"SURPRIIIIIISE!"

The doctor's bellow died down just as the music did, leaving him smiling menacingly at the two creatures below surrounded by robots. Rainbow Dash leaned towards Sonic in disbelief. "He has his own theme song?"

"Yup. He never gets tired of it. I, on the other hand, find it annoying fast."

Rainbow gave him a curious glance. "Do you have a theme song?"

The hedgehog nodded. "Yup. Several, actually."

Rainbow huffed. "Aw, now I want one!"

"Fancy meeting you here, Sonic," announced Eggman. "I never thought you were the horse-whispering type! I'd say I was surprised, but you do that enough as it is."

"How did you find us?" asked the hedgehog, his arms keeping themselves in the air. "Oh, it's quite simple, really," replied the doctor. "It seems that not all of the horses in the herd prefer to listen to you. I must say, you put on a heck of a show for my Flapper units!" As he spoke, the flying machines in question hovered close to his Egg Mobile. "They could barely keep up with you and that foal! A shame that it ended so abruptly, though. I would've loved seeing it pound you into the dirt and save me all the trouble."

"I'm standing right here, you know!" shouted an annoyed Rainbow.

"And oh, look! What's that I see down there?" Eggman mockingly asked, pointing to the streets below. "Why, it's my catch of the day! I'll be ahead of schedule in no time!" Sonic and Rainbow looked to where he was pointing… and saw dozens of Badniks cornering panicked unicorns. Sonic gasped in horror at the sight, but an Egg Pawn pointed its blaster right at his head.

"Ah, ah, ah!" taunted Eggman. "One move, hedgehog, and you're history! You and your little friend, too!"

"Our fight…" whispered Rainbow. "We… led you here?"

"Ding ding ding!" chortled the doctor. "You played your part perfectly! Now, let's see, how does that saying go? Oh, yes!" He grinned wickedly at the hedgehog and the pony. "No good deed goes unpunished! Ah ha ha ha!"

He pressed a button and shouted into a mic. "Attention all Badniks! It's time for a roundup! Scour the city and nab any of the horn-heads you find! And as for those two…" he jabbed a finger at the blue creatures before him. "Take them away! And make sure they don't try anything stupid!"

Sonic smirked, an idea coming to his mind as Egg Pawns with lances marched up to him in perfect sync. "Ah, sadistic as usual," he sighed in his usual charismatic tone. "You never cease to amaze, Baldy McNosehair."

As he suspected, Rainbow perked up just as Eggman shot him an annoyed look. "Grrr… you never learn when to shut that mouth of yours, you-!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rainbow shrieked with laughter and collapsed to the balcony. As the pegasus broke into a laughing fit with tears in her eyes, Sonic shot Eggman a defiant smirk while the mad doctor cringed and groaned. "Yes, yes… laugh it up… come on! It really isn't that funny! And it never will be!"

"BALDY MCNOSEHAIR?! HAHAHAHAHA!" Rainbow cried between bursts of laughter. "That… is… HILARIOUS!"

"Haha! Funny, right?" Sonic replied. "I thought it up in that amusement park of his! It'll never get old!"

"Grrrr! ENOUGH!" roared Eggman, jabbing a finger at the interior of the castle. "Get them out of my sight!" The robots in front advanced towards the animals; an Egg Pawn poking a chuckling Sonic in the stomach with its lance. "Ow! Sheesh, when will robots have a sense of humor programmed into them?" He turned on his heels, hands still raised, and began walking back into the castle with a snickering Rainbow beside him.

"Heh heh heh… Baldy McNosehair…" The pegasus' eyes suddenly shot open, a thought of her own on her mind. "Oh! Hey, how many times have you beaten that guy?"

Glad the pegasus' mood had improved, Sonic shrugged unknowingly. "Y'know, I think I've lost count. You can ask Orby for the exact number, though."

Rainbow smirked in anticipation. "Mind if I try?"

Sonic smiled back. "Be my guest, Dash."

The two speedsters locked eyes, the robots surrounding them oblivious to their whispered words. They nodded to each other… and Sonic shot into the air, nailing several Buzz Bombers. At the same time, Rainbow spun around and shot back to the balcony while the robots engaged Sonic, laser bolts flying everywhere. The pegasus flew through the curtains, aiming for the back of the Egg Mobile.

Eggman's ears picked up the sound of blaster fire. "Huh?! What's going o-AAAAAAH!" Rainbow slammed into his craft with a bang, sending it spinning out of control. She jumped on top of the doctor and scrambled all about, the man swatting his arms at her in a frenzy.

Rainbow punched Eggman in the gut and grabbed his mustache in her teeth, pulling it back before painfully snapping it back. She continued to dart around the Egg Mobile until the scientist grabbed her by the sides and threw her out of the craft like a rag doll. "GYAH! Stupid beast!" While the pegasus opened her wings to come in for a steady landing, the doctor fiddled with his controls to readjust his hovercraft.

"Grrrr… that was a big mistake!" he shouted as he set his glasses back into place and brushed himself off. "You've just dug your own grave, little pony!" He pressed a button and the underside of his craft opened up, dropping a large wrecking ball with a checkerboard pattern. Rainbow just brushed back her mane and took a stance, her wings wide open.

"I think you'll find I'm average height!"

"So… this 'Mephiles' person is the one who fooled me?" asked Silver. Shadow gave him a brief nod. "From what I remember, he's been my enemy just as he was yours. I'm not entirely sure what happened to him or the Scepter of Darkness. As I said, Chaos Control allowed me to retain my memories of Soleanna… but not all of them."

"If Mephiles was manipulating us into releasing Iblis instead of containing him… does that mean they were connected?" asked Blaze. "And why must another question appear the moment one is answered?"

"Well, the sooner we find Star Swirl, the sooner we can find out why this is happening," Silver told her. "Because I'm not gonna get used to remembering different memories all the time."

"Crazy memory thing aside…" Knuckles changed the subject. "Now that we have that scuffle out of the way, what happens now?" Twilight took a moment to think. "Shining, Cadence, I do apologize for the trouble. Just another friendship problem, that's all."

"I can see why Princess Celestia has always been proud of you," replied Cadence. "You've always been known to deal with any crisis, no matter how unexpected they may be."

Twilight smiled. "Well, I've learned that some things just can't be planned for. They may catch me off-guard, but me and my friends will always adapt to whatever-"

"PRINCESS!"

Everyone spun towards the now flung-open doors, where a breathless guard stood catching his breath. "Crystal Empire… under… attack!"

"What?!" gasped Spike. The ponies reared back in shock while Shining turned to his wife. "Can you bring up the shield, Cadence?!"

"No! Too late!" gasped the guard. "They came out of nowhere! They're terrorizing the townsfolk!"

"Who?!" shouted Twilight. "Is it the Legion?!"

"No," answered Shadow. "Take a look for yourself." He pointed out the window… where an armada of battleships loomed above the Crystal Empire. In the streets below the castle, the screams of terrified ponies rang out alongside blaster fire and the marching feet of robotic legions.

Knuckles grit his teeth and pounded a palm. "Eggman!"

"How in tarnation did he find this place?!" shouted Applejack. A shocked Twilight quickly sprung into action and turned to her friends. "Everypony, follow me! We've got to help!"

"And we've gotta find Sonic and Rainbow!" added Amy. "Royals, can you get your people somewhere safe?"

Shining stood up from the throne. "I'll rally the guards. Cadence, gather the townsfolk in the castle. And keep our daughter safe!" Cadence shared a look with her husband before giving him a loving nuzzle. "I will. Now go, all of you!"

"Come on!" cried Starlight, charging for the open doors with the ponies and animals right behind her. Already, guards were scrambling and shouting orders to each other. The entire castle shook with the force of an explosion as something from outside bombarded it.

"We've gotta get out there!" shouted Tails. "Which way to the exit?"

"I know my way around!" answered Twilight. "Follow me!"

"GUARDS!" cried Shining, one of them handing him pieces of amethyst armor. "Rally to me!" Using his magic to suit up, he charged down the halls with several other armored ponies falling behind him. More guards were running for the doors leading out of the castle, rushing to engage the invaders head-on.

"Come on, ponies!" barked one. "Move those hooves! Your prince and princess need y-UGH!" A sudden explosion cut him off, blowing a hole in the side of the castle and sending the guards flying. Shining Armor slid to a halt, his eyes trained on the fallen guards who groaned and stumbled to their feet. One of them looked him in the eye… before a stream of red lasers shot into the hall and cut them down, their targets screaming as they fell.

"NO!" cried Shining Armor just as Tails saw a half-bird, half-plane robot- a Balkiry- screaming away from the hole. The unicorn rushed up to a guard, nudging the smoking body with a hoof. There came no response, prompting the prince to moan in regret while his sister trotted up to him sorrowfully. "Whoever this is… he's just made a big mistake."

"Guys! Look!" shouted Knuckles, pointing out the hole. Everyone rushed to peer out at the city below, immediately noticing burning buildings, large battleships hovering high above, and robots marching through the streets with panicked ponies running and screaming for their lives. Any stray animals were swiftly surrounded and captured by Egg Pawns, which dropped them into a gray capsule.

"No…" moaned Fluttershy as she watched a rabbit beingly forcefully stuffed inside. "Those poor critters…"

"Does this remind anypony else of when the Storm King crashed our party?" wondered Pinkie. "Because I am getting major deja vu vibes right now."

"Wait… there!" Amy pointed at one of the roads, where a blue streak zoomed in and out of view. The comet obliterated a firing squad of Egg Shooters, leaving nothing but scrap metal behind for stunned ponies to see.

"Oh, dear… Twilight…" Rarity moaned. "Look what Rainbow Dash has gotten herself into now!" She pointed off in another direction, where the said pegasus was nimbly evading a wrecking ball chained to some kind of hovering machine: a machine that a fat mustached man was sitting in.

"What the… she's taking Eggman head on?!" Knuckles gaped. "Is she crazy?!"

"'Crazy' is one of the words I use to describe her, sugarcube," answered Applejack. "Come on! We gotta help out!" Everyone scrambled through the hole, dropping to the street below in perfect landing. Shadow, Silver, and Knuckles were the first to take off, unleashing their power on the first robot they laid eyes on. Twilight and the ponies broke into a run towards trapped and terrified earth ponies, leaving Shining Armor to command his guards into battle. Tails, Amy, and Blaze split up, searching for anypony in need of help or a Badnik in need of a good smashing.

Elsewhere, Rainbow leaped away from the wrecking ball that smashed into the street, ducking low from another swing. "Ha! You're too slow, Baldy McNosehair!"

"And you're not on my good side, missy!" snapped the scientist. "You've been spending too much time with the hedgehog!" Eggman spun his craft in a circle, building up momentum and swinging the ball around. When it collided with the street and cracked it, Rainbow hopped on top of it and shot into the air, Eggman struggling to keep track.

In the blink of an eye, Rainbow rocketed for the Egg Mobile and the surprised scientist inside. Yelping in shock, Eggman slammed a palm on a button… and Rainbow Dash hit the craft's newly-deployed canopy with a resounding splat. As her splayed body slid down the glass with a lengthy squeak, Eggman crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at the pegasus.

Rainbow slumped to the ground and moaned woozily. "Not cool…"

"Now, let's see what these colors look like when they're in a splat pattern!" chortled Eggman, piloting the Egg Mobile into a front flip so that the wrecking ball was moving into an overhead strike. Rainbow rolled away from the orb, leaving the street to get smashed again. "Oh, come on!"

Rainbow shook her head to bring her senses back to normal. "Try as you like, fatso…" she taunted, dodging another swing. "But you'll never hit me with that big, slow ball!"

"Oh?" Eggman sneered. "Well, get a load of this!" he pressed another button on his console… and the ball broke away to reveal a spinning razor-sharp buzzsaw!

"Yeep," squeaked a terrified Rainbow.

"Take THIS!" Eggman sent the saw flying towards Rainbow, who barely managed to duck in time before it could slice her head off. The pegasus tried to stay as far away from the blades as she could, losing only a single feather in the process before taking off. She dove at the Egg Mobile again, this time aiming for the chassis. She zeroed in like a missile and rammed the craft head-first with a loud bang, rocking the vehicle and making Eggman collapse in his seat.

"GAH! Why you fidgety little-!"

Rainbow shook her head again and placed a hoof on it. "Ah, that smarts…"

"Rrgh… no matter!" Eggman shouted. "You may be fast, little horsey, but are you fast enough to dodge these? FIRE!" At his command, a volley of heat-seeking missiles launched from the Egg Mobile and zoomed for Rainbow at top speed. "Oh my gosh-!" The pegasus shot away with the ballistics in tow. She screamed into the sky, the missiles hot on her tail. Rainbow pulled up into a loop and tried rolling away, but the projectiles remained locked on her.

The panicked pegasus sped low across the street and pulled up sharply, but the missiles kept on her save for one that exploded against the ground and took out several Egg Pawns in the blast. Another failed to turn after Rainbow made a ninety-degree right turn, detonating against a building and blowing it to bits. "Come on…!"

She zoomed over the streets with only three missiles remaining, her mind racing to find a solution to this dangerous situation. Rainbow's magenta eyes turned back to Eggman's craft… and an idea appeared.

"Yeah! This oughta work!" she cried, spinning in place and shooting towards the missile. The pegasus shot right between them, causing the missile to arc in midair and change direction. Looking back to make sure they were following, Rainbow gained speed and flew right for the Egg Mobile as the mad scientist giddily watched his robots at work.

"That's it, my mechanized masses! Capture the horned horses and anything else that gets in your way! That irritating hedgehog won't stop me-huh?!" Rainbow flew over his craft centimeters above the canopy in a colored flash, making a silly face at Eggman as she passed. The human sneered at the pony in response. "Cheeky little- WAUGH!"

The three missiles bombarded the Egg Mobile in a series of explosions, rocking his craft. As they did so, Rainbow looped around and rocketed for the Egg Mobile at full speed. "HIIII-YAAAAAH!" She smashed into the Egg Mobile again, this time with a force that sent it flying.

"GYYYAAAAUGH!" Eggman screamed as his craft sailed into the air for dozens of feet before bouncing down the street. Chasing after it, Rainbow gave it another hard pound for good measure, watching as the man inside flopped around like a hamster trapped in its ball.

A block away, Sonic smashed through two Egg Fighters and gestured for two earth ponies to flee. As soon as he heard the scream of his archenemy, he spun to look down the road just in time to see the craft bounce about with a colored streak racing after it. The sight of it made Sonic laugh in celebration. "All right, Dash! Way to give it to him!"

A distant scream drew his attention next, prompting him to speed away from the scene and race toward a group of cornered unicorns surrounded by robots. Several palace guards were already trying to fend off the machines, with one armored pony dueling an Egg Lancer and another running an Egg Fighter through its torso. A third swept out an Egg Pawn's legs, its blaster shooting wildly, before stabbing it through the head with a battle cry.

The Egg Lancer disarmed its equestrian opponent of its lance and moved to finish the shocked pony off before a blue ball bounced off the top of its head. The Badnik blew apart before the orb smashed through the remainder of the squad in mere seconds. "No need to thank me!" called Sonic. "But anyone with a horn should really think about hightailing it outta here!" He sped off before anypony- namely the guards- could say anything in reply.

Elsewhere in the city, Shining Armor and a platoon of armored guards struck back against the invading machines, ready to defend their kingdom. Shining blasted apart an Egg Fighter with a magic beam and impaled an Egg Pawn with his horn, leaving the sparking chassis to fall at his hooves. "For the Crystal Empire!"

His soldiers echoed his call and threw themselves at the robotic legions. A pegasus guard smashed into an Egg Pawn with a rocket launcher before it could fire, knocking it to the ground. An earth pony charged into another with a spear and stomped on it with both front hooves. Shining Armor stood against a marching battalion of elite Egg Knights, obliterating them all with a single blast of magic from his horn.

The prince ducked beneath a lance swipe and slashed his horn across the robot's throat, instantly deactivating it. He kicked away another and stomped a hoof on a third robot, pausing to catch his breath. The sound of marching feet drew the unicorn's attention, and when he looked up he saw the broken bodies of the destroyed robots… and many more advancing to take their place.

Shining Armor had never seen such a force in Equestria: a force of unrelenting soldiers who did not tire or halt until their goal had been achieved. And the more he fought, the more numerous they became. For each machine he smashed, another immediately took its place. The Crystal Empire had its fair share of enemies… but this army was like no other.

An Egg Pawn backhanded a guard who stood atop a fallen robot, knocking him to the street. The pony cringed from the impact… and saw a trio of Egg Pawns with blasters standing above him. They stared at him with cold, lifeless eyes and their permanent smiling faces seemed to taunt him, but before the guard could act, a metal finger squeezed the trigger.

"AAAAAAGH!"

The sudden scream among the barrage of laser fire snapped Shining out of his concentration. He spun in the direction of the noises, only to see the robots marching away from a singed, unmoving body. "NO!"

A laser bolt smacked into his golden armor, minimizing the pain the unicorn would have felt if it touched his skin. He retaliated with another magic laser, cutting a hole right through the robot who had assaulted him with a loud cry. Another earth pony charged into the fray and kicked at numerous Egg Pawns, his armor immediately receiving burn marks from laser guns. After kicking away an Egg Pawn with a spear, the guard failed to notice another robot lift its weapon at him.

Shining's eyes widened in horror. "Sapphire, behind-!"

BLAM! The shot hit the guard directly in the head, making him drop to the street. His helmet rolled off his head and clattered to a stop directly in front of Shining, who could only stare in horror. "S-Sapphire!"

An entire squad of Egg Pawns opened fire on the captain, who generated a magical forcefield to protect himself. Five earth pony guards ran past him, charging towards the machines. Their efforts were for nothing, as they were all cut down by laser fire in front of Shining's eyes.

"No…"

Up above, a pegasus guard was flying away from three Buzz Bombers that fired wildly at him. "They're on me tight! I can't shake-AAAH!" A shot him in the wing and he crashed to the street, landing at the feet of a massive Egg Hammer. Shining couldn't bear to watch, squeezing his eyes shut. If the following scream wasn't enough horror, the image of the guard's horrified face was burned into his mind. A tear welled up in the prince's eye as several cries just like it came from all around him.

"Th-they're everywhere!"

"Begone, you worthless piles of-AAAGH!"

"Platinum! They got Platinum!"

"They won't stop!"

"Opal, look-! OPAL!"

"YAAAAAGH!"

"Aqua's hit! AQUA'S HIT!"

"What in Equestria ARE these things?!"

"They just keep coming! AUGH!"

"Turquoise! NO!"

"There's too many of them! I can't- AAAAAAH!"

"N-n-no! Get away! NYAAAAA!"

Pain suddenly flooded Shining's body, making him realize he had dropped his shield in his moment of shock. He cried out as stray shots struck both his armor and skin, a bolt to his leg making him drop. His vision went blurry; as he could only make out more and more robots approaching with giant hammer-wielding ones at the rear. One of them neared Shining with solid, soulless movements, a laser blaster in one hand. It slowly raised its weapon arm at Shining's head, the unicorn helpless before it. He tried calling upon his magic to blast it… but only a sparkle emerged from his horn.

He had exhausted himself. Something he now knew these things, these abominations, could never do. A flaw they did not possess. As Shining took in the seemingly-smiling face of the automaton before it, he braced for darkness. The finger clenched around the trigger…

…and a ray of violet light blew the arm clean off.

"LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!"

The robots turned to the left and immediately opened fire, lasers flying everywhere like a swarm of angry bees taking their vengeance on the creature that had knocked over its hive. A purple alicorn with a mystical barrier raised around her charged towards the machines, their lasers absorbing into the shield. Following close behind her were four other ponies and a dragon who barreled towards the automaton army.

Twilight Sparkle met them head-on, using her magic to obliterate the robots like they were children's toys. Rarity used her magic to send smaller robots flying and summoned a diamond shield to block incoming laser fire. Pinkie Pie bounced this way and that, hopping off Egg Pawn heads and rolling into an Egg Shooter. Applejack headbutted an Egg Pawn and stomped both front hooves down on it, thrusting her back hooves at another that ran in from behind. Spike spit fireballs at Buzz Bombers and bombarded the machines from above. Fluttershy grabbed a Motobug by the pincer and threw it into a scuttling Crabmeat, blowing the Badniks to bits.

"Run, pretty critters!" she called to the animals inside, who liked nothing more than to comply. Scrap metal flung through the air and parts were scattered along the street. A beam of amethyst light swept through the remainder of the mechanical horde, slicing them up like a hot knife through butter. The squad of Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters paused in their tracks before they collapsed in useless heaps, their chassis glowing red-hot from the horn-produced laser.

The princess of friendship hopped over the remains and approached her brother with a worried face while her friends kept up the defense. "Are you okay, Shining? Can you stand?"

"T…Twilight…" the prince's voice was undeniably filled with confusion and fear. "What are these things? They're taking out the guards like they're nothing… they're showing no mercy… what manner of monster are they?"

"These aren't monsters, Shining," spoke the alicorn. "They're something worse. Artificial bodies with no heart, no mind, and no soul. They have no will of their own, blindly following whatever order is given to them. And they won't stop until they get it done."

"B-but what if they get tired?"

"That's just it! They never get tired! They don't need to eat or sleep, and their ruthlessness is what makes them dangerous! To them, you're nothing! This city's defenses are child's play to them! They've done things I can't even imagine!" Twilight paused, her ears picking up the unchanging sound of mechanical marching just as her friends were finishing off the last of the robots. "And I'll admit, I don't know much about them. I stand as much of a chance as you do, which is pretty much useless. None of my friends have any great experience fighting them… but luckily, I know some creatures who do."

"More of them?!" cried a bewildered Applejack. "Don't these tin-headed turncoats ever give up?!"

"Er…" Rarity spoke up. "Some assistance would be greatly appreciated right about now! If you don't mind!"

Right on cue, a sapphire wind kicked up around the robots, cutting them off from the ponies. Most of the small ones were tossed aside like toys while the ones trapped inside kept their optics peeled for the source.

KRABAM! A blue sphere smashed against the head of an Egg Fighter and ricocheted off more Egg Pawns, blasting them into parts. Ensuing laser fire hit several robots instead of their intended target, carving holes through metal bodies. The blue whirlwind proceeded to wreck the machines in a matter of seconds before coming to a stop in front of Twilight.

"I 'herd' you could use a hand! Ha!" announced Sonic, chuckling at his pun.

"Shining, let us take care of this. You're in no shape to keep fighting," Twilight whispered, helping her brother stand. "And if you still were, you'd be slaughtered by those things. And I can't protect both my friends and family from them."

"Or all of yours…" Sonic muttered, picking up the helmet of a fallen guard. "You shouldn't bring spears and lances to a laser gun fight, Shiny. Even though you've done more than enough trying to hold them off." He tossed the helmet away.

"Get everypony back to the Crystal Castle," Twilight told him. "Guards and citizens alike. We'll handle things from here."

Shining blinked. "A-are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Shining. Now go!" She spun and trotted to Sonic's side, her horn bursting with magical energy. Shining watched his sister leave before taking in a deep breath. "You better be right about this, Twily…"

The unicorn turned and broke into a run, calling out to whoever he could. "RETREAT! RETREAT! Fall back to the castle! Everypony fall back!" A few guards immediately complied and fled as fast as they could, some of them scrambling away in fear rather than obeying the order.

Twilight blasted three Egg Pawns while Sonic blew a hole through an Egg Shooter's chest, leaping off of Rarity's shield before she used it to ram an Egg Pawn with a lance. An Egg Hammer stomped up to the unicorn, gripping the oversized mallet that could squash a pony with one strike. The mech raised the weapon up… until Applejack kicked it in the leg with both hind hooves, crippling it and making it tumble to the ground. Twilight shot into the air and fired a violet beam from her horn, puncturing the robot's head and leaving a gaping hole behind.

"Run! Fly! Be free!" cheered Fluttershy as she cracked Badniks like eggs and ushered the captive animals away. Spike breathed fire at an Egg Fighter's face, saving the oblivious pegasus from its presence. Pinkie popped up in an Egg Pawn's face, blowing a raspberry at it. The robot immediately drew its blaster and pulled the trigger, its shot missing the earth pony as she darted all around and continued to make faces. The lasers struck several more robots in the back, with one bouncing off a crystalline surface and hitting the shooter in the head.

A squad of lined-up Egg Fighters and Knights charged towards the earth pony, who readied a party cannon and whistled. A second later, a blue orb jumped up from a crowd and landed inside the cannon's barrel, prompting Pinkie to take aim at the robots and fire with a loud cheer.

In a flash of blue light, Sonic shot through all of the robots in a single move, piercing them front to back. He was already off before they hit the ground, flashing Pinkie a thumbs-up as he ran. He circled around the block and shot towards the ponies again, kicking an Egg Pawn in the face.

"All those poor animals…" moaned Fluttershy. "I don't think I can save them all…"

Applejack gasped for breath after crushing the head of an Egg Fighter under her hooves. "These dang things just keep comin'! How are we supposed to stop them, Twilight?!"

"I don't know!" shouted the alicorn. "All I know is that we need to get everypony in the city to safety! Do you know how that's coming along, Sonic?"

"Actually, no…" came the hedgehog's reply as his eyes turned to the air. "But I think we're gonna find out!" He waved both arms and called out. "Hey, Tails! How's the evac?"

The twin-tailed fox landed atop an Egg Pawn, wrestled its blaster away, and shot it in the top of the head. "Amy and Blaze just got the last of them into the castle!" he reported, turning the weapon on several more Badniks. "But there's almost too many robots for us to handle, Sonic!"

"And this is getting out of control fast!" added Rarity. "Even together, we may be overwhelmed within minutes!"

The hedgehog's eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got an idea! Tails, hold the line here! I'm going for the old Priority One!"

The fox turned to him. "You sure?"

"Relax, bud! I got this!" He gave his friend an assuring pat on the shoulder and winked.

Applejack blinked in confusion. "Wait, Priority what-now?"

Sonic shot away and jumped on top of a building, immediately moving into a position atop a chimney. He looked down at the robot horde closing in on the ponies with a knowing smile… and whistled as loud as he could.

Just as he suspected, the robots all stopped and turned their heads in his direction. Even the flying ones hovered to a halt and turned to face him. "Hey, tin-heads! Nice light show, but none of your little toys have hit me yet! Aren't you programmed to hate my guts?"

The building was lit up by laser fire, blowing holes in the sides and destroying the chimney Sonic just jumped off. "Haha! Thought so! Catch me if you can, bolts-for-brains!" He took off down the street, with the robots giving chase without hesitation. None of them paid any attention to Tails, Spike, and the ponies, who all- save for the fox- stared at the scene in confusion.

"Uuuh…" Spike scratched his head with a claw. "What just happened?"

"Eggman's robots have a secret protocol installed," Tails explained, tossing away the stolen blaster. "A Priority One alert system. If any robot spots Sonic or detects him approaching, they will stop whatever they're doing to get him… including attacking anyone else."

"Oooh! It's almost like he's their guest of honor!" Pinkie said cheerfully.

"Abandoning any other task and focusing on him?" Rarity questioned. "That sounds oddly familiar… Twilight, didn't something like that happen in Canterlot before he arrived?"

"I think so," replied the alicorn. "Is he okay with having that many robots chase him at once?"

"Okay? Ha!" Tails laughed. "He's gonna have the time of his life!"

Many blocks away, Sonic sped away from a storm of laser fire with Motobugs and Buzz Bombers hot on his tail. Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters moved into position to snipe him from rooftops and alleyways, the sight making Sonic smile. His distraction was working! With all the robots focused on taking him out, and more noticing him as he ran through the streets, they were left open for anyone else. And his first target was coming up now…

"Knuckles! Amy! Special delivery!"

The echidna finished slamming an Egg Fighter to the ground and turned an eye to the approaching hedgehog. By his side, Amy held her hammer like a baseball bat while he pumped his fists. "Awesome! Bring 'em here, true blue!"

"Take it away, rad red!" Sonic shouted, shooting right between them. Amy and Knuckles jumped towards a squad of Egg Pawns, who noticed them too late as fists and a hammer smashed into them. Several more robots ignored them and continued to pursue the blue blur. Sonic made a sharp right as Buzz Bombers fired blasts at him, turning to match his path. Several Motobugs drifted into the turn, with one not going sharp enough and crashing into a wall before finishing the turn.

Up ahead, Sonic spotted a familiar black figure ripping robots apart with nothing but his bare hands while a unicorn with a mane the color of fire fired magic bolts at more. He could hear words of a challenge already. "Is this really the best the doctor can send? Nothing more than outdated toys, these ones."

"Then here come some new ones for you to break!" Sonic called as he raced past in the blink of an eye. "All yours, Shad!" The black hedgehog was momentarily startled at the blue one's interruption, which faded once he turned to the aforementioned arrivals. While Sunset shot a hole through an Egg Pawn, Shadow stood in front of the robots' path with arms folded against his chest.

"Chaos BLAST!"

He erupted in a shockwave of red light that instantly obliterated everything mechanical it touched. Only a select few managed to flee the destruction, keeping hot on Sonic's heels. Those not yet caught soon found themselves at the mercy of the Ultimate Lifeform; mercy that made Sunset Shimmer somewhat uneasy.

Sonic continued to dash down the streets, looking for his next checkpoint. He spotted it not too far away thanks to cyan flashes of light, prompting him to drift to the left at an intersection. Laser bolts zipped past him as he maneuvered in a zigzag pattern, leading the robots towards their third hazard.

"Silver! Show these metalheads how to fly!"

The futuristic hedgehog caught on. "Got it! Heeyah!" Grabbing several robots with his psychokinesis, he jerked up his arms and released his hold, sending them sailing into the air. "Haha! Nice one!" Sonic called, giving a thumbs-up as he heard the machines crash into the ground.

"Sonic! Move!"

Starlight Glimmer stood in front of the blue hedgehog's path, her horn flashing brightly. In an instant, duplicates of the unicorn surrounded her on both sides, forming a wall that forced Sonic to shoot down an alleyway. Turquoise light shot out from their horns, connecting with the robots and reducing them to scrap. The Starlights held their position as they continued barraging the machines with magic lasers, gunning them down during their approach. It was only when the last robot fell did the copies vanish into thin air.

"Whoa! Neat trick!" an awed Sonic complimented. "What next, can you read minds with that thing?"

Starlight cleared her throat. "Well… not exactly…"

"No time for you to explain anyway! Gotta get back in there!" Sonic interrupted, zooming away towards another squad in a blue trail, leaving Silver and Starlight to fend for themselves. The blue light blinked through an intersection… and over the perpendicular path, a hovercraft was struggling to stay airborne.

The Egg Mobile hit the street bottom first, sliding to a stop and breaking up the street in the process. The scientist inside grunted from the impact, nearly sliding out of his seat as his vehicle tilted. He retracted the canopy and coughed, supporting himself on the vehicle with both arms.

Something zipped into him at lightning speed, pinning him against the opposite side of the craft. A smirking Rainbow Dash held Eggman down by the jacket with both front hooves, the scientist grunting under her weight. The pegasus couldn't help but let out a snicker at the situation.

"Y'know, where you come from, people know you the most because you're the one who keeps getting his big butt whooped by a hedgehog of all things. But when they hear you got beat by a pony? Oh, what I wouldn't do to see the looks on their faces!"

"It…" Eggman choked out. "It would be rather embarrassing now, wouldn't it?" Now it was his turn to chuckle as he grinned at the pegasus. "Which is why I'm not gonna lose to you anytime soon."

"Wha?!" Rainbow was taken aback. "Uh, hello?! I beat your stupid robots! I kept myself from getting crushed, cut, and blown up by whatever you have in this hilarious excuse for a flying machine, which is also grounded. And in case you haven't noticed, fatso, I'm right on top of you like a champ! Aren't you supposed to be smart, egghead?"

"Oh, I am. And do you know the most common trait of any genius?" Eggman sneered at Rainbow's annoyed face. "It's that we always have a backup plan."

Rainbow was about to ask him what the hey that was supposed to mean, but he lifted a hand to his mouth and whistled sharply. The pegasus made a confused expression and hung her mouth open. "Uh, what-"

WHAM!

Something rammed into her so hard Rainbow swore she felt something crack. It was like somepony had thrown a boulder at her. Not even a second has passed before her back crashed against something just as hard: the wall of a house. A pained scream began to tear its way from her mouth… but it turned into a gurgling noise of constraint as something lodged around her throat and squeezed her windpipe like an extra-strength lasso.

Rainbow struggled to cry for help, let alone breathe. Her body struggled wildly, but the thing around her throat didn't budge an inch. It felt… cold. And hard. Insanely hard, at that. And no matter how hard she thrashed around in desperation to break free, it refused to move. It was like trying to move a heavy stone or push a small building. Rainbow cracked open her eyes… and her heart might as well have stopped.

Like the rest of the Crystal Empire's attackers, a machine stood before her. But at the sight of it, Rainbow knew it was no ordinary contraption. It stared at her with cold, red, emotionless eyes in a sea of black that pierced her own, it had no mouth with which to speak, and its sharp metal fingers had a death grip on her neck.

But that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was what- or rather, who- it looked like. It didn't look like a ladybug with a wheel, or a dragonfly, or a crab with unusually large eyes. It didn't even look like those goofy ones with creepy smiles.

This robot… looked like Sonic.

From beyond the robotic replica, the Egg Mobile lifted back into the air with Eggman at the controls. The scientist's snicker was slowly becoming a menacing laugh, gleefully watching the pegasus' suffering. And he seemed to be enjoying it.

Rainbow wanted to call him out for being a lunatic or a psycho… but even without this thing dangerously close to breaking her neck, the sight of it was enough to send chills up her spine and render her speechless. A mechanical buzz radiated from the machine as it stared into her very being. What was it doing? Examining her? Taunting her? Rainbow would've done anything for eyes on her, but this kind was extreme creepiness.

"What do you think of this mechanical marvel?" Eggman chortled. "I call him Metal Sonic. Field-tested! Battle-hardened! My finest and greatest creation ever! The only one of my machines to rival that heinous hedgehog in speed and power!"

He hovered close to Rainbow and leaned forward, looking her in the eye from a distance so close she could nearly smell his sadistic nature. "And I know all about your little dance with Sonic. My Flapper units recorded every little thing, as I'm sure you know. He nearly ripped every feather from those pretty little wings…"

His tone dropped into a dark and malicious tone that turned Rainbow's fur white. "...and I can't wait to see what he can do to you. METAL! DROP!"

The robot hurled Rainbow Dash away faster than she could blink, sending her screaming form through the air. She nearly blacked out when she hit the street, air rushing through her form at the sweet relief of lifted pressure. The sound of mechanized stomping drew her attention back to her aggressor, who stood with claw-like fingers gleaming like daggers and crimson eyes glaring up and down her form, which was painted in red light from the robot's optical sensors.

UNKNOWN LIFEFORM SCAN COMPLETE

SPECIES: UNKNOWN, PRESUMABLY IN THE EQUIDAE FAMILY

HEIGHT: 4 FEET MINIMUM

LENGTH: 6 FEET MINIMUM

WINGSPAN: 6 FEET MINIMUM

ESTIMATED TOP SPEED: 200 MPH

UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE IN CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. LOGGING FOR FUTURE ANALYSIS

INITIATING COMBAT PROTOCOLS: CHARGING PROPULSION SYSTEM

"I'd love to stay and watch him dismember you," Eggman spoke as if he was trying to make friendly conversation. "But I have business to attend to. You kids have fun now! HAHAHAHAHA!" The engines on the Egg Mobile fired up and the craft shot over the city, the scientist laughing maniacally all the while. Rainbow turned to the machine and swallowed to hide her sudden fear.

"S-so you wanna go?!" she shouted as boldly as she could. "You think you can take on the mighty Rainbow Dash?!"

TARGET HEART RATE: 80 BPM

TARGET TERRIFIED

"You think you're scary?!" Rainbow continued, oblivious of the robot's scan. "I've fought dozens of monsters scarier than some lousy toy! A-and I've fought Sonic, too! So whatever you've got, I'm ready for… it?"

A jet-engine turbine in Metal Sonic's chest reached full capacity, which Rainbow only noticed now that the high-pitched sound was undeniable. Metal shot forward at blinding speed, slamming a knee into Rainbow's gut.

The pain hit Rainbow like a lightning bolt. Feeling something that hard smash into her stomach was almost unbearable, and what little breath she had in her was instantly thrown out along with some spittle. She immediately flung back from the strike, smashing against a crystal hard enough to crack it.

"AAAaghh…" She slumped to the ground in pain, clutching her stomach with a hoof. "Okay… I wasn't ready… for that…" she whined, staggering to her feet with ragged breaths. When she looked up, Metal Sonic was already staring down at her.

He lifted a finger and pointed right at her forehead, the tip looking ready to pierce her any second. Instead, the robot moved it into a thumbs down as another buzzing noise came from his form.

"So… so that's how you wanna do it, huh?" Rainbow panted. "Well, then…"

She zipped up to Metal faster than he could move and tapped a hoof on his shining head. "TAG! YOU'RE IT!"

ZOOM! She shot off down the street in a colored flash. With a thundering boom, Metal Sonic rocketed after her at dangerous speeds. With the wind screaming in her ears, Rainbow zipped around robots and glanced back at her pursuer, whose fingers were outstretched into predatorial claws.

With a grunt, Rainbow spun and dug her hooves into the ground, coming to a full stop and locking her magenta eyes on the hypersonic fake hedgehog. Metal was barreling towards her like an angry bull, arms ready to grab her. At the last second, Rainbow launched into the air, ascending dozens of feet in seconds while her attacker was left far down below.

"HA!" she cried victoriously. "Told you I fought Sonic! And with me safe and sound up here, I'm untoucha-"

Rainbow's relief and cockiness suddenly turned into horror. Metal hadn't stopped moving… and had instead turned skyward and was zooming right for her at near-supersonic speed!

"YAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rainbow shot away in a panic as fast as she could, her mind screaming at her to keep as far away from this thing as possible. "NofairnofairnofairNOFAIR!" she shrieked as she sped over rooftops and around tight corners. "Sonic can't fly, SONIC CAN'T FLY!" The pegasus zoomed over the streets, her wings in a beating frenzy. The robot sped after her, his eyes full of ruthless accuracy.

Rainbow zoomed through the air with Metal Sonic on her tail, the machine unwilling to let her out of his sight. The engine embedded in the robot's torso let out a loud roar and blasted out a trail of energy. With the new speed boost, the dastardly double easily caught up to the pegasus's left side and swiped a hand at her.

"YOW!" Rainbow swiftly dodged the strike and darted away in the opposite direction. Metal quickly gave chase, keeping his eyes trained on his winged prey and calculating her current trajectory.

TARGET ALTITUDE: 500 METERS

TARGET SPEED: 375 MPH

OFFENSIVE MATRIX STANDING BY

V. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE CHARGE: 20%

"Come on, Rainbow! Lose this guy!" Rainbow circled around the Crystal Castle in an upward spiral; a movement that Metal copied perfectly. He kicked in his thrusters again, zeroing in on Rainbow. The pegasus changed her flight angle moments before he reached her, shooting away from the castle. Instead of outright pursuing her, Metal hovered in midair for a bit… before blasting into the sky.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder to catch a glance at her pursuer, only to see nothing but the gleaming elegance of the castle. Huh?! Where did he-?!

The screeching noise of a jet engine gave the pegasus her answer, as Metal Sonic zoomed directly in front of her. Rainbow was moving too fast to act, and her velocity was immediately turned against her when the robot smashed both fists onto her back and sent her falling faster than the speed of gravity.

Rainbow smacked onto the roof of a nearby building, letting out a moan of pain. Before she could stand, Metal forcefully slammed a foot on her neck and caused the roof to collapse, sending both fliers tumbling into the falling house. Dust kicked up from the wreckage… where a metal fist burst out. Metal Sonic rose from the debris, holding a struggling Rainbow by the coat in his grip. With a mechanical buzz, the robot tossed the pegasus onto the street and boosted into the sky. Rainbow let out a tiny whimper of agony before the sound of an engine and the sight of a shadow on the ground snapped her out of her pain.

Instinct kicked in as Rainbow's wings performed a single flap that sent Rainbow backward a few meters. Metal Sonic crashed down where she once stood, a fist smashing solid ground instead of soft flesh. The robot's head whirled to stare at Rainbow a second later as if he was impressed by the dodge. The mechanical menace stood with his engine whining, blasting towards the pegasus again.

He was moving too fast for Rainbow's mind to react to, and she knew she couldn't speed away in time. All she could do was watch those eerie red lights among a storm of black and blue lunge at her like a hungry beast…

A blue sphere smacked against the flying machine, knocking it down the street. Metal immediately dug his claw-like fingers into the street and jerked his head towards the one who had intervened. Rainbow peeked open an eye she never realized she had closed… and let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, look who we have here!" taunted Sonic the Hedgehog. "If it isn't my loathsome copy! Here to get your can kicked again?"

"Whew…" Rainbow breathed. "Thanks, Sonic. I needed that."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," came his swift reply. "Now how about you swap dance partners, Me-"

Before Sonic could finish his quip, a storm of missiles screamed through the air and zeroed right for him. With a yelp of surprise, Sonic jumped away from the rockets just before they detonated against the street, igniting Rainbow's vision in a cloud of red, orange, and black. The pegasus threw a wing in front of her face just as a sinister voice rang out through the smoke.

"Don't interrupt the children, hedgehog!" scolded Dr. Eggman. "Don't you know that's rude? Whatever business you want to discuss with them… you can take it to me!"

Eggman flew through the smoke cloud and hovered near Sonic, two laser cannons sliding out the sides of his Egg Mobile. "And besides, you ruin my plans to take over our world enough times as it is! You're sorely mistaken if you think you can stop me from taking over this one!"

Sonic balled his fists and got into a stance. "Bring it on, blubber butt! Just don't be too disappointed when I give it a good kick again!"

"All weapons! FIRE!"

Missiles and lasers flew from the Egg Mobile, forcing Sonic to run away in a blue flash. Eggman gave chase, his cannons firing a steady stream at the hedgehog. Rainbow could only watch with a sunken heart; her chance of backup now having his own problem to deal with.

But on the plus side, she was ready for this steel-plated copycat. She turned to him with a huff of her nostrils and a stance of her own. "Alright, then! Come at me!" The robot immediately complied with a full charge, which the pegasus flew forward to meet. Just before they collided, she swiftly rolled around Metal's form and delivered a strong double kick to his back. The robot tumbled out of control and smacked against a wall, another buzz of (seemingly) surprise adding to the sound.

"That all you got?! 'Cause I'm just getting started!"

TARGET STATUS: OVERCONFIDENT

ODDS OF SUCCESS: 96.7%

RECONFIGURING TARGET STATISTICS: EQUIVALENT REQUIRED

MATCHES FOUND: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MILES "TAILS" PROWER

EMPLOYING NEW COMBAT PROTOCOLS

V. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE CHARGE: 50%

Metal rose to his feet and took off in the blink of an eye. Rainbow launched skyward and looped around in mid-flight, circling around the airborne machine. The pegasus and robot shot over the city in bright streaks, colliding off each other as often as they could. Rainbow arced around a tall building while Metal launched himself off a roof, the flyers closing the distance again. But instead of meeting head-on, Rainbow shot to the right just before contact, forcing Metal to alter his trajectory and give chase. Soon, he was flying right beside the smirking pegasus, who stuck her tongue at the robot before zipping away.

"Your mama was a sewing machine!" she taunted as she zipped down a stretch of open road. Metal's only reply came from the steady howl of his engine, which propelled him around crystalline buildings and chimneys. Flying Badniks moved out of his way, none of them paying any mind to the other.

By now, Rainbow had flipped herself upside-down as Metal gained altitude and looked down at her. "Y'know, I can't tell whether you not having a mouth is a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, if the egghead didn't want you getting distracted by battle banter, I wouldn't know if he did a good enough job! Plus, you take all the fun out of trash-talking!"

NOTE: TARGET'S EGO COMPARES TO SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Metal swooped at Rainbow like a hawk, ready to seize her by the throat with both arms. The pegasus blew a raspberry at the robot before propelling herself up, leaving Metal to swipe at empty air. The robot hovered to a stop, his optical sensors moving at everything in sight.

TARGET LOST: SEARCHING…

His field of sight was suddenly surrounded by a whirlwind of color that had a cyan blur flash in and out of view. Metal made no move as the tornado enveloped him, even as Rainbow struck at him with her hooves.

TARGET SPEED: 500 MPH AND CLIMBING

CALCULATING ROTATION VELOCITY

POW! Metal's fist shot out and nailed Rainbow right in the face with targeted precision, instantly knocking her out of her tornado technique. She slid to a halt and shook off the pain with a grunt. "Lucky shot, punk!" She was airborne once more in a heartbeat.

The two flying blurs zipped through the sky, sometimes flying so close together they could look each other in the eye for a split second. They looped towards each other and shot forward at full speed, with Rainbow holding both hooves in front of herself. She zeroed in on Metal with the intention of ramming him like Applejack bucking a tree…

…only for the robot to latch onto her face with deadly force. The pegasus cried out in alarm before Metal blasted away, flying up the side of a tall building while dragging Rainbow along its side. Rainbow's body shot with agonizing pain until they reached the top, where Metal spun like a top and flung Rainbow towards another house at incredible speed.

Fighting the dazed sensation that threatened to overpower her, Rainbow expanded her wings into a steady glide and steered away from the building before she could hit, the tip of her hoof nicking its wall. She resumed her high-speed flight, taking in deep breaths to recover from the painful drag. But this left her open to a new kind of pain as Metal swooped in and slammed into her torso with both fists, knocking her upward. Metal boosted after the screaming pegasus and rose over her, grabbing her by the tail and hanging her upside-down.

Before Rainbow could react, Metal tossed her up and kicked her like a ball, sending her careening down to the streets below in a violent spin. As the world spun around her, Rainbow's breathing became frantic and her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

Come on, Rainbow! Pull up, pull up, PULL UP!

With a cry of effort, the pegasus screamed back into the sky just before she could hit the battle-scarred street. Her eyes narrowed in both anger and frustration as she locked eyes with her rival. "That's it!" she roared ferociously. "It's the trash pile for you!"

But rather fly towards the fake hedgehog, Rainbow soared higher into the air towards the clouds with Metal giving chase. The pegasus looked behind her once more as the sound of a rocket engine blended in with the howling wind. With a narrow expression, she turned and shot into the white clouds. A second later, Metal Sonic pursued her through.

TARGET SPEED: 675 MPH

It was beginning to prove difficult for the robot to keep track of Rainbow's shape through the layer of clouds. The pegasus weaved through the fluffy whiteness, popping out of one cloud and into another. Metal kept up the chase, the number indicating Rainbow's flight speed increasing by the second.

680… 700… 720… 740…

He kicked his engine into high gear and rocketed through another dense cloud, his sensors locked onto Rainbow's silhouette. Metal extended his arms and flashed his silver fingers… and struck.

He flew out of the cloud with clenched fists, which were once again empty. Another buzzing noise, this one low and droning, rose from his form as his sensors swept over the sky.

TARGET LOST

Metal Sonic was incapable of feeling frustration. Even if he was, the emotion would not be present. If the unknown flier had a similar approach to combat like Sonic, Metal was prepared for whatever it had to offer. But this unpredictability was unexpected. And if his calculations were correct, Sonic wouldn't have the gall to-

SHA-BOOOOOOOM!

The sky lit up in a bedazzling display of color, a radiant wave of light spreading across the heavens. Metal Sonic turned as soon as his audio receptors detected the disturbance: a noise that his sensors cataloged as a shattering of the sound barrier.

Like a comet plummeting down to earth, a rainbow blur smashed into Metal Sonic stronger than 50 wrecking balls and faster than his optical sensors could identify it as an incoming threat. The lifeform shrieked through the air faster than the speed of sound, leaving a tumbling Metal Sonic in the pierced clouds. The robot attempted to keep himself stable, only for a message to appear on his heads-up display.

WARNING: DAMAGE SUSTAINED TO FUSION ENGINE

The thruster in Metal's chassis began to sputter and cough, the yellow light flickering in and out. Metal ran an internal diagnostic to see if anything else had been damaged, save for small dents on his chassis from the lifeform's lucky hits. His auto-repair systems activated, getting to work on stabilizing the engine. A temporary setback, nothing more and nothing less. The unknown lifeform was beneath Metal Sonic, almost a mockery to any creature that dared to defy his master. It would be captured and brought before Dr. Eggman… and if that proved to be difficult, then it would be neutralized.

Metal Sonic began to run a scan for the target, taking in his new surroundings. He was in another cloud, but this one was larger and darker in shade. And there was more: his sensors were picking up small traces of electrical energy in the surrounding atmosphere.

WARNING: HIGHLY-CONCENTRATED ELECTRICITY LEEEEEEEE

With a loud triumphant shout and a thunderous crack, Rainbow Dash struck the storm cloud with all her might and sent a bolt of lightning crashing into Metal Sonic's form. The millisecond it hit, electricity coursed through the robot's body and his optical sensors began to flicker alongside his engine. His heads-up display glitched like crazy, and the image of the pegasus flying out of the cloud to reveal herself looked distorted and buggy.

CDiH7ETh$T53d6h09Ex#4AB$fl5te35YIStu61dP0n73op3gGm4N

BEEEEYOOoooop…

His red eyes faded away, his engine gave out a final cough, and Metal Sonic's deactivated body began its fall hundreds of feet to the ground. Rainbow let out a laugh at the sight. "Wait until Egghead hears that I broke the toy he gave me! Haha!"

She swooped down to the city below, racing the limp body as she did so. Reaching the rooftops in five seconds flat, she touched down gracefully on the road and walked away with a proud smile and her head held high…

KRA-SMASH!

…and not even bothering to look at the newly-formed dust cloud behind her as Metal's body collided with the ground in an ear-piercing bang. Now all she had to do was either help out Sonic with the egg-ster or find her friends and have even more fun. But given how the hedgehog said he'd given the doctor a good beatdown lots of times already.

"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow called out as she trotted down the street. "Anything else you want me to break?"

There came no answer. Odd. Maybe they were in a different part of the city. Or maybe they couldn't hear her over the pew-pew of laser fire. "Huh… Applejack! Rarity? Hello? Where is everypony?"

Meanwhile, in the crater where Metal Sonic's broken body lay, stray electric sparks jolted off limb joints and servos. "Critical damage." beeped an electronic monotone. "Attempting to reboot. Critical damage. Attempting to reboot."

The pegasus continued to scour the city streets for any sign of her friends, peeking down alleyways and looking through windows. Unbeknownst to her, the robot she had previously beaten ceased twitching…

…and a red optical sensor flashed into view with a sharp hiss.

SYSTEM REBOOT SUCCESSFUL

"Twilight?" Rainbow called out. "Anypony? Literally anypony? Fluttershy, even? Where are you guys? Can anypony hear-"

VROOOOSH!

Rainbow spun around in shock and horror just before something hard, sharp, and cold clasped around her throat. Her ruby eyes widened in panic and her heart slammed into overdrive as the sight of a slightly-damaged Metal Sonic with emotionless, ruthless eyes filled her vision. The robot boosted her right into a wall, his grip around her throat dampening her scream to a croak. The pegasus thrashed around wildly in his grip, panic overtaking her being. Her hooves flung out and banged against the machine's head, but they did nothing save for weakening the limbs.

Terror radiated in Rainbow's shaking eyes while Metal Sonic's bore into her soul. His optical units ran over the creature one final time, his memory logs cataloging their previous fight and giving him everything they needed.

UNKNOWN LIFEFORM BIODATA: SUCCESSFULLY COPIED

RECOMMENDED ACTION: TERMINATE LIFEFORM

Metal raised his free arm and opened his hand, his steel fingers glinting like knives. The realization of what he was about to do sent Rainbow into a squirming, whimpering frenzy while she desperately hammered on the limb restraining her. Metal drew his other hand back, targeting the exposed flesh of Rainbow's torso. The horrified pegasus, fearing this was how she'd meet her horrible end, opened her mouth to scream…

"YAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Both organic and machine spun towards the yell that came from elsewhere. Five other ponies and a dragon were charging down the street, their leader's violet eyes burning with anger and her horn alight like a star. Rainbow's fear quickly turned to relief and happiness… while Metal trained his sensors on the new arrivals.

HOSTILES DETECTED

ENGAGE NEW TARGETS

He threw Rainbow at the ponies as hard as he could, prompting Applejack to leap in her path and catch the pegasus in mid-air. Jumping over them both, Twilight fired a series of magic bolts at the robot with a cry, the projectile moving at near-lightspeed. Metal sidestepped the bolts at blinking speed and boosted towards the alicorn with outstretched hands. Twilight warped away before Metal could grab her, reappearing behind the robot and blasting him in the back.

"You alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked the weary Rainbow Dash, helping the pegasus to her feet. "I-I am now… thanks to you guys…"

"What the heck is that thing?!" shouted Spike as the mechanical menace hoisted its face from the ground. "A robot that looks like Sonic?!"

"Yep," Rainbow huffed. "I gotta warn you, that thing is no joke. It's just as fast as the real deal and super tough. It nearly beat the feathers outta me!"

"So, if it beat you like you were nothing…" the dragon gulped nervously. "How are we supposed to beat it?!"

"He may be fast…" Twilight spoke encouragingly. "But he can't focus on all of us at once. If we work together and stay focused, we'll be in and out faster than him!"

"Let's break this cheap toy!" Pinkie cried. "On purpose!"

Metal Sonic rose to his feet and examined the inferior creatures before him. With a single sweep, he measured their heights, lengths, wingspans, physical capabilities… and the horns on two of them were marked by bright light.

VIABLE SUBJECTS FOR PROJECT MYTH IDENTIFIED: 2 PRIORITY TARGETS

ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION WITH BADNIK UNITS…

"CHARGE!" Twilight yelled, breaking into a run towards Metal with her friends right behind her. In response, Metal Sonic rocketed towards them at high speed. He set his sensors on Twilight, his reading indicating her as the greatest threat due to high levels of magic.

"HRAH!" Applejack kicked him hard in the side, sending him spiraling through the air. Rainbow flew after him to follow up, but the robot recovered faster than she expected. Seizing the pegasus by the tail, Metal threw her to the ground with a hard thud before blasting back into the fray.

"Here's cake in your face!" shouted Pinkie, readying a cannon and firing it right at Metal's head. The batter splattered over Metal's optical sensors, leaving him wide open for Pinkie and Applejack to leap on top of him and pin him to the ground. The earth ponies turned to Twilight… but the sound of a rocket engine cut them off.

"Uh oh…"

BWOOSH! Metal Sonic blasted into the air with screaming ponies in tow, the gust of wind blowing the cake batter off his face. Once he reached a high altitude above the city, he grabbed the ponies by their napes and let go, dropping them and letting them fall to the street.

With a panicked yelp, Twilight used her magic to catch the two before they could hit the street. Metal zoomed down the road and raced for a screaming Fluttershy… before Rarity jumped in front of his path and projected a diamond shield.

"Back, you worthless pile of trash!" she shouted as Metal came to a quick stop in front of her shield and started hacking at it with his claws. Rainbow slammed into Metal's side and pinned him against a building, pushing against him as hard as she could. Unfazed, the robot latched a hand onto her face and threw her away like a ragdoll, blasting away at blinking speed.

"YEEEK!" yelped Fluttershy when Metal came to a dead stop in front of her. "Don't hurt me!"

The robot's only reply came from him lifting the pegasus over his shoulders and slamming her face-first into the street, leaving the timid pegasus whimpering in pain. The robot raised a steel foot to stomp her head… until Pinkie Pie leaped on top of his head, disrupting his attack.

"YAAAAH!" she cried as she pounded her hooves on Metal's forehead. "Take THAT! And THAT! And some of THESE!" During her assault, Rainbow and Rarity rushed from Metal's left and right side, the latter's horn shining with magic. Detecting their approach, Metal began to spin his head around in a clockwise motion, taking the pink pony by surprise.

"Wheeee!" she laughed before gathering herself. "I mean, cut that out!" The pegasus and the unicorn came to a sudden stop, their eyes wide as they realized their attack could hit Pinkie by mistake. "You'll never get rid of me that easily!"

Rarity nervously looked for an opening, a nervous breath leaving her throat when she found none. The rotation was starting to speed up so that the window of opportunity would be getting smaller. Rainbow darted in to strike only to have Pinkie's tail smack her in the face. She ducked underneath a rear hoof with a frustrated groan. "MOVE, Pinkie!"

"I'm trying!" cried the earth pony. While she struggled to hang on, Metal lashed out a foot into Rarity's head and made the unicorn collapse with a gasp. Rainbow adjusted herself to stand behind Metal with widened wings, ready to plow into him. Just as she darted forward, the robot's thruster fired up and blasted the pegasus with intense heat. Rainbow screamed in pain before sliding back. With both of them out of the way, Metal grabbed Pinkie by her front hooves and threw her at his feet, locking his head back into place. He held a fist above his head to pound the dizzy pony, who muttered something about not wanting to have another ride.

A rope threw itself around Metal's arm, prompting him to turn around and avert his attention from Pinkie to this new attacker. Applejack pulled hard with the lasso between her teeth, glaring at Metal. The robot silently stared back… and ignited his thrusters. Once Applejack realized what was happening, Metal had already blasted away and took the earth pony along with him. Her hat was blown off her head from the sudden speed, leaving her holding on to the lasso for dear life.

Metal weaved in a zigzag pattern with the rope holding tightly to his arm, and Applejack was thrown into wall after wall from each movement. She grunted from each impact, which loosened her hold on the lasso. Finally, she slammed into a lamppost facefirst, her lasso flying out of her mouth. With a pained moan, the pony slid down to the street in a dazed heap.

Spinning a hundred eighty degrees, Metal reached for the rope around his arm and snapped it like a twig before tossing it away. He blasted towards the stunned earth pony, who widened her eyes and cried out in panic. Before the robot could reach her, a purple flash appeared right in front of Applejack and stood to intercept. Twilight spread her wings and stared down the quickly-approaching machine, firing a ray of amethyst magic at him with a loud cry.

The beam connected with Metal Sonic and halted him in his tracks, the force strong enough to cancel out his engine. The machine's feet began to slide down the road as he used his hands to push back against the beam, staring into Twilight's determined violet orbs coldly. Behind the alicorn, Applejack scrambled to her feet and bolted away, grabbing her hat as she fled.

Eggman's elite enforcer took a step forward as his optical sensors never left Twilight. It was followed by a second and a third, which caught Twilight's attention. With another yell, she focused more power into the beam, which drove Metal further back. His engine kicked in again, providing enough thrust to counter the beam's force and plow through it like it was water. Twilight barely had time to scream before a metallic hand snatched her by the face and dragged her through the street at full throttle.

"TWILIGHT! Hang on!" Rainbow cried, dashing after Metal Sonic with everypony else behind her. Spike flew overhead and reached the robot just as he released the alicorn and sent her sliding down the street. While the princess lay in pain, the robot began to mercilessly stomp towards her with its fingers spread out.

The purple dragon dive-bombed the machine and proceeded to attack with wild shouts and grunts, making it pause in its tracks. "Grrraaaaah!" Spike cried as he pounded the robot on the head, gnawed on its arm, punched it in the eyes, and pulled on its nose. "Won't! Let! You! Hurt! Twilight! Hrngh!"

The robot didn't even flinch in the slightest as the dragon did less damage than he thought he was doing. In fact, he wasn't doing anything but serving as another obstacle for Metal to bypass. After he finished trying to break the machine's leg, pull off its other arm, and chomp on its ear, he flew in front of the robot and flew towards its face as fast as he could…

SMACK!

…only for Metal to swat him aside as if he were nothing but a mosquito. Spike hit a lamppost that shook from the impact, sliding to the street with a pained groan. With that little nuisance out of the way, Metal turned back to more important matters.

COMMUNICATION LINK ESTABLISHED

TRANSMIT COMMAND: ATTACK AND CAPTURE MARKED TARGETS

ERROR: TRANSMISSION FAILED

The battered Twilight teleported away in a flash of purple light before Metal could act, reappearing before her friends to catch her breath. The robot spun around to face them and rocketed at them at high speed.

"Rarity!" called Twilight, summoning the unicorn to her side. The two ponies' horns flared with magic before beams of violet and light blue shot out of them. Metal's sensors detected the approaching streams, which engaged his defensive programming.

ACTIVATE BLACK SHIELD

An indigo-colored octahedral energy field surrounded Metal Sonic as he came to an immediate halt and crossed his arms in a blocking pose. The beams struck the field in a bedazzling crackle of light, dissipating on impact while the defensive matrix remained intact.

The ponies concentrated their magic further and gritted their teeth, but their beams continued to be useless against the machine's energy shield. The other ponies were agape with shock, with Rainbow blinking in disbelief. "Th-that's not fair!"

TRANSMIT COMMAND: ATTACK AND CAPTURE MARKED UNITS

ERROR: TRANSMISSION FAILED

SCANNING FOR ERROR…

Metal Sonic boosted forward and grabbed Twilight and Rarity by their horns, deactivating his Black Shield in the process. He forcefully slammed their heads together, making them cry out in pain, before throwing the two ponies at the others. While Rainbow jumped over Twilight and Applejack caught Rarity in her hooves, Metal flew through the rest in the blink of an eye. He lashed out at Pinkie with a hand, cutting strands of pink fur with his fingers.

He walloped Rainbow across the head with a hard fist and spun around, slamming a foot into Fluttershy's gut. The two pegasi hopped back and launched themselves at Metal, only for the robot to rocket into the air and leave the two to crash headfirst into each other with a loud bonk. As they dropped to the street and clutched their heads in pain, Metal swooped through the air and zeroed in on Twilight.

Spike dropped in front of the alicorn with a deep exhale… and before the robot could stop, the dragon unleashed a jet of green flame with the loudest roar he could muster. The emerald blaze engulfed Metal Sonic, clouding him from sight. Twilight slowly got to her feet, giving her scaly friend a warm smile.

Spike dropped the flame with an exhausted gasp and placed his hands on his knees. "Did…" he moaned while gasping for air. "Did I get him?" Rarity just placed a loving kiss on his cheek. "I do believe you most certainly did, Spikey-wikey…"

The dragon blushed with a nervous chuckle… before the sound of metallic stomps made him freeze up and nervously turn back to the green flames. Through the blaze, a crimson pair of eyes shone like the gaze of a ravenous beast. Much to the dragon's (and the ponies') horror, Metal Sonic emerged from the fire completely unscathed, the tips licking harmlessly at his reinforced titanium chassis. He opened a hand to grab Twilight…

Applejack crashed down on top of the robot with all four hooves, smashing him into the ground. "And stay down, you tin-plated-!" Metal lashed out with an elbow and nailed her in the side, rising back to his feet in a single second. With a menacing beep, he shot for Twilight like a missile and readied to grab her by the throat.

Twilight's horn flashed with violet light and Metal froze in his tracks, surrounded by a raspberry aura. His optical sensors remained where they were for a moment before darting in multiple directions as if he was trying to comprehend what had just happened. "That spell I just cast has frozen you in place," Twilight announced harshly. "You won't be going anywhere for a while, machine. You're through."

"Whew!" Spike sighed as he wiped his brow. "Finally!"

"Ha!" Rainbow called as she touched down near the petrified robot, whose optical units turned in her direction. "Pushover! We've got you right where we want you!"

"Seven of us, one of you…" cheerfully added Pinkie. "You do the math! Phhhht!" She blew a raspberry at him before pulling away. The rest of the ponies gathered around Twilight, glad that yet another difficult confrontation had ended in victory. But as they laughed and talked about what to do next, Metal's optical sensors flashed a bright crimson.

COMMUNICATION ERROR FOUND

BADNIK UNITS CURRENTLY OPERATING UNDER PRIORITY ONE PROGRAMMING: INITIATING OVERRIDE

V. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE: FULLY CHARGED

ALL SYSTEMS: FULL POWER

VROOOOSH! With a loud roar from his turbocharged jet engine, Metal kicked every gear and circuit in him into overload. An electrical energy field slowly began to surround him, and his rapidly-rising acceleration levels began to push against the stasis magic keeping him frozen in place. The ponies' words were suddenly cut off when Rainbow looked back at Metal and gasped in horror. "EVERYPONY, LOOK OUT!"

With a loud boom, Metal broke free from Twilight's freezing spell and shot through the ponies at high speed, blowing them all away. Rainbow, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike all flashed open their wings to catch themselves while everypony else groaned and picked themselves off the ground. Now, it was Pinkie's turn to scream. "RUN FOR IIIIIIT!"

Everypony screamed in terror and took off as an overcharged Metal Sonic boosted right for them, barreling right into Twilight's back like a drill. The alicorn was knocked off her flight path and smacked into the wall of a house. Rainbow and Fluttershy darted away from the machine as he blasted past like a comet, soaring back around while plowing through another building as if it was made of wood. He charged through a series of lampposts and knocked them into the air, where they sailed for a few seconds before falling back to street level.

A panicked Fluttershy weaved this way and that while yelping in surprise. Several lampposts came awfully close to crushing her as they crashed to the ground. Rainbow zipped under one just before it could land on her while Spike circled around another. The pegasus shot for the robot in a colored blur while the dragon took another deep breath. A wave of green fire erupted from his mouth, which raced to cover the steel-plated body double.

Metal Sonic detected the surge in temperature just as Rainbow Dash zeroed in on him at near-supersonic velocity. Calculating by the attosecond, Metal grabbed Rainbow by the mane… and hurled her into the flames!

"AAAAAH!" Spike ceased his attack when he heard the sound of screaming. And when he saw the singed body of the cyan pegasus fall at his feet, it was his turn to scream in horror.

"RAINBOW!"

"NO!" Fluttershy shouted in panic. Metal landed before the dragon and the yellow pegasus with a loud thunk, ignoring Rainbow's smoking form that lay at his feet. "You…" Spike stammered. "You MONSTER! You're gonna pay for tha-ack!" Metal's hand snagged his little body tightly, lifted him up to his face, and threw him to the ground.

Metal's audio receptors picked up terrified screaming, and he looked up to see Fluttershy running away as fast as she could. With a loud whoosh, he rocketed in front of her to prevent her escape. The pegasus only shrieked in horror again before turning and running the other way. But she didn't get far with the robot grabbing onto her tail. The machine yanked the pegasus back towards him, who was now covering her eyes and a shaking wreck.

"Nononono! I give up, I give up!" she sobbed hysterically. "Just don't hurt me anymore!"

PRIORITY ONE OVERRIDE COMPLETE

TRANSMIT COMMAND: ATTACK AND CAPTURE MARKED TARGETS

Metal tossed Fluttershy back to the rest of the ponies, where she slid to a stop. Rainbow coughed and struggled to stand, hacking out smoke from ash from her mouth. Spike slowly sat up with a hand to his head. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had collapsed to the ground, Rarity was trying to catch her breath, and Twilight- despite looking the most battered- refused to fall. Her horn sparkled with magic as she narrowed her eyes at the machine responsible for all this pain she and her friends suffered.

Metal Sonic just clenched his fists. These inferior organics were putting up more of a fight than they should be. Their misguided attempts to defeat him had backfired, and still, they chose to defy him. It didn't matter in the slightest; they were exhausted and tired while he never slowed at all. One by one, he'd beat them down until they were all black marks on the floor.

Challenging him or any other of Dr. Eggman's creations would be their greatest mistake.

Sonic smacked into the Egg Mobile like a bowling ball, rocking the craft. He touched down and vaulted away from a barrage of missiles that exploded against the ground. An Egg Pawn with a spear jabbed at him, only for Sonic to hop onto the lance and nail the robot with a flip kick. Dropping into a split to avoid another stab, he swept out the legs of another Egg Pawn and Spin Dashed it to scraps.

"Seriously, Eggman! When are you gonna get it?" He taunted the scientist after running away from a volley of laser fire. "No matter how many robots you throw at me, they're all gonna get sent to the junk pile!"

"I can always build them faster than you can destroy them!" Eggman retorted while firing off more missiles. "It doesn't matter where you run, there will be no escape from them!"

"Escape? Ha! Who said anything about escape?" Sonic shot back, jumping off the missiles and nailing the Egg Mobile again, sending it spinning upside down. While the surprised Eggman tried to right his vehicle, Sonic landed in the middle of a squad of robots. With a cocky grin on his face, he held up his fists as the robots raised their weapons at the hedgehog…

Then, for some reason, they lowered them.

"Huh?" Sonic dropped his stance as the robots turned and began sprinting away from the hedgehog. He blinked his eyes in disbelief as they retreated. "Hey! Where are you guys going?!" He waved his arms above his head. "Hello! Priority One over here! Come on!"

None of the robots responded to his voice, as every single one now had their attention on something that wasn't the Blue Blur. Sonic was silent for a dead second before he turned his eyes back on Eggman. "You were saying, Eggman? Looks like you just lost your backup!"

The mad scientist was looking at a monitor in his craft with a gleeful smile. "Backup? Those were just obstacles for you, Sonic. Now it's just you and me, just like old times!"

"Ha! Yeah, and just like old times…" Sonic stretched out his arms. "You'll be saying 'I hate the hedgehog!' in no time!" With another smile, he dashed towards his old foe, awfully oblivious as to what those robots were called for.

Metal Sonic slashed at Pinkie, who yelled as strands of fur were shredded off her coat. The robot zipped up to Rarity, grabbed her by the hoof, and spun her into the air, racing away before the unicorn's face hit the ground. Applejack tried to hold her ground, but a strong kick broke her block and sent her sprawling. Lastly, he hit Spike with a backhand and sent the flying dragon careening out of control, causing him to crash against a wall.

Rainbow struggled to stand with shaky hooves before Metal rocketed up to her and slammed his knee into her gut. The pegasus slid down the street with another groan of agony, where Twilight turned to face her and the rest of her weakened friends.

"He's…" coughed Spike. "He's everywhere at once…"

"I don't… I don't know if we can beat this thing…" Applejack groaned. "I can't even hit it…"

"I don't know how much longer I can go on, darling…" Rarity gasped as her horn flickered like a light. "I… I feel so tired…"

"Uuuugh…" Pinkie mumbled in a dazed manner. "Did anyone get the number… of the train that just hit me?"

"N-no more…" whimpered Fluttershy as she covered her face with her front hooves. "P-p-please, no more…" Twilight looked at each of her friends in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. They had faced Eggman's machines with ease back at Canterlot, and they at least managed to thin their numbers. So how could they struggle to take down this one?

Unlike her and her friends, this machine didn't seem exhausted at all. Twilight doubted it could even feel such a thing. As the alicorn steadily drew tired breaths and blinked her weary eyes, Metal Sonic's optical sensors swept over her.

THREAT LEVELS DIMINISHED

TARGET COMBAT CAPABILITY: 19%

WARNING: TARGET MUST NOT BE DEPLETED OF PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE

SEEKING ALTERNATE TARGET

ALERT: DR. EGGMAN UNDER ATTACK

RECOMMENDATION: THREATEN ASSAILANT

His crimson orbs washed over the bruised and beaten Rainbow Dash, who looked like she could barely stand behind the alicorn's side. Her mane was unkempt and her shiny coat was rough and coarse.

TARGET COMBAT CAPABILITY: 5%

LIFEFORM UNABLE TO MAINTAIN PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION

SUITABLE CANDIDATE

"Agh!" Rainbow's front leg gave out beneath her, drawing Twilight's attention. "Rainbow! Are you-"

"Not fine…" moaned the pegasus. "I've been fighting that thing way longer than you… and I can't… keep it up… I'm s-" Her ruby eyes suddenly snapped wide. "BEHIND YOU!"

Twilight spun with a gasp just as she felt a rush of wind fly past her face. Instead of the intimidating robot standing meters from her eyes, she saw nothing but empty streets… until she heard a loud whack and a quick grunt of pain. She spun back around just as another whoosh cut through the air.

To her horror, Rainbow Dash had vanished along with the robot. But in its place, an entire legion of armed Badniks and other machines marched into position and surrounded the remaining ponies. Pinkie and Fluttershy shrank back in fear as Egg Pawns with spears pointed their weapons at their faces. Applejack tried throwing a hoof at an Egg Fighter, only to cringe in pain when it connected against the metal casing with a loud bang. With a loud cry, she withdrew and held her aching limb. Rarity tried casting her diamond shield at Egg Pawns with blasters, but the magic flickered out and she collapsed from exhaustion before it could materialize into view.

Spike desperately tried to fry an Egg Pawn with his fire breath, but only emerald sparks and smoke came out, reducing the small dragon to a coughing fit. Seizing the creature in its hand, the Egg Pawn tossed him towards the rest of the ponies, who the robots were herding into a circle.

Twilight was frozen in fear as the machines surrounded everypony. Her body shook with terror she hadn't felt in a long time, all possible escape routes both on the ground and in the air blocked off. Green bat-like robots with spinning blades hovered above the infantry units, their neon eyes locking onto the assembled, weakened herd.

"Twilight…" whispered a scared Rarity. "What do we do…?"

For once, Twilight was at a loss for words. Her amethyst eyes were glued to a single Egg Pawn with no weapon, who held up a hydraulic hand above its head. With an ominous humming sound, the green flying robots charged up with electrical energy that arced off one another. The noise grew louder and louder until it sounded like a monster that was about to break free from its cage…

…and the Egg Pawn swung its arm down, commanding the Thunder Spinners to unleash a series of highly-concentrated electricity down onto the ponies!

"AAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEE!" Everypony screamed in a mix of pain and agony as the lightning coursed through their already-battered bodies. Their nerves were on fire, their bodies quivered and shook before collapsing, and their suffering was reflected in each of the robots' unblinking eyes. Applejack tried to push through the intense pain and rise to her hooves, but a larger, more intense shock made her scream in agony and drop to the street.

Reduced to all fours, Spike held out a hand before it clutched the ground, bolts of electricity arcing between his head, wings, and tail. Rarity screeched at a high volume and her magic went wild before a surge directed at her horn neutralized the arcane energy. With tears in her eyes, the unicorn curled into a fetal position while continuing to scream her lungs out.

Pinkie and Fluttershy wailed in intense pain before writhing on the ground, the former twitching frantically as the electricity consumed her body. The pegasus shrieked in agony as the lightning licked at her wings and spread into anything and everything they could find.

Twilight screamed as the energy drained all the fight that was left in her, reducing her to an exhausted, frightened little foal. Tears leaked from her now-dull violet eyes as she stared at the machines… who did nothing but stare back and watch the creatures be drained of all remaining energy. The princess of friendship gave out a final cry and a whimper of agony… before her hooves finally gave out from under her. She fell just as the onslaught ceased, leaving everypony smoldering from the electric scars. The sounds of mechanical stomping echoed in their ears as, one by one, they all lost consciousness.

Twilight's vision blurred as she watched an Egg Pawn bend over and reach a metal hand out to her face… and everything went black.

"GYAH!" Eggman yelped as his Egg Mobile was rocked again. "Rrrgh! Your manners are as bad as ever!"

"And your temper is as hot as I remember!" retorted Sonic. "Now, here comes the one-way ticket to the junkyard!" He drew himself back before shooting towards Eggman, who hovered his Egg Mobile close to street level. The mad scientist bared his teeth at his hated nemesis, who had the opposite expression on his face. The hedgehog prepared to spring into the air… until something slammed down right in his path!
SCREEEEEEEECH! An alarmed Sonic dug his heels into the ground and came to a sudden stop, his green eyes focused on what had just gotten in the way. From behind it, Eggman began to chortle viciously. And in between them, the figure rose to a stand… and Sonic gasped in horror at what it was.

Metal Sonic stood between Sonic and Eggman, holding a badly-beaten and nearly-unconscious Rainbow Dash in his hand. The pegasus stirred and cracked open her eyes with a faintly-noticeable groan, which slowly lifted to Sonic.

"Hey!" he cried sternly. "Let her go, you loathsome-!"

TSHING! Metal quickly raised his other hand to Rainbow's face, spreading his fingers menacingly and causing Rainbow to gasp in fear. Eggman chuckled in his seat. "One more step, hedgehog…" he sneered evilly. "And the horse gets it!"

Sonic frowned at his enemy. "This is sick even for you, Eggman! And as for you, Metal, you are not gonna hurt a hair on her head."

"Oh, but it looks like he already has. All you need to do is make one move… and he finishes the job," Eggman replied with that grimacing grin on his face. "So, what's it going to be?"

Sonic felt a sudden wave of uneasiness, the gravity of the situation taking over. He felt frozen in place as if he was the one in danger, not Rainbow. As his eyes looked from Eggman to Metal to the badly-beaten Rainbow Dash, his mind was at a point he thought he would never reach. Should he surrender? Or should he risk it? The second option would be the most like him... but Metal was just as fast as he was. He'd snuff out Rainbow's life in the blink of an eye. But Sonic couldn't just give up, either... not with a life on the line.

Sonic had felt something like this only a few times before; a situation he never expected. Something he never thought Eggman would dare to do. Something that took all the fun out of things. He was at a loss for words, but a single question ran through his mind... along with everyone else's.

What was he going to do now?