A pair of armed Egg Pawns marched down one of the battleship's stretching corridors, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the metal walls. They turned a corner and proceeded down to the right, not bothering to check what lay in a side room at the end of the intersection. The second they left, the yellow-orange head of a fox peeked out of the doorway.
"Coast is clear, Fluttershy," whispered Tails. "Follow me."
He jogged out of the room with the paranoid-looking pegasus behind him. Fluttershy's eyes darted about for any signs of machines while Tails surveyed the hall. "I'm pretty sure it's around here…"
"W-w-what do you mean, pretty sure?" whispered Fluttershy. "I thought you'd been on one of these before..."
"Well, yeah," Tails told her. "Just not as much as everyone else. Now, let's see…" he continued to move forward, scanning the doors for the one he was looking for. He muttered quietly to himself in a tone Fluttershy couldn't clearly pick up: a trait that awfully reminded her of herself.
"Here we go!" Tails said proudly after reaching the fifth door down the hall. The door slid open as he approached, revealing a room with computers and servers within. The fox turned his head to the pegasus. "Watch my back and let me know if anything's coming."
Fluttershy didn't even have time to respond before Tails ducked inside, leaving her out in the hallway. The pegasus slowly turned around and instinctively backed against the wall, a whimper making its way from her mouth. This was all so very scary; taken captive by a man who did horrible, unspeakable acts to cute critters, trapped in an airship that could blow the crafts she knew of out of the sky, Even if she did believe that Tails and the others knew what they were doing, Fluttershy doubted- really doubted- that they could get out of this creepy place easily. She and her friends were out of their element here, and with two of them missing, how could they-
Wait… what was that sound?
Fluttershy turned her head down the hall, where she could see a row of windows overlooking… something. Her ears flickered as she tried to listen in; among the noise of working machinery and the ambiance almost like that of a factory, something didn't stand out.
And that something sounded like squeaking and chirping.
Fluttershy turned cold and her wings went stiff. She could've sworn her eyes lost color as well. "Oh, no… oh no, no, no, no, no…" She hurried over to the window… and had to hold both of her forehooves to her mouth to keep from screaming.
Capsules were being brought in on a conveyor belt into a large assembly area: one with empty robotic shells traversing across a row of conveyors. Mechanical claws reached into the open capsules and pulled out tiny animals from them as if they were snagging a prize from a claw machine. Fluttershy's body trembled as she watched the little critters squeak and flail about in the arms' grips, their fear and panic on full display.
Fluttershy believed most of the animals to be from the other world, given their surreal stature, but among them were familiar sights. Animals from Equestria were lifted from the gray pods, from tiny brown hedgehogs and frightened little rabbits to hissing raccoons and squealing lambs. To Fluttershy's horror, a yowling cat was positioned above an inactive Motobug before the claw released its hold on it. The feline dropped into the robot with a screeching cry before the shell closed up around it… and the Motobug's eyes shot open.
"No…!" Fluttershy gasped in terror.
A squawking chicken was plopped into a Buzz Bomber, the machine powering on amidst floating white feathers. A mouse fell into a Crabmeat, a hamster dropped into another Motobug, a skunk was stuffed into a Snail Blaster, and a squeaking ferret was forced into a Spinner. At each innocent animal being trapped inside a machine, forced to operate it until their deaths, horror overcame Fluttershy's body. The pegasus swore some of the cute critters looked her in the eye with sad faces just before steel and metal obscured them from sight. Their terrified cries and desperate struggles shook Fluttershy to the core, leaving her unable to watch for another second.
Her mind flashed with images of her dearest Angel forced inside one of those awful mimicries of a living creature. Each of her friends' other pets could suffer the same fate: Gummy, Tank, Opal, Winona… all of them reduced to slaves for the rest of their lives.
Among Fluttershy's trauma and sadness for these innocent critters, the pegasus felt something billow inside her. It felt like something Rainbow Dash would normally do… but all of her friends had helped fan the flames, too. Fluttershy stared out the window at the assembly line with a spark of defiance in her eye, slowly backing up with spread wings…
…and she sprinted for the window as fast as she could. "I'm coming, my pretties-!"
With an ear-shattering crash, Fluttershy shattered the observation window when she hit it full force. Pain immediately racked her body before she hit one of the conveyor belts, the impact nearly making her black out. The wincing pegasus rose to her hooves with exhausted breaths, bits of glass falling from her pink mane. Her eyes immediately turned to the nonfunctional Badnik shells meters in front of her, and she sprang into action.
Fluttershy broke into a run, shoving the inactive robots off the conveyor while galloping for the claws holding more animals captive. Up ahead, a claw held a squirming bunny above the empty shell of a Crabmeat, the critter squealing in pain. Once Fluttershy spotted the helpless critter, she gasped in horror and picked up the pace, knocking away an empty Buzz Bomber that crashed against the floor. The claw released the rabbit, which fell towards the waiting machine below…
Fluttershy jumped up and intercepted the animal in midair, wrapping the creature in her wings to shield it from further harm. She landed on a functioning Motobug that broke apart with a loud crunch. The change in momentum knocked Fluttershy off the conveyor- along with the bird trapped inside the mechanical bug- and sent her tumbling to the floor. The pegasus unfurled her wings, allowing the rabbit to hop away. Fluttershy scrambled back to her hooves, her terrified eyes taking in that same mechanical arm reaching for a baby walrus-like creature. A horrified yelp escaped her before she dove to catch that one as well, this time setting it safely down on the floor.
Fluttershy was back in the air a second later, catching more animals before they had the chance to fall into their metallic prisons. Fly up, catch, put down, fly up, catch, put down, fly up, catch, put down…
Fluttershy didn't realize she was starting to gasp in exhaustion until she put a bluebird next to a squirrel and looked back at the assembly line. She couldn't rest, those animals needed her help… but having to save that many from something that just kept going and going with no signs of stopping…
She had to try!
The pegasus swooped back towards the conveyors, her wings beating so hard they felt like they could fall off any second. Fear and adrenaline coursed through her and her brain screamed at her to save every critter in sight. Break this robot, smash that shell, stop that bird from falling, catch that hamster before it gets hurt…
A claw-like arm snatched a small pig from another capsule, its terrified squeals drawing the attention of the panting Fluttershy. The pegasus whimpered in fear and darted towards it, jumping onto the conveyor to knock away the Motobug shell. The pig landed in her hooves, and she quickly set it down. But just to her right, a raccoon was dropped inside a Spinner that slowly came to life.
"No!" Fluttershy cried, diving for the robot and tackling it to the floor. It cracked like an egg, allowing the woodland critter to scurry toward other animals. Fluttershy frantically looked around, but too much was going on for her to react accordingly. Animal after animal was picked up and dropped, and there were more of those machines that greatly outnumbered one little pegasus.
Fluttershy's panicked eyes darted this way and that, seeing animals stuffed into robots all around her. The desperate pony lunged at an empty Buzz Bomber, bashing it off the conveyor and leaving the squirrel to bounce safely off her back. But at that same time, a rabbit was shoved inside a Crabmeat whose eyes shot open. On Fluttershy's left, a bird was also dropped into a Buzz Bomber, and the last thing she saw was its frightened eyes.
"NonononoNO!" she screamed, ignoring her body's weary state as she knocked aside shells and stopped animals from falling into the machines. But for every animal she saved, two to three more fell inside empty Badniks and powered them on. Fluttershy's panicked breaths echoed in her ears as her head whipped in every direction. Her heart shattered each time an animal was trapped, leaving it nothing but bits. With tears in her eyes, Fluttershy flew right for an arm that was holding another bunny.
That arm dropped a bunny into a Motobug and swung around to pick up another animal, inadvertently swatting Fluttershy in the process. The pegasus was sent flying across the room until her back hit something hard… and the room burst into flashes of red light and high-pitched beeping sounds.
Her chest heaving in and out, Fluttershy spun around to see what she had hit: a large red panel on the wall with a circular button that had just been pressed in. There was a word in huge letters just above the button; one that spelled out "ALARM".
Fluttershy felt another wave of dread wash over her. "Oh, no…"
…
The Miles Electric chimed, sending a smile across Tails' face. An image popped up on his handheld, depicting a map of the ship's interior complete with the bridge, the hangar bay, the power core, and the brig. With his objective in sight, Tails initiated a link to his friends' communicators into his handheld and awaited a response.
It came in no time; four symbols in the form of his head and his friends. His symbol was the only one that remained stationary while everyone else was moving around. He smiled again and stretched his fingers. It was time to go to work.
He held up his left wrist and tapped his communicator with one finger, the device lighting up with a yellow glow. "Tails to Team Sonic. Everyone read me?"
"Loud and clear!" replied Amy.
"I hear ya!" called Knuckles just before there was a grunt and sound of crunching metal on his end.
"Standing by, buddy!" answered Sonic while Tails could hear a feminine voice making fighting noises in the background. With everyone accounted for, Tails turned back to his handheld and examined the diagram of the ship.
"Okay, I've downloaded the ship's schematics and have a path to the brig!" he called out. "Knuckles, it's two levels below you!"
"Gotcha! I see an elevator comin' up! Let's not keep your pals waiting, cowgirl!"
"Right! It's jailbreak time!"
Tails took another look at the map and identified the symbol of a pink hedgehog's face. "Amy, take the next left and go down! Then make a right!"
"Copy!"
"This is like the best scavenger hunt ever!" cheered Pinkie.
Finally, the fox turned to the insignia of a blue hedgehog moving quicker than all the others. It was progressing down one of the hallways below Tails' current position. "Sonic, you're all the way on the other side! Take a right at the next intersection and then-"
"Hold that thought!" There was a sudden burst of laser fire followed by a series of explosions. "Rainbow just told me she heard something charging up down this way! I'll be there soon!"
"I think I heard it from over there!"
"Well, whatever it is you're doing, do it fast!"
"Tails, you do know who you're talking to, right?"
"I know, but-"
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
The fox jolted in alarm and spun around to face the door leading into the hallway. To his surprise, the yellow pegasus was nowhere to be seen. Tails hopped to his feet, already tucking the Miles Electric onto his back. "Fluttershy?"
"Tails, you okay?" asked Sonic. "You cut out for a second!"
"I'm fine! I'll catch up with you in a while!" Tails sprinted out into the hall before his friend could reply, his eyes looking for the timid pegasus. The first thing he noticed upon observing the corridor was a smashed observation window, piquing his interest. "What the-?"
"NO!" screamed a panicked voice. "Stay away! Don't hurt them!"
The twin-tailed fox sprinted towards the broken window and peered down at the room below: a Badnik assembly area that had a squad of Egg Pawns moving in to corner a bunch of frightened animals… protected by an equally-terrified Fluttershy.
Tails gasped before jumping through the window and spinning up his tails, diving for the robots who were making Fluttershy cower before the animals. The pegasus held her wings in front of her face as one of the machines reached for her…
Tails slammed that robot in the face with his foot, instantly downing it. Before any of the other Egg Pawns could react, he whipped one of his tails at a robot pointing a blaster at Fluttershy, knocking it out of its hand. Catching it with a free hand, Tails blasted it in the side of the head with a flash of light before spinning into a crouch- stunning another robot with a tail as he did so- and shooting the remaining robots in quick succession. Fluttershy peeked out an eye just as the last robot fell with a loud clang.
"Hey… are you okay?" Tails asked her. The pegasus couldn't reply, for her eyes were moist with tears. The animals behind her squeaked and shivered, which gave Tails a sense of something familiar. Back when they first met… didn't Fluttershy say something about loving animals?
The sounds of whirring machinery and frightened squeals put two and two together for the fox. With alarm in his eyes, the fox spun around and took aim at a console before pulling the trigger. Four shots later, the console exploded in a shower of sparks and scorched circuits. The entire assembly line came to a screeching halt, with the conveyors freezing up and the arms seizing up regardless of their current status.
"So many…" whimpered a trembling Fluttershy, her eyes squeezed shut. "C-couldn't… couldn't save them all…" she sniffled. "Th-those poor th-things…"
Tails couldn't find any words to comfort the pegasus as he tossed the blaster away with a pitiful expression. It must've been Fluttershy's worst nightmare to bear witness to what Eggman normally did with them. Given her affection for them, it probably hurt Fluttershy more than it did the animals.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I c-couldn't just do n-nothing… I had to h-help them… b-but I can't… they just don't…"
"Hey…" Tails bent down and lifted the pegasus' chin, causing her to blink open a pair of wet eyes. "You want to make sure every living thing here is alright. I get it."
She sniffled. "Y-you're not… mad at me for leaving you behind?"
"Why would I be?" he replied. "I would've done the same thing. After all, Sonic and I have been rescuing animals for years now, and we've cracked hundreds of Badniks to get to them."
Fluttershy blinked in disbelief. "So… you're going to… help me?"
Tails cracked a smile; one that quickly faded. "Of course. But… this might be a slight complication to our current plan. We've made our way through worse, though. Better tell the guys before-"
"Wait!" she squeaked. "O-one question!"
"Yeah?"
Fluttershy turned towards a blasted Egg Pawn, nudging it with a hoof. "There must be hundreds of these robots on this ship. Do… Do any of them have animals inside them?"
"Nope," Tails answered, making Fluttershy sigh in relief. "Thanks to Sonic and everyone continuously trashing his standard Badniks, Eggman decided to resort to alternative power sources for more combat-related units. Most prominently, he uses Chaos Drives: chaos energy harnessed into crystal form."
His sky-blue eyes glanced at the Badniks on the motionless conveyor belt. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't suppose you would want to open some cages?" Fluttershy seemed to grow comfortable at this, as she replied with a silent nod. Before Tails could say anything else, the pegasus had already jumped onto one of the belts and was tossing away Badnik shells. "You're free, my pretties!" she called as the animals inside were liberated. "You're safe now!" She flew up to a motionless arm to rescue a squirrel dangling from it. Tails lifted his arm as he moved to join in.
"Hey, guys? I hope you don't mind, but… we've got some extra passengers."
…
"Make no mistake, princess," sneered Dr. Eggman as he watched the fear in his prey's eyes become undeniable. "Whatever you may have fought in this world, whatever you may have defeated, they are nothing compared to the might that is the Eggman Empire. Whoever or whatever they may have been foiled… but I will manage to do what they never could and conquer your kingdom! You're on center stage for the most extraordinary event…"
He lowered his hand over a switch. "So how about an audience? It's time for your friends to watch their princess suffer!" He flipped the switch to bring up an image on one of the monitors. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahaha…ha…ha…huh?"
Both the doctor and the alicorn noticed the same thing on each of their ends. On the monitor that was supposed to display the security room beside the one displaying Eggman, there was only a screen of static accompanying a message in red letters. CONNECTION FAILED. CAMERA OFFLINE.
Twilight shot Eggman's monitor a defiant smirk. "You were saying, doctor?"
"What in the…" Eggman pressed his finger on one of the console's buttons. "Orbot! Why is the security room camera offline?!"
"I'm running a diagnostic now, boss. Apparently, it's not just that camera. The entire security network is down."
"W-what?!" Eggman snapped. "How did that hap- no, never mind! Reboot the system! NOW!"
"I can't, sir."
"Why not?!"
"Because Cubot and I are in the security room right now. And it's a total mess."
"It's as ugly as some bloke who got curtains, see?" chimed Cubot. "Maybe ten times uglier. Consoles smashed to pieces, Pawns that went kaput, monitors gone through the shredder, it's like a robot slaughterhouse in here, see?"
"Oh, and one more thing," added Orbot. "The prisoners have escaped."
Eggman sneered and clenched his fist. "Grrr… hate that hedgehog…"
"What are your orders, sir?"
Eggman just pressed the button again, ending the transmission. His eyes darted back to the monitors… and he noticed Princess Twilight was smiling. "I told you my friends would be coming for me."
"Yes…" Eggman replied coldly. "You did… but they're TOO LATE!" He smashed his fist on top of a big red button, a loud beep echoing in his ears. The alicorn spun towards the wall, where a panel slid away to reveal an unfolding metal arm with a laser cannon at the end. Twilight gasped in panic, instinctively spreading her wings and launching into the air.
To her surprise, the arm followed her every movement and kept her in its range. And in her limited space, there was little Twilight could go for cover. She flew this way and that to try and escape the arm, but it moved with her like somebody watching a bird in flight. All the while, it started to charge up with energy and loudly hum as it did so.
Twilight's eyes widened in horror while Eggman's glowed with anticipation. The alicorn continued her desperate maneuvers to evade the incoming shot, the scientist watching her amusedly. "Oh, here comes my favorite part…" he sneered, dramatically raising his arm above his head… and pressing down on a button marked "Engage".
"FIRE!"
A bright beam blasted out from the arm and struck the airborne Twilight in the heart. The alicorn cried out in pain as the surging energy overtook her body in seconds, dropping her to the floor. The princess tried to fight against the beam, writhing as she did so, but the ray made her legs give out beneath her. Her horn glowed a bright raspberry color, leaving Twilight with nothing to do but cry out in a mix of pain and horror.
"No…! NO! AAAAAAH!"
With another scream of pain, Twilight felt her magic being pulled out of her body like a loose thread on a cloth. The alicorn crumbled to the floor with heavy gasps, unable to resist the pull that would furtherly destroy her if she tried. As the bright light of her magic fused with the intense energy of the ray, the magic flew up the beam like a wind current and vanished into the arm.
That magic slowly filled up a small capsule sitting on top of Eggman's console, the scientist watching it flow with glee. The light of both the captured magic and the light of his beam reflected off his goggles. The alicorn continued to struggle, tears of desperation now leaking from her eyes. Her breath came in ragged gasps now, almost as if she was growing exhausted.
As if to prove this point, the violet colors of her eyes were starting to grow dull and fade as her magic kept getting sucked out at a rapid rate. Twilight's muscles were beginning to weaken, and her wings were becoming numb. Her breaths slowed down in pace until it sounded like she was gasping for breath instead of panicking. Her fading eyes fought to stay open, the graying pupils witnessing the final bits of her magic leave her horn.
"N…n…no…"
I'm sorry, everypony…
Like a candle that had melted down to the last piece of wax, the magic detached itself from the alicorn's horn and vanished into the machine. It switched off in a heartbeat as that last bit filled the capsule to the brim. Eggman gleefully snatched up his prize while Twilight dropped to the floor with a resounding thud, her last breath leaving her mouth.
"OH HO HO HO!" chortled the doctor. "Will you look at that?! There's even more than I thought! Thank you for your kind donation, Princess! Oh, don't worry, though! I'm not finished with you yet. At the moment, I'm not sure whether I should go ahead with my stuffing-you-in-a-Badnik plan or just keep you locked in a cage and have you watch as your kingdom crumbles before your own power! But for now-"
KABOOM! The door to the bridge blew apart in a blast of smoke and heat, catching Eggman by surprise. The scientist quickly stashed the jar-like object in his coat and drew a laser blaster, pointing it at the smoke.
"I should've known you'd escape sooner or later, you speedy little slimeball!" he shouted at the smog. "But that doesn't matter! You're… wait a minute…" Instead of the familiar spiny shape he had expected, Eggman noticed a smaller, four-legged shape stride through with a shining horn alight with opal magic. The figure revealed itself to him: an orange unicorn with a fire-colored mane and equally-heated cyan eyes.
"Alright, you mustached maniac!" Sunset Shimmer demanded. "Where's Twilight?!"
"You?" Eggman replied in what sounded like confusion and annoyance. "How did you escape my- oh, never mind! Here to rescue your little princess like you're some kind of hero?" He pointed his blaster right at Sunset, finger on the trigger. "If you want her, you're gonna have to get through- YOW!"
An opal beam of light struck the weapon out of his hand, leaving it to clatter to the floor. Eggman held his hand in pain while Sunset took another step forward. "Grr… you really are starting to make me hate horses as much as I hate hedgehogs!"
"I'm not gonna ask again," Sunset spat back with a fierce look in her eye. "Where. Is. Twilight?"
Eggman just responded with a sinister chuckle. "I'm afraid you're far too late for that. Besides, you're more of a fool than I thought if you thought you could face me alone."
The unicorn just smirked. "Who says I came alone?" After she spoke, a more bipedal shape marched through the smoke with clenched fists. The scientist turned to the newcomer… and his face turned white.
"Greetings, doctor," announced Shadow the Hedgehog before he lunged at the scientist with malicious intent. Eggman yelped before scrambling away from the black hedgehog. "Sh-Sh-SHADOW?! What are you- GAH! GET AWAY! WAAAGH!"
With the human currently occupied, Sunset made a dash for the main console and propped her front hooves onto it. Her eyes darted across the monitors in a frenzy. "Come on, come on…" she gasped once she finally saw what she was looking for. Turning her gaze to the console, she noticed a button marked "Speaker" and pressed a hoof down on it. "Twilight! It's Sunset! Can you hear me?!"
"Shadow! Wait! Hang on!" Eggman's voice was the only one that replied. "I-I-I'm sorry for making you think you were an android, alright?! W-we can make amends! Th-there really doesn't need to be-!"
There was a swift whacking sound that signaled Shadow's foot meeting Eggman's face. "Don't take me for a fool! You've got no more tricks to play on me, Eggman! It's time for you to pay!"
"Twilight! Do you hear me?!" Sunset shouted, louder this time. "Say something!"
The alicorn didn't reply. She didn't even move, which caused Sunset's heart to seize up. No…she couldn't be-!
"GUARDS! Help me!"
"None of your robots are coming to save your pathetic hide, doctor!" Shadow retorted, grabbing Eggman by the collar and punching him across the room. "It's just you and me!" As he jumped towards the scientist again, Sunset turned away from the console just in time for Eggman to sprint (surprisingly quick) right past her in a panic with Shadow hot on his heels. The unicorn's eyes scanned the room for anything useful, soon falling on an open floor panel.
She didn't have time to think if this was truly the path that led to wherever Twilight was. She just needed to trust her gut. Sunset sprinted towards the plate and dove into it. The moment she did, Eggman fell to the floor and nervously scrambled away from a very-ticked-off Shadow.
"Sh-Shadow, wait!" he begged, holding out a palm. "Y-you hate Sonic as much as I do, right?! A-after all, he's the only one faster than-!"
"Spare me your miserable pleas for mercy!" Shadow snapped back, placing a foot on Eggman's belly. "For far too long, I've been a pawn in your game. Ever since you found me, you've used me as a tool. I and only I know what is best for me! No one can tell me what to do, not even you! Now, it's time for me to end this little charade…"
"Wh-what?!"
With a sharp crackle, Shadow materialized an emerald spear of chaos energy in his right hand. With an expression of pure rage, he grasped the construct in both hands and pointed it at the terrified Eggman's throat.
"Goodbye, doc-!"
BLAM! A laser bolt struck Shadow in the chest and he fell to the ground, his weapon vanishing from his hand. "Arrrrgh!" The hedgehog growled in half-pain, half-anger as a laughing Eggman hopped to his feet, holding another smoking blaster in his hand.
"HAHA! Second weapon, Shadow! Nobody expects a second weapon! Genius tip: Always have an ace up the sleeve! Buh-bye now!" Eggman darted towards a wall, leaving the snarling Shadow grasping his chest and struggling to his feet. In five seconds, he rose to his feet with angry huffs and charged for the now-still doctor.
"Eggman, you dirty-!" Before Shadow could finish his curse, a door with a glass peephole sealed shut in front of him, keeping him from reaching the scientist. Eggman just smiled and wiggled his fingers at Shadow before the elevator dropped him out of sight. Paralyzed with shock, Shadow balled his fists and shook in fury before shooting out of the bridge in a black blur.
"Rouge!" he shouted into his earpiece as he skated down the hall and fired bolts of chaos energy at any robot in his path. "Eggman's getting away! I'm in pursuit!" He didn't give her the chance to respond before he cut the comms and tore through the ship's bowels.
Meanwhile, Sunset slid out of the trapdoor's chute and landed in an empty chamber, botching her landing in the process. The unicorn slowly rose to her feet and blinked open her eyes, which immediately fell on a still purple figure.
"Twilight!" She hurried over and looked at her friend, desperation in her tone. "Twilight?! Talk to me!" The alicorn did not respond, remaining completely still and silent. The silence filled Sunset's heart with dread. "T…Twilight…?"
Suddenly, part of the floor slid open beneath both ponies, dropping them into a storage area of some kind. Sunset screamed as she fell before she crashed into a crate full of robot parts with a loud bang. The unmoving princess smashed into empty Badnik shells, sending pieces flying. Sunset quickly popped her head out and grabbed onto Twilight, pulling them out of the crate and onto the storage area floor.
"Twilight?!" Sunset stammered, frantically shaking her friend's body with both front hooves. "Twilight, wake up! Please! Don't do this! Y-you can't-! I won't-!"
The unicorn's breath caught in her throat before she could say anything else. A tear was streaking down her face as she took in the still body of the pony who had given her a second chance. The pony who made things right for her. The pony who made her happy again. Her mind was swirling with denial and horror. It… it couldn't be! Eggman wouldn't… Twilight had to be… she had to be alright! Right?
Right…?
Sunset was shaking like a scared filly as she moved closer to the alicorn and lifted a horn to her eye. She slowly cracked open the princess' eyelid… and saw that it had slightly rolled back, its once-violet pupils now devoid of color. Gray orbs that stared at nothing in particular. At the sight of the cold, lifeless eyes, everything in Sunset shattered.
"No… no…!" The tears came down harder just as Sunset threw herself on top of Twilight's body and squeezed her eyes shut. She was too late… whatever Eggman had done to her… it was far more horrible than she realized… "No… Twilight… no…"
Sunset sniffled and buried her face in Twilight's fur, her tears dripping onto it. Her body was wracked with sobs… but something broke through. Not just sadness, but her thoughts of Eggman were fueling a different emotion.
And that emotion was rising to the surface faster now that she heard clanking, mechanical footsteps heading their way. Sunset's sobs slowly turned to sorrowful breathing while she listened to them approach; probably to take them both away. She heard the sound of blasters being pointed at them, and she could almost hear the evil laughter of their maker. The man responsible for the suffering of so many unicorns across Equestria… and he wouldn't stop there.
Sunset's horn began to glow with bright opal magic as she continued to mourn, but her sobs ominously turned to something else: distraught huffs. The light of her magic began to swirl and shift until it settled into a different color: a crimson aura that surrounded her orange horn.
Sunset Shimmer slowly moved off of her friend's form and turned to face the robots with a tear-stained face. The Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters took aim at the single unicorn… who opened her eyes to reveal that her once-cyan pupils were now a burning fiery red. Her teeth were bared in a vicious snarl and her chest heaved in and out with heavy breaths. The hot-red aura surrounding her horn slowly snaked across her entire body, covering Sunset's orange coat in a menacing, crimson light.
The machines opened fire in a sudden burst of bullets and laser fire, the sound of their weapons echoing through the room. The lightning-quick projectiles struck Sunset's shaking body, but only sparks and red specks of light were a result of contact, leaving the unicorn unharmed. Sunset gave no physical response to the magical forcefield covering her body, her now-amaranth eyes trained on the robots unloading every bit of their ammo onto her.
These things… built by the man who had done the unthinkable to Twilight Sparkle, the pony who made her life take a turn for the better. The pony she turned to for help. The pony she learned to trust and rely on for something out of her control. And taken, just like that.
Sunset scolded herself for not punishing Eggman alongside Shadow when she had the chance. But this seemed fitting; more of the doctor's creations, genius talent wasted on machines of destruction, would fall before he would. The very thought of that mustached, grinning face with a booming laugh was enough to fill Sunset's heart to the brim and past her breaking point. The unicorn growled in a mix of sadness, pain, hatred, and anger, causing the red forcefield to fade into her horn, which was now glowing as hot as a star. The machines finally ceased fire, curious about the light. Sunset's squeezed eyes flashed open, glowing as red as rubies…
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
Sunset howled with a wave of primal anger, unlike anything she had ever felt before, her body feeling as though it was on fire. A destructive and explosive beam of blood-red light blasted from her horn, tearing through everything it touched like a storm. The laser sliced through Egg Pawns, decapitated Egg Fighters, and cleaved several other robots in two all while wreaking havoc on everything else. Sunset swept the beam back and forth to obliterate each robot and consume it in a fiery blast, screaming in unbound fury as she did.
Shrill beeps rang out across the room, followed by an all-too-familiar voice. "Attention all robots! Sonic and his band of furry friends have escaped confinement! All forces are to lock down the ship, spread out, and stop those pesky pests before they-!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Sunset's infernal beam swept across the speakers, the heat from the ray almost making them melt before they were utterly decimated. Glowing scars were carved into the walls, storage crates were shredded apart, and fires raged all around from destroyed mechanical equipment. Even fallen robot shells were set aflame, leaving nothing safe from the destructive force.
In a single instant, the crimson beam vanished from existence, although Sunset's rage- a rage as hot as the sun- did not. The unicorn took a moment to survey the devastated room before a pair of metal doors slid open, revealing a battalion of robots charging at her. With the flames in her eyes and her soul both burning bright, Sunset spun to face them with an enraged growl. One of the robots, an Egg Fighter with a sword, swung its weapon down upon the unicorn…
…but the weapon froze in place as Sunset's gaze burned into the machine. The Egg Fighter struggled to move, but the unicorn's magic held tight before closing in on the robot, crushing the combat machine and reducing it to nothing but a smoking, crumpled heap of metal. Turning her eyes to an Egg Pawn, Sunset locked eyes with it… and the robot violently shuddered until its limbs were torn off its body, swiftly followed by the rest of it until only pieces remained.
Sunset snarled like a feral beast as her inner fire blazed like an inferno, her rage-fueled magic now channeling itself through her horn. But instead of another powerful beam that was bound to leave the area anything but recognizable, it materialized in the form of a bright amber blade that protruded from her horn. The construct burned with orange light, standing two meters tall like a pillar of blazing fury.
If they were capable of doing so, the remaining robots would have been either astounded, frightened, or perhaps a bit of both. One of the few who didn't react with silence, an Egg Pawn with a lance, charged forward to skewer the unicorn. Sunset turned her gaze towards the robot and, with another enraged cry, swung her head downward in a sharp and swift movement. Her manifested magic swept through the robot, which paused in its tracks. At first, nothing appeared to have happened…
…until the top half of the robot's body slid off and collapsed to the floor, leaving a charred, diagonally-cleaved lower half standing. Sparks flew from sliced wiring and heated inner parts before the heap clattered to the floor. As soon as it hit the floor, Sunset spun towards the rest of the robots and charged with a feral roar.
"RAAAAAAGH!"
Sunset pierced an Egg Shooter through the chest before it had the chance to turn its guns on her, throwing her head to the side to leave a nasty gash before it fell. She swung her head this way and that, cutting down robot after robot. She literally disarmed an Egg Pawn with a blaster before decapitating it, slashed a searing scar across the broad chest of another Egg Fighter, and pierced an Egg Knight's shield along with the Egg Knight itself.
Each machine fell in halves, quarters, and every other manner of bits as Sunset tore through them all like paper. Laser guns desperately shot at her, robots ran to pin her down, and weapons were swung at her, but every effort was for naught. Finally, Sunset swung her head upward with a final cry of rage, vertically bisecting the last Egg Fighter. The two halves of the robot split apart as its electronic brain fizzled out, landing on the floor with a loud clunk. Sunset's breathing and the steady hum of the magic blade was the only thing she could hear now, aside from her heavy heartbeat.
The unicorn closed her eyes and brought her panting to a slow pace, taking deep breaths as she did so. The magic blade retracted into her horn, its red glow also fading. Whatever anger and rage within her slowly lifted, successfully released from her form thanks to the robots. Sunset opened her eyes to examine the smoking wrecks she created… eyes that had returned to their normal cyan hues.
Her breath caught in her throat and her ears perked up. One of those quiet gasps she was hearing was definitely not her own. She spun and sprinted towards Twilight's unmoving form, leaning in close and pressing her ear against the alicorn's neck. "Twilight…?" Her whisper was as silent as a mouse, the earlier fear threatening to creep its way back into her soul. She heard nothing upon first inspection, leaving her to wonder if she was hallucinating about the foreign sound…
Just then, she felt a slight beating sensation followed by a frail, weakened breath. It was as quiet as the wind whistling through a small hole. Twilight's torso barely moved with it, allowing a mixture of relief and horror to flow through Sunset's body. She wasn't sure if she should smile in happiness or look upon Twilight worriedly; she wasn't dead after all, she realized… but it felt like she was going to any minute.
Sunset took another peek at the princess' eyes, which were still gray and lifeless. It was like looking at a medical patient infected with a terminal illness their body was failing to combat. And the worst part was that Sunset had no idea what Eggman had done to reduce the princess of friendship to such a state.
She already knew the others would be just as horrified as she was… but Twilight needed help. Sunset's horn illuminated with an opal glow, and an equivalent aura surrounded the alicorn. With her sorrowful eyes saying everything that needed to be said, Sunset telekinetically picked up Twilight's body, which felt like more of a soulless shell clinging to the fibers of life, and proceeded to slowly walk out of the room.
She needed to let everypony know what had happened… and find a way to fix this.
…
Meanwhile, another group of unicorns found themselves powerless at the charging energy beams that would soon sap them of all their magic in seconds. Crying fillies clung to their just-as-frightened families, others tried making a run for the walls, and some were just too terrified to move. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence frantically looked around the chamber for any means of escape, but fear flashed through their eyes when they found nothing but robots creepily eying them like gargoyles.
"Rarity!" cried a panicking Starlight. "W-what do we do?!"
The white unicorn was scared speechless, her body quivering like Fluttershy whenever she saw a monster. She silently pleaded for Twilight, for Rainbow Dash, for literally anypony to come for them, but she already knew her prayers would go unanswered. Not even Celestia could help them from this horror.
"Starlight… I think this could be the end!"
The other unicorn looked at her with wide eyes just as everypony else gasped in alarm. Up from the observation windows, an Egg Pawn reached for a lever while keeping its optical sensors trained on the frightened herd below. Each of the unicorns' stares begged the machine not to go through with its next action, some even wordlessly shaking their heads…
…but a being without a soul was incapable of any kind of emotion, including pity.
With a hard clunking sound, the Egg Pawn pulled the lever and caused screams of terror to ring out among the unicorns. Their panicked cries were quickly drowned out by the emotionless electronic voice that announced the weapon's countdown.
"Primary sequence activated. Ignition in five…"
Starlight and Rarity slowly backed away from the weapons, which started to crackle with ominous energy. In a last defiant stand, Shining Armor positioned himself in front of his wife and looked at her with a calm stare. "This will all be over soon, Cadence…"
"I… I know…" came her shaky response.
"Four…" The chamber itself glowed with the intense light of the arms, prompting more cries of terror to ring out. Rarity and Starlight shared another glance before the white unicorn threw herself atop the other, wrapping her hooves around her.
"Three…" Starlight returned the hug and squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding wildly in its chest. She wondered if Twilight was among the ponies who already suffered thanks to this machine… or if she was next in line.
"Two…" If the latter was true, Starlight hoped that the princess would find a way to come back from a bad loss and avenge everypony.
"One…" Starlight held Rarity close, her last thought being that of her other friends as she awaited the now-loud whining to explode into a crackling storm that would give her more pain than she'd ever felt in her entire life. She felt the bright light wash over her, the energy about to burst forward…
…so why was it taking so long?
That's when she noticed something odd. The arms sounded like they were charging… down? Why-? Rarity seemed to notice it too as the light seemed to fade. "Wh-what in Equestria…?"
"Hey! Look!" somepony called. "Up there!"
Starlight's eyes shot open and she jerked her head towards the window, where everypony else had their eyes turned. The lever the Egg Pawn had pulled was back in its original position, but the robot operating it was no longer there. Instead, there was a panting cyan-furred pegasus who turned a desperate pair of magenta eyes to the unicorns inside.
Rarity and Starlight knew that colored mane anywhere.
"Rainbow?!"
Flashes of yellow and blue covered the rest of the window circling the chamber. Robot parts flew this way and that, and the unicorns could hear another high-pitched sound as something blew through them in a spinning frenzy. A colored blur zipped among them before the pegasus rammed herself into the window with an audible thud. She slammed against it three more times, but the barrier didn't budge. She spun her head around and shouted something Starlight couldn't make out.
KRA-SMASH! A spinning blue ball shattered the window and touched down in a perfect pose on the chamber floor. Glass fell in its wake, followed by the swooping pegasus. "Another on-the-dot rescue in just a Sonic second!" cheered the blue hedgehog. "Perfect timing, Dash! Couldn't have done it better myself!"
"Rarity! Starlight!" cried Rainbow, zipping up to envelop the two unicorns in a crushing hug. "Oh, thank Celestia I found you in time!" Both unicorns returned the hug, smiling in relief. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, darling!"
"H-how did you-?!"
"Never mind me!" Rainbow interjected, finally pulling away. "Are you both okay?! What happened here?!"
"The doctor wanted to drain us of our magic," Shining explained. "He's probably done it to many unicorns already, and we need to stop him from doing it to more!" Rainbow's face flashed with worry before she turned back to Starlight. "Where's Twilight?! Have any of you seen her?"
"No!" Starlight answered. "I don't know where she could be!"
"We gotta find her!" Rainbow shouted before grabbing the ring-like device on Starlight's horn and wrenching it off. "She's one of the strongest magic users out there, and if Baldy gets his paws on it-"
"We'll find your friend, Dash!" Sonic butted in, removing the magic-restricting devices from Shining Armor and Cadence. "But first, I'm gonna trash this joint and save everyone else. And then, it's time for an escape plan." He held up his wrist and switched on his communicator. "Tails, it's me. Rainbow and I found the missing unicorns… well, some of them. Apparently, Eggman's sapping their magic out of them."
"That's terrible!"
"I know. I'm gonna find the rest of these machines and smash them until he's got nothing left to drain these folks with. Is there anything nearby I can use to get them out once I'm done?"
"Well… there are some transport pods used to deploy robots to the surface. You can start there, but remember they can only take ten at a time!"
"Will do! Thanks, Tails!" He switched off his communicator and jumped towards the shattered window, Rainbow right behind him. "Come on, everyone! Let's blow this joint!"
Starlight used her magic to levitate several unicorns and herself out of the chamber while the royals did the same. As soon as everyone was out, Sonic made a dash for a door leading out into an open hallway, beckoning the herd to follow him. "Stay close and keep an eye out for anything that's moving and not breathing!"
"You heard the hog!" Rainbow added. "Let's get you guys outta here!"
…
"Orbot! Cubot! Fire up the Egg Mobile!" shouted Dr. Eggman as he strode out of the elevator and adjusted his jacket. "We're getting out of here, pronto!" Orbot was the first to reply on his communication channel. "I suspected a hasty withdrawal was in order the moment I reported the breakout, sir."
"But what about your magic stuff, boss?" asked Cubot. "Aren't you gonna need that for your big plan and all?"
"Of course I need it, you nincombot!" snapped the doctor. "I already have a batch of it with me right now, and I'm having some Egg Pawns deliver the remaining ones to the craft. With Sonic out, I suspect the first thing he's trying to do is take out the drainers… if he's discovered them."
Eggman approached a security door and placed his hand on a sensor panel, holding it there for a moment. After a beep of confirmation, the door slid open to reveal a private hangar bay that consisted of the Egg Mobile and a launch tube. Orbot and Cubot were already meeting up with Egg Pawns carrying small capsules of magic energy, with Metal Sonic acting as an overseer. The steel double turned his head to his master as he approached.
"Yet again, I'm faced with another setback," Eggman spoke as Metal marched by his side. "Sonic and his allies, including those irritating horses who shouldn't even be a threat, have a chance to bring this entire battleship down. Another to add to the list, I suppose, but my work here is done. Now, it's onto the next step!"
Eggman climbed into the Egg Mobile while Orbot and Cubot piled alongside him, the canopy sealing shut just as the thrusters roared to life. Metal Sonic's own engine ignited and raised him into the air… before the doors leading to the private hangar smashed open.
Shadow marched inside with a stern expression and broke into a skate, charging for the Egg Pawns that were now opening fire on him. As he engaged the robots and began tearing them apart, Eggman just snickered and inputted a command into the Egg Mobile's console. "Hasta la bye-bye, sucker!"
The launch tube door slid open the moment the Egg Mobile hit max power. Shadow punched a dent in an Egg Pawn's head hard enough to cave it in, kicking the machine to the floor. He spun to face the Egg Mobile but received a huge wave of light and air from its thrusters. Unable to hold his ground against it, Shadow was thrown to the floor as the craft rocketed down the tube. Metal Sonic blasted off after the doctor, not even bothering to give Shadow a glance as he departed.
The Ultimate Lifeform pulled his head up with a groan to see the tube door seal shut. The sight made him frown in anger and disappointment. Rising to his feet, Shadow turned and made his way back to the main doors, crushing a barely-functional Egg Pawn's head beneath his foot. He raised a hand to his ear, speaking in a low tone.
"Rouge. Is the ship secure?"
"I have it ready, Shadow. But I expect things to get heated now that Eggman has put his forces on alert. Speaking of, where is that old coot?"
"Escaped. Again."
"Aw, that's too bad. But at least we have his plans. Make your way back to the hangar and we'll sort things out there."
"Copy that," Shadow moved out the door and started skating down the hall, switching his frequency to another channel. "Omega, I need a status update. What's your progress on reaching the ship's power core?"
…
The walking arsenal could hear his team leader's request loud and clear, even over the storm of bullets he was spraying everywhere. Robot after robot fell before his onslaught, none of them a match for him as he stomped down the corridors with weapons blazing.
"Minimal resistance encountered!" he responded. "Distance to power core: fifty meters and closing! Kill count: twenty-five and rising! All Eggman machines will be eliminated!"
"Get it done, Omega, and then proceed to exfil. Shadow out."
Up ahead, several Egg Pawns with blasters were taking cover behind corners and steel crates. Omega didn't waste any time locking onto them, their shots barely grazing his chassis. The moment one popped out of cover, a quick-fired rocket blew its head off. A burst of bullets eliminated another robot, which fell to the floor covered in holes. And while all machines ahead of Omega were utterly obliterated, some of them had more tactical approaches.
A bright yellow blast struck Omega in the shoulder, smoke rising from the impact. The robot spun to the right and unloaded an entire round of bullets into the Egg Pawn responsible, causing it to drop its bazooka before it burst into a cloud of fire. From the other side, an Egg Pawn with a spear charged at Omega and thrust its weapon at him, but the rogue E-Series machine snatched the weapon and viciously stabbed the Egg Pawn right in its electronic brain. Tossing the sparking robot away, Omega seized another and unleashed another storm of bullets into its face, disconfiguring it beyond familiarization.
Omega stomped forward, continuing his barrage on any hostile machine his sensors detected. "Advance so I may destroy you!" he shouted. "I will rip out your rivets and melt you down to slag!" Several of the machines seemed to realize their mistake in engaging him and turned to flee; those were swiftly reduced to scrap. Others didn't quite get the memo and attacked Omega in close quarters. Reconfiguring his cannons back into fists, Omega smashed an Egg Pawn on the head twice, crumpling the dome before throwing it into another. Sparks flew when he punched an Egg Fighter clean through the chest, gripping both sides of the gaping hole and ripping the machine apart with a metallic screeching noise.
Both halves fell in a smoking heap while Omega bashed a struggling Egg Pawn into pieces. Soon, the only robot that remained was an Egg Pawn with a blaster… who dropped its weapon and raised its hydraulic arms in surrender.
Omega's only response was to tear those arms out of their sparking sockets and bludgeon the Badnik over the head with them. The blue light of its optics died down with a low boop, leaving the hallway quiet. With no more enemies left to annihilate, Omega resumed his path towards the energy core.
"Maybe save some for me next time?"
The robot halted in his tracks and turned around, his ocular sensors detecting a small purple dragon standing right behind him. As Omega's heads-up display flashed with the creature's life signs, heart rate, and combat data, the dragon gave him a little wave.
"Query: what do you think you are doing?"
"Oh, I just thought you could use a hand or two," replied Spike. "Plus, you're actually pretty-"
"Negative!" beeped Omega. "I do not require assistance! Explanation: you are easily outmatched by most of Eggman's robots. I detect a ninety-seven percent chance of you expiring should you progress any further."
Spike just crossed his arms with a coy smirk. "There's more to me than meets the eye, big guy… or whatever robots use to see."
"Warning: withdraw or be reduced to a smear on the wall. Further delays in my mission are unacceptable." Omega didn't wait for a response from the tiny dragon before turning away and stomping down the hall. According to his calculations, the power core wasn't too far away from his current position. And given its importance, it was bound to be heavily guarded.
Just how he liked it.
The walking war machine trudged onward as the alarms continued to blare their wails all around him. Like everything else on this ship, he was made well aware that Eggman knew of intruders and ordered them exterminated. The more robots that the doctor threw at him, the better.
Omega didn't make it until two intersections down until he was ambushed. This time, his sensors were detecting Egg Shooters firing at him from a distance. Holding his arms down both the left and right turns, Omega blasted them both until they burst into smoke. Through the clouds, more marched in to take their place, backed up by more Egg Pawns. And up ahead, a huge Egg Hammer was stomping towards him, its mallet ready to crush metal. An Egg Fighter charged at Omega, who spun to quickly shoot it in the chest. As it stumbled mid-stride, Omega snagged the machine and smashed it into the ground, stomping its head for good measure.
Missiles flew from his form, detonating against anything they touched in destructive blasts that shook the corridor. Bullets flew this way and that, ripping apart every robot they could find. Stray laser shots from Egg Shooters grazed his chassis, but all it did to Omega was make him aware of their presence and turn his guns on them. After Omega scrapped the last of them, the Egg Hammer smacked him aside with its weapon, knocking the E-Series combat machine into a wall.
Undaunted by the attack, Omega raised his arm and opened fire with another burst of heavy machine gunfire. The Egg Hammer simply raised its arm in front of its head, the armored limb blocking the bullets effortlessly. The massive machine drew its weapon back, now ready to pound Omega to a pulp.
Before it could get the chance, a green fireball connected with its head and threw off its stance. Omega rotated his head in the direction of the projectile, catching a purple blur zip towards the stunned robot. The Egg Hammer swung at the nuisance, who sharply evaded the smashing strike and landed on the hammer's handle.
Spike jumped on top of the robot's head and gave its dome-like head a few taps. Realizing the dragon's new position, the Egg Hammer immediately slammed a fist onto its head… a moment too late as Spike darted away, leaving the robot to stumble from the hit. The dragon drew back with a deep breath, letting loose a stream of green flame at the dazed Egg Hammer. The mech staggered back, blinded by the heat and dropping its weapon. Spike then proceeded to fly all around it, shooting it wherever he could. The robot swung wildly in all directions, but Spike stayed away from the flailing fists and continued to bombard the machine with emerald fire. The robot's body was covered in black scorch marks, and Spike was quick to add claw marks as well with his quick strikes.
Omega looked on at the dragon's surprisingly-successful attack on the Egg Hammer, running a diagnostic update on the lifeform. "Noted: unknown lifeform is small and vicious."
Spike barely managed to duck under a hard punch and counter with a stomp to the head. Again, the Egg Hammer swiped at him, but the attack barely grazed Spike's wing as he escaped. He shot another fireball at the machine, which looked like it couldn't take anymore. Grabbing its hammer from the floor, it moved to squash Spike like a bug.
"Warning! Take evasive action!"
Spike spun around and flew off with a yelp. As soon as he was clear, Omega blasted the Egg Hammer in the head with a high-powered ballistic shot, blowing it to pieces. As smoke and sparks shot out from the decapitated machine's exposed wiring, the nonfunctional body crashed to the floor.
"Ha!" Spike shouted, pointing at the remains. "Not bad for a little guy, huh? Told ya I could handle myself!"
"Unknown lifeform combat data updated," whirred Omega, staring at the airborne dragon beside him. "You will accept my thanks or be destroyed." Spike paused at the comment, uncertainty crossing his face. "Uh… you're welcome?"
"Observation: you utilize your minuscule size to your advantage. I am more than efficient individually, but my tactical data is lacking. Perhaps you may be of use, after all, small creature."
"Hey, I'm used to lending a hand. And please, just call me Spike."
"Acknowledged. Resuming primary mission directive."
The robot and the dragon proceeded down the hallway with Spike flying ahead to serve as a scout. To keep up with him, Omega activated his rear thrusters to propel himself at the speed of a land vehicle, keeping his ocular sensors primed for possible enemies. Thankfully- or perhaps the opposite in Omega's case- none of Eggman's robots appeared during the remainder of his path. Before long, the duo found themselves standing behind a large pair of steel doors.
"So… is this it?"
"Affirmative. Allow me."
Omega walked up to the door and drew back a fist, smashing the doors with the force of a heavy piston. A huge dent appeared in the middle, allowing Omega to grab it and rip the door clean off. Doing the same to the other door and leaving it to clatter to the floor, Omega marched inside with Spike flying right behind him…
…and the dragon's eyes widened at the sight of a massive machine that had bright energy flowing throughout it. That energy was spread out through some kind of wire system, presumably delivering it to the ship's vital systems. Catwalks surrounded the room, the only thing keeping whatever that trod on them from plunging to a seemingly-bottomless doom.
"That's the core?" he whispered in awe before holding up his fists. "Okay then! Let's blow this baby up and-!"
"Restrain your equestrian mammals!" blurted Omega, causing an expression of surprise and confusion to appear on the dragon's face. "Sensors indicate a barrier of energy surrounding the primary power core. Objective update: locate and destroy shield generators."
"A protective shield?" Spike inquired, now noticing a faint translucent barrier surrounding the core. "I guess that shouldn't be too hard to… take…" His voice trailed off, his eyes noticing an entire battalion of robots storming into the room and taking position at the duo. At the sight of so many weapons trained on them, Spike gulped. "I think I spoke too soon…"
Omega stepped forward boldly, his own weapons at the ready. "Mission failure unacceptable! Objective: Destroy shield generators! Objective: Destroy primary power core! Objective: Destroy all Eggman robots!" The thundering barrage of his rotary cannons flooded the room, followed by incoming laser fire from the opposing machines. Flying up to a platform high above the main level, Spike weaved between laser shots and blasted fireballs at the robots, making several explode with well-timed hits.
"Annihilate all enemies!" shouted Omega as he mowed down robots with frightening ease. Bullets tore holes through an Egg Pawn, an Egg Fighter was ripped to shreds as round punctured its armor plating, and the rogue E-Series robot fired a missile into a bazooka just before its wielder could fire, resulting in a huge explosion that only a head flew out of.
Spike destroyed another Egg Pawn in an emerald flash before curiously spotting a red console with all kinds of buttons. Flying in to take a closer look, Spike noticed what appeared to be a cylindrical device linked to the console with connecting wires. That device currently emitted a beam that connected with the core's shield. "Ooh, this looks important!" he exclaimed, cracking his fingers and getting to work. But before he could press a single button, his face dropped in realization. There were so many possible commands, and he had no idea where to start. Nervously, the dragon hovered his hands over the console, silently cursing Eggman for not putting labels on this thing.
"Uh… um… which one…" It took ten seconds for Spike to sigh and just withdraw from the console. "Oh, forget it!" He then engulfed the entire console with a breath of green fire, the heat causing the console to spark up and malfunction. Once he was done, the whole thing looked completely fried down to the motherboard. Behind it, the generator flickered and sputtered until every light snapped into darkness. The beam it was conjuring vanished as well, leaving the shield to slightly fade. Just to make sure he'd done the job right, Spike pressed down on a random button only for nothing to happen.
"Attention," spoke Omega as he ripped apart an Egg Pawn with nothing but his steel bare hands. "Shield energy levels dropping to seventy-five percent. Three generators remaining. Proceed." Spike flashed him a thumbs-up before jumping off the platform. Spreading his wings, he swooped across Omega's path and breathed a wall of flame on the approaching robots, barring their path and view. The dragon sharply turned, keeping his eyes peeled for another generator.
Omega marched through the jade flames, the light making his presence intimidating for his mechanical adversaries. His cannons spun wildly as he rained devastation upon the robots, empty casings clattering near his feet. An Egg Pawn with a lance jumped in from a higher catwalk, but Omega spun to snag it with a hand and slam it into the ground. Using a foot to pin the machine down, the walking arsenal grabbed the Egg Pawn's lower body and ripped it off with a metal shriek. Tossing them away and stomping the robot's head, Omega spun his arms back ahead and continued his relentless storm of ammunition.
The robot stomped up a small set of stairs, savoring the sight of Egg Pawns and Egg Shooters scrambling for cover while taking shots at him. Unfazed by the lasers meeting his chassis, Omega advanced and landed a quick shot to an oil barrel an Egg Pawn was hiding behind, igniting it and setting the unfortunate droid aflame. He quickly seized another Egg Pawn by the head, its limbs flailing in every direction while it tried pounding at the armored arm holding it off the ground. Seizing its body with his other hand, Omega tore the Egg Pawn's domed head clean off its body and hurled the sparking chassis at an Egg Shooter. As it fell, its guns sprayed ammo that struck two Egg Pawns with laser blasters in the legs, crippling them.
Locking onto the remaining targets that were still functional, Omega launched a payload of missiles at them and engulfed the entire platform to fire and smoke. Marching through the blaze, he scanned the area for any shield generators… and he detected one near the far side of the platform.
"Target acquired. Firing!" Omega raised an arm and sprayed a full round of bullets at the console. It burst into flames and sparked like crazy, causing that generator to shut down. The walking arsenal turned and stomped away, shooting a crawling Egg Pawn as he did so. "Target destroyed. Shield energy at fifty percent. Two targets remaining. Spike, keep your ocular organs open."
"I'm looking, I'm looking!" replied the airborne dragon while making sure his wings were kept safe from laser fire. It didn't take him too long to track down the third console, which was guarded by an Egg Pawn unit that had already spotted him. Spike dove headfirst into the group, swooping between the robots to make their shots hit each other. He zipped around like a purple insect, smacking and clawing any machine close to him while the rest struggled to keep him in their sights.
After Spike kicked an Egg Pawn in the head, he flew over to the console and touched down in front of its controls. But instead of touching any buttons this time, he gripped the underside of the primary panel and wrenched it up- with some minor difficulty- to reveal the wiring underneath. The dragon snagged one wire and gave it a hard yank, tearing it out with a small shower of sparks. Soon enough, everything else shut down and left the console useless.
"One more to go!" he shouted, flying out of there before any more robots could arrive. He swooped over another balcony, firebombing a robot that was attempting to sneak up on a rampaging Omega. The war machine had seized an Egg Pawn in one hand and was unloading a storm of ammunition right into its face, reducing it to an incomprehensible mess and showing no signs of stopping.
"Approach and become scrap metal!" he shouted before throwing the crumpled mass of metal into an incoming squad. Next, he grabbed another Egg Pawn by the leg and repeatedly smashed it into the ground- along with anything else within reach- until parts started flying. Omega never ceased until all he was holding was the machine's leg, which he tossed away. Moving forward, he let loose another full barrage of machine-gun fire that mowed down every robot that confronted him. "Destroy all Eggman robots! Destroy all Eggman robots!"
A hard punch that caved in an Egg Fighter's head sent it to the floor. The machine threw a haymaker at another one, connecting with a hard, metallic clang. Omega then turned his gaze skyward, noticing Spike engaging some security Spinners by launching fireballs at them. When an emerald orb struck one, the flying machine spun out of control like a meteor before crashing at Omega's feet in a burning heap.
"Observation: you burn things very well," Omega commented, reconfiguring his arms into flamethrowers. "I approve of this feature. Declaration: let us burn things together!"
With a loud roar reminiscent of a raging beast, destructive flames flew out from Omega's arms. The fire engulfed a dozen robots, who flailed wildly and scrambled about while the heat showed no mercy to their exteriors. Omega advanced, continuing to scorch everything in his path until the entire area became a blazing firestorm. Spike paused, noticing the light from the immense heat. "Whoa… that's… uh, what's a word that describes awesome and terrifying at the same time?"
Striding through a wall of amber flame, Omega's red optics passed over burning wrecks and dismembered mechanical limbs until they settled on another console. Pausing in his tracks, Omega launched a salvo of missiles from his arms that streaked towards his target like birds descending on a carcass. The resounding explosion shook the catwalk and swallowed the console into flame… and when the initial blast faded, huge flames flickered from the console's main pad. The generator behind it was also aflame, a part of its exterior blown clean off.
"Success. Target destroyed," Omega reported, activating his thrusters to descend to ground level. "Energy shield offline. Power core vulnerable to attack." As Spike swooped down to join him, he looked back at the core to see that the protective barrier surrounding it had vanished. The little dragon couldn't help but crack a smile. "I have a feeling I'm gonna like this next part."
Omega raised his arms and spun up his rotary cannons while double-barreled laser cannons raised from his forearms. Missile launchers slid out from the sides of his arms just as his heads-up display marked the power core as a high priority. Beside him, Spike took a deep breath and held it in.
"Target lock acquired. Initiating Full Barrage Mode. FIRE!"
Omega unleashed everything he had at the core, with bullets, missiles, and lasers flying toward it. Spike spat out jade fireballs that detonated against the machine's exterior, puncturing its bright red colors. Omega's munitions wreaked havoc on the core, causing several parts of it to burst into flame and blow apart with devastating booms. Bolts of electricity flew outward as a result of an energy rupture, the resulting overload too much for the core to handle. After another massive explosion that shrouded the core in black smoke and seemed to make the entire ship shudder, the core let out a howl-like creak as the last of its energy reserves were snuffed out.
Spike lowered his raised arms and opened his eyes. The ship's main power core was now nothing but smoking, cindered wreckage with alarms blaring over the sizzling flames and collapsing metal. Twilight would've been devastated over the destruction of such an industrial marvel… but if it was built by a bad guy, Spike doubted that such thoughts would be present in her mind.
The walking arsenal was already making his way to the door leading back into the hallways, and Spike moved to catch up. "Omega to Shadow. Objective complete. Power core completely destroyed."
"I am aware of that," replied the hedgehog. "I could feel it from here. How long until the ship goes down?"
"Emergency power is limited and will not suffice to replace the core's energy levels," the robot reported. "Estimated time to the destruction of this vessel: five minutes."
"Then make your way to the hangar. And don't keep us waiting."
"Affirmative," Omega turned to Spike just as the two reached the door, the wailing alarms continuing to resonate throughout the ship. "Assessment: we should leave immediately."
Spike nodded as the alarms kept up their auditory barrage, nervousness now crossing his face. "Yeah! I'm on board with that plan! Which way's the exit?!" Omega didn't need to give a verbal reply, as his jet boosters propelled him down the hallway. Spike took off after him, his wings beating as fast as they could. For everypony's sake, he hoped they could all leave in time.
…
"Arrrgh!" Silver punched Star Swirl's pod in frustration. "It's no use! Nothing's working! What else could I do to get you out of there?!"
The elder unicorn sighed. "I understand this may be a dire situation in your eyes, young creature, but have faith. No matter how impossible it may appear, every task has a solution."
"Well, what solution would that be?" Silver asked. "The magnetic field is too strong for my psychokinesis, your magic isn't working, and I don't see anything around here that could help me! I've tried everything I could think of!"
"I believe there is an expression that could assist," Star Swirl suggested. "Think outside the box. Tell me, Silver… Do you have friends?" Silver blinked, processing the out-of-the-blue request. "Uh, well, of course I-"
"Okay, we're here!" shouted a feminine voice from nearby. "This is definitely the place!" Silver turned in the voice's direction just as another one rang out. "Sweet Tikal! Look at them all! Where do we even start?!"
"Where else?!" answered a voice with a western accent. "Everywhere! Now let's get this show on the road!" A fourth giddy voice squealed with excitement. "Whoever pops the most bubbles wins! Wheeee!" The voices were replaced by grunts and shattering glass, followed by startled shouts. Curious, Silver took a few steps away from Star Swirl and tried to pinpoint where those sounds were coming from…
"Whoa there, sugarcube! You're gonna hurt 'em if you pound 'em too hard like that!"
"They'll be fine! Wish we had Sonic to speed things up, though! Tails, where is he?!"
"Right here, Knux!" answered the all-too-familiar voice. "Kinda dealing with my own unicorn-related troubles here-"
"Pinkie! AJ!" shouted another voice from the communicator. "You guys there?! I found Rarity and Starlight! And the royals!" That western-like voice was the first to respond to that. "You have?! Oh, thank goodness, Dash! Was Twilight with them?!"
"No, I haven't seen her! You?"
"Nope!" replied the cheerful one. "Still looking!"
"Ugh! Meet with you guys soon!"
"Thanks for that, RD. I'm taking my group to some robot deployment pods just down this level! They can get back down safely that way!"
"Are you sure that'll work, Sonic?" asked the first female voice. "After all, those things aren't really built for organics!"
"It'll work, trust me! Gotta go!"
Star Swirl smiled. "It appears our solution has arrived." Silver stepped out past the row of capsules he was currently near, finally catching sight of a small group that was breaking apart every containment pod they could find. A pony with a cowboy hat was thrusting her legs at each pod near her while a pink smacked against others in a rolled-up ball state. Accompanying them were a red echidna smashing pods in a fury and a pink hedgehog that swung a hammer at other pods as if she was playing a carnival game.
Silver levitated off the ground and flew over to the group in a cyan light, shouting as he did so. "Hey! Over here!" Knuckles paused before he could shatter another pod, turning his eyes in the hedgehog's direction before everyone else stopped what they were doing. Amy briefly lowered her hammer. "Silver? What are you doing here?"
"Well, I came here looking for Starlight, and I just… caught myself here."
"You're a little too late on that, Silv," Knuckles answered. "Sonic beat you to it."
The hedgehog's eyes went wide. "So, she's safe?! That's great! Then come on! I need you guys to help me with-"
BAWOOOOM! Suddenly, the ship shuddered as if in fear, catching everyone by surprise. Pinkie and Applejack fell flat on their faces while Knuckles and Amy stumbled to regain their footing. A flash of movement caught Silver's eye; the pods were beginning to shake, the unicorns inside gasping in alarm.
Then, their magnetic circuits powered down in the blink of an eye. Every pod in the brig dropped and shattered against the floor, their occupants grunting and groaning from the impacts. The laser gates of other cells deactivated, allowing their prisoners to run out with elated shouts. Knuckles just scratched his head. "Well, that's one way to get everyone out…"
Amy was activating her communicator, but Silver didn't pay attention to whatever words she had to say. His golden eyes landed on a rising figure who was shaking glass shards off his robes. "Star Swirl! You okay?!"
"Huh?!" Pinkie and Applejack followed the hedgehog's gaze and trotted to his side just as the old colt shook himself off. "I have been through worse endeavors than this, Silver. I will endure." The unicorn's eyes rested on the two ponies beside him, prompting a warm smile to appear on his face. "Ah… greetings, Elements! Such a peculiar location for a reunion, wouldn't you agree?"
"Star Swirl?" asked the shocked cowgirl before shaking her head and suppressing a rising question as to how he had gotten here. "We gotta get you and your folks outta here right now!"
"Hurry!" yelled Amy. "This whole ship's gonna come down in just a few minutes!" She was making a break for the brig door with Knuckles hot on her heels, the echidna making a beckoning gesture. "Move those hooves, people!"
Star Swirl turned his eyes to the newly-liberated unicorns, his horn alight to act as a beacon. "Come, my brethren! Salvation awaits, but only if we make haste!" He charged towards the door, the unicorns stampeding after him. Silver telekinetically picked up Pinkie and AJ before flying out of the brig himself, the two ponies briefly startled.
"Wheee! I won't get tired of this!" whooped Pinkie.
…
Sonic found himself agreeing with Amy's words. Those deployment pods weren't meant to be used by organics: they'd be too cramped in there. But it was the only idea he had, so he needed to go through with it. He still had quite a ways to go before reaching that location; mainly because of the constant reminder that not everything was as fast as he was. He barely stopped himself from shouting at the unicorns to pick up the pace when they were obviously running their hooves off.
A pair of steel doors slid open upon his approach, revealing a large hallway that was illuminated in red colors thanks to the screaming alarms. On each wall were twenty circular holes with open lids, leading into the aforementioned small spaces that could fit only a small number of passengers at a time. Ten, Tails had said; Sonic hoped it would be enough.
"Alright, ponies, let's move!" Rainbow shouted as if she had become a drill sergeant all of a sudden. "Inside, pronto! Unless you want to be left as a miserable prisoner for the rest of your life!" Starlight shot the pegasus a look, who replied in turn with a shrug. "What? I got most of that from Spitfire!"
"No time for chit-chat! Load 'em up!" Sonic snatched up a unicorn and tossed it into the first open door he could find, beckoning others to do so. Rainbow quickly followed his lead, scoping up another unicorn by the forelimbs and dropping it into another hole. Starlight, Rarity, and the royals didn't hesitate to help out as well, as they used their magic to sort unicorns into other pods.
One by one, each pod hit its maximum capacity and the speedsters had to seal them shut. But just as Sonic had closed up his fifth pod, a rumbling-like sensation suddenly vibrated through the ship, making him stumble and fall on his back. Rainbow also yelped in surprise, along with the other ponies that gasped with alarm. The pegasus looked around for any sign of danger.
"Wh-what the heck was that?!"
Sonic had already vaulted to his feet and turned his attention to his communicator. "Tails!" Amy's voice cut in. "What just happened? The whole ship just shook!"
"I felt it over here, too!" Sonic added before turning his eyes to the royals. "Don't stop! Keep going!" He turned back to the communicator. "Care for a situation report?!"
"Guys, we've just passed the point of no return!" Tails responded in a hurried tone. "I think Omega just took out the main power core! According to the ship's schematics, we've only got about five minutes before the overload spreads throughout the ship and blows it to pieces!"
"Five minutes?!" came Knuckles' panicked voice. There was denying the fear in his buddy's voice, and Sonic was feeling concerned himself. But on top of that, his body felt like it was now full of pumping adrenaline just aching to be released. He was used to being on the clock when it came to hero work; it was a feeling that pushed situations to their absolute limit. Whether it was counting up or down, it provided the exhilaration the hedgehog needed to pull something off.
He glanced at Rainbow, who seemed just as heightened as he probably was. The pegasus must've been familiar with countdowns herself… which must mean she saw it as another challenge to overcome, too. She flashed the hedgehog with a quick nod before Sonic looked back at his communicator. "A lot can happen in five minutes!" he exclaimed. "We can do this!"
"Oh, just please get everypony out in time!" begged Fluttershy on the other end. Rainbow flew up to Sonic's side. "Like he said, we got this! Catch ya later!" The hedgehog switched off his communicator just in time to see every pod door had been sealed shut. "Oh, perfect timing!" he breathed, pounding on an orange button on the wall behind him.
But for a brief second, he could've sworn he saw Rarity and Starlight flare up in alarm just before the pods rocketed away from their release mechanisms and fell to the earth below. Rainbow punched the air in triumph with a victorious shout. "YEAH! Take that, Eggface! No more pony prisoners for-"
"Um… guys?" Starlight spoke meekly. "We still have a problem…"
She and Rarity stepped aside to reveal Shining Armor and Cadence… who were doing their best to comfort several more frightened unicorns.
Sonic and Rainbow froze in shock, their hearts seizing up. All the color seemed to drain from Rainbow's eyes. "Oh, no… w-we didn't get everypony?!"
"Tails!" Sonic shouted into his communicator. "We have a situation! I've run out of pods, but I haven't run out of ponies to evacuate! Are there any more?!"
"Uh… sorry, Sonic, but no!"
"Then, we need another plan, and fast!" the hedgehog stammered. "We've only got four minutes and thirty seconds until we're all toast! Tell me you have something in mind!"
He eagerly waited for his best friend's response… but none came. His communicator remained dark, the blue glow that represented the other voice not lighting up. Sonic fought the rising dread in his heart as he tapped on the device. "Tails?! Tails, come in! Tails!"
"What happened?!" Rainbow shouted. "Did a robot get him?! Did he-?!" Sonic quickly shushed her with a finger to the mouth, giving her an impatient look before turning back to the device. He silently hoped nothing terribly wrong had happened on the fox's end.
Come on, buddy, this is the worst time for a bad connection!
Suddenly, his communicator lit up with a sapphire light. "Tails to Team Sonic! I have a plan! Bring all unicorn prisoners to the hangar! Repeat: bring all unicorns to the hangar immediately!"
Sonic exhaled in relief. "Ten-four, bud!"
"The hangar?" inquired Knuckles. "Why-"
"I'll explain once you get here!" answered the fox. "And hurry! We've got four minutes!"
"Come on, let's go!" Rainbow shouted, already flying out the door. "Go, go, go!"
"Darling, wait up!" Rarity called after her as she and the other unicorns hurried into the hall. Sonic broke into a sprint while the ship's alarms kept blaring in his ears and red lights flashed everywhere he looked. Four minutes now… he and Dash could totally do this!
…
"Princess… Blaze, was it?"
She turned to the guard who had spoken, her eyes silently telling him to proceed. "This… trust you have for your allies… to have faith in them to stand against a force of this magnitude and might… forgive me, but it seems almost unthinkable. Are you quite sure that they-?"
"My friends have faced this threat more times than I can remember," the cat answered calmly. "And each time, they have emerged triumphant. To put it simply, this is no different." She turned her head to the sky, where the floating battleships were still positioned above the city. Some of them were already rising to an altitude that would grant them safe passage away from the Crystal Empire. "Eggman may seem like a daunting foe, that much is true. But my friends have proven themselves to be constant thorns in his side. On their world, they drive him back and foil each of his treacherous schemes. Now, they do so here… and my only regret is that your people are caught in the crossfire." She turned to the calm form of Flurry Heart in her arms, who still remained innocent in the midst of catastrophe.
Before the guard could respond, a hint of movement from the lead battleship caught Blaze's eye. Several objects too far away to make out had jettisoned away from the airship and were descending towards the village with fiery trails behind them. The city's citizens noticed them as well, worry and fear clenching their hearts. Another guard approached Blaze's side, a lance at the ready. "What are those things?"
The cat narrowed her eyes on the objects… before her breath left her throat. "Deployment pods!" She quickly handed Flurry Heart to the stunned guard and broke into a sprint, other armored ponies galloping after her. Already, the first of the egg-shaped transports smashed into the ground and threw up dust. A few more crashes behind it, their impacts signaled with resonating booms and thuds.
Blaze skidded to a halt and threw up her palms, flames bursting to life within them. The guards assembled by her sides and readied their lances while a similar fire burned in Blaze's eyes. Curse you, doctor… she mentally hissed. Are you not satisfied with the harm you have already inflicted here? How much more damage must you do to this beautiful, divine world?
The pods' doors slid open; a sign for Blaze to ready herself for the robotic soldiers that would march out any second with weapons blazing. She stared at the dark interior, prepared to launch a fireball at the first sign of a lifeless eye or a shining body…
…but instead, a weakened unicorn collapsed onto the street with a gasp.
The flames in Blaze's hands instantly faded, and her rage switched to confusion. "What in-" Another thud accompanied by a groan drew her eyes to another pod, where a second unicorn was struggling to stand. Soon, dozens of unicorns were stumbling out of the pods, some of them more weakened than anypony else.
Blaze spun to the guards. "Assist them! Quickly!" They did not hesitate to comply as they hurried to the unicorns and helped them to their hooves, concerned voices ringing out. The cat could only watch as the unicorns adjusted to their new surroundings and allowed the guards to do what they could. Blaze turned her eyes to the fleet above… and now noticed that the lead one was beginning to falter. Smoke was beginning to billow from its intimidating form, and the light of its engines was starting to flicker.
She allowed herself to smile. Whatever concern the ponies felt about her friends would soon fade away, and not all would be lost this day. Sonic and the others would join them soon… she was certain of that much.
…
Four minutes and counting. There was no more time to waste. A blue and rainbow flash zoomed down the stretched corridors of the ship, followed by four levitating figures surrounded by turquoise light. A pair of automatic doors opened to allow them passage, and the streaks sped into a large assembly area that had robots running around and scrambling to find any intruders.
All it took was for one Egg Pawn to notice the blurs until the machines realized the intruders were coming for them. In unison, they turned and opened fire with a barrage of laser bolts, their discharging weapons adding to the blaring alarms. Levitating herself, Rarity, and the royals off the floor, Starlight fired a bright turquoise beam from her horn that cut through a large portion of the robots. Rarity brought up her diamond shield to protect the couple from stray shots, angling it to block lasers from other directions.
Down on the floor, Rainbow shot into the crowd and sent several robots flying into the air from just her blowback. She weaved this and that, blowing machines off their feet and causing them to crash into each other, the walls, and the metallic floor. Approaching a squad of Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters, the pegasus circled around them so fast she resembled a colorful tornado. The resulting winds grabbed several more robots from the ground, the tornado swallowing them up.
The pegasus shot away and the twister immediately faded, leaving the robots to crash into a heap. Meanwhile, Sonic zipped left and right to avoid laser bolts coming his way. He balled up and rocketed towards a wildly-spraying Egg Shooter, slamming off it with a loud bang. He chained into Egg Flappers and Spinners, downing each one to keep himself airborne. After bouncing off the head of an Egg Pawn, the hedgehog unfurled and drove his feet into an Egg Fighter, knocking it off its feet and onto its back.
The momentum propelled the robot forward, allowing Sonic to ride it like a skateboard. Sparks flew from its wake while Sonic steered it into more machines and evaded laser fire. He swiftly hopped off and left the machine to collide with two more Egg Fighters in a fiery blast that he promptly raced through.
He laid his eyes on a massive set of doors that led to another hallway. The moment he did, its lights turned red and the doors slammed shut with a beep of denial. While the sight caused the ponies to become uneasy, the hedgehog's eyes only narrowed before he brought his hand to his mouth and whistled sharply.
Rainbow was at his side in an instant, her magenta orbs silently asking what he had in mind. With a smile, Sonic grabbed ahold of her hoof and drew the pegasus close to him. The surprised pony could only retort with a grunt of surprise before Sonic hopped forward and curled up…
On the other side of the barred door, Egg Pawns held their blasters at the ready in case the Blue Blur somehow broke through. Just behind the entryway, their audio sensors could pick up the noise of a high-pitched whirring sound, prompting them to hold their metal fingers over their triggers…
BANG! A bright blue-rainbow swirl of color resembling a yin-yang formation smashed through the steel doors as if they were made of paper, plowing through any robot in its path. Any robot that was not run down was blasted apart by beams of turquoise light as Starlight and the other ponies flew after them.
The rapidly rotating orb rolled down the hallway at high speed, bowling over bots and mauling machines that reacted too late to its presence. "Who-o-o-o-o-o a-a-a-a-a!" Rainbow cried out from within, the sound of her startled yell accompanying the ball's engine-like pitch. With a loud crunch, the blue-rainbow spinning ball crashed through a crimson-painted wall, leaving a crumpled hole behind.
The ball shot out into a perpendicular hall, taking out an Egg Knight before crashing through a parallel wall… and leaving several other robots clueless as to what had just happened. Sonic and Rainbow smashed through one more wall- drawing the eyes of startled Egg Pawns- and detached from each other. The hedgehog hit the ground running and took off down the long hallway, giving the recovering pegasus barely enough time to catch up to him. Once she did, Rainbow had to catch her breath from that insane stunt Sonic had just pulled off.
"That… was… awesome!" she shouted. "How did you do that?!"
"Oh, that?" he replied as if it was no big deal. "That's just a move Tails and I invented: the Rolling Combo! Way stronger than any normal Spin Dash!"
"Can we do that again sometime?!" Rainbow called in excitement. "Y'know, when I'm actually ready for it?!" Sonic gave her a quick nod. "Sure thing! Maybe when we-"
"Sonic! It's Tails!" his communicator beeped. "Amy and Knuckles are almost here! There are just three minutes left, where are you?!"
"We're almost there, buddy! Don't worry, we'll catch up in ten se-WHOA!"
At the next approaching intersection was an entire battalion of Egg Pawns that had just barricaded the path ahead with an energy shield. One was already tapping it with its fist, the solid limb not phasing through. Their current route now blocked with no way of breaching it, Sonic and Rainbow were forced to split down separate halls. Starlight, on the other hand, just met the barrier with a determined stare.
With a flash of turquoise light, she teleported past the shield and flew everypony down, leaving the robots near the shield baffled beyond belief. Many meters away, Sonic lifted his communicator to his face. "On second thought, Tails, I'm finding my own way out! See ya outside! Sonic out!"
Balling up before the fox could respond, Sonic crashed through a metal grate and spun through a ventilation duct, causing dents in every corner he bounced off. Passing robots either looked up at the newly-formed dents or paid them no mind in their hurry to locate the escaped prisoners.
And many meters away (and increasing) from the hedgehog, Rainbow shot through an observation window with a shower of shattered glass. Stumbling from the impact and shaking glass from her mane, she soared down a massive tunnel fit for traveling shuttles. Her mind quickly improvising an alternate escape plan, the pegasus streaked through the winding tunnel, drawing the attention of every robot on the ground.
But unbeknownst to her, motion sensors detected the unbelievably high speeds of her flight path and opened up several hatches along the tunnel. From those hatches, an attack squadron of Balkiries soared out into the tunnel with screaming engines. With thrusters operating at full power, they locked onto an organic life signature and boosted after Rainbow Dash. The sound of their engines made Rainbow's ear twitch and she looked over her shoulder.
Her magenta eyes widened at the bird-like robots and she gasped in alarm. But instead of being flooded with dread and worry at the sight of flying, weaponized robots that could blast her out of the air… Rainbow just smiled. "Come on, you chickens! Catch me if ya can!" She boosted her speed and rocketed down the tunnel with the flying robots hot on her tail, even as heat-seeking missiles were primed and ready to launch.
…
Starlight wasn't too worried about Sonic or Rainbow right now, wherever those two were forced to go because of that shield. She knew they'd be just fine; Rarity's trust in the pegasus made that too clear. And given Sonic's familiarity with Eggman's ships, she knew the hedgehog would be a great navigator.
But there was a downside to that; one she realized as she touched down onto the floor and released her hold on everypony. Without Sonic to guide them, the ponies would become hopelessly lost. The good news was that the hangar wasn't too far away now, as Starlight noticed a sign that indicated it was just past the next door… which wasn't for another mile.
"I do hope those two manage to find their own way out if they can't meet up with every creature else in time!" Rarity spoke loudly as the unicorns and alicorn princess galloped down the hall, the alarms threatening to drown out her voice. "The suspense is already getting to me!"
"Just hang on, Rarity!" Starlight said. "We're almost-" Shining Armor suddenly cut off her words with a gasp. "Watch out! Up ahead!" Starlight looked down the passage to see a squad of Egg Pawns with lances and shields charging at them. Skidding to a stop, the unicorn stood in a protective stance and flashed her horn, Rarity following her lead.
"You are not shoving me in a small, cramped container such as that ever aga-!"
The fashionista was rudely interrupted by a mighty roar and a storm of rapid discharges, prompting her to squeal in alarm and cover her head with her forehooves. Starlight threw up a magical shield to defend herself just as sharp flashes zipped through her field of sight, tearing apart each of the robots with ease. More were coming in armed with blasters, and it didn't take long for the barrage to focus on them.
A large metal figure burst into view and grabbed an Egg Pawn with a strong arm, its other one flashing with gunfire. The snagged robot was crunched into a heap of metal as the arm closed its fist around it, tossing it into a fellow machine. Moving its massive body around while continuing to spray bullets, the huge robot scattered holes in the walls before gunning down two more robots.
"All Eggman robots MUST be eliminated! No retreat! No surrender! No mercy!"
"Uh…" Starlight slowly lowered her shield in complete disbelief. "Is… everypony else seeing this?" Rarity and the royals only responded with silent nods as the robot fired both guns into a downed Egg Pawn, who appeared to be begging for mercy before it was shredded into a complete mess. An Egg Fighter with a sword struck the red and black robot from behind, prompting it to swing around, disarm it with a single sweep of its arm, then unload a barrage of bullets into its head.
Rarity cringed and briefly turned her eyes away just as the robot ripped apart another Egg Fighter. "Ugh… such a horrid, grotesque scene… if those weren't machines, that is…" Over the thundering hails of bullets that nearly eclipsed the monotoned threats of graphic destruction, green fireballs detonated against several Egg Pawns and blew some of them to bits. One struck an Egg Fighter in the shoulder, distracting it long enough for the larger robot to pound it in the torso, knock it to the ground, and unload an entire salvo of rounds in its back.
A small purple dragon flew onto the scene, spitting another fireball into an Egg Pawn's face before spinning to face the ponies. His face then lit up in sheer happiness and relief before he flew over to the group. "Rarity!"
"Spikey-wikey!" The white unicorn wrapped the little dragon in a hug and placed a loving kiss on his cheek. "Oh, where in Equestria have you been?!"
"Me? Where've you been?!" he replied astoundedly. "Are you hurt? Any of you?"
"We're quite alright," Shining Armor answered with a subtle nod. Starlight stepped forward, a concerned and unsure look on her face. "And, uh… do we have time to thank that… good robot for saving us?" Everypony turned to look just in time to see said machine pounding on robots with an Egg Pawn as a bludgeon and shooting up others in a frenzy with its other arm.
"EXTERMINATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"
"Um," Spike scratched his head with a small chuckle. "He doesn't really do thanks." He released himself from Rarity's grip and flew towards the machine, which had just reduced the final robot to nothing but nuts and bolts. "Hey, Omega! How about less shooting and more escaping?"
"Affirmative. MTC update: two minutes until power overload."
The ponies broke into a run towards the door to the hangar bay. Just as Starlight expected, it was sealed shut. She was already beginning to concentrate her magic; maybe she could pry them open or something.
"Observation: current path obstructed. Applying solution."
A swarm of missiles streaked over the unicorn's head and exploded against the doors in an orange cloud, blowing large dents in them and knocking one onto the floor. Starlight paused for a moment, blinking at the scene in disbelief.
"Proceed, tiny lifeforms."
Okay, that worked, too.
Everyone sprinted through the smoking doors as quickly as they could, pouring out into the hangar. The place was already swarming with robots, who were firing off laser bolts everywhere. Omega immediately charged into the fray, spraying bullets in every direction. Everyone else stayed where they were, eyes darting about the scene. Rarity suddenly perked up. "Look over there!"
Starlight, Spike, and the royals followed her gaze past some inactive fighter ships to a row of large transport shuttles. Near the opposite end of the hangar, was a group of familiar-looking ponies and animals, fending off robots as best they could. "Our friends!" Starlight called, breaking into a run. "Come on!"
Spike flew after Starlight with Rarity and the royals close behind him. The unicorns blasted magic beams at any robot who noticed them, their light drawing the attention of everyone else. Pinkie Pie beamed with excitement. "Starlight! Rarity!"
"Glad you could join us, ladies!" Applejack called out, kicking an Egg Pawn away. "And just in the nick of time, too!"
Before Starlight could respond, another voice drew her attention. "Hey there, Rare." The unicorn turned to her left, where a bat-like creature stood near a shuttle with crossed arms and a coy smirk. "You again?"
"Small world, isn't it?" Rouge said as Shadow and Omega approached her. The bat turned to her teammates. "We're good to go here. Any longer, and we'll have more robots closing in."
"So, uh, Tails?" asked Amy, turning to the liberated unicorns and animals behind the heroes. "How exactly are we going to get all of them out of here?"
"Easy!" Tails answered, pointing to one of the shuttles behind him. "In that!"
Everybody seemed flabbergasted at the fox's suggestion. "Operating one of those hulking machines?" Rarity questioned. "You can do that?"
"Here's a better question!" Knuckles interrupted. "Can you do that? I mean, flying the Tornado is one thing, but this is an Eggman ship!"
"Trust me, Knuckles, I can handle it!" the fox shouted back. "Amy! Silver! Get everyone on board!" The pink hedgehog nodded and turned to the unicorns, pointing to the shuttle's lowered ramp near two bright headlights. "Everybody in! And hurry, there's not much time!"
Shadow crossed his arms at the unicorns as the other two hedgehogs ushered everypony aboard. "They pulled it off… the least we can do is repay the favor," He locked eyes with Rouge, the bat standing at attention. "A single shuttle can only hold so much. Start loading prisoners."
"Will do," she replied before turning to the crowd. "Hey, herd! Got another stable for ya right here!"
"Make haste if you desire not to be vaporized!" added Omega, already trudging on the ramp while Shadow climbed to the top of the shuttle. At the sight of the ponies and animals hurrying onto the shuttles, Fluttershy did a quick look at every creature gathered before them… and her heart sank. "Wait… where's Twilight?"
Silver gasped in horror. "Oh no! Now what?!"
Knuckles slapped his forehead anxiously. "We're running out of time! There's no way any of us can go back for her and come-" Before he could finish, one of the doors that were still closed began to light up with sparks. Everyone turned to the doors, watching as a bright circle was traced around its surface. Bracing for an attack, Knuckles and Amy stood in protective stances…
The cut portion of the door fell with a loud thud, allowing an orange unicorn with a glowing horn to trot past and into the hangar. The other ponies recognized her immediately: Sunset Shimmer was coming their way, a blank expression on her face. As she approached, everypony could see a figure levitating close to her, surrounded by an opal aura. Upon closer inspection, all of their bodies went still…
Sunset moved up to her friends and levitated the silent form of Twilight Sparkle before them. Releasing her hold on the princess, Sunset turned to the other ponies, who looked just as horrified as she was when she first laid eyes on the princess' weakened state. Pinkie was frozen in shock, Applejack was slowly taking off her hat, Fluttershy was fighting back tears, and Rarity was slightly shaking her head in denial. Starlight and Spike were just as silent, while Shining Armor and Cadence looked on in disbelief.
"Twilight…" Applejack was the first to respond, her voice a quiet whisper. "No…"
"It's okay," Sunset whispered back as Amy scooped up the alicorn's body. "She's alive… barely…"
"Wha… what in Equestria happened to her?" murmured Spike, acting as if he had seen a ghost. Rarity swallowed, unable to take her eyes off the princess. "The same thing that… that almost happened to us," she answered, sharing a glance with Starlight. Seeing the confused faces of the other ponies, Starlight stepped forth to elaborate.
"Eggman was draining the unicorns of their magic," she explained. "He left them very weak… Twilight had a lot of magic in her… I don't know when she'll wake up…"
"My dear princess…" sighed Star Swirl as he examined Twilight's body with sadness in his eyes. "What has that madman done?" Starlight turned to the old mage. "C-can you fix this? You can fix this, right? A healing spell or something?"
Star Swirl nodded. "It will take great effort, but-"
BOOOOM! The ship shuddered again, the sound followed by metal pieces falling from the ceiling and fires growing in size. As everyone cried out and steadied themselves, Knuckles glanced at the group. "Less worrying about your friend, more GETTING THE HECK OUTTA HERE!"
Everyone dashed towards the ramp and made their way inside the shuttle, moving past the unicorns and animals as they did so. Heading towards the cockpit as fast as he could, Tails raised his communicator. "Sonic! One minute left! Where are you?!"
"Don't worry about me, Tails! Just go! I'll be right behind you!"
The fox ascended into the shuttle until he reached the cockpit, landing in the pilot's seat with Amy in the copilot's chair before strapping themselves in. "You better be!" He switched off the communicator and turned his eyes to the controls, his hands hovering over them. "Okay, let's see… ignition, ignition…"
"You do know how to fly this thing, right?!" Knuckles shouted.
"Yes! Now let me focus! Um… ah, here it is!" Tails flicked a switch and gripped the primary controls, feeling the shuttle's engines roar to life. With a delighted laugh, he set to work. "Close ramp… retract landing gear… increase engine power…"
The ponies huddled around Twilight while Spike and Silver steadied themselves. Bracing himself against the wall, Knuckles peered out the windshield to see Team Dark's shuttle already taking off out of the open hangar doors. Shadow stood atop the ship as if he was a head ornament, keeping himself stable. Just as the shuttle departed, something hard and metallic thumped against the roof, startling everyone.
Tails flicked several more switches and located the right buttons he needed to push. "Activating thrusters… powering shields…" He leaned over the seat. "Everyone good back there?!"
"Yep!" answered Silver. Tails turned back to the controls, clenching them tight and taking a deep breath. "Alright… here we go… you got this, Miles…" He checked and double-checked the shuttle's technical readouts, made sure all passengers were accounted for and scanned for anything that was in the red. All seemed normal, and he tested out the steering controls. Engines: check. Shields: check. Hull integrity at 100%. All systems go. Pre-flight checks complete.
"And LAUNCH!" He shoved the throttle forward and the ship shook with a sudden movement, its thrusters operating at full power. The shuttle roared through the doors just as destructive flames consumed the hangar, the flames licking at the shuttle's rear. The ship flew out into the open air, the hangar going up in a fiery explosion behind it.
"WOOHOO!" Tails punched the air while Amy held up both arms. The ponies shared a smile, Rarity wiping her brow with a hoof. Knuckles laughed in relief, giving the fox a high-five. "Nice going, Tails!"
"Yeah…" breathed the fox before his eyes turned to the sky… which was littered with battleships. "But we're not in the clear yet!"
…
In the depths of the battleship, alarms echoed through the bowels as a blue streak raced along pathways that were surrounded by the belly of the steel beast. The blue comet tore through squads of Egg Fighters and rocketed across the path, sidestepping to avoid laser gates and incoming attack runs from flying machines. Never missing a stride, Sonic charged through the inner workings of the ship and looped around a central turbine before bouncing off a spring.
He touched down on a wall and blasted across it, leaving blue light in the wake of his boost. Launching off another spring, the hedgehog landed on a twisted rail and ground along with it, hopping between adjacent rails whenever a gap or a conveniently-placed mine appeared ahead of him. A squadron of Spinners and Eggrobos- basically humanoid robots with jetpacks and blasters, moved into position to intercept the hedgehog at the end of the rail. Sonic just launched himself skyward and barraged the bots with a series of Homing Attacks, using them to cross the seemingly-bottomless drop and hit the ground running.
Not too far after that was a massive assembly line for ballistics such as bombs ready to be dropped onto unsuspecting targets below the ship. Sonic's mind briefly ran through a scenario in which the Crystal Empire would come under assault by them… but shook the thought out. This was the time for action, not thinking!
Right on cue, a trio of flying robots armed with laser weaponry flew above the hedgehog and turned to face him. Aero-Chasers, Sonic recognized. Energy beams shot out from their arms, prompting Sonic to Quick-Step away from them before they could hit. Alternating his gaze between the flying robots and potential ones on the ground, the hedgehog never skipped a beat as he ran past generators and incomplete weapons.
One of the Aero-Chasers launched a volley of missiles at Sonic, which he simply jumped over before they blew behind him. Picking up the pace, Sonic kept his eyes peeled for any robots on the ground…
A colored blur shot past the Aero-Chasers so quickly Sonic could've sworn he was imagining it. A split second later, a Balkiry flew out of nowhere and collided with one of them, destroying both robots in one fell swoop. Sonic turned to where the blur had vanished, but he had no time for congratulations. Moving towards a roaming Egg Fighter, he rammed into it hard enough not to destroy it, but to send it flying towards another Aero-Chaser and stagger it. Continuing to dodge the laser streams and avoid other obstacles, Sonic barged through several more Egg Fighters and knocked them into the Aero-Chasers. After several hits, the flying pursuers were downed in burning wrecks, leaving the hedgehog to continue his current path.
Up ahead, moving laser streams beamed down from the ceiling, threatening to burn anything that touched them to a crisp. Sonic weaved around them and knocked an Egg Pawn into one of them, blasting the robot to pieces. An Egg Hammer swung at him, but Sonic just slid under its legs and sprinted towards a squad of Egg Shooters that was training its weapons on him.
Spinning up into a blue ball, Sonic bashed and smashed into the machines as they opened fire, energy shots flying everywhere. One by one, the hedgehog tore holes in the robots and caused others to be hit by friendly fire. After ricocheting off the last robot, he was off again before it fell on its face.
As the Blue Blur drifted down a tight right turn, his communicator buzzed with an incoming message. "Sonic!" Tails' quickened voice rang out. "One minute left! Where are you?!"
One minute? Now, things were getting interesting!
"Don't worry about me, Tails!" Sonic replied as he blasted through a squad of Egg Pawns and left bits of them in his wake. "Just go! I'll be right behind you!"
"You better be!"
It was either him, or the alarms were getting louder and more urgent. The hedgehog could feel the ship shaking around him while the inner workings were beginning to collapse. The entire craft groaned as if it was a colossus crying out in pain, the sound urging Sonic to find a way out… and fast.
The hedgehog blasted through the ship, noticing parts of the floor were beginning to fall away. For those too large for him to steer away from or jump over, he ran across the steel-plated walls or used the side barriers as makeshift grind rails. Using Dash Panels to change his trajectory without losing speed, Sonic set his sights on a possible exit point…
…and that exit point appeared to him as a circular vent. Aiming directly for it, Sonic smashed down the cover and spun through the ventilation system, bouncing off corners and launching up vertical paths. Five seconds later, he crashed out the other side into another hallway, the cover crushing an Egg Pawn that stopped as it noticed the hedgehog. Spotting daylight at one end of the hallway, Sonic shot down that direction just before explosions began to rock the corridor.
It took a full ten seconds after sprinting down the hall at full speed, dodging runaway robots and falling debris while doing so, before the shape of the hallway began to change before Sonic's eyes. Before long, the hedgehog found himself face-to-face with the exterior of the battleship in broad daylight. The sight reminded him of the time he was going the opposite direction; storming a ship just like it moments before Eggman cracked the planet open like… well, like an egg.
Speaking of that time, the ship's artillery cannons were swiveling towards Sonic just like they were that day. Typical; even in the face of its own destruction, Eggman's machines were still driven to destroy Sonic by any means necessary. It was almost as if they thought that if they were going down, he'd go down with them.
Well… Sonic hated to disappoint them.
Taking off across the deck as the hallway behind him erupted into flame, Sonic's ears were flooded with the thundering booms of cannon fire. The guns' barrel flashed with fire and smoke before parts of the deck were blown to smithereens. The hedgehog sidestepped the blasts and jumped over larger ones, using his momentum to propel himself towards one of the guns that was raising its barrel to meet him.
Launching himself like a cannonball, Sonic shot down that gun barrel and vanished inside. A second later, the gun burst into flame and blew itself to pieces, leaving an unscathed Sonic to charge out of there. The rest of the guns continued to track and fire upon him, adding to the ship's already-critical damage.
It wouldn't be long now. The hedgehog was already running the countdown in his mind and as he sprinted away from the destruction that was consuming the alarms were getting fainter, the explosions and rumbling slowly replacing them.
Ten… nine… eight…
He passed under crimson archways that were already crumbling to bits, evading the debris that threatened to crush him like a bug. Robots were doing their best to escape the devastation, paying no mind to the hedgehog in their midst. Sonic zoomed past them as if they were opposing racers, leaving them in his dust before sticking his tongue out at them.
Seven… six… five…
The end of the ship was in sight, literally. Charging towards the ship's nose as fast as he could, Sonic's momentum became under threat as the deck erupted around him in fiery blasts. Doing his best to steer clear of them, the hedgehog jumped off the primary deck and touched down on the ship's nose, sliding towards the open sky.
Four… three…
He weaved his body around the collapsing metal surface, keeping his body low to maintain speed. He could hear the engines completely powering down from here; this ship was already as good as gone.
Two… one…
Like a high-diver leaping off a board, Sonic jumped off the nose in an agile pose. For a moment, he seemed to float in midair as if gravity didn't exist…
Zero.
The battleship was consumed by raging fire with one final sky-shattering blast, reducing the airship to nothing but smoldering metal. With a low groan, the ship started to sink from the sky as smoke billowed around it. Sonic tucked in his limbs and began a steady free-falling descent, whooping with delight as he fell with the crumbling-apart battleship.
"WOOOOHOOHOOHOOOOOO!" The wind roared past Sonic as he reached terminal velocity in no time. Normally, his mind would be racing for a "next step", unless he wanted to be a blue pancake on the solid ground that was hundreds of miles away and closing. Thankfully, that part was already covered. Looking out at the fleet, Sonic noticed two shuttles flying away from the now-destroyed central battleship, their path taking them right towards the other ships in the fleet.
One of those shuttles had to be the one Rouge mentioned; the one she and Omega used to get on board. Shadow was standing there to prove it. But the other one? That had to be Tails and the others. Sonic made a mental note: congratulate Tails on figuring out how to fly an Eggman ship.
A squadron of fighter ships was leaving another ship, probably to intercept them. Flipping in midair, Sonic landed atop one of them and braced himself for the high-altitude action to follow…
…
Rainbow Dash was starting to see why Sonic saw each of his robot-related fights something to be entertained about. And she loved it! It was like an ordinary race; one where competitors were focused on eliminating the leader, but still! The pegasus had no idea why she was enjoying the fact that her rivals were equipped with laser guns and missiles… but hey, that was all part of the good fun!
"Come on, you bolt-beaked bozos! I've seen most pegasi fly faster!"
Rainbow streaked through the interior of the ship as fast as a rocket, the Balkiries still hot on her tail. One of them had just crashed with another flying robot not too far back, but the rest were gaining on her. The lead one sprayed out crimson bolts of energy, which sparked against any metallic surface it touched. One streaked right past Rainbow's face, but instead of responding with a frightened gasp, the pegasus just blew a raspberry at the robot before zipping ahead. She veered away from the laser barrage, which followed her movements as she rolled and zigzagged about. Eventually, the laser cannons overheated just as Rainbow made a sharp left turn, which the Balkiries performed just as well.
Another Balkiry flew in to take the current leader's place as it pulled back, blasting at the pegasus with its own weapons. Rainbow darted through a narrow passageway, with three of the flying machines pursuing her through. Braking just in time, the rest of the squadron calculated all possible exit points and flew off in separate directions. Inside the tight space, there was little maneuvering room as all kinds of mechanical gizmos and working Rainbow would never bother to comprehend zipped by. She slightly steered her body from side to side, avoiding the lasers that were now coming at her in careful, controlled bursts. The lead Balkiry's engines screamed as it kept up with her, while the other two fell into formation from behind.
One of the Balkiries' wings suddenly struck an edge, sending it careening out of control and colliding with its wingman… or wingbot, in this case. Both robots crashed in a cloud of fire, leaving only the one Balkiry that was continuing to fire at Rainbow. But even in such limited space, the pegasus carefully weaved away from the laser streams.
Switching weapons, the Balkiry fired a pair of missiles that streaked towards the fast-flapping pegasus faster than an angry dragon. Rainbow glanced behind her for a brief second before turning her gaze back to the front, keeping her ears open for their whistling. The moment she felt one of the two missiles draw close, the pegasus sharply ascended so that the top of her mane barely brushed the ceiling, causing the missile to shoot right past her and detonate against the wall as it tried to readjust its angle.
Rainbow swooped low enough for her hooves to skim the floor just as the second missile screamed over her head and exploded against a pipeline in a fiery blast. The end of the shaft was coming in hot, with another Balkiry taking position to intercept the pegasus. Undeterred, Rainbow Dash carefully tucked in her wings and rolled over the flying machine- giving it a sly wink as she did so- and rocketed away. Before the Balkiry could respond, the one that was already giving chase was moving too fast and crashed into its fellow robot, smashing them both apart in a cloud of orange and red.
"Whoo!" Rainbow cheered as the rest of the squadron closed in on her. "Who's next?! Who else wants-" Before she could finish, the space around her started to shake, fall apart, and erupt into flames. "Wuh-oh! Time to go!" The pegasus turned and zoomed down another shaft, this one marked as a missile launch tube. No such munition was currently loaded, leaving it open for travel. The Balkiries streaked after the pegasus, flying into the tube one by one and chasing down their target like the birds of prey they resembled.
Ten seconds into the tube, the space began to heat up. Rainbow felt an intense warmth surging around her, and a look behind her gave her all she needed- or rather, didn't need- to know. A huge blast wave of fire was roaring down the tube and engulfing everything in its path while the ship moaned and creaked. It was going down, and it was going down hard. Even the Balkiries, who remained either oblivious to the danger or dedicated to destroying their target, couldn't escape the blaze that engulfed them.
Pushing herself into high gear, Rainbow brought herself to her limit to escape the rushing wave of heat that was gaining on her tail. Her heart pounded in her ears, everything raced by in a blur, and the heat clung to her coat.
"Come on… come on…!"
The end of the tube was in view, but it wasn't coming fast enough. The light beckoned the pegasus; a light threatened to be eclipsed by the raging fire behind her. Rainbow was forced to push away doubts that she wouldn't make it… she was getting closer by the second, she could beat this!
"WOOOOOOOOOO!" The pegasus shot out of the tube and into the open sky just as it exploded behind her. The entire ship buckled and started to sink, explosions going off all across it. Cheering with delight, Rainbow did a celebratory spin and banked hard to the right, flying alongside the doomed ship. "Good riddance, Eggface!" Reaching the front of the ship, she turned away from it and flew out towards the open sky…
…and towards the fleet of airships it was filled with.
"Okay, that is a problem," she whispered. "Okay, Dash, think. What would Daring Do do? She could-" From one of the ships up ahead, a squadron of fighter ships was flying out of its hangar in tight formation. Once Rainbow got a good look at them, she noticed they were coming right for her. "Alright, we're just gonna wing it! Fine by me!" She took off away from the fighters, which zoomed after her as she looped through the air.
They opened fire with laser cannons, their bolts zipping across the sky. Rainbow instinctively rolled and zigzagged away, her mind racing for a plan to get rid of them. The pegasus flew towards one of the battleships, hoping she could use it as cover or to shake off her pursuers. She drew close to the massive airship… to see several anti-air turrets rotating toward her position.
Rainbow gulped. "Uh oh again!"
The turrets burst into a storm of gunfire, and Rainbow responded by diving down to the ship. The fighters behind her gave chase, and it wasn't long before several of them were hit by the bullets and blew apart in orange light and smoke. Unbeknownst to Rainbow, something round and blue leapt from fighter to fighter as the squadron descended.
The pegasus streaked along the surface of the ship, the anti-air guns moving to track her position and continuing to fire. Using her small size to her advantage, Rainbow carefully weaved away from the slow-moving barrels as they adjusted to target her, with larger cannons now firing off huge blasts in her direction. A burning fighter tumbled its way past her, smashing into one of the turrets and reducing it to scrap metal. The pegasus pulled up to avoid another anti-air turret, which proceeded to fire upon a cannon and render it inoperable. "Ha! That's what you get for being slow!"
Something whizzed past her in a sapphire flash, followed by a smoking fighter that crashed right onto the main deck and crushed dozens of robots beneath it. The blue streak shot directly into a cannon barrel and caused the whole thing to backfire, exploding outward in a cloud of fire. The perpetrator unfurled and hit the deck running, taking off in a streak of blue light.
"Hey, look who decided to show up!" Rainbow exclaimed, flying close to the hedgehog as they evaded cannon fire that tore up the deck behind them. "Almost thought you were toast on the big ship!"
Sonic shook his head. "No, you didn't! Even you know better than that!"
"Ha! You got me there!" Rainbow broke away for a sec, flying a full circle around another turret. It fired wildly as it tried keeping the pegasus in its sight, taking out everything but its intended target. After looping around, Rainbow soared back to Sonic's side after the hedgehog bashed some flying robots out of the air. "So, where's our friends?!"
"They stole some shuttles!" Sonic explained. "With this much heat, I think they could use a hand! You up for a little aerial escort, Dash?"
"You know it! Lead the way!"
A Balkiry swooped in to intercept the speedsters, prompting Sonic to leap up and grab ahold of it. The bird robot spiraled into the sky with screaming engines, taking the hedgehog with it. Wrestling for control, Sonic steered the Balkiry away from the smoking battleship with Rainbow right behind him.
The sky was full of incoming fire and flying machines of all kinds. Fighter squadrons were soaring away from battleships that were bringing their weapons online, and most of the lasers, ballistics, and other expended ammo were trained directly on a pair of shuttles making their way through the fleet. On one, the duo could spot a familiar-looking black hedgehog ricocheting off another squadron of Balkiries.
With no time to lose, they flew towards the shuttles as the sky lit up with explosions…
