Twilight Sparkle and her friends have had their fair share of enemies, from vengeful centaurs and disgraced ponies to deceitful changelings and a kingdom-conquering warlord. And when they first heard of Dr. Eggman and experienced his forces for the first time, they knew they were outmatched. It was only thanks to Sonic and his friends that they were still here. According to the hedgehog, the mad doctor wanted to take over the world with an empire of metal and steel that threatened to eradicate all life. At first, Twilight thought defeating him would be no different than vanquishing all her other foes.

But the moment she and the heroes followed the Egg Flapper into an industrial wasteland on the other world, she realized she was wrong. The air around the ponies was polluted with a horrible stench, clouds of smoke blanketed the otherwise-tranquil sky, and there was nothing alive for miles. No trees, no animals, no plants… just barren lands and air that smelled like death incarnate.

"What kind of… ack… lunatic would locate himself… hurk… in a dreadful place such as this?!" Rarity gagged as she spoke. Applejack had her hat to her face while Pinkie Pie coughed out smog and raised a hoof to her nose. Twilight was projecting an invisible magic barrier to keep the polluted air out, but some of the filthy gas managed to leak through it now and then, causing the alicorn to lose focus and drop her spell.

"And how can you guys stand it?!" Rainbow shouted, beating her wings with enough force to drive the foul-smelling air away from her. Sonic just waved an arm in the air before giving his response. "Hey, when you've been fighting smoke-producing machines and flower-stomping robots for as long as I have, you get used to it." His words were followed by an abrupt cough before the hedgehog kept waving at the air. "But that doesn't mean I'm, you know, used to it."

"How can you ever be?" whispered an almost-inaudible voice. Picking it up nonetheless, Sonic turned to see a disheartened Fluttershy who was staring at the desolate scene around them. "Your world… your beautiful lush world full of life is being attacked by… by one creature. A creature who kidnaps animals and tortures them for his personal gain, fills clear blue skies with dark grey clouds, and…" She paused as she neared a saddening sight: a single dead flower that was the only hint of life in the wasteland. A life that was snuffed out. "If it weren't for you and your friends… your home would be gone already," Fluttershy whimpered. "Nopony… no creature should ever have to live like this."

"Yeah, I'm no fan of Eggman's work," Sonic agreed. "I have fun fighting the dude and everything, but even I know his gig is messed up." Amy nodded at her friend. "And Eggman tends to be extreme in his methods. He built a machine that could drain the life out of everything here."

Fluttershy gulped. "D-did he do it?"

"No," Tails replied, prompting the pegasus to sigh in relief before the fox regretfully continued. "But the Deadly Six did. Thanks to them, this world was nearly cold and empty until Sonic and I restored it. And even though it wasn't Eggman's intention to do it, it doesn't excuse the fact that he built it."

"I mean no offense in saying this…" Twilight groaned. "But I'm glad we don't have anypony like that in Equestria. The sooner we find where he's hiding, the better."

"Speaking of, we've been following that thing for hours!" Rainbow whined, pointing her hoof at the hovering Egg Flapper flying meters ahead of them. "Or… maybe it feels like hours? Whatever, how do we know what we're supposed to look out for?" Pinkie Pie hopped up to the pegasus with a peppy glint in her eye. "Hm, maybe a big techno-building with a tall tower that has a symbol of Eggman's face on it?"

The cyan flier blinked at the pink pony perplexedly. "And how do you know if it's a step in the right direction?"

"Because it's right in front of us."

True to the earth pony's out-of-the-blue claim, everyone looked directly ahead to see an ominous industrial complex overlooking the barren plains. Tall pillars exhaled gray clouds of smoke into the air and floodlights washed over the mechanical exterior in a set pattern. At the center of the stronghold was a massive spire with an antenna on the top and an image of a circular mustached face with a creepy-looking smile. While most of the ponies gulped at the structure's intimidating size, Sonic just had his arms crossed while looking up at the tower.

"Y'know, if there's one thing I like best about Eggman, it's his subtlety. The dude loves putting his face on stuff like he owns it."

"Okay, sooo…" Rainbow had to pause and clear her throat to recompose herself. "What's your plan for getting in?"

"What else? We charge in at full speed and break through before whatever robots are in there realize what's happening!" Sonic drew his arms back only to be cut off by a nervous Twilight. "Wait! That doesn't sound like the smartest move!"

"Why not?" asked the hedgehog, not coming out of his stance. "It's worked well for me so far."

"I concur, Twilight," Rarity added. "Shouldn't we scope out the area first? Perhaps see what manner of defensive installations the madman has and plan out from there?"

"Now that you mention it…" Tails spoke up, his eyes trained on the facility's walls. "I'm not seeing any kind of weapons on the walls. No machine gun turrets, no missile launchers, no high-powered laser systems… not even Badnik deployment hatches. This looks too easy…"

"Which must mean the real surprise is inside!" Sonic finished, shooting for the base at high speed. "Race you guys there!" He was a mile away before anyone could stop him, speeding towards the facility's exterior.

Inside the base, a radar system flashed with a blue dot on its scanner; a dot that was slowly closing the distance. Watching the tracker that he had poured hours into building, Eggman allowed a horrible smile to crease his face. Given his adversary's incredible speed, keeping track of his current position would undoubtedly be a key figure in destroying him. Although the actual weapon that would stop him in his tracks was a concept thought of long ago, Eggman lacked the means to provide it with enough power until now. The ponies' magic was the perfect ingredient.

"That's it, you furry blue pest…" Eggman snickered, a gloved finger hovering over a button on the control panel in front of him. "Just a little… bit… further!" The radar beeped with the words "TARGET IN RANGE" flashing across its surface, prompting Eggman to press down on the button. Beside him, the large cannon began to emit a low hum while colored energy spread throughout its systems. The stolen magic journeyed through the primary firing mechanism, streaked towards the main barrel… and fired from the shaft with a loud thunder-like blast. The bright beam rocketed from the open hatch and arced through the air, zeroing in on its oblivious target.

Sonic charged across the dead lands, racing for the facility that was begging for him to blow it to pieces. Somewhere in there were Celestia and Luna, experiencing a horror they would have never thought possible. But they wouldn't have to say like that for long now that all their friends were-

Suddenly, there was a great flash of light that cracked through the sky like lightning… followed by a devastating explosion right in front of Sonic's face! "AUGH!" The hedgehog screamed as he flew through the air and landed hard on his back. Dust and dirt arose from the blast before the cloud settled, leaving Sonic to sit up and knock some specks of soil from his head. "Ugh… what the heck was that?"

He could vaguely hear the others discussing what was likely the same question. And if any of them were wondering if he was alright, Sonic was ready to respond that he had taken worse hits than… than whatever that was. He leaped back to his feet and stared the base down, blasting off in a blue flash. The world rushed by him while the base grew closer and closer.

BRAKOOM! The light came again and the blast soon followed, blowing Sonic off his feet and making the hedgehog face plant into the dirt. Pulling his head out and spitting out the soil, Sonic shot an agitated look at the base. "What in Chaos' name is going on here?!"

"I think it's that cannon we saw on the hard drive!" Amy realized, her eyes directed to a section of the base where a small dome had a piece of its roof missing. "Eggman must have used the stolen magic to not only power it, but make it fast and powerful enough to stop you from your usual approach!"

"So, do we need a backup plan or something?" Knuckles suggested. Before anyone could respond, Sonic rose back to his feet with a stern expression. "So, you wanna block me off, Eggman? Let's see you block THIS!" The Blue Blur took off for the base a third time, this time watching the sky for any sign of danger. Sure enough, it came when a streak of colored light shot out from the base and arced directly for where Sonic was going to be.

At the last second, Sonic did a hard ninety-degree turn and raced away from the blast zone, advancing towards the base from a different angle. It came to him that Eggman probably anticipated such a maneuver, as another beam came for him seconds later. The hedgehog managed to dart away from that laser as well, the explosion kicking up dust behind him. Soon, it turned into an all-out barrage as lasers blasted apart the ground left and right, sending the hedgehog into a frantic zigzag motion. A few of the lasers redirected his path as a blue streak zoomed away from dust clouds. Another laser blasted from the cannon and arced at near-lightspeed, striking the ground directly ahead of Sonic just as he was recovering from the previous blast. With that, the hedgehog was blown back and tumbled to a stop near the others.

"Okay…" he moaned as parts of his fur singed with soot. "I think I only prefer lasers that don't hit me…" Twilight approached the hedgehog with a worried look in her eye, working her magic to mend Sonic's injuries. Tails, meanwhile, was worried about something else. "What are we supposed to do now?" he moaned. "Can we even go near the base without getting blasted?"

"From the ground, maybe!" Rainbow piped up, her wings spread out. "Let's see him handle an attack from above!" The pegasus launched into the sky at incredible speed, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. Ascending until she was high above the facility, Rainbow shot down at a forty-five degree and dove-bombed towards the base at subsonic speed. She was seconds from closing in when the cannon's main barrel shifted in her direction and its inner working began to glow…

"Oh, horse apples-!" Rainbow gasped, rolling to the side just in time to evade the colored beam that shot past. The massive weapon didn't let up after that shot, as it fired off multiple lasers that threatened to shoot the swift pegasus down. Rainbow darted every which way to avoid the assault until one beam came right at her. While Rainbow managed to fly away from the beam, the magic energies within it allowed the beam to curve just as quickly and strike the pegasus dead-on.

"AH!" Rainbow screamed before she hit the ground hard, the impact knocking a few feathers loose. Her hooved friends gathered around her in a panic, barraging her with worried words and tender phrases of comfort. For Sonic and his friends, though, it was an answer to a question of their own. "Well, great. We can't go forward and we can't go over! What now?"

Tails looked deep in thought. "It seems like those beams tend to land ahead of your current position, almost like Eggman is tracking your high-speed movements!" The fox deduced. "With that, he knows where you're going to be before you're there!"

"And trying to shake him off is just giving him more places I'm gonna be at," Sonic realized. "But what else can we do? I can't just walk up to the place! Every second we take is another second the two princesses suffer in there!"

Amy turned her attention to Twilight, who was wrapping up a healing spell on a battered Rainbow Dash. "For the last time, you guys, I'm fine!" The pegasus whined. "I appreciate the attention, but I'm fine now!"

"Twilight," Amy asked. "I'm almost afraid to ask this, but can you teleport us in there?" The alicorn just regretfully shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't. It doesn't work that way." This left the pink hedgehog perplexed. "Doesn't work that way? What do you mean?"

"If I need to teleport somewhere, I need to be familiar with a location," Twilight explained. "Preferably, I need to see it in person or travel there by some other means… and I have no idea what the inside of that place looks like." Knuckles groaned in dismay. "Perfect! We can't go straight-on at top speed, we can't drop in from above, and we can't just warp our way inside. It'd take too long to walk, and I bet it'd take even longer if we went underground! Gah, if there's one thing I hate, it's something I can't resolve by punching it!"

"Yeah, all our best options are out," Sonic agreed. "We're gonna need to… to…" His voice trailed off and his eyes went wide in remembrance. "That's it! Knuckles, you're a genius!"

The echidna blinked in confusion. "I am?"

Amy's mouth dropped in shock. "He is?"

Tails just shot his friend a look. "As an actual genius, I'm offended by that. But what are you going on, Sonic?" Sonic turned to address his friends and the ponies. "Okay, so we can't go straight because of that big laser gun Eggman's got pointed at us, and we can't go above because it acts as an anti-air cannon, too. So, the next logical step? We tunnel in from underground right under Eggman's hair-covered nose!"

"Ew," Applejack commented with a grimace. "I did not need that image in my brain."

"Wait, but…" Knuckles was scratching his head. "Didn't I say it would take longer that way?" Sonic just gave his brawler buddy a knowing smile. "Not with the best digger around, it won't. Think you can get us in there, rad red?"

"Ha! You know it!" Knuckles pounded his fists together as if he was accepting a challenge. But before he could start, Amy held up a hand. "Wait! What if Eggman catches wind of this? I mean, he has to be watching us if he's firing on us with that thing, right?"

"I'm not sure if he is," Sonic honestly replied. "But if he is keeping an eye on us, then Dash and I are gonna keep him busy! Right, Colors?" Caught by surprise, it took the multicolor-haired mare to reply. "Uh… yeah! Of course… what are we doing?" Sonic wasn't too annoyed at that but smiled at his friend. "Just follow my lead!" He then sped away from the group and sprinted again for the base, this time with Rainbow right behind him. Moments after they raced off, Knuckles dove into the ground fists-first and vanished from sight, leaving a small hole in his wake.

As expected, a storm of magic-powered lasers rained down like a meteor shower, but this time Sonic was ready for them. He zipped this way and that, studying the beams' positions and speeding away from the blasts just before he could run into them. Rainbow, meanwhile, zipped away from beams that were chasing after her in curved movements. Explosions and light flashed everywhere, obscuring the two speedsters from the group's sight. "I hope they know what they're doing…" Tails whispered.

"Come on!" Knuckles called from the hole. "Let's go before Eggman notices us!" One by one, each of the ponies climbed into the tunnel with Amy and Tails taking up the rear. Nearby, the flashing light and powerful explosions continued to rock the earth. Sonic knew he couldn't keep this up forever, so he wrenched his eyes away from the lasers to see a single hole in the ground. "They're in! Let's move, RD!"

"Right!" Rainbow dove for the hole and shot clean through it. Sonic made a break for it with lasers exploding behind him, the blasts threatening to throw him off-balance. With a jump and a spin, the hedgehog vanished into the underground just as one blast kicked up a mound of dirt that sealed it up behind him. Meters below the surface, Sonic uncurled and hit a carefully-carved floor of a narrow tunnel…

…and realized it was pitch-black save for distant violet and bright-blue lights up ahead. "Let's make this quick," he heard Rainbow speak from in front. "Dunno about you, but I don't do very well in closed spaces."

"Ditto. But don't worry," Sonic reassured. "When it comes to punching tunnels in the ground, Knux is the best in the business." As if to prove his point, both speedsters could hear constant punching sounds up ahead that sounded as fast as a moving train. They started to crawl forward, guided by the carving of earth and beacon-like lights in the distance. Sonic couldn't deny that Knuckles was a fast digger, but a part of him wished that he could Spin Dash through without everyone else in the way. But as much as he hated to admit it, sometimes going slow was the best option. Thankfully, he knew he wouldn't have to keep crawling for long when he heard the satisfying clang of a fist on metal.

"Jackpot!" cried a voice before another clang echoed through the tunnel. Next was a horrible screeching sound that made several of the ponies flinch in pain. Light flooded into the tunnel from a pair of dented metal curtains, and Sonic caught the shape of Knuckles jumping from the newly-made exit. Everyone made their way out of the subterranean passage and dropped from a torn hole in a metallic wall, landing in a long stretch of hallway. All of them immediately went on high alert: they were now in the heart of enemy territory.

"Alright, we're in…" Amy whispered as if Eggman was listening. "But how are we going to find the princesses?" Twilight was silent for a minute. "I… have no idea. But if they're that important to Eggman, he's gotta keep them somewhere secure, right?"

"Then if we find Eggman…" Tails concluded. "We might find the princesses with him! Stay alert, you guys. Eggman won't hesitate to throw everything he's got at us now that we're inside his base."

"You don't need to tell us twice," Rainbow answered with a confident smile. "Now let's find that jerk!" Beside her, Fluttershy nodded in determination. "And make him pay for all the horrible things he's done to those animals!" All eyes turned to her for a moment, making the pegasus realize what she had just said. "Um… I mean… go team?"

"That's also a good reason," Sonic noted. "Okay, Eggman!" The hedgehog drew himself back and stared down the corridor ahead of him. "Let's see what you got!" With a flash of blue light, the hedgehog shot down the hallway at high speed, friends both old and new by his side. Not ten seconds into his run, alarms echoed through the corridors and red lights flooded his vision. Normally, the place would be on alert the second he let himself in, so Eggman was probably thinking the deluded thought that his big magic cannon would stop the hedgehog then and there.

Honestly, you'd think a guy with an IQ of 300 would know better by now.

At least the welcoming party was enough of a satisfaction. The familiar growl of Motobug engines reached Sonic's ears, indicating the motorized insects had deployed out of small access hatches to give chase. The humming of airborne Buzz Bombers followed, their stinger blasters trained on his flying friend. She noticed them on her tail in no time, and she whirled to face them when lasers zipped past her aerodynamic form. The Motobugs, meanwhile, were positioning themselves on either side of Sonic, their sharp pincers raised. As one, they moved towards the hedgehog, hoping to box him in…

…until Sonic shot into the air at the last second, causing the Badniks to crash into each other with screeching tires and banging metal. As they spun out of control and smashed apart from the ensuing tumble, Sonic took the moment to kick away a Buzz Bomber aiming at an oblivious Rainbow. The bionic bug crashed into the floor while Rainbow tackled another, the remaining units firing on her like crazy. But just like the hedgehog, the pegasus proved too quick for them to acquire a perfect lock, and the last of them fell within the minute. Sonic gave Rainbow a congratulating thumbs-up for her efforts, both speedsters turning to the corridor ahead of them.

They quickly learned that it was a corridor that was being rapidly sealed off. Heavy metal doors slammed into place one after another, blocking the hall section by section. Such a scenario may have proved a problem for Rainbow Dash in the past, but a certain maneuver flashed into her mind from a while back. Without breaking her speed, she turned to Sonic and saw that he was thinking the exact same thing. Nodding to each other, the two speedsters joined together and curled up into a massive colored ball that barreled towards the steel doors at the speed of a rolling boulder.

Crunching slams echoed through the hallway as the Rolling Combo tore through the doors like they were paper. After smashing through a third door, the duo separated and resumed their run down the corridor. Their friends, on the other hand, weren't as fortunate since the doors didn't cease to close. One such barrier slammed down right in front of the group, causing Tails and Twilight to splat against it like flies on a windshield. Everyone else came to a quick stop, with those the alicorn had been levitating along collapsing to the floor with grunts. The fox and the princess comically slid down the door and fell flat on their backs, dazed looks in their eyes.

"Great," sighed Amy. "Now what?" Her answer came in the form of a certain echidna approaching the steel door. "No worries! I'll have us through in no time!" Knuckles drew back a fist and threw it against the door with a powerful blow that shook the air around the group… and for a moment, all was quiet.

"...ow…" Knuckles whispered before slumping to the ground and holding his hand in pain. Tails rose to his feet and brushed himself off, staring at the large door while his mind scrambled to figure out a plan. The bad news was that he couldn't see anything that would allow him to bypass the door like a security panel he could hack into. The good news was that his peripheral vision picked up an alternate route to the left: an intersecting passageway he chastised himself for not noticing before. "Down there!" he shouted, leading the group in that direction.

Unaware of their friends' predicament, Sonic and Rainbow continued to charge through Eggman's defenders and navigate through the secret traps that just so happened to be everywhere. The two flew and slid to avoid deadly laser beams, soared over flame jets that burst from the floor, and stuck to the walls to evade electric pylons determined to fry them to a crisp. Sonic had to wonder if Eggman was going overboard with the traps: last he checked, this was just another of his bases, not the Death Egg! The number of robots he encountered served to prove his point; as only basic Badniks and Egg Pawns stood in their way. Some of them the speedsters didn't even bother to fight, as the blowback from their velocity was enough to tear them apart.

"Is it just me…" Rainbow asked. "Or does this feel a teeny bit too easy?"

"In my experience," Sonic answered. "That just means the biggest surprise is at the end. Or somewhere close to that. I wouldn't let my guard down if I were you; Eggman likes to make things harder the deeper intruders like us tend to go!"

"Oh! Well, to that… I say bring it on, Egghead!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

The hedgehog and the pegasus never let up and proceeded further into the base, keeping their eyes peeled for what other surprises the mad doctor had in store for them. Meanwhile, in a separate corridor that led to a higher level, the others moved cautiously through their surroundings in an opposite manner to that of their friends. Tails took the lead, swapping glances from the hallway to his handheld. "If what you say about them is true, Twilight," he whispered. "Then the princesses' magical signature must be higher than yours, right?" Beside him, the alicorn nodded. "Yeah, but… whatever Eggman's doing to them… could that make them harder to find?"

"Slight chance, but I've never let negative odds get the better of me before," Tails reassured, checking his handheld and the distant spike in magic energy ahead of their current position. "And I'm not about to start now." According to the readings he was getting, Celestia and Luna were being held one more level above them in a chamber directly underneath the base's control room. To get to that, they'd need to pass through a testing room; one designed for Eggman to practice with his latest machines, weapons, or otherwise against his fleshy foes. An elevator was near the group's position, so Tails ushered everyone inside and hit the button for the next floor up.

"So…" Applejack muttered, looking over the handheld's GPS. "We better hope he's not having anything running in there when we arrive, right? I'd hate to be caught in the middle of a combat drill or whatever." Amy looked over the ponies with a calm smile; one Pinkie Pie matched perfectly. "As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Remember, Eggman could be expecting us. So, when those doors open, be ready for anything."

As soon as the pink hedgehog finished that sentence, the elevator doors slid open… to reveal a dozen Badniks barring their way out! The ponies all jolted back in shock while Knuckles held up his fists. "Looks like they were ready for us!" Twilight's horn lit up with amethyst colors and Amy brought up her hammer. "Stay behind us! We-"

"Wait!" cried a small voice, cutting off the hedgehog. Before anyone could respond to this, a certain yellow pegasus with pink hair slowly moved out from the group, sorrowful cyan eyes trained on the solitary Badniks. In turn, each of them turned their eyes on her… and their weapons.

"Please," she whispered gently. "You don't have to do this."

"Fluttershy…" Rarity whispered back in worry. "What in Equestria do you think you're doing?" The timid pegasus turned to look over her shoulder, a single calm eye facing them. "Just… trust me, everypony." She didn't give any of her friends a chance to reply before she quietly stepped toward the Badniks, leaving herself wide open for them. Motobugs slowly revved their engines and spread their pincers. Buzz Bombers aimed their stinger blasters. Crabmeats snipped their claws together and Caterkillers flaunted their metal fangs at the lone lifeform.

But Fluttershy didn't back down from the horde, only staring at the robots with sadness and pity. "You never wanted this," she whispered with the coo of a kind soul. "This has never been what you wanted, and you only do what you do because… because that horrible creature wants you to do it. But you don't have to keep listening to him… and that's because I know something he doesn't."

Every Badnik was still, silently contemplating the pegasus' words. A robotic reptile- a Newtron- tilted its mechanical head at the pegasus with a sharp whir while a mechanical monkey- a Coconuts- scratched its metallic head with one finger. At this point, none of the machines made a move and the organics were equally still. "He may have forced you into powering his machines… but they're nothing more than empty shells. They're not listening to him: you are. And I know you don't want to listen to that monster."

A confident smile crossed Fluttershy's face, the pegasus now looking over each Badnik not with fear or panic, but hope. "I'm here to tell you that you don't have to. Before the doctor took you, you were happy little creatures living happy lives. I know you must want that life back, but you'll never have it as long those mean machines keep getting you and stuffing you in those prisons. But you're not just the source of their power… you're also controlling them. Not Eggman. Without you, those shells are useless. You're only listening to him because you're scared. You're scared that if you don't listen, he'll do something worse to you."

A Motobug gently wheeled up to Fluttershy, who showed no hostility towards the little Badnik as it stared at her in silence. "He's never going to do such an awful, terrible thing," the kind pony continued. "Because I won't let him. I don't know how many of you he's caught, or how many of you Sonic's already sprung free, but this is an act against animals I will not stand for. And you don't have to stand for it, either. So, I'm going to ask you… what do you want to do?"

There was a tense silence following the pegasus' speech, the only noises being that of mechanical whirs and the constant hovering of Buzz Bombers. The Motobug that now lay at Fluttershy's hooves turned its metallic eyes to the pegasus, then to the ground. Every other Badnik stared at the pegasus and each other with an emotion thought impossible for robots: hesitation. This was something none of them had ever considered before, something they would have not thought possible if they did. The Motobug looked at Fluttershy again, who gave the small robot a warm smile.

Before a decision could be made, the hall was filled with a new sound that shut out the silence: mechanical marching. Up ahead, a squad of Egg Pawns with blasters in hand stomped towards the organics, who immediately braced themselves for battle. The steel-plated soldiers laid their optics on the first organic closest to them… and trained each of their weapons on Fluttershy. The Pawns paid no heed to the Badniks standing before her, who were now alarmed at the sight. Still, each of them hesitated; overwhelmed by the weight of the out-of-nowhere question asked just seconds ago. The Badniks- the animals within- felt as powerless as they were before their capture as one Egg Pawn curled a metal finger around its weapon's trigger…

…until the tiny roar of an engine cut through the air. Racing toward the Pawn as quickly as its little wheel could go, the Motobug sped forward with outstretched claws and cut the Pawn's right leg, toppling the machine. Emboldened by the little robot's bravery, the remaining Badniks promptly turned on their own kind and let loose with everything they had. Buzz Bombers opened fire on the Pawns, Crabmeats launched mortar-like energy balls, Newtrons spat energy balls from their mouths, and Caterkillers dove clean through several Pawns. The steel soldiers, caught off-guard by this uncalculated turn of events, failed to react accordingly… and before long, each of them was on the ground and deactivated.

The little Motobug drove up to Fluttershy and nuzzled her leg, a gesture the kind pony returned by resting her head against its metal head. While the other Badniks finished up their little rebellion, the other organics stood stunned by what they had just witnessed. "What… what did she just do?" Knuckles uttered.

"Fluttershy's special power… allows her to talk to animals," Twilight was quick to put two and two together. "And since those small robots are powered by animals…" Tails was struck with a similar conclusion as he finished the princess' sentence for her. "She can turn Eggman's minions against him!"

"And here I was thinking that was the lamest power ever…" Amy muttered. Pinkie Pie immediately butted in. "Lame?! Wait 'til you hear about what she did to that manticore and the dragon!" With a proud smile, Applejack approached Fluttershy and rubbed a hoof through her mane. "Y'know, you amaze us sometimes, sugarcube."

"...thanks," was the quiet reply.

"Okay! Um…" Twilight addressed the group. "Now that we have that particular problem out of the way… shall we?" She galloped down the hallway and everyone else turned to follow her, an ecstatic Tails glancing at some of the Badniks that were now following him instead of attacking him. "Man, Sonic is so not gonna believe this!"

Fluttershy gave one last nuzzle to the Motobug before both of them joined their friends, with the pegasus looking over two Buzz Bombers protectively flying by her side. "You all made the right choice. Thank you…" Flanked by her new companions, Fluttershy galloped after the others and the Badniks didn't hesitate to follow the one who gave them a new kind of freedom…

"'Reactor Core'. It's amazing how tempting those words are now, huh?"

Sonic and Rainbow Dash had made progress in journeying through Eggman's base in their search for the princesses. The hedgehog was having thoughts if they'd made a wrong turn somewhere because the two of them were now staring at a large pair of doors at the end of their current corridor with words on it: words the cyan flier had just spoken aloud. "You have no idea…"

"You're thinking about smashing that thing and blowing this whole place sky-high, right?" Rainbow guessed. Sonic nodded, his eyes never leaving the door. "Yeah, you've been around me long enough to say that. But let's come back here after we bust those two royals out, okay?"

"Probably for the best," Rainbow agreed. "The thing's probably protected if it's that important. But this is the only way through, so… we at least know where to go after cracking Eggman." The two speedsters neared the door, which slid open to allow them through. Upon entering the large chamber, the hedgehog and the pegasus laid eyes on a massive energy core in the center connected by large tubes and protected by two layers of a strong metallic alloy. Had it been their original mission, the duo would instantly find it difficult to penetrate… but what caught their attention was something standing in front of the core, its blue chassis shining with the flowing energy in the tubes and cold red optics staring them down.

Rainbow froze on sight before her fur tensed up. "You!" Equally alarmed, Sonic quickly balled up his fists with a challenging smile. "Figures Eggman would send his best bot to slow us down! How many times have we done this little dance, Metal?"

Metal Sonic made no move to address his organic counterpart. Instead, his red eyes turned to Rainbow Dash and he raised a thin arm to point at her with a sharp silver finger. In response to the gesture, Rainbow lowered her body to the ground, waiting for the robot to make his move.

That move came when Metal beckoned that finger to him, daring the pegasus to come at him first. Sonic feigned a gasp of shock and clutched his heart. "What's this? I'm not your first choice? Oh, Metal, you wound me…" Rainbow, on the other hand, was all too ready to accept the machine's offer. "Fair warning, mecha-moron! Thanks to our last tussle, I know all your tricks! Now bring it on!" The loyal pony charged for Metal Sonic in the blink of an eye, neither real nor fake hedgehog making any move as she did so.

Rainbow was about to make contact with Eggman's enforcer when a fast-moving object- quicker than her current speed- intercepted the pegasus and knocked her into the air with a hard blow. Her mind and body reeling from the strike, Rainbow fought to regain herself in midair and landed on all four hooves with an exhale of effort. Her head snapped back up and her magenta eyes scanned as to what had just hit her… and those eyes widened while a breathless gasp left her mouth.

"What… the…"

Standing between the cyan pegasus and the cobalt machine was something that shattered Rainbow's mind. She was flooded with deja vu from the first time she laid eyes on Metal, a steel imitation of her newest friend that had a slight resemblance to the real deal, but none of the wit and personality. During that ensuing battle, she had wondered how Sonic dealt with this copy all the time. Well, she didn't have to wonder anymore.

Because she was now looking at a robotic replica… of herself.

It was like looking in a malicious metal mirror, and her reflection was a shining mass of steel and vibrant color. A sleek chassis covered the machine from the top of its artificially colored mane to the tips of its hydraulic hooves. A small jet engine rested in the middle of the cyan-painted torso and a pair of aerodynamic wings extended from its sides, resembling the appendages of a bionic bird of prey. On its flank was a cutie mark depicting Eggman's insignia and a lush metallic tail stood perfectly still, painted in all the colors of the rainbow. A pair of glowing red optics surrounded by a sea of black coldly bore into Rainbow's own orbs, the machine not even blinking- if it could even do that- as the organic swallowed and took an intimidated step back. The machine's heads-up display ran a quick scan on both organics before it, its systems indicating a successful match.

ANALYSIS COMPLETE. PRIMARY TARGETS ACQUIRED.

"Wow," The voice snapped Rainbow out of it and she saw Sonic with a disappointed look in his eye. "First Jet and now Metal. I get one fast winged horse, and now everyone wants one, too. Oh, and Eggman making another lame copy of one of my friends? Real original right there. Seriously, for a genius, you think he should have a better creative mind when it comes to making robots! But no, the best he can think of is some stupid ripoffs!"

"U…um…" Rainbow squeaked, unable to tear her eyes off the false image of herself. "S-Sonic? This is super weird for me…" Sonic just waved her words away before turning to face his doppelganger. "Oh, you get used to it after a while. So, this is how you wanna play, Metal?" His robotic copy responded with a simple thumbs-down while the replica of Rainbow Dash spread out its hooves. The real Rainbow immediately mimicked its stance and stared it in the eyes, trying to keep herself together.

"Alright, you pony poser! You think you can copy my awesomeness just like that?! I just got one thing to say about that: Let's. Do. This." Both hedgehog and pegasus- organic and mechanical alike- stared each other down for a moment, focused eyes meeting unblinking optics… until a booming low voice cut through the chamber.

"A ring for your thoughts, lady and gentle-hog? That is, your thoughts on my answer to the so-called heroes of the other world? Once I took notice of the opposition, I had an appropriate solution: all I needed was their biodata that Metal Sonic wasted no time in collecting for me."

"What's 'biodata'?" Rainbow inquired. Sonic didn't take his eyes off Metal as he explained. "It's everything about you. Your speed, your power, your abilities, pretty much everything you can do. Eggman took everything about me- my biodata- to make Metal Sonic, and he gave Metal the ability to copy the biodata of anyone he's fought. He's got biodata copies of me, my friends, Shadow, and now yours if it means Eggman made-"

"Say hello to Metal Rainbow Dash, or MRD for short," Eggman interrupted, prompting Sonic to glare in the direction of his adversary's voice. "Her first objective is simple: to destroy you both with Metal Sonic's aid, just like how you are helping that inferior little derby racer, Sonic."

"I'll show you inferior!" Rainbow snapped.

"Because you know what they say: sometimes, it takes two to get a job done! Now, Metals… show these two who their superiors are!" Heeding their master's orders, both Metals faced down their counterparts, who quickly did the same… and the core chamber erupted into a fierce high-speed showdown in the blink of an eye. Two rainbow blurs shot into the air while two more blue streaks began racing around the core at breathtaking velocity. Rainbow was ready to give this imposter what for, but it appeared to be ready for her as well. Just like last time, Rainbow immediately struggled against the super-fast robot that matched her wingbeat-to-wingbeat thanks to its turbocharged engine and precise maneuvering. The roars of two engines rang in her ears, followed by the steel clangs of Sonic bouncing off the floor, the walls, and the chassis of his double that occasionally swatted him away.

Eggman must have put a lot of time and effort into Metal Rainbow, as well, since the new robot proved to be just as quick as the real thing. Both fliers danced about in the air surrounding the core, with Rainbow barely managing to roll away from a sharp dive. Metal Rainbow arched back upward milliseconds before she could hit the floor, pulling sharply and reacquiring a lock on her target. While the pegasus continued to avoid her double's assault, Sonic and his own doppelganger raced across the circular walls of the chamber.

"You think your little pal can give you the advantage here, Metal?" Sonic called out. "I wouldn't cut on it if I were you… wait a sec, that didn't come out r-ACK!" Metal bashed Sonic off the wall with a steel fist, the hedgehog crashing through another pair of doors leading out from the core. Tumbling through the hall for a moment, Sonic leaped back to his feet and took off down the corridor with Metal in hot pursuit. Following his lead, Rainbow veered and shot out of the chamber with her robotic replica quick to give chase. She gained on Rainbow faster than she would have liked, prompting the pegasus to again weave this way and that without a moment's respite.

"The only time… I wish… I wasn't… so awesome!" she grunted between dodges.

"Welcome to my world, Dash!" Sonic called out, sliding under one of Metal Sonic's claws before nailing his double with a foot. Following up with a spinning smash to the face, Sonic shot away before Metal could retaliate and raced toward the other faker.

INCOMING PROJECTILE. EVASIVE ACTION.

He was about to make contact when Metal Rainbow suddenly rocketed out of the way, leaving Sonic to smack into the real thing by mistake. Both speedsters crashed to the ground, the hedgehog frozen with an awkward expression. "Uh… my bad?"

"Ugh, watch the friendly fire…" Rainbow moaned before the roar of Metal Rainbow's engines snapped her back to reality. She was off with a colored flash and her double prepared to give chase, but Sonic threw himself on top of her just as she took off. Detecting the hedgehog's presence, Metal Rainbow immediately went from a linear flight path to dangerous flips and spins, leaving a yelling Sonic hanging on for dear life. While the horse-like robot rolled and raced around with her unwanted passenger in tow, Metal Sonic took up his partner's target and chased Rainbow down the long stretch of hallway. Rainbow was too late to realize the lethal enforcer was right on top of her- literally speaking- until the robot dug a steel heel into her nape and drove her to the floor where she painfully slid to a halt. Seizing the dazed pegasus in one hand, Metal drove back a fist…

…until a red sneaker smacked him away. Still hanging on to the speeding Metal Rainbow as she raced past Metal Sonic's position, Sonic flung himself into the air and used the borrowed momentum to ball up and launch himself towards Metal Rainbow. But he didn't expect the machine to tuck into a roll and use a wing to deflect the sapphire sphere, causing Sonic to ricochet off a wall. Ascending to avoid the following counterattack, Metal Rainbow hit the brakes and pulled back when Sonic tried using his second bounce to land a flying stomp on the robot. With Sonic now wide open in the ensuing confusion, Metal Rainbow curled inward and spun quickly until she resembled a colored ball, the high-pitched whir drawing Sonic's attention.

"Huh?!" Sonic barely had time to react before Metal Rainbow plowed through the floor and knocked the panel the hedgehog was standing on loose. Now riding it like a skateboard, Sonic shot through the new hole and was quickly followed by the real Rainbow and his devious double. The short drop led Sonic to some of the facility's inner workings, where his metal panel ground across pipes and shafts while Metal Rainbow cleaved through the air just up ahead.

"First, Eggman gives Metal Sonic the ability to fly, which I can't do!" Sonic summarized, abandoning his makeshift board just as Metal Rainbow dove at him and blasting across a low-hanging catwalk. "Now, he gives you a Spin Dash, which she can't do! The dude does not play fair, I tell you!" He sped past lines of circuitry and over pipes acting like a corkscrew loop with Metal Rainbow easily keeping pace. High above the two, Rainbow and Metal Sonic flew close to a ceiling before diving back down, the loyal pony hoping to lose Metal in the maze of wires and pipes. Her efforts were for naught as Metal kept the pegasus in his sights, his claws cutting through anything that would serve as an obstacle to him.

"What's the plan, Sonic?!" Rainbow yelled, a close claw swipe nearly slicing off bits of her prized mane. "You have a plan, right?!" The hedgehog slid underneath another large pipe; one that a spinning Metal Rainbow burst through with little effort. "Uh, well, I was gonna go with the old mix-and-match plan, but it doesn't seem to be working! I mean, they are fighting somebody just like who they were built to fight!"

"So, what do we-YOW!" A sharp punch to the underbelly popped Rainbow into the air and she felt a strong force grasping her tail. With a strong grip on the appendage, Metal Sonic began to spin his upper body faster than helicopter blades, sending the poor pegasus whirling around near the speed of sound, a comical scream coming from the colored tornado. The robot then flung Rainbow towards the ceiling, the pony smashing through it with a loud crash and allowing light to flood the dark metallic underground of the base. The sound alerted Sonic to his friend's predicament, but his hesitation allowed Metal Rainbow to plow both forehooves into his back and slam him against a cylindrical structure.

Sonic broke free from the pinning hold by grabbing the robot by the head and spinning around, throwing her into the air. Recovering easily and snapping open its wings, Metal Rainbow zeroed in on Sonic like a missile. The Blue Blur stood ready to counter this… until he noticed Metal Sonic coming at him from the opposite direction. The hedgehog smirked as an idea made itself known to him.

"Later, haters!" he called out, shooting into the air just as the two robots reached him. While the clang of the resulting head-on collision echoed through the artificial abyss, Sonic jumped off pipe after pipe until he shot through the hole in the ceiling and landed in another large chamber back on the surface level. A moaning Rainbow lay near an elevated portion of the floor, and Sonic had to guess that they were now in some kind of simulation room given how bland and blank it looked. The entire chamber was white (with a little gray) in color and had several block-like structures that could serve as either platforms or cover points. But a faint moan from his friend reminded Sonic that he wasn't here for the scenery.

"Come on, Dash, get up! This rodeo's not done yet!" The hedgehog helped the pegasus to her feet just in time for their replicated enemies to emerge from the breach on the floor. Metal Rainbow landed with a hard thunk, wings spread open and eyes bearing down on the duo while Metal Sonic flashed his claw-like fingers and emitted a low buzzing sound.

"I… I know that the switch thing didn't work…" Rainbow moaned as she fought through the pain. "So what now?"

"I only got one thing for Plan B," Sonic answered. "We could both blitz one of them at a time and overpower them." He expected Rainbow to have some questions about that plan, which she undoubtedly did. "But… what if the other one comes at us?"

"I guess we could just… wing it?" Sonic suggested. "Pun totally intended, by the way."

Rainbow's eyes told him that she wasn't in a joking mood right now. "Ha ha. So who do we go for first? Evil robot me or evil robot you? They both have overwhelming speed and power."

"True…" Sonic added. "But I think Metal Sonic's the boss. We'll rush him on your mark." Rainbow just shook her head. "Don't worry about me, Sonic. Metal's probably gonna rush us first, so I say go!" Sonic nodded at his pal and signaled right before breaking left in a blue flash. Rainbow took off in the indicating direction, both speedsters closing in on the robots. Calculating their time to contact, Metal Sonic gestured for his ally to go airborne while he stayed below to engage both targets. Just as Metal Rainbow shot into the air, Rainbow barreled towards Metal Sonic and ducked under a claw. Unfortunately, Metal's focus on Rainbow left him wide open for a balled-up Sonic bashing him in the back. Sonic's ensuing bounce sent him into the air, where the following strike sent Metal Rainbow spiraling away and fighting to recover. Down below, Rainbow nailed Metal Sonic with her forehooves, ducked underneath an attempt to grab her, then slammed into Metal during a takeoff launch.

Giving the robot no time to fight back, Rainbow smashed Metal Sonic against the wall and flew across it, grinding the machine's face against the wall and letting sparks fly. Keeping clear of Metal Rainbow's dive attacks by rolling and cartwheeling to the side, Sonic rushed up a wall on an interception course. Just as Rainbow neared him, she broke off and allowed Sonic to smack Metal to the floor with a foot. Still airborne, Sonic balled up and crashed on top of Metal Sonic with the force of a cannonball, bounding off his form.

"Let's see you get up from that, tin-!" was all he was able to get out before a cyan blur snatched him up like a bird abducting a worm. Sonic struggled to break free from Metal Rainbow's grip, taking note that Eggman probably used Metal Sonic's design in building her thanks to how freakishly strong it was. A colored streak smashed into the robot and released Sonic, the hedgehog touching down perfectly atop an elevated platform. Rainbow's double quickly overpowered the real deal and slammed the pegasus to the ground, ascending and spinning up for a following strike.

Sonic was quick to intercept, his ball form colliding off Metal Rainbow's before the orbs bounced around the chamber and clashed against each other. The real Rainbow pursued the bouncing orbs, doing her best to steer clear of their path while keeping her eyes locked on her duplicate. She could barely hear it over the sound of loud whirs and bangs that indicated flesh contacting metal, but Rainbow thought she heard Sonic shouting at Metal Rainbow to stop copying him. Zipping past the shooting spheres and ducking beneath a blue ball, Rainbow zipped in front of the colored one's path and gave it a strong high kick with her hind leg, knocking it upward. Before it could calculate this change in angle, Metal Rainbow was slammed by a spinning sapphire sphere that sent it on a collision course with one of the room's walls. With a loud smash, the robot plowed clean through and left a huge hole in its wake. Sonic and Rainbow both touched down, taking a moment to admire their handiwork.

"Not bad, blue," Rainbow commented. "Just how long have you been fighting evil robot doubles?" Sonic just smirked at the pegasus' query. "Ah, I don't keep track of those things. Makes things a little more exciting, right? And what better thrill is there than battling an artificial image of yourself that knows your every-"

WHAM! A flying blur smacked Sonic away, taking him up into the air while the pegasus jolted in shock. "Metalwewerehavingamoment!" yelped the hedgehog, the recovered robot darting every which way in wild movements. Rainbow was about to take off and go after them when a swift sound of moving metal made her ear perk up. Looking over her shoulder, Rainbow caught one of the room's doors sliding open, revealing her friends on the other side… who paused at the sight of the flying struggle.

"HiTailsbyeTails!" Sonic hurriedly stammered as Metal took the opportunity to rocket right out the door and into the hallway, much to the group's surprise. Startled, the flying fox took to the air and chased down the robot, calling out to his friend. "Hang on, Sonic! Be right there!" Knuckles immediately gave chase, shouting at the fox to leave some action for him. Amy, meanwhile, paused mid-turn and gave an awkward stare at the ponies. "I gotta… um…"

"Just go!" Twilight finished, giving the pink hedgehog permission to dash down the hallway. Once she was gone, everypony trotted into the chamber where a smiling Rainbow Dash greeted them. "Took you girls long enough to- LOOK OUT!" The cyan flier flared up in alarm after her eyes caught a squad of Badniks right behind her friends. Rainbow's body prepared to launch toward a hovering Motobug only for a certain pink pony to leap in front of her.

"WAIT!" Pinkie cried. "They're on our side now!" Pausing for a moment, Rainbow blinked in confusion. "Uh, what?" Now that she saw it, none of the small robots seemed to be attacking her friends. Twilight joined in on assuring Rainbow with a calming smile. "It's alright, Rainbow. You remember that these robots are powered by animals, right? Well, Fluttershy here managed to get through to them and we've got our own little army!"

The timid mare smiled with a seemingly-happy Motobug by her side. "Yay." It took Rainbow a full five seconds to piece everything together, causing her magenta eyes to light up in realization. "Oh. Oh! Yeah, that's… that's pretty cool! Robots on our side, huh? That's-"

"Awesome?" Applejack guessed. "We know."

"Well… I was actually gonna say 'amazing', but yeah," Rainbow finished. "Let's go with my usual-" The cyan mare was cut off by a high-pitched screeching noise that caused the ponies to flinch in pain. "Ow! What the-?"

"So, you've made it this far, have you?" an all-too-familiar voice boomed. "I'm not sure if I should be surprised or infuriated about your perseverance… but I AM furious about those stupid Badniks not responding to my commands! Just what have you done with them, you putrid little pests?!"

Fluttershy stoically stared down the speaker that emanated the madman's voice. "I gave back what you stole from them, you heartless excuse for a creature! Then, we're going to rescue Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as give you what you deserve for hurting these poor things!"

"BAH! It doesn't matter!" Eggman continued, almost as if he never heard the kind mare's threat. "And if you're looking to see me, I'm afraid I'm too busy to take an appointment with the likes of you animals. Whatever you wish to say to me… you can do so to my latest line of combat machines: one that gives a new meaning to the word 'horsepower'!"

"Bring it on, McNosehair!" Rainbow retorted. "We're ready for anything you throw at us!"

"Orbot! Cubot! Deploy the Mecha Six NOW!"

The ponies paused at the doctor's command, but they had no time to ponder his words before red warning lights flashed through the testing room chamber, painting everypony's mane a deep crimson. Every entrance and exit slammed shut with strong steel doors, preventing any possible chance at escape. "Lockdown in effect," announced an electronic voice. "Commencing combat scenario."

"Uh… just what are we supposed to be fighting?" Applejack asked. "I ain't seeing anything." Twilight scanned the room for anything suspicious. "I don't know, but-" A violet flash went off in front of Twilight's eyes, her words changing to a startled yelp while she shielded her eyes from the sudden light. The princess' horn lit up with her own light and she whirled to face the source of the flash… and she stood face-to-face with a familiar figure.

"By Celestia's mane…"

A purple-plated mechanical mirror image of Twilight Sparkle stood before the ponies, silently staring at them with crimson optics. Twilight's own violet orbs stared back in sheer shock, taking in every inch of the machine from its fabricated Gatling horn and its shining chassis to its powerful hydraulic legs and the Eggman cutie mark on its flank. Nopony dared to make a sound as they observed the machine; which observed them in turn before a low whirring sound directed the organics' attention towards a rising floor panel that ascended into view like an elevator.

Three pairs of sinister red eyes snapped into focus, each belonging to twisted robotic selves of three ponies. The chassis of a titanium-plated machine mimicking Rarity shone like diamonds from the chamber's lights, a sharp horn protruding from its sleek forehead. Clunking footsteps from an armored Applejack-like robot, complete with an artificial cowboy hat, rang in the earth pony's ears as it marched up to the fake Twilight's side. Its optics never left the organics as it paced, watching them like a predator. With sharp and quick movements, a robot resembling Pinkie Pie- its mane composed of neon pink wires- bounded to the machine Twilight's side with spring-loaded legs and landed in a perfect stance, locking on to all six targets.

An almost-silent hovering noise alerted the ponies to a new arrival that flew in from an open access hatch. Above them, a flying machine that resemble Fluttershy hovered into formation above the other robots, circular fans within the metallic wings moving quickly and quietly to keep it airborne. And from the noticeable hole in the wall, a colored blur shot out from the destruction with a roar and looped around the chamber, coming to a full stop near the robots to reveal Metal Rainbow Dash to the rest of the ponies. Its built-in jet engines quieted down while its steel wings steadily beat up and down, the machine positioned across from the Fluttershy-like robot. Every electronic equine stood silently and stared down their organic counterparts, who were still struggling to comprehend what was right in front of them. Only one of them was in a battle-ready pose, a certain cyan pegasus glaring at each of the machines.

"Those robots… look like… us?" Rarity whispered.

"He did it," Pinkie added. "That crazy son of a bugbear, he did it."

Rainbow just scoffed. "Figures he'd rip off everypony while he was at it…"

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Eggman sounded like a proud father during his announcement. "Created from your likeness, personality, abilities, and a touch of Metal Sonic's design, these robots are meant to overcome the physical weaknesses of your kind. They are exactly like each of you in every possible way, down to battlefield communication. Just as you prefer to work together, so too do they. Squad, engage at will! Crush them all!"

UNIT LINKS ESTABLISHED. INITIATE SYSTEMS CHECK

MTS: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL

MRD: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL. MINIMAL DAMAGE.

ACKNOWLEDGED. ACTIVATING SELF-REPAIR SYSTEMS

MAJ: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL

MPP: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL

MRT: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL

MFS: SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL

"I understand we've had our shortcomings and some disagreements…" Rarity spoke up. "But now we are about to literally fight ourselves! What are we going to do?!"

"No," Twilight reassured with a stern glance. "They're not us. They're just cruel copies and heartless replicas who don't know anything about what we've all been through. We can beat them."

"Plus, we've got a little bot squad to back us up!" Rainbow gestured to Fluttershy's reformed Badniks, the small machines preparing to engage the six hostiles. The mechanical ponies didn't seem to pay too much attention to them… save for one of the flying units that analyzed each Badnik in nanoseconds.

"In that case… how dare that ludicrous madman attempt to imitate my flawless perfection!" Rarity snapped at her duplicate, who made no visible response. Pinkie was quick to join in. "Yeah! And robot-me's mane is all wrong! It's not that stringy!"

"And I don't care what kind of robot gets in my way, even one that looks like me!" Fluttershy snapped, glaring at the machine in question. "Eggman's done horrible things to plants and animals alike, and he must be punished for it!" Nodding in admiration of the kind mare's newfound courage, Applejack stepped forth to address her own double with a tilt of her heat. "Alright, partner. This place ain't big enough for the two of us…" She spread out her hooves and her mechanical counterpart did the same, its steel hooves pounding the floor with each step.

"Hey, Robo-Rainbow!" Dash called out, flying up to her double's altitude with a stern glare. "Round two! Right here! Right now!" Her double only replied with a loud blast from its engines, revving up like a race car at a starting line. Twilight locked eyes with her copy, both of their horns illuminated with purple magic. The princess was immediately reminded of Eggman's unicorn kidnapping scheme upon seeing the robot's magic… was this what he was using it for? Forcing herself to discard the question for now, Twilight glared at the robot as ferociously as she could.

"That magic isn't yours. It doesn't belong to you," she said. "Nothing about you is genuine… and that's your greatest flaw. The doctor's greatest flaw." If the robot appeared agitated by that, it showed when its horn flared brighter. That brightness culminated in a magical beam that blasted outward, a beam that was met by a ray of Twilight's own magic. Everypony cried out and charged towards their robotic duplicates with their Badnik allies right behind them.

In turn, the mechanical horses went into full combat mode and engaged, ready to attack and destroy their inferior inspirations.