It was all everyone would talk about now.

Twilight hadn’t gotten any luck in her own search, even with her dog’s help. The following morning, that blackout was all over the news. Repairs and recoveries were still in progress. But if you were someone with an intellect as good as Twilight’s… some things need a second look.

So that’s what she did. As soon as she was able, she and Spike set out to look for the origin of the blackout again. And this time, Twilight was more than prepared.

She took her pendant-shaped device and held it out in front of her. The sight of it brought… less-than-pleasant memories of the Friendship Games. Shuddering slightly, she let it dangle from her neck and kept walking.

Last time she used it, it had been to absorb magic. This had led to draining the others of their own magic and turning her into a winged demon when all of it was unleashed at once. But rather than destroying it… Twilight decided it could serve a better use.

The device flashed for a split-second, causing her to stop in her tracks. Spike poked his head out of Twilight’s backpack, his canine eyes locked on the object. “Are you sure that’ll work?”

Twilight sighed. “It’s got to. I didn’t reconfigure it into a magic detector for nothing.”

She kept moving, making sure to check the device as often as possible. Pulses would come into view whenever she drew close to a magical source… or, in Twilight’s case, the origin of that wave that knocked out the city’s power.

Soon, the pulses began to come in a bit faster. Intrigued, Twilight kept moving as if she was following a compass needle. She kept her eyes on the device, watching it as the pulses came quicker and quicker… until it was like a racing heartbeat. Twilight looked ahead of herself… and her eyes raised in confusion.

“Canterlot High?” she muttered in disbelief. “The… the source of the wave is here?” Why am I not surprised? Her mind told her, seeing as how she once investigated magical properties coming from that specific location.

“Well, Spike…” Twilight said, letting the device dangle from her necklace. “We’re about to yank the tarp off this myster-huh?” The sound of a rumbling engine cut through the air, prompting the young genius to turn and look. And what she saw nearly made her jaw drop.

A black 18-wheeler rumbled down the road, turning at the school’s parking lot. Several black cars followed it through like a funeral convoy. Her heart itching to know what was up, Twilight sprinted over to the building. By the time she did, she was almost out of breath.

Voices filled the air… over by the soccer field. Running over to that corner of the building, Twilight turned to Spike. “Stay in there and be quiet,” she whispered.

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”

The device on her necklace was going crazy before she turned it off. The soccer field had to be the spot! But, as Twilight soon found out, she might have been too late.

Police cruisers and S.W.A.T. vans from the Canterlot City Police Department were parked right on the field. Research tents were placed onto the grass. Even the Magic Crisis Force, an organization dedicated to researching magical anomalies and protecting Canterlot City from dangerous magic, was here!

Twilight could see officers, armed men, and people in hazmat suits investigating: trying to dig up clues Twilight would have wanted. The field itself was a sight Rainbow Dash would be horrified at: burnt-out lights, trampled grass, goalposts toppled over, and a deep-dug line all across the border.

The young genius’s depression was soon replaced with suspicion when she heard the rumbling sound again. The 18-wheeler barreled through the fence, crushing it under its tires like a tank. The cars spread out and slowed to a halt. And all along the field, all personnel stopped and turned to the newcomers.

One of them, a gold-haired woman with aviator shades, reached up to her face and removed the glasses. Her orange eyes were narrowed in confusion. “What the…?”

The truck hissed when it came to a complete stop, and Twilight caught a red whirring eye-like light just above the window. The crimson orb seemed to stare into Twilight’s very being, causing goosebumps to prickle all over her skin.

That, and the fact that she now realized the vehicle was automated. Which meant no driver. What kind of technology was this?

A part of the truck’s trailer separated itself and lowered down to the ground. The interior reconfigured itself to form a staircase… from which a mustached man descended.

From her hiding place, Twilight gulped nervously. She heard a small whimper from her backpack and turned her head, shooting her dog a look.

“Sorry!” Spike whispered. “It’s just that that guy looks a little creepy!”

Twilight took a deep breath. “On that, we can agree.”

The man, dressed in dark shades and a black coat, approached the gold-haired woman while several men and women followed from their cars. They, too, were all dressed in black and had neckties. This was a sign that didn’t bode well.

Several men held their weapons steady, but a signal from the woman made them stand down and back away.

The mustached man took off his shades. “Are you in charge here?”

“Yes, I a-”

“NOPE!” the man abruptly cut her off. The woman shuddered from the intrusion but kept her cool.

“My-”

“Wrong!”

“Name-”

“I’m in charge!”

“Is Sergeant-” She raised her voice.

“ME!”

“Spitfi-”

“I’m in charge…” the man dropped to a whisper, and Twilight could’ve sworn she heard the woman huff in frustration. One of the other men walked up, holding some kind of… what was that? A tablet? Twilight could barely make out what was on it… a QR code, maybe?

“You’ve never seen anything like this before,” the man explained. “It says I’m the top banana in a world full of hungry little monkeys. Allow me to clarify.”

The man turned his head and hand with a robotic movement, mimicking buzzing sounds as he did so. “In a sequentially-ranked hierarchy based on level of critical importance, the disparity between us is too vast to quantify. Agent Stone?”

“The doctor thinks you’re basic,” the other man replied.

Twilight rolled her eyes. She knew what that meant.

“On whose authority are you here?” the woman asked sharply. “And who are you, anyway?”

“I’m initiating a sweep sequence,” the man said, outright ignoring her and irritating her further. “Ten miles in every direction should suffice.” He fiddled with his glove (which Twilight now understood to be a controller), causing the top and sides of his truck to open up.

While Twilight caught the sight of white oval drones emerging from the top, racks flung out from the sides of the vehicle… to reveal bipedal robots. She shrank back at the sight of them. These weren’t ordinary machines… but machines built for combat.

Machine guns on each arm. Inactive missile launchers on the shoulders. And claw-like feet to ensure grip on the terrain. She shuddered at the thought of them marching into the city.

“Is she still looking at me funny?” the mustached man said, breaking Twilight’s thoughts.

“Yes, she is.”

“Tell her to stop or I’ll pull up her search history.”

“If you don’t stop looking at the doctor, he’ll take a closer look at your-”

“I’m. Not. Deaf,” the woman spat furiously.

“And tell her her men report to me now, blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah.” The man droned, making some wacky arm gestures as he did.

“Excuse me,” the woman said coldly. “I don’t think you realize who-”

“I’m sorry, Sergeant,” the man turned around with arms spread. “What was your name?”

Twilight heard the woman sigh in relief. “Spitfi-”

“NOBODY CARES!” the man blurted out. The woman cringed in anger.

“Nobody cares…” he repeated mockingly, slowly walking back up to her. “Listen, Sergeant Nobody-Cares. Do you know why nobody cares who you are? Because nobody cares about your feeble accomplishments.”

Feeble? After being on the school’s soccer team until she graduated, Spitfire was one of the top members of the force since she decided to enter! Who was this guy to make fun of her?

“And nobody cares how proud your mommy is that you’re now reading at a third-grade level,” he tauntingly continued. “Have you finished Charlotte’s Web yet? Spoiler alert: she dies in the end. But she leaves a big creepy egg sac!”

The oval-looking drones hovered over the man, who chuckled and spread his arms wide. The racks on the trucks let go, dropping the walking robots onto the field. Their systems came online, their heads pointing straight and their forms standing tall.

“Aw, my babies. Look what came out of my egg sac,” the man boasted. All eyes turned to the robots, Twilight’s included. The man stood proud, placing one hand on Spitfire’s shoulder and gesturing to the drones.

“You know what I love about machines?” he asked, looking at the drones like a proud father. “They do what they’re told. They follow their programming. They don’t need time off to get drunk and put the boat in the water.”

Spitfire frowned at him as he pointed right at her face.

“And you do what you’re told. Stand over there on the edge of your personal abyss… and let my machines do your job.”

Spitfire didn’t reply. Instead, she turned and moved away without breaking eye contact. The other police and MCF personnel soon followed her lead.

“Can you feel it, Stone?!” the man called out in a tone Twilight guessed to be ecstatic.

“I can feel it, Doctor.”

“It’s evolution, Stone… it’s EVOLUTION!”

The drones rose into the air and flew off into the forest in multiple directions. The ground robots began to walk towards the trees, weapons primed and ready.

“Twilight, I know I’m no expert…” Spike whispered in the girl’s ear. “But this looks bad. Really, really bad.”

“We gotta tell the others,” Twilight told him. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one spotted her, she ran from her hiding place and towards the statue in front of the school. A swarm of drones buzzed over her as she reached it. And frantically, she pulled out her phone and started a group text.

The drones scattered into the forest, the sound of their engines startling wildlife. Deer turned their heads at the flying machines while birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other small critters bolted for safety. One drone descended to the forest floor, its main optic scanning the ground. Nothing seemed unusual. Just dirt, twigs, leaves, and rocks…

...and a footprint on a rock.

“Logging anomaly…” the drone beeped, hovering closer to the footprint. A red beam emitted from its optic, tracing over the sneaker print. “Initializing spectral analysis… initializing mineral composition… transmitting…”

Back at the 18-wheeler truck, the man saw the footprint on his main monitor. His assistant entered the vehicle, standing at attention.

“Agent Stone.”

“Doctor.”

“Do you see anything useful in this image?”

Stone squinted at the shoeprint. “Nothing at all, Doctor.”

“Of course you don’t,” the mustached man replied. “Your eyes weren’t expertly trained to spot tracks from the Native American Shadow Wolves.” His fingers flew across another monitor with elegance.

The image of a human foot appeared within the shoe print, followed by the words “DNA SCAN IN PROGRESS”. Within seconds, more words appeared.

MATCH FOUND. ACCESSING LOCAL SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS

Images and short video clips blinked into existence on the monitor. Each of them showed different locations throughout Canterlot City. At first glance, there were either crowds or an amount of several people in each one.

“This is fascinating, Doctor,” Stone told him. “But I don’t see what you can gain from this.”

“Computer,” the man spoke up. “Locate matching DNA signature in these surveillance cameras and the city’s residents.”

SEARCHING…

Several figures in the photos and videos lit up in a red silhouette, but the resident match showed different results.

ERROR. NO MATCH FOUND IN CANTERLOT CITY DATABASE.

“Increase magnification on the cameras.”

Each of the footages zoomed in on one figure. A teenage boy with green eyes and a blue hoodie in public areas. In other locations like city streets, he was shown with spiky blue hair. He interacted with no one, politely declining any offers thrown his way.

“That narrows it down significantly, Doctor,” Stone noted. “But… he’s not a resident of Canterlot?”

“No name, no identification, nothing,” the man replied. “On the plus side… I know this guy.”

“You do, Doctor?”

The man typed in something else, bringing up another image. But unlike the others, this one was not from Canterlot City. Instead, the image was taken at an outpost near the outskirts of the city.

And that image showed that same boy with a blue diamond tucked under his arm, his face one of determination.

“This kid is a thief,” the man stated. “Whoever he is, he stole the blue Gem of Miracles from my outpost. No doubt he’s after the other six. The robots and my agent there reported that he was using magic unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And that magic is, without a doubt, the cause of this blackout. And that means one thing. That guy… is here. We just need to find him and retake what’s mine.”

The man turned to Stone. “Divert all search units to the site of the footprint.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Stone replied, making his way out of the truck while the man turned back to the shoe print.

“That’s one small step for man… one giant leap for me.”

The tranquil island village was a peaceful place. Arguments were rare, and harm never came to its people.

Until today.

A sunflower was crushed beneath a metallic foot. Hundreds of killer robots marched onto the village. Their mission: raze it to the ground. They came in all forms. Mechanical ladybugs on wheels. Flying bionic bees. Cloaking chameleon robots. And among them were deadly combat machines with guns spinning up and missiles ready to fire.

The citizens quaked and shivered in fear. They had nothing to defend themselves with. All hope was lost. Animals ran away in panic, lest they were abducted for the soulless machines’ power sources.

The village was bound to be burned until nothing remained of it… but not if one brave kid had anything to say about it.

A sneaker-clad foot bounced off a rock, and a blue bolt touched down right in front of the mechanical menaces. Sonic rose to his feet, staring down the robots. They did not relent, so neither did he. At the sight of their savior, the people cheered. Knowing what was about to follow, they retreated into their homes.

Weapon pods opened up. Guns aimed right at him. Missiles locked on target. Targeting sensors kicked in…

...and the air was flooded with the sound of gunfire. Missiles and rockets flew, flying towards the boy. Unwilling to back down from anything, the blue boy took off at high speed.
In a blur, he created a mountain of scrap metal. He kicked away rolling robots, slam-dunked hovering horrors, and spun into combat machines like a pinball in a pinball machine. He broke through chassis after chassis, scrapping each one.

He whirled around a large robot in a blue tornado, confusing its systems. Missiles flew for Sonic and he jumped out of the way, making them hit the larger robot and blowing it up in a cloud of fire.

War droids fired their machine guns, but Sonic pounced away. The bullets dug into other units, one of them going haywire and causing a serious case of friendly fire. Sonic slammed into each one in his ball form, a blue aura surrounding him.

He blasted through another wave in half a second, nuts and bolts clattering to the ground. He stomped down near another robot, the resulting shockwave stunning it…

...and allowing Sonic to push it off a cliff with a single tap of his foot.

Machines of all kinds flew through the air. Blue flashes outshined flashes of spent ammo, gunfire, and missile launches. Explosions lit up the ground as the one-kid army tore through the tech.

He sidestepped another robot’s machine gun, leaping on and springing off while it continued to fire. He rocketed back down, his stomp obliterating the droid. Using his super-speed to grab two missiles before they exploded, he threw them right at more robots. Several explosions later, smoke rose into the sky.

Soon, all that remained of the robotic horde was slag and scrap metal. Sonic stood alone, looking around at his victory.

“Best. Dream. Ever!” he called, striking a pose.

KRABOOOM!

The sky turned dark, clouds blocked the sun, and flowers wilted away. Darkness filled everything, a large mist obscuring the village. With a gasp, Sonic dashed through the mist…

...and emerged to find nothing. No village, no people, no animals. Everything was gone. Thunder flashed overhead, and purple lightning struck the island. Rocky chunks fell, trees were torn from their roots, and waves rocked the shore.

“YOUR QUEST HAS FAILED.”

The voice racked Sonic’s mind, emanating from the clouds above. He turned to the skies in horror. He tried to run away, but strong winds prevented him from doing so.

Darkness swallowed him. He found himself in a black void, faceless things staring at him.

“Why, Sonic?”

“You promised you’d fix things.”

“You failed me!”

“You were our only hope.”

“There are no miracles left.”

“Now you really are alone.”

Sonic yelled out in panic, clamping his ears shut to drown out the voices. But among the rest, one broke through.

“YOU WEREN’T FAST ENOUGH. YOUR MAGIC, ALONG WITH THE WORLD’S, ARE NOW MINE. YOU… WILL BE FORGOTTEN.”

“No! No! NOOOOOOO!”

He fell, darkness taking over. The last thing he saw were two bright purple eyes snapping open, followed by sinister laughter.

He woke up screaming, drenched in sweat.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, even as the nightmare hung in his mind. The thought of failure. The thought of being truly alone. Like he was the very last person in the world.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Sonic muttered, clutching his head. “No, you haven’t failed. There’s still time. You always still have time, you’re the fastest kid alive. You can find the gems. You can save everyone. You can-”

He spun his head around to see Needlemouse staring at him.

“Uh, I mean... worst dream! Worst dream ever!” Sonic backtracked, trying to keep his cool in front of his pet hedgehog. “I was fighting this huge wave of robots and I just woke up! So lame! I wish I could just get right back to-”

He stopped suddenly, even taking the hedgehog by surprise. Silence fell over his cave and his hammock bed stopped swinging. Was it just Sonic’s imagination, or did he just hear…

A faint clanking sound and a hovering noise came from the distance. Followed by lots more like it. His heartbeat began to pick up speed.

“Oh, no…” he sped out of bed and out of the cave, racing into the forest and behind a rock. When he looked out at the woods… a terrified gasp escaped his throat.

Robots prowled the forest. Drones loomed in the air, ignoring any animals that fled from them. They scanned the ground and the area, searching for something.

Sonic knew all too well what that something was.

“Okay, okay, everything is fine,” he whispered to himself. “So, you played some soccer, got a little upset, lightning shot out of your butt, and now they’re coming for you!”

He zipped back to his cave in a flash. “Alright, alright, Canterlot City isn’t safe anymore. This is a Code Gold. A Code Gold, not a drill. I never thought there would be a Code Gold this soon!”

He knocked himself on the head. “Stop it, Sonic! Now’s not the time for panicking! You can’t keep looking for the gems here! You gotta go somewhere else. But where? Where, where, where, where, where?”

He snapped his fingers. “Yes! That’s it! That Ponyville place looks good to lay low!” Sonic looked around his cave. “I’ve gotta take my stuff! Okay, essential items only,” He set to work, rushing around the cave, grabbing a red backpack and collecting whatever he could.

“Toothbrush, toothpaste, hair gel, nightlight, funny hat, music tapes, cell phone, headphones, this half-eaten cantaloupe, oh, and my scented candle… my entire comic collection… bean bag chair, can a bean bag chair fit in a backpack? No, no, no! Of course not, that’s stupid! My shoes? Ah, no! They’re all torn up! Oh, just like this pair! I gotta get new ones soon… Okay, what else?”

He sped over to his hedgehog and picked him up. “Needlemouse! I can’t just leave you here to starve, buddy! I gotta take you along!” He looked over to the trophy stands… and gasped.

“The gem! Yes, the gem! I can’t let them find it! I still have six more to go, I don’t wanna start all over!”

Placing Needlemouse in the backpack’s side pocket and the gem in his jean pocket, he looked around for anything else. His eyes rested on a brown pouch, causing him to gasp.

“The rings!” he shouted, running over and snatching the pouch. “The rings! Yes, of course!” he sped back to the backpack, tucking the last of the stuff inside and slinging it over his back. Sonic opened up the ring bag, taking one out.

“Okay, here we go. Ring time. Ponyville, here I come.”

The whole cave trembled, dust falling from the ceiling. The hovering noise intensified and the ground shook under mechanical footsteps. Sonic froze up in fear.

“Oh, no! They’re right outside! I gotta go somewhere else!”

Sonic put the ring back in the bag, closed it up and jogged over to the cave’s entrance. Before he could make it out, he stopped and took one last look at his home.

The boy gave a deep sigh. “Goodbye, cave.”

He turned, walking away from it all.

Author's Note

Dr. Robotnik has entered the stage! And just like the movie, he sees himself as superior while looking down on everyone else as inferior. Classic evil scientist mindset. We also see that he somehow knows Sonic in the past. Why he does will be revealed later on. Right now, Sonic's attempt to skip town will finally bring him and the HuMane 7 together in the next chapter!

Comments, reviews and opinions are appreciated, thank you.

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