Author's notes

So…We meet again critics and fans.

This is the second installment of Paradise City, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the ones before…To tell you the truth, I'm anxious to begin work on another fan fiction (If you decided on my profile which idea I should do, that is). I'm not going to rush this, though.

Some of you may get the feel that this story is dragging itself alone. If you feel this way, sorry. I want to advance the story, but the relationships in here needs to be developed as well. Once Shadow attacks the princesses, major crap is about to go down! And I'll have very little room for development…Call this the calm before the storm.

Shout outs

Erik morris 73550: I sorta took the game play mechanics and used that as Sonic's turning and speed. I haven't read the comics and I have no idea what his speed is like (technically no one does). Besides, I had to give him a weakness in his speed. And to everyone else reading this; no more arguments please…What's done is done.

DuskHeart13: Tails has not technically confessed his love, he's unsure what to think…Do I have to comfort another reader? (Opens the closet to find Ark rocking back and forth against the wall) There, there, everything's cool. It's just a bonus; it's just a bonus (cries into my shoulder) calm down.

DJman: I deny it! They will NOT remove sweet little Derpy Hooves from the show, THEY WILL NOT! They've shown her in the season finale and they'll show her again…She may be dead to them, but she's not dead to us! She will live on in comics, she will live on in memes, she will live on in fan fictions…SHE WILL FOREVER LIVE IN OUR HEARTS!

Also, I would like to make a recommendation. Have any of you ever heard of ask Princess Molestia? Weird but the funniest crap I've ever seen! Goggle it when you get the chance!

Enjoy the chapter.

---

"…I spy with my little eye," Knuckles playfully mumbled under his breath while walking alone with Applejack. It was high noon, and the streets were flooding with colorful ponies. He took a good look around before finishing his sentence, "A green diamond."

"No gadang way." Applejack spat, "Ahm beyond that."

"Well, O.K." Knuckles sighed, "You just declined a challenge…Therefore counting as loss."

"…Next to da lamppost on tha north, next to tha cafe." She growled.

Knuckles smirked. It's fun taking advantage of somepony's pride, "Good girl. I spy with my little eye something small…Young…Irresistibly adorable for some-"

"Tha little filly talking to a stallion on tha south-eastern side." She growled again, "Now it's ma turn."

She took a good look around, observing the vast scenery of the city before coming to a decision, "Ah Spy with Mah little eye something small and a bluish brown."

Applejack eased a little closer to him while he swiftly checked his surroundings, "You got to be more specific than that."

"Don't worry," She smirked, "it's very close by."

He kept looking until he felt a sharp pain on his heel. He yelped and hopped around on one foot for a second until he glanced at his foot. He saw a bruise on the back of his foot, a nasty brown and blue spot.

"Found it." He chuckled.

They began to laugh together for a couple of minutes. Applejack never had a friend like him; light-hearted, conservative, a bit of a nuisance but always fun to be with. A small smile crest across her lips while walking beside him.

"I'm glad ah met ya, partner," She proudly stated to him, "You'd as interesting as they come."

"One of a kind." He playfully sighed.

Suddenly, they over heard something to their side. Five stallions stood in a circle, talking and mumbling something under their breaths. They carefully listened in, and they heard something about a large emerald. Knuckles crossed his arms, his serious and I don't take no crap ego taking back over.

"Sounds like we have a lead," He grunted, "We need to get over there and find out what they know."

"You go ahead, Knuckles." She said to him, "Ah, uh…Need to take care of something."

The red echidna looked to his side and saw her slightly blushing, "I could use you."

"Ah think a guy like you needs ta question them," She stated, trying not to make eye contact. Her blush was getting harder and harder to hide, "Ahm going to go over to the nearest shop and uh…Get some supplies."

Knuckles felt the slight-unusual tension in her, but brushed it aside, "Go ahead. I'll meet you back over here."

Applejack trotted off, her face growing more and more red as she pulled out her little bag of bits. She found a small flea market down the pavement.

"…Maybe ah can buy him something there." She lowly said to herself, a little flame igniting in her chest.

---

"Why, I never met such gentle colts." Rarity kindly complimented as the elder gently lift her hoof to kiss the tip, making her slightly blush.

The chariot slowly but surely crawled its way to the outer rims of the city. Not even the waving hills could hide the three-story mansion looming over the horizon. The whole building was painted white, a five-story brick wall covered the front and back yards; which in itself seemed like a small maze.

"A lady like you deserve the highest qualities of life," The elder deeply grunted, but in a soothing tone, "My breath was taken away as soon as I laid my eyes on you."

Wingster suppressed a chuckle as he glazed outside the window. It's one thing for himself to be swept off by a mare, but his boss…It's unheard of.

"Oho, please stop," Rarity cooed, turning her head away, "You're making me blush, really!"

The steel gates slowly squeaked open to let the chariot roll by; several stallions in tuxedos and glasses stood by the side, watching in every direction to make sure their father was safe. Rarity took one look out the window and the sight took her breath away. Two golden statues of a roaring loin stood by the mansion's door. The door itself stood several feet tall, decorated with a silver engraving of a mare and stallion dancing in a ballet. She saw a large pool on her right, completed with a water slide and everything else that would make a filly faint in pure joy. Several unicorns in tuxedos patrolled the ground, always weary, always on the lookout for any kind of intruders.

"My word!" Rarity gasped out loud, "I hate to intrude in your personal business, but how could you afford such luxuries?"

The God Father shuffled, hiding the Chaos Emerald behind his back, "Uh…Years of investment, my dear Rarity."

The Chariot suddenly stopped, the stallions that pulled it unlatched themselves and trotted to the side. They opened the door to let the boss and his company out. The God Father stood from his seat and trotted out the door, offering a hoof to help the lady down.

"Miss Rarity; it will be my pleasure to let you experience the high life."

Rarity took the hoof and stepped down with the youngster following behind her. He lowered his head to hide his smirk when he saw the mare almost jumping out of her suit when several white coated waiters greeted her…This was going to be an interesting event. Yet again, he never heard of any mare ever accepting the company of the God Father. Maybe they were good mares in Fillydelphia after all.

---

Right in the middle of the city, Sonic and Rainbow decided to grab something to eat before lunch hour. The streets and sidewalks around them weren't as crowded since it was still too early in the morning, but that's bound to change within an hour or so. While looking, they saw a small building; a strange but elaborate title hanging above the entrance. Sonic could smell a very sensational scent coming from that building. The smell of food.

"Looks foreign," Rainbow commented, trying to make out what the title meant, "What do you think?"

Sonic didn't hear a word she said; his nostrils took control over every impulse in his brain.

"Uh, Sonic?"

Like a mouse to swift cheese, he began to levitate towards the restaurant with his nose leading the way.

"…Males." Rainbow mumbled while following him.

When she disappeared behind that door, three little fillies popped out of their hiding places; dodge rolling and diving to the front door like covert spies on a mission. They had their backs against each other when they stood up.

"Chicken Spice," Sweetie bell whispered.

"We don't use code names when we're not on the radio." Scootaloo hissed.

"(sigh), whatever." She turned to Applebloom with a small smirk, "Applebloom, did you get the 'you know what'."

"…The what?" Applebloom innocently asked.

"Did you get the long spaghetti string!?" Sweetie Bell grunted out loud.

"Uh, oh yea!" Applebloom gleamed while pulling out a very long string out of nowhere, "You mean this thing?"

Sweetie Bell took it and stored it in an unknown location on her little fluffed body, "This is perfect!"

"Soon," Scootaloo chuckled, rubbing her little hooves together with a sinister grin, "We will perform our master plan for make Sonic and Rainbow Dash fall in love, then our destinies will be fulfilled…And then," She began to laugh out loud, "We will get out cutie marks! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

---

When Rainbow followed Sonic through the doorway, the very first thing she noticed was how mass and opened the establishment was. Even though from outside it looked no bigger than a small apartment, the inside had a lot of room, a dozen tables spread out and almost every table filled with at least two ponies eating together. Sonic floated right to the receptionist counter, where two chubby stallions greeted him with open arms. One of them greeted the allured hedgehog.

"Wellcoom to Fester's Cibo Casa, Where we onnly serve the beest food for Equestiaa!"

Rainbow trotted right behind Sonic and chunked a few bits on the table, "Can we get a table for two please?"

Completely out of nowhere, another chubby stallion popped right beside her; almost making her jump.

"Ciao." The stallion kindly greeted her, talking rapidly in a foreign language while taking her hoof. If Rainbow didn't jerk her hoof away from him he would have slobbered all over on it. He pointed to a reserved table. It was simple table, located to a private spot in the building with only two chairs. The only elaborate thing about it was a simple lit candle.

"If youu twoo simplly take that tablle oover there," One of the receptionist said in his foreign accent, "We can proviide you withthe beest service on this romantic uh…Morning."

"This is formal, thank you very much." Rainbow Dash hissed.

Sonic finally snapped out of his food trance; beginning to take in his newly established surroundings.

"Common, fuzz ball," Rainbow Dash cheerfully called out from the table, "We're going to eat or what?"

---

"You call this a lettuce dish?!" The lead chef shouted at one of his cookers, "I wouldn't even wipe my own bottom with this thing!"

The chef hurled the bow of lettuce to the floor, stomping the bowl to a million pieces with his hooves, "Get another bowl and do it right this time!"

The cook went right at it, not skipping a beat as he rushed to the supply room. The kitchen was busy as usual, professional cooks galloping to one end of the kitchen to the other to prepare their meals. The chef was in an extremely fowl mode; business has been going down and he heard nothing but complaints from his customers. During one point of this cooking frenzy, he stood on a table and yelled to the top of his lungs.

"Out of my twenty years of experience, this is the saddest group I've ever met! You ponies can't cook worth of crap, it's like I'm talking to a bunch of toddlers!"

"Sir, we're doing everything we ca-"

"Oh, shut up!" The chef shouted, stepping down from the table, "You lots better straighten up or I'll fire every single one of you sorry slobs in here!"

No one dared to raise a voice; they went right back to work; galloping and cooking faster than they ever had. They hate it when business is slow, it's not like it's their fault that his business is failing.

While the chef was inspecting his employees' cooking, something stirred in very corner of the room; right next to the back door, a little cardboard box slightly shifted. After a minute, it shifted again; making a faint bumping noise.

"Hey, watch your horn!" A filly's voice whispered.

"Sorry." Another whispered back.

Two adorable orange eyes popped out of side of the box, scanning from left to right for any signs of life.

"Is it clear, Granny Smith?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"Ah think so, Powder Puff," Applebloom whispered back, "If we move completely straight, we can make it to the receptionist desk…Chicken Spice, can you-"

"We don't use code name when we're not on the freakin' radio!" Scootaloo harshly whispered, "How many time do ah have to say that?"

"...Does it matter?" Sweetie Bell innocently asked.

"Yes, it matters!" Scootaloo whispered, inching her way ahead of them and butted her head forward, "Common, help me out here!"

The other two fillies followed suit, pushing their heads against the box to move it forward. It was really slow progress, every head-butt they made only inched the box forward. It was the only idea they could conjure up to get inside the restaurant unnoticed…It was how that stallion from the comic did it. After grueling minute, the little box suddenly halted.

"Are we still clear?" Scootaloo asked.

Little Apple Bloom poked her little eyes through the hole again. Just a split second later, a set of hooves walked right pass her point of view; just inches from her. She quickly retreated back inside.

"We're getting close, chi-"

Scootaloo gave her a look so menacing and angry that it make the fur on her back stand up.

"I mean, Scootaloo. We should be over there in just a dozen more nudges."

"My head hurts!" Sweetie Bell whined while rubbing her temple.

Just then, they heard yelling; a very loud rant going on from the outside. Curious as they were, the three little fillies poked their eyes out of the little hole. How they managed to do that was beyond anypony's reasoning.

They saw the chef standing right in front of a short stallion, almost towering over him. The stallion was wearing what looked like a red cap with a capital M plastered on front; he also had a very dashing mustache on his lips. The chef took one good look inside the pan he was cooking with and suddenly flipped it over. He grabbed the food from the floor and shoved it at his face.

"You call these mushrooms!?" The chef shouted, "They're not even cooked!"

The short stallion stuttered, trying to gather himself.

"Why in the heck am I seeing pokadots on them!?" The chef continued, "What kind of stunt were you trying to pull!? I wouldn't even sell these things on the streets!" He took one little nibble on one, and then spat it out just as quickly, "This is simply terrible! I would have had a lawsuit because of how disgusting this piece of crap is!"

The stallion's pupils grew wide, tears beginning to form.

"Your cooking is terrible! You hear me!? Terrible! I give you one stinken chance and this is what I get? Crap!? You are a complete disgrace! An abomination! A sloth! Stupid! Retarded! Dumb! The worst example of a stallion I have ever seen!"

The stallion began to cry out loud, tears flowing down his puffy cheeks as he galloped to the back door. The fillies looked on as the stallion jumped down a sewage pipe, disappearing out of sight with a strange series of beeps coming from his direction.

"…What was that?" Sweetie bell whispered, her eyes glued to the opened back door.

Scootaloo ignored her question and looked ahead, "Let's get going while we still have a clearing."

With the reception counted just ahead, they inched their way towards glory. Each squeak they made was the sweet sound of progress. It took them several minutes, but they finally reached the counter; where the food will be passed out to hungry customers. They carefully lift the front part of the cardboard box, revealing the entire restaurant to them. Sonic and Rainbow was in plain sight. They may not can hear them because of the amount of noise and distance between them, but as long as they could see them; it was all they needed.

"This is it," Applebloom whispered, "This is tha moment we've been planning all day fer."

They watched on with great anticipation. They weren't physiologists, but even from where they were hiding, they could clearly see sweat dripping from the hedgehog's head. It looked like he tried to put on a poker face, smirking and smiling in an attempt to keep his poster.

Suddenly, a waiter trotted to them with a small notebook and a pen levitating by him. It looked like Sonic tried to crack in a joke, but it didn't seem to go too well when they saw the stallion roll his eyes. It did give Rainbow a couple of chuckles, though. Maybe that counts as something. When the waiter trotted back to the reception counter, the fillies dropped the box back down to cover themselves.

"Spaghetti Swirl Special!" He shouted out.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders hunkered down and waited inside their box until they heard another set of hoof steps. They carefully peeked out and saw a glass plate filled to the brim with spaghetti and leaves, red sauce poured right on top of it.

"Ready?" Scootaloo asked.

When their surroundings was clear, Sweetie Bell summoned her long spaghetti string. In a swift motion, he lift the box up and zipped out; jumping to stand on top of it. With the spaghetti plate just above her, she reached; grabbing a handful of a messy mush and lift it up. With the long spaghetti string in hoof, she stuffed it at the very bottom. With the task completed, she quickly jumped back down and retreated back inside the box. It was quick, even by the Crusader's standard it was most impressive.

"Wow! That was pretty fast." Scootaloo complimented.

Sweetie Bell was panting, sitting down to catch her breath, "Yea…Don't mention it."

A cheeky smile formed crossed their faces as the waiter picked up the plate, trotting to Sonic and Rainbow with a friendly smile. Applebloom began chuckling, rubbing her two hooves together like a mad genius.

"It's show time!" She whispered.

---

Poor Sonic, He knew better than to charge into this without a plan. He needed to make a good impression on her though, but what? The joke a couple of seconds ago did some good yes, yes it was good, even though he never understood it…How does he follow up? He looked up and saw Rainbow Dash studying him with concern. This is not helping, he needed to get his game on!

With a smile of a politician, he confidently slumped in his seat and gazed at her. This threw the colorful pony off guard.

"Rainbow," He sighed, trying to sound dreamy, "You have the most beautiful eyes."

To him, he sounded like a smooth bachelor picking out the last two continence on a T.V. show. To Rainbow, he sounded like McIntosh trying to take a dump.

"Uh…Thanks?" It was the only thing she could say.

O.K. This is good, just need to keep it up. Sonic propped his head against his palm, striking a pose, "Why, every time I stare into your magenta eyes; my very soul drifts into its essence. Uh…"

No…Charm block! Think! Must think!

"Your tail is as colorful as the rainbow."

Rainbow quickly glanced behind to see her tail pooling on the floor, this is beginning to creep her out, "No crap."

Sonic though on his heels, trying his best to keep his smile on, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look when flying through the sky? It's like I'm watching fireworks on a cold chilly night."

This was beginning to get weird, "Sonic…You're creeping me out."

"Have I ever told you about uh…How beautiful your mane is!" Sonic spat, "It's like a beautiful spider web."

"Huh?"

Losing it, "I-I-I- not a spider web, but like uh…waterfall. A colorful waterfall!"

At that moment, Rainbow finally realized what he was trying to do, "…You're acting weird, Sonic."

"Weird? I'm not acting weird," He felt his smile slowly creeping away from him, "I'm just complimenting on your looks, Rainbow."

She smirked a bit, "So…You think I look beautiful?"

…He might as well quit while he's ahead, "Yea…That's what exactly I'm trying to say."

"You could have just said that in the first place," Rainbow chuckled, looking down at the plate, "It would have meant just as much."

Finally, he took a deep sigh. He might as well pour his heart out; like what he should have done, "That's not it, this is going to creep you out but I'm going to say it anyways…I like you, Rainbow Dash."

Her head and ears shot up, "Huh?"

He cleared his throat. This was not going to easy to explain, "I-I don't know how else to put it. You're a pony I admire, a friend that I would want with me for the rest of my life. Uh…I met a lot of girls back in my world, and you have something that they will never have."

Her whole attention was solely on him, Sonic can feel her eyes staring inside of him, "What would that something be?"

"…I just don't know," He simply answered, "I don't know why I have these kinds of feelings towards you, Dashie."

Rainbow started at him for several second, her expression blank, "...If you wanted to date, you could have said something in the first place."

Sonic felt his heart hit his stomach, "…Really?"

"Yea," Rainbow answered, her tone serious but kind, "I don't understand all that mooshy wooshie stuff. I'm not the type of mare that looks for someone with that can explain their emotions …I don't know why stallions and mares can just simply walk up to their crush and simply ask."

"That would make life a whole lot easier." Sonic nervously chuckled.

"But if you're asking me on a date. I would actually be pretty psyched about it. You're a good friend with a pure heart, that's all I'm asking for in a male. Besides," She leaned forward with a sly smirk, "You're the only decent competition I have when it comes to speed."

"So…" Sonic scratched the back of his head, "It's a date?"

Rainbow leaned back, "It's a date, fuzz ball."

They chuckled for a couple of minutes. Sonic looked down at the big plate in front of him.

"We should go ahead and eat before this gets cold."

"Heh, yea." Rainbow chuckled, "It'll defeat the whole purpose of being here."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched in complete anticipation as Sonic thumped the little piece of lettuce on his side of the plate to Rainbow's side.

"Th-this is just like in the movie!" Sweetie Bell squealed quietly, "When they begin to eat-"

Just as she was about to finish her sentence, Rainbow and Sonic began dinning on their dinner, slurping the spaghetti strings. The little cardboard box began hopping up and down in place. Several minutes passed; Sonic and Rainbow were beginning to get to the bottom of their plate. The fillies held their breathes…A minute passed, and the two were still eating, making small talk during their meal.

Another minute passed.

Another minute passed.

Another minute passed.

Sonic dipped his fork in and finished off the last string.

"I'm stuffed," Rainbow horsed, "I won't be able to fly if I eat another bite."

"Yea, me either," Sonic agreed while holding his stomach, "Let's get back to the streets and walk this off," He then remembered something, "What time is it?"

Rainbow took one glance at the clock, "Two O'clock. Why?"

Sonic smirked, "I believe a very lucky fox will be having dinner tonight. Should we go prepare him?"

Rainbow giggled while Sonic clicked the little button on his headset, walking out the door.

The three fillies stood in their places…Mouths gapped.

"W…Wut happened?" Applebloom whimpered, "Did you put the string in the right plate?"

"It's what they ordered," Sweetie Bell answered, just as shocked, "They should have accidentally kissed."

The two fillies continued to look on in pieces; all that planning and hard work have been for nothing. Suddenly, they saw a little stem forming at the top of the box. When they looked for the source, they saw Scootaloo's face turning red as hell's fire with smoke pouring out of her ears.

"WHAT THE BUCK!" She screamed, "WHY DIDN'T THAT WORK! HOW COULD THAT POSSIBLY GO WRONG!? EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT! WE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY PLANNING ON THIS MOMENT!" She then stomped the ground with her hoof, "SWEET CELESTIA MOTHER-"

The chef just happened to walked by and heard the foulest language screeching from a cardboard box just by the reception counter with pitch black smoke poured from the sides. He rushed over and hurled the box over his head, revealing two fillies crouched over while covering their ears with another filly screaming unholy words from her mouth. Sweetie Bell and Applebloom looked up and saw a very disturbed chef looming over them. It took Scootaloo a good five minutes to notice what was going on.

"What are you three doing inside my restaurant?" He growled.

"Uh…" Applebloom began to inch her way to the doorway. The other followed suit, "Takin' out tha trash."

The chef gave a death glare to the orange filly, "That's what I'm about to do."

The three fillies ran underneath him, dodging his grab and tripping him over in the process. With a zip and a shout, they bolted out that door; disappearing into the crowd before the chef had a chance to catch up. After a couple of minutes, loud muffle noises echoed in the main lobby. When the chef peeped out the window to see the commotion, he saw two stallions locking lips. They struggled for a couple of seconds until one finally managed to pull away, a long slimy spaghetti string dangling out of his mouth. He quickly spit it out and looked up, seeing his friend standing up and stomping his hooves on the floor.

"I swear! That was an accident!"

The other stallion lunged and punched square in the face.

---

Tails was walking alone the city street; looking left and right for any kind of pony that might look like to have information on the missing emerald. Twilight would be walking with him, but he received a call from Sonic just moments ago; saying something about needing assistance and only his assistance. He had a nagging feeling about that call, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. The sun light was beginning to burn out, and the lamps littering the streets above began to kick on with a flick of a unicorn's horn. The fox thought back from last night; he never confessed his emotions like that to anybody, not even Sonic. It may have felt uncomfortable telling Twilight about his feelings, but he felt a lot of weight lift off his shoulders. He's beginning to feel slightly more comfortable about her, even if he knows that she has a crush on him. It's very unsettling, but yet he can't find what's so wrong about it though.

Suddenly, he saw where Sonic said to meet him at. A small clothing shop, just big enough to handle a couple of ponies. He saw Sonic and Rainbow standing by.

"Tails," Sonic called out, "I'm glad you made it."

"What's the situation?" He asked.

Rainbow turned her muzzle away to hide her grin, "Have you ever wore a tux before?"

…What a peculiar question, "Uh, I think I have once. Why?"

Sonic crossed his arms, slowly walking to his side with a smile, "Well…Me and Rainbow just happened to be in the neighborhood and passed by this very nice shop. Care to look inside?"

This was surly a strange predicament, but he shook his head and peaked through the window anyways. A pony mannequin stood in his view, dressed in a black and white tuxedo. He looked beyond that and saw several more mannequins dressed in different colored dresses and ties.

"Uh…It's a very nice shop." Tails commented; a bit confused, "Why am I here?"

Sonic creped behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, "What would Twilight think if she saw you in one of those dresses?"

"…Where are you going with this?"

"Me and Sonic decided to reserve a table for two at a restaurant at a fancy hotel," Rainbow explained, trying to contain her giggles, "I called Twilight just moments ago and told her to meet you there."

Tails blushed, jumping away from the shop, "W-w-what did you do?"

Rainbow's malevolent smile crested across her lips, chuckling deeply as she approached the fox, "You got a date tonight; lover boy!"

Before Tails had a chance to run, Rainbow grabbed him by one of his tails; dragging him in to the shop.

"W-w-w-wait! Wait!" Tails pleaded, "I-I-I-I-I'm not ready for this! Sonic!"

Sonic walked alongside him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "This is for your own good, buddy."

Tails' pleas and begs fell on deaf ears as Rainbow continued to drag him, eventually disappearing behind the door.

---

Twilight was waiting very anxiously inside Fillydelphia's only five-star hotel. Well-dressed waiters and waitresses passed her while carrying or levitating fine china plates to their customers. Her hooves were placed on her mouths to prevent her from squealing, but her chair was sure vibrating from her anticipation. Of course she made sure to dress for this perfect night. She decided to go with a light blue silky dress with sleeves dangling down loosely to her hooves. A small white star was clipped on her chest to keep her dress together. Normally she wouldn't wear anything seductive enough to make the stallions around her drool with lust...But this is Tails, she'll wear nothing but the very best. She checked the clock; right on time for his arrival.

Twilight stood from her seat; smacking her lips as she made her way to the entrance. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a paralyzed yellow fox; standing like a statue while wearing a charming black tux and jeans with his white fur acting like an undershirt. With eyes narrowed and body shaking from complete shock, he very slowly lift his little red rose to her; sweat dripping from his forehead.

"…Hi." He squeaked.

Twilight just stared at him, her eyes sparkling as her smile slowly became more and more enticing. Tails can just feel his stomach dropping to his feet as he gulped to speak again.

"…Do you want to take…T-this…D-d-date?"

Twilight's smile became more and more enticed, her cheeks puffing at the bottom of her eyes.

"…Twilight?"

With a long sigh, she trotted to his side; taking the red rose and tying it to her front mane. Tails was blushing like the morning sun during his entire time standing at the door, even deeper when she bumped her side into his.

"I've been waiting for you, Tails." She cooed, rubbing her cheek against him, "Shall we go inside?"

Tails could only nod as she led the shaking fox inside the hotel. Sonic and Rainbow have been standing in the distance watching them during the entire time, laughing and giggling until it hurt. Sonic beeped his headset.

"Knuckles! Knuckles!" He almost shouted, "You gotta get down here to the Fillydelphia Hotel! Tails is abo-."

"Sonic, I was just about to call you." Knuckles interrupted, "We have a lead on the Chaos Emerald."

Sonic's tone almost instantly, "You serious?"

"Applejack and I asked a mare about the missing emerald," He continued, "and she said something about a mafia finding it just a week ago. I don't know what she said was true, but it's the only lead we have."

"…O.K." Sonic sighed, "What do we do from there?"

"I say we pay a visit to an underground club and try to find more information." Knuckles simply answered.

"Is that a little dangerous?" Sonic asked a little concern.

Knuckles groaned, "Did you hear what you just said?"

Sonic knocked himself in the head, "Guess you're right; we can handle whatever's down there."

"That's not all," Knuckles added, "Rarity's missing. She took off with Amy's pouch of bits and decided to go on a shopping spree. We tried contacting her, but she's probably out of range."

"That's typical of her." Sonic sighed, "You think she'll be alright? The city can be quite dangerous."

"Amy will keep trying to contact her if she comes any closer," Knuckles answered, "…All I have to say is she better be ready, because Amy is about to ring her neck when she's found."

"If Spike doesn't decide to be her hero." Sonic joked.

Knuckles chuckled, "Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and Amy are already on their way over. We're meeting by the subway station."

"Got it," Sonic affirmed, "But…Can we do this without Tails and Twilight for this one night."

"Why?" Knuckles asked, "We need everybody we can get."

"I know but…This is their special night, and I don't want it to be ruined. We can get by without them just this once; after that we'll recruit them in our search."

Knuckles sighed, "I wish I could be there to see what will happen."

"Me and Rainbow too." Sonic lowly sighed with him, "We'll meet you over there."

Sonic hung up and tagged alone with Rainbow, beginning their walk to the subway station.

---

Tails can feel the pressure on him, the pressure coming from the amount of eyes staring at him and his exited date. Everywhere he looked, he saw at least one couple studying him. The mares were cooing, the fillies and fowls were sticking their tongues out at them in disgust, and the stallions were snickering and laughing of how pathetic it was for him. He was simply planted in his seat, waiting for the waiter to arrive to take their order. Twilight wasn't sitting across from him; oh no, not with her fox! She was sitting right BY him, her seat just inches from his. The situation didn't get any more comfortable when Twilight began to rub up against him like a love sick puppy.

And not to his surprise, she began to purr like a kitten.

After several minutes, the waiter finally decided to show up. Truth be told, he's been ready to take their order, but why ruin the fun? Even some of the cooks were looking on in fits of laughter. Any attempt to keep his professional poster while glancing at the poor fox was futile.

"Can…" He already began smirking, "Can I take your order?"

Before the stuttering Tails could answer, little Twilight spoke up, "Can Twilie and Foxie have the regular?"

The waiter almost fell backwards, but by some kind of miracle he managed to write their order down and walk to the reception counter. As soon as he was out of sight, he burst out laughing.

"Twilie and Foxie wants the regular!" He shouted at the cooks.

Tails heard a roar of laughter behind the double doors. He continued to wait patiently, ignoring the snickers and cooes until he felt Twilight stop rubbing her head against him. She was still clung to him, though.

"Tails." She lowly called him, "Last night was fun, wasn't it?"

He couldn't move; he couldn't find it in his muscles to move. Of course he was embarrassed beyond anything he ever experienced…But something in him didn't want this to stop.

"I-I-I guess it was." He simply answered, forcing a smile.

"What do you think of my dress?" She asked him, just low enough so no one could hear, "Do you like my dress? I'm wearing this just for you."

He forced his eyes to her body. The dress suited her nicely for this occasion, sure; anybody else would agree, but…Just for him?

"Th-thanks." He whimpered, in fact the only thing he could whimper.

Twilight resumed her muzzling, rubbing her cheek against the side of his neck. Tails dared himself to look down at her; it was as if she was in some kind of trance.

"Uh…Can you let go?" He politely asked, "There are ponies watching us."

"This is our special time, isn't it?" Twilight whispered.

Tails wanted nothing more but to have just a regular night with her, just simply have dinner and hope for things to click. He has the power to stop this; the only thing he has to do is gently push her off. For some reason, an uprising conflict in him is debating not to. Is like he wants her to stop, but at the same time just leave her be.

Relationships are so confusing!

"I guess it is." He answered.

Finally, as if some kind of creator above smiled down at him; the waiter approached their table with a plate of lettuce and carrots.

"You two enjoy your meal," He said, trying not to smirk as he trotted away. The food was presented in a very delightful way; Tails could already hear his own stomach growing when he cast his eyes on the plate.

He didn't whether to be relieved or disappointed, but Twilight decided to let go of him so she could eat. As the two began their meal, the crowd around them drew their attention away from them; whether returning to chat with their partner or leave. Tails will have to tip the waiter a little extra for the break.

After several minutes later into the meal, Twilight decided to take a pause.

"…You know I'm renting a room here for tonight," She announced to him with a smile, "I heard the rooms here are very nice."

Tails didn't know whether to be delighted or scared, "That sounds good."

Twilight turned her head to hide her grin, "Of course, I accidently ordered a room with only one bed."

…Yep, he should be scared.

"Th-that's O.K." Tails ensured her, "I can just crash on the couch, it's no big deal."

She put on a shy and embarrassed face; masking her real intentions, "Or, Uh…If you don't mind…We can snuggle again."

His eyes went wide, "…Aren't you find by yourself?"

"Oh, you know…" She slightly turned her head to act like she's reluctant, "…I can get really lonely while I'm sleeping. You enjoyed our last night cuddling, didn't you?"

"O-Of course I di- I mean-" Tails didn't mean to let that slip…But he couldn't take it back now, "Y-yea…Yea, I did." He admitted.

Twilight began to hold on to his side again, her eyes turning big, "Then what's wrong with this night?"

Tails sighed, there's no way he could say no to a pleading Twilight, "Nothing…Just don't tell any of my friends we've been cuddling up, alright?"

She nodded, clinging on a little tighter to him, "Thank you."

Was a little kiss on the cheek appropriate? Would it be too much? She didn't think so.

In one swift motion, she leaned up and planted one on the cheek. When she sat back down, she looked up…Blushing didn't serve him justice, he lit up like a Chinese lantern.

"You're so sweet." She cooed, resuming her hugging.

Tails looked around and wouldn't you know it, his audience returned.

---

Four dressed stallions were making their way to the five star hotel. It wasn't their ideal place when it came to a little business meeting with another click, but they didn't have much of a choice. The Royal Guards were already investigating some of the underground hideouts.

"This sucks." One pegasus mumbled, his fur black as night, "meeting an interested buyer in a popular restaurant slash hotel during peak business hours…That's a sure way to get arrested."

"Hey; there's logic behind that." A unicorn argued, "It's the last place they would look. Why would a guard be looking for criminals in a popular hotel?"

"…If one was off duty." A stallion chucked.

The four made their way to the entrance. They were already having butterflies in their stomachs, just one wrong move can expose them to the public, and their boss will have their necks if they managed to escape.

When they walked in, they were in for a peculiar sight. Everyone's attention was diverted to the corner of the room. They saw a purple unicorn sitting by a yellow fox, clinging and snuggling on him like he's the lover of her dreams.

"Mother of Celestia." The unicorn mumbled.

The mafia members suppressed their chuckles…Poor kid.

"Well…That's one problem solved." One stallion said, "Our buyers should be around here somewhere."

After a couple of seconds looking, they found their company having a rather small super at the other side of the room. It was just two stallions, but much older and buffed than their expected company. Of course like everypony else, they were watching the display of affection.

"Hey, you two." The unicorn spoke up.

The two stallions instantly snapped out of it and turned their attention to the approaching stallions. They instantly recognize them.

"Mr. Felix?" One stallion from the table whispered.

The four stallions nodded, taking a seat adjacent from them. They leaned in close to make sure no one else could hear.

"So you're interested in our products?" One of the four stallions whispered.

The two older stallions looked at each other for a second, "We've been hearing rumors of one of your items."

"What do you have in mind?"

"…We heard that Mr. Felix has obtained a gem just a couple days ago; an emerald to be precise."

The four stallions leaned back in surprise, "I don't know if our boss is willing to sell it yet."

One of the two stallions sneered, "Perhaps we could make negotiations."

"How many bits are you talking about?"

"Four hundred thousand bits."

---

Tails was just trying to finish his meal with a snuggling Twilight. His audience lost interest and resumed their meals; thankfully, but it was still uncomfortable. Suddenly, he overheard a conversation nearby. With his sensitive years, he tuned in.

"That's too low," One said.

"Well, I don't know anybody else that would buy a glowing emerald for that amount of bits," Another argued.

Tails quickly glanced to their direction and saw a unicorn raising an eyebrow at an older stallion on the other side of the table.

"Uh, we can find plenty of rich noble ponies willing to pay more for our precious emerald."

"…O.K. Fine. We'll raise it to half a million."

Tails leaned towards Twilight, making sure that no one else could hear them.

"Twilight…Did you over hear that?" Tails asked.

By some kind of miracle, she snapped out of her…Whatever it was and looked up.

"Huh?"

Tails nudged his head towards the mobsters, "Those stallions are talking about the Chaos Emerald."

Twilight sat up straight, finishing off her meal as she toned in to the conversation.

"So where do you expect to meet us." One of the older stallion asked, keeping his voice low.

"The mansion, just on the outskirt of this city."

"Alright…We just need to be careful, there's a group going around asking for that emerald."

The four stallions looked at each other, "What group?"

"Have you ever heard of Sonic?"

Tails and Twilight cringed. They kept looking at their meals, pretending that their minding their own business.

"Yea, heard everything about him," The pegasus answered, "Took down a whole army of metallic creatures that tried to invade Canterlot just a couple of days ago."

"Well…I heard that he has two more of those emeralds." One of the older ponies informed. An idea popped in his head, "What if we were to get the jump on him?"

"Hey, we're not crazy enough to take him on." The unicorn chuckled, "Have you seen in the newspapers what those creatures looked like after what he done to them? I don't want to be sawed in half over a priceless jewel."

One of the older stallions leaned forward, a malevolent smirk cresting across his muzzle, "What if we were to cut him a deal?"

One of the four stallions raised an eyebrow, "What kind of deal?"

"…A life for those two emeralds."

Tails and Twilight felt sweat dripping from their forehead.

"You know? That could work." The unicorn mumbled, "We need to get somepony close to him; somepony we could easily sedate."

The two older stallions thought for a second…then their eyes widen. They looked back and saw a yellow fox and a purple unicorn finishing their meal.

"Is that one of his friends?" An older stallion asked.

As soon as Tails and Twilight heard that, they made a quick glance at the door; ready to run.

"It sure is," The pegasus whispered, "That's the fox from the newspapers."

"I bet that unicorn is one of his friends too." An older stallion mumbled.

"This is just our luck." The other stallion whispered with sadistic joy, "We can capture him and the unicorn,"

Tails and Twilight slowly stood from the table.

"They're taking off!" The pegasus yelled, charging at them, "Get them!"

The two made a mad dash to the door, knocking over nearby ponies as they ran for their lives.

---

The glass door swung open, almost shattering as Tails and Twilight ran to the open street. One glance behind, and they saw six dressed stallions galloping after them. While running down the crowded street, Twilight turned her head and charged her horn. When a white glow emitted, she fired; a weak concentrated wave shooting out of her horn. It struck one of the stallions directly to the chest, sending him flying backwards and into a nearby newspaper stand.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted at his headset, "Come in, Sonic!"

When he heard nothing but static, he tried all of the other receivers.

"Come in!"

Twilight galloped to his side, panting frantically, "Why is nobody picking up?"

"They must still be underground!" Tails shouted.

He looked behind and saw a pegasus flying right towards him, both hooves extended and ready to tackle him. Tails held his jump until seconds before impact, and then jumped. The suited pegasus crashed right into a building.

"Tails!" Twilight called, "Get near me! I'm teleporting out of here!"

Twilight charged her horn again while Tails grabbed hold of her back. Suddenly, they heard an electric shock behind them.

"AAAHHH!"

Twilight face planted on the concrete and flipped forward, skidding against the concrete. Tails glanced to his side and saw her horn sparkling a strange purple electric arcs.

"You O.K?" He asked, looking behind and saw the mobsters homing in.

Twilight stood right back up, ignoring the aching pain on her legs. When she tried to charge her magic, a very sharp pain omitted from her horn; making her yelp. Tails looked back again and saw the mobsters just yards away from them.

"Grab onto me!" He shouted at her, "I'm going to fly us out of here!"

Twilight wrapped her hooves around his stomach as the fox began to twirl his tails. After a little strain, his two fluffy tails became nothing but a blur as they revolutionize around each other. In a gush of wind, they took off from the ground; propelling as the sound of air cutting itself echoed through the city. The stallions looked up, their jaws slightly gapped.

"…How in the heck is he doing that?" the older stallion asked.

The unicorn stepped up, "He won't be doing it for long!"

He charged his horn again, this time firing a small pulse at the two getaways. Tails felt a violent jerk, but still managed to stay on course as he flew higher into the air.

"I'm firing a signal flair." The unicorn huffed.

"Not out here!" A stallion shouted, "You'll give away our position to the cops!"

"I'm not letting this deal slip away from us!" He growled, charging his horn, "Get ready to gallop!"

---

Tails managed to touch ground at a nearby rooftop, gently dropping Twilight as he landed by her. She tried to stand on her hooves, but quickly collapsed on her sides. Her horn was still giving off a strange purple arch.

"…Deactivation spell." She mumbled, taking in deep breaths, "blocks the horn of all magic while draining its host's energy."

Tails tried to contact the others, panting in exhaustion from carrying Twilight. His only answer was static.

"I don't think I can fly us out of here," Tails panted, hunching over to catch his breath, "I think I pulled something."

Twilight; who laying at the edge of the building, looked down at the street below. They were several stories up, the stallions that were chasing them just right below them. They stared up at them, snaring.

"I can't believe those stallions would kidnap us for ransom," She mumbled.

Tails took in a couple more breathes, "Least we know where that Chaos Emerald is being held."

Twilight rolled away from the edge of the rooftop, her strength depleting by each breath she took.

"Tails," She softly called, "Those mobsters will signal for backup…I want you to fly out of here while you can."

A bright burning flash illuminated over them. Tails knew it was a signal fire set out by the mob.

"…Twilight; you know I can't do that."

"You must," She coughed, "I don't want you to worry about me…Get out of here and get help."

Tails looked over the horizon; he saw a group of pegasus flying towards their direction.

"Tails."

He turned around, walking over to Twilight and knelt before her, "No…I'm staying with you."

The pegasi drew even closer, "Don't…I don't want you going down with me."

He tucked his hand behind her head and slowly lift, seeing her eyes slowly closing, "I'm sticking by you, Twilight…For better or worse."

They heard hooves pounding on the roof top, slowly trotting towards them. With the last of her strength, she lift a hoof to his shoulder…Smiling at him.

"Tails…I…Love…"

Her eyes closed, exhausting her last breath before fainting.

The pegasi slowly drew closer, circling the fox as a pegasus began to creep behind him; drawing back a crowbar to knock him out.

"…I know." He whispered; his world suddenly going dark as the pegasus whipped him on the back of his head.

---

In the Canterlot palace; Princess Luna was trotting back to her chamber for rest. Normally, she would be up to rule Equestia while her sister sleeps, but while Canterlot is undergoing construction and with kingdom going under martial law tomorrow, she has to stay up to be with her ponies when they need her.

"I can't believe the Royal Guards have yet to discover the third emerald." She mumbled to herself, trotting down the long hallway leading to her chamber, "By each passing second, Shadow's chances of finding it will be greater."

The two Royal Guards that guard the night chamber quickly bowed; then moved to the side to let her through. Luna used her magic to pull the door open, then closed it when she stepped inside. Luna's bed chamber was rather a little too spacy for her preference, but luxurious none or less. The ceiling above her seem to go on for miles.

"I may have been able to hold him back the last time I've confronted him, but…" She took in a deep breath, "Those emeralds hold so much power. I can't imagine fighting him again with the third emerald in his possession."

When she trotted deeper into her room, she finally saw the huge, soft pillow awaiting her. It slugged over the floor like a melted mattress, a small crater in the middle with her name on it. With a small yawn, she stood over the blobbed mass of softness and plopped down. She rest her head and within several minutes, her eyes began to become heavy. Just when she was about to fall asleep, the door suddenly shot open. She immediately shot her head up and looked…She was greeted by a high pitch squeal.

"Princess Wuna!" The little filly shouted for joy, galloping towards the princess.

Before the princess of the night could react, the filly pounced her; knocking them both down to the pillow. The alicorn picked up the little filly and stared at her. She had a dark, gray fur; her eyes wide and oozing with joy and innocence…At that moment, Luna recognized her.

"…Did Celestia send you up here?"

The filly nodded, her smile stretching from cheek to cheek. Luna let her go and almost immediately the little filly clung around her stomach, pushing her head against her.

"I want to keep you company!" The little filly begged, "Tia said you get wonsome when you sleep."

Luna lay quite as the filly began to snuggle against her belly, her long white mane and tail melting around the crater they were resting on. She was about to protest until she heard quite snores. When she looked down, her heart instantly melted. She looked like a little angel, rubbing her head against her stomach like a pillow; She almost dawed out loud when she saw a little speck of drool sliding down her lip. With a very long sigh, she stared at the doorway.

"…Just this once, Celestia." She deadpanned, before wrapping her hooves around the filly. Within seconds, she fell asleep.

---

When she woke up with a stir, the little filly was still snuggling close to her stomach…She actually slept better than she usually did, who knew snuggling could give a pony so much bed rest. She carefully nudged the younger, rocking her just slightly enough to wake her.

"Time to get up," Luna sweetly cooed.

The little filly slowly opened her eyes, rubbing them against the pillow before looking up. Luna once again had to restrain herself from hugging her like a plush doll.

"Let's get you to Celestia's chamber." She sighed, levitating the dozing filly on her back.

She began her journey down the long hallway as the guards behind them blocked the door. It was quite a journey, a journey that would take around five minutes or so to take. The only thing Luna could hear the quite footsteps beneath her. It was somewhat haunting.

After taking a set of stairs, they arrived. When Luna approached Celestia's chamber, she could hear laughter and giggles from the other side of the door…Yep, she was just in time to drop this little one off.

When she opened the door, Luna saw Celestia standing over a filly in the slug like bed.

"Who's my little pony?" She cooed, nuzzling the filly below her.

"I am!" The filly shouted with much glee.

Celestia began tickling her by nuzzling her stomach, "Who's my little pony?"

The filly squirmed, "I am!"

Luna made this the mark of her day when her sister pressed her lips against her stomach, blowing out to make the sound of a deflating balloon, "Who's my little pony?"

"I am! I am! I am!"

Luna felt the filly on her back hop off, galloping towards Celestia and jumping on her back. The tackle knocked her on her side, making her giggle.

"The fun has been doubled!" She shouted with joy.

Luna walked out before her sister could entice her in.

---

Author's notes.

Another chapter down! This one gave me a headache, but it's worth keeping this little adventure going.

I'm ready to move the story along! I've the next chapter and the chapter after that of Paradise City and I'll be done with this section. I'll still have the relationships on here developing after Paradise city, but it won't be the center of focus.

What does everybody think so far? To my opinion, it's been hitting a little to the low side. I think it's because the story itself is yet to advice, but yet again you're the experts…Like I said, this is the calm before the storm.

Dead line: Again, one or two weeks.

Now, about the next bonus…I'm thinking about writing it out when I post the next chapter. When I do, I'm taking no more ideas, so post or message them while you can. And I'm only using one idea from each user I pick, so make sure to make it count!

And AiMajor-Sung97 will be posting new pictures up Monday…Go check out his deviant art account when you get the chance.

Signing out. I managed to download the game slender and I found out that my computer was too slow to run it. Half an hour of waiting for nothing; blast this slow computer!

My prayers are with you all! May God bless every single one of you!

Harry