Later, out on the streets of the city

The boy adjusted his headphones to make sure they wouldn’t fly off. Most of the ones he bought always had that problem, throwing off his groove while he rushed to save them from smashing into the ground.

He took his cell phone out of his pocket, scrolling through a collection of songs. None of them seemed to match his style. All except for one. Smiling, he tapped it and secured the phone in his jeans pocket. He double-checked it to make sure it was tightly packed. Then the beat began.

“I have so much more to say
But I live in slow-motion
From moment to moment, hey”

Sonic lightly bounced up and down, stretching out his arms and legs. He always needed a good warm-up.

“Holding back from day to day
The clock’s ticking slowly
But time cannot hold me down”

The boy let out a deep breath, cracking both his neck and knuckles. He tapped one shoe on the ground and placed both feet apart. He drew one arm back.

“Find myself in the rhythm of my feet
Feel it in my heartbeat
The time is now and I won’t hold back, hold back”

The second the chorus hit, he took off at high speed. All of Canterlot City raced by in a blur: cars, shops, street lights, all of it.

“Gonna break free, yeah-ah, I’m runnin!’
Watch me, yeah-yeah, I’m runnin!’”

Noticing an approaching truck at an intersection, Sonic bounced off the road and on top of the trailer. Parkouring off with a sapphire streak trailing behind him, he blasted back down the road and past parked cars. For moving vehicles, he weaved around and jumped over them.

“I let go in this moment
All roads open
Gonna break free, yeah-ah, I’m runnin’!
I was born to break free!”

Sonic twirled up a street light, swinging off it and landing on top. Now at a good vantage point, he sighed in a relaxing manner.

“I choose my path, I choose my dreams
My spirit’s a fighter, a passion igniter, yeah”

Sonic threw some quick jabs and a hook, feeling pumped up from the song.

“All I need’s inside of me
A light shining brighter
A spark to a fire now”

The teen hopped off the street light, touching down on the road below. He got into a runner’s stance and closed his eyes. As he concentrated, blue electricity flickered on his feet and up his legs, flowing to the rest of his body.

“Find myself in the rhythm of my feet
Feel it in my heartbeat
The time is now and I won’t hold back, hold back
(Whoa-oh-oh-oh)”

He opened his eyes with a smirk. Instead of their normal green shade, they were now a bright blue. The words of his idol filled his ears… and he blasted off at sonic speed.

“Gonna break free, yeah, I’m runnin’! (yeah-ah)
Watch me, yeah-ah, I’m runnin’! (I’m runnin’, runnin’, whoa!)”

He blasted down the streets, making a sharp right at Sugarcube Corner. He raced past diners, the music center, and everything else he didn’t bother to look at. He also didn’t bother to see the citizens’ dumbstruck expressions when they saw the blue blur rush past.

Blown off their feet? Their loss. Distracted and not watching what they were doing? Meh. Sonic didn’t care about anything.

Anything but freedom, that is. Spiraling up and down skyscrapers, bouncing off walls when he was going too fast to make a turn, and circling entire blocks like loops.

“I let go in this moment
All roads open
Gonna break free, yeah-ah, I’m runnin’!”

Making another turn at a long stretch of road leading to Canterlot High, he blasted right down it with a big whoop. Behind him, a blue pulse wave flew out from his body.

“I was born to break free!”

At Canterlot High, a group of kids was in the middle of a soccer match for fun, one of them being slightly taller than the rest. Sonic zipped behind a tree… and his eyes lit up at the sight.

“Whoa… the playoffs!” Looking to the bleachers, he recognized the shapes of Rainbow’s six friends cheering her on. Sprinting right to the fence, he peeked out at the field. The score was tied, and Rainbow was leading her team valiantly. She stole the ball from one of the opposing players, making a break for the goal.

“Come on, Dash!” he heard Pinkie shout out. “Give ‘em a one-way ticket on the express train to ‘You’re Going Down’!”

The athlete narrowed her eyes, giving the ball a strong kick. The orb shot forward, bypassing the goalie’s defense and smacking the net. Then, Sonic’s world was drowned out with the sound of excited cheers. All he could focus on was the sight of Rainbow high-fiving the kids on her team, ruffling the hair of a purple-haired girl. She seemed to be happier than all the rest, as Sonic noticed. And the rest of the Mane 7 came down to congratulate her.

Oh, she is so awesome…

Several congratulations and high-fives later, the girls departed the field to do who-knows-what. The sun began to set, giving the sky an orange hue. Sonic waited until they were gone before he vaulted the fence flawlessly.

The teen walked onto the field, eyeing every inch of it in awe. Personally, he hardly saw himself as the athletic type… but soccer could be his thing, right?

He noticed the ball, goalie gear, and a referee cap just off to the side. At the sight of them, a smirk came across his face.

Yeah. Soccer could be his thing…

“This is it, ladies and gentlemen! The play of the game!” the boy announced to an invisible audience, juggling the ball between his feet. “Thirty seconds on the clock, tie score, and the crowd is on the edge of their seats!”

He sped to the goal, decked out in protective gear. “It all comes down to this, folks! Will Sonic bring home the trophy for the Wondercolts, or will he taste the dust?”

He zipped back to the ball at center field, taking a deep breath. “Okay, focus, Sonic,” he told himself. “If you make this goal, you’ll be the most beloved kid in Canterlot City.”

Then he was wearing the referee cap at the edge of the field. “Alright, ladies! Let’s pick up the pace here! And none of you bozos want to help washing out those grass stains, right?!”

He sped back to the ball, looking to his right. “Break left. Got it. Those guys are pushovers.”

Referee Sonic took a deep breath… and blew into his whistle.

Captain Sonic dashed off with the ball in tow, sprinting down the field and weaving past the imaginary members of the other team. He kicked the ball to the left, where Teammate Sonic caught it.

“Come on, Blundercolts!” Goalie Sonic taunted. “This game is ours!”

Teammate Sonic dashed down the field, noticing something out of the corner of his eye.

“Over here! I’m open!” Captain Sonic called, waving his arms wildly. Gritting his teeth, Teammate Sonic kicked the ball right for him. Captain Sonic kept the ball in his grip… and shot for the goal with a mighty kick.

Goalie Sonic dove to the left to intercept the ball… but the ball flew past him and, as Goalie Sonic hit the ground with an “oomph”, smacked against the net.

“Gooooaaaal!” cried Referee Sonic.

“Oh, YES! Yes, yes, yes! We did it!” Captain Sonic cheered, punching the air and jumping in victory. Triumphantly, he held his hand up for a high-five. “Did you guys see that?! We did it! I did it! I…”

But nobody was there. No Referee Sonic, no Teammate Sonic, and no Goalie Sonic. And no one in the bleachers.

“Guys?” Sonic called out, his voice slowly dropping to a whisper. “Ref? Ladies and gents? A-Anyone…?”

All he heard was the sound of chirping crickets as the light of the sun vanished. Sonic lowered his hand, staring at it with his eyes growing moist. The reality sank in and his heart did the same, forcing him to admit a terrible truth: one he had tried to deny or keep hidden.

“I… I really am alone.” he muttered silently, slowly starting to walk. “All alone, forever.”

Without even thinking, he started to speed up. He ran across the edge of the field, a blue trail coming to life behind him. Dust kicked up in his wake. He rounded all four corners in no time, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop.

The boy ran faster and faster, more than he had ever traveled before. Everything became a blur to him, and he would’ve felt sick if it wasn’t for his magic. But the only emotion he felt was sadness.

His heart throbbed and burned as his sadness grew larger and larger. Larger to the point where it was no longer sadness. His body was overwhelmed with anger and frustration. His hair lit up a light blue color, his eyes turning from their emerald green shade to a sapphire hue. Blue lightning flickered off him while his legs became a blur.

The ground beneath him was weakening. The grass was giving out, and Sonic was digging into the dirt as he ran around the field over and over.

The only sounds he heard now were his own panicked breaths and a low whine that increased in pitch. His mind was rattled with his own thoughts. Tears flowed free, breaking off and getting lost in the winds he conducted.

I really am alone

Prolonged isolation

So-called friends

Lonely

Haven’t met yet

I don’t exist

His nerves tingled, his breaths quickened, and his arms moved faster than they ever could before. He wanted to run. He wanted to get away.

I’m invisible

I don’t fit in

I’m a shadow

I’ll never know friendship

A blank page

I’m nothing

Unknown

Nameless, faceless

You’re afraid you’ll be alone forever

All alone

Alone

Forever

ALL ALONE FOREVER

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

CRACK-A-BOOOOOM!

Sonic snapped back to reality. He dug his heels into the ground, feeling the ground of the soccer field rip apart as he braked. He placed his palms on his knees, all of the energy inside him fading away. Then he looked around him…

...and saw that everything was dark. And not from the night or the moon.

Both goals had been knocked over. Lampposts had popped and exploded, blue electricity tingling and sparks flying from them. Cars had screeched to a halt, and Sonic could hear both the shouts of people and a blue wave with a loud boom traveling away from him. A sonic boom.

Oops.

“I…” he cracked, struggling to find his voice. “I’m sure no one noticed that giant blue explosion, right?”

Wrong.

“What the hey just happened?!”

“This is an utter disaster!”

“I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“What in tarnation is going on here?!”

“Stupid party poopers!”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared!”

“Everyone, everyone, EVERYONE!” Twilight called out, silencing the group. “Relax! Please settle down! I don’t think this is anything serious!”

“We’re in the dark here, Twi!” Sunset reminded her. “One minute, this sleepover at your place was going smooth, the next? Boom! Major blackout!”

“You’re the smart one,” Applejack spoke up. “You don’t think this is some kind of power plant malfunction or something?”

“Er, not that I know of,” Twilight replied, adjusting her glasses in thought. “EMPs aren’t that strong, and no meteors, solar flares, and comets were reported for tonight.”

“Well,” Rarity stated. “It certainly sounds like you’re good at figuring out what it was not.”

“It’s called ‘narrowing it down’!” Twilight countered. “Anyway, we need to find out exactly what this blackout was, whether magic or not. So, who’s with me?”

Rainbow Dash sprung to her feet eagerly. “We’re in this together! You know that!”

“Good. Then let’s go!”

A whimper came from beneath the bedsheets, prompting everyone to turn to a shaking lump. “Is it over?” a panicked voice squeaked. “Can I come out now?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, Spike. Now come on. I’m taking you for a late-night walk.”

A small purple dog poked its head from under the blanket, its eyes wide with interest. “A walk? Oh, boy!” he pounced from the bed and dashed off. Everyone else followed Twilight downstairs… except for one pink-haired girl lost in thought.

“Think, Pinkie…” she muttered. “What was the first thing she said to do?” She tried to think back… and her eyes lit up.

“Aha! That’s it!” she chirped with a snap of her fingers. “Relax!” She jumped onto the bed and laid down with hands behind her head. “Ahh…”

Without the glow from lampposts, the streets were darker than usual. The only light sources in sight were those from two cell phones.

“So, whaddya think it is this time, Sun?” Rainbow asked with a challenging smirk. “Manipulator of lightning? Bringer of darkness? Hater of lightbulbs? Or… maybe one of Trixie’s acts gone horribly wrong?”

“Keep guessing, Dash,” the voice of her friend said with a hint of boredom. Rainbow shone her flashlight across the street, catching glimpses of cars, houses, and lampposts with burst bulbs.

“Wait… Rainbow, look at this!” Sunset called, her tone now full of alarm. The athlete ran back instantly, catching up to her friend and looking to where her phone’s light was shining. It was a speed limit sign… but something wasn’t right about it.

“Two twenty-five?” Rainbow read aloud, her eyes on the added spray-painted number in front of the 25. “Is this a street or a racetrack? But, on the other hand… he’s got an artistic talent.”

Below the number were two small lightning bolts. Sunset raised a brow. “This wasn’t like this the last time I saw it,” she whispered, shrugging her shoulders moments later. “Meh. Probably just the work of some punk. Not important.”

“You sure?” Rainbow asked, staring at the sign. “This kinda looks pretty cool… huh?” She turned to Sunset’s position, only to find it was empty. “Hey, wait up!” She called, running after her.

On the outskirts of the city, one drone beeped in alarm. Its sensors focused on Canterlot City, a single red optic staring out at the metropolis. Auditory sensors picked up panicked and confused chatter, and its primary CPU caught traces of a major energy wave. Whether magic or something else, the machine cared little.

“Unknown power surge detected. Locating point of origin.” a mechanical voice said, sensors scanning the city. “Objective: inform Doctor Robotnik. Objective: locate source.”

It flew away from Canterlot City, programming driving it to complete its mission.

Author's Note

And things started out so fun. Until Sonic's fears of being alone forever inadvertently triggered a massive blackout, which has caught the attention of not just the HuMane 7, but also a certain evil scientist. Next up, we get to meet our story's bombastic big bad!

Comments, reviews and opinions are appreciated, thank you.

Note: I don't own My Little Pony: Equestria Girls nor Sonic the Hedgehog.