Ponyville, Equestria

Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Tails came in for a landing close to some of the houses in the small village. The cyan pegasus immediately crouched down into a stance, whipping her head around for any signs of trouble. "Alright, where's the fire?!" she shouted eagerly.

Tails and Fluttershy looked around the small, quiet town. Both the fox and the timid pegasus examined their surroundings only to find no sign of any metallic-looking animals or ponies running for their lives. "Weird," muttered Tails. "Everything looks perfectly fine."

"Huh?" Rainbow questioned. "That can't be true! I could've sworn Rarity told me-"

"YEEHAW! GIT ALONG, GIRL!"

The loud voice made everyone nearly jump in place and yell out. They whirled towards the source of the noise, where they could now hear panicked murmuring. "Wh-what was that?" whispered Fluttershy.

"It came from the marketplace!" Rainbow called, taking a running start. "Follow me!" Fluttershy and Tails hurried after her, rushing towards the noises of ecstatic yelling and gasps.

The marketplace was in turmoil as ponies of all kinds scrambled to get away from the cause of the trouble. An earth pony with a cowboy hat skidded around a corner and took off galloping as fast as she could, huffing with frustration and determination. On her back, a strange yellow machine was hanging on tightly and whooping in thrill.

"YAH! YAH! GIDDYUP!"

"Get your rusted rump offa me right NOW!" yelled a furious Applejack, now going into tight turns and sudden bursts of speed in an attempt to shake off her unexpected passenger. But this only made him more excited.

"YEEHAW! Ah ain't felt this excited since ah was capturin' those aliens!"

"Wait! Wait for me!" shouted another robot, floating after the rampaging earth pony. "Please be careful with him!"

Two ponies scrambled out of the way right before Applejack charged headfirst through a vegetable stand, smashing it to wooden bits and prompting the other robot to stop. "Oh, dear! I can't watch!" With an exasperated sigh, he covered his optical units.

By now, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Tails were running onto the scene… and were dumbfounded by what they saw. Their eyes went wide and Rainbow was the first to speak.

"What the… Applejack?"

"If you don't get off my back right now, I'm gonna give you a boot so hard you won't remember a thing for a month!"

"This ain't mah first rodeo, missy! And ah'm having too much fun! YAHOO!"

"GRRRRR!"

"Huh?" Tails squinted, trying to get a good look at the pony's rider. However, due to Applejack's constant sudden movements and changes in speed, he couldn't quite make it out. But that voice… "Is that-?"

Applejack ran all around the marketplace, crashing into whatever she could find. Her occupant only held on tightly, giving out the occasional "Yeehaw" and laughing all the while. "This'd be much easier with a saddle! But who am ah kidding?!"

"Why you tin-plated twit! RRRGH!"

"Uh… should we do anything?" Fluttershy whispered over the sounds of the angry Applejack and the loud chatter of her rider. Neither Tails nor Rainbow Dash answered her, as they were transfixed on the scene.

Applejack crashed through another stall, prompting the red robot to flinch. "Oh… that might leave a mark…" he floated after the frantic pony, calling out to the rider. "Please stop this before you lose your head! Again!"

"SHADDUP, partner! Ah'll break this little buckin' bronco in no time! YEEHAW!"

Applejack braked to a sudden halt and started thrashing around in all directions, kicking wildly with her back legs. Her occupant bounced up and down, now starting to grunt in effort. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, girl, easy! Whoa, ya little varmint!"

"AARGH!" Applejack continued to spin around and jump while running around all crazily, her rider now crying out in panic. At this, the red robot sighed. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing that robots can't get nauseous."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa, girl, whoa!"

"GET! OFF!" Applejack roared, finally thrashing hard enough to launch the occupant into the air, where he flailed his arms like crazy.

"WHOOOOAAAA! OOF!" He crashed right into an apple barrel, breaking it apart and making the red and green fruit spill everywhere. Nearby ponies flinched while the red robot floated up to the destroyed barrel. "Oh, dear! Are you alright, my friend?"

"Uh… Ah reckon that hurt," came the pained reply. "Ow… mah servos…"

"Applejack!" called Rainbow Dash, galloping up to the breathing-heavily earth pony. "Are you okay? What was that?"

"Do. Not. Speak of this. To anypony."

"Uh… got it."

"Now that you've stopped literally horsing around," spoke the red spherical robot, pulling out a dizzy yellow square-like robot from the apples. "Pull yourself together! We need to find out where we are. And more importantly, where the boss is!"

"Bartender… hit me up with mah usual, please…"

"Ugh, and there's that stupid voice chip again…"

"AHEM!"

The two robots turned around to see three ponies standing before them. Rainbow Dash had a scowl of disapproval, Fluttershy was trying- and failing- to mimic her fellow pegasus, and the still-furious Applejack snorted out of her nostrils.

"Oh! Um… hello!" waved the red robot. "I sincerely apologize for the, ahem, inconvenience my associate has caused. We just happened to be lost travelers."

Applejack huffed. "Yeah, right."

"We've had monsters just like you attacking towns for the past few days!" shouted Rainbow. "Now, what's your deal? Are you here to snatch up animals and stuff 'em into shells?"

"Er… well… not exactly. I am unit designation SA-55 and this is my companion IDI-07. But you can just call us-"

"Orbot and Cubot!"

The two robots looked past the ponies to see a suspicious Tails folding his arms and glancing down at them. "Oh, my! If it isn't Tails!"

"Um… when did that little varmint get four tails?" uttered the dazed Cubot.

"If you two are here, trouble isn't usually far behind," spoke the fox. "Egg-shaped trouble."

"And if you're here, trouble for us and the boss isn't usually far behind as well! And I mean that in a literal sense!" replied Orbot while Cubot shook his head and knocked himself on it.

"Yeah! Where is that little blue varmint, anyway? The bossman's gonna wanna hear about this pronto!"

Tails narrowed his eyes and pointed at the robots. "Lucky for you two, Sonic isn't here… yet. Now I have a question for you: Where's Eggman?"

Rainbow Dash froze up, her face locked in a tight expression. She stifled her breath, questioning whether she heard that right.

"That is a question we cannot answer… because we are looking for him! Ever since the sky broke apart, he sent us and his Badnik legions to investigate. Unfortunately, we seem to have gotten a little too close to some of the strange cracks in the air and ended up here."

"W-wait… who do you work for?" Rainbow croaked. To Tails, it sounded like she was trying to hold something back. Without hesitation, Orbot turned towards the ponies and began to speak not just to them, but to everypony who was listening in.

"We, Orbot and Cubot, are but lowly servants to a grander design."

"Huh?" Cubot asked. "Lowly servants?"

"Hush!" Orbot shot before he continued. "The grand design of the most brilliant mind in the world, Doctor Eggman! Soon-to-be ruler of the greatest empire of all time and the most talented of geniuses in-"

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Orbot's speech was cut off short by a burst of hysterical laughter from Rainbow Dash. Everyone's eyes turned to the howling pegasus, who had collapsed on her back and had tears forming in her eyes.

"Uh… Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked. "Are… are you okay, sugarcube?"

"HAHAHAHA! EGGMAN! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"How dare you!" shouted Orbot. "I am personally going to deliver this mockery to Lord Eggman himself, and your punishment will be severe!"

"AHAHAHA! What's he going to do?!" Rainbow cackled, managing to turn her wet eyes towards the robot. "Lay exploding eggs?! Squawk at us like the chicken he is?! BA-KAWK! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

As the pegasus continued to break down into laughter, Orbot face-palmed. "Ugh. Come along, Cubot. We are leaving. I don't know how much longer I can take this."

"Enjoy yer little one-horse… uh, two-horse? Three-horse? Aw, forget it!" Cubot shouted. "Enjoy yer little dusty town while ya can! Once the Eggman rides in at high noon, he'll give you the greatest showdown of yer stinkin' lives!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! EGGMAN! AHAHAHAHA!"

"I… guess that does sound pretty funny… Fluttershy whispered.

"Well, they sure don't seem to treat it like a joke…" Applejack noted, watching the two robots hover away. Tails just sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Heh heh… Y-yeah, it does sound kinda funny… but nothing else is funny about it."

"Why?" asked Fluttershy. Beside her, Rainbow's laughter died down as she gasped for breath. "Okay… okay, I'm done. I'm done. Hee hee, Eggman…"

"Doctor Eggman is a mad genius and a conqueror," Tails explained to the ponies. "He's tried to take over the world… well, my world, anyway… multiple times."

"You're from another world?" Fluttershy repeated. "That would explain a lot."

The other two ponies were silent for a moment. "Another dang world?" Applejack asked. "That true?"

"Seems like it," Tails answered. "Anyway, Eggman's tried to establish a huge empire of steel and metal over the years and take control of all life! But thanks to me and my friends, we keep beating him and throwing wrenches in the cogs of his schemes!"

"So…" Fluttershy whispered. "He's the one who put those poor animals in those things?"

"Yeah," Tails said sadly. "Ever since I can remember, Eggman's powered all kinds of robots with innocent animals."

Fluttershy whimpered. "What kind of heartless monster could do such a thing?"

Rainbow just tilted her head. "What the hey is a robot?"

Tails blinked in complete confusion. "Uh… well, you said you were fighting metal creatures for a while, right? Plus, you saw those two earlier. I say you've got yourselves a pretty good idea."

"So this mad scientist or whatever he is," Applejack began. "...has been trying to take over your world with machines? That's crazy!"

"Tell me about it."

"And with no magic whatsoever," Fluttershy added. "You've constantly defeated him every single time?"

"Oh, no! Not just me! Heck, not even me at all!" Tails quickly corrected. "I'm just a good buddy to the guy who sends Eggman packing all the time! Me and all my friends help him out when times get tough!"

Rainbow remembered something just from a few minutes before. When Tails was talking to those two "robots", they mentioned a "little blue varmint" who consistently caused trouble for their boss. And Tails said his name was…

"Uh, Tails?"

"Yeah?"

Rainbow looked at the fox with curious magenta eyes. "Who is this 'Sonic'?"

A smile immediately crept across the fox's face. "Ha! I am so glad you asked!"

MULTIPLE LIFE SIGNATURES DETECTED

He peered out from the shadows, watching the audience of horses surround a figure too familiar to him. One of them, a winged one with a rainbow-colored mane and tail, listened closely to what the fox had to say.

TARGET IDENTIFIED: MILES "TAILS" PROWER

LOCATION OF PRIORITY ONE TARGET: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: UNKNOWN, PRESUMABLY NEARBY

OBJECTIVE: DESTROY PRIORITY ONE TARGET: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

INITIATING OBJECTIVE OVERRIDE

OVERRIDING… OVERRIDING… OVERRIDING…

OVERRIDE SUCCESSFUL

OBJECTIVE: LOCATE DR. EGGMAN

He slipped away unnoticed by the local populace. Within seconds, he boosted through the village and flew out past the border. From above, he scanned the ground until he detected two robots on the move.

DESIGNATIONS IDENTIFIED: SA-55 AND IDI-07

He swooped to the ground and landed right in front of the two lackeys, surprising Cubot. Orbot, however, hovered up to him. "Oh, delightful! You've made it. I was beginning to wonder if you were left behind."

"We're out lookin' for the bossman. Ah don't suppose he's got you wranglin' up some more critters?"

OBJECTIVE: LOCATE DR. EGGMAN

He held out two hands and grabbed the two lackey-bots by their heads. He pushed down before they could protest, retracting them into their sphere and cube forms. Holding them tightly in both hands, he turned his optics to the sky and blasted off, leaving a thruster trail in his wake.

Outskirts of Baltimare, Equestria

"Hmm. Not too shabby," Sonic commented. "I've seen plenty of alternate worlds, but this one's just as alive as mine!"

"I know, right?" Twilight said. "We've got all kinds of creatures…"

"Some less than friendly," the hedgehog interjected.

"Well, we do have some friendly inhabitants, age-old traditions used by some tribes, breathtaking landscapes, and the ruler is in charge of raising the sun and moon!"

"Whoa!" Sonic gasped, turning to Celestia and Luna. "You guys are in charge of bringing day and night?"

"We have done so for centuries," Celestia explained. "Now, that task falls on Twilight's shoulders. With all she has accomplished, a task such as this shall be simple."

"My friends should be in Canterlot, our capital city," Twilight explained. "But in case they're not there, the small town of Ponyville just nearby is a popular spot for them."

"Well, what's a queen without her kingdom, am I right?" Sonic chuckled. "So, which way is this Canterlot?"

"West. I can get us there quicker if we-"

BWOOSH! Sonic shot away at high speed, racing off into the distance. "Then try to keep up!" Twilight stared in shock at the fading-from-sight hedgehog before she sighed in defeat. "Ugh…"

"For a creature without wings, he sure is fast," commented Luna. "I can only think of one pony who could rival him in terms of speed."

"Yeah, well, where we're going, we don't need speed," spoke Twilight, her horn glowing with magic. She drew near the two sisters, concentrated deeply… and vanished in a blink of violet light.

...

Canterlot Mountainside, Equestria

"Oh… my aching head…"

"Now I know what a tornado feels like…"

Knuckles clenched his head and rose to one knee. "Wh-where are we? I feel like Sonic Spin-Dashed me one too many times…"

"Wait a second…" Spike sat up and viewed his surroundings. "This is the mountain that Canterlot is built into!"

Knuckles shook his head. "Huh?"

"Canterlot! Our capital city! Come on, I'll show you around!"

"Wait!" Knuckles cried out. "The Master Emerald! I need to find it before anything happens to it!" He moved to jump down the mountain…

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Spike interrupted. "You have no idea what's out there!"

"Try me,"

"Timberwolves, other dragons, bugbears, and ponies who wouldn't like any intruders in their homes!" Knuckles barely lifted an eye. "So?"

"So you could get seriously hurt? I mean, look at you! Those bugbears from earlier really roughed you up!"

"I've come back from hits worse than that," Knuckles explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to- wait, what's that?"

"What's what?" Spike asked, listening closely for anything unusual. Knuckles only pointed to the horizon, just past the city's main gates. "There, in the distance. Something's flying towards the city. They're too far away to make out."

Spike placed a hand to his forehead and peered out as the figures drew closer. Two of them he recognized immediately thanks to their fur and mane colors. "That's Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. And down on the ground below… I think that's Applejack. And…" he stopped as his eyes rested on a creature he had never seen before. A creature who was traveling in a very bizarre manner.

"Is… is that a fox? A flying fox?" he asked as if he was losing his mind. Surprised, Knuckles shoved past the dragon and peered out to get a closer look. "What the… Tails?"

"Foxes only have one tail," Spike said nonchalantly. Knuckles just put a hand to his chin, now deep in thought. "Hmm… if he's here, then Sonic can't be too far away. And if they've seen what's been going on with the sky, maybe they can tell me what's going on. But, first things first…"

The echidna closed his eyes, making Spike look at him with a confused glance. "What are you doing?"

"Sensing the chaos energy within the Master Emerald to pinpoint its location. Now quiet. I need to concentrate."

Chaos energy? Spike wondered. That… doesn't sound too promising.

"It's… it's faint, but I can feel the Master Emerald somewhere underground," Knuckles muttered. "Good. At least it didn't land out in the open where it could be easily spotted." he opened his eyes and turned to Spike. "Come on. Let's head into the city and meet up with our friends."

"Right," the duo jumped off the cliff and glided down into the city below. Meanwhile, the trio of flyers and the earth pony approached the main gates of the Equestrian capital. Applejack passed through while the flyers cleared the walls and landed inside.

"Alright, here we are!" called Rainbow. "Welcome to Canterlot, kid!"

"This is your capital?" asked Tails. "Wow! It's wonderful!"

"Heh. Impressive, ain't it?" Applejack remarked. "We know our way around this place pretty well, so allow us to give you a tour."

"Sounds cool! I could use a little breather before moving for-"

"Ooh! That sounds sweet!" A distant cheery voice called out.

"To be rescued by the one you're smitten for! That sounds like any girl's dream!" spoke another. Tails and the ponies looked down to the street towards one of the shops. Right in front of the building, a white unicorn and a pink pony with a frizzy mane were chatting with a pink hedgehog.

"Yeah, well, lemme tell you this. You get kidnapped by a robot doppelganger of your true love one time, and they treat you like a damsel for life! It's like they forgot the time I helped that little birdie find its family! Or the time I broke Sonic out of prison! Or the time-"

"Amy?"

The hedgehog looked down the street and her eyes lit up at the approaching figures. "Oh! Tails!"

"How did you get here?" asked the fox. Amy just placed a hand on her hip. "Oh, I just stumbled upon a creepy breach in the air while I was fighting off some rogue Badniks. Y'know, the usual."

Tails turned his attention to the two ponies beside her. "And who are-"

"Hello!" piped the pink pony, surprising Tails by jumping right in front of his face. "Pinkie Pie, master party planner and expert laugher, at your service!"

"And I am Rarity," announced the unicorn in a formal tone. "The most generous soul you will see in all Equestria. Peculiar as you may be, I welcome friends both old and new!"

"She does this a lot," whispered Rainbow. "Get used to it."

"Ladies, this is Tails," spoke Amy. "He's a close friend of mine."

"And these are Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack," added Rarity. "It's a shame Twilight is absent, or else introductions would have been swifter."

Tails put a hand to his chin. "Speaking of swift, Amy, have you seen-"

"Heads up!"

Everyone jumped back at the sudden voice from above, clearing the way for two new arrivals from the air: a red echidna who landed with a grunt and a purple dragon who descended beside him.

"Whoa!" Tails exclaimed. "Knuckles!"

"Spikey-wikey!" cooed Rarity, prompting the dragon to blush and Amy to giggle silently.

"Wait… if you're here, then where's the Master Emerald?" Tails realized with a puzzled gaze. The echidna just shrugged. "It's a long story. And, uh… who would all of you be?"

"Name's Rainbow Dash!" the blue pegasus quickly announced before anyone else could even open their mouth. "And these are my friends; Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie!"

"On the subject of friends…" said Spike. "We seem to be short. I haven't seen Twilight ever since we accidentally flew into that hole in the sky."

"I hope she's okay…" Pinkie spoke up. Tails took a step forward, turning his eyes to his own friends. "Knuckles, Amy, have any of you seen Sonic?"

Knuckles lifted a brow. "I thought he was with you. Is he not here?"

"I haven't seen him since I got here!" added Amy. "Do you think he-"

POOF! A violet flash of light went off right between the three groups, knocking them all back. Three more ponies appeared in the middle of the street, with two of them slightly larger than the others and the third realizing their current location.

"Oops," she giggled. "Sorry."

Spike let out a gasp of excitement. "Twilight! You're back!"

The alicorn's eyes lit up. "Spike!"

"Ah…" spoke Celestia as she passed her gaze on the dumbfounded beings before her. "It appears we have some new guests."

"Wh… what in the name of Tikal is that?" gasped Knuckles.

"That," harrumphed an annoyed Rarity. "...is Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. You would be wise to show respect to our rulers… well, former rulers, but you understand!"

"She's so… radiant," whispered an amazed Amy. Pinkie bounced up by her side. "I know, right? She's super impressive!"

"Uh… your majesty!" Tails suddenly dropped to one knee upon realizing the importance of these figures. "My name is Miles Prower, and these are my friends, Amy Rose and Knuckles the Echidna."

"It's cool, dude," Rainbow said, whacking the fox on the back with her wing. "You can stand up now."

"Uh, sorry," he sheepishly muttered before rising to his feet and clearing his throat again. "We come from a world far beyond yours, where creatures such as yourself do not exist. So forgive me if I find you to be rather peculiar."

"I'm… still not wild about you being from another freaking world," Rainbow whispered. Tails' eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, that's right! This is your first time dealing with alternate dimensions, isn't it?"

"Well, it's not my first," Twilight added.

Tails turned his attention back to Celestia and Luna. "In my world, we are experiencing strange phenomena involving cracks in the sky. Monsters are pouring out of them and terrorizing the land, aided by dark horses with supernatural abilities."

"How ironic!" Rarity retorted. "Here in Equestria, we're dealing with a similar situation!" she pointed a hoof towards the shattered sky. "Those started appearing recently, with horrible metal monstrosities emerging and attacking anypony they see!"

"Plus, there are these freaky black things that look just like you folks," added Applejack. "They got a real knack for causing trouble."

"If this thing is happening in both of our worlds, there's got to be a connection!" Amy explained. "We need to find out what that is, and fast!"

"Fortunately, my sister, Twilight, and I have found just that," Luna said, surprising everyone. "But I would prefer to be patient until your other friend arrives."

"Huh?" Tails wondered, suspicion raising from the back of his mind. "What other friend?"

Celestia gave the fox a knowing look. "I don't suppose the name 'Sonic the Hedgehog' means anything to you?"

"You've seen Sonic?!" Knuckles gasped. "Where is he?"

"He should be on his way to Canterlot as we speak," Twilight answered. "I offered to teleport us here, but he… uh, declined."

"That's Sonic, alright," Amy commented knowingly. "He always wants to do things his way."

"It shouldn't take him much longer," Twilight continued. "For a creature without any wings, he is remarkably fast. I mean, just in a flash, he was gone!"

"Quick question!" Rainbow piped up. "Exactly how fast are we talking here? Like, normal-pegasus fast?"

"Depends," Tails replied confidently. "How fast are you?"

"How fast am I? How fast am I?!" Rainbow hovered off the ground and struck a bold pose. "You're looking at the pony who performed the legendary sonic rainboom! Multiple times! I fly as free as the wind with the wind! I defy the laws of gravity! I'm the best the Wonderbolts got! I can do all kinds of super-awesome stunts! I'm the fastest flier in all Equestria!"

Tails smirked. "That so?"

"Yeah! So?"

"Then you've got a pretty good idea."

"Oh, really? There's no creature alive that can keep with me! Let alone one who can on the ground!"

Tails remained undeterred. "If you say so."

"Oh, I know so, fox boy," she retorted with a stern glare as she touched down. "Just wait until that slowpoke gets here. Then you'll see that I'm the fastest thing alive!"

"Oooh, Dashie's got a rival!" Pinkie exclaimed in a sing-song tone.

"Besides, if he's as fast as you say, then why's he taking so long to get here?" Rainbow asked challengingly.

"Well, the distance between here and Baltimare is considerably big," Spike explained. "You certainly trust this Sonic guy a lot… but I just hope he doesn't get lost."

"I trust him with my life," Tails said to the dragon. "We're practically brothers-in-arms as we are best friends!"

"Still…" Knuckles spoke up, turning to the city walls. "The blue boy's sure taking his time. Is it okay if we meet him by the palace or-"

KABOOM! BOOM! KROOM!

Explosions rocked the Canterlot streets, sending ponies screaming and running for their lives. Nearby guards snapped to full attention while fire and smoke filled the sky. The group shuddered and cried out, all eyes glancing at the chaos around them.

"AH!" cried Rainbow. "Wh-what's going on?!"

"NOW what?!" Knuckles shouted.

The sound of something low and ominous reverberated in the skies above, prompting everyone to look up beyond Canterlot's borders. The ponies' eyes went wide and their mouths dropped open in horrified gasps. Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy's wings dropped to their sides. Celestia and Luna glared at the intruder… while Tails, Amy, and Knuckles gasped at the sight of the looming threat.

Battleships. Lots of them, colored in red and black and hovering high above the walls. Searchlights beamed down and cannons swiveled into position. Pods rocketed down from metallic hulls and slammed down into the city streets, blocking off escape routes and stopping anypony who was running near them. As the citizens screamed and cried out in terror, the pods burst open to allow menacing robots to fill the streets and deny the ponies any chance of fleeing.

A force of heavily armed machines and small Badniks approached the group, circling around them from all sides and readying their weapons. A Motobug revved its engine at Pinkie Pie, Buzz Bombers aimed their stingers from above, and two Crabmeats skittered up to Spike.

Egg Pawns, E-1000s and Egg Fighters surrounded everyone in moments. Rainbow and Applejack jumped into a protective stance, the former spreading her wings. Everypony else- save for Twilight and the former princesses- cowered in fear. Tails stood close to his friends with a determined glare, Knuckles held up his fists, and Amy held her Piko Hammer with a tight grip.

The lead battleship hovered through a large cloud of smoke that blocked out the sun's light. Darkness fell on Canterlot, making everypony fill with a sense of dread and despair. Only Knuckles, Tails, and Amy remained stern with the rest of the ponies as they glared at the huge airship.

"Eggman!" the trio shouted in unison.

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Aboard the battleship's bridge, an obese man with goggles, a red coat, and a wild, untrimmed mustache cackled maniacally behind his controls. "That was almost too easy!" he exclaimed. "All the fruit of one tree ripe for the picking! Orbot! Have all weapons on standby!"

"Right away, boss! All Badnik units are awaiting orders."

"Tell them to hold their position until I give the signal!"

"At your command, oh oval one!"

"Cubot! Fire up the PA systems!" barked the doctor. "I have an announcement to make!" The yellow robot made a sharp salute. "Yes, boss!"

Eggman strode a hand along his mustache as his viewport gave him a pleasant sight: the terrified citizens below that were mere excuses for livestock. He leaned forward, a sadistic grin on his face as he giggled devilishly.

Down below, a pair of red-white shoes skidded to a halt miles away from the capital city of Equestria. The figure turned his eyes to the sky, seeing smoke on the horizon. And a whole invasion force's worth of flying battleships was closing in on the city.

"Eggman?! Here?!"

He shook all confusion from his mind. An attack on a city only meant one thing: people were in trouble. And he didn't have any time to lose.

He blasted off across the land at supersonic speed, racing towards the mountain that the city called home. He just prayed he would get there in time…