I already explained below the previous chapter why I had to cancel it quickly, I sincerely apologize for that and any other mistakes. I don't even know what really happened, and I felt very embarrassed for not having done another review before publishing it.

Where did we leave off?

He gave the tree a light punch, making an apple fall directly into his hand and enjoyed it under the moonlight while leaning against the same tree. "Good night, apple tree. Good night, moon, Good night, pony planet!"

That's right! Good night, Sonic the Hedgehog... but unfortunately, it's time to wake up!

Death Egg - Moon

"The moon... what a beautiful planet, naturally fueled by the sun to have its own source of light, being the natural satellite of planet Earth, just like here."

"ORBOT! If you’re done with your moment of appreciating the beauty of this rock, I want a report on how the DeathEgg repair is going so we can leave this place and be aware of the planet in front of my glorious mustache!" exclaimed the malevolent doctor to his metallic minion, while looking at the monitor, envisioning his new destination.

"Sorry, sir, but the repair is already at full capacity. We haven't turned on the engines to leave because I thought it would be best to study the situation from a distance, so your plans would start off on the right foot."

"BAH! Which one of us is the evil scientist here!? Besides, it's not like Sonic is there. Anyway, they'll just be another species under my control as soon as we're out of this inert rock!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand against his main control panel.

"While you were resting, your malevolent self, I took the liberty of sending an aerial troop of 'Balkairys' to scout the terrain and gather information. Incredibly, what I found will make you feel like stealing candy from a child in your conquest plan... though..."

As Eggman smiled at the words of his spherical assistant, his smile disappeared when he heard him hesitate at the end. "Though? Though what!? EXPLAIN!"

If Orbot could have sighed, he would have, but instead, he approached his creator while reviewing the tablet with the data received shortly after their arrival. "Let's just say that, first, when we arrived it was nighttime from the planet’s perspective. Continuing on, they have no major technological advancements, beyond what we believe is their best technology, the 'train' as a means of transportation. They use carts, light up with candles, and it's a world where various species with magical properties exist."

Upon hearing this interesting data, Eggman's smile widened from ear to ear, showing his excitement for an easy conquest. "So, I have before me a world where one could say they live like they're in the Middle Ages? HO HO HO HO! This is going to be so easy! And they're magical, you say? Even better! They'll become energy sources for my machines! Though first, I’ll need a test subject from each species."

"All of that is the 'good news', now here comes the bad," Orbot explained directly, just to see the displeasure on his creator's face, who slowly turned to feel like he was staring into his soul, which of course, Orbot did not have.

"And... what would those 'bad news' be, Orbot?" Lacking the biological ability to swallow nervously, Orbot simply displayed a signal of energy from the well-known Chaos Control they had already experienced. "That’s a Chaos Control, sir. If that happened at the entrance of the planet's gravitational atmosphere, it means three things. Sonic is on that planet... to our bad luck, the emeralds are scattered across it, and neither Sonic knows where they are, nor where he is standing... so... he’s lucky... Sonic arrived there at the same time we landed, without any Chaos Emeralds and lost..." He hid behind the tablet, waiting for his creator to unleash his wrath.

To his surprise, that never happened. Eggman remained firm, admiring the screen that showed a flat interpretation of the planet, and in the center of it, the Chaos Control dispersing the emeralds across this new world and, to his misfortune, his arch-enemy was on it.

"How long ago did the Chaos Control happen?" Orbot showed from the perspective of the bandicoot on the planet how it was daytime and returned the visual history until it reached the night. "Approximately... less than 15 hours ago, it would be 7 or 6 AM right now, but since this planet is unknown, we’re still working on the last details regarding the time and current date."

"Sounds pretty good, all of that, aside from the fact that Sonic is also here, but now that he's alone, he can't do anything! No friends, and a stranger in an unfamiliar land! Right now, he could even be seen as the enemy!... But what primarily inhabits the area where the Chaos Control occurred? Sonic must have landed there, right?"

"Mmh... if that’s the case... the area where it happened is primarily inhabited by ponies."

"You repeat that?... What did you say?"

"That territory where the emeralds were split is mainly inhabited by ponies. We currently have three different races in the files we've gathered by spying and scanning these beings from a safe distance."

"Enlighten me, spherical tin can! What do you mean it's inhabited by equines!? Don’t humans exist on this planet? No one with opposable thumbs? Or even any creature that isn’t just an animal and has fingers!?"

Orbot passed species by species on the screen, showing ponies, dragons, griffins, etc., and returning to the ponies. "Sorry, sir, but nothing similar to you and certainly nothing close."

Eggman protested with a heavy sigh, exhausted by the situation on Mobius. His cruel fate led him to be surrounded by animals again. "Look at the bright side, sir, they’re animals with no technological capabilities or knowledge to face yours and your army. Though your troops are currently deactivated until the base is back at full capacity, you still have a big advantage."

"A big advantage? Hmm… you might be right, Orbot, I think I have an idea to increase my advantage against that detestable hedgehog!" He approached the control panel and pressed a button, which raised a microphone to his face. "Metal Sonic! I have a mission for you. The planet in front of this insignificant rock is inhabited by magical equines. Take with you a squad of Eggrobos and capture capsules, bring me three of each different species of those ponies. Make sure they’re alive, full of energy, and that they don’t cause a commotion. Don’t fail me! Oh, and one more thing. Sonic is there, don’t confront him under any circumstances... I want him to get a nice surprise when the time comes." With that said, he looked at Orbot, who was still manipulating the tablet, studying the planet's data.

"Sir, I should question your plans from time to time, but this seems like a strategic move to act in secret and avoid direct conflict with Sonic. But tell me, what do you plan to do with the ponies right now? You’re not planning to use animals as energy sources for your robots again, are you?"

Eggman avoided looking at him and began to laugh, excited about the plans he had for his next move. "On the contrary, Orbot, I’m going to study the energy of these very equines to IMPROVE my machines, making them capable of harnessing 100% of every bit of magic. When all the tests are perfectly mastered, the time will come for Sonic. But in the meantime, I need to find the emeralds and stay informed about Sonic's whereabouts."

"The location of the emeralds is nearly impossible. The planet is covered by a magic layer, which I believe comes from the inhabitants themselves, radiating it constantly and passively. In other words... in other words, they don’t know they are creating this magical layer, it only exists because they constantly use their own magic, and the problem with this is that it’s affecting the radars used to locate the emeralds. The bandiks and Metal Sonic will be fine since they’re on the planet, but we can’t locate them from here."

"Then how do the data get here?"

"Communication and data transmission are not a problem... but I don’t know why they work. I theorize that the magic is above the power of the emeralds or it’s simply an energy that counteracts the chaos emeralds’ radiation." Orbot finished, waiting for a tantrum, a sigh of exhaustion from the bad news, or whatever else.

"Very well, prepare the laboratory for when Metal returns. I want our guests to feel comfortable during their long and painful stay."

Orbot gave a salute like a soldier, with his hand at the side of his head, and Eggman left, leaving him alone with his cubic 'brother,' who approached with a white cup in his hand. "So... does that mean we have a break before continuing to work?"

Orbot sighed at these words while shaking his head slightly.

With Sonic -Sweet Apple Acres

The call of dawn awakened the incredible dream of the blue hero. He yawned as he stretched out under the apple tree that had offered him comfort the night before. Without a fixed destination and not knowing where north was, even if he could guide himself without a compass, he was unsure if the world beneath his feet followed the same orientation rules as his own. Left with no other options, he simply smiled and began to run between the trees, admiring each apple tree planted perfectly and distantly from one another.

His run was short, as his speed took him straight to what he recognized as a treehouse with a ramp leading up to it. Knowing that if ponies lived in the castle, they also likely lived here, so maybe ladders wouldn’t be as useful for them.

"Mhh... HELLO!?" he shouted from under the treehouse, waiting for a response. "IS ANYONE HOME?" When there was no answer, he slowly climbed up and gently knocked on the door. It opened, as it wasn’t fully closed, revealing what appeared to be a club or playhouse for children. They didn’t have much, but it was clear that a lot of effort had gone into building it.

After a quick visual exploration, he decided to turn around and start descending, but was met with a shock to his knees, which surprised him. Looking down, he saw a yellow filly with a reddish mane and a bow on top. She was carrying a strange backpack with two pouches on either side. The filly rubbed her head with her hoof after the sudden collision and looked up at the blue creature bending down in front of her, with a surprised look.

"Hey, little one, are you okay?" He asked, extending his right hand to help her get up. The young pony looked at him, processing what had happened in her mind. Then, she noticed the unfamiliar blue creature in front of her: mostly blue with peach-colored arms, mouth, and belly, pointed ears, green eyes, and long, pointed hair. She took a while to come out of her trance as she analyzed it, then realized that he was offering to help.

"Y-yes... sorry, I was in a hurry..." she said nervously after the sudden moment, extending her left hoof to her strange "paw," which he took gently, helping her to stand up.

"Don’t worry, no one got hurt. By the way, is this treehouse yours?" he asked, turning around to look over his shoulder at the interior of the wooden house.

"Oh, yes! This is the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ Clubhouse!" she said with a bright smile.

"Oh wow! Sounds like a secret club too. Sorry for entering without your permission, miss..."

Seeing him apologize and trying to figure out his name, she realized they hadn’t introduced themselves. "Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Applebloom, part of the Apple family. The farm over there is my family's."

Sonic smiled when he heard her introduction, and his mind immediately began thinking about apples after hearing the word in her name and family. "Nice to meet you, Applebloom! I'm Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog!" He introduced himself with a fist on his hip and the other giving a thumbs-up, pointing to himself.

She raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word 'hedgehog' "Hedgehog? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hedgehog like you before, and I don’t think they usually look like that. I have a friend who’s an expert on animals, and you don’t look anything like what she explained to me."

Sonic shrugged and passed by the young filly to descend slowly from the treehouse. "Maybe it’s because I’m so cool that I don’t need to look like the other hedgehogs you know," he said with an arrogant smile. Once he reached the grass, he did a flip and landed on his hands, quickly transitioning into a breakdance move before finally resting on the grass with his hand holding his head, his elbow on the ground, and his legs crossed.

His display of coolness made the young filly let out a cute giggle behind her hoof. She grabbed her bag and went back inside the clubhouse. Sonic looked at her without paying much attention to whether she was having fun or mocking him. He then followed her out and arrived at her side, still laughing.

"You know? You’re a fun guy Sonic, What brought you here?" she asked.

"Well, Applebloom, I'm not from around here, and I'm a bit lost. But that doesn’t really bother me, I always venture into unknown places. However, after how I ended up here last night... I feel like I need to orient myself first. Normally, I don’t use compasses or maps, and I like to run wherever the wind takes me. Do you have time to explain how things work around here?"

When she heard the question about time, her eyes widened, remembering why she was in a hurry, alert to her school schedule.

"AAAAH! I forgot! I’m going to be late for school! I have to go! see you later!" she shouted as she ran off as fast as her short legs could carry her. Suddenly, she felt her speed drastically increase and noticed that she was running over the ground. She looked up, seeing her blue friend carrying her at great speed. "Where’s the school?"

Confused and surprised by the sudden speed of the supposed hedgehog, she quickly responded, overwhelmed by the mix of emotions stirring in her mind. "I-it’s straight ahead... and then... to the left..."

Ponyville - Schoolhouse

After a few seconds that would have felt like minutes to the young apple filly, she realized that she was suddenly standing in front of the school. "Is this it? Or is it on the other side of town? Because if this is it, I thought it would be farther away," she asked, unsure if they had arrived at the right building, considering her unfamiliarity with the town's layout. She had planned to stop at each building and ask if necessary.

"It’s here! And I got here earlier than expected, thanks, Sonic!" She jumped down from his arms, landing perfectly, and walked up to the door, knocking softly.

"Don’t thank me, I’m going to have fun! See you later little apple!" The door opened, catching the attention of the young farm filly, revealing a light pink mare with a purple mane and green eyes, her face showing warmth and happiness.

"Applebloom, you’re on time. Who were you talking to?" asked the pony responsible for giving the class.

"With my friend Son-" She turned to introduce him, but when she looked back, he was already gone, leaving only a faint cloud of dust disappearing. "nic..."Y-yeah... he sure is fast! AScootaloo and Sweetie Belle have to meet him!""

During class, everything remained calm and normal. Until recess, when Applebloom met with her friends under the shade of a tree, very excited about the news of her new friend.

"Alright, Applebloom, what's the new news? I can tell by your smile," pointed out the young Pegasus known as Scootaloo.

"I made a friend just now, and he's so... strange, but not in the sense of what he likes, more in what he is and what he can do!" she shouted, jumping around excitedly, spinning in place while her friends watched her with confusion, but excited about what she might say next.

"So, this colt doesn’t have a Cutie Mark and is going to join the CMC?" her unicorn friend tried to guess, excited about the idea of another member in their club.

Her words stopped Applebloom, who stopped jumping and looked at them with wide eyes, starting to get nervous. "Actually... he’s not... a pony, he says he's a hedgehog."

Her friends looked at her, confused, thinking that her reasoning had suddenly abandoned her. "So... ‘he says’ he’s a hedgehog?"

"Hedgehogs don’t talk, as Fluttershy explained to us," the Pegasus pointed out.

"Well... uh... it’s much more believable when you see him, so you should meet him later! He'll probably come by the clubhouse. He's a fun guy, you'll like him!"

They both just shrugged and then changed the topic to what they considered more important than the idea of a talking hedgehog.

"You know, Crusaders? Rarity told me that last night during the Galloping Gala, an intruder got in. She said it was blue, fast, and escaped through the balcony."

With those simple clues, the gears in Applebloom’s head started working, remembering her new friend’s speed and appearance, still having some doubts about what she had just heard and experienced recently.

"He broke into the gala, caused damage, and escaped from the guards and the princesses!?" Scootaloo asked, stunned.

Sweetie Belle nodded but also shook her head, finishing with a diagonal gesture with her head, making her friends look at each other even more confused than usual.

"According to Rarity, he faced the knights, and after what Twilight showed him, he left without hurting anyone, except for a knight who got punched in the face. Although her friends didn’t help since Twilight insisted on handling the situation herself."

While listening to her friend, Applebloom asked herself, "Sonic... I hope I’m wrong... what are you doing now...?"

Sonic at that moment

He had arrived in an instant from the base of a mountain to its peak, gazing at the vast landscape around him, only to then sneeze and hug himself. "Ugh... I think it’s a little cold up here..."

Ponyville School

At least the hedgehog himself could answer some questions about him before jumping to any wrong conclusions like last time with a certain zebra.

She kept doubting for a moment until she was snapped out of her thoughts by the call of her friends. "Applebloom?... Applebloom!"

"Huh!? What? Oh, sorry, I was thinking about a lot of things, what were you saying?"

"Sweetie Belle asked if your sister told you anything about the gala."

"Oh! I couldn’t ask her, I got up early and she came home a bit late, so she slept in a bit more. I'll ask her at dinner. I wonder what will happen with that intruder you mentioned."

"The princesses and the guards are handling it, right?" Scootaloo affirmed confidently, lying back under the tree to rest, only for her ears to be filled with the ringing bell that marked the end of recess.

Canterlot - Throne Room

Princess Celestia, in charge of moving the sun and ruler of Equestria, was reviewing the report of what had happened the night before, which she held with her magic around her, looking at each page along with several portraits made hastily by her guards who took action that very night, and a young dragon who was present with them and also wanted to participate in the royal task of depicting the blue intruder through descriptions.

A young alicorn near the door was waiting for the young dragon while the ruler admired each portrait, smiling at the 'low artistic levels' from the guards. As for the young dragon, she noticed his effort in the portrait, made as if his skill were 'professional' or rather an 'intermediate' level, not counting the fact that it was made with crayons considering his young age, but it looked decent enough alongside the description in the report.

All the guards were silent, waiting for the verdict from their ruler, thinking of multiple fatal punishments, but when she finished reading the report, she set the scrolls aside and showed the portrait Spike had made.

"Let me go over this, a blue being broke into the gala last night. I was present, but knowing Twilight's persistence, I assumed she would take full control and responsibility of the situation. But I see I should have intervened, knowing the intruder would escape. I feel useless seeing how I chose to relax instead of taking my role as ruler seriously. But the part of being a teacher and a princess equally, I must let her prove she can go on without me."

The young alicorn in the back of the room became nervous, feeling her efforts were in vain, but they grew when she saw the older princess showing the portrait made by her dragon.

"This is all we have to identify it. Thanks to everyone for contributing to the duty of depicting the blue threat," she said, showing a smile as all the portraits were shared among the guards who acted during the defense of the gala. "But I must say that Spike’s is the one that comes closest to the description I've read in the report, a blue being from head to toe, white claws, large green eyes, a mocking smile? Triangular red legs, blue long horns extending from behind its head and moving at great speed. Am I correct?"

She asked, bringing the scroll with the description to Spike’s portrait. A drawing based on the illusion spell from Twilight, showing the moment when the guards had surrounded him, and he was raising his hands in surrender. While the princess gathered the others, leaving them to her assistant, a white unicorn with glasses, who, using her magic, took the discarded portraits, letting them float at her side.

"Miss Raven, please send Spike’s portrait and the description report. I want posters about the creature. Take Twilight with you, and let her handle the details on these," the unicorn nodded and took the separate reports to leave with the young alicorn.

Spike had been accompanying the guards since everything began, and his sharp hearing could assure him that he could hear the accelerated heartbeat of each one of them, his own included, but recognizing Celestia’s kindness calmed him down again, although it didn’t change the fact that his portrait humiliated the guards’, which made him feel that he was useful, even if it wasn’t in the way he had expected.

"Spike, you may leave and return to Twilight. The rest, return to your posts. There will be no punishment for failing in your duty to protect the castle and the innocents who were there. However, I expect more obedience from those who acted impulsively. According to Twilight's report on each encounter with the intruder, there were actions taken too lightly when she was present."

Spike nodded, and the guards lowered their heads to the ground, embarrassed by their reckless actions. Then, they all left, leaving the Sun Princess alone, except for the guards inside the hall who were guarding the door from within. She brought a hoof to her forehead, rubbing her head slowly and sighing, exhausted from all her tasks. The idea of a very fast threat disturbed her mental peace, wondering what it could be doing while she was sitting there.

"Luckily... it doesn't seem like this could get any worse..."

A bad choice of words.

Author's Note

Before anyone comes to correct whether Raven Inkwell is an Earth pony or a unicorn, I made sure and checked thoroughly before starting. But if you have doubts, you can check for yourselves, as both options are available for the character. I’m not sure what happened or why she’s shown in two different versions, but I prefer to leave her as a unicorn.