6. Fight
Rainbow Dash struggled in Fluttershy's grip, unable to break free. "Fluttershy..." she gasped. "It's me...it's Rainbow Dash..."
Dr. Eggman laughed. "How much it must hurt you, child...when friendship is betrayed..."
Dash blinked back tears, struggling to break free. Then, from off in the distance, she heard a familiar voice at an unfamiliar volume.
"RAINBOW DASH! IT'S A TRAP!"
The voice was shouted incredibly loud from a great distance. Gazing in the direction of the origin, Dash spotted a vehicle way off in the distance...and a flutter of pink in the front seat. As hope filled her, she flexed her whole body and kicked the one holding her in the chest...hard.
WIth the sound of tearing machinery, 'Fluttershy' staggered backward, clutching at her sparking stump of an arm. Inside the injury, a glowing light was just visible.
The arm dropped to the ground, the hologram falling, showing a complicated mass of metal and circuitry. After a moment, tendrils extended from the stump, pulling the arm back and reattatching it.
Dash pulled out a communicator. "NOW!" she shouted into it.
Sonic's eyes flew open. He leapt into the air, spinning, shattering the chains that bound him. As he came to the ground, there was a flash of light, and the rest of the team arrived: Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, and Shadow, who Dash had only just met in preparing this. It was Shadow who had used Chaos Control to bring them all here at Dash's signal.
Dr. Eggman laughed. "Well, Rainbow Dash...how unexpected. You intended to stab me in the back? Then again, it's not like you're honesty."
As Dash blinked in confusion, Sonic stepped forward. "I recognize that tech, Eggman! What were you thinking reactivating Metal Sonic?"
As everyone else gasped at this news, Eggman chuckled. "Oh, Sonic...he didn't." Eggman's body contorted and shifted, and after a moment a metal version of Sonic stood in his place. "I had it all set up, gift wrapped this for the good doctor...but he proved too good to even terrorize a helpless pony. Oh well, I didn't need him anymore. Afterall..." He snapped his metal fingers.
FLuttershy's hologram dropped, revealing a metallic body not unlike Metal Sonic's. Five other metal creatures dropped cloaking tech, revealing metal versions of each of Rainbow Dash's friends from her own world - as Mobians - including one of herself.
"...I've MADE myself some new friends. You've already met Metalshy, but I would be remiscse if I did not introduce the others. Let me make known to you all Twilight Steel, Metaljack, Pinkie Fry, Jewels...and Metal Dash." Metal Sonic gestured to the copies of FLuttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash each in turn. "Metal Dash proved her use and loyalty already...but it's time for them all to show what they are made of, wouldn't you say?" He pointed his hand and snapped his fingers. "Kill."
Each of the metal ponies charged forward, aiming for specific opponents as Sonic and Metal Sonic clashed once more. Dash faced her own dopplganger. Amy faced Pinkie Fry, Shadow faced Twilight Steel, Jewel faced Rouge, Knuckles face Metaljack, and Tails face Metalshy.
Sonic and Metal Sonic had clashed many times before, and their skills had long been evenly matched, as Metal Sonic's growth in power would only be matched by Sonic's chaotic nature and reckless confidence. However, this time was different. Somehow, Metal Sonic was able to anticipate Sonic's moves, although his own actions were almost as though he was unfamiliar with his own body.
Dash was rapidly able to gain an advantage over her duplicate. After all, it was created to best her skill levels from when she first arrived on Mobius. She had improved greatly since then. Seeing something around it's neck, she snalred. "That's not yours!" she snapped, dashing in before the robot could react. Seizing the necklace, she kicked out with all her might, sending Metal Dash through the air. She hung the Element of Loyalty back around her own neck where it belonged before pursuing her opponent.
Amy's battle with Pinkie Fry seemed to be going well. Pinkie Fry kept pulling things out of nowhere with various effects when wielded, everything from exploding pies to fire breathing rubber chickens. However, Amy was battle hardened and managed to avoid most of the attacks, countering strongly with her hammer.
Rouge's battle with Jewel was a hard one, as they were scarily evenly matched. Every move Rouge would use would be countered, and every move Jewel made was countered as well. This battle didn't look good, as Rouge would tire long before Jewel ran out of power.
Knuckles wasn't doing so well against Metaljack. They were evenly matched in power, but Metaljack was somewhat faster than Knuckles. However, Knuckles was able to take a good deal more damage without flinching, while a powerful hit to Metaljack forced her to withdraw while she reassembled.
Tails was rapidly making short work of Metalshy in battle. Both were aerial fighters, but while Metalshy constantly charged him...he just hovered back out of range, taking pop shots with his arm cannon. Since he'd been ready for a death battle - he'd decided the picture had shown Eggman had gone too far - the blast from it was no longer designed to stun.
Shadow's battle with Twilight Steel was surprisingly even. She countered each of his chaos techniques for a while with magic spells. However, as he used chaos ontrol to manuever their position on the battlefield, he saw his opportunity when only the Metals were in range. "Chaos...BLAST!" The erupting blast of chaos energy sent all the metals flying, to land in a heap some distance away, although the damage rapidly repaired.
Metal Sonic was the first to come to his feet. "Ah...was not expecting that attack...although I must say, I like it." As the heroes approached, there was a wicked glint in Metal's red eyes. "However, it's time to end this." Metal Sonic once more snapped his metal fingers.
The six metal ponies leapt together. Each extended a strange energy projector as immense energies began to gather. Dash stared at the formation in shock. She recognized it. Charging in, she was only able to pull Sonic out of the way...before a negative rainbow slammed into the others, sending them flying backward, their energy drained.
Metal Sonic laughed, then paused to examine something on his arm. "Well, it seems the Negative Harmony Cannon functions perfectly...although the cooldown period appears to be built into the magic, rather than the users as I had thought..." He looked up. Shadow had dropped the Chaos Emeralds he had been holding onto - all seven of them - when he was hit with the blast. Seven glowing spheres of color floated over the emeralds, and the emeralds themselves were grey, without light. Metal Sonic's eyes glowed. "How wonderful for me," he said, holding out one arm. The seven spheres were sucked into his body, and he glowed briefly. He glanced up at Sonic and Dash. "Seems I didn't get all of you. Pity...but you two alone won't last long."
"Then it's a good thing they aren't fighting alone!" said a voice from nearby that made Dash gasp in shock.
The vehicle had pulled to a halt. It was an Eggspeeder, built for rapid ground transport, with few weapons. It was a six seater, and the five passengers had disembarked. FLuttershy was easily recognized by the picture Dash had been sent...but the others were a surprise.
On the far left, an orange pony girl with blond hair stood, dressed in blue denim overalls and a cowbay hat. She had a stalk of grain in her teeth and a smirk on her face. Next to her stood a white unicorn girl with dark blue hair dressed in a violet sheath gown, giving Metal Sonic a very haughty glare. On the right next to Fluttershy was a bright pink pony in...a clown suit. Standing between the pink pony and white unicorn, right in front, was a purple unicorn girl with darker purple hair, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. Floating over her shoulder was a purple and green chao.
Dash stared in shock. "Applejack? Rarity? Pinkie Pie? Twilight Sparkle?" She paused as she stared at the chao. "...Spike?"
"Chao..." the chao said, holding up a sign that read, 'This is humiliating.'
Twilight Sparkle grinned. "Did you really think we wouldn't come when we knew you needed help?"
"But how did you get here?" Dash demanded as she quickly ran forward to embrace everyone.
Before Twilight could answer, they were interrupted by metallic clapping.
"Oh I just love tearful reunions," Metal Sonic said. "Don't you?"
"Fight now, talk later!" Applejack said, charging forward to attack her metal counterpart.
"Careful!" Dash called. "They're designed to be better than you at your best skills!" She charged her counterpart.
"Dully noted," Rarity said as she clashed with Jewel, "although I think mine must be a failed design, then. Her sense of fashion is just horrid."
"I'm pretty sure she meant combat related, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie said happily as she literally danced circles around her doppleganger.
"I-I think I'm going to need some help..." Fluttershy half mumbled as she fought her duplicate...until SPike charged in and proceeded to knock Metalshy around.
Eggman also lended a hand, pulling out a blaster and taking popshots whenever one of the robots was clear of friendly targets. Sonic's fight with Metal Sonic, however, wasn't going too well, as he was still tired and hurt from the first round.
Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Steel circled each other carefully. While magic was Sparkle's strongest trait, she had always been the strategist of the group, and knew her duplicate would likely be the same. After a few breif exchanges of spells, however, she grinned. "You may be stronger in magic than me," she told her copy, "but whoever programmed your spell list was a rank, arrogant ametuer." With that, she delivered a rather blistering spell combo that nearly tore Twilight Steel to pieces, leaving a large crystal with a familiar crest on it exposed, glowing. At the sight of the symbol, Sparkle flinched, giving time for Steel to get back to her feet. "No..." she whispered.
"Oh please," Metal Sonic said, suddenly backhanding Sonic aside. "After our last fight, did you really think I wouldn't take all you would learn into account? It's just there's only so much that can be done in regards to magic with machines."
Twilight Sparkle backed up nervously. "We-we've never fought before," she said strongly. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't remember me?" Metal Sonic asked. "I'm hurt. Then again, this is a different form. Perhaps this will refresh your memory." Metal SOnic's body suddenly contorted. "Form feet and legs!" he shouted.
Metaljack, Jewel and Pinkie Fry suddenly contorted, slamming into each other as they combined.
"Form arms and torso!"
Metal Dash, Metal Shy, and Twilight Steel also combined, attatching to the base.
"And I'll form...the head!"
As Metal Sonic attatched to the completed form, it moved in a sinuous, snake like manner. Although the entire body was now metal, the coloring was a crazed mix, as every part of the body was different from any other, none seeming to match. However, to Twilight Sparkle and the others, this created a familiar - and frightening - visage.
"D-dischord..." Fluttershy barely whispered.