Invasion: Tales of a Roboticized Mare

Darkness. Humidity. The sound of breathing. These were the first things Rainbow Dash detected as she powered up with a whir. Even though none of her alarms went off, she activated her sensors, scanning the room. Nothing.

Rainbow Dash turned around, careful not to make too much noise. Her hooves scuffed the wooden floor as she moved. Laying on the single mattress was a light yellow Pegasus with a long, pink mane. She was curled up, nose wrinkled as she slept; there was no escape from the odor of pollution.

Rainbow Dash blinked her one pony eye, facing back to the door to return to her vigilant stance. Most of her body was composed of wiring and electronics. The jagged lined between flesh and metal alloy ran across the lower left side of her head, including her left eye.

The effect of Dr. Robotnik's vile Roboticizer. Nopony knew how he built it, or how it works, for it certainly wasn't the result of magic. In truth, Rainbow Dash was fortunate. The Roboticizer was destroyed before it could finish Rainbow. This new body was incredibly strong, and her mechanized wings still carried her at great speeds.

But still, Rainbow Dash was... this. She had lost count of how many missions they had completed thanks to her condition. But Celestia, why this?

Rainbow Dash's good ear twitched at the sound of Fluttershy yawning as she sat up. Rainbow heard hooves on the floor, and soon a voice in her ear.

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow processed a mix of Fluttershy's sweet, sugary voice in her ear, and a grainy, cheap version in one of her audio sensors.

She turned her head to look at Fluttershy, a look in her eye that said, No it's not.

Fluttershy sighed, massaging the the patch of flesh on Rainbow's head. Rainbow Dash shut her eye, enjoying the feel of Fluttershy's touch. Soft lips gently kissed Rainbow's eyelid. She nuzzled Fluttershy, silently begging for more.

Fluttershy complied, kissing and stroking every inch of pony left on Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash wished she could feel more. Her heart beat faster, her skin grow hot and sweaty, get aroused by Fluttershy. Anything more than the addicting touch of her mare.

"You didn't go on a mission last night, did you?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, her mechanical joints whirring. In fact, Rainbow had not gone on a mission for over a week. Doc hadn’t yet given her a list of materials they needed. She would make a run once Doc came up with something. Speaking of which...

Rainbow flashed her electronic eye, gesturing outside. Fluttershy nodded. She had become an expert at interpreting Rainbow's new form of communication.

"I'll go with Roseluck and Caramel today and gather food." Fluttershy said, still petting Rainbow's mane.

Rainbow nodded in acknowledgement. She made her way outside, already pained at leaving Fluttershy. The village they resided in was still dark. The sun wouldn't be up for a few hours, and even then, barely any made it past the thick canopy.

Rainbow Dash automatically activated her night vision. She ran another scan, just to be safe. Once satisfied, Rainbow began trotting along the dirt road. She quickly came to the Doctor’s hut. Rainbow shoved the door open, not bothering to knock. Doc, as usual, was perched at his desk, poring over scores of papers. Sometimes Rainbow wondered if he ever slept.

Rainbow Dash chirped in greeting. The brown Earth Pony raised his head. "Ah, Miss Dash. Here for your details?"

Rainbow flashed her eye, nodding.

"Very good. But this mission is going to be different."

Rainbow cocked her head.

"This should be the last run, if you manage to find everything on the list," The Doctor began. As straight as her posture was, Rainbow Dash stood erect, as if offended that Doctor Whooves would even suggest that she might fail. "So, I've devised a plan."

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof, motioning for him to continue.

"Well, I was thinking, it wouldn't matter if we built a de-Roboticizer, as long as Robotnik still has the original. And it doesn't matter how many times we destroy it, as long as he has the schematics."

Rainbow glared impatiently with her one good eye.

"So, I want to split this into a scavenging run, and a raid."

Rainbow considered this, then gave Doctor Whooves a skeptical look.

"Yes, we will need to acquire the council's approval, but I am confident we will. If this works, we will be closer than ever to ending that madman's rule! We could start to go on rescue missions! Maybe we could find the Princesses, and make quick work of him!"

Rainbow nodded thoughtfully. If they could de-Roboticize the Princesses, or heck, even Discord, then the battle would be practically over. Rainbow gave an affirming nod.

"Excellent! Now, we just have to assemble the council. We'll need every hoof in this mission we can get!"

~~~

"You're crazy."

Doctor Whooves huffed. The council, consisting of six ponies, gathered around a stone table in a damp, moldy cave. Besides Rainbow Dash and Doctor Whooves, there was a young pale yellow Earth Pony, two Unicorn mares, and an orange Pegasus. Doctor Whooves defiantly puffed up his chest at the Unicorn who had first spoken up.

"It'll work. It's our best shot. Which is why it's imperative that we get into contact with the other Freedom Fighters now!"

The Pegasus shook her head. "Doc, there's just no way. He built that machine, he can build it again."

"How many years did it take him?" Doctor Whooves screeched in disbelief. "I tell you, if we can get rid of the schematics, we can de-Roboticize enough ponies before he designs a new one and take him down!"

"Does the de-Roboticizer even work?" The Earth Pony inquired. She tipped back the worn rancher hat on her cherry-red mane.

Doctor Whooves scuffed at the floor. "No, but we only need a few more parts. I'm sure that it is close to finished."

"I've heard enough already." One of the Unicorns yawned. Her lilac coat was shaggy and thin, from months of not caring for it. "If this mission is so important, it would make more sense to delay it until we have a fully functional de-Roboticizer."

Doctor Whooves opened his mouth to protest, but quickly reconsidered. "You're right, Twilight. I was over eager."

Twilight’s eyes drooped, and she seemed like she might faint any moment. Still, she politely waved it off.

"We all have somepony we miss. It's not irrational to want to see them again. But we can't allow ourselves to make irrational decisions. You have been extremely resourceful, Doctor. We would not be here without you."

Doctor Whooves nodded. "Of course."

"Now," Twilight continued, turning her gaze to Rainbow Dash. "Those parts on the Doctor’s list. We still need those. Will you still go on the run, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in salute. Scavenging runs were some of the easiest of jobs. Finding the parts would be a breeze. She just prayed that Doc could get that de-Roboticizer working.

~~~

Fluttershy played a tune in her head. She couldn't remember what it was, or where it was from. But it helped. She picked berries as she trotted around the bush, tossing them in either of the baskets strapped to her side. Caramel was digging up veggies from the garden, and Roseluck was picking flowers. The job shouldn't take very long.

As she leaned, wary of thorns, Fluttershy heard a faint sound. She froze. Fluttershy perked an ear. She had scared herself over nothing in the past, but she was quite certain that she didn't imagine it. It sounded rather... artificial.

But the only source of that would be Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy shook herself. Don’t be such a scaredy-pony, she scolded herself. She returned her attention to the berries. Pick, toss, pick, toss. There it is again.

Fluttershy pursed her lips. That was definitely machine. Summoning up her courage, Fluttershy faced the direction of the sound.

"Rainbow Dash, is that you?"

...No answer. Cautiously, Fluttershy advanced. She realized that her legs had started shaking. She had a queasy feeling.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Fluttershy slowed as she reached the line of bushel that the sound originated from.

"If that's you, please give me a sign." Fluttershy barely forced the sentence out, her voice cracking on the final words. To her relief, the bushes shook twice.

"Goodness, Rainbow! You had me shaking."

Fluttershy expected Rainbow Dash to pop out, a spark of the cheery mischief she once knew gleaming in one eye, happy with a harmless prank. She waited a few moments, and no cyborg pony emerged. Fluttershy's smile faltered.

"O-Okay, Rainbow Dash. Joke's over."

Nothing. Fluttershy gulped. With every ounce of courage, Fluttershy reached in pulling apart tiny branches, to see what was inside. She gasped in horror, backpedaling away. With a huge breath, Fluttershy let out a terrified scream.

~~~

Rainbow Dash would be smiling to herself, if she could smile. At least two of every part on Doc's list! The junkyard had been very helpful today. And to top it off, she hadn’t even been so much as glimpsed by SWATBOTS.

Yes, Rainbow Dash would be smiling to herself. Her pride faded as she heard sounds of panic near the village. Rainbow preemptively activated war-mode and all of her sensors. No wounded, no damage, no toxins, no casualties. What was going on?

Rainbow Dash galloped into the center of the village, dropping her satchel.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applebloom called. She waved Rainbow over urgently. "Thank golly you're here! We might have trouble!"

Rainbow shot an interrogative look at the mare.

"A few ponies were out gatherin' food, and Fluttershy found somethin'. Somethin' bad."

Rainbow Dash trotted alongside the Earth Pony, who was visibly shaken. She led Rainbow through the swamp and into the richer forest. Rainbow Dash's pony face was scowling. She did not like getting her parts wet.

"We're here." Applebloom declared, pointing to a patch of bushes. Rainbow calmly approached it. With a lightning fast twirl, she hacked away the bushes with her tail. Peering at the spot, Rainbow Dash observed what Fluttershy discovered.

It was a hole, big enough for a pony to crawl through. Rainbow's sensors indicated that the hole had been burnt through the soil. That meant SWATBOTS. She looked at Applebloom for confirmation.

"Fluttershy said she definitely saw somethin' lookin' at her inside it."

Rainbow stomped in irritation. If SWATBOTS found them, that meant Robotnik was closing in on them this very second. She turned back, motioning for Applebloom to follow. They needed to evacuate.

~~~

"Why are you staying here?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eye in exasperation. Doctor Whooves and Twilight had been clear: after the ponies, the de-Roboticizer was the top priority. And that takes time to disassemble and transport. As usual, Rainbow Dash was the muscle.

Hopefully SWATBOTS wouldn't arrive until they had all gotten out, but there was no room for taking chances. If they showed up, somepony needed to fight them. Which was something Fluttershy should realize, Rainbow thought.

"If you're staying here, then so am I." Fluttershy sat down defiantly. Rainbow Dash glared at her sternly. She pointed her hoof in a, you, go gesture.

Fluttershy shook her head. "I've come so close to losing you countless times. I'm through with it. I'm staying with you."

Seething, Rainbow Dash drove her hoof into the wall, punching a hole in it. Why couldn't Fluttershy understand the danger? She marched up to the mare, her metallic nose right up to hers. The look in Rainbow's eye was clear that she wasn't ready to debate the issue.

Stubbornly, Fluttershy shook her head. "If SWATBOTS do come, you can use your sensors, and send me off before they get here, if it makes you so happy."

Rainbow Dash fumed, before swinging her tail in defeat. Following Fluttershy's advice, she activated her sensors again. Nothing. Rainbow Dash glanced at Fluttershy, who raised her eyebrows expectantly. Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"See? Nothing. We'll be fine. As soon as Twilight and the Doctor get that machine ready to move, we'll be out of here."

~~~

"Almost done. Do you think you can handle levitating all of it, Twilight?" Doctor Whooves poked his head out of the space he was crammed in, pausing from his labor.

Twilight nodded, even though her face was doubtful. The Unicorn spent practically all of her energy controlling the Sun and Moon. This much work would be a real chore.

Rainbow watched as the Doctor worked. It was already almost sundown. Come nighttime, if they weren't inside the Castle of the Two Sisters, predators would catch them long before SWATBOTS managed to.

Rainbow looked sideways at her mare. Fluttershy was quietly watching the work as well. Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash extended a wing to Fluttershy. She wrapped it over the mare, who seemed puzzled at the gesture. Feigning a look of relaxation, Rainbow Dash turned on her broadcaster.

Who are you?

Fluttershy stiffened. Not hesitating for a second, Rainbow Dash hoisted up the Pegasus, and slammed her into the ground. Rainbow heard a cry of horror from Twilight.

Who are you?! Rainbow Dash demanded. Fluttershy squirmed as Dash pinned her down with her knees. Rainbow brought a hoof down on Fluttershy's left wing with a crunch.

"Rainbow Dash! What the hay are you doing?!"

No heartbeat, no thermal, no organic. Nothing. Rainbow Dash glowered at the 'Fluttershy'. Where is my Fluttershy?

The imposter hissed, and gradually began to transform. Flesh and fur dissolved away, and was replaced by an insect-like machine.

"Sweet Celestia!" Twilight gasped. Doctor Whooves was right behind her, attracted by the tussle.

"Is that a..."

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly.

"It-It's not possible. That is scientifically impossible." Doctor Whooves stammered.

On the ground beneath Rainbow Dash was a Roboticized Changeling.

Twilight grew pale. "If... If Robotnik has Changelings, and they can maintain their shape-shifting ability, that means-"

She was cut off by Rainbow Dash, who hammered into the Changeling with ferocity. One eye glowed red with hatred and fury. Again and again, she punched the Changeling, until nothing remained but a mess of tangled wires and bits of twisted metal.

The two ponies stared at Rainbow, shell-shocked.

"Rainbow Dash, you-you just..." Doctor Whooves' voice trailed off. Rainbow kicked the remains, showing no remorse. It was then that Twilight realized why Rainbow had gone into a rage. If this Changeling had taken Fluttershy's place, then that meant...

"Robotnik has Fluttershy."