Battle for Mobotropolis

In honour of the 10th anniversary of the release of The Avengers, I present this epic action flick involving the League of Freedom. Now, I should clarify that this is not canon to my main stories about the League. It comes from a similar dimension about them that Bunnyx found and showed my Mobian counterpart. He showed them to me and I was happy to transcribe it for you all to read.

EDIT: I've now put all segments into one long page. Hope you enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story, barring Thomas, Beatrice, Aureole and Cordelia, belong to me. Exedra and Shock belong to Bakugan's Reboot Dragonoid. Abyss belongs to PrincePrimal. Sora belongs to Mixedfan8643. Latombe belongs to KivatheDCWizard.


Mobotropolis, Northammer, 12:15pm

The heat of the Sun, the clamour of people bustling about, and the smell of baking concrete hung across the vast city of Mobotropolis (or Zootropolis, as it was also known) like a shroud. Citizens, Human and Mobian alike, went about their daily business.

In the city park, four girls were playing ball. A couple bought hot dogs at a nearby vendor. Two Sea Serpent boys and a red-haired Human girl were splashing together in the park lake, watched by two Celteire Human girls.

Just then, across the city, electrical devices began shorting out - TV, phones, lights and computers. A power drill at a construction site halted its hammering, causing the builder operating it to fall over in surprise. Several birds took flight as a chill wind swept through the city. But the forecast had predicted calm.

In the park, one of the girls playing ball, a Human with fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair named Riley, accidently kicked the ball towards the hot dog stand. It narrowly missed the vendor and rolled away under a tree. The girl went to retrieve the ball. Her friends, a blue Husky pup girl named Bluey, another Human girl with similar physical traits, though in a wheelchair, known as Helen, and a tan Mouse Kitten with brown eyes called Olivia, all giggled teasingly.

But as the girl reached the ball, she stopped abruptly. The day suddenly felt a bit cooler, as if the sun had gone in, even though it was still out. Or was it…?

Up in the sky, one of the birds smacked its beak against something, as if it had hit a mirror.

Next moment, a shadow spread over the park, and everyone looked up. A massive ship shaped like a Mobini Whale Shark had appeared, as if out of thin air, high above the city. And it wasn't alone. What appeared to be dozens or even hundreds of heavily-armed battleships, all styled after a species of cartilaginous fish, had appeared surrounding it.

People all over the city gazed up in shock at the unexpected appearance of these ships. For a few moments, a silence fell over the whole city, like someone had turned off the sound.

Then, a siren shattered the silence in a rising and falling wail. Everyone broke out of their collective trances, screaming and fleeing in all directions, as various creatures and robots descended from the ships: various Egg Pawns and Badniks, Shade Elites, Changelings, various elite Stormtroopers, Grublins, Nefarious Troopers, Cragmites, Drophyds, Robo-Falcons, Moth Drones, ZhiZhui and more.

They landed all over the city, some deliberately smashing into the buildings. Rumble and glass showered the streets, some citizens falling with countless cuts or pummels. The various ships also opened fire on the city.

Aboard the Whale Shark-shaped Egg Imperial Fortress, inside the bridge, the Imperial Syndicate observed the mayhem below. Most, like Doctor Robotnik, Queen Chrysalis, Doctor Nefarious, Emperor Tachyon and Abyss, laughed maniacally; the rest, like Dark Lady Lumiya, Latombe, Lord Brevon, King Sombra and Doctor M remained ominously silent.

In a downtown region, even from a distance, the image of the Egg Imperial Fleet looming over the city was no less imposing.

Eight figures were advancing towards the epicentre of the attack. Five were leaping from one building to the next; the other three were flying.

Riley, Bluey, Olivia and Helen were scurrying towards the nearest building for cover. Just as they left the park, something massive dropped from the sky and landed heavily in front of them, cracking the pavement and shaking the girls off their feet.

It was an Egg Hammer, a giant grey robot sporting a gigantic mallet. Its optics gleamed evilly down at the children, who were all paralyzed with fright. It raised its hammer threateningly, and Bluey fainted. But then, it relaxed, and a Changeling and a ZhiZhui advanced on them.

Before they could grab them, however, there were flashes of blue, rainbow, pink and white, and brown, and the four girls seemed to vanish. The Egg Hammer, Changeling and ZhiZhui were all perplexed by this unexpected event.

Suddenly, there was another flash of colour, and the Egg Hammer exploded, blowing the two creepy crawly-esque creatures off their feet. The Changeling was punched rapidly several times in the face in mid-air, leaving it comatose. The ZhiZhui was electrocuted, and it collapsed as a smoking husk.

Down a back alley, a fleeing family hit a dead end. They looked round in terror as a Shade Elite advanced on them, its energy rifle primed and ready to fire.

Without warning, a portal opened, and a sparkling comet shot out, careening into the Elite and smacking it hard across the face-plate with long ponytails. The family gazed in wonder at the display, until they realised that a couple of figures had also appeared, beckoning them through the portal. After a moment's hesitation, they accepted it was their only means of escape and hurried through.

In one of the skyscrapers, office workers were trapped because of some troops landing in the lower floors. Most were cowering under their desk, though some (who could be described as either brave or stupid or a bit of both) were waiting by the door closest to the staircase, holding lamps, chairs or computers as improvised weapons.

All of them could hear the sounds of hooves, footsteps and wings getting closer and closer. Several people whimpered, shut their eyes and heads and braced themselves for highly probable death. Those armed readied to attack.

The approaching steps stopped outside the door. Slowly, the door opened to reveal… another office worker, looking round in confusion at the weapons being brandished at him. His would-be attackers were perplexed and a bit suspicious. This did not seem right at all.

They were right to be worried. The office worker suddenly grinned nastily and turned into a Changeling, hissing and waggling its tongue!

But before he could attack, two winged individuals smashed their way in through the window. The officer workers ducked as they hit the Changeling with a combined blast of Fire and Ice. This blasted him back into the corridor, bowling into his comrades. The two wingers flew after them.

The office workers were all left feeling lost. They were glad to have been saved, but their only escape had been cut off. That is, until a portal showing the outskirts of the city opened just outside the broken window. Desperate to get to safety, the workers wasted no time in jumping through it.

Below in the streets, Protoguards, Drophyds and Cragmites were firing at every building within reach. Glass, concrete, brick, aggregates and asphalt were thrown up into the air. Cars and lorries exploded in fireballs. Citizens ran for cover.

But as one Protoguard prepared an electric wave, it lurched backwards when a wrench flew out of nowhere and hit it hard in the face. It crashed into a Drophyd right behind it and exploded, destroying the Drophyd's robot body, leaving the fish inside flopping helplessly on the ground. The rest were quickly felled by laser bolts and missiles.

At the Lemming Brothers Bank in Savanna Central, a large Hippopotamus mutant was advancing through the reception towards the vault in the back. The cashiers and clients were sheltering behind stalls and desks.

When he reached the large vault door, the Hippo mutant reached for the lock to rip it off. Why should he bother with the combination? But before he could place his hand on the lock, the mutant felt someone tap him on the side. He looked round, but there was no one there. Or was there? Next moment, something hit him hard in the face with a loud crack. He collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

In the railway station, Humans and Mobians were cramming themselves into carriages in a desperate bid to escape the attack. But even with people standing, there wasn't enough room to fit everyone on board. The doors for the train at Platform 4 closed, and it rolled out of the station, despite several remaining passengers begging to be allowed on board.

An ominous clanking on the steps leading from the exit made them look round in terror. Several ZhiZhui and Moth Swarm were advancing on them, swords and butterfly knives drawn and gleaming threateningly.

Before they could advance any further, however, the buzzing of insect wings preceded someone swooping in and flying right across the front row of insectoid soldiers, cutting them down as he/she/they went. Before any of the others could react, a second figure landed in their midst and unleashed a wave of green energy. The soldiers were disintegrated on contact.

In the air, a swordfish battleship turned its cannons downward, ready to open fire upon the city. The robots operating in the bridge punched in the targets in the city below, ensuring their comrades weren't likely to be caught in the crosshairs. Once the targets were locked, they readied to fire.

But someone fired on them first. A single craft shot over the bridge; a moment later, the bridge exploded in a fireball, disintegrating the robots inside.

The Imperial Syndicate, unsurprisingly, were incensed. Their troops were being decimated; people were vanishing from beneath their noses and their attack had barely begun. They knew who it had to be.

Several troops were preparing to storm the Castle and either abduct or kill the Royal Family. But before they could make their move, a surge of blue lightning shot over their heads from down a street filled with smoke. They looked round.

Out of the smoke, a solitary figure stepped forward. It was a blue Mobian Hedgehog with emerald eyes, clad in an armoured aerodynamic suit with wings on the back, white gloves, and red and white sneakers. A helmet covered his face, but the troops knew who it was.

In the Egg Fortress, Robotnik and his allies were apprehensive. If Sonic the Hedgehog was here, they knew who else would be here too. Sonic wouldn't come alone.

Just then, what looked like a sparkling lilac comet raced into sight. It slowed up to fall in step alongside Sonic. It was a young Avalician Dragoness with two long ponytails, white armour and a blue visor over her magenta eyes. Sash Lilac shared a grin with Sonic.

A lavender Alicorn in a burgundy bodysuit with purple armour and a Purple Avalarian Dragon came flying into view and touched down on either side of the speedster duo. Twilight Sparkle used her horn to test out her magic, as she always did before battle. Spyro the Dragon cricked his neck in preparation, smoke furling from his nostrils.

The buzz of rocket boosters preceded the arrival of a golden Lombax wearing a blue Protosuit. As his sambaton-clad feet touched down, Ratchet summoned his Mega-Lancer to his hand, cocking it as he came.

From the top of a short apartment block, a grey Mobian Raccoon bearing a blue sweater and cap with a cane by a golden 'C' leapt nimbly down to join his friends. Normally, Sly Cooper kept to the shadows, but today, he was stepping into the light.

With the buzz of insectoid wings on her back, a teenage Human girl with black-blue hair, bluebell eyes and attired in a red and black-spotted bodysuit under red, pink and grey armour hovered in. Ladybug converted her yo-yo into the Ladyblades and twirled them expertly.

An X-Wing fighter swooped overhead. As it did so, the cockpit burst open and a cloaked figure sprang out. His hood came off to reveal a Human man with dark blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin and garbed in a black tunic, right glove and boots. Landing easily with his compatriots, Luke Skywalker cast off his cloak, his green lightsaber flashing to life.

One could almost hear the cheers, not just from the remaining civilians in the city, but also from around the world.

It was as the Syndicate had expected. The League of Freedom had come to try and stop them. Well, if they thought they had a chance, they were in for a big surprise!

The ships' cannons got ready to fire on the ground again, targeting the Freedom Eight. Next moment, however, they were rocked by a deluge of laser fire and various elemental attacks.

Various fighters - X-Wings, Y-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, the Millennium Falcon and the Ghost - accompanied by Dragons and Pegasi came soaring in to engage the fleet.

The troops charged towards the Freedom Eight, weapons raised for attack. The eight heroes all shared a nod. They all knew what they needed to do, and so did their team. The city had been evacuated. It was time to bring down the hammer of justice!

Sonic and Lilac, being speed demons, were the first to make their move. Linking arms, they leapt into the air and curled together into a sparkling blue and lilac ball.

They sent Stormtroopers flying like skittles in all directions. An Egg Cerberus received a swift three-way decapitation.

Egg Pawns and Badniks tried to get a look on the blue and lilac comet. Suddenly, one 'bot's arm fell off. Another's head detached with a clunk. Next moment, all of the bots literally went in pieces, their bolts having been removed.

The two speedsters landed nimbly, in the centre of a hoard of shadow Troopers. All of them had their lightsabers out, ready to strike.

Sonic and Lilac glanced briefly at each other as they put their backs to each other. They shared a wink and drew their lightsabers.

The shadow Troopers swarmed them.

Blue, violet and red blades clashed all over the place. The Hedgehog and Dragoness were like smoke. Their blades, hands and feet were a mind-numbing blur. Troopers unleashed blasts of lightning or telekinetic waves that ripped up the road. Hilts were twisted out of hands and sent flying through the air. More than once, a blue ball or sparkling comet bounced between Troopers, knocking them out or disarming them.

Meanwhile, Twilight, Spyro and Ladybug all took flight again, to form the second wave.

Ladybug linked her Ladyblades together. Twilight and Spyro charged a blade each, Twilight with cryogenic fire and Spyro with electricity and light.

Ladybug threw her elementally-charged double sword like a boomerang. Jump Troopers, Changelings, Moth Drones and Hover bots were either simultaneously frozen and burnt, or vaporised in flashes of light.

Spyro and Twilight went back-to-back. Grublin Flies and Wyverns swarmed towards them in a cloud of living earth from all sides.

The two purple heroes fought earth with fire! Linking arms, they pivoted around in the air shooting jets of fire in all directions. Twilight's fire was mixed with ice and magic; Spyro's with electricity and light. Ash and embers floated down.

A Pegasus and a Gun Flapper advanced on them next. Twilight kicked the Flapper away with her hoof. It shot bullets everywhere. Spyro did a Horn Dive at the Pegasus. It hit the ground with a thud and turned back into a Changeling.

Back on the ground, Luke, Sly and Ratchet were facing Purge Troopers, Blade Elites, Ninja bots and elephant mutant guards.

The three shared a nod, and charged.

The Purge Troopers opened fire. The Jedi, Thief and Ranger scattered in different directions. Ratchet returned fire with his Mega Lancer. When the Troopers defended with energy shields, Ratchet summoned his Plasma Coil and fired at their legs. The hulking droids spasmed and jerked.

Sly leapt and somersaulted around the strikes of the Ninja bots. A few were tricked into hitting each other by mistake. An Elephant mutant tried to get the drop on the Raccoon with its trunk. Sly simply skipped to one side, and the trunk smashed through several bots.

Luke carved through a Blade Elite, and then slammed it with the Force. It careened backwards into its fellows. The Jedi threw his lightsaber with a graceful arc. It decapitated a few Elephant mutants, including the one Sly had dodged.

As more troops came at them, Luke deactivated his lightsaber and threw it to Ratchet. Ratchet in turn tossed Luke his Constructo Pistol. Without breaking step, the Lombax then tossed Sly his Ricochet and his Omniwrench. The Raccoon in turn tossed Luke his Cane.

Ratchet whirled to face a Cragmite hunter that has warped himself right behind the Lombax. Igniting Luke's lightsaber, Ratchet cleaved the Cragmite's head in half before it could fire. It burst into three Cragpoles. Before they could do more than snarl, the Lombax shot the Cragpoles right in the faces with his Dual Vipers.

Sly threw down a smoke bomb. The Moth Drones and ZhiZhui were left coughing and confused. Sly fired the Ricochet. The shot bounced from one drone to the next, felling some and injuring others. The latter, Sly brought down with powerful swings of the Wrench.

Luke's next lot were Dark Troopers. He'd dealt with them before. Force-crushing one, he then charged the Cane with electricity and threw it. Dark Troopers staggered into each other, their circuits frying. One tried to attack Luke from behind. But its fist went right through him. The Jedi Master blew it back with the Force.

As Sonic and Lilac stepped triumphantly above dead or unconscious Troopers, the ground began to shake. Next moment, Egg Hammers, All-Terrain Armoured Troopers (AT-ATs), Drophyd Enforcers, Hero Orcs, Guard Bots, and Shadow Guards were advancing from all sides. To cap this off, Metal Sonic descended from above to join the fray. His metallic muzzle was twisted in a wicked grin.

The Freedom Eight just braced themselves. They could handle this! And so could their friends!


Team 1, Tundratown

Artificially-created snow swirled through the air. A chill wind bit hard on exposed skin, threatening to rub it raw. The fresh smell of snow was mixed with the scent of ozone and charred flesh.

The green blade of a lightsaber cut the air around General Rahm Kota as he put a burning canyon in the torsos of three mutants. He inverted his blade to impale a Changeling through the neck right behind him. Kota's blade clashed with the swords of a ZhiZhui, dodging thrusts from the blades he didn't intercept. He slammed it right in the chest with telekinesis. A Cragmite Warrior tried to teleport right behind him. Kota pivoted and sliced his arms off, before head-butting him hard.

An Egg Pawn took aim at Kota's back with its gun. Luckily for Kota, the robot abruptly received a hard right-side kick to the face by the high-heeled boot of Rouge the Bat. Its head flew clean off. Using her wings, the Bat continued this kick straight into the torso of a SnowTrooper. The breath was knocked from his lungs. The Bat twisted the blaster from his hand, and then slammed his helmeted head to the ground. She then gunned down a few Moth Drones who went at her.

Purple claws slashed through the cold air, as Tigresse Pourpre swiped at Drophyds and SnowTroopers around her. She threw a handful of snow at the face of a mutant. Tigresse then punched it in the stomach and pushed it back on top of two SnowTroopers.

A ZhiZhui took a flying leap towards her, its swords raised. Tigresse heard it coming. She turned the gem on her right wrist to it. In a flash, it became a duplicate of her. It cried in confusion. Tigresse caught her duplicate's foot in her Bolas and swung it around like a ball and chain. Troopers and Cragmites were knocked over like cans at an amusement park stand.

Commander Torque and Elora the Faun were back-to-back. Both were firing shots in every direction - Torque with his Laser Blaster, and Elora with her longbow. Rouge flew down to join them, letting her acquired blaster fly. A Trooper fell, a smoking hole in his head. A ZhiZhui lost one of its arms.

The sound of clanking footsteps reached the ears of Rouge and Elora even over the wind and laser fire. Egg Pawns and Purge Troopers were charging at them, shields prepped.

The three heroes exchanged looks. Rouge drew a Bomb. Torque summoned his Grenade Launcher and set to 'Buster', type 'Flame'. Elora closed her eyes and chanted. The wind picked up, swirling up the snow. The 'bots kept coming, despite being blinded.

Torque and Rouge sent their Bombs flying. There was an explosion of fire. When Elora ceased her chanting, almost the entire squad was done. Only two Pawns and one Purge kept coming. Elora simply pressed her hand to the ground. Icy vines sprang up and caught up the 'bots, tearing them apart.

Firing from the sky heralded the coming of Flappers, Buzzbombers, Hover bots and Tachyon Gunships.

Kota looked round at their sound, but his blind eyes were no help. And neither was his Force Sight.

Torque set his gun to 'Flyer' and the type to 'Wood'. He sent a green boomerang spinning through the air. Several of the flying machines exploded. But more came in their place.

Elora looked round at Kota. She knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and chanted again.

Next moment, Kota was able to tell where the flyers were. He nodded at Elora in thanks.

Holstering his lightsaber on his back, the General cocooned himself in a Force shield. He lifted several pieces of debris. Torque, Elora and Tigresse jumped up onto larger debris. Rouge took flight again, more bombs prepped.

Kota began to throw the debris in chunks. Torque, Elora and Tigresse went up with them. Rouge flew up with them at high speed.

The debris smashed into the flying machines. The Commander, Faun and Miraculous wielder leapt at their enemies. Torque shot at a Hover bot at point-blank range. Elora slammed her hoof into a Drophyd. The glass orb containing it shattered. Tigresse swung her Bolas in a long arc, smashing through the Badniks. Rouge flung her bombs in all directions, and then, did a spinning kick.

The four heroes landed gracefully. Kota smiled at them with pride.

The snow-covered ground began to shudder. An AT-AT, an Egg Camel, a Heavy Egg Hammer, several Guard bots and Drophyd Enforcers and a Whale mutant were advancing on them.

Rouge and Tigresse signalled to their allies. Torque, Elora and Kota immediately dived back, covering their ears.

Next moment, the two ladies unleashed an ultrasonic blast. The very air itself was shaken to its atoms. It is said that the blast could be heard across the city.

The bots' aural circuits were overwhelmed by the reception, causing their brains to crash. The men piloting the AT-AT felt their eardrums shatter, even as the walker was knocked into its fellow. Drophyd orbs burst apart and their bodies were either pulverised or frozen by the whirl of snow that was thrown by the blast. Even the whale was blown away, colliding with an office block and collapsing, dazed and confused.

Tigresse and Rouge relaxed, panting a little. Their comrades, their eardrums still mercifully intact, patted them approvingly on the backs.

A maniacal laugh echoed across the snowy landscape. The team looked up to see Doctor Radius Nefarious hovering down towards them through the snow.

Instinctively, Torque and Elora took aim and fired at him. The former Androx simply raised his shield to block them, sniggering mockingly.

Kota reignited his lightsaber. Rouge and Tigresse wiped sweat from their brows. Elora and Torque readied themselves for attack.

Nefarious charged down towards them. The heroes scattered. The robot scientist landed with an ominous boom.

Nefarious readied his wrist-mounted cannons. However, this meant lowering his shields. The five heroes were quick to capitalise on this. Two bombs, a bolas, a swirl of snow and a lightsaber came flying towards the mad scientist.

Nefarious batted away the bombs and the bolas. The snow was more a nuisance than anything else. He unsheathed a blade on his wrist and swatted the lightsaber in another direction.

However, it quickly turned out to all be a diversion. Kota, Torque, Rouge, Tigresse and Elora all came at Nefarious from different directions.

Rouge slammed her high-heeled boot into Nefarious' face. He retaliated with a blast of energy from his hand. It narrowly missed.

Kota kicked out at Nefarious' leg, just as Torque and Tigresse grabbed him around the torso. Nefarious buckled, but endured. He took a swipe at Kota with his claws. A scratch was left on the back of Kota's cuirass. Nefarious then got a scratch of his own on the chest from Tigresse, just as Torque shot at him at point-blank range. The robot also got a blast of ice-cold water in the face-plate, courtesy of Elora. While it didn't cause any malfunctions, it did annoy Nefarious significantly. He unleashed a blast of missiles and sent copies of himself in all directions. This got Torque and Tigresse off him.

Kota came at him again, his lightsaber back in his hands. Nefarious countered with his own blade. Torque hit him in the back of the head with a Metal Bomb. The scientist staggered forward. Kota caught him with a Force Push straight in the torso.

Nefarious tried to respond with more energy blasts. But his aim was off. He was instead sent flying into a drift by a blast of magic from Elora.

For a moment, Dr Nefarious seemed defeated. But then, he got to his feet, shaking snow off himself and snarling fury.

The team simply beckoned him on. They all knew Doctor Nefarious would only give in to squishies when he was scrap!


Team 2, Rainforest District

Rain dripped from the thick canopy. Animals shrieked and dived for cover, as blaster fire ripped through the stuffy air.

Scout Troopers, Pawns and Cragmites were taking pot shots through the trees. Their shots blew chunks of wood from the trees and caused wet plants to smoke profusely.

Shadow the Hedgehog poked his head from behind a thick trunk. He took aim with his Shadow Rifle and pulled the trigger. A Cragmite Hunter burst apart into three smaller creatures in a shower of green blood. Angela Cross and Hunter felled them with sniper shots and arrows.

One of the scout Troopers drew a bazooka, and took aim. Before she could pull the trigger, however, something rose unexpectedly from her shadow; or rather, somepony.

The black Alicorn filly kicked out hard, getting the scout square in the face. The helmet's visor cracked. The scout collapsed.

Her fellows tried to shoot the filly. But she simply shadow-melded away in a heartbeat. Suddenly, Nyx Sparkle popped up again on the other side of the group, this time with Spike the Dragon at her side. An Egg Pawn and Cragmite got a face full of emerald fire. The rest were blinded by a flash of bright light from Nyx's horn. Shadow, Hunter and Angela were quick to exploit the opening.

Without warning, the temperature began to drop. The smell of carbonite filled the air. The clanking of heavy footsteps reached the group's ears.

Carbonite war droids were petrifying the trees! Armed with massive shields, the massive walkers were exploiting the general dampness. Frozen trees were smashed aside or crushed. Behind them, Imperial riot Troopers, Protoguards, Mutants and ZhiZhui marched, shielded by the massive clankers.

Hunter and Angela shot at them. But the droids blocked with their massive shields.

It was time to go close quarters. The team charged at the droids. Nyx lit her horn, enveloped some of the shields, and either crushed them or hit the droids at them.

Angela took out two homemade bombs. She lobbed one each at two droids. The moment the bombs detonated against the shields, rust spread rapidly across them. They crumbled away into piles of iron oxide.

Shadow the Hedgehog leapt forward. Curling into a Spin Dash, he slammed into the nearest droid. It staggered back and tried to freeze him in place with its carbonite-sprayer. Shadow threw a Chaos Spear at the droid's elbow. The sprayer was sliced off. The droid and a second standing next to it were sprayed with carbonite, freezing them in their tracks. The black Hedgehog shattered them with another Spin Dash.

Nyx merged with her shadow to dodge a blast of carbonite. She slithered up onto the droid itself. Confused, the droid tried to hit her by slamming its left fist onto its chassis. All that did was knock itself over. Nyx returned to three dimensions to lift another droid with her magic and crush it like tinfoil. She threw the crumpled ball at two more droids. They collapsed onto troops standing behind them.

Spike, Hunter and Angela went for the troops themselves. Spike roasted a ZhiZhui with his fire. Unfortunately, it proved more resilient than expected and took a swipe at him with its swords. Fortunately, the blade just bounced off Spike's hard scales. Grinning, the small Dragon thrust his stun baton into the ZhiZhui's stomach. Angela finished it with a shot to the head.

Riot Troopers ran at Spike. Hunter jumped in to help. Spike dropped a smoke bomb to confuse them. The two grabbed the nearest Trooper's electro-staff and wrested it away from him. Spike downed the Trooper with his fire. Hunter zapped another with his new weapon. He threw an arrow into another's helmet, piercing his eye. The Cheetah drew his bow. He and Spike fixed the staff to the string and let it fly. The staff skewered a mutant Elephant in the chest.

Summoning her hover board, Angela flew out of reach of a mutant Elephant swinging its trunk at her. She threw a bomb down at it. The mutant swatted it away with its long nose. It instead exploded on two ZhiZhui and a Trooper. They shrieked in pain as angry red marks burst into life across the rock-like skin of the ZhiZhui.

Before the mutant and some Protoguards could fire at Angela, Nyx flew up to her. The black Alicorn channelled some magic into another bomb. Angela then threw it. There was a flash of purple light. The mutant and Protoguards were turned into sheep. Spike roasted them with his fire. Angela and Nyx did a fist-hoof bump.

Shadow sped at another mutant Elephant. He jumped up and delivered several punches and kicks to its face, all at high speeds. Hunter finished it with an arrow to the head.

Shadow warped over to a riot Trooper. He kicked him hard in the back of the head. Nyx seized him in her magic and slammed him against a tree.

Nyx blinded a ZhiZhui with darkness. Spike closed in and got him with his stun baton. The surrogate siblings high-fived.

Angela took out a Protoguard with a Sniper Rifle. Unfortunately, an Elephant managed to hit her hover-board. The female Lombax fell off. But as she fell, she just managed to squeeze off the trigger, getting the Elephant in the chest. Hunter caught Angela before she hit the ground.

The team looked around. That had been the last enemy. The rain had stopped. All was quiet and still.

Without warning, an unnatural darkness fell. The humid air turned suddenly cold and biting. Ethereal voices echoed from everywhere and nowhere. The rainforest itself rippled and twisted.

The team readied themselves for a renewed attack. They looked round in all directions.

Three figures stood nearby. One was instantly recognisable as Twilight Sparkle. The other two were a Human girl with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, and a Lombax woman who looked a lot like Angela.

The heroes paused. What was this? How were Maria Kintobor and Lorna Cross here when they were dead? Why was Twilight here? And why did she staring coldly at Spike and Nyx?

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. Maria collapsed to the ground, fatally injured. Shadow gasped in horror.

A dark mass made of purple-black clouds arose behind Twilight and Lorna. From the top, appeared Ripto, his scaled muzzle twisted with malice. Hunter cowered. That Riptoc was back again!

Twilight and Lorna tried to flee. Smoky tentacles extended and grabbed them. Spike and Angela tried to run forward, but they couldn't. Their legs had turned to stone! They could only watch as Twilight and Lorna were hauled towards an opening maw full of sharp teeth.

The only one who wasn't overly affected was Nyx. Though she had winced at the sight of the Nightmare grabbing her mother, she shook her head. This couldn't be real! It had to be a trick!

A burst of magic streamed from her horn. The vision, for that was what it was rippled and dissipated. Upon this realisation, Shadow snarled in anger. Spike, Hunter and Angela looked relieved

King Sombra emerged from the shadows, his red and green eyes illuminated eerily with purple mist. Dark magic swirled from his horn. A twisted grin split his face. A long scythe formed in his hands, dark energy glowing along its edge.

Angela backed off. So did Hunter. This was primarily a job for Shadow, Nyx and Spike.

Shadow fingered his inhibitor rings. Sombra was a formidable adversary, but the black Hedgehog resolved to only take the rings off as a last resort. Instead, he drew his lightsaber and positioned himself ready, with his blade angled down at his side.

Nyx formed a weapon of her own with her magic. She wasn't going to allow Sombra to tear them apart, either physically or mentally.

Spike drew a Crystal sword from his belt. It was time to prove his worth and do his duty as Saviour of the Crystal Empire.

Sombra raised his scythe and beckoned.


Team 3, Meadowlands

The low grass in the eponymous leas seemed to shiver under the imposing battleships overhead. The smell of pollen and sounds of running water seemed almost to mock the terrorists decimating the area.

Two motorbikes roared through the streets of Meadowlands. One was a red bike, ridden by Carol the Wildcat and Porcelet. The other was an aerodynamic pink bike with purple highlights, ridden by Sonia the Hedgehog and Talwyn Apogee. Rotor Walrus flew above them, clad in his Iron Suit.

Behind them, Moto-Bugs and Scout Troopers on speeder bikes roared in hot pursuit. Laser bolts fired after the heroes.

Talwyn and Rotor shot back at their pursuers. Porcelet sent smoke bombs from her Fragrance gun. But the stench wasn't enough to stop the chase. One Moto-Bug got a puncture in its tyre. It wobbled, tipped over and tumbled along the road. A speeder bike collided with it. The scout riding was thrown up into the air.

As the chase continued, Robo-Falcons joined in from above. As Carol and Sonia took evasive action, Rotor ascended to deal with the newcomers. The Walrus punched one Falcon hard in the face. Then he grabbed it and flung it into another. He fired upon a third and body slammed a fourth. Rotor ripped a Falcon's head off and kicked it hard at the last, destroying it.

On the ground, a Moto-Bug and a speeder bike had caught up to Carol and Sonia, drawing alongside them. However, this was what the girls wanted to happen.

Porcelet reached out, opened her mouth wide and tore the Moto-Bug's head off with her teeth. Carol then slashed out at it with her claws, ripping straight through the hard metal. The Moto-Bug fell to the ground in pieces. The two ladies fist-bumped as Porcelet chewed up the robot's head.

Talwyn leapt at the speeder bike. The Markazian pushed the Trooper off the seat. She grabbed the handles and took control. Turning the handles sharply, Talwyn swung the speeder around in a long graceful arc. Soon, she was behind the enemy. She opened fire at them. Three bikes and four Moto-Bugs were destroyed instantly. But some had been wise enough to copy Talwyn's U-turn, and were still behind her, firing after the Markazian.

Talwyn simply banked to the left. Porcelet was revealed. The pig-themed hero opened her mouth and unleashed a blast of energy. At the same time, Sonia extended a free hand. Talwyn flew clear with her jetpack as the speeder bike disassembled itself. The pieces flew back towards the Moto-Bugs and scouts. Combined with the energy blast, they became confused. In their attempt to dodge, they collided with each other. There was a massive explosion.

Talwyn landed back on Sonia's bike. But as the ladies and Rotor looked ahead, they saw a roadblock ahead. Two All-Terrain Scout Transports (AT-STs) dominated the scene. Around their feet were several Imperial Saber Guards, Shade Elites, Moth Drones, Drophyd Troopers and E-2000s.

Sonia simply grinned. All enemy metal might be demagnetized, but the metal on her bike wasn't.

She accelerated at the roadblock, dodging gunfire from the AT-STs as she went. The Princess looked back at Talwyn and nodded. The Markazian flew clear, just as Sonia's bike disassembled into its component pieces. In a second, the bike had become a swarm of flying metal, with the orchid Hedgehog in the centre, who drew her keyboard.

The Saber Guards and E-2000s flew out of the way. Their comrades weren't so lucky. The flying debris tore through the Elites, Drones and Drophyds like bullets from a machine gun. Some were finished off by shots from Sonia's keyboard.

Strangely, the AT-STs were missed. But the Troopers inside them didn't have to wait to learn why.

Carol and Porcelet came flying at the AT-ST on their left, having just gone up a ramp of metal, courtesy of Sonia. Porcelet extended her rake. Carol sent the bike into a forward spin.

The AT-ST's cabin crumpled on impact as the two girls smashed through. The other walker tried to get at them with its twin blaster cannons. But no sooner were they clear of the smashed cabin, than Carol used the momentum to throw her bike in a manner similar to her disc, just as she and Porcelet turned upside down in the air. The motorcycle-turned-projectile crashed into the cabin with enough force to make it overbalance. It toppled over backwards and hit the ground with a heavy thud!

Sonia, Rotor and Talwyn had now engaged the Saber Guards and E-2000s. Sonia deftly parried strikes and jabs from the Guards with her lightsaber. A robot attempted to fire at her from behind. Sonia threw a hard jab into its cannon. The E-2000 blocked with its shield. Sonia instead punched it in the chassis, just as Rotor punched it from behind.

Sonia grabbed the shield. Rotor grabbed the 'bot and flung it into two more guards.

Talwyn fired at a Guard with her blaster. He blocked the shot. But this was what Talwyn wanted. Next moment, an E-2000 took aim at Talwyn's back. She ducked the blast, and it hit the Guard instead full in the face.

Talwyn grabbed one of the fallen Guard's lightsabers, and decapitated the 'bot behind her. Rotor kicked the head towards a second Guard. He added a shot from his wrist cannons for extra punch.

Porcelet employed her rake like a quarterstaff against a Guard. She parried blows with ease, before slamming the blunt end into his face. His visor cracked, the Guard jabbed out with one of his blades. Porcelet opened her mouth and literally swallowed his blade. Before the Guard could do more than gape in shock, he and an E-2000 behind him were blasted in the face with a burst of energy from the girl's mouth.

Carol leapt over to Porcelet. Grabbing onto the rake, the Wildcat was swung about by Porcelet, her claws extended. Guards and robots fell, scratch marks gouged deep into them.

Sonia butted a Guard in the face with her newly acquired shield. Talwyn shot him in the back. Rotor blasted an E-2000 full in the face. He then used the legs to bludgeon another Guard. Porcelet flung Carol at the last E-2000. The Wildcat sliced the 'bot cleanly in half with her claws.

Just as the team stood back to admire their teamwork, Carol's whiskers and fur bristled. She looked round, and, hissing angrily, pointed.

Lord Arktivus Brevon sat within the cockpit of his personal starship, the Absolution. His blood-red eyes gleamed with sadistic glee. His grin gave one clear message: Stand aside or suffer the consequences!

Talwyn and Rotor reloaded their weapons. Sonia reassembled her bike. Porcelet brandished her rake; and Carol, her claws.

Brevon just smiled. He honestly preferred it this way.

The four-legged Absolution took off and unleashed a flurry of missiles. Rotor and Talwyn soared upward. Sonia and Carol belted on their bikes, Porcelet with them. The missiles impacted all over the place, blowing up rock and mud.

Brevon brought the Absolution around in a wide arc, building momentum. It came charging towards the bike riders at full speed. They veered in opposite directions. The Absolution landed with a ground-crashing thud.

Rotor and Talwyn pelted the craft with laser shots. Brevon just laughed as their shots glanced uselessly off the hard metal. That is, until one shot managed to strike one of the leg joints. The Absolution staggered slightly.

Before Brevon could react any further, Sonia, Carol and Porcelet came at him again. Sonia pummelled his craft with her dismantled bike. Carol left deep scratches with her claws. Porcelet whacked at it with her rake.

Snarling, Brevon made the Absolution take off again, hoping to throw the heroes off. But they proved more resilient than he had expected.

As the Absolution soared over the Meadowlands, Rotor and Talwyn in hot pursuit, Sonia and Carol met Brevon's ominous, bloody glare.

Most would be instantly cowed by such a gaze.

Sonia Hedgehog and Carol Tea just grinned.


Team 4, Sahara Square

The arid air rippled with heat. The sand scorched under foot. Even with the giant heaters deactivated in wake of the attack, the temperature remained relatively high.

Carapace, Ahsoka Tano, Commander Tower, Sheila the Kangaroo and Amy Rose were all aware that they were sweating profusely. They were sure their enemies were trying to drive them into collapsing from dehydration.

Carapace found himself wishing his Miraculous outfit didn't come with a hood. Even with the heat power-up mitigating the heat, the hood wasn't helping. He threw his shield like a boomerang at the ZhiZhui surrounding him. He drew his bubble wand and fired red suds at Grublins. They exploded like mines, scattering earth and rock across the sands. Recalling his shield to his hand, Carapace whacked a Desert StormTrooper in the face with it, hard enough to crack his helmet. When another fired at Carapace with her RT-97C heavy blaster rifle, the teen deflected the shot towards a Sandworm that had just burst from the sand.

Amy Rose swung her large Piko-Piko Hammer at a Shade Elite. It went flying into the air. It flew several metres and smashed into a nearby building. Several Sith Acolytes sent Force Waves at Amy. She slammed her Hammer down, propelling herself into the air, and then swung her Hammer around rapidly to levitate herself. She dodged the blasts of lightning from the Acolytes. Once she was above one of them, Amy brought her Hammer crashing down on the ground in front of him. He flew into the air.

Sheila the Kangaroo bounded up and kicked him hard towards his comrades. They managed to redirect the Human projectile away from them. When the Acolytes sent more Force blasts, Carapace jumped in and defended them. Using his wand, Carapace encased Amy and Sheila in protective bubbles. Nodding in thanks, the two bounced the bubbles high into the air. Amy and Sheila literally bounced off the heads of the Acolytes, the Force attacks deflecting off the bubbles. Sometimes, Amy swung her hammer and Sheila punched out, for extra wallop. The Acolytes collapsed one after another, dazed. The Hedgehog and Kangaroo dropped the last one together, slamming him into the sand up to his neck.

As their bubbles popped, Amy and Sheila saw Badniks swarming from all sides. Amy signalled to Carapace. She raised her Hammer. Carapace nodded. Sheila also caught Amy's drift. The pink Hedgehog and Kangaroo ran at the Turtle-themed hero. Carapace knelt down, his shield held up. As enemies closed around them, Amy and Sheila jumped up high. They slammed down on the shield, Amy with her Hammer, Sheila with her feet. There was a loud, ringing 'PIKO!' A wave of energy was released in all directions. The Badniks were flung into the air. The sand was littered with piles of robot parts. Carapace, Sheila and Amy fist-bumped.

Ahsoka Tano was surrounded by a whirlwind of white energy. The Togruta's blades sliced through several Drophyd defenders in quick succession. A sentry snapped with her with his pincers. But the hollow montrals around Ahsoka's head sensed him coming. She ducked his pincers, reversed her right-hand blade and thrust it into the Drophyd's chest. The Drophyd's metal body exploded, expelling the fish-like alien from his container. Ahsoka threw him towards an enforcer advancing on her. The enforcer was briefly blinded when his fellow smacked into his face. This left him open to Ahsoka throwing her lightsabers like boomerangs. The white blades sliced through the enforcer's leg joints. The body thumped into the sand, crushing several Drophyds beneath it.

Commander Tower sat within the cockpit of his personal mech, Diablon. He swiped at several Purge Troopers, smashing them to pieces. Saber Guards leapt at the mech, their blades raised. Tower took aim and fired with Diablon's wrist cannons. The Guards were caught in mid-air and blown to bits. An Egg Hammer swung its weapon at Tower. Diablon grabbed the Hammer and used it to swing the robot away. A Nefarious Guard bot advanced on the Commander. It locked hands with Diablon and the two engaged in a grapple. Their hover jets were pushed nearly to their limits as each tried to overcome the other. Eventually, Tower broke the stalemate by using Diablon's head laser to melt the Guard bot's head.

All of a sudden, the temperature began to get, impossible as it seemed, even hotter. It soon became apparent why. Flame-Troopers and Protoguards equipped with flame throwers were advancing all around them. The sand was blackening at their feet.

One aimed a long-range thrower at the heroes. Ahsoka leapt forward and raised a hand. The flames were dispersed harmlessly. The Togruta closed her fist. The flame thrower's barrel was crushed. But it was still only one weapon disabled.

As if things couldn't get more serious, AT-STs came striding towards the group, as did Hero Orcs and Elephant mutants. The chicken walkers took aim and opened fire.

Carapace quickly raised his Shell-ter around Sheila, Amy and Ahsoka, who had gathered around him. Tower activated Diablon's own shield. The shots pinged off the defences. Still, these wouldn't hold them forever. Tower looked at his allies. They nodded. It was time to bring out the big guns; or rather, the big explosion!

Lowering his shields, Tower pressed a few buttons that released the energy reserves pent up in Diablon. In seconds, the electromagnetic generators were fully charged. A moment later, a blast of energy was released in all directions. The Flame-Troopers and Protoguards were atomized. The AT-STs were blown over backwards, smashing on the sand. The Hero Orcs tried to avoid by diving into the sand, but didn't quite make it.

Satisfied, Carapace lowered his Shell-ter. Amy smirked tauntingly down at the body of a Flame-Trooper and pulled a face. She kept her Hammer ready, just in case.

Without warning, a wave of immense heat swept over the pink Hedgehog. She dived back as a shot of fire blasted the sand, leaving a smouldering line of molten glass.

Red, the Dragon Elder turned Dark Sorcerer of Fire, glided towards them. Smoke furled from his nostrils.

Amy, Carapace and Sheila groaned internally. They just had to throw another flame-thrower at them!

Tower aimed Diablon's cannons at Red and fired. Red simply blew a little flame and waved his staff. Next moment, the little flame transformed into a monstrous creature made entirely of flame. The missiles flying at it simply melted the moment they made contact.

The group scattered as the flame creature swooped towards them, turning more of the sand into molten glass. Ahsoka extended a hand towards the creature, took it in the Force, and after a few moments, the flames dissipated. But the Togruta was now breathing heavily.

Red raised an eyebrow, his paw extended. Would his enemies yield?

Having quickly fed Wayzz, Carapace stood ready with Amy and Sheila. Ahsoka raised her lightsabers. Tower re-commenced Diablon's energy charges. That was their answer.

Red shrugged. It was their funeral.

The first thing he did was extend a hand towards Diablon. The next thing Tower knew, the mech's energy levels shot into overload. Red lights began flashing. The temperature became like that of an oven turned up to maximum.

Tower quickly slammed the eject button. He shot out of the mech just in time, and his team-mates ran for cover, as Diablon exploded.

Sniggering, Red waved his staff. The explosion quickly reshaped itself into another fearsome creature of flame; this time, a cockatrice. It reared high, let loose a blood-curdling shriek and flew after the heroes. Red himself also pursued, shooting streams of flame from his snout as he went.

Even as they ran, Carapace and Ahsoka deflecting the shots of fire, the heroes weren't deterred. Fire always had its limits, and they were prepared to throw a dose of cold water on Red's excitement.


Team 5, Gazelle's mansion

In the grounds of a relatively modest mansion, several mutants and Changelings were trying to apprehend the residents: Gazelle and her four Tiger friends and co-dancers. The key word is 'trying'. Gazelle was overwhelming their senses with loud music and vocalising blaring from speakers. She wasn't all looks and voice. And her four Tiger co-dancers, all wearing earplugs, were mauling the intruders with their claws and fangs.

Yet, some troops were managing to endure the music and onslaught. Reinforcements had already been called in. They wouldn't be bested by a singer and her Kitties!

Fortunately for the 'singer and her Kitties', their tactics served their purpose as stalling, while their own back-up arrived.

Sirens cut through the air, even above the loud music. Next moment, with a loud crash, two police trucks burst through the gates and screeched to a halt nearby. The Changelings and Mutants looked round surreptitiously.

The driver's door on the first truck opened, and a robotic leg ending in an organic-looking paw stepped out, followed by a cyborg Doe with grey fur and matching-colour armour with white and purple highlights, and a purple eye gleaming through the crack in the visor covering her face - Lieutenant Judy Hopps. She was followed by a Red Fox with armoured police attire - Detective Nick Wilde - and an azure Tomcat with full-body Knight's armour - Thomas Holmes. Then, the back doors of the van sprang open and the Chaotix Detective Agency sprang out. Inspector Carmelita Fox jumped from the cab of the second truck, her Shock Pistol primed. Armed G.U.N. soldiers and police burst from the back.

As Gazelle and her Tigers ran for cover, the mutants and Changelings opened fire at them, with guns in the case of the mutants, or magic in the case of the Changelings.

The police, soldiers and Freedom Fighters sheltered behind the trucks. Judy, however, stood her ground. Laser bolts and magic bursts ricocheted off her body like milk duds.

The cyborg Doe calmly advanced on the enemy. Even shots to the joints didn't make her break step. She took aim at several mutant Alligators and fired in quick succession. The minions fell over backwards, bleeding holes in their brows.

Some armoured mutants advanced on Judy as she reloaded, aiming to avenge their comrades. But before they'd gotten two steps, they suddenly staggered. Cuts appeared on their legs, even though it seemed nothing had touched them. Their armour seemed to fly off their bodies. The police and soldiers, seeing their opening, darted out and unleashed a hail of bullets and shock blasts. Several creatures were felled instantly.

But the rest were saved by the timely arrival of Field Stormtroopers and Dark Troopers. They burst through the garden walls, firing relentlessly at the gunmen, who quickly dived back for cover.

Judy, of course, weathered their shots and returned fire. She was quickly joined by Thomas Holmes, fully protected by his armour. The azure Cat deflected stun shots with his lightsaber-sword hybrid. When a Dark Trooper charged forward, it was instantly dismantled and reformed into a new firearm for Thomas. He and Judy sent a hail of gun and blaster fire at their enemies. This drove the Troopers back significantly, allowing their allies to advance forward and close the distance.

One Changeling tried to match Judy strength-for-strength by assuming her form. He charged at her and threw a punch. Judy caught it deftly. There was a loud crack. Howling in pain, the Changeling was defenceless against a blast of fire from Vector's snout.

Other Changelings tried to confuse the soldiers and police by pretending to be comrades, or Gazelle, or her Tiger friends. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't fool Charmy Bee. The excitable Mobian Insect slammed his sting into them, piercing their chitin and slamming them to the ground.

Ray the Flying Squirrel swooped over the fight, giving various gunmen lifts across the battleground. All the while, he dodged shots and blaster fire, and delivered swift kicks to enemy heads.

When several Changelings flew at Ray and Charmy, the two linked hands. They flew in a tight circle very fast. The emotion-craving insects were thrown back.

Vector leapt into the air, brought his hands together and came slamming down on top of an Elephant mutant. He went back-to-back with Judy and Mighty, punching and kicking any Trooper, mutant or Changeling foolish enough to go near them. Mighty grabbed two Dark Troopers and slammed them together like fly swatters. Vector seized a mutant in his jaws and flung into a nearby wall with enough force to shatter it. Judy took a big bound into the air and slammed her feet onto a Dark Trooper, burying it up to its optics.

A mutant Cobra unleashed a blast of energy from his mouth. Vector countered with his own sonic shriek, resulting in destructive interference (meaning they cancelled each other, for those who don't get it). The equilibrium was broken when Nick Wilde got the Cobra square in the eyes with pepper spray. The Cobra barely had time to clutch at his face with his paws, before Vector's sonic wave blew them back into a mutant Elephant.

Espio the Chameleon phased into sight next to a Field Trooper. Briefly startled, the latter threw a punch at the ninja. Espio deftly evaded the punch, and the next few the Trooper attempted. Eventually, he caught the Trooper's arm and twisted it. There was a snap. Before the Trooper could cry out, Espio's foot caught him in the stomach. He then hefted the Trooper over his head and threw him bodily into a horde of Changelings. Espio then expertly drew two of his shuriken and threw them in opposite directions. Two mutants who had been running at the ninja fell instantly.

One mutant Cobra managed to strike at someone invisible. Next moment, Thomas Holmes phased into sight. He collapsed, dazed. The mutant, seizing his chance, pounced on Thomas, pinning him to the ground and peeling off the Cat's helmet. Before anyone else could come to Thomas' aid, Gazelle came out of nowhere. She bucked the mutant hard in the side. He flew right off Thomas, and Mighty, curled into a ball, barrelled into the mutant hard enough to kill him. Thus was felled the last enemy.

Straightening his glasses, Thomas accepted Gazelle's hand to help him up. The azure Cat smiled gratefully at the popstar. Gazelle, though a little dazed, beamed in return.

Just as the boy bent down to pick up his helmet, however, a shot came out of nowhere. It hit Thomas square in the back. It ricocheted harmlessly off the boy's cuirass, but did send him forward into his face. He was knocked out.

Over the roof of the mansion came Doctor Maverick Sphinx, better known as Dr. M. He was attached into the collar of his massive mutant hybrid. It had the head of an Elephant Seal, long Sloth arms and the legs and tail of a Reptile. Cybernetic implants gleamed across its body that ensured Dr. M's control. So that was why Thomas had been incapacitated.

Judy, incensed at what happened to her old friend, reloaded her gun, as did the other officers and soldiers. Gazelle gathered up the unconscious boy, and ran for cover. At Judy's signal, the armed heroes opened fire.

Dr. M was protected by an energy shield. His mutant was not so lucky. It roared and shrieked as bullets and blaster bolts chewed into its flesh. Mighty and Vector ran forward. Vector clamped his jaws onto the mutant's arm. Mighty punched the creature hard in the knee. There was a loud crack.

The mutant howled in pain and rage. It slammed its fists into the ground repeatedly. The police and soldiers were shaken off their feet. Only Judy remained standing. She continued to fire at the mutant's face.

Suddenly, she was seized in one of the mutant's massive hands. Even with her cybernetic body, Judy struggled in the creature's crushing grip. If this thing crumpled her like tinfoil, she doubted even the combined effort of all the mechanical experts in the League could repair her.

Charmy Bee buzzed down in a blur of yellow, black and orange. He stung the chimeric mutant straight in the eye. The beast shrieked in agony. It dropped Judy and staggered backwards, dragging its broken leg.

Dr. M snarled. It would take more than pestilential heroes to stop him and his beauties!

Carmelita and Vector helped Judy to her feet again. They all caught M's gaze. Judy raised her gun, cocked and ready.

It was Dr. M's move. Dead or alive, they were bringing him in!


Team 6, Marshlands

The Marshlands were an area of freshwater wetland in the north-western region of the city. Usually, it was quiet and serene. The gentle whisper of water and soft chorus of Mobini creatures would radiate softly from all directions.

But right now, the waters were constantly rippling as robots, Troopers, mutants and creepy-crawly creatures advanced.

Rarity, also known as Radiance, was standing on a diamond construct to keep her hooves out of the water. She wasn't getting her hooves wet. Her bracelets aglow, the white Unicorn formed a giant fist out of magic energy. It flicked away two Changelings that flew at her. It turned into a pair of scissors and snipped the head off a Grublin. Several Splitterbots each got hit by a diamond projectile, causing them to explode.

Swamp Troopers clad in green armour attempted to fire at Radiance. Their shots deflected harmlessly off more diamond shields. Radiance used her scissors to incapacitate them with nerve pinches. For the last Trooper, however, she changed his armour into embarrassing clothes. Going red, the Trooper scampered away.

Radiance didn't get much chance to snigger. A mutant Cobra hit her from behind with an oral blast of energy. This lifted Radiance off her platform. She landed in the marshy water in a heap. Dripping wet, slightly murky, and incensed, the beautiful Unicorn surged to her hooves and whirled on the Cobra. Next moment, a large missile materialized in front of Radiance and shot towards her assailant. The Cobra shrieked and ran for it.

Radiance glared after him. She was too distracted by what her hair and suit had been practically ruined to register that certain individuals were taking aim at her. Luckily for Radiance, Viperion had her back.

The snake-themed superhero shot out of the undergrowth. He wrapped his prehensile body around one of the invisible would-be attackers. The cry alerted Radiance, and as she looked round, the figure phased into sight. It was a Shadow Trooper, garbed all in black.

The Trooper managed to activate one of his flash grenades. A moment later, there was a blinding flash of light. Radiance and Viperion buckled, clutching at their faces, apparently blinded. As Viperion slid off his captive's body, he and his fellows primed their T-21 blaster rifles, ready to mow them down.

Just then, Sergeant James Byrd burst out of the water. The military Penguin slammed his helmeted head into the nearest Trooper. Said Trooper was knocked cold. Before her fellows could shoot Byrd, he dived back into the water. The elite squad scanned the water for tell-tale ripples.

Without warning, Viperion and Radiance sprang up. They had faked being blinded!

Of course, the Shadow Troopers weren't going down without a fight.

Radiance ducked a punch aimed at her neck. She tried to raise a shield, but the Trooper had clamped a magic neutraliser on her horn. In retaliation, Radiance grabbed his arm in her hooves and twisted it hard. The Trooper yelled in pain. Radiance threw him into his nearest comrade.

Viperion caught a vibroblade in his lyre and twisted it from a Trooper's grip. Another Trooper tackled him to the ground. Two more pounced on the boy. Viperion sank his sharpened fangs in a Trooper's leg. This made him slacken his grip. Viperion took advantage of this to slither free, narrowly avoiding a shot.

Byrd emerged from the water again. He fired a missile. The Troopers ducked it. One managed to disable Byrd's jetpack with a well-placed shot. Yet as he went down, Byrd managed to body-slam into the nearest soldier, tackling him to the ground. The Emperor Penguin then laced off another rocket towards more Troopers. It didn't actually hit anyone, but the explosion did blow them off balance. Radiance downed them with energy constructs shaped like rocks.

Murray Beaufort slammed his fists together, igniting flames on his gloves. He delivered a powerful right hook to an Egg Pawn. It exploded in a plume of flame, catching a few fellows in the process. He slammed his powerful belly into a Shade Elite. The Hippo bopped a ZhiZhui on the head, hoisted it bodily from the ground and threw it as a projectile. The arachnid creature slammed into an Egg Hammer, which toppled over with a loud splash.

A mutant Elephant made a running charge at Murray. The Hippo caught the mutated Pachyderm's outstretched hands and brought his charge to a halt. With his attention focussed on Murray, the mutant had only a second's warning. Brax Lectrus struck the mutant over the head from behind, stunning him. Murray lifted the Elephant off his feet for a powerbomb. Brax grabbed the mutant around the chin. Together, they slammed their opponent to the ground, dunking him hard into the water.

Several Protomantises and Sith War Droids lumbered towards the two big guys from all sides. Murray and Brax shared a wink. Brax summoned two weapons - a Leviathan Flail and a Peacemaker. Tossing the Flail over his shoulder to Murray, the Khegral hefted the Peacemaker onto his shoulder and let loose with rockets. Protomantises and Droids blew up spectacularly. Murray swung the Flail about in wide arcs. The ball struck its targets with tremendous force, sending 'bots smashing into their fellows. Any shots that did make through simply deflected off their strong armour.

Of course, they didn't have unlimited ammo. And even armour couldn't completely neutralise the impact of countless shots. Soon, both Murray and Brax had run their weapons dry. Brax tried to summon more, but the continuous fire was disrupting even his honed focus. The war bots were closing in. Murray drew in a deep breath and let loose a Guttural Roar that shook the bots to their rivets. But they weren't cowed.

Just then, a haunting tune started up. At once, the war bots stopped firing. They began to sway and dance, as if in a trance. Which they were. Viperion was strumming his lyre, his eyes having turned yellow with slits for pupils.

Radiance, Byrd, Brax and Murray snickered at how silly the war droids were looking. But they still had a job to do.

Radiance created various hand-held weapons that pierced, shot, cleaved or blew up random droids. Byrd blew up some more with his own rockets. Murray smashed in faceplates with powerful punches. Brax riddled the rest with various laser shots.

As the last droid fell, Viperion ended his musical number. Murray gave him an appreciative pat on the shoulder. The snake-themed boy smiled.

However, they soon found themselves faced by a new threat, in the form of Shock, the Dark Guardian of Poison. He emerged from the trees at the edge of the marsh, leaving sickly green stains where his massive paws had been.

Before any of them could react, Shock unleashed a blast of gas from his mouth that had a sweet, musty smell; like peaches.

At once, all five heroes quickly ducked down, covering their noses and mouths. Viperion's Snake Miraculous did grant immunity to poisons, but even he wasn't taking chances with nerve gas!

Radiance could hear Shock thundering towards them, hoping to exploit their lack of defence. Reacting quickly, she formed a barrier in front of them. The resultant, almost-immediate, thud told her she'd been just in time.

Radiance created fans to blow the gas away, before getting to her feet. Her teammates did likewise.

Shock, though still a little dazed, was undeterred.

Brax and Byrd fired at the traitorous Dragon; as does Radiance with energy-created guns. But he raised a shield composed of Poison to protect himself. And Shock didn't stop there. A wave of Poison began to spread across the marshland. Grass withered. Flowers shrivelled and died. Mobini mini-beasts and fish perished.

At once, Radiance created a platform underneath herself and her friends and levitated them all clear, just in time. Alas, the white, beautiful Unicorn was starting to sweat and pant. She couldn't keep this up for much longer.

Shock spread his massive wings and soared up after the heroes. He shot jets of Poison and Acid after them. Brax and Byrd retaliated with gunfire. Murray tried unsuccessfully to intimidate Shock with Guttural Roars.

They had to think of some way to stop Shock; and fast!

The platform Radiance had created was starting to flicker.

Team 7, Gentle Heart Memorial Gardens

The sounds of battle seemed to have faded into almost nothing in the silence of the cemetery. In the presence of the dead, the wider world seemed insignificant and trivial.

ZhiZhuis, Shadow Troopers, Changelings and Grublins were advancing between the headstones. They'd been lured there by a team of heroes. But they weren't sure why. Were they really trying to scare them or something? No way would a bunch of dead bodies stop them.

Manic Hedgehog, Cynder, Kit, Rena Rouge and Penelope Bouwmeester were huddled together behind a mausoleum. Manic was watching the enemy advance towards their location.

One of the ZhiZhui then did something that would prove extremely stupid in hindsight. It dared to reach into the nearest grave and pull up the skeletal remains of the dearly departed Human. It was hoping to draw out the heroes.

It did achieve the desired effect. Bristling at this defilement, Manic turned to the others with a grim expression and nodded once. Rena Rouge and Cynder grinned at each other.

A Shadow Trooper glanced around uneasily as he edged past graves. He was thankful that his helmet hid his face, because he was sweating with nerve. One of the heroes they'd been pursuing had been Cynder. She was said to have unnatural abilities connected with the undead. What if she…?

He shook his head a little. No way. The reports had to have been exaggerating. He had to focus. After all, an enemy could easily attack a distracted foe in the dark…

The Trooper blinked beneath his helmet. How had it gotten dark so quickly?!

His comrades were just as surprised. But then, they remembered that Cynder had Shadow abilities. That had to be it!

Next moment, the ground began to shake slightly beneath their feet. Was it an earthquake?! No, that wasn't possible! The city was far away from any fault lines.

A skeletal hand covered in rotting flesh burst suddenly from one of the graves. Then, the reanimated Mobian Horse rose slowly from the grave. Dirt tumbled off his decaying form. Dead eyes stared at the intruders to his resting place.

And he wasn't alone. More people emerged from their graves too. The Human skeletal unearthed moments before also came to life (figuratively speaking).

At first, the troops did nothing. Surely, this had to be an illusion, courtesy of Rena Rouge… until the zombie Horse's shrivelled hand closed on the nearest Trooper.

At this, he opened fire. His comrades, trying to resist the feeling of dread that was settling over them, did likewise. The ZhiZhuis slashed at them with their various weapons. The Changelings bit at them with their fangs. The Grublins dove into the earth to try and stop the zombies.

But, unsurprisingly, the zombies could not be stopped by laser shots, dismemberment, bites or internment. The Changelings, terrified of being devoured, flew up and away from them. However, even this didn't help. Something large grabbed them out of the air.

The Shadow Troopers had just watched some of the ZhiZhuis get ripped apart before their eyes. They decided to make a tactical retreat. Using a grenade to blow a gap in the horde, they activated their cloaking devices, and filed quickly into the shadowy mist. They kept close together, in case more zombies appeared.

The Grublins dived into the earth for cover. The ZhiZhuis went in another direction.

Strangely, the zombie horde didn't pursue.

The ZhiZhuis didn't get far. They soon ran into what appeared to be a very tiny girl. She blinked up at them innocently. The spider creatures quickly overcame their surprise and raised their weapons to strike.

The girl's blue eyes flashed red. Then, she grew, rapidly, into a giant metallic monster that towered over the ZhiZhuis.

The spider creatures took swipes at the monster that towered over them. But, as with the zombies, their weapons barely phased the metal monster. She took massive swipes at the ZhiZhuis before her. One, she squashed with her large hand. Another tried to withdraw to a safe distance. This proved a mistake, as a second mechanic monster reared up behind it. It was the last thing the creature ever saw.

Ghostly wails reached the ears of the fleeing Troopers. The ground beneath their feet continued to shake at regular intervals. But they pressed on. One decided to call for reinforcements by pressing a button on his comm-link.

Something struck him hard on the side of the head. This startled his comrades. He was invisible. How had he-?

Another was struck in the chest by a flying piece of earth.

At this, the Troopers fired in all directions. But there was no sound of bolts hitting flesh.

A blur of blue and silver swept through their ranks. Two more Troopers fell. A third was tackled by a green figure, which whacked him across the helmet, before abruptly vanishing again.

The remaining Troopers had their blasters shot out of their hands from random directions. This left them unarmed.

By now, the Troopers' morale was completely shot. They couldn't explain why. It didn't make any sense; they were trained to be professional, no matter the situation. Whatever it was, they simply huddled together in fright.

From the shadowy mist emerged Cynder, hovering on a flow of Wind with her wings outstretched. Her face and wings were now bone white with black markings. Her eyes were pupil-less pools of poison green. The symbol of the Undead was emblazoned on her chest in the centre of an outer ribcage. Ghostly spectres swirled around her. Her hands were spread out.

The Troopers edged backwards, trying not to make any sudden moves that might provoke Cynder. They jumped when something dropped right in front of them. It turned out to be the Grublins, all crushed together into a tight ball.

Cynder smirked at the sight of the cowering Troopers. So much for the Empire's elite force! Either their training wasn't as effective as they thought, or her Fear powers were stronger as she thought.

A massive three-headed mechanic monster reared up suddenly behind Cynder. Red eyes gleamed down at the Troopers. Smoke furled from their nostrils. Unconscious Changelings dangled from their maws.

Cynder began to gather energy around her paws; clearly, her coup de grace.

At first, the Troopers finally lost it. They turned and fled, screaming and wailing, stumbling over each other in their haste to escape.

The moment they were gone, the shadowy mist dissipated. The zombie horde from earlier vanished. The first metallic monster to appear turned back into Kit. Penelope had her Hydra mech put the Changelings down.

Manic and Rena Furtive approached Cynder, grinning as the black Dragoness returned to normal. Cynder laughed - rather darkly, it was true - but her teammates remembered how elite Troopers were sent running in fear. They too began to laugh, even as the team exchanged fist bumps and hi-fives. Cynder and Rena in particular performed a sort of complicated handshake, which involved slaps and bumps, high and low.

Even Abyss and Exedra, who were watching from a rooftop nearby, saw the humour in what had happened. The giant spider-like Kwami of Fear and the Guardian of Shadow were actually impressed by their elaborate ruse. Using fear and darkness to scare enemies away; that was something they definitely approved of. In another life, these 'heroes' could have been valuable allies to them…

Abyss gave a shrug, which made her large breasts bounce a little, as red webs formed in her four hands. Exedra's cane converted into a scythe wreathed in shadow. Such were the current circumstances.

The two shared a malicious grin. It was time to show these idealistic fools what real fear and darkness were!


Team 8, Savannah Central

The pounding of aerial gunfire, the heat of fires blazing from various buildings and the sight of civilians in distress was almost overwhelming to Silver the Hedgehog. Even his training wasn't enough to prevent his senses from being assailed, as he levitated several bits of debris and hurled them at death Troopers advancing towards him. Some of the debris found its mark, but other death Troopers managed to dodge the incoming assault.

One Trooper drew a Smart Rocket launcher and fired. Silver tried to redirect it with his telekinesis. But to his horror, it didn't change direction so easily. In a slight panic, Silver quickly lifted a large piece of debris to shield himself. The resultant explosion was still enough to blow the white Hedgehog back several metres. He landed flat on his back in the remains of a grocery store.

Silver gazed hopelessly around. The surrounding devastated cityscape was enough to make the white Hedgehog sweaty and a little nauseous. The sight was too much like home… This city… this world could not suffer the same fate as his…

The sound of blasters being cocked reached his ears. The death Troopers were preparing their E-11D blaster carbines to fire on him. Silver wanted to employ his telekinesis, but they'd fire before he acted! It couldn't end like this; it couldn't!

The sound of pan pipes playing reached his ears. The death Troopers were unexpectedly surrounded by glowing yellow sand. The death Troopers swayed where they stood, trying to resist the spell that Pan (for, of course, it was he) was inflicting on them.

Fortunately, this left them open to attack from other vectors. Ember swept them back with a wave of pink Fire. It singed their armour, but they persevered. Two aimed with their blaster carbines and fired at the Pink Dragoness. Ember managed to avoid being hit directly, but one shot grazed her wing. Crying out in pain and anger, Ember shot down at the death Troopers with surprising speed and delivered a powerful punch to their helmets.

Another lobbied a grenade at their grenade. Silver grabbed it with his TK and defused it. At the same time, he hit the Troopers with a wave of energy that allowed Pan's Dreamscape to take full effect on them.

Silver levitated himself to his feet. For a few moments, the white Hedgehog remained where he stood to catch his breath.

He felt a hand on his arm, and looked round. Cat Noir was smiling encouragingly, though there was concern in his green eyes.

The leather-clad hero gestured with his bo staff. Ember was now countering the various blazes with her Fire manipulation, while covering her comrades with fiery shields. Pan was scaling the buildings effortlessly, helping people to safety. Next moment, the battleship above them was torn to pieces by a Sentimental, courtesy of La Paon.

Silver looked back at Cat Noir and smiled. He saw what the boy meant.

Shade Troopers, Egg Pawns, Moth Drones and Saber Guards came thundering down the street towards them.

Pan, having paused quickly to feed Ziggy, was the first to meet the oncoming enemy. Lowering his head, he charged towards them. His crown smashed into the chassis of one of the Shade Troopers. It was sent hurling backwards into two Egg Pawns and a Drone. A Saber Guard simply cut through them to protect himself. He then took a swipe at Pan with his lightsabers. Pan did a backflip over the blades, and one of his hoof-clad feet whacked the Guard in the face. When two more Guards came at Pan, he invoked his Reverser powers and reversed the allegiance of both of them. The two swordsmen quickly turned on their allies, catching most of them unawares. Pan moved on to other enemies.

While this was going on, Silver picked several pieces of rubble and debris from the exploded ship. Cat Noir tapped each piece with his staff, infusing them with his Cataclysm power. The white Hedgehog hurled the destructive projections through the air. Some of the troops managed to shoot (or cut, in the case of the Saber Guards) the debris out of the air, but this only created more pieces. Robots, drones and Saber Guards disintegrated instantly upon contact.

As more enemies came, Silver levitated Cat into the air and sent him flying right into the midst of the advancing horde. The leather-clad hero slammed his staff into the ground like Moses did at the Red Sea. A wave of Cataclysmic energy was released in all directions, vaporising all unfortunate enough to be caught in its wake.

La Paon split her fan in two. Wrapping her cloak tightly around her body, she leapt into the air and whirled in high speed into the oncoming horde. Her fans cut through the various Troopers. She also sent razor sharp feathers flying out everywhere, which pierced enemies in various places.

Ember breathed a wad of pink Fire from her muzzle. With a fluid motion of her arms, she had the flame envelop her body. When the Shade Troopers and Eggs Pawns opened fire at her, their shots simply deflected harmlessly off Ember. Grinning, Ember drew her swords.

One Moth Drone drew his own knives and locked with Ember's blades. Another flew at her from behind, only for Ember to pivot round (staggering the first Drone) and bisect him clean down the middle. Ember charged forward through the swarm. She kicked a Saber Guard in the face. The pink Dragoness plunged one blade in the head of an Egg Pawn. She sent out a wave of Fire with a horizontal swipe, which reduced several enemies to ash. She cleaved a Hover bot with a double overhand. She thrust her tail into a Shade and cuffed a Drone with her wing.

Soon, she and La Paon had joined Cat Noir in the midst of the crowd. The three swapped weapons. Ember skewered two Guard, a Drone and three Pawns with a carefully aimed extension of Cat's staff. La Paon sent the swords spinning in long, graceful arcs, decapitating several enemies. Cat caught a Guard's saber with the fan, before knocking his legs from under him with an ankle sweep, and slicing into his torso as he fell.

The ground suddenly shook violently, almost felling the trio. An Egg Hammer had landed close to them, and was raising its weapon for a strike. Before any of them could react, a streetlight pierced its torso. It staggered backwards. Pan came flying overhead and slammed his hoofed feet into its chassis, toppling the Hammer over.

The trio looked up and grinned; as Silver hovered down to join them. Pan landed beside them too.

There were still several enemies surrounding them. Silver, Ember and Cat all shared a voice. They knew what to do.

The remaining enemies charged. La Paon and Pan were levitated clear. The white Hedgehog, pink Dragoness and leather-clad hero all slammed their fists to the ground. A wave of turquoise, pink and green energy swept across the battlefield. Enemies went flying. Windows shattered. Buildings buckled and fell with loud crashes. The very ground itself cracked.

As La Paon and Pan came back down, and Ember extinguished her aura of flame, Silver observed the wreckage around him; all the bodies and ashen remains. He hoped very much that Ladybug's healing wave would repair the damage done to the city once this was all over. As for the enemies, perhaps they'd get decent burials. He knew the others felt the same.

The ground began to shake periodically. The sound of thousands of small wings beating reached their ears.

An AT-AT was lumbering up the street towards them. Its massive feet left craters in the cracked asphalt beneath. Swarming around it was a mass of black, smoky butterflies: Akumas!

Cat and La Paon tensed. They knew who it was. They gestured to the others. Silver, Ember and Pan took the hint. They made for the AT-AT.

From the swarm of butterflies, emerged Hawk Moth.

The moment his gaze met Chat and La Paon, his cold, masked face sagged a little. There was a pleading look in his eye. His son and wife simply glared back at him.

Steeling himself, Hawk Moth drew his sword from his cane. If his family couldn't see why he was doing this, then he guessed they must fight.


Team 9, Solaris Highlands

Set in a small mountain range overlooking Tundratown, the Solaris Highlands were famed for their amazing views over the city and unparalleled skiing resorts. Yet, in the gap between the mountains, a squad of Rebel and G.U.N. soldiers were engaging an army of Egg Blizzards, Protoguards, Moth Drones and SnowTroopers. The League's militant allies were taking pot shots from trenches at the enemy, which was advancing on them.

Cora Veralux breathed in the sweet tang of snow and crisp mountain air as she tele-quipped her Pyrocitor into her hand. With a deep breath, she darted out from behind the rock where she'd been sheltering, and shot a stream of fire at the ground in front of the enemy troops. As the Markazian dived back to cover, the snow melted rapidly, creating a cloud of steam. The Troopers, Drones and robots' vision was therefore obscured.

The Egg Blizzards tried to blow the steam away, but before they could, a tornado and a comet, both comprised of fire, blazed forth. The Blizzards' ice winds proved no match for the heat. The fan-equipped robots were destroyed. What was more, additional steam was created as another lot of snow melted. Bolts from the Rebel and G.U.N. soldiers picked off some of the Troopers, Drones and robots.

The fire extinguished itself to reveal Blaze the Cat and Flame the Dragon. The SnowTroopers and Protoguards fired at them. The Princess and Peace Maker ducked into the mist. The Troopers and guards maintained a barrage of laser bolts into the steam, determined to mow the Mobian and Dragon down. The Drones stood ready to attack.

The enemies appeared in the crosshairs of a lone figure watching over them from an upper ledge. The eyepiece on her mask was pressed to the scope of her Variable Wispon, the energy canister glowing cyan.

Whisper the Wolf fixed her crosshairs on one Trooper, and pulled the trigger. A Cyan Laser struck the SnowTrooper square in the chest. As he was knocked flat, the Laser ricocheted off him into his nearest comrade. As he staggered back, he instinctively pulled the trigger on his blaster; the bolt hit another Trooper.

This caused confusion among the remaining soldiers. They turned their blasters all around them, trying to find the perpetrator.

They found a perpetrator; or rather several, monstrous perpetrators that suddenly expanded into view around them. They had the shape of a female Human, but their skin was fuchsia and purple. Their hair was essentially blue tentacles, poking out of a hood with mouse ears. The hood was part of a jacket, over a turtle-necked jumpsuit. All of them had three yellow eyes and clawed hands. Each carried a thick skip rope.

The Troopers and Protoguards opened fire. The Troopers covered their fear under a mask of discipline, but the clones of Petit Souris, the original haven tapped into her latent Horrificator powers, could still sense it in them.

They deflected shots with their skip ropes through balletic twirls and elaborate flourishes, all the while shortly growing bigger as they absorbed the Troopers' fear.

Some of the Moth Drones attempted to close the distance and attack. But Flame and Blaze came roaring in to throw a spanner in that works.

Flame drew his sword and cleaved three Moth Drones in half with a single slash. Blaze delivered a flame-enhanced kick to a fourth straight in the face. The two shot together through the horde of enemies with a combined Fire Boost. The red Dragon caught the fist from another Trooper, twisted it and then flung the soldier into his comrades, knocking them down like skittles. Blaze tore Protoguards apart with her Axel Jump, before downing several SnowTroopers with hard kicks and devastating swipes of her claws.

Some Troopers tried to fall back. The Petit Souris clones halted this by spitting pelts of goo at their legs, pinning them in place. Cora suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Razor Claws equipped. She slashed through one Trooper's torso, and then darted away before the others could fire at her.

The SnowTroopers turned their blasters this way and that way. They were determined to catch that miserable Markazian. However, they instead got Rebel and G.U.N. soldiers coming in to gun them down instead.

The Petit Souris clones grinned at how easy it was. Until one of them was suddenly stabbed through the back with a Force Pike. She cried out in pain, as an Imperial Royal Guard forced her to the ground, before shooting her in the head. The clone winked out of existence.

The other Petit Souris clones tried to swarm the Royal Guard, leaving their allies to take care of the remaining soldiers. But the Royal Guard proved more formidable than expected, even for the best that the Syndicate had to offer. The Guard shot two down with carefully aimed blaster shots that managed to slip through the swirling skip ropes, blew another with a missile, cut down three more by whipping out a vibrosword, and electrocuted the last one, who happened to be the original, with the Force pike.

Blaze and Flame rushed to Petit Souris' aid, only to be blown by a Force wave, courtesy of a second Royal Guard. Undeterred, the two Fire wielders sent a torrent of flame. But the Guard threw up a shield to protect himself, all the while firing in odd directions, taking out several League soldiers.

In a flash of Ivory Lightning, Whisper tackled him from the side, sending the Guard flying into a nearby drift. This allowed Flame in turn to tackle the Guard assaulting Petit Souris, freeing her.

But even as Flame helped the mouse-monster hybrid to her feet, the Royal Guards sprang up again, unfazed, just as two more joined the fray. To make matters worse, Petit Souris was weakened, having overtaxed herself with her Multitude and Horrificator powers. Ultimately, she had to fall back with the remaining Rebel and G.U.N. soldiers, while her friends handled the Guards.

Flame took off with his wings, hoping for an aerial edge. But one of the Guards had built-in boosters and soared up after him. Fire-imbued sword and vibrosword met in mid-air as they flew about each other.

Blaze aimed a bunch of fire-enhanced kicks and pirouettes at her Guard opponent. The Guard easily dodged and eventually caught one of her legs. He twisted it, turning the Princess onto her front, but Blaze simply pushed herself backwards, slamming her rear into the Guard's torso.

Cora dodged a blaster shot from her Guard, and retorted with one of her own. She quickly aimed her Ion Blaster at his ankle, and then, darted behind a rock. Before she could switch weapons, however, the Guard suddenly leapt over the rock and jabbed out with his pike. Cora narrowly dodged it by rolling out of the way. She tried to get off another carefully-aimed shot, but the Guard blocked it easily and closed the distance. Cora had to draw her Razor Claws for close-quarters.

Whisper fired a Black Bomb at the last Guard. He simply tuck-and-rolled out of the way, and shrugged off the flying debris, before retorting with his own missile. Whisper batted it away by equipping her Blue Wisp. She let loose a storm of Pike Spikes, but the Guard deflected them by twirling his pike. Whisper tried to apply a Grey Quake to shake the Guard off his feet. Alas, the Guard simply leapt into the air to avoid the tremble, and attempted an overhand swipe with his vibrosword. Whisper avoided it by equipping her Jade and Green Wisps, becoming intangible and levitating into the air. The Royal Guard swiped her vibrosword and sent shots after her, but it was no good.

Whisper observed the battle below. Her friends couldn't hold off the Royal Guards much longer. And to make matters worse, she could see more hostiles were approaching them up the slope - Purge Troopers, Death Troopers and ShadowTroopers - along with several AT-STs and two AT-ATs. They wouldn't have a chance.

A vision of her old team getting gunned down flashed through her mind. Whisper wouldn't let it happen again!

She glanced up at the nearby mountain peaks. An idea came to her; a risky one, but what choice did she have?

Summoning her Orange Wisp and loading him into her Wispon, Whisper raised the barrel and took aim at one of the high slopes, even as she fell back down. With a slow breath that filled her nostrils with cold air, Whisper pulled the trigger, just before she hit the snow. The Rocket shot through the air with incredible speed and struck the side of the mountain below the peak. The bang echoed through the Highlands. Everyone looked up.

A massive flow of snow came loose and began to slide down the mountain, getting bigger and bigger as it came.

Mylene and the Rebel-G.U.N. squad had managed to retreat to a safe distance. But Whisper, Cora and Blaze were in harm's way.

Taking advantage of the Guards' momentary distraction, Cora and Blaze kicked their foes back, and then ran to grab sufficiently long and curved pieces of Protoguard. Flame managed to get away from his Guard opponent and swooped down to save Whisper before her enemy could shoot her.

Cora and Blaze began to slide down the slope on their makeshift boards, not caring that they were heading straight for the oncoming horde. Flame soared after them, Whisper in tow. The Guard Flame had been fighting set off in hot pursuit.

Not ones to give so easily, the other three Royal Guards activated their own boosters and followed. The avalanche was right behind them.

The advancing Troopers opened fire at the oncoming quartet. They took evasive action as the shots blasted craters in the snow around them. The heroes returned fire with Judicator rockets, shots of fire and Cyan Lasers.

This firefight only lasted a few moments, before the Troopers scattered to escape the avalanche. The AT-STs and AT-AT, however, weren't so lucky. The chicken walkers managed to turn around, but they had barely taken two steps before the snow buried them. The AT-AT was submerged in snow up to its main body and was soon swept along for the ride.

Whisper glanced behind her at the rumbling fall of snow as she and Flame tilted left and right to avoid blaster fire from the Royal Guards. If they got out of this alive, she was going to put in a request for a holiday somewhere nice and hot.


Team 10, Canal District

Bentley, seated within one of his mechs, punched a Guard bot's head clean off its neck. Tangle caught the head with her tail and threw it at a Purge Trooper, catching it hard into the chassis. Bentley armed his mech's wrist cannons. With one, he blasted apart several Protoguards and Shade Elites. With the other, he shot Stormtroopers and Grublins with various darts, causing them to go mad, blow up or fall asleep. Tangle scooped up various robot parts and threw them at oncoming Egg Pawns, causing them to explode.

Din Djarin and Rivet stood back-to-back, armour-clad and mowing down enemies in all directions. Din disintegrated a charging Orc with his Amban sniper rifle. Rivet stunned a Stormtrooper with her Lightning Rod, sending an electric current leaping from man to man, making them all collapse, one after another. As an AT-AT came wading through the canal towards them, Rivet summoned her Migraine and tossed it to Din. The Mandalorian put the scope to his visor, took aim in the walker's legs and fired. The front right leg, plus part of the body, was blown off. The AT-AT collapsed forward with a big splash.

Tangle allowed Bentley to grab her by the tail. Rivet tossed the Lemur her Enforcer and a Shatterbomb grenade. Bentley then swung Tangle about like a lasso and sent her flying towards the downed AT-AT - specifically the hole on its side. Troopers were now trying to climb out. Tangle swooped in, aimed the Enforcer at them, and fired. She then primed the grenade and threw it into the hole, just as before Bentley pulled her back like a bungee. There was a massive explosion, and metal flew everywhere.

Meanwhile, across the District, two blurs were racing about, constantly colliding with each other and leaping about. One was pink, white and purple - Pinkie Pie, also known as Fili-Second. The other was green, with streaks of lightning flying about her - Surge the Tenrec.

Surge caught Fili hard in the face with a right hook. On most other people, the blow might have broken their jaw. However, Fili's head swayed from side to side in an almost comical fashion, before she laughed and stuck out her hoof. Surge tripped and rolled almost half a mile before stopping.

The Tenrec leapt up, seething, just as the pink Earth Pony came at her and threw some wrapped sweets at Surge. At first, Surge was tempted to just let the candy projectiles bounce off her. But given what she'd seen thus far with this Mare, the Tenrec decided not to leave it to chance. She ducked out of the way and ran off just before the sweets exploded.

Surge sent a stream of electric bolts at Fili. The party Pony leapt high into the air, screaming and laughing cheerfully. Surge snarled. This Horse's attitude was really getting on her nerves! She propelled herself up into the air after Fili, only to be pelted by cupcakes, eclairs, brownies, frosting, buns and more. They didn't explode, but it was extremely annoying!

Back with the others, Din thrust his beskar spear into a Purge Trooper's chassis, before swinging the droid into an Egg Hammer. Rivet mowed down a horde of Egg Pawns with her Blackhole Storm. Tangle bungeed towards a Guard Bot and blasted with the Warmonger. Bentley slammed the palm of his mech into a Shade Elite.

A column of water rose abruptly out of the canal, followed by two massive waves. Din, Rivet, Bentley and Tangle were swept off their feet by the crashing waves. Standing atop the column of water was Kitsunami, a reluctant frown on the Fennec's muzzle.

Kit lowered himself to ground level, just as Fili and Surge raced in, still trading blows and attacks. Instinctively, Kit summoned his water tails and lashed out at the spot where Fili was heading towards. One of the swipes managed to catch Fili on the ankle, tripping her up. Surge seized the pink Mare by the throat and threw her bodily through the air. Din flew up with his jetpack and caught her.

Surge, baring her teeth, readied herself to continue the fight. Kit, however, placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. It was better to retreat while they had the chance. But Surge just shrugged off his hand. As much as she wanted Sonic, Pinkie/Fili had managed to find her way onto Surge's enemy list.


Team 11, Castle Simalminos

Despite the best efforts of the Freedom Eight, some of the Syndicate's forces had managed to penetrate the defences of Castle Simalminos. A small battalion of Death Troopers, Shadow Guards, Royal Guards and Ninja Bots marched resolutely through the corridors of the palace, as muffled sounds of shouting, firing, explosions and surges of power reverberated from outside.

While it was very possible that the Royal Families had been evacuated, lifeforms had been detected in the Castle when the invasion began. There had been no sign of change since then.

The battalion eventually came to the throne room. It was empty, but they weren't worried. They knew where the Castle's bunker was. As the group dispersed around the room, cutting off any possible escapes, the Sovereign Protector who had been leading the group raised her hands, green energy enveloping them.

There was the distant sound of breaking brick and mortar. The building shook.

Next moment, a large metal compartment burst up through the floor. The Protector then tore a chunk off the roof… only to then get slammed with a Force Push, courtesy of Princess Leia Organa Solo.

As the Protector hit the wall, Leia climbed out of the compartment, accompanied by Princess Sally Acorn, Bunnyx, Beatrice Anderson the Crimson Samurai, and Bianca the Rabbit Sorceress. There was no sign of the Royal Families anywhere.

The Protector got to her feet, seething at being tricked. The five ladies were glaring at her knowingly. Realising there was no point maintaining her façade, the Protector enveloped herself in green magic, transforming back into the Changeling Queen Chrysalis. The Guards, bots and Troopers around them readied their weapons, just as Chrysalis herself forged a glowing sword with energy surging along its blade.

As one, Leia, Sally and Beatrice all drew their swords. Bunnyx twirled her umbrella, almost teasingly. Bianca raised her wand.

For a brief moment, no one moved. The slightest movement could set everyone off. The Castle shook again from the sound of battle outside.

Then, a Ninja bot made the first move. It somersaulted forward rapidly, ready to strike, only to be turned into a duck by Bianca.

That did the trick. Sally, Beatrice, Bianca and Bunnyx went for the surrounding troops, and Leia went for Chrysalis.

Sally blocked a blast of Force Lightning from a Shadow Guard, while intercepting another's blade with her own. This allowed Bunnyx to kick down the first, while Sally butted the second with her shield. Dodging a swipe from a vibrosword, Sally kicked a Guard hard in the face, making him stagger back. Bunnyx exploited this opening to stab him in the neck. When a Shadow Guard lunged, Bunnyx used a Burrow to redirect him into stabbing a second Shadow Guard. Sally grabbed his lightsaber pike to use as a secondary weapon.

Bianca leapt over a Death Trooper; or tried to. The Trooper grabbed her leg and swung her about, only to lose his arm when Beatrice severed it at the elbow. When he raised his blaster, Bianca turned it into a toy. Beatrice kicked him into the path of a Ninja bot's blade, which got him bisected. Bianca grabbed the bot's energy sword, and wrested it away, kicking the robot back. She turned in time to meet a Shadow Guard's strike. Beatrice, meanwhile, was alternating between sword strikes and claw swipes as she grappled with a Royal Guard, while Death Troopers fired at her. Their bolts bounced harmlessly off her armour, but they were still an irritant.

Leia met Chrysalis' incoming strike. Yellow and green clashed again and again in showers of sparks. When Chrysalis sent a burst of magic Leia's way, the Princess-turned-Jedi deflected it into the wall. Leia grabbed some chunks of subsequent rumble with the Force and flung them at the Changeling Queen as she whirled back round to face her. Chrysalis deflected most of the flying debris, but some nicked her sides.

Deciding to up the ante, Chrysalis shifted into the form of Bail Organa. Leia winched momentarily, the destruction of Alderaan flashing through her memory. Shaking her head, the Princess renewed her attacks, even as Chrysalis adopted the guise of Darth Vader. Memories of Mimban bubbled up as Leia parried heavy power blows that shuddered through her arms.

But the clash of yellow and red blades was soon interrupted when a Burrow opened near Chrysalis, and a Royal Guard was flung into her. Chrysalis staggered sideways, changing back to normal as she threw the Guard off her. Turning her sights on the Rabbit superhero, she changed into Jalil Kubdel, and went for her.

Leia made to follow, but a Shadow Guard intercepted her. Leia took a swipe at him, and he parried with the shaft of his pike.

A Death Trooper took aim at Leia's back. But he had to quickly duck back to avoid a slash from Bianca. When he primed his blaster at her, Bianca waved her wand and turned it into sand. Rallying instantly, the Trooper lobbied a grenade before Bianca would use her wand again. The Doe ducked to avoid it, and the Trooper used the opening to tackle her to the ground. The two wrestled for several moments, before Bianca managed to turn one of the blades on the guard and slice through him.

Sally and Beatrice were now back-to-back, deflecting blade attacks left and right. The Guards and Bots just kept coming at them! But the Princess and Samurai wouldn't yield. Sally blocked three incoming strikes with her two weapons, before twisting the vibroswords down and out of the way. This move allowed Beatrice to backflip over her and strike down the three Guards with her katana. Sally in turn shifted her grip on the pike to employ a wide-sweeping slash that bisected four Ninja bots. Beatrice caught a barrage of Force Lightning from a Shadow Guard on her sword and redirected it into a Royal Guard.

Bunnyx side-stepped a thrust from her brother's doppelgänger, hooked her umbrella onto Chrysalis' wrist and swung her round into a nearby pillar. Hissing furiously as she returned to normal, Chrysalis aimed a blast of magic from her horn. But Bunnyx used a Burrow to intercept the blast, and send it back into the Changeling Queen. This slammed Chrysalis into the wall again, disorienting her.

Bunnyx cast a quick eye around the room, at the ongoing fights her friends were struggling with. These Guards, Troopers and Bots clearly needed a time out!

Raising her umbrella, Bunnyx activated her Time-Out ability and slammed her umbrella down on the floor. A wave of baby blue energy surged through the floor. On cue, Leia, Sally, Beatrice and Bianca jumped up to avoid it, while their enemies froze where they stood.

The five ladies exhaled deeply in relief. The Syndicate were clearly upping their game with this invasion.

Bunnyx turned to secure the (theoretically) frozen Chrysalis. But she was suddenly struck heavily in the stomach by a stream of magic that punch the wind out of the young woman and sent her slamming into a wall. Collapsing to the floor, Bunnyx twitched once and went straight, knocked cold. In that moment, her magic was broken, and the Guard, Troopers and Bots unfroze.

As Chrysalis cackled maniacally, the remaining heroes rallied around Bunnyx to protect her. No one was getting their hands on the Rabbit Miraculous on their account!

'Watch' was too on the nose…


Team 12, Alexander Evergreens

Large hooves stomped ominously, making the trees around Lord Tirek rustle. He smashed branches aside and sent burning streams everywhere from his horns. Where were those meddlesome goody-two-shoes?

As he pushed another tree roughly aside, the tree unexpectedly swung back at him. A branch hit him hard in the nose. As the Centaur staggered back, snarling and clutching his nose, he suddenly felt thick roots snake around his legs. Tirek tugged hard at the growths binding him, but they would not break.

A buzzing noise reached the Centaur's ears. Tirek looked around. The sound was rather ominous. But why should he, Lord Tirek, be frightened by a few Bees?

It was more than a few Bees. It was a massive swarm of them! They burst from the trees in a deadly cloud and began to attack Tirek from all sides. He hissed angrily, swatting at the insects and trying to beat them away. They stung him all over his body again and again.

What was the meaning of this?!

It soon became very clear. Next moment, Tirek saw Fluttershy, all bulked up, swooping towards him. She slammed her front hooves into his stomach, literally punching the air out of Tirek as he was knocked over backwards. The Bees withdrew.

As he fell over, Tirek felt the trees come alive and try to trap him. Sending out a stream of fire to burn them back, the Centaur struggled to his hooves and prepared to absorb the Pegasus' magic. But before he could do so, Milla Basset leapt up out of the trees in front of Fluttershy, a green Shield raised. Tirek couldn't absorb Milla's power, as it was alchemy-based.

To add insult to injury, Milla then sent out a burst of green energy in the shape of a cube. It hit Tirek square in the face. This made Tirek furious. He didn't need to absorb magic to kill these two!

He unleashed a blast of fire from his mouth after the two ladies as they flew back into the trees. The fire scorched the treetops, threatening to start a forest fire.

Three more women soared into view: Cosmo the Seedrian, Bunnie Rabbot and Queen Bee. Bunnie equipped her arm cannon and fired at Tirek. It struck him hard in the chest, causing him to stumble again. At the same time, Cosmo lashed out with her Thorn Whip, gouging deep scratches into his flank, while Queen Bee wrapped her spinning top about Tirek's legs.

Refusing to be brought down so easily, Tirek let out a roar as he flexed his body, sending out a wave of energy that blew the heroines back. The Centaur then grabbed Cosmo by the throat. The Seedrian struggled desperately against his crushing grip, but Tirek just sneered.

As Bunnie and Queen Bee came back at him, Tirek held Cosmo out, making it clear he would crush the life from her if they came any closer. Yet, the cyborg Doe and Bee superhero doesn't seem too frantic…

Next moment, Tirek was suddenly swarmed by various species of Mobini Birds. Tirek released Cosmo instinctively as he reached up to prevent two Birds from pecking his eyes out. This was getting really irksome now! Did these heroes really think they could deter him, Lord Tirek, with mere pests?! He'd make them think again!

Taking advantage of his brief distraction, Queen Bee moved in again. The former bully got him with her Venom, straight to the elbow of his right foreleg. At once, both the Centaur's forelegs went numb, and they buckled beneath him, as the Birds scattered.

Bunnie came at him, just as Fluttershy suddenly reappeared. Tirek raised his hands, and the two caught a hand each. A two-on-one grapple ensured, as Tirek tensed his back legs, his own strength managing to equal that of both Bunnie and Fluttershy.

Meanwhile, Milla was now alternating between her Crane Combo and her Vortex on Tirek's back legs, hoping to make them buckle now. This gave Tirek an idea. He bent his back legs and tilted his torso backwards, using the momentum to fling Bunnie and Fluttershy over his head and away from him. He then shot a stream of orange energy at Milla, who narrowly scampered out of the way.

Queen Bee and Cosmo seized the Centaur around his thick neck, with both stabbing at it, Queen Bee with her top and Cosmo with her Multi-Tool's knife blade. Blood trickled down Tirek's torso as he howled in pain and rage. The two ladies quickly withdrew.

Tirek looked up as all five of them reappeared in front of him. They just wouldn't give up, would they? Well, if they were so determined to bring him down, he would apply just as much force against them!


Team 13, atop one of the heaters between Sahara Square and Tundratown

Mara Jade Skywalker had long striven to put her Imperial past behind her. And nothing demonstrated that dedication more than the look she gave Lumiya, as the Dark Lady leapt down from her Sith Meditation Sphere.

Though her mouth was obscured by her facial coverings, Lumiya's face curled in what was clearly a grin as she drew her customized lightwhip. The former Hand may have had better fortune than her, but that was all about to change.

Chewbacca, Pegasus, Laika and Antoine D'Cooletté all stepped up to help Mara. Antoine unsheathed his sabre; Pegasus and Laika drew their respective weapons; and Chewie readied his bowcaster. They spread out to encircle the Dark Lady. Mara remained where she was: facing Lumiya square on, her saber ignited and at the ready.

Lumiya swung the whip over her shoulder, the energy blade and eight strands unfurling. Then, the cyborg brought the hilt over her head as she charged at Mara with incredible speed for one in armour.

Pegasus charged at the Dark Lady with super-speed of his own. However, before he reached Lumiya, she suddenly sprang into the air. Pegasus had to divert to avoid colliding with Mara.

Lumiya twirled through the air, flourishing her whip around her as she went.

Chewbacca opened fire at Lumiya. But the bolts couldn't penetrate the flurry of energy, chains and hides, which had already engulfed Mara. He rushed in to help his friend, but the whirl of strands confused him. He tried to brush through them, but only tangled up.

Laika scampered forward with the intent of attacking the Dark Lady as she came back down. Unfortunately, Lumiya threw out her free hand and fired a shot from her palm blaster. While this stopped Laika cold, she did manage to throw her ball at the cyborg. This caused her to stagger slightly. Seizing his chance, Antoine darted forward, his sword drawn back for a thrust.

His blade pierced Lumiya's thigh… yet she didn't even flinch. Instead, her eyes glowed, and next moment, Antoine's mind was assailed by horrifying images - his friends dead, Bunnie dead, demonic robots coming at him, the corpse of a female Coyote emitting unholy shrieks…

All the while, Mara was trying to throw the various strands off her. The Jedi was no stranger to pain, and as such, the chains and hides battering her skin were little more than annoyances. She managed to get the yellow energy strand coiled around her purple blade and attempted to yank the hilt from Lumiya's grip. At the same time, Laika managed to pull Chewbacca free of his entanglement.

But as the Dark Lady backhanded the yelling Antoine away from her, sending him flying over the edge into Tundratown, she rapidly adjusted her weapon's energy settings. Next moment, Mara staggered backwards, her blade phasing through Lumiya's. The Jedi fell over and her lightsaber tumbled from her grip and over the edge into Sahara Square on the other side.

Pegasus threw his horseshoe at Lumiya even as he rushed to Antoine's aid to catch. Lumiya conquered an illusion of her in its path. When the horseshoe struck the illusion in the head, Pegasus suddenly felt as though he'd been hit instead. Dazed, Pegasus fell through the cold air and landed in a drift near Antoine.

Chewbacca fired on Lumiya again, this time running at her with an imposing roar. The bowcaster's shots glanced uselessly off Lumiya's armour, but the Dark Lady decided to humour the Wookie all the same. Holstering her whip, Lumiya drew a vibroblade and slashed out at Chewbacca. The Wookie side-stepped the slash, just as Mara got to her feet again and whipped out a hold-out blaster, aiming at Lumiya's face. Lumiya deflected the shot with her hand, and then dodged a punch from Chewbacca, before locking hands with him in a grapple.

Laika tossed her ball at Lumiya's feet at the same time as Mara fired at her again. Lumiya managed to avoid the shot, but slipped on the ball, thus allowing Chewbacca to push her to the ground. Before the Wookie and Miraculous girl could make another move on Lumiya, however, they were blown back by a wave of palpable hate that was so powerful, it left them dazed and confused for a moment.

As Lumiya rose once more, she was unexpectedly assaulted by a volley of punches, kicks and jabs that seemed to be coming at insanely high speed. Her armour actually began to buckle under the blows. Focussing through the onslaught, her cybernetic hand shot out to grab Pegasus and Antoine by the throats, halting their Horsepower-fuelled barrage.

But this ultimately served its purpose as a distraction. Lumiya felt Antoine's sabre, which had remained lodged in her leg all this time, get pulled out. It flew into the waiting hand of Mara Jade, who had also retrieved her lightsaber, thus granting her two weapons.

Tossing Pegasus and Antoine aside, Lumiya drew her whip again. Meanwhile, Chewie and Laika recovered from her hate wave to help Pegasus and Antoine back up too.

Mara charged at Lumiya again. This woman would threaten her family no more!


Team 14, Gullane Square

All heroes must face their inner demons. And General Alister Azimuth and the Panda King were about to face theirs.

The middle-aged Lombax skewered a Cragmite Warrior with his Praetorian OmniWrench and vaulted him bodily over his head and through the air. The Warrior was bisected by Corran Horn in mid-air. Tails and Sora Prower, both in their battle armour, seized the two halves and flung them into a group of Drophyds.

As the Panda King slashed through several Stormtroopers with his Flame Fu, a screeching laugh reached their ears. The sound made Azimuth's face contort with rage. He knew that laugh only too well.

The walking throne of (former) Emperor Tachyon came climbing over a nearby building. And he wasn't alone. General Tsao was clinging to the back of the throne. A couple of Shadow Guards were accompanying them.

Alister immediately shot towards the little Cragmite, his Wrench raised to strike. However, this charge was countered when a Shadow Guard threw a blast of Lightning the General's way. Alister was flung backwards, howling in pain. Tails and Sora flew up to catch him before he hit the ground.

Tsao jumped down to confront the Panda King and Corran. Tsao gave the former a part-disapproving, part-superior smirk. The Panda King's fists clenched.

Unsheathing his shield's blades, Tsao flew straight at his adversaries. They broke in different directions. Corran angled his silver blade for a bisecting cleave, while the Panda King grabbed a rocket to thrust at Tsao. Unfortunately, Tsao intercepted Corran's blade with his shield, while the Panda King had to avoid a swipe from a Shadow Guard's pike.

Tails and Sora fired blasts of energy at Tachyon from their palm blasters, just as Alister threw a bomb at him. The Cragmite merely atomised himself, rapidly warping a short distance before reassembling and firing a barrage of missiles. The two Mobians and Lombax dodged the missiles rather frantically. Sora threw a flash grenade from her belt, only for Tachyon to warp away again.

Tsao cast a stream of dragon spirits at the Panda King, before throwing his shield at Corran while the Halcyon was engaging two Shadow Guards. Corran narrowly dodged the buzzsaw shield by contorting himself. The Panda King slammed his palms together to bat away the spirits with a wave of fire. However, next moment, skeletal hands burst from the ground to grab both the Jedi and the former criminal, trapping them.

Tails activated his suit's wind turbines as Tachyon's atoms moved through the air. This blew the Cragmite off-course, sending him flying towards a building. Tachyon had to reassemble himself before his throne ended up fused to a wall. He fired lasers at Alister as the Lombax closed in. The General batted aside with his Wrench, and Tachyon had to bring up his throne's mechanical arms to tussle with Alister's Wrench.

Sora moved to help, only to be attacked by Terror Droids. They wrapped their legs tightly around her, attempting to crush her. Sora blew them off with a surge of energy. Tails grabbed two more and smashed them together.

Tachyon fired lasers at the Foxes to distract Alister. And sadly, it worked. Alister looked round in concern, allowing the Cragmite to personally punch his old friend in the stomach. Even as Tails and Sora managed to avoid the lasers, Tachyon threw Alister at them. Just catching the winded General, Tachyon atomised and flew at them again.

The Panda King streamed white-hot fire from his palm at Tsao. The Chicken General ducked, but that had been what the Panda King was counting on. Corran extended a hand and absorbed the stream of fire. Next moment, the Shadow Guards' minds were hit by a blast of energy that sent them flying. At the same time, the zombie hands holding Corran were atomised and the General was hit in the back by a TK push. This sent him into the Panda King's waiting grasp. But Tsao raised his shield to chop down on the Panda's wrist, only for his to be seized by Corran. As the three grappled, more spirits rose to aid the General.


Team 15, Chun-nan Enclave

Sunset Shimmer sent a burst of combined fire and magic at a giant clone of Latombe. The burst punched clean through the Latombe clone's chest. He staggered backwards and toppled over. Some Rebel soldiers would have been crushed along with other Latombe clones, had Sunset not pulled them away with her magic.

Two more clones came at Sunset, one invoking Copycat, and the other Riposte. Drawing her yellow lightsaber, Sunset parried the Copycat Latombe's staff, while blowing the Riposte Latombe back with her magic. The Copycat Latombe invoked Stoneheart and aimed a stone-enhanced punch at Sunset. The Unicorn caught it with her free hand. The clone was surprised, an emotion that turned to shock and pain when Sunset set fire to her hand. The heat proved so much that the hand crumbled into ash. When the Riposte Latombe came back for a strike, Sunset merely side-stepped, thus allowing the Copycat Latombe to be impaled by his fellow clone. Picking both up with her magic, Sunset threw them into a third clone, pinning him to the ground.

Ladydragon, in her Lady Horse form, charged past Sunset, Kempfhahn on her back. The Rooster hero had his quill out. They galloped through a group of Latombe clones, Lady Horse knocking some flying (allowing the soldiers to pick them off) and Kempfhahn cutting down the rest. Another clone in front of them invoked Stormy Weather and shot a blast of lightning at the two. As Kempfhahn leapt clear, Lady Horse morphed into Lady Mantis. She scuttled towards the Stormy Weather Latombe, easily avoiding the zaps of lightning. The moment she reached his feet, the Prodigious wielder next became Lady Snake, coiling herself up the clone's body. The clone panicked and tried to throw her off. This allowed Kempfhahn to stab him straight in the neck with his quill.

Julie-Su and Neera Li were sheltering behind an overturned car. The two shared a nod and rose to take aim, as Latombe clones came at them. The two women opened fire, felling several clones with either bullets or shards of ice. However, some, invoking Stoneheart, Bubbler, Darkblade and Riposte, managed to deflect the shots and close the distance. But this was no problem for the two women. Neera thrust her spear in one clone's chest. Julie hit another in the stomach with her robotic arm, winding him. Both clones were then thrown into their fellows, knocking them down like skittles. A clone phased into sight right behind them, his Darkblade sword posed to strike. A yellow lightsaber came spinning out of nowhere. The clone's head toppled to the ground.

Sunset recalled her weapon to her hand, as the original Latombe appeared on a nearby rooftop. He pressed a few commands into his tablet. Next moment, all remaining clones began to fly up into the air, just as the original levitated up to meet them. Within seconds, they had coalesced into a giant Latombe that was more terrifying and ghoulish than any the heroes had seen so far: gangly limbs, no pupil-less eyes, sharp teeth and no nose. The giant Latombe, towering high over the rooftops, let out a kaiju-like roar that shattered windows everywhere.

Kempfhahn decided that Latombe was going to go big, then so would they! With a flurry of movements, he drew Godzilla. Sunset used her magic to enlarge the monster to match the size of the Latombe kaiju. The two giants roared at each other and locked hands, grappling.

Ladydragon morphed into her Dragon form and allowed her friends to mount her back. Together, they took the sky, swooping around the fighting kaijus as they slashed and punched at each other. When they reached the height of the Latombe kaiju's head, Kempfhahn produced some qiangs for Sunset, Julie-Su and himself to wield. Taking careful aim, they and Neera jumped towards the Latombe kaiju. They all corkscrewed through the air, Neera and Sunset charging their qiangs with ice and fire respectively, and plunged their weapons into the Latombe kaiju's neck and shoulders. The Latombe kaiju howled in pain and shook himself to throw the heroes off. He soon learned, however, that this was merely a distraction. As Sunset, Kempfhahn, Neera and Julie leapt clear, the Latombe kaiju looked just in time for Godzilla and Ladydragon to hit him full in the face with atomic and lightning breaths.


Team 16, one of the Sawfish Battleships

Niscus Libertas soared through the air, avoiding a volley of blaster fire from an Imperial jumpTrooper flying after her. As they swooped over the battleship, Niscus drew her boomerangs and threw it towards her pursuer. The Trooper managed to dodge it, but he was thus left open to being decapitated by Bo-Katan's Darksaber.

Niscus drew her bullroarer at another jumpTrooper. The moment it struck him, a roaring vibrato rippled through the air, overwhelming the other Troopers' audio amplifiers. Dazed and disoriented, they were defenceless against Niscus' volley of feather and Bo-Katan's blaster fire.

On the battleship itself, Ryuko was drawing the brunt of enemy fire. With her whole body sheened in shiny silver, any shots aimed at her bounced harmlessly off. Drawing one of her swords, Ryuko deflected a few shots back at their sources, downing a few Egg Pawns and Protoguards. When an adjacent cannon deviated from firing at enemy ships to send a shot at Ryuko, she did stagger back a little, but ultimately continued forward. A Falcon bot swooping down on her got cleaved smoothly in half.

A few Agents of Doom suddenly emerged from behind Ryuko and let loose a barrage of laser fire. They didn't do much damage, but then, that wasn't their intent. Next moment, Starlight Glimmer landed in their midst and sent them flying off the saw of the battleship, tumbling towards the city below.

With the way ahead mostly clear, Ryuko and Starlight began to sprint towards the main body of the ship. Niscus and Bo-Katan were right behind them. Just as they reached the battleship's forecastle, several Cragmites, a few Shadow Guards and Purge Troopers, and two E-2000s appeared before them.

Starlight fired a blast of magic from her horn, only for it to be blocked by an E-2000. Undaunted, Starlight simply drew her lightsaber pike and moved to engage. A Shadow Guard intercepted her attack, while a Purge Trooper made to stab the Unicorn. Starlight teleported away and the Drone just managed to avoid stabbing the Shadow Guard. It was swiftly decapitated, while Starlight engaged the Shadow Guard, all the while kicking the E-2000 back with her hoof before it could fire with its laser.

Ryuko sliced the E-2000 in half with her sword. She punched a Drone hard in the face before drawing her other sword to engage in a brief duel with a Shadow Guard and a Purge Trooper. The Purge Trooper managed to slash at Ryuko's torso, but the blade only grazed the metallic skin. Ryuko hissed in pain, and the Guard blew her into the Trooper's crushing arm with a Force Push. Unfortunately for him and the Purge Trooper, Ryuko simply invoked the Wind Dragon, setting them whirling up into the air.

Bo-Katan seized a Cragmite and snapped his neck before he could warp away. Niscus cut down two more with her wings, and disoriented a third with her bullroarer. Bo deflected incoming shots from more Cragmites with her Darksaber, and returned fire with her blaster. One warped away before he could be shot, only to be tackled by Niscus.

A Shadow Guard, driven to desperation, attempted to use Force Lightning on the whole group. Ryuko consequently invoked the Lightning Dragon and absorbed the bolts into her body. She then reduced a Cragmite to dust.

The second E-2000 primed its laser to fire, and Starlight met the blast with her own. Green and purple lasers battled for dominance. For a moment, it seemed like a stalemate, only being broken when Bo shot the bot in the head.

All the while, inside the ship, two figures were sneaking through the corridors towards the bridge - the diminutive Zoni robot, Clank and the genius Ceratos, Elaris.

The two peeked around a corner to see a Royal Guard coming towards them. Neither of them stood a chance against him in direct combat. So, Clank and Elaris deployed a few Agents of Doom. They charged towards the Royal Guard, shrieking and growling. The Guard attempted to take them out with his vibrosword, but missed. The Agents slammed into him and exploded. The Guard's armour prevented him from being killed, but he was dazed long enough for Elaris to run out and stun him with a Spitting Hydra.

Taking up the Guard's vibrosword, Elaris followed Clank on to the bridge itself. They paused outside the door, observing the Troopers and 'bots at the controls.

Clank tossed a Time Bomb into the room, and instantly, everyone except him and Elaris slowed to a crawl. They rushed into the room, and before they could even look round, Elaris sliced through the robots, while Clank knocked out the Troopers.

Once the Time Bomb had dissipated, the two friends sat at the controls and began punching in new targets.

Outside, all the ship's cannons, previously aimed at the ground or at surrounding enemies, turned towards other nearby battleships. Soon, ships and TIE Fighters were being shot down by one of their own ships. Clank and Elaris fist-bumped.

Without warning, they were tackled from behind and sent flying through the bridge's window. The robot and Ceratos tumbled through the air, screaming, until Bo and Niscus caught them both. They looked up to see the Constable-turned-cyborg Neyla. Her mechanical wings were beating the air above the remains of the bridge.

A twisted, predatory gleam in her eye, Neyla swooped down at them.


Team 17, Zootropolis Loop Train

Green, yellow and red blades sent sparks flying as Kyle Katarn and Ezra Bridger duelled Inquisitor Jerec atop the moving train. Jerec jabbed out at Ezra, who parried the attack. The young man's focus was somewhat divided due to the need to resist the Miraluka's attempt to cloud his connection to the Force. Kyle came at Jerec from behind, but the Inquisitor leapt upward out of the way, and the two Jedi had to duck to avoid an incoming blast of Force Destruction, which blew a hole in the roof of the train. Kyle retaliated with Lightning, while Ezra picked up debris from a wrecked station they were racing through and lobbed it at the Inquisitor. Jerec absorbed the Lightning, while shielding himself from the debris. He threw some of the debris back at his opponents, before using the opening to jump at them, his blade raised for a slash.

Inside the train's rear coach, meanwhile, Knuckles threw a punch at Doctor Finitevus. The albino Echidna blocked the fist and aimed a hook of his own. Knuckles caught it with his elbow, and brought his leg up for a kick. Finitevus darted back to avoid it. Knuckles charged after him, only to pull up before he fell through one of Finitevus' Warp Rings. The mad scientist sent a blast of dark Chaos energy Knuckles' way. Knuckles leapt clear, and a hole was blasted in the side of the train. Knuckles, ignoring the inrush of cold air, imbued his fist with red Chaos energy, and unleashed a fast barrage of punches and jabs at Finitevus. The latter parried, blocked or dodged every one of them, though the shockwaves sent out by doing so made the carriage tremble.

Further up the train, Applejack, or Mistress Mare-vellous as she was also known, and Taurus were tussling with a cybernetic-enhanced Muggshot. Taurus charged at Muggshot, horns lowered, only for the buffed-up Dog to catch him by the head with one hand. With the other, Muggshot fired at Mare-vellous with one of his guns. The farm Pony twirled her lasso around, deflecting the bullets away. Taurus drew his mallet and swung it at Muggshot's arm. The arm didn't break, but the impact did cause Muggshot to release his grip. Taurus brought his mallet up for an overhand strike, which Muggshot caught with both hands. However, this allowed Mare-vellous to barrel into him from behind. All three muscle-people tumbled to the floor in a whirl of fists and feet, all hitting each other, and none caving.

At this point, the train had entered the Solaris Highlands. The avalanche caused by Whisper had now buried the rails ahead.

Seeing this, Kyle and Ezra leapt clear, as did Jerec when he sensed it. The train ploughed into the snowdrift. Muggshot, Mare-vellous, Taurus, Knuckles and Finitevus were all flung forward by the sudden deceleration. Though all were battered, none were seriously hurt.

Ezra and Kyle landed atop the drift and flung snow at Jerec. The Miraluka deflected it with ease. Sensing an AT-ST nearby, which was in the midst of advancing on Cora's team, the Inquisitor reached with the Force to forcibly change the direction the pilot and gunner were going, turning the walker's cannons on Kyle and Ezra. The AT-ST fired at them behind, narrowly missing them as they ran clear.

Jerec pulled Finitevus and Muggshot up and out of the train, just as Knuckles, Mare-vellous and Taurus climbed out after them. Taurus threw his mallet at the AT-ST, buckling the cabin and knocking the walker flat on its back. However, this still left several Imperial enemies behind them who had now spotted them. As Kyle and Ezra re-joined them, the team readied themselves for a renewed attack from two fronts.


Team 18, Air Assault

Rainbow Dash, also known as Zapp, raised her Bolt and rained lightning down upon some of the battleships. Robots and Troopers were disintegrated where they stood. Cannons were blown apart. Holes were torn through the metal. To add insult to injury, Majestia punched through them with ease. The ships exploded, lighting up the sky. Zapp swooped down upon another ship, pinballing between Egg Pawns, Protoguards and Stormtroopers, sending them flying. Majestia then grabbed the ship from behind and forcibly redirected it, so that it collided with another battleship. When a swarm of TIE Fighters came at her, Majestia literally blew them away. Zapp flew at another Fighter pursuing an X-Wing, punching through the cockpit and seizing the pilot by the throat. The TIE spiralled to earth, while Zapp punched the pilot, and then deposited him on the roof of a building below.

Roi Singe and Monkey Khan soared through the air side-by-side on clouds. When a TIE Bomber came at them, the two raised their staffs and struck the wings as it flew between them. The Bomber was sent crashing into the nearest ship. Landing in the midst of Troopers and robots on a second ship, Roi Singe and Khan fought back-to-back, whacking and stabbing enemies left and right with their staffs. Roi Singe swung his body around with his pole, kicking enemies back while Khan ducked. Khan then summoned a stream of lightning and swiped his Atom Bat around him, vaporising the entire horde of enemies in seconds. Roi Singe activated his Uproar ability, summoning a toy banana. Dropping on the ground, he and Khan took off. The ship's cannon started to go haywire, firing in random directions. One targeted the ship's exhaust and it went down. Roi Singe and Monkey Khan fist-bumped as they went off.

Wedge Antilles felt his X-Wing buck slightly as he flew past an exploding ship. Stabbing down on his control yoke, a TIE he was pursuing exploded in a flash of light that briefly dazzled him. He banked left to avoid an incoming cannon fire and responded with a shot that blew the cannon to pieces. A message came in from Hera Syndulla, requesting a 'scoot and shoot', a request Wedge was only too happy to oblige. Slowing down with his retro-rockets, he allowed Hera's B-Wing to overtake him, before dropping in on her tail. The two bared down upon one of the sawfish battleships. TIEs, Flappers and Falcos came at them, lasers tearing through the air. Wedge brought his fighter up to unleash laser fire of his own, just as Hera and her gunner did likewise. Most of the TIEs and Badniks disappeared in an explosion of energy, while the rest broke off. As they closed in on the battleship, an Egg Hammer suddenly came flying up to meet them, its weapon raised. Before it could strike, the Millennium Falcon swooped in and the Egg Hammer was blown to pieces. Wedge and Hera could practically hear Han's whoop before it even came over their com-links. Wedge unleashed his proton torpedoes and Hera fired her fighter's composite laser. The battleship blew up in an explosion that might have blinded them, had they not pulled up before it happened.

An Assassin-class Corvette warship was exchanging fire with one of the manta ray ships. Though the latter was significantly bigger, the former was still proving a viable match, using its smaller size to avoid enemy fire while its turbolaser batteries and quad lasers returned fire.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the Corvette lurched, tilting to one side. The crew on the bridge was thrown off their feet or from their seats. Their port thrusters were being sabotaged by Flappers that had exploited the gunners' focus on the enemy battleship. Luckily for those on board, this lack of greater awareness would not prove fatal. One of the gunners saw Uncanny Valley soar down to the roof of the Corvette and place a hand on it. The ship stopped tilting and carefully steadied itself. Meanwhile, the Flappers were hit by boomerangs courtesy of Knightowl, which promptly exploded on contact, leaving the engines unharmed.

Once the Corvette's port thrusters were fully operational again, Uncanny Valley and Knightowl re-entered the greater battle. Uncanny Valley lanced three TIE Fighters in half with her head laser. Knightowl joined Majestia on a mako battleship, punching and kicking down soldiers and robots. Uncanny touched the side of the battleship, and its cannons were hijacked, quickly turning against the rest of the fleet.

Ignitus melted Flappers and Falcos into molten metal with a blast of fire, before piercing a Bomber with his lance. Terrador swung his tail mace into a TIE hard enough to buckle it and blasted several cannons to bits with his Earth shot. The two Guardians then linked hands and merged a Comet Dash with an Earth Boulder, thus forming a ball of magma that smashed through a battleship like a volcanic explosion.

Volteer, Aureole and Cordelia (carried by Aureole) combined their powers to create a literal storm, with high winds, constant lightning and driving rain. Cyril infused it with his ice magic to rain electric-infused hailstones down on enemy fighters and battleships, disorienting them and causing severe damage to the superstructures.

This fleet was going down ship by ship, and the skies above Mobotropolis would rain the fire of justice.


Metal Sonic, battered and sparking, was slammed hard to the ground, and then Spin-Dashed by Sonic and Lilac. The robot Hedgehog's body was torn apart, and his snarling head kicked away by his organic counterpart.

Ladybug intercepted a blast of lightning from a Shadow Guard with her blades, and flung the bolts back at him. The Guard defended against the lightning, but was subsequently left open to being incapacitated by a burst of magic from Twilight.

Ratchet equipped his Walloper and Spyro encased his fist in earth. The two put these fists through the chasses of robots or the torsos of Hero Orcs. When an AT-AT advanced, they flew up and literally punched the walker over.

Sly hooked his cane around a Cragmite's neck and swung it round into a Purge Trooper. Death Trooper came charging at him, only to be blinded when Sly dropped a smoke bomb. Despite the sensors in their helmets, Luke was too fast for them, bisecting them all in the blink of an eye.

As the last enemy fell, the Freedom Eight surveyed the bodies around them. Twilight's face twisted in discomfort. Sonic exhaled deeply through his nose, his eyes closed.

They all looked at the whale shark flagship above them. It had thus far not been attacked, due to strong defences. Even as they watched, a Y-Wing flying underneath was shot down.

A hatch opened on the underside of the ship, and a massive robot descended towards them from the Egg Imperial Fortress above. The Freedom Eight readied themselves. They knew who it was.

The Imperial Warlord Robot landed before the Freedom Eight, its red optics gleaming menacingly.

"You proved more resilient than we thought," boomed Robotnik's voice from inside. "I'm almost impressed. But then, you lot have always been the same stubborn do-gooders!"

"And you have always been the same egotistical upstart, Doc!" Sonic retorted, though he wasn't smiling.

"If you think you can take this city so easily, you've got another thing coming!" Lilac declared.

"By the will of the Force, you will answer for your crimes against Mobius!" Luke proclaimed.

"Of course, you have the option to surrender," Twilight offered. "And we'll go easy on you."

Robotnik just laughed mirthlessly. "You heroes and your proclamations of justice sicken me!" he spat. "I surrender to on one! Even if we can't have this city, you won't live to gloat about it!" His robot's left arm converted into a Plasma cannon. "Prepare to die!"

Sonic scoffed. "Not today, Eggman!"

The Freedom Eight, as one, charged. And so did Robotnik.

Robotnik had to be stopped, no matter the cost!