Sonic Rainboom: Chaos Within Harmony

by DareDreamer

After major events in their respective worlds, the seven Chaos Emeralds and the six Elements of Harmony collide and cause both Sonic's world and Equestria to go on a collision course! It falls to two speedy blue heroes on the ground and the sky- as well as all their friends- to fix things! But can they do it before both of their worlds are destroyed in the chaos? Piece of cake!

28. The Egg-questrian

Sonic knew that Eggman's "toys" were a blast to play with. Sure, the doc had them armed to the teeth with the deadliest tech imaginable, but that made things all the more exhilarating. But this toy? Hoo boy, Eggman had really outdone himself this time. The so-called "Egg-questrian" (to be fair, "Egg Horse" or "Egg Unicorn" would've sounded lame in Sonic's opinion) was pulling out all the stops and then some. That was all because of the secret ingredient Eggman had thrown into the mix: harvested magic from this world's four-legged residents. Sonic had to admit, Eggman was right when he said that the hedgehog didn't have much experience with magic, but that didn't mean Sonic wouldn't have a hard time overcoming it like the other challenges thrown his way.

Okay, check that. He would have a hard time dealing with it.

The hedgehog leaped to his feet as the air around him sparkled with otherworldly energy. The Blue Blur stood among a scarred trail in the metallic floor and his fur felt heated. He should've felt lucky he avoided the worst of it, but he couldn't say the same for the blackened wall behind him. That last blast almost took him by surprise, but he'd be ready for it next time. For now, though, it was time to get back in the game.

The Fastest Thing Alive rocketed back to the center of the room, where his friends from this world and the other one were engaged with Eggman's latest mecha. They were swarming the machine like flies on a dog, darting in and out while avoiding powerful magic-composed laser blasts from the robot's artificial horn. Red streams of light lit up the room and left black marks on whatever it touched, decorating the walls and floor with dark streaks. "Hold still, you furry fiends!" barked the man from within the mech's head. None of them heeded the scientist's words, constantly avoiding both the blasts and the large hooves that threatened to crush whoever found themselves too close to the limbs.

Airborne, Twilight strafed the machine and peppered its hull with amethyst magic bursts. The mech ignored the miniature streams, the rays leaving no mark on the crimson chassis that covered it. Beneath the robot, Amy, Knuckles, and Applejack attempted to target the machine's legs to bring the mech down, but the limbs' constant motion made their task a challenging one. Applejack had to leap away before a hind leg could squash her and the echidna had to roll from another that almost lashed out at him. Sliding underneath the left foreleg, Amy swung her hammer at the limb's ankle joint with a reverberating clang… but no visible damage was done. "This doesn't bode well!"

Rainbow and Fluttershy swooped around the mech with Tails in tow, watchful of laser blasts pointed at them. The fox scrambled to find some kind of weak point in the machine, but disappointment crossed his features when he failed to find one. Rarity and Pinkie Pie kept their distance, shooting both blue magic rays and cake batter at the machine… which connected uselessly against its hull. Eggman was too engrossed in his current attack to notice the attack, filling Rarity's heart with dread. "Why do I have the feeling he built this thing to be extraordinarily strong?"

"It may be tough, but it's not invincible!" Twilight looked on the positive side. "We just need to find a vulnerability!" It wasn't a terrible tactic, but it was easier said than done. Anyone that dared approach the mech was forced to withdraw lest they be crushed into a pancake or blasted into oblivion. Sonic zigzagged between the legs before ricocheting off all four, hoping to stagger the bionic beast. Unfortunately, the limbs were more armored than he expected, and the machine remained standing.

"HAHAHAHA!" Eggman bellowed from the mech's cockpit. "Is something the matter? You can't keep this up forever!" Sonic hated to admit it, but his enemy was right: as long as he and his friends continued at this rate, they would get nowhere fast. He needed an idea, and his mind raced as fast as his body to think up one. The Egg-questrian was sturdy, just like Eggman's standard mech design to counter Sonic's trademark tactic of ramming himself at them. Brute force wouldn't be enough to cut it, but projectile attacks like magic weren't doing much good, either. How much of an adept did Twilight say she was?

The hedgehog's eyes tore away from the battle, finally remembering that he and the others weren't the only ones in the room with Eggman. The prison cell-slash-magic drainer holding Princesses Celestia and Luna was enough to spur something in the hedgehog's brain. None of the previous attempts to break through the shield- and the glass- to rescue the princess proved sufficient, but maybe…

Sonic zipped in front of the cell and placed two fingers to his mouth, letting out a high-pitched whistle before waving his arms. "Nice derby horse, Eggface! Not bad for a debut, but has it been distracted by a mechanical carrot yet?"

"I'll be fortunate to not hear you mock my creations after this, rodent!" Eggman roared, turning the Egg-questrian in the hedgehog's direction and charging up the mech's horn with crimson magic. "Let's see you try to outrun this!" On cue, the red ray shot from the horn, quickly closing in on Sonic and painting a crimson glow on the hedgehog's face. At the last second, Sonic dashed away, allowing the beam to strike the princesses' prison. A large crackle of energy flooded his vision before the beam died down…

…but the shield and the cell it protected remained intact, causing the hedgehog to groan in exasperation. "Oh, come on! I was sure that would work!" What else could they do? Tails said the shield's controls would be in the control room above them, but there was no way Eggman would just let them-

The red glow returned and Sonic slammed into overdrive, the crimson beam tearing up everything behind him. The hedgehog ran around the chamber in a full circle, fighting to stay ahead of the destructive ray. Whatever his friends were doing to stop the beam, it had no effect since Eggman solely focused on his hated enemy. Upon feeling the beam inch closer to his position, the Blue Blur dove to the side and rolled to his feet, the beam slicing through the space behind him.

"Ha!" he laughed, trying to put that signature snark of his on full display. "You oughta train that horse of yours to-" A different kind of sound cut the hedgehog off; a sound that made everyone freeze in their tracks. It wasn't coming from the mech, but from the room around them: a low creaking noise. Sonic's eyes darted to the glowing orange lines carved into the floor from the mech's beam; a perfect circle that connected by the floor right in front of the cell. The realization struck Sonic like one of his own Homing Attacks while the creaking grew louder in tone.

"Ah, shoot…"

With a tremendous snap, the chamber floor fell away and sent everything standing on it plummeting into the dark depths below, their screams echoing as they fell. Everyone who could fly immediately halted their descent, but those who couldn't do so continued to freefall toward the base's lower levels. Sonic righted himself and tucked in his limbs, speeding up his fall and zeroing in on the closest friend in danger he could find.

"Reroute power to thrusters! Reroute! REROUTE!" Eggman's hurried command rang through the air, but the howling wind in the hedgehog's ears threatened to drown out his words. Sonic reached a tumbling Pinkie Pie and snatched the pony up, clutching her to his chest. Twilight quickly gathered up the rest of her friends in a magic aura while Tails grabbed onto Amy. Knuckles steadied his body into a glide and drifted towards the pit's cylindrical wall, his namesakes piercing the metallic surface.

The echidna paused to catch his breath as everyone else continued their fall, Sonic now running down the wall in a spiral motion with his pink passenger squealing in delight as if she was riding a roller coaster. An unmistakable mass of red and black shot past Knuckles' view… and with narrowed eyes, the echidna leaped from his perch and dove after the mech with outstretched fists and a roar of rage.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Eggman growled, spinning around the mech and firing a stream of concentrated magic rays at Knuckles. Forced to abandon his pursuit with a grunt, Knuckles twisted away from the streams and transitioned into a glide again to catch up with his falling friends. Some of those small beams whizzed away to find additional targets, forcing the flyers to zip away. Sonic sidestepped any rays that locked onto him, the wall going up in bursts of red smoke behind him. The last ones dissipated quickly and Sonic vaulted off, coming to a sliding halt on the floor below.

"Wheee! That was fun! Can we do it again?!" Pinkie cheered. The hedgehog hesitated for a moment. "Uh, maybe when we're not being attacked by a big horse robot with magic lasers?" Tails, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Fluttershy touched down perfectly, Amy swinging out of the fox's grasp and the princess releasing her magical hold on Applejack and Rarity. Knuckles came to a rolling landing and immediately turned his eyes to a shadow that loomed over the biologicals. The Egg-questrian fired off thrusters in each of its hooves, slowing its fall and coming to a perfect landing, the resounding thump echoing throughout the… where were they, anyway?

Sonic took a moment to look around, noticing parked shuttles and inactive fighter craft. Some sort of launch tube or a hangar bay, perhaps? It looked long enough to house dozens, if not hundreds, of assault ships that would take off, land, undergo maintenance, and other technical tasks if Eggman was preparing for an invasion. Movement snapped him out of his observation; right, they still had a giant robot to trash. Rainbow was by his side with open wings, growling at the robot like a mad dog.

"You both have caused more than enough trouble to my plans here," Eggman boomed at the speedsters, the mech's horn charging up again. "I'm almost sorry that it has to end this way… NOT!" The crimson beam lit up the dark hangar and shot for the blue heroes at high speed… but instead of connecting with its intended target, a certain purple alicorn teleported in front of the beam and countered it with a powerful blast of her own.

"GO!" Twilight yelled, an order that Sonic and Rainbow didn't hesitate to follow. Both speedsters broke off in different directions and zeroed in on the mech in an offensive maneuver. Again, Sonic went for the legs and bashed against them like bumpers while Rainbow zipped around the mech's cockpit and periodically popped up in front of Eggman's view to irritate the scientist. The mustached madman instinctively sneered at the pegasus but wrenched his eyes at the Egg-questrian's controls to avoid a rather costly move. As he predicted, Twilight Sparkle's magic was unprecedented compared to her fellow horn-heads, second only to the former rulers who passed their mantle onto her. The mech's magic beam was firing at 50% power and the little princess was remarkably matching it. Adorable…

"How cute," Eggman chuckled. "But get a load of THIS!" He cranked up the beam's power to 75%, adding more strength to the devastating blast. Twilight struggled to hold the beam back, pushing all of her magic into her attempts to do so. The counteracting force caused the princess to slide back with her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth bared. Despite the heavy pressure against her, Twilight continued to resist.

"Oh, you stubborn little…" Eggman dialed the power up to 90%, and before long a pained shriek accompanied a sudden absence of violet magic. Eggman quickly killed the beam, the red ray vanishing to reveal Twilight Sparkle several meters away, her purple coat covered in singe marks. The alicorn's horn sputtered out one more spark of magic before the princess collapsed, unable to provide much of a threat to Eggman. Screams of horror rang out among the others, but the scientist paid them no mind. "Don't think I believed you were just as dangerous as the hedgehog and that other one. I've been thinking about having you watch the fall of your kingdom, Twilight, but now… I've changed my mind. Farewell, princess."

Eggman moved to initiate another blast, but a high-pitched cry of rage cut through the air. "FOR THE ANIMALS!" Fluttershy planted herself against the canopy, her features twisted into an uncharacteristic fury focused on the doctor. At her presence, Eggman jumped back in fright. "GAH! What are you-?!"

"I'LL SEND YOU TO THE DARKEST PITS OF TARTARUS!" Fluttershy roared, pounding on the canopy's exterior with one hoof. Eggman's surprise turned into an anger that could only hope to match the pegasus' rage, and he yanked the controls this way and that. The Egg-questrian took a few steps back and shook its head wildly, hoping to throw the yellow mare off its fabricated face. Rainbow and Applejack paused in their tending to Twilight, the cyan pegasus whistling in appreciation. "Remind me never to accidentally step on Angel…"

"Uh… noted," the cowgirl replied, feeling somewhat uneasy about Fluttershy's continuous screaming. Some, however, were less than focused on their friend's newfound fury, as Pinkie was hopping in place again. "Oooh, that looks like fun! I wanna join, I wanna join!" An opportunistic smile crossed Amy's face and she held out her hammer, allowing Pinkie to grab on. The pink hedgehog spun in place like a spinning top and threw Pinkie with all her might, sending the earth pony sailing through the air.

The pink pony splattered against the cockpit right next to the still-raging Fluttershy, who appeared unaware of the new arrival. Eggman jolted and cringed at Pinkie's smile, the pony's blue eyes darting across the controls. "Oooh, what's that button do? And that one? And that one? How do you make it walk?"

"AGH!" Eggman roared, resuming the frantic head shakes of the mech that staggered about blindly. "GET OFF, YOU DISGUSTINGLY POSITIVE CRETINS!" The Eqq-questrian flailed about like a mad bull desperate to throw off its rider, an occasional red beam spraying through the air uncontrollably. One such beam sliced through a shuttle that Sonic sprinted past, swallowing the ship in a cloud of smoke and blowing the hedgehog off his feet. He rolled back to a stand and stared the mech down, sharing a nod with Amy by his side. Both hedgehogs broke into a run for the robot, their arms by their sides. A wild downward movement from the mech was finally enough to fling Pinkie and Fluttershy off, both ponies tumbling along the metal floor with the master of laughter sliding comically to a halt. With them now out of the way, Eggman quickly took notice of the two hedgehogs coming for him.

"Oh, you want some, too?!" he chortled, slamming a fist down on a button. Small compartments emerged from the mech's shoulders and launched a swarm of heat-seeking missiles, the ballistics roaring toward the pair. Sonic and Amy's eyes went wide and they launched into a set of backflips, the missiles detonating against the floor with rattling impacts and bursts of flame among clouds of smoke. Amy swatted away two more missiles with her hammer and vaulted over a third while Sonic leaped away from a missile targeting him. He knocked aside a third missile with a Homing Attack, and that projectile reduced a fighter ship to a smoldering wreck. Using the newly-rising smoke to shroud himself from Eggman's sight, Sonic took off and blasted up a curved wall, scaling it in seconds. At the top of his ascent, the hedgehog vaulted off and shot at the mech's head in a spinning ball…

…but a glowing red aura suspended him in mid-air, much to the surprise of the hedgehog and anyone who was watching below. "Ah-ah-ah! That little trick won't work this time!" Eggman taunted with a wag of his finger. Sonic opened his mouth to retort that the scientist was copying his own gesture, but the Egg-questrian's head jerked to the side and sent Sonic slamming into the wall. The hedgehog cringed in pain before the mech's head flicked to the other side, smashing Sonic against the opposite wall and denting it from the impact. With an evil grin on his face, Eggman jerked the mech's head back and forth, slamming Sonic against the walls repeatedly. After five consecutive hits, he raised the hedgehog high and then sharply moved the head down, driving Sonic onto the floor with a loud bang. The red aura died down as the hedgehog moaned in pain, with shocked gasps from his friends and laughter from the mad doctor.

"Aw… no witty banter, Sonic? A shame. I thought our last game would have some merit. Oh, well. I expected more out of you, but I guess that's how it goes when you're pummeled to a pulp. Now, say goodnight!" Eggman's grin grew bigger and he pressed his thumb over the button that initiated the magic beam… but instead of a charge, a warning flashed in its place.

ALERT: MAGIC LEVELS LOW. REQUEST RESUPPLY.

"What?!" Eggman gasped, quickly shutting off the mic before staring at the alert in shock. "No, no, no! Not now! How could this… argh, of course!" The scientist chastised himself and banged a fist on one of the armrests. He'd been too careless; the Egg-questrian was meant to hold a specific amount of magic for maximum efficiency. He'd already lost count of how many times he fired the primary beam, and a true genius needs to be resourceful. To expend too much in so little time was a mistake he could not allow… but Sonic was right there, ready to be blasted into nothing. But if Eggman ignored the warning and continued, he'd risk the unthinkable.

BAM! Something rocked the mech from below, jolting the scientist from his thoughts. Down by the Egg-questrian's foreleg, Knuckles threw punch after punch on the limb, each blow rocking the robot. Eggman's heart slammed into a panic and his fingers flew over the controls. "N-NO! Come on, comeoncomeoncomeon!" The gyroscopic stabilizers were faltering; any more direct hits and locomotion would be compromised. Where was it? Where was the blasted- there!

"Engage Warp Drive!" Eggman roared, practically punching the button for it. The mech's remaining magic poured into one of the torso engines, surrounding the machine with a bright light… and blinked away, revealing nothing but thin air. Knuckles' next hit whiffed at nothing, and the echidna blinked in surprise. "What-?! Did… did he just throw the fight?!"

"Sonic?! Sonic!" Tails shook the dazed hedgehog back to consciousness. "Are you okay?!" The Blue Blur sat up with a dizzy moan, shaking his head woozily. "I… I'm good… even more so if anybody had any spare rings on them…" Nearby, Twilight willed herself to her feet, Fluttershy and Pinkie aiding the princess in standing. The princess coughed before bringing herself to speak. "What… what happened? Wh-where…"

"Eggman just… vanished?" Amy wasn't really sure about what she had just seen. "What was that all about?" Rarity was the first to offer a suggestion. "Er… perhaps he feels pity?" Knuckles just shook his head. "That creep? No way! He probably thought he didn't have a chance, so he booked it! Good thing I hurt that thing before it got away, too!"

"No, that doesn't make any sense," Tails rebutted. "Eggman's always thinking he has the upper hand, so running away is the last thing he would…" The fox's eyes lit up. "Wait a minute… Knuckles, did you just say you hurt it?"

"Yeah!" The echidna bumped his fists together. "About time, too! That robot's got a scar or two to remember me by!" Applejack didn't share the brawler's enthusiasm. "So how come the rest of us couldn't even scratch that thing?" Knuckles just shot a proud look at the cowgirl. "Probably because some of us aren't new to mangling machines! No offense." A suspicious glint twinkled in Twilight's eye. "No, I don't think this is about skill. When Eggman first appeared in that robot, we had such a hard time fighting it! And now, he had the perfect opportunity to finish off Sonic… so why didn't he?"

"And why could it be damaged at that time?" Amy added while Sonic rose to his feet, brushing himself off. "Something doesn't add up." The pink hedgehog was about to ponder this further when Rainbow flew up with an irritated face. "Hey! Why are we just sitting here asking questions when we should be going back for the princesses? Eggman's gone, for now, so we should take this chance and bust them out before he comes-"

Another flash of red light erupted before the heroes, cutting off the pegasus. When it faded, the Egg-questrian stood in its place with glowing yellow eyes and a mischievously-smiling Eggman at the controls. Rainbow gulped at its presence. "...back."

"I'm sorry, was I interrupting anything?" taunted Eggman, the mech's mouthplate carrying his voice throughout the hangar. "And speaking of interruptions, I wouldn't expect to see that again if I were you. Now, where were we? Oh, yes! I was about to BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS!" At the press of a button, more missiles flew from the mech's shoulders and zeroed in on the heroes' position. Twilight and Rarity jumped to the front of the pack, their horns aglow with light. Amethyst beams shot out from Twilight's horn at the rate of machine-gun fire and blasted missiles out of the air while others detonated against Rarity's sturdy diamond shield. Soon, every missile had burst with fire and smoke, with ominous mechanical stomping looming beyond it.

Twilight refused to be intimidated by this mechanical monstrosity, even after she was scorched by its overpowering beam earlier. She harnessed her recovering magic into her horn, ready to act if Eggman pulled that stunt again. Once her peak had been reached, the princess of friendship fired a bright amethyst ray through the smoke, expecting for the Egg-questrian's crimson laser to meet it halfway again. The good news was that the beam met no opposition on its path to the robot. The bad news was that the opposition came the moment it struck the mech.

To be more specific, it came when the beam struck an energy shield projected from the robot's horn, the defensive barrier forming a sphere-like translucent bubble around the mech. The shield continued to hold even when Twilight increased the beam's power, and Eggman let out a taunting yawn from his seat. After ten seconds, Twilight ceased her attack lest she wear herself out again. Steady breaths came and went while worry flashed through her eyes. The shield died down and the mech took an assault stance with its horn aglow and missile compartments open.

"Sonic…" Rainbow whispered. "I think we should do what we do best."

"Totally," Sonic agreed. "Sometimes, a tactical retreat never hurts." Without another word, the hedgehog spun on his heel and took off down the long tunnel, a blue trail of light marking his hasty escape. A colored streak followed, accompanied by a violet blur with multiple raspberry auras indicating levitated ponies, a rapidly-retreating yellow flier among them. An orange figure flew away with its tails rotating swiftly, while two red and pink figures below broke into a frantic sprint. The Egg-questrian's targeting systems locked onto each organic signature it detected, and Eggman allowed a sadistic grin to cross his face.

"Time for a change of pace! HEE-YAH!" He pushed forward on the controls as if urging a real horse, the mech slowly lumbering forward at a running pace. While it started off sluggish, the robot's mobility systems neared their maximum operation levels, urging the mech to speeds that rivaled that of a stampeding herd. Its hydraulic hooves thundered through the tunnel, the powerful limbs allowing the mech to maintain its charge. Eggman readied the weapons and waited for his targets to come into range. Even from here, he noticed their shocked reactions as to how something of that size could move so quickly.

No doubt they would try to evade another missile barrage. It was time to make things difficult for them. Eggman easily located what he was looking for: the activation switch for the anti-hedgehog defenses in this sector. With a devious chuckle, he gripped the lever and pulled it down. Further down the tunnel, panels in the floor retracted and elevators lifted spiked barriers into position. "Let's see how you handle this! FIRE AWAY!"

More missiles rocketed from their launchers, streaking through the air in pursuit of the fleeing organics. Their whistling reached Sonic's ears and he trained his eyes upward to track their position. That proved to be a handful, as he quickly realized he needed to keep an eye on both the missiles and the rapidly-approaching spike traps deployed up ahead. For anyone airborne, the spikes would've served as no obstacle. The missiles were another story, as Sonic spotted Rainbow darting away from the projectiles and moving between them like a lightning bolt. Any that failed to hit their mark veered off-course and detonated in red-orange blasts against the walls or inactive aircraft that were swallowed by flames and smoke. Tails and Twilight veered away from the explosions, the former flinching from the heat on his fur. The remaining projectiles struck the floor with quaking blasts, blocking Sonic's view.

He wouldn't let that stop him, though. The hedgehog weaved between exploding missiles, sidestepping blasts and spike traps alike. Leaping over a trap and knocking a missile out of the air, Sonic landed atop an airborne missile and waited for another to home in on his position. The hedgehog jumped off and hit the ground running, both ballistics going up in a blast that shook the air behind him. Above him, Rainbow Dash was spinning wildly while two missiles pursued her, both projectiles flying about in a spiral pattern while they fought to align with their corresponding targets on the pegasus. Before long, their confused systems caused the missiles to crash against each other and allowed Rainbow to soar away from a cloud of fire.

While the speedsters in the lead avoided being blown to pieces or charging into sharp, pointy obstacles, Knuckles quickly climbed up a shuttle and broke into a run, keeping his violet eyes trained on the galloping Egg-questrian. The mech passed the shuttle in seconds, giving Knuckles the window of opportunity he needed to leap onto the robot's foreleg and immediately fight to keep his grip on the limb. It took the echidna longer than expected to adjust to the mechanical appendage's momentum, but once he got the hang of it, Knuckles began to climb his way to the machine's head. It wasn't as easy as scaling a cliffside- as those didn't move so frantically their momentum would throw you off every half-second- but it took Knuckles a full minute to reach the mech's upper body. The echidna caught the occasional glimpse of a redirected missile or an amethyst laser beam, all of which were blocked by the robot's energy shield.

Knuckles thought himself lucky he had managed to bypass the shield when it wasn't dropped. If the others had attacked sooner, he wouldn't have made it past. Realizing he was getting sidetracked, the echidna deprived the thoughts from his head and gently crawled closer to the mech's head… or more specifically, the cockpit where the cackling scientist continued to fire missiles and activate more spike traps, blissfully unaware of the stowaway's presence. Knuckles decided to leave Sonic to his usual tactic of high-speed dodges and hastened to make his own move. Seizing the mech's horn with one hand, Knuckles swung himself forward and turned himself around in midair…

…landing directly on the cockpit's glass surface. The echidna almost admired Eggman's startled reaction to yet another of his enemies in front of his face and obscuring his view. Knuckles returned the doctor's panicked expression with a satisfied grin before he drew a fist back and began pounding on the canopy with all his might. Each hit rattled the cockpit like a detonating bomb, shaking Eggman in his seat. Upon recomposing himself, the scientist sneered at the growling echidna who continued his attempts to smash his way through.

"Would you like to know how I feel about stowaways?!" Eggman snapped, grabbing the throttle and pulling it all the way back. The Egg-questrian's hooves dug into the floor, and the sudden break in momentum forcefully flung Knuckles from the mech's head. The echidna hit the ground hard and rolled onto his front, muscle memory taking over to push himself back up. The echoing thuds of mechanical footfalls on the metal floor urged Knuckles into a defensive stance… which faltered when he noticed a shadow looming over him.

The limb came down like a piston on top of the echidna, which would have crushed him then and there if it was not for the brawler's hands catching the heavy hoof. The pressure was stronger than Knuckles anticipated since Eggman was continuously putting more force into it. The echidna fell to one knee, straining to keep the forelimb from turning him into red jelly. If he kept it up any longer, he felt like his muscles were going to burst. The limb inched downward and was close to pinning Knuckles to the floor… when it unexpectedly raised itself from the echidna, who collapsed from the effort. He had just enough strength to draw his focus on the leg, which was now coated in a violet aura.

There was a determined grunt, followed by a startled yell from the man inside when the leg was flung into the air, taking the mech with it. The Egg-questrian crashed against the hangar floor with a resounding bang, sparks flying from the metal-on-metal contact. Twilight Sparkle touched down with her back to the echidna, glancing over her shoulder to check on him.

"Thanks for the save…" he panted. "Not that I needed it, of course."

The alicorn rolled her eyes humorously. "Sure, you didn't." Before Knuckles could retort, two blue and rainbow blurs roared past them and zoomed right for the downed mech. The sapphire streak rammed itself against the machine's chassis like a pinball bouncing off bumpers, each impact ringing in everyone's ears. The colored blur zipped back and forth, striking the mech wherever it could with hit-and-run tactics. From within his shaking cockpit, Eggman growled like a feral beast and fiddled with his controls. "Blasted, manic, perpetually moving-!"

With the pull of a lever, the Egg-questrian disappeared in a flash of red light, halting Sonic and Rainbow's next attack. The two speedsters whirled their heads in every direction, searching for any sign of the mech. Their answer came right to them when the machine suddenly flashed back into view and glared its yellow optic lights, its horn glowing a dark red. That energy concentrated into a crimson beam that sped for the heroes, who only had milliseconds to react. Fortunately for them, a white unicorn leaped in front of the beam with a raised diamond shield, allowing the two to race away in separate directions.

Unfortunately, Rarity's shield shattered like glass when the full-power magic beam struck it, blasting the screaming unicorn out of the air. Twilight quickly grabbed her friend in a magical aura before doing the same to the rest of her friends, flying off before another crimson beam swept through the air where she had once been. Grabbing Amy and Knuckles by the hands, Tails quickly followed the alicorn further down the hangar. Rainbow looped around the beam and shot away while Sonic had to bend over backward to avoid having his head sliced off. The instant the deadly laser passed over him, the hedgehog took off in a blue flash.

"What's this? Running away again?" Eggman taunted as his rapidly-retreating nemesis drew further from his sight. "Too bad it won't save you this time, Sonic! ENGAGE FLIGHT MODE!" The doctor slammed another button on his control panel, causing something deep within the Egg-questrian to activate. Hidden side panels in the mech's sides unlocked themselves from the main body, pulling away to reveal a pair of mechanical streamlined wings. Rocket boosters in the Egg-questrian's hooves roared to life, flames jettisoning from the feet as the propulsion units lifted the mech into the air. The tail steadied itself, acting as a balancing mechanism for the machine while turbocharged engines took over from the primary reactor. The cockpit shifted and adjusted accordingly while Eggman repositioned the throttle controls, the canopy lighting up in a heads-up display that contained altitude, current speed, target range, and magic levels.

With a gleeful grin, Eggman shoved the controls forward and immediately blasted off down the hall with a loud roar from the mech. The Egg-questrian steadily beat its wings as the hangar raced past Eggman, setting his eyes on the upcoming targets. Accessing the mech's weapons systems, he readied the main laser to fire again.

Down below, Sonic's ear twitched. "Hey, you guys hear that? Sounds like a plane of some-AAAAH!" A crimson beam sliced through the floor to his right, drawing the attention of everyone else it passed. Never breaking his stride, Sonic noticed the area around him grow darker from a passing shadow, and he joined the many eyes that were directed skyward to see the pursuing threat making its way over them. The winged Egg-questrian spun around to face the heroes, spreading open its wings menacingly while Eggman erupted with mad laughter from within.

"He made it fly!" Sonic groaned in exasperation. "He just had to make it fly!" His annoyed glare, however, quickly turned into an awaiting smile. "Meh. No biggie." The hedgehog surged ahead with a burst of speed, charging at the airborne mech that quickly detected him as the most imminent threat.

"Heh heh heh!" Eggman chortled to himself. "Like a sheep to the slaughter!"

The Egg-questrian erupted with a storm of missiles and laser beams that streaked towards the single target down below. With lightning speed, Sonic swiftly maneuvered around each projectile and jumped off several missiles before they could hit. Leaping off another, he stared down the mech's head… and noticed its horn was glowing again.

"Wuh-oh!" Sonic dropped to the floor before the crimson beam could blast him into next week, immediately racing up the cylindrical wall of the hangar before Eggman could steer the ray back around. He was up and over before Eggman could track his position, flying past the cockpit with his tongue sticking out and a finger pulling down the part of his face below his eye. By the time Eggman spun over his shoulder, Sonic touched down behind the Egg-questrian and continued his high-speed sprint through the hangar.

"Grrrrrrrr, why you fidgety little-!" Eggman quickly spun the mech around and brought the thrusters to full power, allowing the mech to give chase at top speed and literally leave everyone else in his dust. Coughing like mad and waving away the cloud, Rainbow glared at the Egg-questrian and shot forward in pursuit. She didn't doubt that Sonic could take this thing, but even he wouldn't reject a little help.

Crimson lasers lit up the dark hallway as the blue trail of light weaved this way and that to avoid the deadly laser that sliced through everything but the hedgehog. Sliced ships burst into flame, angry orange scars were carved into the walls and floor, and streams of red light swung around the scene. "Bring back memories, doc?!" Sonic shouted over the screams of sweeping beams, though he doubted Eggman could hear him in there. "Look on the bright side, this'll be another thing to put in that scrapbook of yours!"

He was taunting him again, that cocky little rat. Always laughing. Always mocking. Never recognizing the genius that dwarfed him like the rodent he was. Every spiteful word that came out of his mouth would have been enough to make Eggman grip the controls of his machine so tightly he might have broken them off. But he needed to be careful, as his readings said he had about forty-eight percent of magic before a recharge was needed. The beam required the most power, so spamming it would place a huge drain in his reservoir. Much to Eggman's further dismay, the beams weren't coming close to singeing that stupid hedgehog's fur. He needed an alternative; something that could stop that rascally rodent in his tracks. Luckily, he had something in mind…

The beams ceased, yet the horn's ominous glow remained. Instead of focusing its energy outward, the magic reached out and touched the dormant aircraft resting on both sides of the stretching pathway. Sonic rushed past a shuttle, unaware of the red glow surrounding the ship before the magic raised it from its position. Several other aircraft rose from the ground and hovered close to the Egg-questrian, the magic levitating them responsible for the sudden increase in speed. Snickering in delight, Eggman focused his attention on a snagged shuttle while glimpses of red caught Sonic's eye. Up ahead, more ships- fighters and shuttles alike- were yanked from their perches and flew past the hedgehog, creating a makeshift formation around the Egg-questrian.

"Aw, shoot again."

One of the levitated shuttles was suddenly flung at Sonic, who quickly rolled out of the way before it smashed into the ground with crunching steel. The hedgehog leaped over a thrown fighter, leaving the craft to slide along the floor while he frantically avoided more ships that Eggman hurled toward him. Each aircraft crashed and smashed on the floor, some becoming reduced to crumpled wrecks. Among the mangled masses, Sonic darted away from each hurled vehicle to keep himself from being smashed. "Really, Eggman?!" he yelled, riding atop a sliding fighter before bounding away from an incoming shuttle. "You're gonna throw stuff at me? That's usually Silver's gig!" The hedgehog spun away from another shuttle in a rolling ball, the ship crushing itself front-first like a car colliding with a wall. Another fighter came at him; this one Sonic slid under before it could hit. The hedgehog never missed a beat as he jumped, rolled, leaped, slid, and sidestepped vehicle after vehicle that was telekinetically chucked at him.

More inactive aircraft surrounded by crimson auras levitated off the floor ahead of Sonic's position, and the hedgehog expected for these ones to be thrown at him as well. Instead, they all formed together to create a barrier that hindered the hedgehog from going any further. Unwilling to let this stop him, Sonic thought fast and sped towards the makeshift roadblock, leaping up in a spinning ball. The sapphire sphere shot through a miniature space between two shuttles just before they could connect, squeezing through a gap that was quickly separated. All stationary vehicles were flung to the side and crashed in a mangled heap, clearing the way for the airborne Egg-questrian to keep up its pursuit.

"Big deal! See if you can make it through here, Sonic!" Eggman called from the mech, the red glow on its horn intensifying again. But instead of grabbing vehicles, the seized magic concentrated on the hangar walls, painting them in a crimson glow. All at once, the numerous panels taking up the walls' exterior were torn from their spots and repositioned in the path ahead. Gray metal rectangles gathered together to form another wall, with ten more behind each one to act as a reinforcing agent if Sonic thought about smashing his way through. "HA HA HA!" Eggman roared while the Blue Blur raced for the newly-erected barrier, bringing his mech in for a landing. "You won't make it past this, ro-"

Sonic raced up the right-side wall along whatever panels remained and shot across the ceiling, the blue streak of light trailing directly over the mech's head. "OH, COME ON!"

"What's the matter?" Sonic feigned ignorance as he came to a stop behind the Egg-questrian. "I just did what you said!" He bounced up and shot for the mech's flank with a Homing Attack, striking it right in the cutie mark and causing its magic to cut out. The torn metal panels clanged to the floor, their sound drowned out by an irritated growl from within the machine's head. "You think you're clever, huh?!"

A blue streak blasted underneath the machine, passing through its legs before Eggman realized what had happened and turned the mech around. Firing up its engines again, the Egg-questrian took off after the hedgehog with everyone else in pursuit. Twilight and Rarity peppered the mech with magic lasers, their shots doing little to no effect. Eggman paid little attention to the feeble attempts to stop him and his eyes scanned the controls in front of him. If he kept using the beam on Sonic, he'd deplete the energy levels again. He needed an alternative; good thing he had one in mind.

Pressing a red button caused two side panels on the mech's upper torso to slide away, revealing a pair of rotary machine guns that spun up the second they showed themselves. The armaments let loose a rain of bullets that pelted against the floor, the blue hedgehog matching their rate of fire. While the weapons thundered their supply upon the swift-moving target, Sonic skillfully weaved through the deadly torrent with practiced agility and kept up his sprint down the corridor… towards a dead end of sealed doors.

"NOW you have nowhere to run, So-!" An amethyst beam shot over the Egg-questrian's head and collided with the door, consuming it in a blast of light and smoke. Moments before he vanished into the cloud, a backward-running Sonic gave a thankful wave to the stream's point of origin. Eggman snarled in frustration, driving the mech through the cloud. "This is why I prefer our fights man-to-hedgehog!"

The blue streak emerged from the dust, out into the base's exterior and down a road-like path that ran adjacent to various structures. The Egg-questrian broke through the cloud with outstretched wings, its torso machine guns continuing to fire on the elusive Sonic. The hedgehog zigzagged down the road before running up a building's wall, launching into the air upon reaching the top. Eggman pulled back on the controls, lifting the mech skyward and expecting his foe to shoot toward him like a cannonball. But while Sonic did fly for the mech, he grabbed onto the machine's horn rather than strike the head, maintaining a tight grip on the appendage.

"Wha- get off!" Eggman roared, climbing higher with his stowaway in tow and driving the Egg-questrian through various forms of aerial stunts and maneuvers to shake him off. Down below, the remaining biologicals had poured out of the hangar and were now scanning the area for the giant horse robot… until Amy noticed movement from above. "Up there!" Spotting the flying object in no time, Twilight, Tails, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all took off to follow the mech. However, the flyers were forced to break off when the mech dove their way, the hedgehog on the horn turning the mech's head and redirecting its trajectory. Sonic leaned side to side, fighting against Eggman's attempts to get the machine under control. The wind roared against his face and the intense gales threatened to break his focus, but the hedgehog managed to steer the mech towards a munitions storage building on the ground. At the last second, the Blue Blur leaped from the mech and allowed it to crash into the structure.

The building erupted in flames as the missiles and bombs within detonated from the crash-landing, swallowing the Egg-questrian in the orange storm. Sonic came to a sliding stop, shooting a cheeky eye at the burning building. The quadrupedal shadow arose from the billowing smoke, followed by a pair of glowing yellow orbs. "It's going to take more than that, you accelerating atrocity!" Eggman roared while the mech stomped into view, its machine guns spinning up again. "And not even you can keep this up forever!"

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, maybe I can't…"

The rotary weapons thundered with flashes of yellow light and tiny bullets that shot for the still hedgehog… but before steel could meet flesh, Twilight Sparkle teleported between the ammunition and the hedgehog with her horn glowing a bright amethyst. Every bullet that got close to her suddenly froze in midair, suspended by a translucent magic bubble. Irritated at this stupid horse's interference- a trait supposedly suited to her persistence- Eggman kept the trigger pulled, his grip as hard as his teeth clenched together. The guns' flashes reflected in his goggles, but every bullet fired from them halted when they neared Twilight's magical aura. The mad scientist continued to let his weapons rain fire… until a rapid clicking and a sudden warning display froze him where he sat.

WEAPON AMMO DEPLETED. RELOADING…

Unimpressed, Twilight dropped her magic and released her hold on the still bullets. Now useless, each of the munitions clattered at her hooves while the alicorn shook her head at the man inside the mech. Sonic crossed his arms with a proud smile. "...but that's where they come in!"

"And that's why I'm going to destroy you ALL!" Eggman roared, retracting the Egg-questrian's machine guns and replacing them with the shoulder missile launchers. More aerial explosives fired from their holders, streaking towards the first thing they locked onto. The airborne Tails and Rainbow Dash flew off as fast as they could once several missiles began chasing them, as did Sonic while missiles exploded against the ground behind him. Rolling away from a blast, Twilight used her magic to seize several missiles and clumped them together into a ball, directing it towards the mech. With a loud explosion, the mech staggered from the redirected munitions and retaliated with an angry sweep of its red magic beam. Twilight hurriedly warped away from the laser and reappeared atop a roof, assessing the situation below her.

Applejack snared a missile with her lasso and turned its momentum against it, flinging it back at the mech. By her side, Knuckles jumped up and caught a missile in midair, hurling it like a javelin at the machine's head. Both missiles detonated against the mech and visibly shook it, causing a snarling Eggman to turn the Egg-questrian's beam on them. The echidna and the earth pony dove for cover just as the beam seared the spot they had once been. The ensuing smoke shrouded Eggman's view of his targets, increasing his frustration. Why did these insufferable creatures have to be so-

A sapphire streak raced between buildings, but a glimpse was all Eggman needed. His irritated expression turned into delight and he pushed the controls forward, allowing the Egg-questrian to fly after the blur at high speed. More missiles flew from the machine and detonated against the ground, the hedgehog swerving away from each impact while keeping his distance from the mech. Eggman had to wrestle not just with the weapons systems, but also the lock-on function to ensure the blasted hedgehog didn't break loose. That was always the problem: the moment a targeting reticle fixed itself on Sonic, he would always break off while the lock remained on his last known position, leading to a complete waste of ammo. Eggman wouldn't allow that to happen again.

The targeting system was this close to having Sonic in its sights when a surprising visage popped in front of Eggman's face: that pesky pegasus who began waving her head back and forth with her tongue sticking out. "What the- you?! What do you think you're- stop that!" Tails quickly joined in from the other side, both flying animals making a variety of silly and goofy faces at the scientist. With him completely distracted, Sonic broke away from the main path and sped for the top of another building, watching his friends in amusement. His eyes turned to the swarm of missiles that were closing in on the two, each of the fliers watching them from the corner of their eye while they continued to taunt the mad doctor. The instant the munitions drew close, Tails and Rainbow darted away. Unable to turn to track their targets in time, the missiles bombarded the Egg-questrian and lit up with small explosions that rattled the mech, earning an enraged scream from the man inside.

"ENOUGH! NO MORE GAMES!" he roared, launching the machine into the sky and giving chase to the pegasus with Tails close behind. Rainbow sped away in a rainbow streak, rolling away from red beams and zigzagging between missiles. The loyal pony led several in wild chases and caused some to crash into each other while others ended up smashing against the Egg-questrian. "HA! What goes around comes back around!"

"RRRGH! Why won't you just DIE already?!" Eggman's anger only brought another laugh to Rainbow's face. Despite the colossal machine dwarfing her in size, the pegasus easily kept pace with it like a mosquito antagonizing a full-grown stallion. Rainbow led the flying machine on a wild chase through the skies, the base rushing underneath them while several installations were hit dead-on by missed beams and missiles. One beam sliced through the base of a comms tower and brought the installation crashing down. Another cut a storage facility in half while others left angry scars on the ground. To Eggman, it was like trying to squash a frantically-moving bug. Growling, the doctor kept up his pursuit while his target swooped low and zoomed past several more buildings. The Egg-questrian dove after Rainbow, flying low over the ground… until a sapphire sphere came out of nowhere and smacked the machine's head, sending it flying off-course.

The machine crashed against the side of a warehouse, causing the structure to collapse in on itself. Another frustrated howl followed, accompanied by a crimson glow from the mech's horn. "Sssooooniiiiic! Don't think these new friends of yours can save you! Even if it takes me the whole day, I won't stop until each of you is a-" Suddenly, the red glow flickered out and completely vanished. "What?! No, no, no, not again!"

"He's weakened again!" Tails shouted. "Everyone hit him!" He didn't need to tell them twice, as the group converged on the Egg-questrian and beat down the machine like an angry mob. Sonic and Tails rammed against the chassis in their ball forms, Rainbow and Fluttershy smacked it with diving strikes, and Amy and Knuckles went for the legs with a swinging hammer and wailing fists. Strikes to both the forelegs caused the machine to topple over, leaving it wide open for Twilight and Rarity's magic blasts. Applejack and Pinkie Pie did their best to keep the mech down, with the former snagging the mech's horn with her lasso and the latter shooting batter at the cockpit to blind Eggman.

"GRAAAAAAGH!" Eggman roared like a beast from the assault. "I will not lose to a bunch of smelly animals and tiny happy horses! I refuse to relent! I deny deletion! Engage warp NOW!" A red light burst from the mech, consuming the sight of all who looked upon it… and it faded just as fast, the machine nowhere to be seen. Any hero who stood atop the machine fell to the floor while others' attacks met nothing but air. Instantly realizing the tactic, Knuckles huffed in frustration. "No! We almost had him!"

"Hold on, he said 'not again'," Tails muttered, immediately losing himself to his thoughts. "If it was weakened before, he would need to retreat and recharge. That's why it was stronger when the mech came back the first time. So, that would mean right now, he…" His eyes grew wide and a tiny gasp left his throat. "He's draining the princesses to power his machine!"

"Oh, yeah!" Pinkie chimed in. "He did say something like that earlier, didn't he?"

"He said the stolen magic was a power source," Amy corrected. "Not that he needed fresh batches whenever he ran out! We know his weakness now, but it's gonna be hard to take that thing if it can just teleport away!" Tails gave the pink hedgehog an assuring smile. "Which is why I have a plan: Twilight, can you warp the two of us back to the princesses when Eggman comes back?"

The alicorn nodded. "I think I'm gonna like this idea… but what about every creature else?"

"They're in charge of keeping Eggman distracted while we do our thing! You guys can handle that, right?"

"No prob!" Sonic agreed. "Keeping Eggman busy is like my job, and that job-"

A flash of red light from behind interrupted the blue hedgehog, who whirled around to see the Egg-questrian standing above him ominously. "-starts right now!" he finished, racing away from a destructive red beam. As everyone else sprang into action, Tails neared Twilight's side, the alicorn's horn aglow with violet light. With a bright flash, the duo vanished just before the beam could cut through them.

They immediately reappeared back inside the base where Celestia and Luna's cell was located…

"AAAAAAH!"

…and began plummeting down a dark shaft the instant they arrived. Recovering from their frightened stupor, the geniuses wasted no time in taking flight and avoided the entirety of the deep drop. Tails had to catch his breath after catching his body, his mind recalling the beginning moments of the showdown where Eggman had laser-drilled the floor away.

Thankfully, he didn't get all of it. There was a small area of metal flooring with orange wounds, acting as a platform around the chamber's outside area, and the princess' cell just happened to be resting atop such space. Tails and Twilight hovered over to the cell and touched down, the former getting to work with the Miles Electric while the latter tested the defensive barrier with her magic. Much to the princesses' disappointment, the shield remained ever-strong when it reacted to her magical prodding. "Ugh… how's it going on your end, Tails?"

"Before Eggman and his steed trotted into our way," the fox answered. "I was trying to figure out a means to track down the shield's point of origin and deactivate it manually. Maybe the base's inner workings will give me a clue. Accessing now." Tails turned his attention to his tablet, leaving Twilight alone to look over the captured former rulers of Equestria. To see them reduced to such a painful state brought great disdain to her heart. Such elegance and radiance withered and wilted in a cruel and uncontrolled environment. Nopony… no creature should ever have to live like this. But thanks to Twilight, Sonic, and all their friends, Eggman's crimes on life would be corrected back to a manageable state and Equestria would be spared from his wrath. Twilight felt as though she was making a silent promise to her mentors as those thoughts swam through her mind… and perhaps she was. She was swearing an oath to not just her pony citizens, but to all living things in Equestria with a vow to preserve them at all costs. Her new friends from this other world made her realize the great importance and beauty of life; knowledge she would pass down to her friends like all other lessons before them.

"Got it!" Tails' exclamation jolted Twilight from her quiet vows. "Shield controls are just above us! Care to make a door?" The alicorn nodded and spread her wings, launching herself towards the ceiling with the fox on her tail. After Tails pointed out a specific section of the ceiling, Twilight directed her magic into a concentrated beam and fired at the ceiling, blasting a hole into it in a shower of light and smoke. Both fliers shot through and came to a perfect landing on the floor above, consoles surrounding them from all sides. Between two such consoles was a pair of robots that jolted from surprise at the sudden intrusion.

"Egad! Invaders!" Orbot shouted. "Didn't the boss put the place on lockdown?!"

"Yeek!" Cubot yelped. "It's the double-tailed fox and that surprisingly-cute unicorn with wings!"

"That's 'alicorn'," the unimpressed princess corrected him. "Tails, find the shield controls and shut them down. I'll take care of these two." The fox hurried off to locate his objective and Twilight turned to Eggman's lackeys… who were now mimicking karate poses as if they believed they could take on the Princess of Friendship themselves.

"I hope you have learned by now that robots aren't meant to be underestimated," Orbot informed her. "Doctor Eggman has installed combat protocols on every machine he has ever built!"

"You don't wanna mess with us, horsey!" chimed Cubot. "We know kung-pao!"

"Fu."

"Yeah! Kung-pao, foo'!"

"No, it's… oh, forget it."

Unamused in the slightest, Twilight readied herself for a fight and lit up her horn, glaring at the robots with the most fearsome face she could make. Almost instantly, Orbot and Cubot dropped into their compact states, resembling harmless shapes with glowing optic units. "Er… perhaps I was lying when I said he had combat protocols in all his robots…" Orbot muttered.

"Does the boss give out hazard pay?" Cubot asked. "Cuz he's not giving us enough for this!"

"We don't get paid, you bolt brain! We're robots!"

"Oh, yeah…"

Twilight simply disposed of Orbot and Cubot by levitating their travel-sized shapes like a baby unicorn lifting toy blocks. Trotting over to a nearby waste bin, the alicorn proceeded to dump the two robots inside and proudly walked away as if she had just cleaned up a mess. "Y'know…" she heard Cubot buzz as she left. "Maybe Sonic's got a point about career choices."

"Oh, do shut up."

"Alright, I found it!" Tails called from a console, his fingers flying over a control panel. "Took me a while to find the manual override, but the shield should be down just… about… now!" His finger pressed down a button, resulting in a noise that sounded like something being powered down. Twilight didn't feel so sure, though. "Did it work?"

"Only one way to find out!" Tails made a break for the hole and jumped through it, giving a confused Twilight a moment to follow. Both creatures fell to the chamber below and broke into a glide to slow their descent. Coming down on the remaining pieces of floor that clung desperately to the wall, they neared the cell and Twilight noticed that it didn't look very different. Tails seemed to sense her unease and gestured to the glass. "Go ahead and do your thing."

She knew to trust the fox by now, so she assumed he meant his words wisely. Twilight focused her magic into a smaller beam and carefully moved it around the glass in a circle like a master thief breaking into a diamond exhibit. She managed to form a perfect circle without any interference from the shield- which was now deactivated, true to Tails' words- but upon the circle's completion, the entirety of the glass barrier shattered to pieces and took the princess by surprise. With nothing separating them from the captive queens anymore, Twilight sprang to free them while Tails quickly hacked into the cell's circuitry with his handheld. With a single input, the energy rings deactivated while Twilight used her magic to wrench the clamps open, prying away the tubes surrounding their horns as well.

A dazed-but-conscious Luna stumbled out of her cell, nearly squashing Tails beneath her weight as the fox fought to keep himself steady. Likewise, a worried Twilight caught Princess Celestia before she could fall, color slowly returning to the weary queen's eyes.

"Twilight…" came a faint whisper. "Not a moment… too soon…"

"Princess… are you okay?"

"I… will be," she assured her student. "Sister… are you-?"

"I've been… through worse…" Luna panted as Tails helped her stand upright on shaky legs. "Do not worry, my friends… both of us should… be at full strength… soon enough…"

"And with you no longer providing magic to Eggman's mech, he'll be permanently weakened when he runs out again," Tails explained. "Can you two move okay?" Celestia's only answer came in a grateful nod before giving Twilight a proud smile. "I was never wrong in choosing you as my pupil, Twilight. Once again, my sister and I are in your debt."

"Thank you," the smaller alicorn whispered. "The rest of our friends are outside fighting Eggman. We should go and help them." A sudden voice halted her attempt to teleport the group out of there. "No," Luna objected, drawing confusion from the princess. "Since the good doctor has shown such great hospitality to us, I propose that we thank him. Have any of you fine creatures stumbled across the… what did he call it? The 'power core'?"

"No," Tails replied, yet he held a knowing smile despite the negativity of his answer. "But I do know where it is. I think a little side trip won't hurt… but let's provide our friends with a distraction!"

…

Back outside, a blue streak took a wide turn before the path behind him lit up in flames. The massive shape of the Egg-questrian burst from the smoke, pursued by a rainbow blur that was beneath its current notice. Its primary target scaled a tower's wall, red beams and bullet fire blasting bits off of it while the streak moved like lightning to avoid them. The Egg-questrian reached the top of the building first, blasting the streak just as it finished its climb. From the ensuing eruption of smoke and flame, a furred figure flew out in a tumbling heap, smoke trailing from its form.

Rainbow swooped in and snagged Sonic in midair, flying off like an insect that the giant mech boosted after. Zigzagging to avoid being locked on, Rainbow tossed Sonic away from her and the hedgehog landed on a catwalk, breaking into a run. With his recovery complete, the Blue Blur noticed the Egg-questrian flying low to his right before cutting its engines and stampeding at a full sprint, firing at the elusive pony that rolled and dove away from its deadly red beams. One such beam struck the ground, forcing Knuckles and Applejack to dive for cover. Rarity brought up her shield to protect Amy and Pinkie, the projection blocking stray blasts that came their way. Rainbow looped around the mech's head, moving too fast for Eggman to visually track her. The scientist whirled around in his seat, fighting to keep an eye on her…

…until an energy blast struck the mech's neck. It wasn't powerful enough to damage the hull, but it was enough to earn the doctor's attention. Eggman whipped his head in the shot's direction, demanding to know who would dare attack him. Much to his surprise, a frowning Fluttershy hovered in the air with a swarm of Buzz Bombers by her side. The animal-loving pegasus pointed at the mech with a hoof, commanding the animals within the Badniks to descend upon the machine with a bionic buzz.

Much like a real horse falling under attack from a swarm of mosquitoes, the Egg-questrian reared back on its hind legs and stumbled backward, shaking its body to rid itself of the artificial insects. "Argh! Traitors!" Eggman roared from his seat, firing the machine guns like mad at any Badnik he saw. The ammunition tore through the shells like paper, leaving the animals powering them scattering for their lives. "I built you, and I can destroy you just as easily!" The scientist reactivated the primary thrusters and launched the Egg-questrian into the sky, the folding wings bashing some of the Buzz Bombers aside during its ascent. Those that remained functional chased after the mech, their buzzing wings blurring as they did so. Surrounding the mech in no time, the fake insects zapped the Egg-questrian with their stinger blasters and furtherly frustrated the man inside. Tilting the controls to the side, Eggman sent his mech into a spinning barrel roll, the wings reducing any Buzz Bomber they hit in a cloud of smoke. The Badniks fought to the end, continuing to fire until none still stood to oppose Eggman. The scientist paid no mind to the tiny animals that fell down to earth as the mech came in for a landing, but Amy, Fluttershy, and Knuckles worked quickly to catch the critters and save them from being flattened.

"Enough of this!" Eggman roared, fed up with the organics' persistence. He telekinetically snagged Sonic in midair, cutting off the hedgehog's strike before dumping him to the ground. The Egg-questrian's magic grabbed everyone else and flung them together in an assembled heap until they lay dazed before the mech. The machine's horn lit up with an eerie red light that accompanied the yellow glare from its eyes. "I'm through playing with you fools. Prepare yourselves for obli-"

Another cloud of smoke and fire arose, interrupting the doctor. This time, the explosion came from no beam or missile… It arose from the exterior of the base's central tower. That blast was followed by many others, threatening to drown out the faint wail of an alarm. Each explosion grew in size, each larger than the others as the main structure was brought to the brink of destruction. Overloaded systems and malfunctioning equipment caused numerous installations to fail, the explosions echoing in the confused heroes' eyes and the scientist's shocked expression. Anxious for an answer, Eggman pulled up readouts of the base; readouts he had ignored until this point.

"The power core… offline?! What?! How?! Why?! No! Impossible! What is the meaning of this?!"

Sonic had no idea what was going on, but at least it was something he approved of. The only downside about this was that he didn't deal the fatal blow, but if that meant one more Eggman base wiped off the map, he wasn't complaining. "See what happens when you don't take care of your home, Eggman?"

In an instant, the Egg-questrian's head whirled on him and snorted out steam like a mad bull. "I don't know how you did it, you gnat, but this victory isn't one you'll cherish for long! None of you are leaving this place alive!" At the end of his sentence, Eggman brought the beam's energy to full power and fired it at the gathered mass. Some looked on in horror while others braced themselves… and the beam struck with a destructive blast, swallowing them from sight. From within the cockpit, Eggman pumped a fist victoriously.

"Yes! I did it! I finally got him… right?" Eggman dispelled the doubt in his mind. "I mean, of course! It was only a matter of time! Finally, I… I…" Something didn't feel right. And it wasn't because of malfunctioning sensors or false reports. This was a feeling from Eggman's gut, telling him that this was too easy. As much as the doctor preferred to ignore such instincts since he preferred to listen to his instruments, he wasn't sure if he should listen to them this time. Sonic had some close calls before, but- no, the hedgehog was gone for good this time. He just knew it.

Still… Eggman kept his suspicious eyes trained on the now-dissipating smoke. Was it just him, or was there… something bright inside? He swore he caught a glimpse of gold through the clouds, but he quickly stomped out the rising panic. That rodent didn't have the Chaos Emeralds with him. The doctor was paranoid, he was seeing things…

…but that paranoia burst into full fear once the smoke faded. Beneath the smog was a protective dome of golden light, shielding the biologicals from the beam's power. Its caster glared directly at the cockpit and Eggman felt his heart sink at the sight. "No…"

"Doctor Eggman," Princess Celestia announced, dropping her shield while Luna, Twilight, and Tails helped everyone else to her feet. "From what I understand of you, you have committed great atrocities to this world, be it to its inhabitants or to the world itself. Here, you answer to Sonic and his friends… but the moment you did such deeds in Equestria, you have made yourself a target of my judgment."

"Y-your judgment means nothing!" Eggman stammered, his mech taking an uneasy step back. "I did my research! You're not in charge anymore!" He fired another beam from the Egg-questrian's horn, but Celestia blocked the ray with a beam of her own. "That is true… but that does not mean I no longer protect my little ponies. They are more than just the subjects my sister and I once ruled over. Each of them has become a friend to me. Some have even been lucky enough to be called family."

"All of which are things you fail to comprehend," Luna added. "Since your attack on Canterlot, you have underestimated us greatly." Twilight Sparkle didn't hesitate to join her fellow princesses. "And that's an error any great mind can make! It's time for you to learn why such a mistake in the scientific field leads to greater errors!"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Eggman roared, desperately pouring a massive amount of his remaining magic into his mech's horn. "I still hold your greatest weapon! I've trampled your kind before and I can do it again! And once I've taken over my world AND yours, there'll be no one left to stop me, be it pony, hedgehog, or whatever! Now DIE, you wretched vermin!"

A devastating beam of red magic exploded from the Egg-questrian's horn, exponentially more powerful than those that came before. It streaked towards the trio of princesses, their own horns glowing to match it. Harnessing their magic at the crimson ray, the princesses split the destructive power into three smaller beams and drew them into their horns like a vacuum cleaner sucking up waste. For one unicorn or alicorn, even one highly skilled in magic, such an act would be overwhelming and excruciating. Their body wouldn't be able to handle such power head-on. But divided and split with multiple outlets, the task's impossibility was decreased.

The triad of beams vanished into the princesses' horns, the red glow morphing into gold, violet, and dark cobalt light. The three alicorns opened their eyes, now aglow with similar light. Then, acting as one, the princesses released the pent-up energy back at the Egg-questrian, the initial strength of the original beam now tripled in power. Panicking in his cockpit, Eggman frantically depleted the last of his magic reserves to bring up a magical shield that took the full force of the three colored beams.

It held only for a full five seconds, the combined might of the rays too much for the shield to take. The barrier broke like glass, shattering into nothingness… and with it, the last drop of magic within the Egg-questrian. The mech went into overload when the triad of rays struck it, searing the hull and damaging it to a critical state. Red lights blared and sparks flew from instruments while Eggman's eyes were bombarded with lights and smoke. "No! NO!" The doctor screamed in denial as his mech toppled over, black scars on its red chassis before the Egg-questrian collapsed with a loud bang. As it fell, so too did the beams when the princess ceased their counterattack.

The mech's speakers flooded with static and its eyes flickered dangerously. Eggman's voice- gasping for breath- mimicked his mech's current state as it tried to stand with shaky movements. It appeared to be literally on its last legs, as some of the limbs threatened to give out beneath the machine's weight. "You… you devious little…" Eggman coughed. "I can't… I won't… lose like… this!" The machine guns on the mech's torso spun up again, but the armaments slowed and halted just as fast. With the mech's primary power source depleted, the Egg-questrian was left immobile and useless save for the less-than-necessary functions. "Grrr… come on… move, you stupid…"

"Magic is no weapon, Doctor Eggman," Celestia scolded him. "It is an energy that flows through all life in my world… but its greatest source is one I do not expect you to understand." The former ruler of Equestria turned a kind eye to Twilight Sparkle, silently allowing her former pupil to take things from here. A warm smile crossed the smaller alicorn's face and she gave a grateful nod to her teacher. She trotted to the front of the crowd, her friends from her world and the other one right behind her.

"When we first met, Doctor," she began sternly. "You called me and my people a lesser species. I told you that friendship is what keeps my world from falling into ruin, and you laughed it off. You said that friendship doesn't last… and maybe that's true. My world isn't without strife or conflict, and some friendships do indeed die out. But when they do, new ones arise to replace them in an everlasting cycle. So tell me this: how many times have you come up short to take over this world? How many times were you beaten back? How many times were you defeated not just by a single creature, but all those who stood by his side?"

The only response she got was another set of raspy breaths. "You dare… lecture me… you pitiful excuse… for a lifeform…"

"Every time you wish to conquer this world, you fail," Twilight continued. "But not because some creature always throws a wrench into your cogs. Not because your plans are flawed. And not because whatever machine you build will never match up to the heart all your enemies combined have against you."

"Although that's true!" Rainbow cut in. "No raw programming or calculations or whatever can match up to the willpower of any living thing!"

"The reason you always fail, Doctor Eggman," Twilight added. "...is that every creature who opposes you has faith in what they believe in. They have hope for a better world where you will never be able to antagonize them. They trust in one another and work together to make their home a better place. They don't stop against a common enemy, whether that's you or something far worse. Every time they get pushed, they push right back."

Each of her friends gathered alongside her in a defensive line, with a certain blue hedgehog standing by the alicorn's side. "Why do you think I never stopped kicking your flabby butt, Eggman?" Sonic joined in. "Sure, it's because you provide great entertainment, but there's something else! I never give up because there are people who never give up on me! As long as I'm not afraid of you, they won't be either! And who do you have that never gives up on you, huh? Who do you have that isn't a soulless, heartless, mindless computer whose sole function is to serve you? The reason why I never stop running… The reason I'll always put you and whatever killer robot you cook up… is because of them. They're the reason I've kept them safe from you all this time… and they'll be the reason I keep doing it."

"It's been in front of you this whole time, and you've never bothered to realize it," Twilight concluded proudly. "When different hearts and souls put themselves together, there's nothing they can't accomplish! And that's not limited to just my world, either! All worlds everywhere share the greatest power imaginable, inside the hearts of any creature who believes in it!"

Everyone's voices joined together to form a harmonious note. "THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!" The ponies' bodies immediately flashed with colored magic that streamed into Twilight's body, the princess levitating Sonic into the air. Her eyes burst with white light while Sonic's burned with determination… and he spun up faster than a speeding wheel the instant Twilight directed all the ponies' magic into him. The magic swirled around the spinning hedgehog in a colored spiral before his body absorbed its radiance…

…and faster than the speed of sound, Sonic shot into the air with a rainbow trail behind him. The blue orb at the forefront morphed into a whirling orb of colors, the rainbow in his wake marking his path. He reached the climax of his climb high above the ruined base, arcing to complete the rainbow's curve and rocketing back down at supersonic speeds. In the few seconds before the hedgehog made impact, Eggman could only look on in horror.

"Oh, my gears and starters…"

With an explosion that shook the skies themselves, the world erupted with colored light when the rainbow collided with the Egg-questrian. A rainbow shockwave traveled outward from the base, chasing away the dark, gloomy skies and leaving tranquil blue air. Blades of grass sprouted from the formerly-dead ground and withered trees were instantly restored to their natural beauty. Among the revived life, a single sunflower sprouted just outside the base's walls. The resulting sonic rainboom traveled for dozens of miles, cleansing Eggman's influence on the surrounding lands and undoing his damages. When it faded, a living, breathing landscape stood in the place of a ruined, desolate wasteland.

Sonic landed heroically as the last wisps of magic drifted from his form among a shower of parts. A leg crashed atop a wrecked armory, metal plates came down on the ground, and various other mechanical parts bombarded the base's ruins like hail. Finally, a decapitated equestrian head smashed onto the floor, an eye shattered and its horn snapped at the base. The heroes approached the remains while the exposed inner workings of its neck spat out sparks, watching the cockpit area with interest. What was left of the canopy slowly slid away… and a beaten and bruised rotund man clumsily tumbled out.

"Oooooooh…" Eggman placed his palms on the ground and lifted his face, revealing a cracked goggle and an unkempt mustache that had wisps of smoke rising from it. He blinked the dizziness from his eyes… and when he saw the many faces glaring at him angrily, he jolted in panic and threw up his arms. "Wait, wait, WAIT!" he stammered. "I-I'm sorry! I give up! Just please don't hurt me!"

"Ha!" Knuckles scoffed. "I'm not falling for that trick again! You're through, Eggman!" He pounded his fists and began marching towards the scientist, but Twilight got there first alongside Sonic. "No more harm will come to you," the princess addressed him. "But Doctor Eggman, for your heinous crimes against Equestria and the ponies who call it home, I am hereby placing you under arrest. You will serve time in Canterlot before you are returned to your home world."

"And don't you worry," Sonic added. "Maybe some other baddie will stop by while you're away. Not that I'd miss you, though…"

"You're lucky we're the loving and tolerating kind," Rainbow spat at him. "But I'm gonna be keeping an eye on you, fatso!" The doctor hung his head in shame, almost bowing before the princess. "Okay… okay… I surrender. Do whatever you will with me… but the blue one is right… you do need to keep an eye on me."

Twilight smiled thankfully. "For once, I'm glad you made things ea-"

Suddenly, a loud bang made the world turn white, and immense pain shot through everyone's eyes. The team cried out in pain and shielded themselves too late, the sudden brightness overwhelming their vision. "OW! My eyes!" Rainbow shrieked.

"F-flash grenade!" Amy yelped. "Where-?"

There was a loud roar and a rush of wind that cut off her words. Fighting to get his sight back, Sonic frantically searched for the source. The whiteness faded momentarily… and the first thing the Blue Blur saw was that Eggman was gone, two smoke trails rising from where he had been. The hedgehog stepped forward with a confused expression.

"GYAHAHAHAHA!" The laughter made him jerk his head upwards, where the mad scientist hovered with a jetpack keeping him airborne. "You were right, Sonic! It was only with the help of those pesky horses that you were able to beat me this time! But when we meet again, they won't be there to save you from me! Count on it!" Eggman whirled around in midair and blasted off, the roars of his jetpack echoing in Sonic's ears as he made his getaway.

"Eggman, you dirty cheater!" Knuckles roared, shaking a fist at the retreating figure. Wiping at her face with a hoof and blinking open her eyes, Rainbow seethed with anger and turned to Sonic… who stood with crossed arms and a smile. "What the heck are you doing?! He's getting away!"

"Ah, let him go," Sonic brushed off the pegasus. "After all, he's beat and he knows it. I mess with the guy, but I don't kick him when he's down. In the end, it's all in a day's work."

"You speak the truth, Sonic," Celestia agreed. "The doctor is defeated… for now. You allow him to be put in his place, and that is enough. We can respect that, for none of our kind wish ill intent on our aggressors. We merely strike back if we are provoked."

"So…" Applejack summarized. "We've cracked that jerk, saved the princesses, and taught him a lesson about second-guessing us. You're right, sugarcube: it is all in a day's work."

"But that day isn't done yet, everypony," Twilight reminded them. "We may have defeated one evil, but there's still one more. Let's head home: Spike and the others should be finished with the preparations by now."

"Heh! That flank-kicking's got me pumped for another!" Rainbow chuckled. "I'm in!" Everyone gathered around Twilight, her horn aglow once again, but one remained still. Sonic noticed Fluttershy hadn't joined in, but it wasn't out of fear this time. Instead, she was looking around in admiration at the explosion of life all around. From the clear blue skies and the tremendous trees to the fields of grass and the beautiful flowers that the tiny animals frolicked near, it was enough to make the king pegasus smile.

"You have a beautiful world," she whispered to the hedgehog. "Please make sure it stays that way." Sonic returned her words and a smile and a pat on the head. "Hey, that's why I'm here. Now let's go get a portal on, huh?" Sonic jogged back to his friends with Fluttershy in tow…

…and both of them were blissfully unaware of a shadowy replica of the hedgehog watching from the walls. The time is short. They would draw near. And when they did, they would be consumed. Their words were true; the magic of friendship is indeed strong… but how strong would it be without its crucial element?

…

Back at Twilight's castle, the group stood before the inactive portal, the device ready for activation. Celestia and Luna had returned to Canterlot to ease the citizens' concerns and ensure that all would be resolved soon. But that would be a difficult task: the skies were close to shattering and more fusions were taking effect throughout the local area. If things weren't set right soon, there would be a point of no return and both worlds would be doomed.

Spike stood next to Twilight while the princess patiently waited for Sunset and Starlight's report. The unicorns were currently looking over a possible exit point for the portal, as Sonic insisted that knowing where they were gonna end up was important. He didn't expect reaching the space between dimensions to be easy… and he was proven correct.

"Most of these readings have the signatures of limbo," the fiery mare explained, which earned a snicker from the red echidna. "Seriously? You named your version of interdimensional travel after a party trick?" This earned him a look from Pinkie Pie, but Sunset brushed him off. "But there's something else mixed with it. According to Tails' readouts, limbo has been merged with… a Special Zone?"

"Ah, of course," Sonic sighed reminiscently. "I remember those places. They're like mini pocket dimensions where the Chaos Emeralds often end up. I gotta warn you, they can be pretty trippy." Rainbow had a doubtful expression. "So what? I heard limbo is super weird. Now, are we doing this or what?"

"As the saying goes," Tails announced, placing his land on a lever. "No time like the present!" He shoved the lever forward, allowing energy to pour into the portal and initiate the inner functions. Before long, a window of light flashed open, bathing the room in its luminescence. But as soon as it did, one monitor started to flash a warning that drew Sunset's attention. "Uh-oh!"

"Is there a problem?" Rarity wondered.

"It can't stay open for long without overheating!" Starlight spoke up. "We'll need to shut it off within the next few minutes! But, that'd mean… there'd be nopony here to bring it back up!"

Tails fished something out from a drawer. "Then it'd be best if you two stay here to regulate it on your end." Before the unicorns could protest, Tails held out what he retrieved: an earpiece. "Once we get the Emeralds and the Elements, I'll give out the all-clear. The speakers on the main terminal should allow me to come through. You two can wait it out, right?"

"We… we can manage," Starlight promised. "Just make it quick, yeah?"

"Quick is our specialty!" Sonic doubtlessly declared. "Now… who's up for a little gem hunt?" He charged into the light, followed closely by his friends, the ponies, and Spike. The second the last creature stepped through, Starlight magically pulled back on the lever, causing the portal to cut out.

Silence wafted through the castle and the unicorn took a deep breath. "You think they can do it?" Sunset gave her friend a determined nod. "After everything? I don't doubt it… we just need to be patient and hold out until they win. Things'll be back to normal in no time, Star."

The other unicorn mimicked Sunset's expression. "They better be…"