Notice: All characters and their show all belong to their respectful owners, I do not own any of them. 

The elements of freedom

Part 4

Help! I'm a pony!

In an alternative timeline of Equestia, the forests was calm and still for a while, then a small spark twinkled in the sky,then it grew into a swirling spiral and then with a flash and a bang the spark split into six colored sparks and they floated down like burn out fireworks, they all landed in different spots and the glow died down, one of the sparks was blue and was the last one landed softly on the ground, the glow take shape and lay there as the glow died away.   

Everything was black in Sonic's mind and all was quiet as well, a few seconds his sense of hearing started to work, he heard the sound of birds singing and soft winds blowing, after that his sense of feel is coming back to him, he felt the soft grass under him, he tried to grab it but for some reason he can't felt his fingers, like it was not there at all, he slowly open one eye, then the other, his vision blurred a bit then he got his focus back.

Sonic: "Ugh! Where am I? One minute I'm in a cave the next I'm in a forest, If this is a gag Celestia putting up, I'm not laughing!"

He rubbed the grogginess out of his eyes with his hands, then he stopped, his hands don't felt like hands at all, they were flat and hard and his fingers felt like they are glued together, he slowly move his hands off his face and gasped!

His glove are missing and in his hand place is a hoof, he look at the other one, and it the same thing, he spotted a lake and hastily crawled to it, fearing that if his hands change, so have his body, he looked at his reflection in the water and was speechless, he is no longer an hedgehog but a pony! 

His fur is still blue but his mane is a bit darker, his tail is longer and spikier and a pink underbelly, his shoes are gone along with his gloves leaving only strong looking hooves and he was surprised to see a mark on the side of his haunches, the cutie mark shows a picture of him in a spin dash, a gold ring and a yellow star in a black background in the middle.

He is an earth pony.

It took a while to get use to his new legs, he stumbled a few times and fell flat on his face once but in the end he got himself walking on all fours.

Sonic: "Well, this feels different... I better practice a bit first."

So Sonic did, he first did slow walking, which he didn't like it much, then he speed up a bit and it cheered him up a bit, while he was running he felt something bumping on his neck, he stopped and look down, around his neck is a gold pendant fasten with a gold chain and on the pendant is a magenta colored gem in a shape of a ring like the rings he collected in his world.

Sonic: Well, one of the elements is here with me, but if I'm here and so does element, does that mean my friends are here also?

As on cue he heard a muffled cry to his right and saw what make him cheer for joy.

Sonic: "Tails!!!"

On his right is a bush and it's shaken by a little fox in it, he recognize it was Tails because his two tails are the only thing showing while the rest are hidden in the bush, struggling to get loose.

Sonic sprang up to his trapped friend and said.

Sonic: "Hang on little bro! I'll get you out......If I can."

Tails would have said back but he was muffled with leaves, Sonic look at his hooves, how on earth will he pulled Tails free without fingers, let alone hands, having no choice he grabbed the tails with his teeth and pulled, and soon Tails is freed from the bush, Sonic saw his friend and gasped.

Tails is not a fox anymore, but a pony, a Pegasus pony, his fur is yellow but his mane and tails are soft orange, the tips of his legs and tails are white and so was his muzzle and underbelly, on his back are yellow wings with white feather tips, he spotted a cute mark and saw an image of two tails in the background and a large spanner in the front.

Tails spat out some leaves and shook his head to clear his mind.

Tails: "Thanks, Sonic, I tried flying out, but my tails are not working, what happen?"

Sonic: "Your tails are not the only thing that happens, little buddy."

Tails turn to him and was shock to see him in his new form.

Tails: "SONIC!?!? Is that you!? Your a..."

When Tails point his new hooves he was even more shocked.

Tails: "*Gasp!* Sonic! What's going on???"

Sonic: "Tails, calm down! There's no need to panic, were just ponies now."

Tails took some huge deep breaths to calm himself down, after he is calmed he admire at his new body, his tails felt loose and hair like, when he tried to spun them he couldn't get off the ground, he checked his back and saw a couple of wings, he thought that since his tails are useless in this form he can still fly with his new wings.

Sonic: "I see that your element is with you too."

Tails looked at the pendant on sonic, then he checked his own, his pendant is the same as Sonic's but a soft pink spanner shaped gem on it just like his cutie mark.

Tails: "Where do you think the others are?"

Sonic: "I don't know, but if your here the other must be too, let get ourselves sorted and look for them."

Tails: "Right! Let's go!" 

As Sonic turns to leave, a glint caught Tails eyes, there on the ground is a rainbow colored orb that Celestia gave to him for the mission, he wanted to know what it's for but he decided to hold on for that until everyone is here, he picked the orb up with his mouth, he relaxed a bit letting his new wings fold in, he tucked the orb safely in the fold of his wings and trotted after Sonic.

After a short walk they heard a cry.

???: "HELP!!! Somebody! Anybody! Get me down!!!"

Tails: "Did you hear that! That was Amy!"

They dashed up to the sound, while running they saw something red and yellow on the ground, when they got there, they saw what the item is, it was Amy's Piko piko hammer and where there's a hammer like that, there's Amy, but where is Amy?

Amy: "Sonikku! Tails-kun! Is that you?! I'm up here!"

Sonic and Tails turn their head upwards and found Amy stuck in a tree, she is an earth pony like Sonic but pink in color while her mane and tail is a bit darker pink, her body is wedge in between the branches of a Y-shaped tree, with no hands or proper bend in the knees, she can't climb out so she just hung there feeling helpless.

Tails: "Hold on Amy, Will get you down!"

Sonic: "*whispering* Or maybe we could leave her up there?"

Tails: "*whispering* Sonic! We can't do that!"

Sonic: "*whispering* Hey bro, I'm just joking! But you're right, we can't leave her, got any plans?"

Tails took a long look at the tree Amy is in, the tree is not too high but it not too low either but he and Sonic can reach her when Sonic reared his front legs and pulled her down, it may cause both of them to fall on each other, unless...

Tails: "Sonic, can you go round the back and hold her back legs?"

Sonic: "Ok.....Why?"

Tails: "Trust me, just do it."

Sonic rush to the back of the tree and see Amy's back legs dangling, he reared up his front legs and resting his chest on the tree for support, he lifts his front hooves and let Amy hooves rest on his, Amy felt Sonic holding her feet and wonder what going on, she look down to see that Tails is also reared up but using his front legs to support on the tree.

Tails: "Amy, Sonic will push your back legs up slowly and while he's doing that I want you to slide slowly down and rest your hooves on my shoulders, when your back legs are on the branches you can jump down, can you do that?"

Amy: "Ok, Tails, I can try."

Tails: "Right! Sonic, now, nice and slow."

Sonic did not like the idea of "nice and slow" but he did as he told and pushed Amy back legs upward, Amy front end is moving downward, Amy pressed her chest onto the bark so she won't slip off fast, she stretch her front legs outward, it was a slow pace but Amy felt Tails shoulders and rested her hooves on them, their noses almost touching one another, Tails and Amy blushed but stayed focus, Amy felt one of her legs getting over the branch and then the other, feeling both her legs on the branches she jumped forward over Tails and landed all fours on the ground.

Once Amy is on the ground, Sonic and Tails trotted up to her and get a good look at her new pony body.

Her cutie marks shows a large heart in the background, two small rose buds at the bottom of the heart and a Piko piko hammer in the front, around her neck is a pendant, her element gem is blue in a shape of her hammer.

Amy: "Thanks for getting me out of that tree, I thought I gonna be stuck up there forever."

Tails: "Don't worry Amy, you're safe now, and so is your element."

Sonic: "And your hammer too."

Amy turn to her mallet and tried to pick it up in her hooves but it keeps slipping out of her new hooves, after ten tries she have no choice but to do what any other ponies would do.....using her teeth.

Amy felt silly to hold her hammer with her teeth but soon found out that her hammer is much lighter and easier to swing but she better practice that later.

Amy: "Sho where af theh otherhs?"

Tails: "What?"

Amy put down her mallet to speak.

Amy: "I said, So where are the others?"

Sonic: "Don't know Amy, but we will find them if we keep moving."

Tails: "Right! Sally, Knuckles and Julie-su are still out there, let's go!"

They walked a bit further and soon the sky is turning red by the coming of the evening, small pink clouds moving slowly and the warm air turn cooler, they continue walking through the forest until they spotted three dark pony shape in the distant.

Amy: "Loof! Coulth thath be themh overf theth?"

Sonic: "Well, there aren't any other ponies about, so it must be them. Come on!"

They rush over to where the three ponies are standing, halfway there Sonic shout out to them.

Sonic: "Hey Knucklehead! Over here!"

The three dark ponies turn their heads towards them.

???: "Who DARE to call me a Knucklehead!"

The sound of that voice made Sonic, Tails and Amy stop their running.

That's not Knuckles they heard, that voice sound deep, gruff and too drill Sargent. (Knuckles is voice by Dan Green.)

The three dark ponies came out of the shadows and glared fiercely, They are royal guard out on patrol but their armor is dark blue with an evil eye pendant, their manes are ash black and smokey gray and their fur is steel blue, the color of their eyes are blood red, they look like the guards that Luna have that they seen before but something about them is wrong, they are sterner, hostile and have a look that can kill.

The first colt guard is a little larger than the other two behind him, possibly the leader, he's about the same size of Big mac, the other two are just the same size as any other colts, the leader spoke again.

???: "Do you dare to call me? General Night-terror a Knucklehead?!"

Sonic: "Woah! Sorry man! I don't mean you!"

Tails: "We thought you were our friends, you see we are..."

General Night-terror: "ENOUGH!!! That's a violation to taunt the law! Once more your not around here, are you the kind of ponies who do non-essential traveling without a license? Your punishment will be ten years in hard labor for our majesty of night! Any last request?"

Sonic: "Only two, one, will you let us turn around so our backs is facing you?"

Guard pony 1: "That's it, that's their request?"

While they were talking, Sonic turns his head and winks at Tails and Amy telling them that he have a plan to escape.

Guard pony 2: "That's not very good, is it?"

Guard pony 1: "No."

General Night-terror: "Private Insomnia! Private Narcolepsy! Cease and desist! A request is a request, no matter how odd it is, you lot may start."

Sonic, Tails and Amy turn so that their tails is facing them.

General Night-terror: "Alright! that's number one, what's number two?"

Sonic: "Number two is, EAT DIRT SLOW-MO!"

He, Tails and Amy began to kick up the dirt, mud, rocks and grass with their front legs like a dog digging for it's bone, bits of earth fly through the air, hitting the guards faces, it caught them off guard, some of the dust flew in their eyes temporary blinding them, while they are rubbing the mud off, Sonic and his group runs off to their left, hoping to get away from them.

      As the guards manage to wipe the dust off, they saw the freedom group running off, in anger they started to pursuit them, Sonic and his friends ran as fast as they can on their new four legs, Sonic could out run the guards in his original body but with his new pony body he's not getting use to on all four, so he have no choice but to run like a normal pony until he get to know how to use it right, he turn his head to Amy, who have a bit of a struggle in her running due to the hammer she carry in her mouth.

Sonic: "Amy, can't you use your hammer to knock them out?"

Amy: "I cah'th Shonik! I cah'th!"

Tails: "I think she was trying to say that she can't!"

Sonic: "Well can't you use your new wings, Tails?"

Tails: "Wish I could but I don't know how, plus I'm carrying something important in the folds of my wing!"

Sonic: "Great, what else can go wrong?"

They kept running until they came to a cliff clearing, they skidded to a halt to stop them from going over the edge, they look over the edge, down below there are more trees and mist arose, the sun is setting in the distant, giving a lovely shade of reddish orange but there is no way of flying down and the cliff is too steep to climb down.

Sonic: "annnd I jinxed it..."

General Night-terror: "Finally we have caught you, this time you won't worm your way out of this one!"

They turn to see that General Night-terror and his guards manage to catch up with them and blocked their route to escape.

General Night-terror: "There is no where to run now you delinquent foals! After that trick you pulled, that's another ten years working in hard labor for our majesty of night! Come with us or we'll be force to knock your block off!"

No one in Sonic group stepped forward, without any use of their powers, they are sitting ducks.

 General Night-terror: "No one stepped forward? Okay! Then I'll make you come forward! Private Insomnia! Private Narcolepsy, stand your ground and guard at sides! Don't let them out of your site, got it?"

The two guards did as they told, once they did that General Night-terror began to approach the trapped group with an evil grin, Sonic, Tails and Amy stood their ground, getting ready for a fight.

But before a fight broke out a beam of electricity shot out from the woods, zoom past the two guards who jumped in shock, and headed towards the boss, General Night-terror turn his head to where the noise is and then screamed in pain as the electrical beam shocked throughout his body, he collapse to the ground, still conscious but twitching in pain.

Seeing their boss fall, the two privates turn to where the beam came from, in the shadow of the trees there are three dark figures, one is holding something with smoke coming out of it.

???: "You better leave them alone, or else she will do it again."

Sonic, Tails and Amy recognize that female voice and hoping it was them.

General Night-terror scramble to his feet and glared at the new ponies in the shadows.

General Night-terror: "Who dare to strike me with a weapon!? Come out and show yourself!"

The three new ponies stepped out of the shadows and into the light, the faces on Sonic's group changes from hopeful to delight, the new comers are two Unicorns, one brown and one red and a hot pink Pegasus, they are Sally, Knuckles and Julie-su, all in their new pony form.

Sally: "We want you to leave us in peace, or my friend here will shoot again."

General Night-terror: "HA! You call that a weapon?! Look like a toy gun to me! It's either one of you unicorns who uses horns with that magic, why not you let me snap it off for you!"

The raging general charges at them ready to struck them with one blow, his guards and Sonic's group watches on, but before he's could punch them, Julie-su, who have a gun in her mouth and holding by the handle, took aim and fired her gun, the taser gun shot it's beam and zapped the raging general, the general screamed again even louder than before, when the electricity died down the general fell to the ground, charred, out cold but still alive.

Private Insomnia and Private Narcolepsy stood in dumbstruck.

Sally: "We warned you, you're lucky that she set her gun low, now will you leave us be? Or else!"

The two guard didn't want to be asked twice, they hefted their out cold general on to their backs and dashed off, kicking up the dust in their fast speed.
 

As soon as they are gone, Sonic, Tails and Amy rushes up to their friends, happy and relived to see them, they took a good look at each other, admiring their pony form and vice-verse.

Sally is a Unicorn with brown fur, her face, underbelly and tips of her hooves are cream, her mane and tail is the same color as her hair before, auburn red, a horn is sticking out of her hair like most unicorns, her cutie mark is a large acorn with a blue diamond in the middle, a small crown just above it and four smaller blue stars twinkled around it, her element pendant is a purple gem in a shape of an acorn.

Knuckles is also a Unicorn but larger, he about the same size as Big Mac and a lot stronger too, his fur is red while his mane and tail is darker red, his hair is styled of dreadlocks but one piece of lock on his tail stick upward and crooked in the same style of his original tail, on his chest is a white crescent moon, his hooves are thick and strong looking, there are two small indents, two on each front hooves to show where his knuckle spikes are, his cutie mark is a Master Emerald, a crescent moon above it and four smaller triangle spikes below it and his element pendant is a orange gem in a shape of a master emerald.

Julie-su is a hot magenta Pegasus, her mane and tail is darker pink with tips of purple, her left front leg is metal from the tip of her hoof to the elbow to show her ex-dark legion , her metal dreadlock is there as well, she got wings like a pegasus but only one is real, her right wing is magenta with purple on the tips but her left wing is made from the lightest material of metal and tough gray leather-like fabric, her cutie mark is a crescent moon, two guns and a small heart, one half red and one half gray and her element pendant is a red gem in a shape of heart with a line in the middle.         

Tails: "I'm glad you found us, I thought we might end up in the stable slammer!

Knuckles: "We have to, we were looking for you and when we saw you with the guards at your heel, we have to stepped in."

Amy puts her mallet down and spoke.

Amy: "Julie, how do you able to fire your gun? You don't have any hands?"

Julie-su puts her gun down and smiles.

Julie-su: "Well, I have a strong grip in my teeth and a strong tongue, I guess that after a long argument with Vector, I think it may strengthen my jaw."

Sonic: "Well, thanks for saving our tails."

Sally: "Now we are all here, But not the mane 6..."

Amy: "Did you find them when you find each other?"

Sally: "No and NICOLE is not with me, you?"

Amy: "Not a hoof mark."

Knuckles: "Now this beg the question. We are here for a mission, then turned into ponies, along with the elements of harmony, without the mane 6, in the middle of nowhere, Why are we here?"

Tails: "Maybe it got something to do with this orb that Celestia gave me."

Tails opens his wing and the orb fell out of it and onto the soft grass, the ponies circles around the rainbow orb.

Sonic: "This is the orb?"

Tails: "Yes and she said to me, "Tapped it three times and wait", since the mane 6 is not here, we just have to see it."

Knuckles: "Well, go for it, maybe it will give us a clue."

Tails tapped the top of the orb three times with his hoof and waited, five seconds gone by and the orb started to glow, the ponies stood back a bit and watched in amazement as the small orb grew bigger and then in a flash an image of a white alicorn with a pastel colored mane appeared in the bubble.

"Princess Celestia!"

Hologram Celestia: "Greeting, fellow holders, this is a holographic message and wish-maker, you all have been chosen to be the next element holders, if you are all here together along with the elements and in a different timeline then the first part of the mission is complete, but the mission isn't done, the deep magic of the elements have sent you to somewhere in the timeline to start your mission, it told us that this world you're is an alternative timeline and it want you to set it right, I'm afraid I do not know much about this alternative timeline but I know you can find out yourself, you must use your, skills, knowledge and friendship to succeed your mission, before you start you must not let the ponies in the alternative timeline know your real names or where you come from, so made one up your own, and if you come across ponies you meet before and know them well, don't tell them their names and pretend you haven't known them in years."

The group look at each other and listen to what the hologram say. 

Hologram Celestia: "This orb we made is for you to have a wish each but there's a limit to it, 1."you will not wish yourself home otherwise you'll fail the mission", 2."don't use this wish to change everything in the timeline your way because that's cheating" and 3."don't wish for unlimited amount of powers, it's not fair on others and this orb don't have that power to make you into a superhero, you have to use your own skills to archive", but what ever you wish will be granted but you all have each one wish so wish wisely, this massage will grant your wish."

Then the hologram vanish and the orb shrank to small size and glowing white, waiting for a wish to grant, the ponies huddle around.

Sally: "Ok, you all heard what Celestia said and we need to wish something we need, any suggestion?"

Knuckles: "I got one, a map, we're in the middle of nowhere and we need a magic map with a magic compass to help us get to somewhere and avoid danger."

Tails: "Since we're ponies now, we need a book to how the three species of ponies work, like how pegasi able to use their wings or how unicorns use their levitation magic when needed, what about you Sonic?"

Sonic: "Normally I wish for a chili dog."

Sally: "Sonic!"

Sonic: "Relax! I'm joking! but here's something better, a survival guide book, information on what wild food is edible, hint and tips on medical and the animal species to greet or avoid."

Sally: "Well that sound good but don't joke like that again! Anyway mine is six saddle bags for us to carry, comfortable for us to wear and filled with necessary items, like a first aid kit, water canisters, warm blankets, strong ropes and lanterns with matches."  

Amy: "We need a photograph of our friends to help us to remind us to keep going and never give up."

Sally: "Ok then, Julie, what are you thinking that can help us?"

Julie-su: "I think that Amy and I need some weapon holder straps."

Amy: "why's that?"

Julie-su: "Well, we can't hold our weapons in our mouths the whole time and we do need to speak when we needed."

Amy: "you do have a point."

They all turn to the glowing orb and said out their wishes, the orb glows even bigger and when the glow died down, all left in it's place are the things they needed for the journey.

They all put on their saddle bags as well as putting the books in the bags, Amy and Julie-su put on their straps, Amy have her around her chest and Julie-su have hers on the right of her front leg.
Once that's done they checked the map and see where to go.