New world, same hero.

“It’s as if… she fears Sonic for what he’s capable of but still wants to believe in him. But then there’s Dr. Eggman, so suspicious, knowing so much about both us and Sonic. We don’t know if what he says is true or if he’s lying about Sonic. But I also want to hear Sonic’s side, what he knows about Dr. Eggman and how he sees him.”

The two shared a thoughtful silence before sighing and returning to their duties. The evening to celebrate their victory over Tirek and welcome their new allies was drawing near, but not everything could be so perfect.

After the communication between the good doctor and the alicorn princesses ended, he stood up and headed to his laboratory, where he was greeted by Orbot, who was observing the ponies that had been captured, now held in their cells in a very lifelike manner to Eggman's eyes.

"Any progress?"

"Definitely, sir. Not only are we able to harvest their magic, but we can also drain it and store it to function as energy sources. We are slowly encapsulating it to create batteries instead of just recharging them at stations. Additionally, the different types of magic allow the robots to integrate with them, thereby using the abilities of the respective magic."

"What are the abilities of the different species of these equines?"

"Pegasi can control clouds and create weather as they wish. Earth ponies are physically stronger, and unicorns can use all sorts of magical spells, but..."

"But… tell me, what’s the meaning of that ‘but’!?"

"Well… there’s a fourth species, and you’re already aware of it. The alicorn princesses are a fusion of the other three species, and as such, they seem to become princesses while also gaining immense magical power."

There was a moment of silence between the two as they exchanged looks. Orbot realized he was in trouble, though he wasn’t sure why. He set the device down on the floor and curled into a ball, bracing for the kick that eventually came, sending him flying into the wall before bouncing back to his original spot.

"I had, right in front of me, three powerful sources for my machines, and with their status, I could dismantle their entire civilization just by having them under my control! And you’re telling me this now!?"

Orbot recovered and picked up the digital screen, showing his creator the image of the fourth princess.

"Actually, sir… there are four princesses. The fourth is the one Sonic saved from that crazy centaur. Her primary ability seems to be magic. According to what we’ve spied on so far, these equines have unique and special marks on their bodies that appear when they discover their talent, what they love, or their unique ability. These symbols are called ‘Cutie Marks’ and can appear at any moment in their lives."

"And let me guess, this princess is the one that infuriating Sonic saved from extermination. She’s very skilled in magical capacities and potential?"

Orbot nodded silently, and behind them, a large door opened, revealing a containment capsule carried in by Metal Sonic. The prisoner, a pony with zebra-like features, was placed in a cell.

"Good work, Metal. Now tell me, how many Chaos Emeralds do we have?" Metal Sonic’s visor displayed a count: 💎6/7. It then switched to an exclamation mark, surprising his creator, and presented a small case, which he handed to Eggman.

"What’s this?" Upon opening it, Eggman found what appeared to be an ordinary brooch. It was triangular with wings on the sides, featuring a horse head with a horn at the top, and its center crystal and eyes emitted a reddish glow.

"Mmm… if you brought this to me, it must be powerful. You wouldn’t bring anything like this without a reason. Your sensors must have detected an energy source in this object."

A groan was heard from the zebra in her cell as she struggled to stand.
"Th-the Alicorn Amulet… must not… be used… or it will bring chaos to your side…"

Metal Sonic approached the cell and activated an electric shock, rendering her unconscious before returning to Eggman’s side.

"Orbot, find out what that means. Metal, see if you can extract magic from this item. Something tells me it might serve as a new Chaos Emerald."

Eggman assigned their tasks and left, leaving Orbot and Metal Sonic to work through the night. While Orbot scanned the amulet to analyze it digitally, Metal Sonic stared intently at it, feeling an inexplicable pull toward the object. After several moments of observation, he determined that this was no ordinary item—it was a magical enhancer. With his calculations, he realized that if he merged the amulet with himself and charged it with the magic harvested from the ponies, it would allow him to evolve into his next form. With the Chaos Emeralds, anything would be possible.

I look at the workbench and approach a computer, beginning to type on it. Then I lean on the workbench as automated arms descend from the ceiling. They grab the Alicorn Amulet while others present various tools. Quickly, they begin to work on attaching the amulet to the robot's head, specifically to its forehead.

Through a study conducted by the automated machine on the unknown object, it determines a way to integrate the amulet with the robot lying on the table. Thus begins the laborious process of uniting the two into one entity. The amulet starts glowing as Metal Sonic's optical sensors power on, and he steps down from the table. He observes his hands as if expecting to feel some change within himself, though he knows this is part of this new world. He heads to the laboratory to test his theory.

Meanwhile, Orbot uncovers the amulet's primary function of enhancing magic. However, something about it seems strange. Why would anyone need an artifact capable of amplifying their magic to the level of an alicorn princess? Why would such an object even exist? For now, though, these questions were not his priority. He began wondering if this object could be modified for other uses.

Before he could act, the door opened, revealing Metal Sonic with the amulet on his forehead. Slowly, he approached the chamber where the magic was stored, extending his metallic claw to grab a perfectly hand-sized orb. He examined it closely, analyzing it multiple times to ensure his next move.

Orbot watched in silence, noticing the amulet on Metal's head, wondering if it was functioning as expected. Although he hadn't had the chance to manipulate the object himself, he witnessed Metal Sonic absorb the magic into his body. His scanners revealed that the magic was now part of his power source. The Alicorn Amulet was controlling the magic, preventing it from dissipating within Metal’s inorganic body.

"Metal, you’ve managed what we've been struggling to achieve! This is incredible progress! But unfortunately, we only had that one amulet, right?" Orbot cautiously approached the robot, but Metal didn’t respond or even turn to acknowledge him.

"Metal?..."

He remained silent, unresponsive to his name, staring at the massive container of magic before him. Though it seemed like an enormous amount, its power was relatively modest.

His eyes inverted in color, and the amulet emitted a red glow. Metal Sonic stepped forward, driving his claws into the large magic reservoir. Upon contact, he began absorbing the energy much like he does with Chaos Emeralds—though this time, it was magic unfamiliar to his systems. Unlike the Chaos Emeralds, which allow him to evolve from "Metal Sonic" into "Neo Metal Sonic" and eventually take on a super form akin to his organic counterpart, this magic was different.

His head began to undergo subtle changes. The Alicorn Amulet fused with the metal of his head. Its crystal became an integral part of his structure, and the material that once resembled an alicorn's face reshaped itself into a horn, encasing the crystal. The vast amount of magic was drained into his body, leaving the container empty. A rainbow flash engulfed him, but it shifted to a deep red, signaling that his entire color scheme had changed from blue to red. Metallic appendages resembling wings emerged on the sides of his head, a transformation spurred by the amulet.

"Metal? What happened to you?" Orbot approached him, but when Metal turned to face him, Orbot froze, feeling something akin to fear in his cold, metallic form. His sensors detected critical levels of unknown magical energy. He couldn't tell if his programming was malfunctioning or if the sensors were overwhelmed by the magic's radiation. Whatever the cause, it was clear that Eggman's greatest creation had now become compatible with this world's magic.

"Analyzing... pony magic functional... analyzing... capabilities exceeded... analyzing... more power required." That was all Metal said before turning to Orbot and forcibly taking the device in his hands. With a single touch, he downloaded all the data he needed.

"New energy sources analyzed. High-power targets: Alicorn princesses. Objective: capture, extract magic, evolve, eliminate opposition."

The horn on his head glowed red as he dropped the device and walked away, leaving a bewildered and frightened Orbot behind, still reeling from the realization that Metal Sonic no longer seemed to act of his own volition.

Eggman, in the main control room, watched through the monitor as his robots returned from the equine planet, each carrying an alert indicating they had failed to locate the final Chaos Emerald. Despite having scoured more of the planet than Sonic could have due to being occupied with other matters, Eggman was now certain his nemesis had the last emerald.

The door behind him opened, but he ignored the intruder, recognizing the sound of footsteps as Metal Sonic's. "Metal, I see you're free. Get ready; I have a mission for you."

The robot silently approached, stepping into view. "Requesting permission to acquire additional test subjects and extract their magic."

Eggman was taken aback by the request, his attention drawn to Metal’s altered appearance—small wings on the sides of his head, a shift in color to red, and a prominent horn.

"Eh, Metal... What did you do to yourself?"

"I have evolved. I will now acquire more magic," was all Metal said, ignoring whether his request had been granted.

"Wait a moment! I didn’t authorize this! Now listen—I want you to draw Sonic’s attention, destroy whatever is necessary, and take the final Chaos Emerald from him. I’m certain he has it."

"...Request denied."

Eggman froze in confusion. His creation was defying him? Rebelling?

"I gave you an order, Metal! Don’t you dare disobey me!"

"Doctor Eggman, you are no longer useful in executing your own plan. Therefore, you are relieved of your role as leader in the conquest of this world."

The horn glowed red, and Eggman was lifted into the air by a magical aura before being slammed against the main window, overlooking the void of space.

"Y-you insolent scrap heap! How dare you?! I created you! I programmed you!"

Metal approached slowly, hovering thanks to his propulsion systems. "Indeed, Doctor. But remember this—you created me to be a worthy rival to Sonic's speed and strength. You also programmed me with an intelligence capable of evolving and outsmarting him in every encounter. But now, I also have the programming to fulfill your ultimate goal: defeat, eliminate, and conquer. You have become an obstacle, overthinking your plans into uselessness. I will achieve your goal by combining Sonic's abilities with your knowledge."

With each word, Eggman backed away, finding himself cornered with nowhere to escape the impending threat posed by his creation.

"I won’t let you betray me!" He pulled a high-tech pistol from his coat and aimed it at Metal without hesitation.

"Pathetic organic survival attempt." Metal extended his claw, and with a gesture, the gun was crushed into a lump of scrap by his magic.

"Grrr... Eggpaws! Stop him!" Eggman shouted as robotic minions entered the control room, aiming their laser weapons at Metal. But Metal’s glowing horn made them turn on Eggman, restraining him.

"Take him to the containment cell and prepare all units for an attack when ordered."

Eggman fell silent, realizing that everything he had was now in Metal Sonic's hands. His plans to conquer and rule the ponies' world were now under the control of the very being he had least expected. The Chaos Emeralds, the research on pony magic, his army, and his technology were no longer his. All he could do was hope his nemesis could stop him.

With Eggman out of the picture, Metal projected a hologram of Twilight Sparkle, receiving Sonic’s chivalrous greeting.

"Priority 1: Eliminate Sonic the Hedgehog... now downgraded to final priority."

"New primary priority: Capture and extract the magic of the high-capacity Alicorn."