The Legend of Sunny: Tears of the Kingdom

The wind whipped around Shadow as he stood on the edge of Canterlot Castle's outer bulwark, his crimson eyes locked on the castle suspended high above him. The massive rocky pillar that anchored the castle to the heavens loomed in stark contrast to the abyss beneath it, from which tendrils of gloom slithered upward like smoke from a cursed fire.

Shadow's arms were crossed, his mind racing with possibilities. How long can this structure hold? The pillar seemed stable, but with the relentless corruption emanating from the abyss, he couldn't shake the sense of impending doom. A single crack, a single miscalculation, and everything above and below could collapse.

He let out a low grunt, the weight of the situation pressing on him. It didn't help that his team had been stretched thin. The Upheaval had thrown Equestria into chaos, and answers were few and far between. The last thing he needed was interruptions. He had specifically ordered everyone to stay clear of his position while he assessed the situation. His instructions were to find any sign of Sonic and Sunny, which he was willing to do so.

That's when he heard it—the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching.

His brow furrowed, and he let out a sharp, irritated growl. "I'm in the middle of something. Besides, I already told you that I wanted to be left—"

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he turned to face the intruder. Standing before him, as real as the gloom-tainted air around them, was Sonic.

The hedgehog looked weathered but very much alive. He wore a pair of sandals with long ties around his legs, a strange tunic with a green towel crossing over his left shoulder, his quills were a bit out of place, and he had no gloves on. However, what called his attention the most was his right arm, which looked... odd. It was dark green, almost grey, with long nails that seemed like claws, a strange bracelet covering his whole arm, a ring on each finger, and finally what seemed to be a tattoo that passed through his right bicep and over his shoulder, as if the arm had fused with him.

"Sonic..." Shadow's voice was low and sharp, filled with equal parts disbelief and suspicion. "You're alive."

"Mrs. Death and I aren't friends, you know?" Sonic replied with a little smile, but his tone was tinged with something more serious beneath the bravado.

Shadow didn't answer right away. His gaze shifted from Sonic's face to his arm—the strange, otherworldly limb that seemed out of place, even on someone as unconventional as Sonic. Shadow's eyes darkened. "That arm… what did you do?"

"As incredible as it may sound, I did nothing," Sonic replied. "A mummy just woke up from it's slumber under there, I lost my OG arm, Sunny went missing, and the next thing I know? I'm on a floating island in the sky." He sighed and shook his head. It's not my favorite bedtime tale. But hey, it saved my life, so I guess I can’t complain too much."

Shadow didn't move, his gaze unwavering. "You were gone for two weeks. The castle rose. The sky is filled with floating islands. Ruins fell through Equestria. And now you just show up… expecting what, exactly?"

"Answers," Sonic replied, then he crossed his arms and sighed. "But I also wanna help. I'm not expecting a welcome party or encouraging words from anyone, I just wanna do what everyone seems to be doing since all this crap started. And Knuckles sent me here to report myself to you. He says you're the captain of the Monster-Control Crew."

Shadow's sharp gaze lingered on Sonic, the tension between them palpable as the wind howled through the gloom-tainted air. For a moment, it seemed like the Ultimate Lifeform would snap at him. Then he let out a long, slow breath, his posture softening—just slightly.

"Knuckles is still putting people under my command?" Shadow muttered, shaking his head. "Typical."

Sonic smirked faintly. "He still trusts your judgment. Not many can say that."

"Don't test my patience, Sonic," Shadow said, his tone clipped. "If you're here to help, then you'll follow orders. No more running off or pulling your usual stunts."

"Sure thing, boss," Sonic said, raising his hands in mock surrender. His grin widened. "But don't expect me to salute or anything."

Shadow ignored the jab and turned back to the castle above them, his expression grim. "If you're serious about helping, start by explaining yourself. First: if you lost your normal arm, where did that thing came from?" He pointed at Sonic's Zonai arm.

"Long story short: This thing was sealing the corpse under the castle, it fell as soon as Sunny and I stepped in, the arm saved me from falling, then it attached to me, and then I met who it belonged to, a guy named Rauru," Sonic recapped quickly, taking a deep breath in the end for talking so fast.

Shadow arched a brow after hearing this. "Rauru? Sunny mentioned that's how Equestria's actual founder is called..." He then frowned once again after he thought on that. "Speaking of her, where is Sunny?"

Sonic fell silent, looking away, and Shadow paled slightly. Without saying anything, Sonic had said more than a thousand words.

"Sunny disappeared, and I don't know where she is," Sonic explained with a grim look. "I came to the castle to look for clues, as well as to report to you."

"I...see," Shadow muttered, not sure on how to proceed now. "Or maybe I don't. But that doesn't matter right now, what matters is we continue our search for Sunny. Regardless, seeing you back around might be a relief for many. We needed some good news after... all this shit. And I hope that, with you around, looking for her would become easier now."

'I hope so, too,' Sonic thought with some uncertainty.

Suddenly, the guard that was also looking at the castle besides Shadow, named Toren, gasped, and Sonic and Shadow turned to look at him.

"CAPTAIN!" The soldier exclaimed, pointing a trembling hoof at one of the castle towers in the distance. "It's Sunny Starscout!"

Sonic and Shadow immediately looked in the direction Toren was pointing, and Sonic felt his heart stop for a moment.

Just as the soldier said, Sunny was standing on a wall in the distance, staring at them with a... blank look. She was wearing that white sleeveless dress with Zonai trim, her mane still short and barely reaching her shoulders, and her fur was not even scratched.

Sonic wanted to shout her name, but Shadow beat him to it.

"Sunny! She's safe!" The captain said, his voice filled with a relief and joy that he rarely didn't tried to hide.

However, Sunny looked away from them, towards the sky, and suddenly she was floating without summoning her Alicorn form. Before anyone could say anything, the mare was enveloped in a golden light, and then turned into a small speck of that same light that rose into the air until it was completely lost, disappearing again without a trace.

Sonic didn't know how to feel about that. Sunny had been close to him, just a few meters away, and now she had disappeared again. Was she running away from him? Was she upset because he didn't catch her in time? No, that couldn't be it. Sunny wasn't like that.

Something wasn't right here, she wouldn't just leave without telling him anything.

"Wait... What..." Shadow's voice brought Sonic out of his thoughts. He assumed that the captain and Toren were as confused as he was. "You saw that, too, Sonic? You saw Sunny turn into light and...fly off...right?"

"...Yes, Shadow... I saw it..." Sonic answered, his mind thinking of a thousand and one different possibilities about why Sunny would just leave, without telling him, without wanting to see him first.

It didn't make any sense to him.

"I can't believe what I saw!" He heard Toren exclaim.

"Why would she leave without saying a word to us..." Shadow said, rubbing his chin in thought.

'Especially me,' Sonic thought, but kept the comment to himself.

"We need to report this to Knuckles as soon as possible," the captain declared, then looked at Sonic with a firm expression. "Soldier."

Sonic stood stiffly, his legs together and his arms glued to his sides, as he looked Shadow straight in the eyes. He wasn't planning on saluting, but he was planning on taking this seriously.

"Considering what we just witnessed, I think it makes sense for us to withdraw, but it will take a bit," Shadow explained gravely. "As your first order, I command you to tell Knuckles about what happened here as soon as possible."

Sonic leaned forward with his eyes closed, a sign that he would comply with the captain's orders without complaint.

Knuckles was moving in circles, alarmed.

When Sonic returned and recounted everything he saw, the echidna fell into an alarming silence, even for Sonic himself. As reserved as he was, too much silence didn't seem like a good sign, especially from someone who didn't enjoy silence lately like Knuckles.

"So Sunny appeared in Canterlot Castle, turned into light, and then vanished without saying anything?"

"Not a word." Sonic shook his head, saddened.

Lookout Landing had a meeting room, and Sonic was inside it with Knuckles, Amy, Tails, and a soldier who clearly looked uncomfortable.

Sonic felt sorry for that soldier.

While talking to Knuckles, Tails seemed to be doing several analyses of Sonic related to his reflexes, his strength, and especially his Zonai arm. He wasn't used to staying still for so long, but since there was still gloom under that new arm, he assumed he didn't have much strength, not even to run.

"But I don't understand," Knuckles muttered, rubbing his face with one hand. "Why would she do that? Sunny would never do something like that, not without a reason."

"Something had to happen to her," Sonic supposed, frowning. "She doesn't just disappear without saying nothing and that's it. I can't say for sure what happened to her, I just know that it can't be good if she hasn't come straight to the fort like me.

"And now we're left without a trace of her again..." Amy said regretfully, crossing her arms. "We'll have to resort to other means to continue the search."

Silence filled the room for a moment. Everyone present was trying to think of a solution, to know what to do now and where to go if Sunny was still missing.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Tails, and he cleared his throat.

"Well," the young fox began, leaving aside his analyses, and all eyes fell on him, "if Sunny left, she had to go somewhere that could be related to the Upheaval."

Sonic was starting to get fed up with hearing about that damn Upheaval without knowing what they were talking about. He knew that something bad was happening all over Equestria, but no one had told him anything until now.

But that was going to change soon.

"I don't want to interrupt you, Tails," Sonic spoke up, and now everyone looked at him. "But I'm still a newcomer. What do you call Upheaval, exactly?"

Knuckles stopped dead in his tracks, looking at Sonic with an expression of surprise mixed with sadness. He knew that, with all the fuss about Sonic's return and Sunny still missing, he had forgotten to fill Sonic in on the full picture.

But now, with Sunny gone and the danger growing, he couldn't keep him in the shadows any longer.

"You're right, Sonic," Knuckles admitted, letting out a heavy sigh. "You deserve to know everything."

The echidna approached the table in the center of the meeting room, spreading a map of Equestria out on it.

"When you disappeared with Sunny and the castle rose," He began, his voice gravelly, "one catastrophe after another was unleashed upon the kingdom. That's why we call this new, dark age the Upheaval, Sonic. Because there is no better term to discover the darkness that haunts these lands."

"In all the cities of Equestria, serious things are happening," Amy continued, deciding to join the explanation. She approached the map on the table and pointed to Zephyr Heights. "In Zephyr Heights, the pegasi are facing a blizzard of mysterious origin. It's as if the snow itself wanted to bury them and suffocate them into oblivion. Not to mention that the entire city was isolated from the kingdom, and now they seem to be short of resources."

"And it gets worse," Tails said, also approaching the table and pointing to the southwest. "Near Opaline's Dark Castle, an abyss is expelling gloom in quantities almost as large as those of the abyss under the castle, perhaps even more. As if that were not enough, some very strange thigh-shaped rocks appeared. No one has come close to touching them out of fear, but they give off a bad feeling."

"In Maretime Bay things are just as bad," Amy continued, pointing to said city on the map. "A dark, slimy mud is falling from the sky and affecting the waters on the beach, as well as affecting crops and obstructing the roads. Earth ponies that have come too close are becoming sick and covered in mud, to the point where it clogs their airways. Hitch is doing as much as he can, but the last letter we received from Maretime Bay says that he is overdoing it, that Sunny's disappearance has affected him greatly."

"Finally, there's the situation in Bridlewood," Knuckles spoke once more, pointing to that town on the map. "A sandstorm raged throughout the forest. The unicorns have been forced to hide in the underground shelter beneath Alphabittle's Crystal Tea Room, and if that wasn't bad enough, mysterious monsters that look like walking skeletons have appeared in the area. Alphabittle has tried to annihilate them, but more always appear with each one they defeat. At least that's what his last letter said."

Sonic looked at the map of Equestria, taking in the information his friends had provided him.

Each town was being struck by calamities, and while he had seen his share of disasters in the past, the magnitude of these events was alarming. The connection between the regions and the gloom coming from Canterlot Castle was becoming increasingly clear in his mind.

"And you think all of this is related to Sunny's disappearance?" Sonic asked, frowning as his eyes widened. They landed in the castle in the north of the map.

"Very likely," Amy replied, her voice filled with concern. "Sunny has proven to be extremely sensitive to any harm that occurs in Equestria. If something caused her to disappear like that, it may be related to these catastrophes."

"We must find her," Knuckles said determinedly, his voice echoing in the room. "But we must also restore balance to the affected cities. We cannot allow our friends' home to fall into darkness. Sonic, as much as I don't want to accept it, you may be our greatest hope for solving this crisis."

Sonic nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He knew the road ahead would be arduous and dangerous, but he couldn't allow Equestria to succumb to these calamities.

"Where do I start?" Sonic asked, determined.

"First, you'll stay here to recharge," Knuckles warned with a frown, crossing his arms. "I haven't seen you running around since you got here, which makes me think you're not in good shape because of the gloom that's still affecting you. Until you can at least do a Homing Attack again, you won't be leaving Lookout Landing."

Sonic sighed heavily, but nodded. As much as he hated to do it, he knows that Knuckles is right, and that he's not in good shape to leave, not yet.

"Fine, I'll do it..." He rolled his eyes. "And then?"

"You'd better head to Zephyr Heights first," Tails suggested, pointing at the city on the map again. "If the pegasi are being cut off by that blizzard, they might not have much time before their resources are completely depleted. Plus, if Zephyr Heights falls, we'll lose one of our main air defenses."

"And also... well, I hate hearing this, but..." Amy hesitated a bit before continuing. "Rumors have surfaced that Sunny was seen in the city. It may just be that, but if you go there, Sonic, maybe you can investigate further and make sure she has indeed been seen."

"I'll bring a paraglider," Sonic said, thinking about how he would deal with the snowstorms that were hitting Zephyr Heights. "I also need supplies to withstand the extreme cold. And I'll ask anyone I see around town about Sunny."

"You better, hedgehog," Knuckles said with a slight smirk.

The hedgehog just nodded, feeling the weight of an entire kingdom on his shoulders. However, he wasn't about to give in. He had thrown himself from a tremendous height to Equestria just to save Sunny, and he wouldn't hesitate to do it again if necessary.

'Hold on a little longer, sis,' He thought determinedly. 'I'm coming to find you.'

It only took a week, but it was worth it.

Sonic had gone to the shrine he found earlier, plus another one near the castle, and successfully passed the tests that awaited him inside them. It served him well in putting both his normal and Zonai abilities to the test, and with the sacred light from both shrines, he felt like he had rejuvenated.

Afterwards, he returned to Lookout Landing to train with his Amber Blade daily, as well as do several speed tests that Tails prepared for him because he still wasn't able to run like before. He was going 10 times slower, and suddenly he felt like he was 4 years old again, when Longclaw had just taught him to control his speed, only now he had to learn to go fast again.

The gloom was the worst thing that had ever happened to him, without a doubt.

Luckily, he slowly regained some momentum, and managed to relearn how to do his Spin Dash and his Homing Attack, two of the most important moves in his arsenal. Adding to his sword skills, he could at least defend himself from any danger that awaited him once he left Lookout Landing.

Also, Amy was taking measurements to make him a tunic. According to her, Sonic might not want to show his right arm freely if he's going to travel around Equestria to restore things, so she's making that garment so that he doesn't scare anyone when he shows up. Sonic admitted that, as incredible as the arm seemed to him, it was perhaps better to keep it hidden for now.

On the last day, he trained a lot more both in using the sword and using his Zonai abilities, surprising more than one in Lookout Landing about what he's able to do now, before going to sleep earlier than he was used to, and when the first rays of the next day's sun filtered through the window of the room they had lent him, he jumped up and got to work.

They had brought him his usual shoes, and he put them on immediately. Chaos, his feet were so grateful for the touch of something comfortable and familiar. He would never wear those uncomfortable, archaic sandals again.

For a moment he considered wearing pants, at least just for this mission, and especially considering that he would need them once he entered the Zephyr Heights blizzard. In the end, he decided that he would only wear a pair when that time came.

Finally, it was time to put on the tunic that Amy had made for him over the course of the week.

It consisted of a blue shirt with a drawing of a sword point facing downwards in the middle. It had leather protections on the chest, shoulders, arms, and waist; and a chainmail shirt underneath. And under said shirt, a dark green sweater that matched his Zonai arm almost perfectly, like a kind of camouflage.

He put on the tunic carefully, treating it with the respect it deserved. He put on a new white left glove without any problem, but when he thought to put on the right one, he stopped. His right Zonai hand stood out a little more than his normal left hand. However, it wasn't a change so noticeable that he had to cover his hand. Just having his arm hidden was more than enough.

He put his right glove into the belt pouch that also came with the robe, just in case, and walked outside.

At Lookout Landing, some soldiers were standing guard, others were training each other with their weapons, and he thought he saw Shadow enter some sort of underground shelter.

According to what he understands, that's a secret passage that was built in order to help the princesses of yesteryear escape in case something happened in the castle, but Knuckles turned it into a shelter during the construction of Lookout Landing. In his opinion, it was the right decision.

As he walked towards the west exit of the fort to meet the echidna, several soldiers began to stop what they were doing and turned in his direction, incredulous.

Sonic supposed that wearing that robe made him some sort of symbol of hope for the ponies of Equestria. Or maybe they were just impressed to see him ready to go, and wearing clothes on top of that. Whatever the case, he knows that these reactions are just normal.

Once he reached the west exit, he ran into Knuckles and Tails, who were waiting for him to arrive. Tails seemed to have some sort of large backpack with several weapons inside, as well as clothes to keep him warm against the cold he was about to enter.

"You being punctual, Sonic? It really is the end of the world," Knuckles said mockingly, while Sonic rolled his eyes, even though he still smiled. "Tails and Amy already prepared everything for your trip in that backpack. You have food for about two weeks, and about 3 canteens just in case."

"I also looked through Sunny's phone and made some adjustments," Tails said, handing the phone to Sonic. "You now have a completely detailed map of all of Equestria. It took a while to study it in detail, but I got it."

Sonic thanked Tails for that. He had given him Sunny's phone to allow him to check it throughout the week. He didn't know why he needed it at the time, but now he was grateful to have given it to him.

"This makes the job a little easier," Sonic said to Tails with a smile. "Thanks, little bro."

"Don't thank me yet," Tails smiled, then handed him a folded paraglider, which Sonic took without thinking. "If you're going to jump from high places, and I know you will because you're very reckless, you'll need it. I know you just relearned how to use Spin Dash, but I don't think you're in a condition to do it at high altitudes and fall without dying."

Sonic unfolded the paraglider to get a better look at it. The paraglider seemed to be very wide and resistant, more so than others he's used before. The fabric was softer and more flexible, a dark brown with his face in the middle. It had a couple of ribbons tied behind it, he assumed to measure the direction of the wind.

"I won't hesitate to use it," Sonic assured, folding the paraglider again and putting it in his bag along with Sunny's phone. "I don't think I can thank you more than I've already given you."

"It's not necessary, Sonic," Tails assured with a smile, moving his hand as if to downplay it. "I know that if anyone can solve the chaos that is threatening all the cities of Equestria, it is you. For my part, I will continue to investigate more about the Zonai, their technology, their culture and... everything I can gather about them. Maybe I can find something that will tell us where Sunny is."

"If you find anything," Sonic began, measuring his words carefully before continuing, "I want you to let me know. I'll help in any way I can in each city, but finding Sunny is my priority."

"I'll send you a message if that happens," Tails assured. "In the meantime, you just stick to doing what you do best and be the hero Equestria needs, okay?"

'I hope I live up to the title,' Sonic thought to himself, but merely nodded to Tails.

Then, he turned to look at Knuckles, who looked at him with determination in his eyes. The echidna stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Sonic's shoulder.

"Hedgehog, I know the burden you carry is immense," Knuckles said, his deep voice echoing in the morning air. "But remember, you're not alone in this. Equestria is with you, and I trust that you will find our friend. Not just because you are the hero this land needs, but because I know that you love her like a sister."

The silence that followed was heavy, laden with unspoken emotions. Sonic felt the weight of his friend's words as a reminder of his mission, of what was at stake.

With one last look at the two, he took the backpack from Tails, adjusting it at his side and making sure everything was in its place, and then, after turning around in the direction of Zephyr Heights, he took off. Not as fast as usual, but definitely faster than a week ago, when he arrived.

Knuckles and Tails watched as he walked away, Sonic's figure silhouetted against the rising sun. There was an air of solemnity about the scene, as if everyone knew that this journey would be one of the most challenging he would ever face.

"I trust that he will make it," Tails murmured, more to himself than to Knuckles, although his words were laden with faith.

"He has always exceeded expectations," The echidna replied, not taking his eyes off the path Sonic was following. "And this time will be no different."

Sonic, however, did not hear those words. His mind was already focused on the journey, on the challenges he would face, and above all, on finding Sunny. As he ran, the cool morning wind whipped his face, and with each step he took, the distance between him and Lookout Landing increased.

But in his heart, the promise of seeing Sunny once again guided him, like a star in the night.