In honour of the 10th anniversary of the release of The Avengers, enjoy this epic action flick involving the League of Freedom.
Once all the chapters for this story are complete, they will be put together into a single massive one-shot. ;)
Finally, to avoid any of your world's copyright issues, I own none of the characters in this story.
Mobotropolis, Northammer, 12:15pm
The heat of the Sun, the clamour of people bustling about, and the smell of baking concrete hung across the vast city of Mobotropolis (or Zootropolis, as it was also known) like a shroud. Citizens, Human and Mobian alike, went about their daily business.
In the city park, four girls were playing ball. A couple bought hot dogs at a nearby vendor. Two Sea Serpent boys and a red-haired Human girl were splashing together in the park lake, watched by two Celteire Human girls.
Just then, across the city, electrical devices suddenly began shorting out - TV, phones, lights and computers. A power drill at a construction site halted its hammering, causing the builder operating it to fall over in surprise. Several birds took flight as a chill wind swept through the city. But the forecast had predicted calm.
In the park, one of the girls playing ball, a Human with fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair named Riley, accidently kicked the ball towards the hot dog stand. It narrowly missed the vendor and rolled away under a tree. The girl went to retrieve the ball. Her friends, who included a blue Husky pup girl named Bluey, another Human girl with similar physical traits, though in a wheelchair, known as Helen, and a tan Mouse Kitten with brown eyes called Olivia, all giggled teasingly.
But as the girl reached the ball, she suddenly stopped. The day suddenly felt a bit cooler, as if the sun had gone in, even though it was still out. Or was it…?
Up in the sky, one of the birds smacked its beak against something, as if it had hit a mirror.
Suddenly, a shadow spread over the park, and everyone looked up. A massive ship shaped like a Mobini Whale Shark had appeared, as if out of thin air, high above the city. And it wasn't alone. What appeared to be dozens or even hundreds of heavily-armed battleships, which styled after a species of cartilaginous fish, had appeared surrounding it.
People all over the city gazed up in shock at the unexpected appearance of these ships. For a few moments, a silence fell over the whole city, like someone had turned off the sound.
Then, a siren shattered the silence in a rising and falling wail. Everyone broke out of their collective trances, screaming and fleeing in all directions, as various creatures and robots descended from the ships: various Egg Pawns and Badniks, Shade Elites, Changelings, various elite StormTroopers, Grublins, Nefarious Troopers, Cragmites, Drophyds, Robo-Falcons, Moth Drones, ZhiZhui and more.
They landed all over the city, some deliberately smashing into the buildings. Rumble and glass showered the streets, some citizens falling with countless cuts or pummels. The various ships also opened fire on the city.
Aboard the Whale Shark-shaped Egg Imperial Fortress, inside the bridge, the Imperial Syndicate observed the mayhem below. Most, like Doctor Robotnik, Queen Chrysalis, Doctor Nefarious, Emperor Tachyon and Abyss, laughed maniacally; the rest, like Dark Lady Lumiya, Lord Brevon, King Sombra and Doctor M remained ominously silent.
In a downtown region, even from a distance, the image of the Egg Imperial Fleet looming over the city was no less imposing.
Eight figures were advancing towards the epicentre of the attack. Five were leaping from one building to the next; the other three were flying.
Riley, Bluey, Olivia and Helen were scurrying towards the nearest building for cover. Just as they left the park, something massive dropped from the sky and landed heavily in front of them, cracking the pavement and shaking the girls off their feet.
It was an Egg Hammer, a giant grey robot sporting a gigantic mallet. Its optics gleamed evilly down at the children, who were all paralyzed with fright. It raised its hammer threateningly, and Bluey fainted. But then, it relaxed, and a Changeling and a ZhiZhui advanced on them.
Before they could grab them, however, there were flashes of blue, rainbow, pink and white, and brown, and the four girls seemed to vanish. The Egg Hammer, Changeling and ZhiZhui were all perplexed by this unexpected event.
Suddenly, there was another flash of colour, and the Egg Hammer exploded, blowing the two creepy crawly-esque creatures off their feet. The Changeling was punched rapidly several times in the face in mid-air, leaving it comatose. The ZhiZhui was electrocuted, and it collapsed as a smoking husk.
Down a back alley, a fleeing family hit a dead end. They looked round in terror as a Shade Elite advanced on them, its energy rifle primed and ready to fire.
Without warning, a portal opened, and a sparkling comet shot out, careening into the Elite and smacking it hard across the face-plate with long ponytails. The family gazed in wonder at the display, until they realised that a couple of figures had also appeared, beckoning them through the portal. After a moment's hesitation, they accepted it was their only means of escape and hurried through.
In one of the skyscrapers, office workers were trapped because of some troops landing in the lower floors. Most were cowering under their desk, though some (who could be described as either brave or stupid or a bit of both) were waiting by the door closest to the staircase, holding lamps, chairs or computers as improvised weapons.
All of them could hear the sounds of hooves, footsteps and wings getting closer and closer. Several people whimpered, shut their eyes and heads and braced themselves for highly probable death. Those armed readied to attack.
The approaching steps stopped outside the door. Slowly, the door opened to reveal… another office worker, looking round in confusion at the weapons being brandished at him. His would-be attackers were perplexed and a bit suspicious. This did not seem right at all.
They were right to be worried. The office worker suddenly grinned nastily and turned into a Changeling, hissing and waggling its tongue!
But before he could attack, two winged individuals smashed their way in through the window. The officer workers ducked as they hit the Changeling with a combined blast of Fire and Ice. This blasted him back into the corridor, bowling into his comrades. The two wingers flew after them.
The office workers were all left feeling lost. They were glad to have been saved, but their only escape had been cut off. That is, until a portal showing the outskirts of the city opened just outside the broken window. Desperate to get to safety, the workers wasted no time in jumping through it.
Below in the streets, Protoguards, Drophyds and Cragmites were firing at every building within reach. Glass, concrete, brick, aggregates and asphalt were thrown up into the air. Cars and lorries exploded in fireballs. Citizens ran for cover.
But as one Protoguard prepared an electric wave, it suddenly lurched backwards when a wrench flew out of nowhere and hit it hard in the face. It crashed into a Drophyd right behind it and exploded, destroying the Drophyd's robot body, leaving the fish inside flopping helplessly on the ground. The rest were quickly felled by laser bolts and missiles.
At the Lemming Brothers Bank in Savanna Central, a large Hippopotamus mutant was advancing through the reception towards the vault in the back. The cashiers and clients were sheltering behind stalls and desks.
When he reached the large vault door, the Hippo mutant reached for the lock to rip it off. Why should he bother with the combination? But before he could place his hand on the lock, the mutant felt someone tap him on the side. He looked round, but there was no one there. Or was there? Next moment, something hit him hard in the face with a loud crack. He collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
In the railway station, Humans and Mobians were cramming themselves into carriages in a desperate bid to escape the attack. But even with people standing, there wasn't enough room to fit everyone on board. The doors for the train at Platform 4 closed, and it rolled out of the station, despite several remaining passengers begging to be allowed on board.
An ominous clanking on the steps leading from the exit made them look round in terror. Several ZhiZhui and Moth Swarm were advancing on them, swords and butterfly knives drawn and gleaming threateningly.
Before they could advance any further, however, the buzzing of insect wings preceded someone swooping in and flying right across the front row of insectoid soldiers, cutting them down as he/she/they went. Before any of the others could react, a second figure landed in their midst and unleashed a wave of green energy. The soldiers were disintegrated on contact.
In the air, a swordfish battleship turned its cannons downward, ready to open fire upon the city. The robots operating in the bridge punched in the targets in the city below, ensuring their comrades weren't likely to be caught in the crosshairs. Once the targets were locked, they readied to fire.
But someone fired on them first. A single craft shot over the bridge; a moment later, the bridge exploded in a fireball, disintegrating the robots inside.
The Imperial Syndicate, unsurprisingly, were incensed. Their troops were being decimated; people were vanishing from beneath their noses and their attack had barely begun. They knew who it had to be.
Several troops were preparing to storm the Castle and either abduct or kill the Royal Family. But before they could make their move, a surge of blue lightning shot over their heads from down a street filled with smoke. They looked round.
Out of the smoke, a solitary figure stepped forward. It was a blue Mobian Hedgehog with emerald eyes, clad in an armoured aerodynamic suit with wings on the back, white gloves, and red and white sneakers. A helmet covered his face, but the troops knew who it was.
In the Egg Fortress, Robotnik and his allies were apprehensive. If Sonic the Hedgehog was here, they knew who else would be here too. Sonic wouldn't come alone.
Just then, what looked like a sparkling lilac comet raced into sight. It slowed up to fall in step alongside Sonic. It was a young Avalician Dragoness with two long ponytails, white armour and a blue visor over her magenta eyes. Sash Lilac shared a grin with Sonic.
A lavender Alicorn in a burgundy bodysuit with purple armour and a Purple Avalarian Dragon came flying into view and touched down on either side of the speedster duo. Twilight Sparkle used her horn to test out her magic, as she always did before battle. Spyro the Dragon cricked his neck in preparation, smoke furling from his nostrils.
The buzz of rocket boosters preceded the arrival of a golden Lombax wearing a blue Protosuit. As his sambaton-clad feet touched down, Ratchet summoned his Mega-Lancer to his hand, cocking it as he came.
From the top of a short apartment block, a grey Mobian Raccoon bearing a blue sweater and cap with a cane by a golden 'C' leapt nimbly down to join his friends. Normally, Sly Cooper kept to the shadows, but today, he was stepping into the light.
With the buzz of insectoid wings on her back, a teenage Human girl with black-blue hair, bluebell eyes and attired in a red and black-spotted bodysuit under red, pink and grey armour hovered in. Ladybug converted her yo-yo into the Ladyblades and twirled them expertly.
An X-Wing fighter swooped overhead. As it did so, the cockpit burst open and a cloaked figure sprang out. His hood came off to reveal a Human man with dark blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin and garbed in a black tunic, right glove and boots. Landing easily with his compatriots, Luke Skywalker cast off his cloak, his green lightsaber flashing to life.
One could almost hear the cheers, not just from the remaining civilians in the city, but also from around the world.
It was as the Syndicate had expected. The League of Freedom had come to try and stop them. Well, if they thought they had a chance, they were in for a big surprise!
The ships' cannons got ready to fire on the ground again, targeting the Freedom Eight. Next moment, however, they were rocked by a deluge of laser fire and various elemental attacks.
Various fighters - X-Wings, Y-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, the Millennium Falcon and the Ghost - accompanied by Dragons and Pegasi came soaring in to engage the fleet.
The troops charged towards the Freedom Eight, weapons raised for attack. The eight heroes all shared a nod. They all knew what they needed to do, and so did their team. The city had been evacuated. It was time to bring down the hammer of justice!
Sonic and Lilac, being speed demons, were the first to make their move. Linking arms, they leapt into the air and curled together into a sparkling blue and lilac ball.
They sent StormTroopers flying like skittles in all directions. An Egg Cerberus received a swift three-way decapitation.
Egg Pawns and Badniks tried to get a look on the blue and lilac comet. Suddenly, one 'bot's arm fell off. Another's head detached with a clunk. Next moment, all of the bots literally went in pieces, their bolts having been removed.
The two speedsters landed nimbly, in the centre of a hoard of shadowtroopers. All of them had their lightsabers out, ready to strike.
Sonic and Lilac glanced briefly at each other as they put their backs to each other. They shared a wink and drew their lightsabers.
The shadowtroopers swarmed them.
Blue, violet and red blades clashed all over the place. The Hedgehog and Dragoness were like smoke. Their blades, hands and feet were a mind-numbing blur. Troopers unleashed blasts of lightning or telekinetic waves that ripped up the road. Hilts were twisted out of hands and sent flying through the air. More than once, a blue ball or sparkling comet bounced between troopers, knocking them out or disarming them.
Meanwhile, Twilight, Spyro and Ladybug all took flight again, to form the second wave.
Ladybug linked her Ladyblades together. Twilight and Spyro charged a blade each, Twilight with cryogenic fire and Spyro with electricity and light.
Ladybug threw her elementally-charged double sword like a boomerang. Jump Troopers, Changelings, Moth Drones and Hover bots were either simultaneously frozen and burnt, or vaporised in flashes of light.
Spyro and Twilight went back-to-back. Grublin Flies and Wyverns swarmed towards them in a cloud of living earth from all sides.
The two purple heroes fought earth with fire! Linking arms, they pivoted around in the air shooting jets of fire in all directions. Twilight's fire was mixed with ice and magic; Spyro's with electricity and light. Ash and embers floated down.
A Pegasus and a Gun Flapper advanced on them next. Twilight kicked the Flapper away with her hoof. It shot bullets everywhere. Spyro did a Horn Dive at the Pegasus. It hit the ground with a thud and turned back into a Changeling.
Back on the ground, Luke, Sly and Ratchet were facing purge Troopers, Blade Elites, Ninja bots and elephant mutant guards.
The three shared a nod, and charged.
The purge Troopers opened fire. The Jedi, Thief and Ranger scattered in different directions. Ratchet returned fire with his Mega Lancer. When the Troopers defended with energy shields, Ratchet summoned his Plasma Coil and fired at their legs. The hulking droids spasmed and jerked.
Sly leapt and somersaulted around the strikes of the Ninja bots. A few were tricked into hitting each other by mistake. An Elephant mutant tried to get the drop on the Raccoon with its trunk. Sly simply skipped to one side, and the trunk smashed through several bots.
Luke carved through a Blade Elite, and then slammed it with the Force. It careened backwards into its fellows. The Jedi threw his lightsaber with a graceful arc. It decapitated a few Elephant mutants, including the one Sly had dodged.
As more troops came at them, Luke deactivated his lightsaber and threw it to Ratchet. Ratchet in turn tossed Luke his Constructo Pistol. Without breaking step, the Lombax then tossed Sly his Ricochet and his Omniwrench. The Raccoon in turn tossed Luke his Cane.
Ratchet whirled to face a Cragmite hunter that has warped himself right behind the Lombax. Igniting Luke's lightsaber, Ratchet cleaved the Cragmite's head in half before it could fire. It burst into three Cragpoles. Before they could do more than snarl, the Lombax shot the Cragpoles right in the faces with his Dual Vipers.
Sly threw down a smoke bomb. The Moth Drones and ZhiZhui were left coughing and confused. Sly fired the Ricochet. The shot bounced from one drone to the next, felling some and injuring others. The latter, Sly brought down with powerful swings of the Wrench.
Luke's next lot were Dark Troopers. He'd dealt with them before. Force-crushing one, he then charged the Cane with electricity and threw it. Dark Troopers staggered into each other, their circuits frying. One tried to attack Luke from behind. But its fist went right through him. The Jedi Master blew it back with the Force.
As Sonic and Lilac stepped triumphantly above dead or unconscious troopers, the ground began to shake. Next moment, Egg Hammers, All-Terrain Armoured Troopers (AT-ATs), Drophyd Enforcers, Hero Orcs, Guard Bots, and Shadow Guards were advancing from all sides. To cap this off, Metal Sonic descended from above to join the fray. His metallic muzzle was twisted in a wicked grin.
The Freedom Eight just braced themselves. They could handle this! And so could their friends!
Team 1, Tundratown
Artificially-created snow swirled through the air. A chill wind bit hard on exposed skin, threatening to rub it raw. The fresh smell of snow was mixed with the scent of ozone and charred flesh.
The green blade of a lightsaber cut the air around General Rahm Kota as he put a burning canyon in the torsos of three mutants. He inverted his blade to impale a Changeling through the neck right behind him. Kota's blade clashed with the swords of a ZhiZhui, dodging thrusts from the blades he didn't intercept. He slammed it right in the chest with telekinesis. A Cragmite Warrior tried to teleport right behind him. Kota pivoted and sliced his arms off, before head-butting him hard.
An Egg Pawn took aim at Kota's back with its gun. Luckily for Kota, the robot abruptly received a hard right-side kick to the face by the high-heeled boot of Rouge the Bat. Its head flew clean off. Using her wings, the Bat continued this kick straight into the torso of a Snowtrooper. The breath was knocked from his lungs. The Bat twisted the blaster from his hand, and then slammed his helmeted head to the ground. She then gunned down a few Moth Drones who went at her.
Purple claws slashed through the cold air, as Tigresse Pourpre swiped at Drophyds and Snowtroopers around her. She threw a handful of snow at the face of a mutant. Tigresse then punched it in the stomach and pushed it back on top of two Snowtroopers.
A ZhiZhui took a flying leap towards her, its swords raised. Tigresse heard it coming. She turned the gem on her right wrist to it. In a flash, it became a duplicate of her. It cried in confusion. Tigresse caught her duplicate's foot in her Bolas and swung it around like a ball and chain. Troopers and Cragmites were knocked over like cans at an amusement park stand.
Commander Torque and Elora the Faun were back-to-back. Both were firing shots in every direction - Torque with his Laser Blaster, and Elora with her longbow. Rouge flew down to join them, letting her acquired blaster fly. A trooper fell, a smoking hole in his head. A ZhiZhui lost one of its arms.
The sound of clanking footsteps reached the ears of Rouge and Elora even over the wind and laser fire. Egg Pawns and Purge Troopers were charging at them, shields prepped.
The three heroes exchanged looks. Rouge drew a Bomb. Torque summoned his Grenade Launcher and set to 'Buster', type 'Flame'. Elora closed her eyes and chanted. The wind picked up, swirling up the snow. The 'bots kept coming, despite being blinded.
Torque and Rouge sent their Bombs flying. There was an explosion of fire. When Elora ceased her chanting, almost the entire squad was done. Only two Pawns and one Purge kept coming. Elora simply pressed her hand to the ground. Icy vines sprang up and caught up the 'bots, tearing them apart.
Firing from the sky heralded the coming of Flappers, Buzzbombers, Hover bots and Tachyon Gunships.
Kota looked round at their sound, but his blind eyes were no help. And neither was his Force Sight.
Torque set his gun to 'Flyer' and the type to 'Wood'. He sent a green boomerang spinning through the air. Several of the flying machines exploded. But more came in their place.
Elora looked round at Kota. She knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and chanted again.
Next moment, Kota was able to tell where the flyers were. He nodded at Elora in thanks.
Holstering his lightsaber on his back, the General cocooned himself in a Force shield. He lifted several pieces of debris. Torque, Elora and Tigresse jumped up onto larger debris. Rouge took flight again, more bombs prepped.
Kota began to throw the debris in chunks. Torque, Elora and Tigresse went up with them. Rouge flew up with them at high speed.
The debris smashed into the flying machines. The Commander, Faun and Miraculous wielder leapt at their enemies. Torque shot at a Hover bot at point-blank range. Elora slammed her hoof into a Drophyd. The glass orb containing it shattered. Tigresse swung her Bolas in a long arc, smashing through the Badniks. Rouge flung her bombs in all directions, and then, did a spinning kick.
The four heroes landed gracefully. Kota smiled at them with pride.
The snow-covered ground began to shudder. An AT-AT, an Egg Camel, a Heavy Egg Hammer, several Guard bots and Drophyd Enforcers and a Whale mutant were advancing on them.
Rouge and Tigresse signalled to their allies. Torque, Elora and Kota immediately dived back, covering their ears.
Next moment, the two ladies unleashed an ultrasonic blast. The very air itself was shaken to its atoms. It is said that the blast could be heard across the city.
The bots' aural circuits were overwhelmed by the reception, causing their brains to crash. The men piloting the AT-AT felt their eardrums shatter, even as the walker was knocked into its fellow. Drophyd orbs burst apart and their bodies were either pulverised or frozen by the whirl of snow that was thrown by the blast. Even the whale was blown away, colliding with an office block and collapsing, dazed and confused.
Tigresse and Rouge relaxed, panting a little. Their comrades, their eardrums still mercifully intact, patted them approvingly on the backs.
A maniacal laugh echoed across the snowy landscape. The team looked up to see Doctor Radius Nefarious hovering down towards them through the snow.
Instinctively, Torque and Elora took aim and fired at him. The former Androx simply raised his shield to block them, sniggering mockingly.
Kota reignited his lightsaber. Rouge and Tigresse wiped sweat from their brows. Elora and Torque readied themselves for attack.
Nefarious charged down towards them. The heroes scattered. The robot scientist landed with an ominous boom.
Nefarious readied his wrist-mounted cannons. However, this meant lowering his shields. The five heroes were quick to capitalise on this. Two bombs, a bolas, a swirl of snow and a lightsaber came flying towards the mad scientist.
Nefarious batted away the bombs and the bolas. The snow was more a nuisance than anything else. He unsheathed a blade on his wrist and swatted the lightsaber in another direction.
However, it quickly turned out to all be a diversion. Kota, Torque, Rouge, Tigresse and Elora all came at Nefarious from different directions.
Rouge slammed her high-heeled boot into Nefarious' face. He retaliated with a blast of energy from his hand. It narrowly missed.
Kota kicked out at Nefarious' leg, just as Torque and Tigresse grabbed him around the torso. Nefarious buckled, but endured. He took a swipe at Kota with his claws. A scratch was left on the back of Kota's cuirass. Nefarious then got a scratch of his own on the chest from Tigresse, just as Torque shot at him at point-blank range. The robot also got a blast of ice-cold water in the face-plate, courtesy of Elora. While it didn't cause any malfunctions, it did annoy Nefarious significantly. He unleashed a blast of missiles and sent copies of himself in all directions. This got Torque and Tigresse off him.
Kota came at him again, his lightsaber back in his hands. Nefarious countered with his own blade. Torque hit him in the back of the head with a Metal Bomb. The scientist staggered forward. Kota caught him with a Force Push straight in the torso.
Nefarious tried to respond with more energy blasts. But his aim was off. He was instead sent flying into a drift by a blast of magic from Elora.
For a moment, Dr Nefarious seemed defeated. But then, he got to his feet, shaking snow off himself and snarling fury.
The team simply beckoned him on. They all knew Doctor Nefarious would only give in to squishies when he was scrap!
Team 2, Rainforest District
Rain dripped from the thick canopy. Animals shrieked and dived for cover, as blaster fire ripped through the stuffy air.
Scout troopers, Pawns and Cragmites were taking pot shots through the trees. Their shots blew chunks of wood from the trees and caused wet plants to smoke profusely.
Shadow the Hedgehog poked his head from behind a thick trunk. He took aim with his Shadow Rifle and pulled the trigger. A Cragmite Hunter burst apart into three smaller creatures in a shower of green blood. Angela Cross and Hunter felled them with sniper shots and arrows.
One of the scout troopers drew a bazooka, and took aim. Before she could pull the trigger, however, something rose unexpectedly from her shadow; or rather, somepony.
The black Alicorn filly kicked out hard, getting the scout square in the face. The helmet's visor cracked. The scout collapsed.
Her fellows tried to shoot the filly. But she simply shadow-melded away in a heartbeat. Suddenly, Nyx Sparkle popped up again on the other side of the group, this time with Spike the Dragon at her side. An Egg Pawn and Cragmite got a face full of emerald fire. The rest were blinded by a flash of bright light from Nyx's horn. Shadow, Hunter and Angela were quick to exploit the opening.
Without warning, the temperature began to drop. The smell of carbonite filled the air. The clanking of heavy footsteps reached the group's ears.
Carbonite war droids were petrifying the trees! Armed with massive shields, the massive walkers were exploiting the general dampness. Frozen trees were smashed aside or crushed. Behind them, Imperial riot troopers, Protoguards, Mutants and ZhiZhui marched, shielded by the massive clankers.
Hunter and Angela shot at them. But the droids blocked with their massive shields.
It was time to go close quarters. The team charged at the droids. Nyx lit her horn, enveloped some of the shields, and either crushed them or hit the droids at them.
Angela took out two homemade bombs. She lobbed one each at two droids. The moment the bombs detonated against the shields, rust spread rapidly across them. They crumbled away into piles of iron oxide.
Shadow the Hedgehog leapt forward. Curling into a Spin Dash, he slammed into the nearest droid. It staggered back and tried to freeze him in place with its carbonite-sprayer. Shadow threw a Chaos Spear at the droid's elbow. The sprayer was sliced off. The droid and a second standing next to it were sprayed with carbonite, freezing them in their tracks. The black Hedgehog shattered them with another Spin Dash.
Nyx merged with her shadow to dodge a blast of carbonite. She slithered up onto the droid itself. Confused, the droid tried to hit her by slamming its left fist onto its chassis. All that did was knock itself over. Nyx returned to three dimensions to lift another droid with her magic and crush it like tinfoil. She threw the crumpled ball at two more droids. They collapsed onto troops standing behind them.
Spike, Hunter and Angela went for the troops themselves. Spike roasted a ZhiZhui with his fire. Unfortunately, it proved more resilient than expected and took a swipe at him with its swords. Fortunately, the blade just bounced off Spike's hard scales. Grinning, the small Dragon thrust his stun baton into the ZhiZhui's stomach. Angela finished it with a shot to the head.
Riot troopers ran at Spike. Hunter jumped in to help. Spike dropped a smoke bomb to confuse them. The two grabbed the nearest trooper's electro-staff and wrested it away from him. Spike downed the trooper with his fire. Hunter zapped another with his new weapon. He threw an arrow into another's helmet, piercing his eye. The Cheetah drew his bow. He and Spike fixed the staff to the string and let it fly. The staff skewered a mutant Elephant in the chest.
Summoning her hover board, Angela flew out of reach of a mutant Elephant swinging its trunk at her. She threw a bomb down at it. The mutant swatted it away with its long nose. It instead exploded on two ZhiZhui and a trooper. They shrieked in pain as angry red marks burst into life across the rock-like skin of the ZhiZhui.
Before the mutant and some Protoguards could fire at Angela, Nyx flew up to her. The black Alicorn channelled some magic into another bomb. Angela then threw it. There was a flash of purple light. The mutant and Protoguards were turned into sheep. Spike roasted them with his fire. Angela and Nyx did a fist-hoof bump.
Shadow sped at another mutant Elephant. He jumped up and delivered several punches and kicks to its face, all at high speeds. Hunter finished it with an arrow to the head.
Shadow warped over to a riot trooper. He kicked him hard in the back of the head. Nyx seized him in her magic and slammed him against a tree.
Nyx blinded a ZhiZhui with darkness. Spike closed in and got him with his stun baton. The surrogate siblings high-fived.
Angela took out a Protoguard with a Sniper Rifle. Unfortunately, an Elephant managed to hit her hover-board. The female Lombax fell off. But as she fell, she just managed to squeeze off the trigger, getting the Elephant in the chest. Hunter caught Angela before she hit the ground.
The team looked around. That had been the last enemy. The rain had stopped. All was quiet and still.
Without warning, an unnatural darkness fell. The humid air turned suddenly cold and biting. Ethereal voices echoed from everywhere and nowhere. The rainforest itself rippled and twisted.
The team readied themselves for a renewed attack. They looked round in all directions.
Three figures stood nearby. One was instantly recognisable as Twilight Sparkle. The other two were a Human girl with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, and a Lombax woman who looked a lot like Angela.
The heroes paused. What was this? How were Maria Kintobor and Lorna Cross here when they were dead? Why was Twilight here? And why did she staring coldly at Spike and Nyx?
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. Maria collapsed to the ground, fatally injured. Shadow gasped in horror.
A dark mass made of purple-black clouds arose behind Twilight and Lorna. From the top, appeared Ripto, his scaled muzzle twisted with malice. Hunter cowered. That Riptoc was back again!
Twilight and Lorna tried to flee. Smoky tentacles extended and grabbed them. Spike and Angela tried to run forward, but they couldn't. Their legs had turned to stone! They could only watch as Twilight and Lorna were hauled towards an opening maw full of sharp teeth.
The only one who wasn't overly affected was Nyx. Though she had winced at the sight of the Nightmare grabbing her mother, she shook her head. This couldn't be real! It had to be a trick!
A burst of magic streamed from her horn. The vision, for that was what it was rippled and dissipated. Upon this realisation, Shadow snarled in anger. Spike, Hunter and Angela looked relieved
King Sombra emerged from the shadows, his red and green eyes illuminated eerily with purple mist. Dark magic swirled from his horn. A twisted grin split his face. A long scythe formed in his hands, dark energy glowing along its edge.
Angela backed off. So did Hunter. This was primarily a job for Shadow, Nyx and Spike.
Shadow fingered his inhibitor rings. Sombra was a formidable adversary, but the black Hedgehog resolved to only take the rings off as a last resort. Instead, he drew his lightsaber and positioned himself ready, with his blade angled down at his side.
Nyx formed a weapon of her own with her magic. She wasn't going to allow Sombra to tear them apart, either physically or mentally.
Spike drew a Crystal sword from his belt. It was time to prove his worth and do his duty as Saviour of the Crystal Empire.
Sombra raised his scythe and beckoned.
Team 3, Meadowlands
The low grass in the eponymous leas seemed to shiver under the imposing battleships overhead. The smell of pollen and sounds of running water seemed almost to mock the terrorists decimating the area.
Two motorbikes roared through the streets of Meadowlands. One was a red bike, ridden by Carol the Wildcat and Porcelet. The other was an aerodynamic pink bike with purple highlights, ridden by Sonia the Hedgehog and Talwyn Apogee. Rotor Walrus flew above them, clad in his Iron Suit.
Behind them, Moto-Bugs and Scout troopers on speeder bikes roared in hot pursuit. Laser bolts fired after the heroes.
Talwyn and Rotor shot back at their pursuers. Porcelet sent smoke bombs from her Fragrance gun. But the stench wasn't enough to stop the chase. One Moto-Bug got a puncture in its tyre. It wobbled, tipped over and tumbled along the road. A speeder bike collided with it. The scout riding was thrown up into the air.
As the chase continued, Robo-Falcons joined in from above. As Carol and Sonia took evasive action, Rotor ascended to deal with the newcomers. The Walrus punched one Falcon hard in the face. Then he grabbed it and flung it into another. He fired upon a third and body slammed a fourth. Rotor ripped a Falcon's head off and kicked it hard at the last, destroying it.
On the ground, a Moto-Bug and a speeder bike had caught up to Carol and Sonia, drawing alongside them. However, this was what the girls wanted to happen.
Porcelet reached out, opened her mouth wide and tore the Moto-Bug's head off with her teeth. Carol then slashed out at it with her claws, ripping straight through the hard metal. The Moto-Bug fell to the ground in pieces. The two ladies fist-bumped as Porcelet chewed up the robot's head.
Talwyn leapt at the speeder bike. The Markazian pushed the trooper off the seat. She grabbed the handles and took control. Turning the handles sharply, Talwyn swung the speeder around in a long graceful arc. Soon, she was behind the enemy. She opened fire at them. Three bikes and four Moto-Bugs were destroyed instantly. But some had been wise enough to copy Talwyn's U-turn, and were still behind her, firing after the Markazian.
Talwyn simply banked to the left. Porcelet was revealed. The pig-themed hero opened her mouth and unleashed a blast of energy. At the same time, Sonia extended a free hand. Talwyn flew clear with her jetpack as the speeder bike disassembled itself. The pieces flew back towards the Moto-Bugs and scouts. Combined with the energy blast, they became confused. In their attempt to dodge, they collided with each other. There was a massive explosion.
Talwyn landed back on Sonia's bike. But as the ladies and Rotor looked ahead, they saw a roadblock ahead. Two All-Terrain Scout Transports (AT-STs) dominated the scene. Around their feet were several Imperial Saber Guards, Shade Elites, Moth Drones, Drophyd troopers and E-2000s.
Sonia simply grinned. All enemy metal might be demagnetized, but the metal on her bike wasn't.
She accelerated at the roadblock, dodging gunfire from the AT-STs as she went. The Princess looked back at Talwyn and nodded. The Markazian flew clear, just as Sonia's bike disassembled into its component pieces. In a second, the bike had become a swarm of flying metal, with the orchid Hedgehog in the centre, who drew her keyboard.
The Saber Guards and E-2000s flew out of the way. Their comrades weren't so lucky. The flying debris tore through the Elites, Drones and Drophyds like bullets from a machine gun. Some were finished off by shots from Sonia's keyboard.
Strangely, the AT-STs were missed. But the troopers inside them didn't have to wait to learn why.
Carol and Porcelet came flying at the AT-ST on their left, having just gone up a ramp of metal, courtesy of Sonia. Porcelet extended her rake. Carol sent the bike into a forward spin.
The AT-ST's cabin crumpled on impact as the two girls smashed through. The other walker tried to get at them with its twin blaster cannons. But no sooner were they clear of the smashed cabin, than Carol used the momentum to throw her bike in a manner similar to her disc, just as she and Porcelet turned upside down in the air. The motorcycle-turned-projectile crashed into the cabin with enough force to make it overbalance. It toppled over backwards and hit the ground with a heavy thud!
Sonia, Rotor and Talwyn had now engaged the Saber Guards and E-2000s. Sonia deftly parried strikes and jabs from the Guards with her lightsaber. A robot attempted to fire at her from behind. Sonia threw a hard jab into its cannon. The E-2000 blocked with its shield. Sonia instead punched it in the chassis, just as Rotor punched it from behind.
Sonia grabbed the shield. Rotor grabbed the 'bot and flung it into two more guards.
Talwyn fired at a Guard with her blaster. He blocked the shot. But this was what Talwyn wanted. Next moment, an E-2000 took aim at Talwyn's back. She ducked the blast, and it hit the Guard instead full in the face.
Talwyn grabbed one of the fallen Guard's lightsabers, and decapitated the 'bot behind her. Rotor kicked the head towards a second Guard. He added a shot from his wrist cannons for extra punch.
Porcelet employed her rake like a quarterstaff against a Guard. She parried blows with ease, before slamming the blunt end into his face. His visor cracked, the Guard jabbed out with one of his blades. Porcelet opened her mouth and literally swallowed his blade. Before the Guard could do more than gape in shock, he and an E-2000 behind him were blasted in the face with a burst of energy from the girl's mouth.
Carol leapt over to Porcelet. Grabbing onto the rake, the Wildcat was swung about by Porcelet, her claws extended. Guards and robots fell, scratch marks gouged deep into them.
Sonia butted a Guard in the face with her newly acquired shield. Talwyn shot him in the back. Rotor blasted an E-2000 full in the face. He then used the legs to bludgeon another Guard. Porcelet flung Carol at the last E-2000. The Wildcat sliced the 'bot cleanly in half with her claws.
Just as the team stood back to admire their teamwork, Carol's whiskers and fur bristled. She looked round, and, hissing angrily, pointed.
Lord Arktivus Brevon sat within the cockpit of his personal starship, the Absolution. His blood-red eyes gleamed with sadistic glee. His grin gave one clear message: Stand aside or suffer the consequences!
Talwyn and Rotor reloaded their weapons. Sonia reassembled her bike. Porcelet brandished her rake; and Carol, her claws.
Brevon just smiled. He honestly preferred it this way.
The four-legged Absolution took off and unleashed a flurry of missiles. Rotor and Talwyn soared upward. Sonia and Carol belted on their bikes, Porcelet with them. The missiles impacted all over the place, blowing up rock and mud.
Brevon brought the Absolution around in a wide arc, building momentum. It came charging towards the bike riders at full speed. They veered in opposite directions. The Absolution landed with a ground-crashing thud.
Rotor and Talwyn pelted the craft with laser shots. Brevon just laughed as their shots glanced uselessly off the hard metal. That is, until one shot managed to strike one of the leg joints. The Absolution staggered slightly.
Before Brevon could react any further, Sonia, Carol and Porcelet came at him again. Sonia pummelled his craft with her dismantled bike. Carol left deep scratches with her claws. Porcelet whacked at it with her rake.
Snarling, Brevon made the Absolution take off again, hoping to throw the heroes off. But they proved more resilient than he had expected.
As the Absolution soared over the Meadowlands, Rotor and Talwyn in hot pursuit, Sonia and Carol met Brevon's ominous, bloody glare.
Most would be instantly cowed by such a gaze.
Sonia Hedgehog and Carol Tea just grinned.