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themurphyzone · 2 years

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Pinky Unleashed Ch 1

Summary: Due to a tip-off from Snowball, the mice investigate a powerful energy source that can power Braintopia, a gigantic dream city that will span the entire American continent. But they find themselves in over their heads when the repercussions turn out to be...world shattering. Neither of them knew just how far Snowball was willing to go to achieve world domination until it was too late.

Now an ancient planet-destroying entity residing within Earth has been unleashed, and one of its energy fragments has forcefully tethered itself to Pinky. Now Pinky must hold onto himself at night, when the dark energy painfully transforms him into a monster.

And Brain, horrified at Snowball's actions, vows to reunite the world for Pinky's sake, no matter how impossible it seems.

There are many obstacles to overcome in their quest to unite the world. But with Pinky's companionship to comfort Brain, Brain's willingness to stay by Pinky's side no matter what, and a little help from a strange amnesiac fairy, they won't give up the fight just yet.

AN: So this story is going to be an unusual one. I got the inspiration from watching the opening cutscene of Sonic Unleashed.

This story will use the real continents and not the ones in the game of Sonic Unleashed, and I’ll only be using three NPC characters that are exclusive to that particular game.

AO3 Link

Sonic Unleashed Opening Cutscene

New World Symphony Song Link

Ch 1: Prologue: New World Symphony Part 1

"And there's a narfty chance of sunshine, sunshine, and more positively beautiful sunshine, with highs of poit and lows of-ack, Brain!"

A sharp, tingly feeling traveled through Pinky as a hand yanked on his snout. He dropped the toothpick he was using as a makeshift microphone, a pair of pretty rose-pink eyes glaring at him.

"Cease with the meteorologist act, Pinky," Brain said, releasing Pinky's muzzle with a sharp tug. "I don't wish to be reminded of tonight's failure."

"Oh, but manipulating the sky to make it look like Mars was in the twelfth house was so fun, Brain! Especially when you set off that gorgeous firework display!" Pinky exclaimed.

It had been such a fun fun silly-willy plan! Well, they were always fun, but last night had been even sillier-willier than usual.

Shame the thunderstorm blocked out the pretty sight before Dwayne Johnson could see it though.

Brain rubbed his head, his singed fur still carrying a faint whiff of smoke from being electrocuted after a sudden bolt of lightning. He plopped himself in front of the television with a sigh and audible crack in his spine. “We were moving Pluto to the twelfth house, not Mars,” he corrected as he hit the on button for the television remote. “Get your planets right, Pinky.”

“But Brain, Pluto isn’t a-”

Brain glared at him, and Pinky quickly zipped his mouth as best as he could without a zipper.

“Those NASA hacks wouldn’t know a planet if one crashed into their building,” Brain muttered. The fur on his head stood up in wispy tufts, but when Pinky tried to reach over and smooth it down, Brain batted his hand away. It wasn’t unusual for Brain to push him away, sometimes literally, but Pinky still wished Brain would at least allow himself to have the tiniest bit of intimacy. “Now quiet, Pinky. I’m going to watch a relaxing program to take my mind off tonight’s failure before I go to bed, and you will not interrupt. Understand?”

Pinky nodded.

Unfortunately, one of the scientists had left the channel on Faux News, which wasn’t helpful in getting Brain to relax at all.

“-and after we come back from commercial, join me and this dead opossum I found on the side of the road for a discussion on why climate change isn’t real!”

Brain slammed his fist on the mute button. “I said relaxing, not mind-numbing,” he growled as he pulled up the guide and scrolled through the channels for something else to watch.

“Troz! He’s seen better days.” Pinky rocked back and forth, holding his feet so he could feel just like a wobbly toy.

“Agreed. The roadkill is much more photogenic,” Brain replied, and after several minutes of scrolling, he selected a nature documentary from the National Geographic channel. Tuck Buckerson was immediately replaced by a penguin waddling on the ice.

Pinky rolled onto his stomach, legs kicking lazily behind him. He just adored penguins and their adorable waddle. And his heart melted at the sight of a fluffy penguin chick standing on its parent’s feet, flapping its wings as it squawked for food.

“Aren’t they the cutest little things?” Pinky cooed. Brain scoffed, but his nose twitched, like he found them cute too but refused to say so. “Brain, can we go to the Arctic sometime? I wanna know if penguin chicks are really as fluffy as they look.”

“The Antarctic, Pinky. Penguins don’t live that far north,” Brain replied. “And there are many complications when visiting that particular continent. Weather, supplies, and the fact that neither of us are built to handle subzero temperatures. While I’ve considered a plan that would involve harvesting the local krill in that area, it ultimately proved unviable and I was forced to scrap it.”

If Brain said they couldn’t go, then he wasn’t going to budge on the issue.

But it would be really nice to see a penguin….

“However, I do have a roughdraft of a plan that will take us to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They have a penguin exhibit there,” Brain continued. “I suppose I could account for a…slight detour.”

A detour?

“You mean…an aquarium date?” Pinky gasped, clapping his hands to his mouth in surprise.

With all the fishes swirling around and around in their huge tanks and waddling, honking penguins?

“It’s not a date. Merely business with a little leisure time thrown in,” Brain corrected.

So it was definitely a date then!

Pinky scooped Brain up and twirled him through the air. Brain squirmed in his arms, but Pinky didn’t let go. “Oh, this is gonna be the best date ever, Brain! Even better than that fancy restaurant we got kicked out of! Do you think they have good mac and cheese in Monterey?”

“You can have your mac and cheese with lobster if you choose, but you have to release me first!” Brain shouted, placing both hands on Pinky’s snout and his legs on Pinky’s chest in an effort to get away. Pinky just laughed as Brain’s feet dug into his ribs. What could he say, he was ticklish!

Then a voice sounded nothing like David Attenborough, David Tennant, or any other David came from the TV.

“-afraid Bill couldn’t make it today. He’s dealing with some, ah, personal matters with Melinda. Naturally, he asked me to represent Microsponge in his absence for today’s press conference. Of course, I obliged.”

The mice froze and stared at the TV.

An amber-furred hamster stood on a high podium, surrounded by an entire security team, countless cameras, and microphones. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he wore a black suit with a red tie for the occasion.

Snowball.

“Pinky, you stepped on the remote!” Brain snapped, breaking out of Pinky’s hug and hurrying over to the remote. But Pinky didn’t recall stepping on it. The remote hadn’t done anything to him, except run out of batteries every once in a while. Brain smacked the back button so the TV would return to National Geographic, and although the channel number in the corner changed, Snowball and the press conference remained onscreen.

Confused, Brain flicked through every channel and turned the TV on and off several times, but nothing changed. Snowball’s smug, self-assured grin was on every network.

“Brain, what’s going on? Where are the penguins?” Pinky asked. The penguin parents were about to reunite after not seeing each other in months! He wanted to see the chick meet her father for the first time!

“He must’ve hacked into the airwaves,” Brain growled, his fur bristling as he glared at Snowball on the big screen. “Whatever he’s planning, he wants everybody in the entire world to see it.”

Brain’s fists clenched against his sides, his entire body tense. He got either really angry or really sad whenever Snowball was involved, so Pinky rested his tail over Brain’s to keep him calm in case he wanted to concentrate on whatever Snowball had to say.

Slowly, Brain relaxed. A hand patted Pinky’s back, and Pinky accepted it as a silent thanks.

“Mr. Snowball, rumor has it that Microsponge has partnered with the US military to produce a satellite-based defense system for the entire world. Is this true?” a CNN reporter asked.

“Not quite, Dan,” Snowball replied. “But I understand that my plan is rather complex for the vast majority of minds, so I hope this press conference will clarify things. You see, the satellite defenses work in conjunction with a new line of bioengineered robots, which I have aptly named Microbots. The US military was merely funding the project. Everything else is the product of my brilliant mind.”

“And what can your Microbots do, exactly?” a female reporter called.

Snowball smiled, but it wasn’t a genuine smile. Pinky had fallen for it once, when Snowball had convinced him that Brain didn’t care for him at all.

“The Microbots will serve as the primary defense system for a grand city, one far larger in area than Tokyo, Shanghai, and New York combined. A city that will serve as Microsponge’s new headquarters, house all people and cultures in a diverse melting pot, and become the world’s foremost technological center and leading energy producer. Where no crime will be tolerated and everyone can have bread on the table,” Snowball continued.

The reporters murmured among themselves.

“That’s impossible!” Brain spat. “How will you hope to sustain a city that large?”

The reporter named Dan stood up, microphone in hand. “Where will you find the energy for such a city?” he asked.

Snowball paused to consider his words. It was several minutes before he spoke again. “There is an energy source out there, which will not run out like fossil fuels. It will be more cost effective than solar, nor is it radioactive.”

Everyone waited with bated breath, but Snowball did not elaborate further.

“If you aren’t using fossil fuels or renewable energy sources-”

But Snowball interrupted her. “It’s still a work in progress. I can’t risk any of my…competitors finding out more information or stealing my resources.”

“Competitors like Pineapple?” somebody asked, and she quickly covered the pineapple logo on the back of her phone.

But Snowball made a face at that, and though he said ‘yes’ to her question, it was clear that Pineapple was not who he had in mind.

Brain inched closer to the screen, and Pinky pulled him back before he could hurt his eyes.

“How much progress has Microsponge made in this project so far?”

“Progress has been swift, courtesy of the energy cannon I’ve recently launched into orbit,” Snowball replied. “And I believe the fruits of my labor will pay off in the near future.”

Though reporters shouted more questions and their crew waved cameras in Snowball’s face, the interview nowhere near over, Brain shut off the TV. He faced his reflection in the black screen for just a moment, his ears pinning back as he stared at the spot where Snowball had once been. Then he crept off to bed without another word.

“Brain?” Pinky called.

But the smaller mouse only faced the cage bars, and only his head poked out from the blanket.

“I know you’re still awake,” Pinky said quietly as he slipped into bed next to him. He reached over and poked Brain on the back.

Brain slapped Pinky’s hand away with pinpoint accuracy, even though he wasn’t looking.

So Pinky poked him again, and again, and again. He didn’t care how many times he had to do this. He knew from experience that if Brain went to bed all huffy, he’d be cranky in the morning.

Well, Brain was always cranky. But even crankier and grumpier and stompier than normal.

“Cease, Pinky!” Brain yelled. He furiously sat up and threw his pillow into Pinky’s face. “Sleep in the straw if you’re going to be this aggravating!”

“You go sleep in the straw if you’re going to be a little crankypants!” Pinky argued, his tail lashing underneath the covers as he sat up alongside Brain, tossing the pillow back onto his side. “I just want to know what’s wrong!”

Brain drew his knees up to his chest, ears pinned back in frustration. “Nothing’s wrong!”

But Pinky knew Brain had been just fine before Snowball cut into their regularly scheduled penguin programming.

“It’s Snowball, isn’t it?” Pinky asked.

Brain remained silent, burying his head into his knees and refusing to look up. Pinky hadn’t even known Brain had a childhood friend for a long time, and Brain had only explained their history when the hamster had unexpectedly stolen Brain’s chain letter plan and showed up to the lab to drive a wedge between them. That was back when Snowball had first taken over Microsponge, and he’d been running the megacorporation ever since. Nobody except for him and Brain were aware that the official CEO, Bill Grates, was being puppeted by a hamster.

It wasn’t like anyone would believe them if they tried, so they just moved on and let Snowball live his own life. Occasionally, Snowball would show up again, try to toy with them or kill them, sometimes both, but he’d always fail.

“...he has press conferences, Pinky,” Brain said quietly. “Money. Luxury cars. A team of lawyers and secretaries at his beck and call, no trouble getting away with tax evasion…”

“You don’t pay taxes either,” Pinky replied, nudging him.

Brain sighed. “It’s still a hassle to forward all those letters and calls to ACME’s legal department. But I digress. Snowball keeps inserting himself where he doesn’t belong, and it’s tiresome.”

So that was the problem then. Brain was jealous of Snowball’s success, and how Snowball kept returning to rub that success in Brain’s face.

Pinky wrapped an arm around Brain’s shoulders, and Brain didn’t fight him off this time. He only rested his cheek against Pinky’s chest.

“You remember when Snowball gave me a theme park and I left you?” Pinky asked, though Brain’s grip around Pinky’s wrist tightened in warning, like he’d rather forget. But Pinky didn’t want to stop talking, not until he got this off his chest. “Which is kinda creepy that he had all that ready, now that I think about it, but anyway, it wasn’t the same. The rides were fun, yeah, but I didn’t have anyone to share them with. There was a Tunnel of Love, and Tunnels of Love aren’t meant to be ridden alone! And if I tried talking to Snowball, he wouldn’t tell me anything! At least you’d let me talk before bopping me on the head, and you actually explained your plans in a way that I could understand, and you’d act like you’re in a cool mecha anime fight to save me and the entire world!”

Brain’s face turned red, and he ducked his head to try and hide it.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that even if you’re a poor lab mouse, I still wanna hang around you more than a life of luxembourg with Snowball,” Pinky said, smiling in reassurance as Brain finally turned to look at him with those pretty rose-pink eyes.

Brain squeezed Pinky’s hand. “You mean luxury, Pinky. Luxembourg is a country. And…even if I can’t give you a theme park…yet…I, well, I need you here.”

Pinky’s heart fluttered. “You mean that, Brain?”

“Need you to block the draft from the AC so it won’t reach my side of the bed. So don’t move to the straw tonight, capiche?” Brain said, and he laid down, facing Pinky this time.

“Ca-peachy,” Pinky giggled as he laid down, curling around Brain to protect him from the AC. Pinky didn’t mind the breeze as much, but Brain’s ears were more sensitive. Pinky relaxed against Brain’s warm fur. It was like hugging a grumpy life-sized plushie. “And besides, I bet you could build an even bigger and better city than Snowball ever could.”

Pinky let out an ‘oomph’ as Brain’s knee suddenly came down on his chest as he pushed himself up. But he let it slide, because Brain’s excited grin was completely worth it.

“Brilliant, Pinky!” he exclaimed. “We’ll build an enormous city to span the entire American continent, from the tundras of Northern Canada to the pampas of Argentina! With enormous skyscrapers, parks to preserve the greenery, an effective public transportation system, affordable universities, and more! And we shall call it…Braintopia!”

“Egad, that’s a wonderful name!” Pinky clapped his hands in appreciation. “Braintopia’s gonna be the place everyone in the world wants to live in for sure! But can I have a teeny weensy block for myself, Brain? Please?”

“It was your idea, Pinky,” Brain admitted. “For that, you can have…the Pink Light District that you can prepare as you see fit.”

Pinky hummed in satisfaction. He was gonna need a ton of pretty pink lights to line the streets!

But then he remembered what Brain said earlier, about Snowball’s own city needing a ton of energy to keep running.

“Wait, no, no…also, your knee is digging into my spleen,” Pinky said, and he exhaled in relief once Brain moved his knee. Brain frowned at him. “You said it would be impossible for Snowball to find enough energy for his city, and ours is going to be even bigger than his! And besides, I played enough Sam’s City to know that a working city costs a whole lotta money and resources!”

Brain’s excitement waned, and he put a hand on his chin in thought. “You better not be handing the EA our entire domination budget.”

Pinky shook his head. “Oh, I’m not. I’m using the money from my How To series to pay for it.”

Just a small amount though. He was happy to use the majority to help Brain with world domination. Every little bit helped.

“Well, Snowball did mention an energy source in his broadcast. Everything else he needs is of little consequence to him,” Brain mused, pacing back and forth across the bed, which bounced with every step. “But he’s deliberately withholding the type. If it’s not fossil fuels, nuclear, or green energy, then how…of course!”

He pounded his fist emphatically.

“If we investigate the energy cannon he launched into orbit, we can find out what he intends to use and harness that power ourselves!”

“Yes!” Pinky exclaimed, and his leg accidentally thumped Brain’s side, knocking him off the bed. He smacked the underside of his chin against the floor. Brain groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up. Pinky peered over the side of the bed, so that Brain’s face was upside down and their noses were touching. “Sorry, Brain. Poit.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds.

“NYAH!” Brain screamed, and his forehead collided with Pinky’s as he tried to get away.

Pinky dizzily swayed and fell right off the bed, landing next to Brain. The stars were so pretty and swirly tonight…

o-o-o-o-o

The scientists weren’t around for the weekend, which gave Brain enough time to plan their route and build a plane to get them up to the energy cannon. And since Brain didn’t like being disturbed while working, it gave Pinky plenty of time to play Sam’s City while he waited.

While he’d opened the game intending to create his own virtual Pink Light District so he could have practice for the real district in Braintopia, he’d gotten a little sidetracked with pushing Samuel and Samantha into a relationship.

“Narf! Stop trying to go back to your ex, Samuel! She’s not good for you!” Pinky shouted as Samuel ignored Samantha in favor of Sami yet again. And Samantha was wearing her best red dress too!

Now Samantha was thinking of giving up on Samuel entirely!

“No!” Pinky screamed, and he quickly exited out of the game to erase his progress. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, glad that he’d saved Samuel from getting back together with Sami. She cheated on him twice! How could he possibly get back together with her when Samantha was giving him all those hints?

Pinky fell onto his back, feet up in the air as he let out a frustrated huff. He’d learned how to make that noise from Brain, after all.

Alright, twentieth’s time the charm. But before he could sit up and try again, a shadow fell over him.

“Having fun?” Brain asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Samuel still won’t notice her!” Pinky complained. “I don’t get it, Brain! What am I doing wrong?”

Brain brought a hand to his forehead and looked up at the ceiling before his eyes flicked down to Pinky. “You’re too invested in fictional relationships at the cost of your health and questionable sanity?”

“I’m not too invested. I’ll have you know that I only spent six entire months trying to get my Sams together using every Youtuber guide and wiki on the Internet!” Pinky crossed his arms defiantly, only lowering them when he realized that maybe Brain would consider that ‘too invested’. “Okay, maybe just a tiny amount of invested…” he admitted sheepishly.

“My point stands. Now come, I’ve finished our preparations so that we can get up to the energy cannon.” Brain grabbed Pinky’s wrist and dragged him out of the room while Pinky laid on his back. Pinky giggled, enjoying the ride while it lasted. It was so fun fun silly-willy to mop the floor with his back!

Brain released Pinky’s wrist halfway down the hall, snapping at him to keep up and not dilly-dally, which was just as fun as silly-willy to say. He just adored rhyming words!

They didn’t have to hide in the shadows or pause to listen for footsteps this time. Once Brain ruled the world, they wouldn’t ever have to worry about being caught again. It was going to be so nice.

The back doors of ACME Labs were propped open, revealing a purplish-orange sky dotted with the first stars of the night. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking, and Pinky leaned over Brain’s head, admiring all the pretty colors.

“Twilight is such a beautiful time of day,” Pinky hummed. “Don’t you think so, Brain?”

But Brain moved towards a large, lumpy tarp sitting just outside the doors, and Pinky almost lost his balance.

“It’s just the sunset, Pinky,” Brain said, waving his hand dismissively. “It happens everyday. There’s nothing special about it.”

Well, Brain may not have thought so, but the colors were always shifting, no two twilights ever looking the same. Sometimes Pinky wished Brain would stop and look, because he was missing out on so many wonderful sights.

Still, Pinky pushed that thought aside. Brain’s plan mattered more.

“It’s time you experienced a real sight, Pinky. Behold my latest creation!” Brain announced, yanking off the tarp to expose the lump underneath. Except it wasn’t a lump at all, it was a plane!

The nose of the plane was long and cone-shaped, and the body was sleek with two sharp, long wings extending out on both sides. There were small windows along the side, and a tinted dome covered the cockpit. The metallic panels were a mixture of white and gray, and a coat of red paint streaked the wings, back, and tail.

“Narrrrf!” Pinky exclaimed, walking underneath the plane to admire its belly. “The red is a very nice touch, Brain!”

“Thank you, Pinky,” Brain said proudly. He stood up a little straighter and puffed out his chest. “There was plenty of paint leftover from the kitchen remodeling last month. Now if you’ll direct your eyes to the left-”

Brain launched into a technical explanation of every cool science-y feature he’d added to the plane, which Pinky tried to follow, but either Brain was saying ‘the aerodynamic shape will maximize our speed’ or ‘the pterodactyl ape named Max needs to be fed’.

It could be either one, really.

Wait, did Brain ever name his creation? They couldn’t just call it ‘The Plane’! That was too…well, just too plain!

“We can’t just let your plane go unnamed! Otherwise she’d just be a plain plane, Brain!” Pinky cried, grabbing Brain by the shoulders and shaking him.

Brain’s eyes swirled dizzily before he shook his head and came back to his senses. He broke Pinky’s hold, stumbling a little before regaining his balance.

“Now where did I put that book of baby names…” Pinky murmured, trying to recall if he’d left it under the sink or the closet of his Barbie dollhouse.

“No, Pinky,” Brain said, squinting up at the plane. “What we need is a name befitting of this vehicle’s swiftness and agility. In other words, something fast.”

It didn’t take long before Pinky came up with something.

“Speedy Gonzalez?” he suggested.

“Too controversial.”

“Millenium Falcon?”

“Good try, if only it wasn’t owned by Disney now.”

Pinky shrugged. “I don’t have anything else, Brain.”

So Brain walked around the plane, looking over every feature to see if there was anything striking he could use.

“Something fast, but intimidating too,” Brain said to himself. Then his eyes widened in realization. “Yes! We shall call it…the Hurricane! The combination of swift-moving wind and water is terrifying for anyone caught in its path. It’s perfect!”

Pinky bounced on his toes in anticipation as Brain hit a button on a small remote, and a hatch opened on the underside of the Hurricane. Then a ramp slid down, landing at their feet.

Oh, he couldn’t wait anymore! Pinky hurried up the ramp to get a good look at the interior, while Brain plodded along behind him. It was roomy with enough space for a human to stand in, but there wasn’t much going for it. The walls only had two mouse-sized orange spacesuits hanging on the hooks besides the windows, along with several chairs lying haphazardly along the floor. There was a small refrigerator in the corner, and when Pinky opened it, he found it was stocked with several varieties of cheese, two fruit trays, boxes of apple juice, and tiny water bottles from the lab kitchen. A pack of bagels sat atop the refrigerator, which was firmly bolted to the floor, though there was no toaster.

"The exterior is lovely, Brain. The red really adds a lot of character. But if you were trying to go for a minimalist design for the inside, I think you went a bit overboard," Pinky said. "Also, there is zero feng shui."

"The Hurricane's purpose is to transport us to the energy cannon. You are not to use it for one of your ridiculous interior design shows," Brain replied.

He stopped by the refrigerator, popped a few cheese cubes into his mouth, then gestured for Pinky to follow him into the cockpit. Pinky quickly grabbed a bagel and juice box, hurrying after Brain.

The cockpit had much more going for it than the back did. There were countless gauges, dials, levers, and buttons, all waiting to be pushed and pulled and spinned! There were two cushioned seats, just large enough for a mouse to be comfortable.

The glass offered a panoramic view of the twilight sky, and Pinky excitedly bounced on his seat, ready for takeoff.

Brain took his own seat in the pilot’s chair, unfurling a blueprint of a large satellite-like object. Except it didn’t have those panel thingies of a regular satellite. The most striking feature was an extremely long cannon that extended far beyond the main body.

“The schematics of the energy cannon were easily accessible through the Internet. Microsponge’s security was no trouble for me to bypass,” Brain said. He pointed to a part on the back of the main body. “We shall enter through this compartment here. After I enable the cloaking device on the plane, we will exit and make our way to the topmost level, which hosts the controls of the energy cannon in addition to a computer that controls the mainframe. I’ll download all the relevant information about the energy cannon into a flash drive, and then we’ll take our leave so I can analyze the data in the relative safety of the lab. And once I find that energy source, Braintopia is certain to become reality!”

“And the Pink Light District too?” Pinky asked. A street filled with romantic pink lights and cherry blossom trees and restaurants that served mac and cheese…he couldn’t wait for it to come true!

“And the Pink Light District too,” Brain confirmed as he stored the blueprints under his seat, to Pinky’s delight. “Now, the energy cannon is hovering just above Earth’s exosphere layer, so we won’t have to travel too far into space. Are you ready, Pinky?”

Pinky saluted. “Aye-aye, Captain Brain!”

“I will never tire of hearing that,” Brain smirked.

With that, he turned the keys in the ignition. The engine thrummed, rumbling the entire plane. Pinky sank back into his seat. He’d always wanted his own massage chair, but it was so hard to find one in his size.

Brain yanked on the throttle, and a deafening boom filled Pinky’s ears. He only had enough time to grip the x-shaped seat belt that crossed his chest before he was thrown far back into the cushion. His stomach flip-flopped, and all those squishy organs inside him scrambled themselves like an omelet as the world outside the plane became one enormous blur.

Someone was screaming, but Pinky didn’t know if that was him, Brain, or both of them.

Pinky usually had a strong stomach, but even he started to regret that bagel now.

The sensations lasted seconds, minutes, maybe an hour or two, only lasting until Pinky was thrown forward in his chair, and the seat belt was the only thing that prevented him from slamming against the window.

And finally, the plane leveled out. The long nose was still pointing up to the darkening sky, but they were moving at a slower pace now.

With the rollercoaster ride over, Pinky figured it was safe to unbuckle himself and check on Brain. There was only a few inches’ distance between their seats, so Pinky kept hold of what he could as he climbed over the control panel to Brain’s chair, careful not to touch the colorful buttons though he really wanted to press them more than anything.

There was plenty of room on the main pilot’s seat for both of them, though Pinky had to lean on Brain a little so he didn’t fall off the arm. Brain barely noticed, his face slightly green and his eyes unfocused. He was clutching a small plastic bag with a death grip in one hand, trying not to vomit up the cheese cubes he’d eaten just before takeoff. His other hand was white-knuckled against the throttle.

Pinky gently rubbed Brain’s back, and the green slowly disappeared from the smaller mouse’s face. His grip on the throttle and bag slackened, the tension leaking out of his body.

“...thanks,” Brain said, his voice still shaky.

The ground was far beneath them now, hidden under a thick cloud layer. Here, the sky was a mix of black and navy, the stars twinkling far away.

“I wonder what it’d be like to touch a shooting star…” Pinky murmured. Would touching one help his wishes come true? He hoped so.

“Pinky, shooting stars are just meteorites hurtling through Earth’s atmosphere at terminal velocity,” Brain said, nudging Pinky away from him. “You might be resilient, but you would still be burned to a crisp if you tried to touch one. Now return to your seat and let me concentrate. We still need to cross two more layers before we reach the energy cannon.”

But Pinky just perched on the armrest, not really wanting to go back to his own seat just yet. Brain didn’t protest the compromise too much. Pinky knew that as long as he didn’t jostle the seat too much, Brain would let him stay where he was. The tip of Pinky’s long tail rested close to Brain, occasionally brushing against his fur when he moved the steering wheel.

Pinky hummed all the songs he knew to pass the time, and a low hum occasionally joined in. He was pretty sure it wasn’t the engine harmonizing with him.

He’d just gotten through Yakko’s World, with added commentary from Brain about all its inaccuracies, when the radar on the dashboard started to beep.

Several red dots appeared on the blinking radar, followed by a much larger red one.

“How much longer ‘til we-"

A sudden gasp from Brain cut him off.

"BRACE YOURSELF, PINKY!"

That was all the warning Pinky had before he was flung right off the armrest and into the wall next to the door of the cockpit, the entire plane tilting up at an extremely steep angle. Brain yanked the steering wheel to the left, and Pinky was thrown against another wall.

After a few seconds of being stuck against a metal pane, the plane stabilized and Pinky was able to crawl back to his own seat and buckle himself in.

"Sorry," Brain said, not taking his eyes off the window. "The radar didn't pick up on our proximity to the energy cannon. I had to maneuver quickly or we would've smashed into the barrel."

He pointed at a massive cylindrical shape outside, and Pinky did a double take when he realized just how enormous the barrel of the energy cannon was. It must've been the size of a a gazillion football fields! The main body was on the distant end, and though it wasn't as ginormous, it loomed ominously over them.

"Narrrrf," Pinky said in awe.

"Narf indeed," Brain whispered. And the energy cannon must've been really impressive if Brain said narf.

Halfway up the barrel, the radar beeped rapidly as a dozen fast-moving red dots rocketed towards the plane-shaped sprite. And when Pinky looked through the window, there were a dozen metallic spheres hurtling towards them. They were dull gray and tiny with metallic bits sticking out all over the place. Three of them smacked against the windshield, though the glass thankfully held. Annoyed, Brain flicked a lever on the side of the steering wheel, wiping the half-broken spheres off like they were bugs.

Several more bounced off the ceiling with loud pings, bits of lens chipping off the cameras set in the center.

"What were those things?" Pinky asked as Brain steered the plane away from the cannon barrel and towards the backside of the body.

Brain gritted his teeth, his eyes flicking back and forth between the radar and the windshield. "Microbots," he said tersely. "I researched them extensively after Snowball mentioned them in his broadcast. The ones we encountered are likely a surveillance team composed of individual units. But they are capable of combining into countless forms for defensive purposes. Snowball wasn't shy about demonstrating how powerful his Microbots can be to the Silicon Valley executives during his last tech demonstration. There's no telling what the Microbots are capable of, especially when Snowball spearheaded their development. I can only hope I threw them off our trail in case any defensive measures are taken."

But the Microbots didn't follow them. Maybe they couldn't keep up with the Hurricane's speed.

Though Brain wasn't relaxed by any means, he gradually became less tense once the Microbots were left to eat the Hurricane's stardust.

They circled towards the back of the main body, which thankfully didn't have any patrolling Microbots.

Brain pointed to an open panel at the bottom of the structure. “A weak point,” he said. “We’ll enter through there. Deploying landing gear now. Prepare for landing, Pinky.”

He lined the Hurricane with the open slot, and they slowed down considerably as they passed through the entrance. The plane’s wheels made contact with the metal, and Pinky jolted from the impact, ears pinned back at the loud, nails-on-chalkboard screech.

“Brain, we’re gonna hit the wall!” Pinky yelped, hanging onto the armrests. They’d slowed down, but not nearly enough! The wall was gonna smash them into mousey pancakes, and not the good kind with maple syrup and butter!

“Hold on!” Brain shouted back. His foot slammed against the brake, and the entire plane screeched to a halt.

Pinky nearly choked from being thrown forward in his seat belt, while Brain smashed into the wheel.

“Narf…” Pinky said, undoing his seat belt and taking a moment to just relax and catch his breath now that the turbulent ride was over.

Brain groaned, unclipping his own belt and sinking back into the cushion. “I hope the return journey will be smoother…” he muttered, rubbing his temple.

With some difficulty, Pinky climbed out of his seat, grabbing onto the armrest to support himself since his legs were still shaky. Brain fell out of his chair more than he climbed down, his legs buckling as he landed. But he recovered quickly, eager to find out more information about the mysterious energy source.

There was a loud creak, and the panel where they entered started to close like a giant space garage door. With a final bang, the Hurricane was shut in completely.

Several lights on the ceiling flickered on, illuminating a stairwell that led to the upper floors.

“The Level Three entrance is now closed. Activating airlock. Please standby,” a pleasant woman’s voice announced over the intercom.

Pinky covered his ears as a deafening hiss filled the room, only letting go of his ears once the noise died down.

“Airlock activated successfully. Oxygen levels are sufficient for life. Have a nice day.”

“We won’t need the suits then,” Brain said with relief. “Good. The orange color isn’t flattering on me.”

Though Pinky thought Brain could pull off orange just fine, he was glad they wouldn’t need the suits after all. He didn’t want to say anything since those were the only mouse-sized spacesuits available in Target’s doll section, but he didn’t like how they restricted his tail movement.

Brain opened a small compartment between their seats, revealing a small red flash drive with a black strap. He pulled the strap over his head, securing the flash drive to his back.

“Come, Pinky. Let’s begin our ascension at once,” Brain said, and Pinky followed him out of the plane.

The ramp retracted once they were out of the plane, and the Hurricane shut off entirely. It sat in the middle of the chamber, quiet and unassuming.

Except for their footsteps, it was quiet aboard the energy cannon. A little too quiet.

Pinky hummed a song to fill in the silence, though even his happy little song about all his favorite things wasn’t doing much to stop the fur on the back of his neck from rising.

Maybe it was the corridor’s dimness, providing just enough light to see by yet lacking any warmth. Or how enormous and empty the energy cannon was. Pinky hoped they’d run into an astronaut or two, but if any humans were here, they didn’t show themselves.

“I’m getting all these weird tingles, Brain,” Pinky said, clutching his tail just so he’d have something to hold onto. “Th-this place doesn’t feel right.”

“You always have weird tingles, Pinky. I don’t need a newsflash every time they happen,” Brain snapped, and he continued down the hall without looking back. Pinky quickly caught up to him, grabbing his shoulders and stopping him in his tracks. Brain scowled and flung his hands out, shaking Pinky off. “You’re only reacting like this because you aren’t familiar with the layout. We’ll get out of here much sooner if you quit impeding our progress.”

Pinky’s tail drooped. He didn’t mean to impale…impala…whatever Brain just said.

"Poit," he whispered. "S-sorry…"

Brain stared up at Pinky, his expression carefully neutral. Sometimes it was just impossible to tell what Brain was pondering, no matter how hard Pinky tried to ponder the same thing.

Then he sighed, gingerly taking Pinky's hand in his own. After a few seconds, his grip became firmer.

"But…you may be onto something, Pinky. For once. Forgive me," Brain stammered, shifting side to side nervously. Pinky just smiled and squeezed Brain's hand, accepting his awkward apology. Then Brain led Pinky down the hallway, never letting go of his hand. "We haven't run into any Microbots past that first encounter. I assumed there would be some guarding the interior as well."

"Maybe they're playing hide and seek?" Pinky asked. "Plenty of places for a cute little bot to hide. You think they'll let us play too?"

They paused at a T-shaped intersection, and Brain's ears flicked as he listened for any sounds in both directions. Then he led Pinky down the right fork.

"They're watching from the shadows," Brain said, pointing to a tiny red light in the corner of the ceiling. "I'd need to capture one and disassemble it to determine the specifics of their programming, which we don't have time for. Perhaps they aren't programmed to attack until the facility itself is in trouble."

So Brain didn't know either, and he was using big words to hide it. But that was okay. Brain was a smartypants, but he didn't have to know everything.

"I wish we had a map," Pinky said, remembering how that trick worked in that really hard maze the ACME scientists had once trapped them in.

To his disappointment, no holographic map popped up to help them find their way.

"A directory would be convenient," Brain agreed.

"And a food court," Pinky added. "With a nacho line and soda fountain."

Brain raised an eyebrow. "How can you possibly think of food at a time like this?"

"I'm hungry," Pinky shrugged.

His stomach finally settled down after that bumpy ride, and he was craving cheese and jalapenos.

Brain just sighed and led Pinky through a short hallway. At the end, there was a stairwell that was marked with an arrow pointing up and the number two next to it.

"Yes!" Brain exclaimed, and Pinky grinned back at him. It was so nice to see Brain excited. His pink eyes always glittered so beautifully when that happened.

They hurried up the stairs to the second level, boosting each other up since the stairs were designed for humans and not mice.

Pinky boosted Brain up to the top landing, and Brain grabbed onto the ledge, hauling himself up the rest of the way.

"One more level, Pinky. It won't be long until Braintopia becomes reality," Brain declared, adjusting the flash drive on his back. "Let's hurry and…hurry and-"

He didn't finish his sentence, staring off into the distance instead.

Pinky stood on his tiptoes, trying to see what Brain was looking at. But the stairs were in his way! All he saw was dull gray!

"Brain!" Pinky shouted, leaping as high as he could and waving his arms to catch Brain's attention. "I! Can't! See! Must! Stop! Talking! Like! Shatner!"

Brain started to walk away, mesmerized by whatever he saw. But Pinky shouted his name, over and over again, and Brain broke out of his trance at the sound of Pinky's voice.

"Sorry," Brain said as he hauled Pinky up to the top step. "I…I don't know what came over me. It's just…a sight to behold. Where to begin? I don’t know how to describe it…that’s what it is, Pinky. Indescribable.”

Brain wasn’t even saying his usual big words. Did he suddenly lose them?

Pinky tapped his chin, trying to think of anything that might help Brain describe whatever he saw. “Maybe narf?”

“Maybe,” Brain murmured. “Now toss in all of your other nonsensical words.”

So it was narf with poit and zort and troz and egad all mixed together like a delicious cake? With a little fjord as the cherry on top of course.

Brain’s arm swept out to the area around them. “See for yourself, Pinky.”

And Pinky’s jaw dropped.

Swirling blue. Solid green. Drifting white.

All of those colors made up the planet Earth.

It was the most beautiful sight Pinky had ever seen in his entire life.

End AN: Special shout out to @wimsiecal for all their wonderful work in the PatB fandom, especially the werewolf Pinky art that was an inspiration for this fic. Pinky playing a knockoff version of the Sims is dedicated to you.

No corporations were harmed in the making of this chapter, save for their pride maybe.

New Brainfels and Braintropolis were working names for Braintopia.

The plane in this story will be named the Hurricane cause Sonic and Tails’ plane is called the Tornado.

The chapter title went through a lot of working titles. I was originally gonna go with the overture for Sonic Unleashed itself, but it has a more adventurous vibe and the New World Symphony has more of that incoming danger aura.

Moral of the story: Microsoft is evil and Bill Gates is a hamster.

#pinky unleashed #pinky and the brain #patb snowball #patb fanfiction

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