon!?” Rainbow demanded. Twilight froze, having missed their arrival. She looked at the confused, worried, and angry faces and sighed. “...I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon,” Twilight explained hesitantly. “Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, or where to find them! I don't even know what they do!” “‘Elements of Harmony,’ huh?” Pinkie pondered. “Did you check under ‘E’?” Twilight groaned in disappointment. “...Why was that not the first thing I thought of?” Pinkie, Sonic, and Spike shared a giggle. Twilight rolled her eyes and searched the titles before pulling out a thick book. “The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide... This passage seems relevant. ‘There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. These Elements are Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth Element is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now... the Everfree Forest.’” “Th-the-the Ever-fr-free F-fo-forest?” Fluttershy stammered, trembling. Rainbow offered a comforting wing and looked at Sonic. “I know you’re going to go, and probably gonna bring Spike, right?” Twilight shared a look with Spike and nodded. “Only because I saw him taking a nap with Sonic during the party. Otherwise I’d make him stay here to get some sleep.” Spike chuckled. “Then I’m going with you,” Rainbow stated firmly. “Sonic and Spike bonded during that party, and I’m not letting Sonic go off without me.” “And Ah better make sure Rainbow doesn’t go ‘n’ do somethin’ stupid,” Applejack chuckled. Rarity sighed. “Oh, why not? I’m coming too, darlings.” Twilight tried to protest, but Pinkie placed a hoof on her mouth. “C’mon, Twibright!” “It’s Twilight.” “Sorry! Twilight! Right! Point is, I’m going with ya too! Not gonna let my best buds go off for an adventure party without me!” Pinkie declared. Fluttershy sighed. “I-If you’re all going... then I-I’m going too!” Twilight sighed. “There’s no way I’m talking you all out of this, is there?” “Nope!” they said in unison. Twilight sighed. “Fine, I guess.” She planted Spike on her back and stormed out with a lantern gripped in her magic. Rainbow let Sonic on her back and flew after Twilight, and Fluttershy joined her in flight, albeit slower. Applejack kept a brisk, steady trot, Rarity walked with flair and overpracticed grace, and Pinkie giddily hopped after with a proclamation of “This is gonna be fun!” It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the Everfree Forest, and Twilight halted before entering. “Are you sure you want to come?” she asked, obviously expecting at least one of them to say no. “We ain’t lettin’ our friend go in the Everfree Forest alone!” Applejack insisted. “It’s too dangerous for that even in the day!” Rainbow agreed. “Who knows what’ll be lurking in there at night, ready to attack a pony on her own!” Sonic yelped, and Fluttershy and Applejack sent death glares Rainbow’s way. She gulped nervously. “W-Which is why we aren’t letting you go alone! There’s no way we can’t take on whatever’s in that forest together!” she added quickly while giving Sonic a reassuring hug. Fluttershy sighed. “Adrenaline junkie,” she muttered in frustration under her breath, to Rarity’s shock. “I must say, Fluttershy,” Rarity remarked, “that was quite... assertive of you!” Fluttershy shrugged. “I’ve known Rainbow for so long, she’s like a sister to me,” she explained. “It’s easier to be assertive with her than with most ponies.” Rarity considered her words and nodded with a smile as they walked into the forest.
Chapter 6: The Nightmare FallsAfter the group recovered from Pinkie’s infectious laughter, Twilight led the group onward, with an audible sigh of relief when some of the trees cleared. “Never thought I’d be so happy to see the moon,” she chuckled. An affirmative grunt echoed her sentiments. “Does anypony else hear rushing water?” Fluttershy asked before they turned a corner and came upon a roaring river. “Well, we do now,” Applejack chuckled. “Now, how’re we gonna cross this?” “I hear someone crying,” Sonic murmured. Twilight’s ears pricked up and she nodded. The group followed the noise and came upon a purple river serpent with bright orange hair and a mustache expertly styled on one side and torn off on the other. “Oh, what a world, what a world!” the serpent cried. “E-Excuse me, sir, why are you crying?” Twilight finally asked. The serpent sniffled and looked down at Twilight. “Well, I don’t know,” the serpent moaned. “You see, I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now... I look simply horrid!” “Oh, give me a break,” Rainbow muttered under her breath. Applejack sighed. “That’s what all the fuss is about?” “Why, of course it is!” Rarity admonished. “How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely, luminescent scales!” The serpent sniffled and managed a smile. “Oh, y-yes, I know!” Spike’s face took on a look of annoyance as he rubbed at his own scales. “And your expertly coiffed mane!” Rarity praised. “Oh, thank you!” Rarity beamed. “And your fabulous manicure,” she added. “Yes, it’s so true!” the serpent sighed. Rarity’s expression darkened. “And all of it ruined without your beautiful mustache.” The serpent sobbed and wailed, “It’s true, I’m hideous!” Rarity glared. “I simply refuse to let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!” she declared before pulling out one of the serpent’s scales. He winced. “What did you do that for!?” Rarity gripped the scale in her magic and twirled it before slashing. Her tail fell off in one fell swoop and she gripped it carefully in her magic before levitating it up to the serpent’s nose. It gently fused to where his mustache would’ve been with a small sparkle. “Oh, my mustache! Thank you so very much!” the serpent gratefully sighed. “You look positively smashing!” Rarity squealed. “Rarity, your beautiful tail,” Twilight lamented. Rarity winced and smiled weakly. “Oh, it’s alright, my dear. Short tails are in this season! ...Besides, it’ll grow back.” “Wouldn’t the mustache grow back too?” Sonic pointed out. Rarity chuckled. “Well, yes, but... see, the river’s calm now. It’s not hard to be generous with something so small for such an important result.” Twilight gasped. “Oh, you’re right! We can cross now!” she realized, and began crossing. “Let’s-” A purple hump shot out of the river, quickly joined by several more in a bridge formation capped off by the serpent’s head. “Allow me!” he insisted. Twilight nodded and hopped across, quickly joined by the rest of her group. “Thank you!” Sonic called out as the serpent prepared to leave. The serpent flashed a smile before swimming off. A bit more walking, with the group in fairly high spirits, led them to a chasm between them and a ruined building. “It’s the castle!” Twilight realized. “We’re almost there!” Excited, she galloped forward. “Twilight, wait for us!” Applejack called, chuckling. Twilight suddenly skittered to a stop. Rainbow quickly darted over as Twilight’s front hooves slipped over the edge of the chasm and she pulled the unicorn back. “What’s with you and almost falling off cliffs... today? Tonight? In this adventure. That works,” Rainbow decided. Twilight rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. “Wouldn’t have done it if I’d realized the bridge wasn’t connected to the other side,” she retorted. “How do we get across this?” Pinkie wondered. “It’s too far for Rainbow and Fluttershy to carry us, and I left my balloon stash at home!” Rainbow pushed a bit of weather magic into a wing flap and peered through the hole in the fog she’d created. “Don’t worry, I got this!” she chuckled. “Although, Sonic, you mind hopping off for a sec?” Sonic nodded, slipped off her back, and moved to Fluttershy’s. Rainbow darted down into the fog and rose back up with the other end of the bridge in her hooves. She flew over to the other side and pulled the bridge to the waiting posts. As she began to tie it down, she heard a voice calling her name behind her. “...Who’s there?” she called back. Three pegasi in dark reflections of the Wonderbolt outfits stepped from the path to castle ruins. “Hello, Rainbow Dash,” the middle one said. “Welcome to the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters.” “Uh, thanks, I guess?” Rainbow shrugged. “...Can I help you?” “Yes, you can,” the middle pegasus replied. “You see, we have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria.” “Cool,” Rainbow said, eyes occasionally flicking toward her friends. “That flyer being you, of course.” Rainbow ignored the temptation to preen. “That’s high praise,” she responded noncommittally. “Would you mind passing that info along to the Wonderbolts? I’ve always wanted to join.” “The thing is, we would like you to join us, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow frowned. “And you are?” The three pegasi posed. “The Shadowbolts. We’re the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria... as soon as we get a captain of great swiftness... bravery... and pure magnificence.” Rainbow sighed. “...Look, just get to the point. I’m kinda trying to help my friends stop eternal night?” she sighed impatiently. The middle Shadowbolt chuckled. “We need you to be our captain, Rainbow Dash. But the... initiation requires the power of unfiltered moonlight, so... if you choose to finish this now we won’t be able to take you on.” “...No.” The Shadowbolts gasped and grumbled. “But why not?” “Fame isn’t worth abandoning my friends over,” Rainbow replied simply. She then raised her voice to where her friends could hear and added, “And I’d rather be loyal to the ones who I know care about me than the ones who’d try to turn me against my friends!” She turned around and finished tying the bridge. “So you can shove that offer.” Rainbow flew back over to the group and sighed. “What was that, Rainbow?” Pinkie asked. “Some group of nerds called the Shadowbolts,” Rainbow replied with a roll of her eyes as Sonic clambered onto her back. “They wanted me to abandon you guys to become their captain, because the initiation could only take place in moonlight. I’m honestly kinda insulted, does Nightmare Moon really have that low an opinion of me?” The group shared a laugh, albeit a slightly nervous one, before charging into the castle together. They were met by a huge stone pedestal bearing five stone orbs with hexagons chiseled into them. “The Elements of Harmony...” Twilight murmured. “We found them!” Rainbow and Fluttershy immediately flew up to bring the orbs down. “Careful, careful...” Twilight warned. Pinkie’s eyes darted around. “One, two, three, four, five... where’s the sixth one?” “When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed,” Twilight quoted. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked. “...I have an idea,” Twilight allowed, her horn lighting up. “But you guys should probably stand back.” “Alright, we’ll be at the... well, I don’t guess it’s a door no more,” Applejack chuckled, coaxing a bit of levity into the suddenly tense atmosphere. “If y’all need us, just call.” Twilight nodded before kneeling in front of the Elements. “Come on, come on...” Twilight muttered, horn shining brighter. “You’ve got this, Twilight,” Spike whispered. Sonic and the girls echoed his sentiment, even Pinkie remaining quiet enough to not break Twilight’s concentration. Applejack noticed Nightmare Moon’s smoke shooting toward Twilight and glared. “I don’t think so,” she growled, lifting a rock and sending it powering into the smoke. Twilight gasped, but everyone rushed forward. “Get the spark going!” Sonic encouraged. “We’ll hold her off!” The smoke formed into Nightmare Moon’s true form and she cackled. “You really think you can defeat me? Not even your precious Celestia could stand up to my power. How do you have a chance?” “B-Because we have e-each other!” Fluttershy insisted. “And we’re protectin’ our friend!” Applejack declared. Twilight gasped softly, her mouth slowly growing a smile. “The spark... The Elements...” Her horn flashed from lavender to magenta, and a sixth orb descended from the skies. The rest of the orbs began to circle the other ponies as all were lifted into the air. “These orbs...” Twilight realized. “They were never what we were looking for. We needed to find the spirits of the Elements of Harmony. The ponies that exemplified each Element.” Nightmare Moon stepped back, her horn beginning to glow defensively. Twilight lowered her head and smiled. “Applejack, who reassured me when I was doubting by showing her inner honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the pained manticore with the purity of her kindness! Pinkie Pie, who pushed back the darkness with the light of her laughter! Rarity, whose heart calmed the sorrowful serpent when she bore her generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who even for her heart’s desire, did not falter in her shining loyalty!” “But that’s only five Elements!” Nightmare Moon protested. “You still don’t have the sixth!” “That’s the funny thing,” Twilight chuckled. “In some way, I’ve always had the sixth Element. But seeing that everyone here was willing to fight you just to buy a little time for me... for their... friend... it allowed the Element to manifest... the Element of Magic!” The Elements glowed so bright Sonic and Spike couldn’t keep their eyes open, and when it faded, Twilight bore a crown with a magenta gem in the shape of the star in her cutie mark. The rest of the ponies wore necklaces similarly stylized to them. Rainbow’s was a crimson lightning bolt, Pinkie’s was a cyan balloon, Rarity’s was a purple diamond, Applejack’s was an amber apple, and Fluttershy’s was a pink butterfly. They barely had time to admire them before Nightmare Moon fired a blast, which Twilight’s magic quickly deflected. “Come on, girls! It’s time to bring the sun back!” Twilight proclaimed. With a resounding cheer, the Elements began shining brilliantly and a rainbow swirled around them. Spike cheered while Sonic just watched, transfixed and strangely nostalgic. Nightmare Moon tried to flee, but was bound in rainbow chains as the rainbow arced into the skies and plummeted onto her. A pulse of light finished the display and the ponies collapsed to the floor. While Spike went to go check on the Elements, Sonic tiptoed over to where Nightmare Moon had been. In her place was a light blue female alicorn with a periwinkle mane and tail and crescent moon cutie mark, displayed on a patch of fur black as night. Sonic’s four-year-old mind missed the obvious connection and he poked the alicorn awake as the sun rose brilliantly into the sky. The alicorn sputtered awake. “Hey, I’m Sonic!” Sonic offered. “What’s your name?” The alicorn breathed unsteadily as she gazed into Sonic’s eyes. “We... We are Princess L-Luna. Wh... what has happened?” “Luna.” The word was soft, but firm, and Twilight turned to its source happily while her friends bowed. Princess Celestia gave Twilight a quick hug and acknowledged the others before standing over Luna. “...Hello, Ce-Celestia,” Luna squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut. Whatever she expected wasn’t what happened next, as Celestia swept Luna into a passionate hug. “It’s been so long, little sister,” Celestia sobbed. “I missed you so much.” “Sister?” Twilight gasped. Luna burst into tears. “W-We missed you s-so much t-too, Tia!” she wailed. “We never meant to-” “I know,” Celestia whispered. “It’s not just your fault, Lulu. If I’d realized sooner... If I’d paid more attention...” Pinkie’s eyes began spewing tears and Sonic decided to intervene. “Group hug!” he called. The ponies took his suggestion and Celestia burst into giggles. “Thank you, little one,” she nodded. Sonic grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. “Now... this is Luna, my little sister... I suppose ‘little’ has a more acute meaning now.” Luna couldn’t help a giggle. “Twilight Sparkle, I am... so very proud of you,” Celestia murmured. “I knew you could do it.” “But... you told me-” “I only told you that you needed to make some friends,” Celestia explained. “That’s what I said!” Spike complained. Everyone present giggled, including him after a momentary pout. “I knew that you had the magic to free Luna, but that you would need true friendship to unleash it,” Celestia continued calmly. “I’m glad Spike made me listen to you, then,” Twilight replied with a grin. “Princess...” “Yes, Twilight?” “...Is it alright if I stay in Ponyville?” “Of course, my faithful student,” Celestia replied knowingly. “I would not wish for you to abandon your friends.” “Pinkie, when’s the ‘Twilight’s staying in Ponyville and also the lost Princess has returned’ party?” Rainbow asked jestingly. “Um... tomorrow!” Pinkie replied earnestly. Sonic laughed as he basked in the sunlight. Rainbow sighed happily and stood next to him. “Best. Celebration. Ever,” she murmured. Sonic agreed as Pinkie babbled on about Luna, Celestia, and Twilight’s preferences in cake and streamer colors. The Everfree didn’t seem so scary when the sunlight shined. Author's Note This would've been out earlier today but I spent all morning anticipating Nintendo's E3 presentation and in the hype afterwards it slipped my mind. Hope you enjoy! Also, while you're here, I put together a group for this series now! So far it's got one forum post where you can submit ideas for more pairings and that's about it.
Chapter 7: Gilded FriendshipIn the weeks after Luna’s return and Twilight’s new assignment to learn about the magic of friendship in Ponyville, Sonic’s life slipped into an easy routine. He’d wake up with Rainbow, get down to hang out with Spike or Big Mac, and watch as Twilight’s circle of friends engaged in their daily adventures and shenanigans. Of particular delight to Sonic was when Rainbow and Pinkie realized their mutual love of pranking and proceeded to, over a three-day period, somehow prank everyone in Ponyville, sans Fluttershy. The day after Rainbow and Pinkie’s pranking spree, Rainbow and Sonic were awoken by a knock at the door to Rainbow’s home. Rainbow opened the door to see a griffon waiting. “Hey, Dash!” the griffon chuckled. “Gilda! It’s been forever!” Rainbow grinned, raising her hoof for Gilda’s claw to bump. “It’s great to see you!” “Mama, who’s this?” Sonic asked, rubbing his eyes. Rainbow grinned. “Sonic, this is my old buddy Gilda. Gilda, this is my adopted son, Sonic. I adopted him a little over a year ago.” “Huh. Didn’t take ya for the parent type, Dash,” Gilda commented. “He fell outta the sky in front of me and we share at least two base traits. We’re both blue, and we both like to go fast!” Rainbow joked. Gilda snickered. “Well, guess if he’s that much like you he’s pretty cool.” Sonic grinned. “Mama’s... at least twenty percent cooler than me, but I try!” Gilda cackled. “That’s what I like to hear!” Rainbow beamed proudly. “So, what brings you? Just looking to hang?” Gilda groaned. “Griffonstone is so boring, and everygriff over there’s in a bad mood... not like that’s new, but it’s becoming more oppressive.” Rainbow cringed sympathetically. “Well, a friend of mine’s been helping me with a pranking spree and we’re gonna try and prank as many ponies as we can at once. You wanna help?” Gilda’s answering grin was viciously giddy. Pinkie’s voice shortly called out, “Rise and shine, Rainbow Dash! It’s a brand new day and we’ve got a lot of new pranking to do!” Rainbow grinned. “That’s the friend I was talking about. C’mon, let’s go introduce you!” “‘Kay,” Gilda shrugged. “I do wanna warn you, she can come on kind of strong, but she’s cool once you get to know her,” Rainbow explained. “Heh, I gotcha,” Gilda snickered. Rainbow let Sonic onto her back and flew down to the ground with Gilda. “Woah!” Pinkie exclaimed in surprise. “Who’s this?” “Pinkie, this is my griffon pal Gilda. Gilda, this is my friend Pinkie Pie.” “‘Sup,” Gilda nodded. “A griffon?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head. Rainbow explained, “Half-eagle, half-lion-” “-And all awesome!” Gilda crowed. Rainbow flashed a grin. “Well, it’s nice to meetcha, Gilda!” Pinkie nodded, extending her hoof. “Any friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine!” Gilda moved to shake Pinkie’s hoof, only to yelp in surprise when a fart noise rang out. Rainbow snickered and Pinkie and Sonic burst into giggles as Pinkie raised her hoof. “The whoopie cushion on the hoof trick... it’s ALWAYS funny!” Pinkie exclaimed between laughs. Gilda smirked. “Heh, not half-bad. So, Dash, who were you thinking we’d prank first?” “Ooh, is she gonna join us?” Pinkie asked excitedly. Rainbow nodded. “If you don’t mind!” “Of course not! Another prankster will be super duper helpful for pranking the whole town!” Pinkie insisted. “Wait, the whole town?” Rainbow asked excitedly. “You figured out a plan for that?” Pinkie nodded virtuously. “Well, except for Fluttershy since she’s so sensitive, but we can do everypony else!” Gilda raised an eyebrow. “...Why do we need to care about that?” Rainbow frowned. “Hey, Fluttershy’s like a sister to me,” she interjected. “She’s not a very brave pony but she’s there when it counts. If you’ve got a problem with keeping her out of the pranks, we can do this without you.” Gilda held up a claw in surrender. “Chill, Dash, just wanted to make sure we weren’t givin’ anyone a free pass they didn’t need.” Rainbow nodded. “In that case, what’s the plan, Pinkie?” Pinkie grinned. “Alright, get in close...” Sonic hurried along the roads of Ponyville to Fluttershy’s house so he could keep her distracted and away from the town proper while Pinkie, Gilda, and Rainbow could put their prank into action. He giggled as he envisioned the results of the prank Pinkie had planned. The whole town covered in flour? The sight would be hilarious. He met Fluttershy outside her house. “Oh, hello, Sonic!” she giggled. “What brings you?” Sonic bit his lip. “Um...” Fluttershy suddenly narrowed her eyes. “The girls have told me about Rainbow and Pinkie’s pranking spree. Is this part of that?” Sonic whimpered. “S-Sorta, Mama met an old friend named Gilda and she and Mama and Pinkie are gonna prank the whole town but Mama and Pinkie didn’t want you getting pranked because they know how sen-sa-tive you are,” he blabbered. Fluttershy rolled her eyes in amusement and sighed. “Well, I appreciate Rainbow’s concern for me,” she decided. “I was planning to head into town for a bit to grab some groceries, but if that’s not an option right now I can wait for a while.” “Mama packed me some snacks!” Sonic offered. Fluttershy giggled. “Of course she did... don’t tell her I said this, but it’s frankly adorable how much she cares for you.” Sonic snickered. “Okay! I won’t tell!” “So, um... you want me to read you a book?” Fluttershy suggested. Sonic shrugged. “If you have one of the cool ones,” he allowed. Fluttershy waved Sonic into her house. “Well, I’ll let you decide if I do,” she offered. Sonic nodded in response. An hour later, Sonic and Fluttershy were invested in a game of Go Fish with Harry and Angel when an explosion rattled the windows. The four of them jumped at the noise and Sonic rushed over to the window. A massive off-white cloud of dust rose from Ponyville. “...Was the prank covering Ponyville in flour?” Fluttershy asked. Sonic nodded with a goofy grin. “...You know what, with that level of dedication, I can’t even be mad right now,” Fluttershy mumbled. “Mom said you’d say that,” Sonic replied. Twilight paced in front of Rainbow, Gilda, and Pinkie Pie with rage blistering on her face. “So.” Twilight spat out the word with enough intensity to blow a leaf away. “You three. Decided to... what was it again?” “Prank the whole town by covering it in flour,” Pinkie supplied. Twilight’s eye twitched. “Yes... that.” “Wheat like to apologize for the trouble,” Rainbow offered, her face the picture of innocence. “Y-Yeah, sorry, w-we barley thought it through,” Gilda added as the three pranksters broke into snickers. Pinkie said through her giggles, “G-Girls, I... I think we... we oat to apologize to Twi-” Twilight’s horn lit up with magic. “You have three seconds to run before I toast you.” Rainbow and Gilda took to the skies, while Pinkie got flour in her nose and sneezed herself out of Twilight’s field of vision. Twilight giggled to herself as the mass telekinesis spell she’d prepared gathered every grain of flour in the town and carefully pulled it toward a few bins set up by Applejack and Rarity. “Those three are such goofs,” she sighed with an eyeroll. Dear Princess Celestia, I’m sure you saw the massive flour cloud over Ponyville. Don’t worry, it’s been cleaned up. Today I learned a lesson from Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, all it takes to bring two of your friends together is something they both love to bond over. ...In this case, it was a massive prank, re: the cloud of flour. It was if not amusing at least cathartic to hear Fluttershy lecturing Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow’s old friend Gilda on how dangerous their prank could have been. The definitely funny part was watching Fluttershy realize how bold she was being. You know, maybe I learned two lessons today! Sometimes our friends can bring out sides of us that we didn’t even recognize we had! Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle Author's Note I didn’t mean for this to take so long to write, but IRL stuff kept me super busy in July and then I ended up with a nasty head cold that ended my motivation to write for a while. I should be back into the swing of things now, though! Next chapter: Dragonshy!
Chapter 5: The Nightmare RisesRainbow and Sonic found themselves grateful that Twilight brought a lantern with her, and Sonic made a point of thanking her for it. Twilight shrugged. “You’re welcome.” “Yeah, I agree with Sonic!” Pinkie chipped in. “It’d be suuuuper dark and spooky without it! Like, we probably wouldn’t even be able to see if the ground was about to collapse beneath us!” The ground immediately collapsed beneath them. “You had to say it, Pinkieeee!” Rarity squealed as she began tumbling down. “Fluttershy, quick!” Rainbow called as she raced toward the unicorn. Fluttershy almost began panicking but steeled herself quickly and rushed to grab Pinkie. The pegasi gently set their friends down on the solid ground below before racing back up to grab Twilight, Applejack, and Spike. Twilight’s hind legs were off the cliff, and she was clinging desperately to Applejack, while Spike was doing the same to Twilight. Rainbow nodded and prepared to catch Twilight, while Fluttershy got into position to do the same. “Alright, Twilight!” Applejack stated firmly and clearly. “I’m gonna let y’all go.” “What!? W-why?” Twilight gasped. “A-Are you trying to-” Applejack huffed. “Rainbow and Fluttershy are right behind ya to catch, alright? I trust ‘em to catch y’all.” Twilight tried craning her neck to see but couldn’t. “Twilight, Spike, I promise, y’all will be safe. Just trust that I’m bein’ honest.” Twilight whimpered fearfully but nodded. Applejack let go, and Twilight fell with a scream of fear that immediately stopped itself when Rainbow caught her with a bemused chuckle. Fluttershy grabbed Spike, and they were brought down carefully while Applejack gracefully leapt down a few outcroppings on the cliff. “Th-Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight offered shakily when the farmer rejoined the group. “Told ya they’d catch ya,” Applejack chuckled. “Can we talk about that?” Sonic mumbled worriedly. “The ground just... fell. It... it doesn’t do that.” “And the timing, too,” Rarity pointed out. “No matter how unnatural the Everfree Forest is, I never thought it would have any sense of dramatic timing.” Twilight considered their words and frowned. “Those are some good points,” she admitted. “I felt some kind of magic pass by right before the ground collapsed. I would’ve mentioned it but, you know, I didn’t really have time and wasn’t sure it was anything to worry about. I wonder if... maybe Nightmare Moon herself is trying to stop us?” Rainbow frowned. “She’s got an enormous superiority complex and the power to back it up- it’s not just anypony who could take on Princess Celestia and win. Why would she want to keep a bunch of town ponies from getting to her... unless she thinks we pose an actual threat.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “W-woah, I hadn’t th-thought about that...” she whispered. “B-but why would she-” A roar split the air as a massive beast charged forward. “A manticore!” Twilight realized. “It’s blocking our way to the castle. We’ll have to get past it!” Sonic privately realized Twilight had said “we” and not “I” and couldn’t help a grin despite the terrifying beast rapidly approaching. The manticore roared again, and most of the ponies prepared to fight, except for Fluttershy, who suddenly grew deeply contemplative. As her friends prepared to charge, she darted ahead of them and called out a meek “Wait!” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Fluttershy?” she asked. “Y’all got an idea?” Fluttershy turned to face the manticore. “That roar... it sounded...” she trailed off. “...Fluttershy?” Twilight asked nervously. “What are you doing?” Fluttershy took a deep breath and approached the manticore. The manticore raised up a paw to strike her, roared, but then winced. “Shh... It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to see what’s wrong, okay Mr. Manticore?” The manticore whimpered and held out a paw. Gouged deep within the pads laid a nasty purple thorn. “Oh, you poor, poor thing,” Fluttershy murmured sympathetically. “Would you like me to get it out for you?” The manticore nodded vigorously in response and yowled. “Alright, it’s probably going to hurt for just a second, okay? But then it’ll be better,” Fluttershy explained. The manticore visibly bit back a roar as Fluttershy pulled the thorn from its paw. She rushed away and quickly returned with a leaf and some vines. She proceeded to carefully place the leaf over the wound and wrap the manticore’s paw in a makeshift bandage. The manticore fervently began licking Fluttershy’s mane and purring. Twilight and the others took the opportunity to trot past. “Aww, you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are,” Fluttershy cooed. Rainbow rolled her eyes. After Fluttershy rejoined the group, Twilight asked, “Fluttershy, how did you know?” “What do you mean?” Fluttershy responded. Twilight shook her head. “About the thorn?” “I didn’t,” Fluttershy shrugged. “He just sounded like he was in pain, and... I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to show him some kindness.” Twilight looked like she was considering that and nodded carefully. “Well, I guess if the manticore’s not going to object we should get moving. The map in the book said we’ve got a long way to go.” Her companions nodded and forged ahead. The forest around them grew darker as the moon disappeared from view and Rarity shuddered. “I would have liked a reprieve from the sight of all that muck, but... not like this,” she squeaked. Sonic whimpered and hugged Rainbow’s neck tightly as the darkness grew oppressive and the ponies grew closer. “Really wish I hadn’t lost the lantern at the cliff,” Twilight groaned. Fluttershy smacked into Rainbow. “Oh! Goodness, I’m sorry!” “It’s okay,” Rainbow replied. An unpleasant squelch preceded Applejack muttering, “Egh, I think I stepped in someth-” A shriek from Rarity interrupted. “It’s just mud,” Applejack protested, before looking up and yelping in terror. Sonic and Rainbow looked around to see menacing, twisted faces all around them and shrieked. The screams of terror and Fluttershy’s hyperventilating were suddenly drowned out by Pinkie bursting into laughter. “P-Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “Wh-What are you doing!?” Pinkie giggled and blew a raspberry at one of the faces, and the darkness around them lifted enough that the group could see that the faces were just shapes in tree bark. A light tune began to play and Sonic cocked his head. “Is that music?” “C’mon girls, don’t you see?” Pinkie piped up, before she burst into song. “When I was a little filly and the sun was going down...” “Oh, tell me she’s not,” Twilight groaned. “The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown...” “She is,” Rarity sighed. “I’d hide under my pillow From what I thought I saw But Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way To deal with fears at all!” “W-Well, then what is?” Fluttershy protested. “She said, ‘Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall Learn to face your fears You’ll see that they can’t hurt you Just laugh to make them disappear!’ Ha! Ha! HA!” The face nearest to Pinkie vanished in a puff of pink smoke. Everyone else gasped in surprise. Pinkie began pulling everyone to various trees and some force of nature sent them all to giggles and laughter. Pinkie grinned and leapt back into song. “So, giggle at the ghostly Guffaw at the grossly Crack up at the creepy Whoop it up with the weepy Chortle at the kooky Snortle at the spooky!” “And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he’s got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna...” Pinkie trailed off into laughter before sighing and finishing with a heartfelt, “Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!” The whole group collapsed into giggles as Pinkie’s song finished. Author's Note This was going to be combined with chapter 6 but it was getting a little too long so you'll get three of the Elements here and the other three and Nightmare Moon's defeat with the next chapter. Also, in case you didn't see my blog post, I'm working on another one of the stories in this series (which I need a name for, do any of you have any good ideas? Only thing I could come up with is PWNY-ReVerse) for Gravity Falls's Dipper and Mabel Pines as raised by Bright Mac and Buttercup to be released on the show's 9-year anniversary! So if you like Gravity Falls and my writing keep an eye out for that, I guess.
