New world, same hero.

In the previous chapter, of all the places where Sonic could have landed, it was the one where he was going to want to go uninvited for the first time, to an elegant event to which, unfortunately, he hadn't brought his suit.

"Halt, intruder! You’ve just invaded the royal castle and the Grand Galloping Gala!"

Sonic simply raised his hands, showing the damaged palms of his gloves, staying calm in front of the group of guards and analyzing his surroundings, planning his next move.

"Who... and what are you?" The guards kept their eyes on him while whispers spread among the guests witnessing the scene.

"Eeh... Mew?

And now we will see how our hedgehog fares during the rest of this elegant and awkward encounter..

Sonic stood in his 'landing zone' with his hands raised, watching as four guards kept a close eye on him, their spears aimed at him without a hint of distraction. He was slightly surprised by the fact that these 'guards' were mostly ponies white stallions wearing golden armor, from what he would consider their boots, to the armor covering their chest, sides, and back, all the way to the helmets they wore. The hardest question for him to answer was, "How could they use weapons without hands?" But his biggest concern was figuring out how to leave without completely ruining the scene.

He analyzed the entire situation around him: an open and elegant area, which made him think of something resembling a 'ballroom' Large windows with glass panels depicting silhouettes of ponies with different traits and colors lined both sides one showing a white Pegasus with a golden sun above it, and another with a dark blue one and a crescent moon above it. He became more confused when he saw that these ponies had both horns and wings. He had noticed that the guards were simple ponies, but the guests had horns, wings, and some appeared to be just regular ponies, according to his idea of a typical Earth pony.

The guards watched him seriously, waiting for an explanation, but the blue creature only admired the Gala they were securing with their presence as royal guards. They felt as though they weren’t being taken seriously and were being ignored, noticing how the blue being's gaze was fixed on the large double doors while it smiled.

One of the guards took a step back, glancing at his three companions who remained in position, watching the intruder. "Keep an eye on him, I'll go inform the princesses" His companions nodded to his plan as he moved toward the door to leave quickly, but he stopped when he saw who was entering. It was a lavender alicorn, leaving the doors open behind her, wearing a sleeveless dress that was fitted at the torso, with a skirt flowing downward in soft layers. The dress was a light purple shade, and it included a light, flowing cape darker than the main dress, cascading elegantly behind her. The cape had golden edges that made it stand out even more, adding a royal touch.

Everyone present fell silent at the entrance of the young alicorn, murmuring about the situation and why she should intervene on her own. "Princess Twilight!" gasped the guard approaching the door. "You arrived just in time! I was about to go find you or the other princesses to deal with this intruder."

Sonic’s ears twitched when he heard the door open, and he listened carefully to every word the guard spoke to the newly arrived princess. "Princess, huh? This can't end well. With the way I made my 'grand entrance' and being surrounded like this, I’m probably public enemy number one around here. Better not risk it and take the chance as soon as I get it. I’ll get out of here without causing harm, find a place to orient myself, and after a ‘little’ tour away from here, I’ll have to explain myself," thought Sonic to himself after seeing the winged unicorn enter the room, noticing how she left those large doors open, which made him smile confidently at his plan.

"Intruder? Are we being attacked during the gala?" Twilight asked, walking alongside the guard. "Be careful, Your Highness. We don’t know his intentions or what he’s capable of," explained the guard who was with her. He stepped aside, allowing him to see the creature, surprising her with its strange appearance: blue from head to toe, with six long spikes falling behind it, pointed ears, arms, abdomen, and mouth in a peach color, and emerald green eyes. But before he could get any closer, Sonic quickly revved up, darting past Twilight’s right side. In that split second as he zipped past her, he flashed a smile and winked. She barely had time to notice his appearance or physical features only a gust of wind remained, blowing from where he had been held captive to the door.

"Don’t let him escape!" shouted one of the guards, immediately starting to chase after him. The other guards followed him, and one remained with Twilight for her safety. "Are you alright, Your Highness?"

Twilight was still processing what had just happened. In the blink of an eye, a strange blue being had passed by her at a speed she hadn't thought possible.

He shook his head, returning from his thoughts. "I'm fine. Was anyone injured?" The guard shook his head but sighed and pointed his spear at the ceiling, showing a large hole where it had entered, then pointed to the crater it made in the floor tiles, indicating the damage from the landing. "Other than the structural damage from where that thing came in, nothing else, but it didn’t attempt anything dangerous thanks to us stopping it in time while it was getting up"

"I need you to stop it without causing any conflict, this is the Grand Gallop Gala, everything should be perfect, but now that 'that creature' has arrived, I need you to do everything possible for the safety of the ponies and to ensure no one gets hurt" The guard nodded after hearing her, gave a salute with his helmet, and left to support his comrades in the pursuit.

Meanwhile with Sonic

After the blue speedster’s quick escape, he came upon a fork in the hallway he had entered from the elegant castle. On the left he could hear slow, elegant music; he assumed it was the main foyer, or maybe 'a grand hall' where music and food brought all the guests together. From where he came, he guessed it was just another hall for guests to meet and enjoy the evening peacefully. To his right, he could hear only silence, the singing of birds, and the glass windows in the hallway displayed trees in a lively garden, which the hedgehog smiled at and quickly headed towards after hearing the galloping of the ponies searching for him.

He reached the end of the hall and saw a large set of doors, which he slammed open with both hands, greeted by the gazes of many ponies in the beautiful and expansive garden, enjoying drinks and elegant food served by unicorn waiters holding trays with magic.

Sonic let out a whistle, surprised by the well-kept garden, illuminated by the moonlight along with several street lamps. "Good evening, ladies and... uh... horses?" Everyone stared at him, confused and speechless, with only the sound of someone coughing in the distance and a cricket chirping somewhere. "Halt, intruder! In the name of Princess Twilight Sparkle's kingdom, surrender!" He turned to see the three stallions who had surrounded him earlier, speeding down the hallway trying to catch him. Quickly, Sonic slammed the double doors behind him and sped off, leaving the guests speechless at his speed, running toward the wall, climbing it, and reaching the roof. Some pegasus guards spotted him from the watchtowers and blew a horn to alert the entire castle about the intruder.

"This place is about to get exciting," he said. Upon reaching the roof, he took a moment to glance at the vast unknown terrain before him; everything was new and unfamiliar, drawing a big smile of excitement on his face, feeling driven by his desire to explore this new world before figuring out how to return to his own (if there was even a way). His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a squadron of six pegasus ponies flying toward him, splitting to surround him, pointing their crossbows at him. "How can they use weapons that need hands... without hands?" he wondered before being blinded by a purple flash revealing the young princess flying with them.

"Alright, let's do this the easy way, if you don't mind. Understood?" Sonic grinned, looking at her defiantly while scratching his right ear with his pinky finger. "And if I agree or refuse, will I still be locked up?"

The princess seemed surprised that he could understand her language and even speak with such a carefree attitude in this situation.

"I just don’t want you to ruin this important gala that I worked so hard to organize, and for no one to get hurt. That obviously includes you as well. Just surrender peacefully and we won’t have to harm you."

Sonic finished scratching his ear and let out a disappointed sigh at her words, looking at the guards and noticing none of them were moving unless he did or they received orders.

"Then I'll choose my favorite option: I refuse. You want me? Come get me, but only if you can catch me!" Those words were enough to get the guards ready to attack. Sonic, on the other hand, had already prepared himself by taking his running stance, with his right arm behind him and his left in front of his abdomen. At that exact moment, one of the guards shot from his back, surprising the young alicorn, as she had not given the order for that action.

Sonic accelerated, dodging the arrow as he ran along the roof, being chased by the other guards while Twilight followed behind them, witnessing the blue being dodge every attack thrown at him. When he reached the edge of the roof, he jumped without fear of the direct fall into the castle’s entrance, surprising all the guests with his landing. With one knee on the ground and the other leg stretched out, he quickly recovered. When he looked up, he noticed a group of pony guards forcing him to retreat down the stairs, dodging all their attacks with swords in their mouths.

"A creative method, if that's what you can call it, but ineffective," he thought, leaning backward with his feet firmly planted as if playing limbo to dodge a sword, seeing his reflection in it. He planted his hands on the floor and, using the momentum from his feet, kicked the gray stallion's jaw along with the sword, sending it into the air. He then pushed himself up with his arms, as if making a jump, catching the sword midair, and landing with it in his right hand. "Do you know how dangerous it is to play with these things? Want to poke someone’s eye out?" he mocked, quickly swinging the sword in front of him, blocking an arrow aimed at his head.

He looked up, noticing the pegasus guards chasing him, along with the young princess, while all the guests moved away, fearing for their safety in the unfolding situation at the entrance. The unarmed guard retreated, rubbing his chin with his helmet after the blow that left him disarmed.

A group of ponies, accompanied by a young dragon, arrived at the top of the stairs, witnessing the situation unfold: guards were armed, preparing to face an odd creature carrying a sword designed like the royal guards' weapons.

"Twilight! What’s happening? And what is that thing?" exclaimed the cyan pegasus of the newly arrived group, drawing the attention of the named princess, who looked at her friends prepared for the gala behind the blue intruder. "An intruder who refuses to cooperate, be careful and stay back."

"Don’t worry, Your Highness, we’ll stop him!" swore the guard with the sword in his mouth, charging into the attack, while the pegasi flew in closer, aiming their crossbows at the blue intruder. Sonic wasted no time, taking a defensive stance with the sword, stopping the arrows from the six pegasi who were covering the stallion charging solo towards the blue hero. "Five out of six arrows, where’s the last one?" His eyes focused on the stallion approaching, but it veered left, letting the last arrow pass by, surprising the speedster, who smiled at the clever movement of the equines, only to show how he would catch it just inches from his face with his left hand, showing no concern. The guard didn’t stop, and as he neared, he pivoted, pushing off with his front hooves to launch a double kick, but Sonic changed his grip on the sword, holding it upside down with the blade against his forearm, using it as a shield to block the stallion’s kick. Twilight used her magic to shield all the ponies near the entrance in individual bubbles. "This should be enough to prevent anyone from getting hurt. They’re taking too long to stop him. What is that thing?"

As the stallion growled in anger, overpowered by the most strange being he’d ever faced, Sonic smiled at how thrilling the situation had become from trying to escape to facing royal guards. Magic flashes appeared on either side of Sonic, one blue and one yellow, revealing unicorn guards concentrating magic in their horns, with Sonic caught between them, still holding off the stallion’s kick. Quickly, he released the pressure, sliding his back legs to the right, causing the stallion to lose his balance. He then maneuvered his body, letting himself fall while spinning to the right, allowing him to launch the arrow from his left hand at the unicorn to his right, forcing him to use his magic to shield himself in a yellow barrier. As he came closer to the ground, Sonic changed his sword grip correctly and threw it at the unicorn on his left, who fired a magic beam at his hand, disarming him of the weapon.

The sword slipped from Sonic’s grip and ended up embedded in the ground far from him. He fell on his back but quickly sprang back to his feet, using his hands to push himself up before a blast hit the ground where he’d just been, coming from the unicorn who had protected himself from the arrow. He now faced the princess and the pegasi, who had already reloaded their crossbows. Three of the six fired, Sonic made a great leap, curling his body into a ball of blue, soaring above the pegasi and the princess while dodging the arrows that struck the stairs. He broke free from his spherical form, just in time to see three arrows heading straight for him as he descended. He simply spun his body acrobatically, performing a triple kick to deflect each arrow, landing and leaving everyone amazed by his skills as he turned his back on them, eyes fixed on the doors leading to the event he’d tried to escape from. "Not bad, gentlemen, but you're not even close to catching me. Goodbye!" With that final remark, he disappeared in an instant, leaving a gust of wind as he made his way back toward the event, searching for his escape route. The pegasi guards split into two groups of three to widen the search. The unicorn guards disappeared in a magical flash, and the ground ponies recovered their weapons to calm the situation.

Twilight released her magic, freeing everyone from their shield bubbles, allowing the guests to recover from the situation, and she could approach her friends. "Welcome… sorry you had to see… that," she said, looking behind her at where the scene with the guards and the strange blue figure had unfolded. "The situation changed so radically from a peaceful moment to stopping a strange, very fast, and agile creature."

Spike stepped forward before anyone could speak. "So, how long has all this been going on? And why is he here?" Twilight shook her head and started walking with her group. "All we know is that he fell from the sky, broke through the ceiling, and landed in a room, leaving a crater. The guards stopped him, but when I arrived and was about to approach him, in just a fraction of a second, he passed by me, smiling and winking, and then escaped through the door."

"Was he hurt?" Everyone turned to look at the yellow pegasus, who was trying to hide from the confused gazes of her friends. "I mean... if he fell through the ceiling and hit the ground, he should be badly hurt and wouldn't be able to move like he just did."

"Actually, he had some scrapes and was covered in dust from falling through the ceiling," Twilight said as they entered the small main room, looking around for him while the guests murmured about a blue streak that had passed by at high speed. "He can speak, his attitude is daring and challenging, he refused to be captured and chose his ‘favorite option.’ He doesn’t seem to be afraid of dying to mock the guards."

"Well, I’m not throwing a welcome party for someone who refuses to be our friend," Pinkie Pie said, bouncing around as she moved alongside her friends.

"I think that’s one of the least of our concerns. Better throw a party when the guards catch him to congratulate them," Applejack clarified before taking a misstep in her words about how the party wasn’t important for their party-loving friend.

"Twilight, let me go after him! I’ll stop him before he even knows what hit him!" Rainbow Dash declared, floating above her friends, just before they could hear a response from their friend, a guard appeared in front of them, bowing before Twilight.

"Rainbow Dash! Right now, we’re guests and we’re dressed for the Grand Galloping Gala, we can't afford to act as if we were in Ponyville facing just any threat, like we did with Discord, or simply throw away these fabulous dresses I worked so hard on, like what happened at the wedding when the changelings attacked."

Spike cleared his throat, calling the ponies' attention. "I know I don’t usually get involved in everything you six have done, but we should leave this situation to the guards, and if it gets too extreme, to the princesses, including you, Twi. I know you worked hard organizing everything here, and you don’t want anything or anyone to ruin it ‘this time.’ We should enjoy the gala while it lasts and wait for new updates, if that’s okay with everyone."

They all exchanged glances for a moment, thinking over the young dragon's words, until Twilight approached him. "Spike’s right. You shouldn’t worry about what happens with that creature. The guards and the princesses will handle it. Enjoy while you can, okay? I appreciate your concern, but so far, I don’t see him as someone causing major problems, aside from escaping and defending himself."

"Now you’re defending him!? Did he control your mind or something?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed upon hearing her friend’s opinion.

"I’m not defending him, and he’s not controlling me. From what I’ve seen up close, he hasn’t hurt any other ponies besides that guard you saw earlier. He’s just on the defensive and seems to be enjoying the situation," Twilight explained, hoping to calm her pegasus friend.

"Could he be scared?" Fluttershy asked timidly, earning surprised looks from her friends at her theory.

"Scared? You saw him jump from the ceiling all the way here, dodging five arrows and catching the other with his hand, stopping a kick from a royal guard, and dodging two unicorns who surrounded him and were trying to take him down. If I had the chance to ask him face to face, I can imagine he’d laugh at the question."

Before anyone could offer a different opinion on their new ‘enemy,’ a unicorn guard appeared in front of the group with a teleportation spell in a green flash, interrupting the discussion.

"Your Highness, we have an update on the blue threat. We have him surrounded right where he landed. How would you like us to proceed?" Upon hearing the report, Twilight quickly turned to her friends. "Excuse me, but I’ll take care of this. Enjoy the gala," and before they could respond, the guard used his magic to teleport her along with him to the hall where they had found the intruder, now standing exactly where he landed, surrounded by the pegasi guard squad, the unicorn duo from before, and several earth pony guards pointing their spears at him.

As Twilight arrived at the scene, she could see how the "blue threat" showed no fear in his gaze. His posture, despite her not knowing his physiology, indicated that he was ready for whatever might threaten him. But what caught her most was his smile... that smile that radiated confidence in the face of the difficult situation he was in. It seemed like he was just having fun with all the guards. First, he had wanted to escape, but now he wanted to have fun?

The pegasi fired, and Sonic rolled to the ground, dodging all the arrows. Then he jumped toward the wall, running up it to leap again, launching a double kick that deflected the unicorns’ magic bolts. As he fell to the ground, he caught a spear that was heading straight for his face with both hands, pushing it away as he did.

The other guards took advantage of this to attack his sides, but Sonic jumped, still holding the spear, and balanced himself on it. He dodged his attackers, landing on the head of the stallion in front of him, using it as a springboard to launch himself at the pegasi. He quickly disarmed one, taking his crossbow and throwing it to the ground, breaking it. "Alright, that was fun, but I’m tired of playing games. I’m leaving and no one can stop me."

The entire room fell silent for a few seconds, before the sound of hooves approaching broke the stillness. Twilight passed in front of the guards, facing the speedster, who had placed his fist on his hip while smiling at her.

"Lower your weapons. I’ll handle this. And no one is to act on their own," she declared fiercely, staring at her guards, who lowered their weapons and ceased their magic, watching as their princess prepared to face the threat.

The two of them locked eyes, each analyzing the other, waiting for a move or a word. The silence didn’t last long, as Twilight was the first to break it.

"So, tell me, you say you want to leave, is that true?"

Sonic nodded, giving her a genuine smile as he saw the princess's determination to bring the chase to an end.

"You had the chance to leave before, but you chose to come back in. Why would you do something so illogical?" she asked, observing him with a mix of nerves and determination, trying to demonstrate her leadership as the Princess of Friendship, handling the threat by herself without needing to face him physically.

"I could’ve left. I knew that for sure," he said casually. "But something went wrong in that situation."

Twilight’s nerves slowly eased as she heard him speak so relaxed, but that attitude was starting to worry her. Why was he so confident? Why didn’t he show any sign of wanting to give up or retreat? Her thoughts were filled with more questions just by looking at him. "And what went wrong in your escape plan?"

"We were surrounded by innocent civilians who had no reason to get hurt. I also noticed the beautiful city below as I came here. It would’ve been a shame if it got damaged while the entire military force was after me. I didn’t want anything to happen to anyone, and I didn’t want to seriously hurt your boys just because I could easily take them down. So, I did what no one would think of or understand when I came back to where I arrived."

All the ponies in the room exchanged glances, trying to comprehend his words. Sonic, for his part, looked behind him, noticing a balcony where moonlight was shining in.

"And what exactly would that be?" Twilight asked, her horn glowing with magic, ready for any offensive move against the guests.

Sonic smiled and quickly turned toward the balcony, starting to run and accelerate, leaving a faint blue trail behind. He reached the balcony, took a leap, and jumped off it, leaving everyone in shock.

As Twilight snapped out of her daze and started looking for him, the guards behind her were frozen in place.

"I didn’t expect that..."

"But I wasn’t expecting anything, so it doesn’t count."