Flash Sentry Chronicles: War of the Lost City

Chapters

The Cult of Shadow
The Game is On
The First Fallen
The Trials of Teamwork
Ruby's Rage
Baring One's Soul
The War Rages On
All In The Cards
The Armoured King
Soul's Destiny
Courageous Burning Heart
Discarded Honour
Bonds
A Thief's Tale
The Crystal Rose
The Fallen King
A Picture of One's Life
Seven on One: The War's End PT1
Seven on One: The War's End PT2
Genesis
A New Day Dawns
Journey's End
Heart and Soul
The Path to Darkness
Sacred Light Vs Corrupted Shadow: The Final Battle

The Cult of Shadow

Flash and his friends hadn't been in the city for more than an hour now, and they had seen quite a lot of sights. As for the one before them, their eyes shrunk as they saw a now army march into the place, everypony flinching at the sight.

"Uh...Flash?" Trixie turned to the pegasus, "Is there something you forgot to tell us about your dream?"

"Yeah! You said there were only seven creatures you didn't recognize! You didn't say anything about this!" Soarin barked as he pointed at the army. Everyone nodded in agreement as they all glared at Flash, only to see the pegasi just stare at the creatures with an almost transfixed look. "Flash!"

This startled the defender, making him turn to them, "I...I didn't see this," he muttered out, "None of this was in my dream."

The group started to complain, all but Springer as the jakhowl stared at the army. He saw it was trying to fit itself into any empty street they could find. He could only blink at the sight, soon closing his eyes as he reached out with his aura, only to let out a gasp, "What the-" his eyes shot open as he turned to the others, "Everypony, they're not real!"

"What?!"

"What are you talking about?!" Cold added.

Springer pointed at the army, "They're not real. I'm not sensing any kinda aura coming from them. Whatever they are, they're not alive."

Everyone exchanged glances at this, Ruby speaking up, "An illusion?"

Trixie rubbed her chin at her suggestion, "Maybe..." the former showmare turned and stared at one of the minotaurs as it lumbered down a street beside a canal, its footsteps causing the water to shake. "If they are illusions, whoever's casting them must be incredibly powerful. They're solid enough to shake the ground."

"Hang on!" Springer chimed in, "I'm picking something else up." He closed his eyes as he focused his aura, soon seeing a clump of life in one place in the crowd, "There!" He pointed at the box stationed atop the woolly mammoth. "Seven of them, all in there."

Hearing this drew Flash's attention back to the box, a chill now going down his spine. He could feel his whole body shiver, only to snapped out as Soul said, "Maybe they're friendly?" The little filly's comment soon went down in smoke as she then saw one of the large manticores reach a narrow street, raising its scorpion tail before swinging and shattering the buildings.

"You were saying?" Heart deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

Soul shrunk back now, shivering as she saw the place she called home for so long start to be destroyed. "But...why are they here?"

"I don't know," Flash placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "But if it's something bad, my friends and I will keep you safe. Promise." Heart and Soul both looked up at him with a small smile, Heart now hugging his sister while apologizing for his snide comment. As he did this, the others also nodded in agreement with Flash.

Meanwhile...

Inside the metal box like castle, the city's newest arrivals stared out at the city. At the front was the pony known as Shadow Corrupter, his eyes staring through a pair of binoculars as he now saw the seven ponies watching them from a rooftop with a weird dog thing besides them.

"I knew he'd be here," he hissed as he dropped the binoculars.

"Master," he turned to see Tempera, the unicorn mare doing a small bow, "What would you like us to do with them?" She took the binoculars and glared at the group, now seeing Trixie and Ruby. "I'd be happy to keep those skanks away from you."

"Tempera!" A dark blue pegasus with a green mane and tail growled as he lowered a visor connected to his headphones, "We have to be careful. Three of those ponies are Royal Knights. We must be diligent or they could be our undoing." He looked back at the group, grumbling as he put the visor back on, "Not only that, that ice-making knight is with him. That worm is responsible for so many lost operations."

"Do not fear Storm," a brown unicorn mare with a purple mane and tail responded as she pushed her hood down. She magically pulled out a bunch of cards, shuffling them around before pulling three out, "The future is clear. Our victory is assured by master Shadow's mere presence."

"You don't need all that gobbledegook," a black and blue pony griffon hybrid said while sitting on the back of the throne. "Name one time we've ever had issues beating an opponent. Well Terror?" The mare said nothing, "Thought so."

"Wingill's right," a red unicorn lion hybrid added with a big smile on his face. "We're the best. There's not a single pony out there that can match us. Well, except the alicorn princesses...and those Elements of Harmony and the Royal Knights-"

"Enough," a pony in black unicorn armor with red trim interrupted as he marched up to Shadow. "Both sides make excellent points. Wingill and Terror Card are right that you are powerful, but Storm and Salix are right that you are not yet invincible and should take caution when dealing with unknown threats."

"I already know that," Shadow hissed as he glared at the armored pony, "As much as I appreciate your council Armalum, please get to the point."

"No point," he replied while bowing, "I simply wish for you to know all the information in order to make an informed decision. Will you take the cautious approach, waiting to see just how strong our enemies are, or will you charge head first believing they will be nothing compared to you?"

"I know they are nothing compared to me," Shadow replied before glaring at the group, "But the one who leads them is different. He has a power I have never seen before. I must understand it....and I must have it."

"Do you wish us to capture him?" Tempera asked the unicorn while bowing herself. "I'd be happy to bring him to you for extraction."

Shadow let out a low long breath, "I wish to understand the limits of this pony's power before acting. We must see just how powerful he is." His horn sparked with a black aura, "Time to show them what kind of power they're up against."

Back at the other group...

"We can't attack unless they attack first," Cold stated, everypony else nodding in agreement.

"So what are you gonna do instead?" Heart asked as he stared at the army, "I don't think they're in the mood to talk."

Soul nodded with a small gulp, "Are you just gonna sit back and wait for them to attack?"

Flash opened his mouth to answer, only to feel a shiver down his spine. Quickly spinning around to glare at the box, a sudden black beam of magic shot out of it, the attack heading straight for the building.

"MOVE!" He grabbed Heart and Soul before leaping off the roof, everypony else reacting by jumping or teleporting away just in time.

KABOOM!

The sound of the explosion swept across the city, the ground shaking to its very core as the building was reduced to rubble. Flash quickly looked around next, now seeing Soarin flying close by with Springer on his back, only to then spot three flashes of light that revealed the others on different rooftops. He flew down, the others moving over to him as he put the young ponies down, "Okay. Now we can fight."

A loud rumbling noise happened next, making them turn to see an army of beings that looked like the cross between a unicycle and a suit of humanoid armor. The top half was the armor, which was blackish blue and carrying a sword and shield, but from the waist down, it was a motorized unicycle.

"What the heck are those things?!" Soarin yelped.

"No idea." Ruby replied, "I've never encountered such creatures before."

Trixie and Cold nodded in agreement, both tensing up to get ready for a fight. As this happened, Soul hid behind her brother, her body now shaking like a leaf as Heart hugged her back. But before he could give her some reassuring words, Flash turned to them and showed a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe." He pulled out his Celestic Gear as it began to glow, only for him to spin around and point it at the army, "Flash Force!" The sword unleashed a beam of light that flew down the street, hitting the ground in front of the monsters before exploding. The smoke consumed the ones in front, only for the rest to walk through the explosion's aftermath unharmed.

"ATTACK!" Cold roared as the six charged ahead, Springer entering his battle mode while the two unicorn knights crafted twin blades from their respective elements.

Flash was the first to reach the army, raising his blade to block the first creature's sword, only to sidestep and swing his blade, "Flash Cutter!" He slashed his blade through the creature's waist, only to feel like he was cutting through mud. The next thing he knew, the cut in half creature suddenly melted into a black liquid that splattered on the ground. "What the heck?!"

As this happened, Springer, Cold and Ruby cut down a few as well while Trixie shot one through the chest. Each blow did the same thing, the creatures now melting into a pile of black goop. "What is this stuff?" Springer asked as some got on his paws, Cold taking the moment to dip his hoof in one and bring it to his face. He created several ice spikes to impale the monsters, making them melt while sniffing it.

"This is...ink?"

Everyone turned their heads to his statement, Ruby slashing another one down as she saw it also become a pile of black liquid. Seeing this, she added, "No wonder Springer couldn't sense any aura from them. They're not living creatures or illusions. They're...animated piles of ink. Living drawings."

"Sounds like I don't need to hold back then!" Flash yelled as his blade began to glow, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" With that, he swung his sword, several air blades flying out as it cut through the ink beasts. But as he did this, they then heard a loud squawking sound, making them all look up to see a barrage of giant birds now charging at them.

"Wings up and take no prisoners!" Soarin roared as he took to the sky, flying at such high speed that when he reached the first bird, he burst right through it, making it scream before melting. Soarin did the same with the rest, quickly destroying them in a blink of an eye. But as he finished off the last one, he turned to see a new group of birds with a few manticores now flying in the distance. "Or....not."

As he continued to fight the flying army, the others were doing the same on the ground. "Feel the wrath of the great and powerful TRIXIE!" The unicorn's horn sparked as a multitude of Trixie copies appeared around her, the ink beasts all slashing at the illusions. Giving her the time she needed, she teleported behind them before firing a spell into their backs, destroying them all.

"Cold Dragons!" Cold yelled as a column of ice shot out of the ground before taking the form of a serpentine dragon, the creatures slithering forward before eating the opposition alive. "Cold Tiger!" A trio of ice cats appeared next, the three slicing through the army with ease.

"Cool!" Heart gasped as he watched Cold slice up a few monsters with just an ice sword.

Flash chuckled at hearing this, glad to see Heart wasn't as scared as he was before. The Knight of Friendship dropped back down by them after the first charge, knocking away any creatures that got close to them. But as he did this, he saw Soul was still terrified, her body clinging to her brother. He then spoke up in a calm tone, "Don't worry," she looked up at him. "We promised to keep you safe, didn't we?"

"Look out!" Soul then yelled as she pointed behind Flash, the pegasus spinning around to slash down an armored ink beast. As it melted, he saw several more coming right behind it. "You're not getting past me!" Flash's eyes changed as he entered Theta Mode, launching his body forward as he spun like a top, "Flash Driver!" He morphed into a drill that cut through the army, only to leap back to the two before spinning again, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Rapid fire blades of light flew out of his form now, cutting down the army with ease.

As this happened, Springer let out a roar, "Aura Blast!" He launched the sphere of blue energy at the closest enemy before using Steel Paw, swiftly cutting his way through the army before coming to a stop. He now stood by Ruby, the knight quickly dispatching a few more enemies, "Ruby! There's too many of them!"

"Stay strong," she told him before sending a wave of crystals along the ground, all impaling a group.

"I'm trying! But whenever we take one down, two seem to take its place." It was then the ground began to shake, making them turn to see a giant minotaur. "Aw horseapples." But as the minotaur raised its arms to attack, it was suddenly tackled by Cold's ice dragon, sending it staggering back.

"They're not the only ones who can create an army out of nothing," Cold said as he cut down another ink monster before closing his eyes. From his hooves, more ice shot out and began to take form, quickly creating an army of dragons, tigers, birds and even polar bears.

Ruby and Springer began to catch their breath as the ice army began to attack the forces, Ruby turning to the Frozen Wanderer. "Don't overexert yourself. These are just the foot-soldiers. We still have those seven others to deal with."

"Which is why its better that only one of us exhausts themselves while the others focus on those seven." They then saw the minotaur now wrestling with the Cold Dragon, Ruby and Springer sharing a nod before running at it.

"Crystal Saber!"

"Bone Breaker!" They formed their weapons as they charged at its legs, slashing the ankles. The beast roared as it fell to its knees, allowing the dragon to wrap its body around it before crushing it into exploding. Springer and Ruby stood behind where it was standing, Springer forming an Aura Guard to shield them from the ink rain.

"They're good," Storm commented, the others all semi-nodding in agreement as he added, "Makes me wanna take them all on."

Tempera, the only one who didn't nod besides Shadow, let out a huff, "How revolting. Nopony appreciates fine art these days."

Armalum then turned to Shadow, now seeing a look of intrigue on the unicorn's face. "Master? Your orders?"

"Attack. Salix, your flames will handle the ice unicorn. The rest of you, pick one and take them down. But leave them alive. I'm interested in seeing what I can get out of them."

"Yes master!" They all bowed before jumping out of to the window. Storm and Wingill caught Tempera and Terror while Salix's body burst into flames, the Nirik using the fire as a booster to slow his descent. Armalum simply dropped like a stone, slamming into the ground before kicking up a cloud of dust. And when that dust faded, he stood still, looking no worse for wear as the others landed beside them.

A black cloud appeared at Armalum's side before fading to reveal a black scythe with a red blade. He took it in his magic before pointing it in the direction Flash and his friends were in. "For Master Shadow!" The others roared in agreement, all rushing ahead.

"Yah!" Flash yelled as he sliced through another ink monster, panting as he now saw there wasn't any more creatures around him and the kids. He then looked up to see Soarin dodging a manticore's paws and tail, the knight pointing his weapon at it next, "Flash Force!" The beam shot out and hit the creature's wing, making it yell before losing control of its flight.

"Thanks bud!" Soarin added as he did a midair spin before accelerating, the pegasus tackling the beast into a nearby building.

While this happened, Trixie had teleported to a nearby rooftop in order to easily shoot the birds out of the sky, only to see Soaring tackling the manticore. "Soarin, move!" her horn sparked as the pegasi followed her command, kicking off the manticore as Trixie fired a giant ice spear at it.

The weapon impaled the creature and made it explode, getting rid of the last ink monster. "Finally," Flash panted as the others moved over to him. "I thought they'd never stop coming."

Cold turned to Trixie as she teleported down, "You know ice magic?"

"I'm not as good as you, but yes."

Cold nodded in agreement before they all now saw that ink was now covering every bit of the streets, "I don't like this. Whoever made these things is strong. We'll need to be careful."

Flash did a small shrug, "Eh, as long as we stick together, we shouldn't have too much-" He didn't get to finish as a sudden figure shot out of the sky, grabbing the knight off his hooves.

"FLASH!" Everypony yelled as they saw him be pulled into the air, each preparing to attack.

But before they could get a lock, a barrage of fireballs began to rain down on them. "Move!" Cold roared as he grabbed Heart and Soul in his magic before leaping away, the others all dodging in different directions.

Soarin took to the air, quickly evading the fireballs, only for a powerful gust to smack his back. "Gah!" He cried, his body being flung into a nearby building. "Ow..." he moaned before hearing wing beats, making him turn to see Storm fly up to him with a weapon in his hoof. "What the-"

Storm spun the dial on his weapon so the yellow section was pointing toward the blade. "So my opponent is one of the legendary Wonderbolts." Lightning began to surge around the sword, "Pitiful. You bring disgrace to your uniform." He then swung the blade, unleashing a blast of lightning.

"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he kicked off the side of the building, quickly flying up to evade the electrical attack. And as he did this, he looked down and saw Storm spinning the dial again, "Is that-"

"Storm Shot!" He pointed the bladed staff at him before bullets of water shot out of the end, Soarin now evading the new attack before swooping down at Storm.

"How do you have a Celestic Gear!?"

"Like I'd tell you!" He spun the dial again, this time unleashing a barrage of wind blades as he swung his sword. "Information is the key to winning a battle. The less your opponent has, the easier they are to defeat." Soarin spun around the attack, dodging the blades before spinning to deliver an axe kick to his head. But before it could make contact, Storm blocked the kick with his weapon, the sight making him chuckle, "You're no soldier. Speed is all you have, and against somepony who is equally as fast as you..." he pushed Soarin away before spinning like a top, quickly doing a stomp kick to Soarin's stomach, "Your movements are easy to predict!"

"AUGH!" Soarin cried as he felt the wind get knocked out of him, now taking everything he had not to throw up. 'This guy...he's not just some thug. The way he talks., the way he moves...he's had military training.' He then managed to spread his wings to stop himself from falling any further, the pegasus glaring up at Storm as he fiddle with the dial again. "Is he...a Royal Knight?"

As this happened, Flash was still struggling to fight off the opponent that had grabbed him. While this was going, he now saw it was Wingill, his eyes going wide as he recognised the creature's outline from his dream.

"You!"

Wingill shined a big grin, "Me." He doubled his grip on Flash's wings, making Flash flinch before thrashing around. And as he did this, Flash tried to grip his blade to slash at him, only for Wingill to keep him in a lock.

"Let...me...go!"

"Sure!" Wingill spun around and threw Flash up, the defender now trying to flare his wings. But as he did this, Wingill shot up and slammed his hoof into Flash's chin.

"BLAUGH!" Flash yelped as he was thrown back, his sword slipping from his grip. He then quickly recovered, looking up to see Wingill charging with primed claws. Flash reacted with a barrel roll, dodging the attack before tackling Wingill mid-air. They both began to fall, Wingill clawing at him while Flash began to punch him. And as both hit each other, Wingill glanced at the ground before smirking, quickly spinning and grabbing Flash's legs before pulling him down.

"What are you doing?!" Flash yelled as he felt himself plummet.

"Putting us into my element!" The defender quickly looked down and now saw they were both heading for a lake. He then flared his wings to fly, only for Wingill to grip them both in his claws, making Flash cry out in pain before both submerged into the water depths.

And as a mighty splash shot out in the distance, Springer was trying to chase after Flash. Thanks to his aura abilities, he knew he going the right direction, his feet increasing pace. But as he did this, the building to his left suddenly exploded, making him come to a halt, "Aura Guard!" He formed the aura shield to block the debris, only for him to now see what had destroyed the building.

The being looked like a wheel, the monster slamming into Springer's shield, knocking him back. "AUGH!" He cried as he fell over, only to back-flip back onto his feet. As he did this, the wheel stopped spinning and pulled itself apart. Springer then saw it become a type of wolf-serpent hybrid. Its body was snake-like, covered in gray fur but it had a wolf's head and a pair of clawed arms. "Are you another of those ink monsters?"

"They're called scribeasts," Springer looked up to see Tempera riding atop the head of a snake with bird wings. "And they are not monsters. They are art, true beauty in motion....and they will destroy you." She held up a sketchpad and pen before drawing on it, only to rip off the page and throw it into the air. She then fired a pink blast from her horn, hitting the page as it exploded into a giant cloud of dust. From out of the smoke fell ten more unicycle armor monsters, all of them landing behind the wolf snake creature.

"So you're the one who made them," Springer growled.

"That's right," she saw with a giant blushing grin, "Now become enraptured by their beauty. Lindworm, Uni-Troopers, ATTACK!" The wolf snake curled up and bit the end of its tail before its entire body started spinning like a wheel, which rolled forward with the Uni-Troopers following.

Springer charged at the wheel, Tempera about to laugh as she the jakhowl about to be run over...only for him to jump over the lindworm, "Aura Force!" He unleashed an aura laser from his paws, the beam hitting the Uni-Trooper group right in the center, making the ground explode which tore apart four of them. Springer then landed with a now forming Bone Breaker before spinning it like a baton, beheading the monsters with a quick few swipes. But before he could rest, the lindworm's tail slammed down on top of him, making him block it with his aura weapon.

"Gah!" He grunted as he felt his feet give out under the pressure.

"Peekaboo!" He then saw the winged serpent fly down before whipping around its tail to hit him.

"YAGH!" He was knocked out from under the lindworm's tail, his form slamming into a building. And as he slumped over from the blow, the lindworm slithered over before curling up.

"Good. I doubt my master will have any need for a mutt like you." Tempera commented before turning to the lindworm, "Do it." The scribeast began to spin in place, building up speed while Springer blinked his eyes open. And as his body began to refocus, he then saw the lindworm charge at him. The sight made Springer go wide-eyed, quickly trying to summon any aura as he could.

And as he did this, his body twitched, his form suddenly consuming itself in aura. As this happened, his whole body began to glitch out, only for the lindworm to tackle him. But as it did this, the worm now found the building the jakhowl was in collapse onto him, crushing the beast into a pile of ink.

"Ohohoho!" Tempera laughed, only to feel something slam into her winged snake's face. "Eep!" She screamed as she was knocked off it, only to now see Springer, his foot now slammed into the snake. "What?!" She asked as the ground began to get closer, only for her horn to flare, making her teleport away.

At the same time, Springer kicked off the beast and landed on another building, now seeing the scribeast plummet before splashing into an inky mess. And as he saw this, his body suddenly shocked him, making him yell, "Augh!" He fell to his knees, grunting in pain, "What...was that?!" The jakhowl then stared at his paws, now seeing the aura in them fluctuate, "My aura...I haven't felt this since retrying Velocity Strike. But I'm not supposed to-"

"You stinking mutt!" he glanced back up and saw Tempera fly up on another winged scribeast, "I don't know how you did that, but you won't beat me that easily!" She then threw several pages into the air, hitting them with her magic as they created a minotaur, lindworm, and a swarm of giant hornets. "ATTACK!"

Springer watched as the monsters charged, creating a pair of Bone Breakers before retaliating.

Meanwhile...

Cold was still running through the city while carrying Heart and Soul in his magic. "Why are they attacking us?" Soul asked as Cold pulled them close, his magic summoning an ice shield to block a barrage of flames.

"Because they want too," Cold replied as he kept glancing around, trying to find out where the fireballs were coming from. "And that's all the reason ponies like these need." He then leapt to the side as another fireball appeared, this one coming out of an alleyway. Cold quickly threw the two behind him before creating a giant ice spear, firing it at the fire...only for a stream of fire to appear, melting it into nothing.

"Who are you?!" Cold yelled into the now forming mist, only to hear a chuckle.

"Who...me?" A figure stepped out of the smoke, revealing a certain horned being that pointed at himself with a huge smile, "Why, I'm Searing Salix! It's nice to me you, though you probably don't think so. I'm guessing all the fireballs would put you in a bad mood, but don't take it the wrong way. I'm actually a nice pony when you get to know me, just doing my job is all. So what about you? You're a Royal Knight, right? I've heard of you. You're supposed to be really strong."

Cold's face showed its usual emotionless state as he stared at the motormouth of a creature, "I'm not sure if you've ever been in a fight before, but there's usually not this much talking."

"Oh, sorry. Love the sound of his own voice, this one does." He then raised his tail, "Let's play!" He spun around and flicked the burning appendage around, unleashing several fireballs.

Cold quickly summoned a wall ice, the fireballs exploding on the wall as Heart commented, "You just had to stop him from talking, didn't ya?" Cold turned to shoot him a slight glare, only for his ice wall to melt instantly.

They then saw that the ground began to burn with each step the creature took as it charged at him, making Cold yell out, "Cold Dragon!" The knight created his ice serpent, firing at Salix at full speed. But Salix just walked into the snake, the flames off his body now intensifying as they exploding off him, the fire now melting the serpent in one go.

"MOVE!" Cold roared as he grabbed the two foals before cutting into a sprint, only for a wall of flames to appear in front of them. Looking back at Salix, the flames began to form a large circle around them, making Cold put the foals behind him again, "What are you?"

"I am a Kirin," he told the knight. "I am also the last Nirik."

"Kirin? Nirik?"

"How can he be two things?" Heart asked, Soul simply shaking as she hugged Heart's side.

"A being with amazing power over fire?" He then glanced up to see Soarin and Storm battling, "A pegasus with unnatural control over the weather...and a pony with the power to create an army from nothing." He glared at Salix, "Are you...the Cult of Shadows?"

Salix chuckled as his smile began to twist and turn, "We're the Cult of Shadow, loyal followers of the great Shadow Corrupter."

While this was happening, Trixie was running through the city, "ANYPONY!?" She yelled as she sprinted down a street, her ears picking up the sounds of battles going on, "Where are they? I need to help them!"

"You'd do better to worry about yourself." Trixie turned to see Terror Card walking over with a small smile, the sight making Trixie take a battle stance.

"Why are you attacking us? What did we ever do to you?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. This is just the path that has been set. Your future was decided the moment you and your friends ran into us. Now, my master will take your strength and whatever power brought him here. And with it, he will create a future where he rules over all."

Trixie's eyes narrowed as she bent down, growling, "I won't let that happen."

"Like you have a choice," She magically pulled a card out of her cloak. "I told you, the future has already been set, and nopony can ever hope to change it." She spun the card around to show the image of a pony sitting on a platform being carried by other ponies. "All that awaits you is pain and suffering!" She tossed the card into the air before it began to glow, a bright light now forming a dome around them both.

"What is this?" Trixie yelped, now seeing the card spin clockwise, only to stop right side up.

"Arcana of the Chariot!" The dome began to shrink until it encased Terror, only to explode as its light absorbed into her.

"What did you do?!" Trixie asked as she sparked her horn, only for her horn to sputter out as she saw Terror Card flicker out of existence before appearing in front of her. A hoof quickly hit her face, making Trixie cry out before being knocked back.

Terror laughed and pulled out another card, this one showing the image of a pony holding a lion, then tossed it into the air. The dome appeared around the two again while the card spun, once again appearing right side up. "Arcana of Strength!" The dome shrank around Terror Card before exploding, the light absorbing into her skin.

And as Trixie picked herself up, Terror raised a hoof before slamming it into the ground. Doing so caused an small earthquake, shaking the building behind Trixie with such force that it began to crack. Trixie turned to see this, gasping as she saw the building now collapse before looking back at Terror, "Wha...what is this?!"

Another part of the city...

Ruby was now standing on a crystal pillar, looking over the city as she tried to think of which battle to help in. And as she was about to make her decision, something hit her pillar, making it start to collapse. She quickly reacted and leapt off the pillar, now forming a sword in her hoof as she then cut through the side of the wall, slowing her descent.

And as she landed, she formed a sword and shield, "Okay, who did that?! I know you're out there!" She spun the blade in her hoof, "Show yourself." She waited for an answer, the echoing sounds of the other battles now hitting her ears....only for a new sound to appear. The sound of heavy hoofsteps.

She turned to the noise, now seeing a fully armored pony approach her. It was Armalum.

"Who are you?" She asked as she raised her weapons, seeing the scythe floating beside him, "Why have you come here? Why are you attacking us?"

"I go where my master wishes me to go," Armalum responded as he slowly put his hooves on the scythe's handle. "And I do what my master wishes me to do. That is my duty as his loyal servant."

"Quite the leash he has you on."

"I pledge myself to his service. He who gave me life, owns my life." The blade of his weapon began to glow. "And my master wishes me to capture you. Make this easy and do not fight back."

"Sorry, not gonna happen!" Ruby barked back, making Armalum swing the scythe around, unleashing a wave of red energy at the knight. Ruby then raised her shield, the wave knocking her back a few inches while cracking her shield before turning to dust.

She then saw Armalum fully charge at her, quickly leaping as he swung the scythe down. Ruby reacted by raising her blade, catching the scythe at the top of the blade's staff, stopping it only a few inches away from her face. The knight created another sword next, swing it horizontally before Armalum jumped to the side, pulling his scythe back. Ruby didn't let up, swinging her swords with rapid succession, only for the armored pony to knock them back while spinning his body with the scythe.

'He's good,' she thought before slamming her hooves into the ground, summoning crystal spikes to shoot out at his direction, Armalum now thrusting the tip of his scythe into the ground. This caused a crack to appear along the ground, red energy seeping out before a shockwave followed. The crystals and crack then met, causing an explosion that pushed both back.

And as Ruby came to a stop, she glared at her opponent as he easily recovered from the blow. There was not a scratch on his armor, her body not showing much damage either as she summoned another sword. "This is gonna take a while..." she muttered to herself.

Back at the lake, Flash had just broke the surface of the water, now taking a massive gulp of air. He gasped as he started panting, his eyes glaring out at the water to see where Wingill was, "Where'd he go?! And what did he mean 'my element'?"

And as these words left his mouth, something suddenly yanked his tail, making him yelp, "YOW!" He barely had any time to suck in half a breath before he was submerged. Within seconds, he was about teen feet under water and getting deeper.

He began to kick and thrash, trying to hit whatever had his tail, only to feel his hoof make contact. The defender was then let go, allowing Flash to float to the middle of lake. But as he did this, he could feel his body starting to get low on air, now swimming up with all six limbs. But before he could get remotely close, something shot out the darkness of the water and slammed into him.

The pegasi almost lost his air by yelling out in pain, only to puff up his cheeks to keep the air in. He then spread his wings to stop his movement, Flash's eyes going wide next as he saw what hit him. It was Wingill, but his wings had now morphed into an insectoid form while his front feet and claws had changed to look like flippers. His beak now looked like a normal pony mouth while his back legs and tail seemed to have merged into one long fish tail.

Wingill smirked at Flash's shocked expression, quickly swimming through the water at mach speed. Flash tried to punch the enemy away, only for Wingill to easily evade and then slap him with his flipper. Wingill zipped back next, only to quickly jet around in the watery depths, hitting Flash from a different angle with ease as the water kept the defender's movements inhibited.

Feeling himself about to drown, he tried to swim back to the surface, only for Wingill to block his path every time. He then spun around in the water this time, only to smash his tail in Flash's face. Flash let out a cry as he was sent downward, now hitting the bottom of the lake.

"Oh? What's the matter?" he mocked while swimming above him, "The great Royal Knight not so good in water? Ha!" He stared at Flash, waiting for a response. "Hey!" he started to poke him, "You alive in there? Come on, I'll be in trouble if you die." His face got closer to Flash, now inches apart as he then said, "Wake up little knight-"

His words drowned out as Flash's eyes shot open, a bright light shining out of them. "What?!" Wingill yelped as the light suddenly exploded out of Flash, forming a tornado that spun up to the surface. As this happened, the others battles came to a stop as the lake exploded in the distance, making them all turn to see the tornado of light shoot out of the water.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Wingill yelled as he was thrown out of the lake, transforming back into his default form before hitting a nearby building. "AUGH!"

"What is that?!" Heart asked while Soul just went wide-eyed at the sight.

"Our secret weapon." Cold answered as the tornado exploded, Flash now appearing in his Sacred Light armor. The cultists and young ponies all saw this, staring in awe.

Flash opened his eyes and flicked them around, now seeing each of his friends in trouble. He then raised a hoof as the light from the tornado spiraled into a sphere, which he tossed up. The orb exploded into five bolts of light, each one shooting in the direction of the fights.

By the time the cultists realized what was happening, the bolts hit the ground by them, explosions following this. All five were knocked back, the Knight of Friendship smiling at the sight. But as he did this, he saw something in the corner of his eyes, making him turn to see a black beam suddenly hit his chest. "AUGH!" He screamed, falling to out of the sky like a rock.

"FLASH!" Everypony yelled before quickly trying to run over to where they had seen them, only for their opponents to appear in front of them. "GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"

Back on a nearby roof, Flash moaned as he rolled over and shook his head. "Ugh...anypony get the number of that carriage?" He then began to pick himself up, only to feel the ground shake, making him look up to see the mammoth from before walking up to him.

As he stared at this sight, the defender blinked as he saw a balcony on the box, a pony standing there with a low glare. The stare was one that Flash had seen only one time before. It was like Sombra, a glare where the one making it looked down on everypony they meet.

It was Shadow Corrupter, the sight of the unicorn now making Flash feel a long shiver go down his body. Flaring his wings to take to the air, Flash soon put himself only a little bit higher than the unicorn, only to see a small smile on the unicorn's face as he spoke up, "So...you're the one they call Flash Sentry."

"That's right," Flash replied with crossed hooves, "And who are you supposed to be?"

"You're not worthy to hear my name," he almost growled as his horn began to glow, "Besides, once I take you down, you'll know exactly who I am, you worthless peasant."

"Worthless, huh? That's some big words." Flash reached back and pulled his light blades off the back of the armor, "Why don't I show you just how worthless I really am?!" Shadow's reply was a flash of his horn, a barrage black beams quickly covering the sky. Flash spun like a top to dodge them, zipping across the air before tossing both swords at Shadow.

"Pathetic." Shadow commented as he created a shield of black energy around him, only to notice the swords didn't hit his barrier. Instead, they struck the mammoth's feet, cutting both legs off, "WHAT!?" He yelped as the creature slammed into the ground, causing the box to tilt over. His horn sparked again as he teleported away, reappearing on a nearby roof as the box hit the ground and shattered to pieces.

He turned back to his wrecked transport before glaring back up at Flash, the pegasus now hovering above him. "What was that you said about taking me down?" He roared before charging at Shadow. "Flash Driver!" He spun into a drill of light that slammed the building under Shadow's hooves, causing the whole place to fall apart. The drill then shot up and out of the roof before Flash broke out, he and Shadow now only inches away.

"Don't think such weak parlor tricks will harm me!" He yelled as his horn began to be consumed by a giant black magical aura.

"Then get ready to hurt," Flash barked back as he flared his wings, "BADLY!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Shadow roared as he charged at them, both about to clash.

But before their attacks were about touch...something happened.

Deep below the city inside a chamber made entirely of reflective crystals, a single orb-like crystal began to glow a rainbow of colors. A light then shot out, hitting the rest of the crystals and blinding out the entire chamber. As this happened, despite the danger they were in, Soul's entire body froze as her eyes went wide. She let out a gasp as trickles of light sparkled within her eyes, the only one noticing this being Heart.

"Sis?" His question was cut short as another light appeared, this one coming from above him. He turned around to see a bright light now coming from where Flash and Shadow were fighting.

Everypony stopped their fights and turned to them, now seeing that the light was coming from the space between Flash and Shadow, the two appearing to be frozen as it illuminated them. "MASTER/FLASH!" They all yelled, only for the light to suddenly explode and sweep across the city. Everypony felt themselves being almost blinded by it, yet nopony seemed to be able to close their eyes.

They weren't sure how much time had passed when the light had consumed them. Despite this, Flash opened his eyes to see he was still in front of Shadow, the unicorn looking just as confused as him. He tried to move, but his body appeared to be frozen in the position when the light first appeared. The only thing they could do was move their heads, both now seeing they were in the crystal chamber.

Flash instantly recognized it as the place he had seen in his dream. "This place again." It wasn't just Flash who had said that, both he and Shadow had spoken in unison. They then turned around, both saying, "You."

As for why, it was because they now saw the blacked out figure from their dreams. The being was over the rainbow crystal, the rock now glowing as Flash asked, "What are you?"

Flash didn't get an answer, instead now looking back at the crystal, its glowing now blasting out a bright light as they were blinded again. And when the light faded, they opened their eyes to see they were back outside, now floating above the city. When Flash turned back to Shadow, he then saw his minions floating behind him. He looked back behind himself, now seeing his friends there as well, along with Soul and Heart. The sight made Flash notice it was just like his dream, the only differences being the foals.

And before anypony could say anything, two new lights caught their attention. A black light surrounded Shadow's transport while a golden light wrapped around Heart and Soul's house. In the blink of an eye, they were transformed and grew in size, creating a pair of crystal castles standing on either side of the city. They were both the same shape, both being thirty meters tall with many windows and balconies. One was light blue with orange banners hanging from it that had Flash's cutie mark emblazoned on them while the other was blue-red with banners that had Shadow's cutie mark.

Everypony gasped at the sight, only to feel themselves starting to move, Flash and his friends flying toward the blue castle while Shadow went to the red one.

"What's happening?!" Trixie screamed.

Flash couldn't answer. All he knew was they were about to slam into the castle's wall at high speed. "AAAHHH!" They all yelled as they braced themselves. Then, everything went black

Author's Note

So, our two forces finally meet. Now what will happen? Only time will tell.

The Game is On

Flash felt like he was coming out of a deep sleep, his brain fuzzy and vision blurred as he opened his eyes. It was here that he realized he was laying on his back, the surface below him stone hard. His eyes were now staring up at a ceiling made out of light blue crystals. He let out a moan as his body woke up, the pegasus sitting upright as he felt his hoof brush by something. Looking down, he now saw that Lightbringer, his Celestic Gear was laying beside him.

A moan from his side made him turn to see Springer laying down, the rest of his friends being laid out around him. Getting up, he began to shake his friends, "Springer, can you hear me? Come on, wake up."

"Flash?" Soarin muttered out as he woke up first, his body shifting up like a stiff board, "What happened?"

"I don't know," he replied as the others began to wake up. After a few minutes, all were awake as Flash began to walk around the room. He found he was in a place similar to Twilight's Crystal Castle, though this one wasn't as shiny. The room had two doors on either side, one looking like a normal door while the other had no handle and a large key hole in the middle of it. In the center of the room was a large round table with a giant window adorning one of the walls without a door.

"Where are we?" Trixie asked.

"I'm not sure," Cold replied while moving over to the table. "Some kind of castle?"

"Maybe..." Ruby muttered as she went to the window, now seeing it had a glass door built into it. She quickly opened it, now finding herself on a crystal balcony. But before she could look at the castle they were in, she then saw something else in the distance. It was a black castle on the opposite side of the city...but that wasn't what shocked her. "Everypony, you need to see this." The others trotted over, only for jaws to drop as they saw a new sight.

The city was being repaired, every building that had been damaged or destroyed now rebuilding itself. The pieces were flying up and linking together to form the structures. "What's happening?" Soul asked while turning to Heart. "The city never did this before."

"It never got destroyed before," Heart replied before flexing his wings, "I'm heading out."

"Wait!" Flash yelled as he tried to stop him, only for Heart to yelp out in pain as he hopped off the balcony...only to hit something.

"OW!" He moaned as he fell back, Flash catching him as he started to rub his nose. "What the heck?"

Springer jumped onto the balcony and leaned over, reaching his paw out before tapping a force-field similar to the one that had trapped them in the city. "Um...I think we're stuck in here."

"Well at least we get some fresh air," Flash added.

"Not the time Flash," Trixie told him as she tried to slap him with her tail.

"Sorry." Flash replied before pointing at the black crystal castle. "I wonder how they're handling this?"

Meanwhile...

Shadow and his cult had now just woken up, all now seeing they were in a room almost exactly like the one Flash and the others were in. The only differences being the black coloring of the castle and Shadow's throne, which was situated next to the black crystal table.

"COME ON!" Wingill's voice echoed through the room as he flew out the balcony, only to bounce back into the room. "LET ME OUT!" He roared as he quickly recovered before ramming the barrier again. Salix laughed at the sight, now seeing Wingill crash back into the room again, "RAAAAHHHH!"

Storm ran in front of the charging pony, "Wingill, that's enough. You're not getting through that."

Wingill just growled back, "Then what do you suggest we do?!"

Storm didn't reply, instead turning to Shadow as they saw him sit down on his throne.

"Master?"

Shadow said nothing, just growling as he stared at the repairing city before him. His mind burned with one thought: 'Something is trapping us here...how dare they. Nopony makes my decisions. They will pay for this.' He then slammed his hoof into the throne's arms, "It seems all we can do is wait. Start looking around. There may be something here that can help us." The others nodded and began to move to the door with a handle, Shadow turning to the other with the large keyhole.

He trotted over and placed his hoof on it. He could feel like something was calling him from behind this door, but knew he couldn't open it, even though he hadn't even tried yet. "What are you?"

Back at the other castle, Flash was doing the same thing, staring at the keyhole door. He had tried to push it open, but found unable to make it even budge. The defender sighed at this, putting a hoof on the door before hearing a voice, "Flash?" He turned to see Heart staring up at him, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool." Flash nodded before ruffling his mane, "I'm just...a little weirded out by all this."

"You're not the only one," Ruby added as she walked back into the room, "We still don't know why we were brought here...but I can say you were right Flash. It has to be for a reason."

"Hey everypony, take a look at this!" They turned to see Trixie had opened the other door, soon following her to find themselves in a chamber that also had a large window leading out to a balcony and a single door on the other side. However, this room had a table with enough chairs for all of them and in one corner was a crystal cupboard.

"Hey, look!" Soul chimed in as she stared up at the walls, now seeing them being covered in familiar figures, "My paintings..."

"How'd they get here?" Heart asked as Springer moved over to the cupboard.

"Huh...I wonder." He touched the door, "Orange juice." Light seeped thought the cupboard's cracks, only for the jakhowl to open it to see a crystal glass with his chosen drink within it. "Well, at least we won't go hungry."

The others rolled their eyes before moving over to the other door, opening it up to find themselves in a hallway with two doors on each wall. Ruby moved over to the first right door, her eyes going wide at the sight inside, "Heart, Soul." The younger ponies trotted over, only to gasp as they saw that the room inside was exactly like their house. The only difference was instead of the hammocks, they had beds.

"No way...how is that here?!" Heart asked.

Flash crossed his hooves as he shuffled through his memories, "Wait...didn't that light from earlier engulf your house?" Everypony nodded, "Maybe this castle was made from it. I mean, this place just suddenly popped up after that light show. Think that's why the paintings and other stuff are here?"

Cold did a small shrug, "Makes sense considering this already bizarre situation."

Heart and Soul glanced at each other, the looks on their faces clearly showing they weren't exactly happy about their previous home being transformed without their consent. The others took this moment to look into the other rooms, now seeing two beds in each along with a door in the back leading to a fully equipped bathroom.

"Looks like we'll be sharing," Ruby told Trixie, the showmare smiling at this idea while Springer turned to Flash.

"Just like old times," the jakhowl added as they hoof bumped.

"I'm not gonna get a wink of sleep," Cold grumbled, gritting his teeth.

"Hey! What's wrong with me?!" Soarin barked back, only to receive a bunch of glares, "What?!"

"You snore louder than Rainbow," Springer told him. "And that mare can snore, trust me on that."

"I'm not that loud," Soarin pouted. "And you haven't complained about it before."

"That's because I kept casting a silencing spell on you whenever we slept," Trixie responded before turning to Cold. "Want me to show you how it works?"

"Please."

"You all suck," Soarin growled before marching to the end of the hallway. He then found a flight of stairs leading down, "Wonder what's down there?"

"Let's find out," Flash took the lead and flew down the passageway, the others following to find a room with two doors on either side. The door to the left lead to a room with three large glass tubes within, each tubes having a door that somepony could use to get inside them. As for the other, it was bare empty room with nothing inside.

"Ooookay," Springer commented as he turned to the others, "Kind of an anticlimactic way to end the tour."

"I don't know," Flash replied as he walked into the empty chamber, "There has to be some reason to have this room in here."

Trixie shrugged in response, "Maybe whoever made it just couldn't think of anything to put in here."

Flash was about to reply, only for the ground to open up. Everypony backpedaled at the sudden event, only for a crystal to float up in the middle of the room. Flash and Springer's eyes went wide at the sight, "No way...is this-" Flash placed a hoof on the crystal and thought for a moment, the crystal unleashing a light that spread throughout the rest of the room.

Before anyone could say anything, the light exploded to reveal a very familiar town, "Ponyville?" Ruby asked, the others staring at Flash in shock.

"Is this a teleporter?" Trixie added.

Flash shook his head, "Nope. It's an illusion chamber....just like the one in Twilight's castle." He touched the crystal again, "It can create any location." The next thing they knew, Ponyville transformed into Canterlot, only to shift to Cloudsdale before becoming the Crystal Empire, and then the empty room from before.

"That's so cool!" Heart cheered with stars in his eyes.

"I know," Flash replied, chuckling as he tapped the crystal, this time showing an obstacle course room. "We use it for training back in Ponyville. Everypony loves using it."

"But why would we need a illusion chamber?" Ruby chimed in, "What we need is a way out of this castle." She turned back to the door, "Come on." She then left, the others following before they ended up back in the room they had awakened in. Seeing this, she crossed her hooves, "I don't like this. There has to be a way out of here."

"How?" Soarin asked, "That force-field is impenetrable."

Cold turned to one of the walls, "Maybe the force-field is...but what about the walls of the castle itself?" The others started to catch on a Cold created an ice drill. "Let's try this!" The unicorn fired the tool at the wall, the drill seemingly piercing the crystal...only to turn into a pile of snow.

"My turn," Ruby formed her own crystal drill and did the same...only for it to turn to dust and fall into the snow.

Springer took up his battle form next, forming an attack sphere in his paws, "Aura Force!" He fired the blast at the wall, only to see the wall be completely unsinged. "Seriously?!"

"Flash Driver!" Flash transformed into a drill of light, slamming in the same spot the others had struck. But as a minute of the attack passed, not even a chip had fell off the wall. "Well..." he broke out of the drill, now dizzyingly stumbling around, "So much for that..."

"I doubt teleporting's gonna work," Trixie added, "Anyone else got any bright ideas?"

"Just one," Cold replied as he pointed at Flash, "Use your Sacred Light."

"Seriously?" Flash asked, Cold nodding back.

"That's the only thing I can think of."

"It could work," Ruby continued, "You are much stronger in that form."

Flash nodded and told everypony to step back. "Alright," he took several deep breaths, "Might wanna cover your eyes. Sacred...LIGHT!" He yelled...only to feel nothing. This prompted everypony to uncover their eyes, now seeing he was unchanged. The defender then saw their glares, "Sorry. Let me try again." He took another deep breath, "Sacred Light!"

Again, nothing happened. Flash looked down at himself in confusion, then tensed up his whole body and made some grunting noises.

"Flash..." Ruby started.

"I'm trying," he barked back, his face now distorting in frustation.

Heart laughed at this, whispering something in Soul's ear. "Ew!" she gasped before glaring at him in disgust, "That's gross!"

"Flash..." Cold began to say in a low tone.

However, Flash just turned to him and instantly replied, "I can't use it. My Sacred Light...it's gone." Flash's face began to morph into one filled with pure panic, "I-I-I don't know why...but I can't feel it inside me anymore."

"What?"

"So somehow whatever trapped us in here also took away your abilities?" Soarin yelped, "What about your Theta Mode?!"

Flash blinked his eyes, quickly turning pure white before changing back to normal. "No, I still got that."

"Well at least that's something," Springer added, "But what could have done this?"

Ruby growled as she turned to the others. "Whatever is doing this, it's a being with power beyond anything we know that exists."

And before anypony could respond to that, a loud alarm sound suddenly rang out through the castle. "Now what?" Flash asked as everypony else covered their ears. It was then that a light caught their attention, making them look over at the table.

They all blinked at the next sight, as a barrel suddenly appeared on the table. "Is that...a bingo machine?" Cold's question was met with nothing but silence, everypony just staring as the barrel began to spin around with seven white balls inside.

"What is happening?" Trixie responded, only for the side of the machine to open up. Three balls then flew out of the side, each showing symbols they had seen before. One ball had Flash's cutie mark on it while the others had Trixie's and Soarin's.

The three ponies in question shared a confused look, Soarin chiming in, "Well that was random."

And as those words left his mouth, the machine disappeared in the blink of an eye. "What was that?!" Flash asked, only for the table to start glowing. It then began to create a miniature model copy of the city, the groups seeing that it was showing a complete replica, repaired buildings and two castles withstanding.

But before anypony could say anything else, three flashes of light caught their attention. They turned to the ponies who's cutie marks were on the balls, their bodies being consumed by the light. And in the blink of an eye, they vanished, "FLASH!" Springer yelled as they reached out for them...but it was too late.

"What just happened?!" Soul gasped, now shivering as Heart held her close.

"They were teleported," Cold replied before looking back at the table, now seeing three blue dots suddenly appear on a street. Each one had a line coming off it that was connected to a floating label, all showing the name of a pony that had just vanished, "They're out in the city."

"Look!" Ruby yelled as she pointed to another area of the city. Three red dots appeared before a white line began to run through the streets, eventually forming a rudimentary square that covered about a mile of the city. Those dots had their own name tags, showing three names that made them all wince. "That's not good. Its like this is some kind of game."

As those words left her mouth, Springer grimaced. Memories of his last encounter with Shade surfaced, the jakhowl now remembering himself watching his friends be stuck in a giant replica of jakhowl history now in his head. But not only that, it was the fact that it was all a game to Shade, that fact making Springer now comment, "If this is a game...I hope we win."

Down in the city, Flash, Soarin and Trixie were now trotting through the streets.

"So why are we here again?" Soarin asked Flash, the knight shrugging.

"How am I supposed to know?" Flash turned back to the castle, "Hey, maybe I can break through the thing from the outside." He quickly took to the air, shooting like a bullet at the building...only to slam into the barrier, "OW!" He splatted against the force field like a bug on a windscreen, the light rippling out from the impact spot. It then flowed around the rest of the shield, now showing the other two how little space they now have out here.

"We're boxed in," Trixie added as they turned back to Flash, now seeing him slowly slide down the shield.

"I'm getting real tired of these things," he grumbled as he peeled himself off the wall.

"So what do we do now?" Soarin asked next.

Flash rubbed the side of his head, "Well...we had to have been brought here for a reason. Let's find it." He trotted off through the newly created street, Soarin and Trixie behind him. But as they got a few feet down, instincts kicked in as they felt another presence.

"MOVE!" Soarin tackled Flash and Trixie, pushing them seconds before a bolt of lightning struck the area. The trio quickly rolled back to their hooves, now seeing the source of attack floating above them.

"Hello there," Storm chuckled with a sinister smile.

"Great..." Flash held up his sword, "Should have known you all would be here too."

"The question is, how many?" Trixie growled as she gripped her hat.

"Not many," they turned to see Terror Card walk out from around a building, Salix leaping out with her, rolling along the floor before jumping back to his hooves.

"Oh, I bet this is gonna be so awesome! Too bad we're the only ones here. Imagine how much we would make if we sold tickets! We'd clean up! Hey, think whoever's doing this is recording it?! Maybe we can sell the fight as a movie!"

"I don't think it'll make much money. After all, it'll have a predictable ending," Storm chuckled as he turned the dial on his weapon. "These three will fall and we will remain unscathed."

"I don't think so!" Flash leapt into the air with his blade glowing. "Flash Cutter!" He swung the sword through the air, unleashing a singular light blade.

"Storm Cutter!" Storm swung his weapon as well, countering with an air blade that struck Flash's attack.

The two then exploded, making Flash gasp, "So Soarin was right. He really does have a Celestic Gear..." He pointed his sword at him, "Where'd you get that?! Are you a Royal Knight?!"

Storm rubbed his hoof down his sword, soon playing with the tip of his blade, "Wouldn't you like to know?" He then zipped ahead, dissolving the distance between them before swinging his blade at Flash's neck. But as this happened, Flash easily blocked it with his sword, only to flap his wings, quickly getting him back and away from Storm.

As Flash flew back, he took a deep breath, "Come on Sacred Light..." he whispered, closing his eyes as well. But as he did this, he felt nothing, making him open his eyes to see Storm charging at him, "Oh come on!" He then slashed back at Storm, only for the blue and yellow pegasus block it with the staff of his naginata. Flash quickly countered with another Flash Cutter, Storm dodging it before trying to slash him with his blade again.

Trixie and Soarin watched from the ground, only to look back at their opponents, "Why should they have all the fun?" Terror mocked as she reached into her cape, Trixie gasping before turning to Soarin.

"Don't let her use those cards!" Soarin nodded and charged at her, only for Salix to leap in front of him.

"Sorry, too late!" the nirik cheered as his body exploded into flames. He then spun and flicked his tail at Soarin, unleashing a wave of fire.

"Whoa!" Soarin yelped as he was forced to stop and beat his wings, creating a wave of wind that dispelled the flames.

Salix chuckled as he began to summon some more fire in his tail, "Pretty hot, aren't I?" Terror then pulled out her cards and tossed one into the air before it started glowing, both she and Salix now becoming trapped in a dome of light as the card spun around.

"What's she doing?" Trixie asked as she the dome glow, only for the card to come to a stop and flip upside down.

"Arcana of the Reversed Chariot!" The dome suddenly began to shrink until it only held Salix within before exploding with light that was then absorbed into the Kirin.

"Oh yeah!" Salix suddenly vanished before charging at blinding speed, instantly slamming a flaming hoof into Soarin.

"GYAH!" Soarin cried at the heat, quickly countering with a kick that pushed the nirik away.

"Don't think you have us yet," Trixie yelled as her horn sparked and fired a spell at the ground. This then summoned a wall of ice, separating them from their opponents. "That won't hold them for long," she turned back to Soarin. "You okay?"

"I've been better," Soarin groaned while clutching his burnt chest. He stood back up as part of the wall began to melt away, a hole slowly forming. "Got a plan for that?"

"No...but I'm not letting this be completely one sided."

On the other side of the wall, Salix was breathing a stream of fire out of his mouth into the wall, soon creating the hole, "Oookay," Terror blinked as she stared through the hole, only to see nothing, "Oh, come on." She sparked her horn and teleported to the other side of the wall with Salix, both getting into a battle stance as soon as they materialized. "Where are they?"

"They must have ran for it," Salix added, only for a flash to appear beside him. The light made him turn just as a hoof slammed into his face, knocking him flying back into a nearby building, "GYAH!"

"Salix!" Terror yelped as she turned to where Salix was, only for a flash of light appear before feeling something slam into her back, pinning her to the ground. "AAAHHH!"

Salix opened his eyes to see Soarin on top of Terror, slamming all four hooves into her back. He then turned to the nirik with a big grin before being consumed by a flash of light.

Meanwhile...

Cold, Ruby, Springer, Heart and Soul could hear the explosions in the distance, Heart speaking up, "What's happening out there? It sounds like a war-zone!"

"It is a war-zone," Cold muttered as he glared at the map. "For whatever reason, those six have been chosen to fight."

"Why?" Soul asked as she clung to her brother, "Why do our new friends have to be in a war-zone?"

Ruby sighed and shook her head, "I don't know. All we know is that we're stuck here while they're...fighting." She put a hoof to her forehead, "And I can't do anything either..."

"I just wish we could see what was going on," Springer grumbled as he slumped over the table, his eyes staring at Flash and Storm's dots circling around each other. He then reached out and pressed Flash's name, only to hop in place as a sudden giant holographic screen appeared above the table. On that screen, Flash could be seen fighting Storm, both dancing in the sky.

"Wow!" Heart gasped before turning to the jakhowl, "How'd you do that?!" Springer just shrugged, the group now able to watch the battle unfold.

"Flash Driver!" The Knight of Friendship morphed into a drill of light, Storm quickly racing away to dodge the attack.

The cultist then spun into a nearby building, planting his back hooves into the building's surface. Using the place as a spring board, he kicked off and spun into a tornado of wind, "Storm Driver!"

The two attacks clashed, an explosion of force happening before knocking Flash and Storm back. "Whoa!" Flash yelped as he flared his wings, coming to a stop as Storm did the same. He could feel the pants coming out of his mouth as he now glared at Storm, "Soarin was right. He really does have military training."

Storm started chuckling as he rubbed his blade again, "Not bad. Grand Hoof...trained you well."

"What?" Flash yelped, only for Storm to zip up to him, both quickly clashing swords. "How do you know Grand Hoof?!"

"Oh, nothing much." Storm then leaned forward, their faces now inches from one another, "He's the one who taught me how to fight after all."

Flash's eyes slowly went wide at this statement. "What?! No..."

"Oh, yes!" Storm laughed as he pushed Flash back before spinning the sword's dial, lightning now sparking from the metal, "Storm Cutter!" He swung the blade, firing a wave of lightning which Flash barely blocked with his own sword, only for the following explosion to knock him back.

"GYAH!" Flash screamed as he was sent flying into a window of a building. He rolled along the floor before hitting a wall, the pegasus slumping to the ground. And as he grabbed Lightbringer and picked himself up, he glared at the window, now seeing a vicious grin on Storm's face.

"Gotta say, you're really disappointing. Guess Grand's gotten bad at picking students over the past decade or so since I last saw him." Storm then pointed his blade at the defender as lightning surged around the blade, "Storm Force!"

KABOOM!

"FLASH!" Everypony watching screamed as the entire top half of the building exploded, bits and pieces flying every which way.

"Oh no...poor Flash." Soul whimpered as they saw a smoke cloud now cover the building's remains. Heart quickly hugged her, Ruby putting her hoof around them both to help calm them down.

"Don't worry. Flash won't fall so easily." The Crystal Knight said as they looked up at her, a kind smile on her face.

At the same time...

"HA!" Tempera laughed as the watched the building start to cave in, "Perfect! That's one down!"

"Don't be a fool!" Shadow roared, making Tempera flinch. She turned to her throne sitting love as he continued to watch the battle. "It's not over."

"How can you be sure?" Wingill asked him. "Did you not see what Storm did?"

Shadow just shook his head in response, "That does not matter. I have seen the power that piece of trash possesses....and the only one who can destroy him is me."

As the smoke began to fade, Storm stared into the building, only to see nothing. "What?" He then saw a hole in the ground, slowly flying over to it. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here!" Storm spun around to see Flash burst through the ground, the knight thrusting his weapon so the crossguard pointed at Storm. "FLASH FORCE!" The laser came out next, Storm barely able to jump away before a blast of powerful wind from the attack to push him back. Flash then flew right up to Storm, slashing at the cultist as Storm blocked the attack again. As this happened, Flash yelled, "You're lying about Grand! There's no way he'd train somepony like you!"

"Are you sure?" Storm chuckled, "Do you really know everything about Grand? How do you know he didn't pick you up as his apprentice just to replace me? I will admit, he's standards have really gone down, but-"

"SHUT UP!" Flash began to wildy slash at Storm, the pegasus spinning his weapon to block every blow.

"I can say with absolute honesty that every fighting skill I have was taught by Grand. Well, except this." He then spun around, kicking Flash in the gut.

"BLAUGH!" Flash yelped, spit flying out of his mouth as Storm turned his sword's dial again.

"STORM SURGE!" From the tip of his weapon came a long stream of water, this attack catapulting Flash out of the ruined building.

While this happened, Salix and Terror were standing back to back. "Where are you?!" Salix yelled, "Come on, hide and seek is such a boring game! Let's play something better, like tag!"

"FINE!" Soarin's voice roared before he suddenly appeared in front of Salix, sweeping his hooves out from under him. "Tag, you're it!" Terror then shot a blast at him, only for the pegasi to teleport away, only for the unicorn to feel something punch her face from the other side followed by another flash of light.

Salix moaned as he picked himself back up, "That's not how you play tag."

"Really? Cause I'm having fun!" Soarin appeared in front of him again, this time throwing a soccer kick at the kirin's head. Salix flared up his mane, ready to burn Soarin's hoof, only for Soarin to teleport away before appearing behind him, slamming his hoof into his flank.

"YOW!" Salix yelped as his face fell into the dirt from the blow, Soarin now taking to the sky as Salix started rubbing his behind, "Owie…"

"How's he doing this?" Terror asked as she saw Soarin shot upward before charging down at mach speed. She prepared to cast a spell, only for him to disappear again before slamming into side, knocking her flying back.

"Will you stop?!" Salix roared as he reignited his body, now unleashing an array of fireballs from his mane. Soarin quickly started jumping side to side while getting closer to the nirik. Once close enough, Soarin threw an uppercut at him...only to be teleported to an unsuspecting Terror.

"AUGH!" She cried as she felt the blow hit her chin while Soarin took to the air again.

Seeing this infuriated Salix, Soarin then saw his flames now beginning to burn brighter. "I'VE HAD IT!" A massive explosion erupted out of him, filling the street with fire. Terror quickly teleported away, Soarin spreading his wings to let the force of the explosion hit them before the flames, pushing him upward.

The explosion lasted a minute before clearing, a panting Salix standing at its epicenter. Terror sighed and shook her head, "Ugh...what a hot head." She then turned as she saw something in the corner of her eye, now seeing a sparkle of blue light in the corner. A big smile graced her face as she squinted her eyes, now seeing a chunk of a broken building that was now damaged beyond a few burn marks. "There you are."

Her horn fired out a blast of magic, Soarin gasping as he saw the beam strike the building chunk...only to dissolve to reveal a blue dome of magic with Trixie inside. Now seeing her illusion gone, she quickly teleported away before her shield fell, appearing on a roof near where Soarin was flying. "Nice trick," Terror told her as Salix used his flames to propel himself up to the roof beside her.

"Well, what's life without a little dramatic showmareship?" Trixie replied as the four got into a fighting stance. But as they did this-

"INCOMING!" They all turned to see the ice wall from earlier shatter as an orange blur smashed through it, propelled down by a stream of water. It hit the ground and rolled to an eventual stop, showing one Flash Sentry laying on his back while moaning.

"FLASH!" Trixie teleported down to him while Soarin kept an eye on their foes. "You okay?" Flash slowly picked himself up, Trixie grabbing his sword and handing it to him.

"I've been better," he grunted out before looking up to see Storm flying over. He then spotted a several fireballs appear, making him jump up and swing his blade, "Flash Cutter!" The light blade blocked the flames, causing an explosion which Soarin used to regroup with the others.

"What's the plan boss?" The Wonderbolt asked as the last of the smoke cleared, showing Terror and Salix back on the ground with Storm getting closer. Flash saw Storm spin the dial on his weapon before looking himself over, seeing he was soaked from the last attack, now knowing an electrical attack was probably about to happen.

"Flash..." Trixie slowly said, "If that whole 'not able to use Sacred Light thing' was a joke, now would be a really good time to say gotcha and actually use it."

Flash shook his head, "Sorry, but its no joke. I tried before, but it just won't activate."

As those words left Flash's mouth, Shadow shrunk in his throne. "So it's not just me," he whispered.

"That's good," Tempera added, "At least we'll be on equal hoofing until we figure out what's causing the issue."

"It's clear what's causing it," Armalum spoke up without even looking at the screen. "There is a being here of incredible power, so much power that it's able to suppress the pegasus and master Shadow." He then glared at the others, "The issue is finding whoever this is and getting them to reverse it."

"And once it is reversed, I can take their power for myself." Shadow growled as a dark aura consumed his horn, "Nopony can control me...and nopony but me deserves this power. Once I have it, I'll use it to destroy all those before me." The others all shrunk at their master's tone, all not remembering the last time they've seen him this angry.

"Well master, we make sure they regret it." Armalum responded as he now started to stare at the screen.

Back at the battle...

"What do we do?" Soarin asked Flash again.

"First off, I'm soaked," Flash responded while sweeping his dripping mane away from his eyes. "If he hits me with a lightning bolt, I may end up down for the count. Think you can keep him away from me until I dry off?"

"No problem," Soarin flared his wings before rocketed at Salix and Terror, leaving a trail of wind behind him. He then zipped between the duo, the wind staggering both as it buffeted them.

Storm saw the pegasus race past his teammates and head straight for him, "Nice try, Storm Shot!" The blade then sparked as it fired a countless stream of electrical volts. Soarin zigzagged through the street, slipping past the barrage of lightning bolts with every bit of his energy. As he did this, the bolts only skimmed his ear and made his mane stand on end before reaching Storm.

"You're mine!" Soarin threw a punch, only for Storm to block it with his staff. But as this happened, Soaring slung his hoof over the weapon, now trying to pull it out of the cultist's hooves.

"Hey! Let go!" Storm growled as he tried to pulled the naginata free.

"No way!" Soarin barked as they started spinning in midair, both soon kicking their back legs at one another as they continued to hold onto the sword.

"You really think you can beat me?! You are but a gust of wind, trying to blow against a raging storm!"

"And you're that storm?" Soarin replied with a cocky grin.

"I am Storm!" he roared as he then slammed his knee into Soarin's gut, causing him to lose his grip on the blade. The dark blue Pegasus then pulled away before spinning the dial so that it was constantly turning. "Storm Blade..." He pointed his weapon at Soarin, "Now be blown away by my might! STORM TRI-FORCE!" From out of the blade shot a tornado made of both water and wind, elements now electrified by the lightning.

"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he tried to outrun the tornado, flying behind a building as it hit the structure, instantly turning it into a pile of rubble. But as he did this, a stray blade of electrified wind flew off the tornado and hit him in the side. "GYAH!" He cried as he was then slammed into the side of a building, his side now being slashed open. He slumped down next, only to spread his wings to slowly glide down.

Storm began to laugh as his weapon sparked, "Told you! Now...let's end this. Storm Cutter!" The blade of lightning shot at Soarin, the Wonderbolt clutching his side before taking to the air again, dodging the attack before flying away, Storm following as his blade continued to charge, "You can't run forever!"

As this happened, Flash had started attacking the other two, "Flash Vortex!" He spun like a top, now creating a tornado of light.

Salix opened his mouth, spewing a stream of fire at the light, causing an explosion. Seeing this, Terror leap away and pulled out a card, quickly throwing it up before a dome of light appeared. Flash blinked at the sight, now seeing that the card had an image of a pony with a infinity sign above it.

It came to a stop and was right side up, "Arcana of the Magician!" The dome shrank until it only held Terror, quickly exploding into a blast of light that went into her, "Yes! What a boost!" She then launched a beam at Flash, this one being twice the size from her earlier attacks.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he flapped backward, dodging the attack as the beam then hit a building, causing it to explode.

"Now that card boosted her." Trixie whispered as she stared at Terror, "Just what is her magic? Is it-"

"Hey!" She turned to see Salix running at her, "Don't forget about me!" He spun around and flicked his tail, sending a large fireball out that Trixie quickly teleported away from.

"Alright..." Trixie hissed as she reappeared, "Since one playmate doesn't seem to be enough for you-" Her horn sparked as she created a cloud of smokescreen, enveloping her before yelling, "HAVE ALL THE PLAYMATES YOU CAN STAND!"

An army of Trixies raced out of the smoke, making Salix go wide-eyed. As this happened, Flash was still trying to hit Terror, "Flash Cutter!" he fired another light blade, only for the mare to teleport away before throwing up another card, this one forming another dome around them as the card spun. Flash tried to fly out of the dome, only for it to grow in size no matter how high he went. As he did this, he looked back down and saw Salix taking out Trixie's clones, making him growl as he turned to the spinning card. "If I can't escape this dome thing, I'll just get rid of the card! Flash Cutter!"

He fired the light blade at the card....only for it to go right through it, his attack phasing right through. "Oh, come on!"

"HA!" Terror laughed as the card came to a stop, once again right side up. "Arcana of the Chariot!" The dome shrank down around her again, Flash preparing to block anything coming.

But as he did this and the light enveloped Terror...she disappeared, only for Flash to feel a beam of magic smack his stomach. "AUGH!" he yelped as he hit back, the defender looking down to see Terror running down the street at now mach speed. "What the heck?!"

He then began to fire Flash Cutters down at her, Terror easily dodging each one. While this happened, the Trixies started to circle around Salix, "You like games? Then how about we play catch me if you can!"

"GRAAH!" Salix unleashed a wave of fire from his mane, the flames colliding with several of the unicorns, only to reveal them all to be fake.

"Missed me!"

As this happened, Flash kept zipping back and forth, dodging Terror's spells as he kept firing Flash Cutters. But as this happened, Terror just evaded every blow with ease, only to toss another card up, "Try this one!" Another dome formed around her and Flash, the defender now seeing the new card. This one showed a pony carrying a bindle, which Flash tried to slash at but to no avail. As he did this, he decided to land, trying to attack Terror head on as the card stopped in an upright position.

"Arcana of the Fool!" Terror laughed as the dome began to shrink until it only surrounded Flash, "Prepare for a whole minute of bad luck."

"What?" Flash asked before suddenly tripping over some rubble from a destroyed building. "Ack!" He quickly tried to pick himself up, only for his hoof to slip on another piece of rubble, making him stumble again, "Gah! What's happening to me?!"

"Did you not listen?! That is the fool arcana," Terror sparked her horn, "For one whole minute, you'll have the worst of luck." She then fired another beam, Flash trying to dodge...only to trip and get struck at the same time.

"AUGH!" He yelped before taking back to the air, "There! No way I can trip over debris in the air!" But as he did this, a cracking sound hit his ears, making him look up to see a building above him fall apart over his head, "Oh, come on!"

Salix and the Trixie clones saw this and gasped, "FLASH!" The scream caused her to lose focus, the illusions vanishing in that moment.

"I see you!" Trixie spun around to see an extra large fireball now coming for her. The mare responded with a small shield that the flames exploded into, sending her flying back with a scream before hitting the the rock pile Flash was under.

"This is going from bad to worse," Ruby commented as she stared at the screen showing Terror Card, "I've never seen such magic."

Heart turned to Springer with a big frown, "Flash's luck should be back to normal now, right?"

"It's been about a minute," the jakhowl replied.

"But that one minute may have turned to tide of this entire battle," Cold added.

"What about Soarin?" Soul asked, Springer pressing his name to change the screen.

Soarin moaned as he staggered through the street, his wing holding his wound to stop the bleeding. As he did this, he heard a whistling echo through the street, making him tense up before pinning himself against a wall. The whistling pulsed between getting louder and quieter, only to suddenly jump as a Storm appeared from the wall's corner with his sword, "Storm Shot!"

A lightning bolt flew at Soarin, the pegasus barely managing to duck under it. As it flew overhead and hit some barrels behind him, he scraped his hoof along the ground, Storm dashing at him before Soarin swung his hoof upward, a cloud dust now hitting Storm's face. "GYAH!" He yelped as he had to close his eyes from the grains, letting Soaring spin and thrust his backhooves into Storm's face, knocking him flying into some crates. "BLAUGH!"

As this happened, Soarin couldn't hear the cheers from his friends that were watching, the Wonderbolt now spreading his wings to take to the air while moaning at the pain of his wound.

And as he tried to get back to his friends, Salix and Terror were staring at Trixie and the rubble pile, Salix speaking up, "Do you think we got 'em? I mean, they look like they're down for the count to me. That one pegasi just got crushed under a ton of rocks and I basically almost barbequed the-wait...didn't master want us to bring him to him?! Oh no, are we gonna be in trouble?! I don't wanna be in trouble! I-"

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" A loud roar erupted from the rock pile, an explosion of dust following this before Flash flew out, now glaring at the duo with pure white eyes.

"Oh goody, he's alive!" Salix let out a long sigh, "We're safe."

"Hardly!" Flash growled as he charged at both, Terror and Salix trying to counter, only for Flash to zip right past their attacks. "Flash Cutter!" He slashed his blade through the air, unleashing a large energy wave that both hopped away from, only to feel their hooves slip out from under them.

They both grunted as they fell over, now seeing that the street was coated in ice. Both looked up to see Trixie smiling at them, her horn showing she had turned the ground into an ice rick. As this happened, Flash flew around the two, circling so fast that he began to create a tornado to encase them.

As this happened, Trixie saw Soarin land nearby, the mare seeing the cut his hoof was clutching onto, "What happened?"

"I'm fine," he told her before Flash leapt out of the tornado, dodging a bolt of lightning that now struck the cyclone, dissipating it in a single blow.

And as the tornado faded, a very dizzy Terror and Salix staggered out before standing next to Storm, "Let's end this," Storm declared as he pointed his blade at Flash.

"Couldn't agree more," Flash replied as both Terror and Trixie acted in unison, firing a beam one another as Flash and Storm met in midair while Soarin began to evade Salix's flames. But as this happened, one fireball hit Soarin's wing, makig him cry out before falling over.

"Gotcha!" Salix cheered as he charged at the pegasi with blazing hooves, "Time for a roast!"

"NO!" Flash and Trixie yelled, Flash managing to kick Storm away while Trixie broke her spell and then fired another one at the defender, "FLASH!" The pegasi suddenly found himself teleported between Salix and Soarin, the nirik's eyes going wide in surprise.

"FLASH..." He pointed his crossguard at the kirin, "FORCE!" The laser shot out of his sword and struck him dead on, hitting full power at Salix's chest.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed as the blast struck him, knocking him flying down the street before crashing into a pile of debris.

"SALIX!" His teammates yelped as they quickly ran after him.

As they retreated, Flash and Trixie ran over to Soarin's side and helped him up, the two steadying him as they watched the others with caution. They then saw Salix begin to pick himself up, now showing a large burn mark on his chest. "Salix?" He looked up at Storm and Terror, "You alright?" The kirin said nothing, only looking down at his new injury. "Come on, don't stop talking now."

"I...I feel weird." Storm and Terror were about to ask what he meant, but their words dried up when they saw it. Specks of what they could only see as dust began to float off of Salix's body. It was just a few bits, only for them to start increasing until his entire body eventually became consumed by it. Salix just gasped as he saw himself start to fade away, "Wha...what's happening to me?" Storm and Terror were unable to reply, speechless as saw him completely disappear. "Guys-" His speech was cut off as his body then exploded into dust, the wind instantly picking up the particles.

"SALIX!" they both screamed.

Flash, Soarin and Trixie were just as shocked, the others watching the battle also horrified at the sight. "Salix..." Tempera covered her mouth with her hooves as tears formed in her eyes, the others just standing in pure silence.

As for Shadow, he just stared at the spot his minion had previously been, unable to comprehend the sight, "Salix."

While this happened, Storm's entire body shook, Terror unable to hold back her tears as the pegasus's face changed from sorrow to pure rage. "RAAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed as he grabbed his sword and spun around, pointing it at Flash and the others. "STORM FORCE!" A tornado shot out of the weapon and flew at the three, Soarin being the only one able to react.

"Look out!" He flexed his wings with enough force to push Flash and Trixie away from him before the tornado hit him, the Wonderbolt being hoisted into the air before being flung into one of the buildings.

"SOARIN!" Flash yelled before Storm suddenly appeared next to him. "Gah!" Storm then cut Flash's cheek, the defender staggering back as Storm grinned at the drop of blood appearing on his weapon's tip. He then tried to slice Flash again, only for the defender to block the attack, quickly countering with a punch to Storm's face.

While this happened, Terror screeched out a roar of anger, firing a magic blast at Trixie. The showmare quickly dodged it by teleporting away, only for both begin a standstill as they fired magic beams at each other, Terror no longer caring about using her card magic.

And as the battle restarted between the ponies, Soarin was now laying in a pile of rubble. His entire body was screaming in pain at him, only for the pain to suddenly vanish. "Huh?" he yelped before looking down at his body...only to go wide-eyed, "Oh no."

Like Salix, his body was starting to emit pieces of dust.

"SOARIN!" Springer yelled at the screen, everypony all going wide-eyed again.

"Not him too," Ruby added.

Soarin screamed as he rolled around, getting back onto his hooves. "No! I won't...be taken!"

But as he did this, he looked up to find himself now looking at a small glimmer of light. Blinking at it, he saw it was a small silver orb, no bigger then a marble, which was simply floating in the middle of the room he had crashed into.

"What?" Soarin whispered as he suddenly felt himself drawn to the object. Now trotting over to the sphere as his body continued to crumble, he reached out and pressed it with hoof. And as he did this, a blast of light show out of the orb, consuming him in an instant.

And the light continued to grow after this, filling the room before going outside. The light began to devour the whole city, consuming Flash, Storm, Trixie and Terror before they could even react.

Winners, Team Flash!

Those words had now appeared on a now completely whited out screen in the castle before vanishing. Everypony blinked at the screen, Soul chiming in, "What just happened?"

Cold, Ruby and Springer all exchanged glances, Cold being the one to speak up, "I'm...not sure."

Before anypony could say anything else, the room was filled with a flash of light above them, only for three ponies to fall from the light, landing into a pile.

"Blaugh!" they all yelped as the others saw it was Flash, Trixie and Soarin.

And as they were pulled out of pile, Springer asked, "Are you okay?"

"I...think so. Not my best day on the battlefield, but I'm okay." Flash held his head only to go wide-eyed. "Soarin, you okay?"

"He's fine," Ruby commented as he held him down to inspect his wound...only to find it healed, as if it was stitched up with no stiches. "I don't know how...but he's okay."

"Still hurts," Soarin grunted as he rubbed his side.

"What happened to you? We saw you were turning to dust." Cold asked him next, Trixie and Flash's eyes widening in shock at the question, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. The pain just vanished and I started disappearing. Then I saw that orb."

"Orb?" Flash's question was met by a light coming from the map, making everypony turn to see the orb Soarin had found was now floating above their castle. The whole room then seemed to glow brightly for a moment before dying down, everypony now blinking in confusion.

"Um...what was that?" Heart asked, only to get no answer.

"I have a feeling we're just gonna have to figure that one out for ourselves." the defender commented as a new thought entered his head, one he didn't like at all. "Something's playing a game with us," Flash grumbled while crossing his hooves, the rest of his friends glancing around the room. "And if we wanna survive, we're gonna have to win."

Author's Note

So now you know how this story's gonna play out. Hope you enjoyed it and please tell me what you think.

The First Fallen

In the dark castle, Armalum, Tempera, Wingill, Storm and Terror were all in the map room, the sun now setting just an hour ago. The group had helped treat Storm and Terror's wounds after the battle, all of them now watching the map room's screens as they played back the previous fights.

It was now showing an image of Flash using Flash Force on Salix, Tempera looking away as she saw the glimpse of the image before sniffing back a tear, "I can't believe he's gone."

The others nodded, Wingill sighing. "It's weird, I almost miss his non-stop talking."

Storm crossed his hooves as he now saw an image of Soarin getting the orb, "All of this to get a stupid piece of metal."

"There has to be more to it than that," Armalum added as he pointed at the screen, "That sphere must be part of the reason we're here...but if you two returned here after that, I suspect there's more to this game."

"What do you mean?" Terror asked.

"I'm saying that somepony is playing a game with us, and our survival will likely depend on our victory in it. The next time we are called, we must defeat them."

"Master Shadow probably realized the same thing," Tempera finished with a sigh as the footage began again. "That must be why he's working so hard."

Meanwhile...

Down below within the illusion chamber, Shadow Corrupter had transformed the area into a fully quipped science laboratory. Every single piece of modern scientific equipment ever invented was there, fully functioning despite being technically fake. The unicorn was now in front of a microscope, a petri dish filled with blood underneath it. Storm's Celestic Gear was over in the corner, the tip still stained with blood as Shadow looked through the scope while wearing a pair of goggles.

"Flash Sentry..." he muttered as he pulled his head away, now moving over to another machine as it spewed out some papers, his magic now floating the sheet over to him. "You will not remain an enigma forever. I will discover why you have this power, and it will be mine."

The pony of Shadow's fascination was currently in his own castle, he and his friends all staring at the orb they had obtained during the battle. Trixie and Ruby were waving their horns around it, the appendages letting out a light of their respective auras that moved from side to side. They kept swapping their vision from them to the city, watching as the damage done during the fight now being repaired.

"Ah ha!" Trixie cheered as she cut her spell, everypony looking back at her as she began rubbing her horn.

"What is it?" Springer asked, "what'd you find?"

"I have no idea," Trixie continued to stare at the orb. "I'm just waving my horn around like I know what I'm doing."

"Very informative," Flash deadpanned.

"Give her a break," Ruby chimed in while cutting off her own spell. "It's a hard spell to figure out the first few times. Don't worry, I figured out what this thing is."

"You did?" Springer asked with Ruby nodding back, "What is it?"

"One hundred percent steel." Ruby replied, only to see disgruntled faces from the group, "What?"

"That's it?!" Soarin yelped, "I got slashed in the side and blasted through a hole for a small lump of metal?!"

"Yes."

"There's gotta be more to it than that," Flash added while pointing at the orb, "The battle ended when Soarin got it, so it's got to be important! It can't just be some useless piece of metal!"

"I'm sorry, but that's all there is to it. I mean, I detect a residual magical trace...but could just the magic that was used to teleport you all back here."

Cold just stared at the metal orb, the piece of tin floating above their map castle like a bird circling its roost. "We shouldn't be so quick to assume anything. This may be plain steel, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. It may be part of a greater whole of something." His horn began to glow as he used his magic to grasp the sphere...only to feel a pull back, "Hmm?" He cut his magic next before trying to grab it in his hooves, only to feel it pull even harder, as if the orb was connected to an elastic band. And as he let go, the orb instantly shifted back to its original spot, continuing to circle the castle.

Springer turned to Ruby at this, "You sure that thing's just steel?"

Ruby nodded, the others sighing at her response. And as a small minute of silence followed, Soul spoke up, "So what do we do now?" Everyone turned to her, surprised since the unicorn had been very quiet since the end of the battle. She had only really talked to Soarin, mainly when trying to mend his wounds with a first-aid kit she had asked the cupboard for.

But it was Cold who answered her question, "Now we go to sleep." Everypony turned to him, seeing the usual blank face he always wore as everypony frowned.

Soarin chimed in at this, "You want us to go to sleep after everything we've been through today?"

"Yes. Because if what happens today happens tomorrow, we'll need to be well rested in order to keep what happened to that Salix pony from happening to us. We got lucky in not losing Skies, we might not be that lucky again." Everypony exchanged glances, grimaces and uncertainty on their faces.

That is, till Flash let out a long sigh as he said, "He's right." Everypony turned to him, seeing him cross his hooves, "Let's get to bed. Who knows how long we'll get to sleep before that alarm goes off again."

The others all nodded, some sighing as they began to leave the room. As they did this, Soarin let out a moan, "I don't know if I'll even be able to sleep. After everything that happened, I doubt having sweet dreams will be off the ta-" He suddenly found himself crashing into Trixie's behind, quickly staggering back as the others saw her shine a big grin on her face.

"Dreams..." she whispered as her eyes slowly widened, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Springer asked.

"How we're gonna contact our friends back home! I'll enter their dreams and tell them what's happening. I'm sure Luna will have someway of tracking us. Maybe she can look into my memory to see how we got here."

"Wait a minute," Heart raised a hoof. "You can enter dreams?"

"Why yes I can!" Trixie patted a hoof on her chest with a smug smile, "My teacher is the princess of the night, Princess Luna. She has the power to enter dreams and protect ponies from nightmares and what not, and I just so happen to have mastered that magic."

"Mastered?" Flash added with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright...I've not fully mastered it." Trixie grumbled as she glared at the defender, "But I'm good enough that this should work."

"But aren't we miles from Equestria?" Springer asked next, "Can your magic really reach that far?"

"It should, as long as I focus on the pony I'm trying to connect with. Since I've already been inside my friends' dreams before, I should have an easier time connecting to Twilight and the rest of the Elements. Stand back." They did so as Trixie closed her eyes, her horn emitting a bright light that spiraled around her into a sphere.

"Wow..." Heart and Soul gasped.

"Perhaps this will help us. I suspect we'll need all we can get." Cold commented as the light began to cover Trixie.

Trixie opened her eyes, now seeing the dream realm before her. She took a deep breath, adjusting her body to the special world she had just crossed into. And as she did this, she began to walking and glancing around, ready to see the bubbles that filled the voids, all showing the dreams of ponies.

But as she began to look around, she gasped. "What? Where...where are the dreams?" She began to dart her eyes around, now seeing nothing in the void of the dream realm. "This can't be right...somepony should be asleep."

Five minutes later...

Flash and the others waited in front of Trixie's sphere, the defender now feeling a tug at his wing, making him look down at Soul. "Is she alright? She's been in there for a while."

Flash shined a small smile before ruffling her mane, "I'm sure she's fine. Explaining everything that's happened to Princess Luna will probably take a while. We just have to be-" Trixie's sphere began to spark, making them turn back to her before the sphere disappeared, showing Trixie again, "How'd it go?"

Trixie shook her head, rubbing her forehead with her hoof, "We have a problem. I wasn't able to connect to anypony's dreams." Everypony went wide-eyed as she continued, "The dream realm was empty."

"So...does that mean nopony was asleep?" Soarin asked.

Trixie shook her head again, "No. Even if everypony in the world was awake, which is impossible, they're still connected to the dream realm. I should have been able to locate at least one dreamscape, even if it's a shapeless void. But...there was nothing. The only way that's possible..."

Ruby continued her thought, "Whatever's keeping us from teleporting out of this city must also be blocking Trixie from linking to ponies dreams."

Flash sighed, resisting a facehoof, "And that means we're on our own." Trixie nodded while the others unable to respond. Silence following this, Flash declared it was time to go to bed, Heart and Soul heading to their room while the other three bunk mates went in their places while doing their own pre-bed rituals.

Trixie and Ruby stepped into their bathroom, which had two shower heads so they didn't have to wait their turn. Soarin returned to the dining room before coming back with a small slice of pie and a glass of milk. Cold seemed to raise an eyebrow at this, "What are you, a colt?"

"Old habit," he replied while taking a bite, "Every time I go to bed before a big flight, I eat pie and drink milk. Makes me feel like I'm ready to take on the world." Cold rolled his eyes, quickly going back to brushing his teeth.

Flash laid down on his bed, his body welcoming the rest. But as this happened, he heard a squeaking noise, making him turn to see Springer bounce up and down on his bed, only to turn to Flash, "Kinda big for me, isn't it?"

The pegasi just shrugged back, "Sorry bud. Eh, I'm sure you'll get used to it." Springer nodded and got under the covers, only to notice light coming off walls that filled the room.

He was about to ask how they were supposed to sleep in the light, only for the room to suddenly be bathed in darkness, "Cool." Flash nodded in agreement, closing his eyes before Springer said, "Flash?"

The pegasus rolled over and saw Springer looking up at the ceiling, "Yeah?"

"I'm...I'm a little scared." Flash raised his eyebrows at this, "What...what if what happens to Salix happens to one of us?"

Flash opened his mouth to respond...but he couldn't. Instead, the memory of Salix turning to dust rang through his mind, making him sink back into his bed. But as he did this, words began to flow out of his mouth, "We...we won't let that happen." Springer turned to him, "Think of everything we've faced off against. Everything that's ever tried to take us down has failed because we stuck together as a team bud. That's not gonna be any different this time. We'll win this and get back home, together."

Springer shined a small smile, his aura abilities showing him that Flash was scared...yet confident. This made the jakhowl chuckle, "Alright. I believe in you."

"Thanks. Now let's get some sleep. We've likely got a big day tomorrow." The two then closed their eyes, exhaustion overtaking them. But as sleep began to entice Flash to go into dreams, a certain memory shook his head.

"Not bad. Grand Hoof...trained you well."

"What?" Flash yelped, only for Storm to zip up to him, both quickly clashing swords. "How do you know Grand Hoof?!"

"Oh, nothing much." Storm then leaned forward, their faces now inches from one another, "He's the one who taught me how to fight after all."

"Grand...taught him?" Flash whispered, his eyes clinching at the thought.

The next morning...

Tempera yawned as she left her and Terror's room, looking down the hall to see Storm and Wingill leave another. With Salix gone, one room was now completely unoccupied. She trotted over to another door and began to knock, "Master?" There was no response, the unicorn opening the door to see the room being empty. "Hmm?" she then walked to the dining area, now seeing Shadow sitting at the table eating a slice of dry toast with coffee. "Master!" She ran over to his side, "Good morning, my love."

"Are you forgetting that we are now a pony down and the enemy has that mysterious orb in their possession while we have nothing?"

"Of...of course not. My apologizes master." She closed the cupboard door with her magic and asked for a plate of croissants and coffee. She hovered them over to her as she sat down beside Shadow, the others doing the same.

They all sat and ate in silence, only for Wingill to speak up, "So...er...master?" Shadow glanced up at him, "Did you manage to learn anything useful from the blood?"

Shadow let out a low growl, "Nothing. Other then a higher then average hayflick limit, the pegasus shows no signs of being anything special."

"But he clearly has some incredible power," Terror added, "Even if you ignore that light and armor, what he did with his eyes is also pretty impressive. With it, he seemed to be able to react faster than before."

Shadow growled again, "I'll need more than a blood sample. I need to get up close and personal...I must have his power."

"Well maybe today will be the day you get to," Tempera continued as she tried to put her tail up to his chin, only for his hoof to shove it away.

Armalum chimed in at this moment, "And if today isn't, there are still the other ponies. Some of them may be of use to you master."

"My only goal is finding the secret to this city and taking them for myself," Shadow hissed as he finished his toast and coffee, "Anything else is just an obstacle, and I will not tolerate any obstacle!" He stood up as he slammed his hooves on the table, "Somepony thinks this is a game, but it's not. It's war, and I refuse to lose it. So from now on, no more testing them. No more holding back." He glanced over at Terror, "You might have saved Salix if you'd used it. His loss is just as much your fault as is it theirs. Next time you fight, use it! That goes for the rest of you! I have no need of servants that pull their punches, understand?"

"Yes master!" they all stood before bowing, Shadow turning to leave the room. Everypony else sat back down next, all exchanging glances as silence took over the table again.

Meanwhile, in the other castle...

Cold and Ruby were the first to exit their rooms, their roommates following close behind while rubbing their eyes. "Too early..." Trixie moaned, "This is why I'm a night owl now. Ugh...I miss my bed at Canterlot."

"You'll need to wake up faster," Cold told her. "You may be summoned into battle again today." He then turned to Soarin, "How's your injury?" Soarin raised his wing and allowed Cold to undo the bandages around him to reveal...nothing. "Incredible...not even a scar."

"But that's impossible, right?" Trixie added before looking up at the pegasus. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Soarin flapped his wings and took to the air. "It's like I never got hit."

Everypony just stared at him, Ruby sighing next, "Why do I get the feeling we'll keep finding more questions before we get any answers?" She trotted over to Heart and Soul's room, knocking the door, "You two up?" She waited several seconds, only to hear nothing. She then went to magically open the door, only for it to be surrounded by a golden light before slamming shut.

"Don't come in!" She heard Soul's voice cry out.

The older ponies exchanged looks before Ruby turned back to the door, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes! Just...give us a minute." Less than a minute later, the door opened to see a smiling Soul walk past the group as she chimed out, "Good morning!"

And as she left to the dining room, the others turned to Heart as he said, "She uh....has serious bedhead. She hates how her mane looks in the morning, so she usually spends half the day trying to get it right. Though I've never seen her go that far...guess its cuz nopony was around to judge."

He then trotted after his sister, the others raising an eyebrow at this. But before they could say anything, a certain jakhowl walked out of another room, his paw up to his mouth as he yawned, "Morning everypony."

"Morning," Soarin replied, "Is Flash up?"

Springer started rubbing his eyes as he responded, "Oh, he's already up." Hearing this, they all went to the dining room, only to see the defender wasn't there. "That's odd. He wasn't in bed when I woke up."

Cold then moved over to the map room, finding it empty as well. "Hmm...could he be..." He walked past the dining room next, the others seeing him leave before shrugging, all going to get something to eat.

As for Cold, he went down the stairs, soon entering the illusion room. And as he opened the door, he saw the city outside the castle, complete with Flash fighting Storm in the sky. "Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as he launched his attack, Storm deflecting it before trying to impale him. Flash quickly spun around to dodge it, thrusting his blade at him as Storm flapped backward.

"Storm Shot!" Storm suddenly zipped around, appearing behind Flash as he fired a water blast into the pegasi's back.

"Augh!" He cried out as he was struck down, landing on his stomach with Lightbringer flying from his grip. He spun back around and saw Storm charge, making him flinch his eyes closed....only to feel nothing. He then opened his eyes to see Storm frozen in midair with his blade only inches from Flash.

Seconds later, he and the city around them dissolved, making Flash turn to see Cold at the control crystal. "I had that," he growled as he got up.

"Didn't look like it." Cold deadpanned as he trotted over, "You were off your game."

"He just caught me by surprise."

"Because you were off your game." Flash growled back as Cold now stood in front of him, "Something's obviously wrong. What happened?"

Flash just looked away as he got up, "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

"Flash...you once told me we were friends, didn't you?" Flash just nodded back, now looking at Cold, "I might not know much about it, but if I'm right, then friends tell each other what's wrong with them. Am I right?"

lash continued to remain silent for a minute, only to sigh, "Storm Blade...yesterday, he said was Grand's former student."

"That's a lie," Cold instantly replied, "You shouldn't listen to a thing he says. It was obviously a deception to knock you off your game."

Flash shook his head, "Cold...his fighting style is similar to the ones used by the Equestrian Guard. You can't just learn that anywhere."

"That doesn't mean he was trained by Grand."

"But what if it's true?" Flash turned back to him, "What if Grand did train him?!"

"He didn't." Cold deadpanned, "I've known Grand for a long time. I met him when I was taken in by the guard. If he had taken an apprentice, I would have known about it. Besides, does Grand sound like the kind of pony that would keep their apprentice a secret? If I remember correctly, you became front page news when he took you under his wing."

Flash looked away again, his brain burning as he thought about Cold's words, only to then ask, "But...even if that's true, how did he get a Celestic Gear? He couldn't have just stolen it. The Celestic Gear can only be wielded by the pony the weapon bonds with."

"And there's never been any reports of pure Celestic Gears being stolen," Cold went on. "But him having one doesn't mean he was trained by Grand, and that honestly doesn't matter. After all, if Grand did train this pony, it was years before he met you...and this Storm is obviously a criminal." He tapped Flash's chest with his hoof, "You...are a knight. This Storm, he's not one of us. Remember that."

Flash shined a small smile, nodding back, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Cold. You know, you've gotten a lot better at this whole being a friend thing."

"Maybe, but I still have a lot more to learn." A grumbling then caught their attention, making them look down at Flash's rumbling stomach. "Come on. You'll need all the strength you can muster if you're fighting again today." Flash nodded again as they headed back to the dinning room, now seeing the others enjoying their breakfast.

Once their meal was concluded, everypony waited for the alarm to sound...only for nothing. After the first thirty minutes, Heart and Soul headed to their room to entertain themselves with Springer leaving fifteen minutes later. This was followed by Soarin who said he was gonna go get some more sleep. Trixie and Ruby remained in the dining room, Ruby trying to show Trixie some of her crystal magic to help her in the next fight. Flash and Cold then went down to the illusion room to do some light sparing, hours creeping by.

And as the clock hit the eleventh hour, the alarm rang out, making everyone come to a stop. Snapping out of their positions, all headed to the map room as Flash whispered, "Here we go again..."

Meanwhile...

Shadow sat in front of the machine, grinning as three marbles came out, the first showing Shadow's cutie mark as the other confirmed Armalum and Wingill.

"Excellent..." he chuckled as all three were teleported out of the castle.

As this happened, the first ball popped out of the machine for Flash's friends, this one showing the image of Cold's cutie mark on it. The Frozen Wanderer stood to attention as they waited for the next one to appear, this one being Ruby's cutie mark along with one that showed a particular jakhowl printed on it.

"Looks like I'm up," Springer said as the machine and balls disappeared before the map showed itself. This time a different section of the city became cornered off, this one showing a large lake in one corner along with several canals.

Before anypony could say anything, the three chosen ones vanished before dots appeared on the map, "Good luck," Flash whispered as he saw three more dots appear, the name of one of them making him grimace, "Shadow..."

"We should split up," Cold announced as soon as they appeared in the city. "That'll increase our chances of winning."

"Huh?! How does that work?" Springer asked as he transformed, "Shouldn't we stick together?"

"If this was about fighting, I'd say yes. But it's not. If we can find that orb before they find us, he can win this without fighting. And the less fighting, the less chance one of us gets turned to dust."

"He's right," Ruby added before turning to Springer, "Let's head out Springer. Use your aura to make sure they don't sneak up on you."

"Got it." Springer replied before they all split down different streets, the jakowl quickly opening the first house nearby. He found nothing inside, just an empty blank building. "Okay...where could it be?"

As the jakhowl raced through the city, his friends were watching the map, not looking up at the screen for now. "Why are they splitting up?" Heart asked, "Shouldn't they stay together?"

"It's likely Cold playing smart," Flash replied with crossed hooves, "He knows they have a better chance of finding the orb if they fan out and search a wider area."

Trixie nodded in agreement, "If they can find the orb before they run into the others, they won't have to fight."

"Let's just hope they find it soon," Soarin gulped as he pointed at Ruby's dot. "She's about to have company."

They quickly saw what he meant, two red dots now closing in on the Crystal Knight. "Not good," Flash commented before seeing Springer now just being a few streets away. Seeing this, he closed his eyes, "Springer, you hear me?"

The others saw Springer's dot stop as Flash got a response, "Yeah, I hear you."

"Ruby's in trouble," he opened his eyes again. "You need to get to her before she's overwhelmed."

"Where is she?"

"Turn right. That'll take you to an alley, follow it until you come to fork and go left." Springer's dot started to move in the direction Flash indicated, the others now watching him get close to Ruby.

"Hold on Ruby," Soul whispered as Soarin pressed her dot, the screen now showing the knight.

Ruby was walking along a canal, a crystal sword hovering beside her. Her eyes shifted side to side, her hooves tensing as she trotted down the street. But as she did this, a pair of eyes stared up at her from the water, a big grin on the figure's face as it swam beside her.

And as the being got closer, the figure jumped out of the water as a cocoon of light enveloped them. Ruby spun around to see the light break out to reveal Wingill with primed clawed talons. But as he was about to slash as her, a large shard of crystal shot out of the ground between them.

"Augh!" He cried as his claws slashed at the crystal, feeling his talons now grind on the surface of the gem wall. He then heard Ruby laugh as he leapt away and took to the skies.

"I wondered when you were gonna attack."

"You knew I was stalking you?"

"You're not exactly stealthy. I could hear the water splashing ten yards back." Wingill growled as he swooped down in response, only for Ruby to summon a shield. Her attacker bounced off the makeshift barrier, only to quickly dodge Ruby's crystal blade as she tried to counter him. He then changed back to his seapony form, leaping back into the canal. "Don't think you can hide in there." She started making a bunch of crystal arrows before firing them, Wingill barely able to dodge the attacks in the barely deep canal.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he pulled his tail from another arrow, only to pull his head to the surface as he yelled, "Any time would be good!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow at this, only to see something in the corner in her eye. She then spun around and raised her shield, only for a red blast to him her barrier, shattering it in an instant. Feeling the blow, she quickly backpedaled, dodging a second red beam. The source of the attack then came into view, Ruby growling as she saw a certain armored pony now walk down the street.

"About time!" Wingill roared as he leapt out of the water. "Some of us don't have armor, you know!"

Armalum summoned his scythe in response, "Do not blame me for your failure. If you practiced your stealth, you would have already defeated her. Now...let's begin!" Armalum roared as he charged Ruby, making her reflexively unleash a wave of crystals which he sliced in two with his scythe.

She saw the blade come down at her neck next, only to block it with one blade before summoning another. And as she swung it at her enemy, Wingill just stood there, watching the show before him. Ruby and Armalum danced around one another, their weapons clashing as fast sparks flared around like a twister in the air.

And as he did this, he flexed his claws, "Come on...give me an opening Armalum..."

"Aura Force!" He felt a powerful blast slam into his side, sending him flying into the canal. Ruby and Armalum came to a stop at this, turning to see Springer, "Need a hoof?"

"I can handle this one," Ruby replied with a giant grin, "You deal with the flying fish."

"Got it," Springer turned back to canal, only to see Wingill leap out of the water again, this time transforming and flying off. "Hey!" the jakowl yelled as he began to run after him, "Get back here!"

Ruby then blocked another swing of Armalum's scythe as she said, "Looks like your teammate abandoned you. Does friendship not exist in your little cult?"

Despite not being able to see his face, Ruby knew he was angry as a growl escaped through his helmet's air slots. "You know nothing about us." He pull back and fired several blasts of magic, Ruby quickly blocking them with her blades, both shattering as she did sol. But as this happened, she summoned several crystal arrows, Armalum blocking them with his own barrier as she remade her swords.

"Oh, we do." She charged at the enemy, swinging both blades down as Armalum blocked them which his scythe's handle. "Cold Steel's been tracking you all down for a long time. He spent all last night telling us about your little cult." She then leapt back as Armulam tried to counter her, missing two swipes of his scythe. Ruby landed next and locked his scythe with her two blades as she continued, "He told us how you've been gaining more power outside of Equestria, destroying and ransacking small villages to build wealth. Let me guess, your leader's going to target Equestria."

"And when he does, your kingdom will fall."

"I don't think so," Ruby leapt away from his before thrusting her blades into the dirt. A trail of crystal spikes shot out of the floor towards Armalum, the armored pony slamming his blade into the ground, causing a crack to run along that was filled with red light. The two attacks struck, an explosion following as both just stood and watched the dust cloud form. And as Ruby took the blades in her hooves again, she pointed one at the pony, "Your boss might think he's something special, but he's just another power hungry dictator. We've beaten hundred of foes just like him, and he'll be no different!"

Armalum just stood there as the dust faded, "You have no idea how wrong you are."

Shadow Corrupter casually trotted through the street, his eyes drifting from one house to another. But as he turned a corner, he felt his body almost shiver as a wave of freezing cold air hit him. The mini blizzard flew past him, turning the entire street into a frozen wonderland. Cold Steel then appeared as he walked down the street, staring at the lump of ice that should have the unicorn inside it. "Don't bother trying to trick me. I know you're not in there."

A flash of black light made the knight turn to see Shadow standing behind him. "You are good. No wonder you were able to keep track of my operation."

Cold glared at him while forming a sword of ice, pointing it at Shadow. "Your reign ends now. It's time all the pain and suffering you caused to be put to an end." his hoof tensed as it gripped the blade, "I'm bringing you in."

In response, Shadow just started laughing, "HA! You...you actually believe you can arrest me?! HAHAHAHA! You can't be serious!"

The knight stood still in response, his face blank as Shadow kept chuckling, "I am serious. You will pay for what you've done." Cold's eyes started to narrow as he continued, "I've seen what you've done, slaughtering villages and turning your minions into nothing but vegetables."

"Ah yes, I did do that, didn't I?" Shadow crackled, "Tell me, did you like my messages I left?"

Cold barely raised an eyebrow at this, "You mean 'A shadow is about to consume this world'?"

"Oh yes. It was fun experimenting to make those worms say that." Shadow's grin grew as he then remarked, "I must say, I have to thank you for helping get rid of the weeds in my organization. Thanks to you constantly hunting us down, I sacrificed so many minions...and you made me figure out which were the weakest when they lost to you! HA!"

"You're sick." Cold growled as he pointed the blade at him again, "Give it up and come quietly."

"Oh? And what gives you that right an bring justice down upon me? We're not in Equestria, meaning you're out of your jurisdiction, little ice-making knight."

"I can still act on the carnage that your cult caused in Equestria. Particularly the massacre that occurred around roughly ten years ago." And as those words left Cold's mouth, he blinked as he took in Shadow's appearance, "Say...how old are you?"

Shadow's laughing came to a stop, making him tilt his head, "If you must know, I'm twenty three. Why should that matter?"

"You were only thirteen when it happened. Weeping Wood Hollow." Shadow's eyes went wide as those words left Cold's mouth, "That name ring a bell with you?"

Shadow looked down at the floor, his entire body shaking. "You shouldn't have mentioned that place." A flash of black light signaled the arrival of a sword with spikes along the edge, "Now...YOU PAY!" Shadow suddenly warped right in front of Cold, the knight blocking his weapon with his own blade.

The Frozen Wanderer pushed the sword back, only to quickly jump away as he yelled, "Cold Tiger!" A moving sculpture of a tiger appeared in front of Cold before charging, only for the unicorn's horn to let out a blackish gray mist, which flew to his sword. He then swung the blade once, the mist hitting the tiger...and instantly melted it into a puddle.

"What?" Cold muttered as he now saw Shadow point his smoky sword at him. "How did you do that?"

"I have more power than you can possibly imagine." He then charged at the knight, Cold quickly dodging the blade as Shadow swiped at him, only to strike the ground. The blow instantly melted the ice on the street, turning into a watery mess.

"Is it some kind of fire magic?" He asked himself before feeling his back touch a building.

"RAAAHHH!" Shadow thrust his weapon forward, Cold quickly teleporting in response. The blade then struck the building, smashing through the ice and impaling the wall.

Cold reappeared behind Shadow, only to now see the building that was struck start to fall apart, its whole structure melting along with the ice as Shadow yanked out the blade. The sight made Cold whisper out, "This is...a decaying magic?"

Shadow chuckled as he pointed the sword at him again, "That's right. Anything that touches this mist will disintegrate. You have no chance against this power."

"Don't think you're so special." Cold replied as Shadow ran at him again, Cold easily dodging Shadow's blade swipes as he continued to speak, "You think just because you have a lot of power it gives you the right to do whatever you want. Hate to break it to you, but power is meaningless without a reason to use it."

"Oh, I have a reason." Shadow responded as Cold vanished in a flash of light, reappearing in the shadow of one of the larger buildings. "But you don't need to know what it is!" He swung the blade again, this time launching a cloud at the structure. The mist seeped down and sank to the bottom the building, making it decay instantly.

"What?" Cold turned to see the debris of the building fall on him, his horn beginning to glow as the rubble crashed down.

"COLD!" The others yelled from the castle, Heart and Soul holding each other as they watched the scene happen. Flash just shook his head at the sight, knowing the fight was far from over.

The defender then turned to another screen, seeing Springer still chase Wingill while Ruby continued to fight Armalum. Flash let out a low sigh, only to turn back to Cold's battle. "Stay strong everypony."

Meanwhile again...

Springer raced after the flying bird pony hybrid, barely able to keep up with him as he zigzagged through the street. "Stop running!" He fired an Aura Blast, Wingill easily dodging the orb as it then hit a nearby building. The top exploded, rubble about to hit both as Wingill flapped his wings back, Springer dodging by summoning his Aura Guard.

After about a minute of bouncing rocks, Springer lowered the shield to see Wingill had vanished. "Dang it! Grrr…" Springer growled before closing his eyes, "You won't get far. I'll just-whoa!" He suddenly found himself yanked into the air, the jakhowl then being flung back down. Several pained cries followed this, soon coming to a stop as he now saw he was at the edge of a large lake.

"Time's up mutt!" Wingill yelled as he floated above him, "This is where you'll meet your match!"

"I don't think so," Springer stood up. "I'm not going down so easily." Before he could say anything else, Wingill swooped down, Springer summoning another Aura Guard.

CLANG!

"RAUGH!" Wingill roared as he began to beat on the force-field, "You can't hide in there forever!"

Springer tensed up his form as he continued to block the attacks, "Don't worry, I'll still beat you!"

Shadow chuckled as he teleported atop the rubble of the destroyed building. "Guess you weren't so special after all. Its a shame really, I expected the one who destroyed-hmm?" The rock pile then exploded as an ice dragon rose and chomped on the unicorn, making him yelp, "GAH!"

The two then flew up into the sky, his sword falling out of his hoof. As this happened, Cold came out of the pile and instantly froze the sword in a block of ice, only to look up to see the ice dragon explode. Seconds later, Shadow landed with the lower mouth of the dragon, growling as he saw his weapon now frozen, "You think I need that sword?!" He roared as his horn glowed black, the smoke now appearing again, "You're wrong!" He fired the cloud at the knight, the unicorn teleporting away before reappearing behind Shadow.

"Cold Gale!" His horn unleashed a wave of freezing wind, Shadow vanishing before it could hit him. And as he did this, he summoned two ice swords as he said, "Your decay magic isn't so great once you figure out how it works."

Shadow shined a small grin, "Then lets try something else." His horn sparked again before firing a barrage of black spells, Cold tensing up to dodge them....only for the for the black beams to come to a stop. Before the knight could react, they exploded in midair before light swirled around to form black spiraling vortexes.

"What in the-" Cold muttered as he watched Shadow pick up several chunks of ice in his magic and threw them in a vortex, only for the ice to be spat out of a different one. Cold quickly shattered the ice with his blades, just as he saw Shadow's horn fire a blast of decaying mist at his frozen sword.

Cold teleported over at this, Shadow spinning around as he got his sword back, blades slamming into each other in loud metal/ice high pitched dings. But as this happened, Shadow backpedaled and thrust his blade in one of the portals, making the sword come out of another. Cold quickly dodged the attack, the blade almost touching his head before he tried to swipe at Shadow again, only for the enemy to easily block him. Shadow then reacted with two more horizontal slices, the mist off the blade melting Cold's swords.

Growling, Cold leapt back and yelled, "Cold Tigers!" Three ice cats appeared before him, all charging at once. Shadow just laughed at the sight, only to turn into a cloud of black smoke, the first tiger going right through him. As the beast landed, Shadow's horn glowing as he summoned a black energy chain. He whipped the weapon at the tiger's neck, forming a lasso as he pulled the tiger, only to sling him into the other tigers, smashing them instantly.

"Magic chains?" Cold whispered as he dodged two chains and blocked a third with an ice shield. 'This kind of magic isn't just learned normally. Did he have multiple teachers? Why would anypony teach him?' As these thoughts went through the knight's head, he then felt something grab his hooves. Looking down, two more chains had came out of the portals, only to yank him over, his face hitting the ground. Before he could react, Shadow slung him upward, laughing as he then whipped the knight into a nearby building, Cold now falling over as the place was turned into another pile of rubble.

Meanwhile yet again...

Springer was still being pushed by Wingill, the creature roaring as he kept hitting the shield. As this happened, the jakhowl looked back to see he was seconds away from taking a dip, making Wingill laugh, "Hope you know how to swim!"

The defender growled back, only to suddenly drop the shield. In this moment, Wingill found himself missing his claw attack due to the barrier vanishing. But as this happened, he found a Bone Breaker now smacking his face. "GAYH!" he yelped as he was knocked back, only to beat his wings. It quickly created a gust, pushing Springer right into the lake.

"YES!" Wingill cheered as he leapt into the water with Springer, the jakhowl now seeing him descend in the depths before being encased in a cocoon of light that faded to show his aquatic form. "Welcome to my world mutt! Trust me, I know how much it sucks."

Springer raised an eyebrow at this, knowing he liked water, only for Wingill to instantly zip up to him and smack the jakhowl with his tail. The defender could feel his oxygen already fading as Wingill spun around again, only for Springer to grab his tail. Seeing this, Springer slammed Wingill's chest with his feet, kicking him over and over. And as this happened, his foot whacked Wingill's collar, dislodging the crystal connected to it.

"NO!" He cried, finally throwing Springer off him before swimming down to catch the crystal.

But as he did this, Springer summoned a white orb and yelled, "AURA FORCE!" A beam of aura struck Wingill, slamming the creature down to the bottom of the lake while the jakhowl was also propelled out of the water. Springer then landed on a nearby street, gasping for air. "Oh...air...thank Luna for air..."

A blast of water sounded out next, Wingill flying out of the water as he changed back to this pony form. "You'll pay for that!" he roared as he swooped down at Springer, the jakhowl summoning two Bone Breakers in response. Wingill swiped at the defender as he countered with both weapons, only to switch to Steel Paw, slicing Wingill's cheek. "Gyah!" Wingill yelped as he hopped back, now feeling blood go down his face.

Wingill let out a long growl as he pointed his talons at the jakhowl, "That's it! You're going down mutt!"

Springer didn't respond, instead just taking a deep breath as he felt his aura charge around him. He looked down at his paws, seeing them vibrate as his thoughts began to flow, 'I can feel it. This feeling...my aura...can I actually do that move?' He clenched his paws as he looked back up, now seeing the charging Wingill. But as his enemy began to get closer...he seemed to slow down, now seeing the life force on Wingill as he kept coming, 'I see. My aura...'

Pulling his paw back, he grinded his feet in the ground. "Let's try this. Velocity..." His entire body shifted, glitching out before zipping right in front of Wingill. The enemy didn't even see him as Springer yelled out, "STRIKE!"

An upward kick slammed Wingill's lower jaw, the force knocking Wingill skyward. "AUGH!" he screamed as he went flying, only for Springer to seemingly appear above him, instantly delivering an axe onto Wingill's head. "RAAAHHH!" his body rocketed to the street, a dust kicking up as Springer landed.

"Ahhh!" Springer yelled as pain surged through his body, making him clutch his stomach, "Ugh...that wasn't pleasant." He then stared down at his paws, his whole body shaking like a leaf. "Urgh...dang it." The defender gripped his knees next, trying to keep himself standing, "Flash was right. Guess I'm still not ready for that move."

"Raugh!" He looked back to see Wingill trying to pick himself up, a violent glare on his face, "You'll...pay for...that."

"I don't think I will." Springer replied as he pointed at him, making Wingill look down to see his body begin to produce dust just like Salix.

"No...NO!" he let out a long roar before standing up, "I won't let it end this way!" But as he tried to charge at Springer, he tripped over, falling to his back knees as he clutched his head in pain. "No...NOOOO!!" With that, he vanished into dust, Springer panting before falling to his butt, reverting back to his smaller form.

"Springer!" Flash's voice made him almost hop in place, "You okay bud? We just saw Wingill's dot disappear."

"He's gone. Vanished like Salix."

"Good. I know you might be tired, but we need you to go help the others. Cold's fighting Shadow right now."

Springer's eyes went wide before hopping to his feet, "Got it." He closed his eyes, extending his aura as he found Cold and Ruby, only to feel one's aura shrinking, "Not good. I gotta get there now."

Ruby and Armalum continued to clash, the two repeatedly locking blade and scythe. Neither could get a hit in, both blocking each other as they showed an equal amount of skill. It was at this moment that Ruby desummoned her crystal blade, quickly jumping back to dodge Armalum's scythe. And as she landed a few feet away, she stuck her tongue out, panting as she growled, "You're strong. I'll admit that."

"The only thing I want you to admit is defeat."

"Never," she formed a new blade, "Even if it kills me, I will not lose to you or anypony else." She let out another battle cry as she charged at him, summoning more crystal arrows as she sprinted with the projectiles. And as the arrows flew through the air, Armalum raised a shield of black energy, all the arrows bouncing off it before Ruby swung the sword in the barrier, shattering it in two.

But as she did this, she found that Armalum had backpedaled a few feet, only to slam his blade into the ground, unleashing a certain red crack. It quickly shifted through the ground, an explosion following as it as Ruby let out a scream, "AAAAAAHHHHH!"

A cloud of smoke engulfed the knight next, Armalum standing still in silence in response. He then began to pull his scythe out, only to hear, "RAAAAHH!!" Ruby suddenly leapt out of the smoke, her right hoof now encased in a crystal spike. Armalum reflexively backpedaled at this, his hoof loosing grip on his still stuck scythe. Before he could react, she thrusted her hoof, the spike tip hitting the armored pony's face.

"Augh!" He cried as he staggered backward, this time summoning another magic shield as Ruby hit with her hoof. Making a crack with the barrier, she summoned another crystal blade and cut the shield in two, only to come to a stop.

She did slight pants as she watched Armalum halt himself, his hoof rubbing his helmet as a crack began to form. And as it grew, it split into a Y formation that continued around his right eye, only for it pop off. Ruby's eyes went wide as she saw Armalum lower himself to pick up the broken piece, a low growl coming from his mouth.

"Impossible," Ruby whispered, her eyes twitching as she began to backpedal.

"Cold Dragon!" Cold roared as he unleashed a serpentine ice sculpture at Shadow, the unicorn reacting by turning into a cloud of black smoke. The dragon now unable to touch him, Shadow zipped to the creature's head, sliding down its back as he solidified. As he did this, Cold teleported to the creature's back before firing a bunch a frozen arrows, Shadow forming a portal to reflect them back.

Cold quickly made an ice shield, blocking the projectiles as Shadow shot a chain next. Seeing this, Cold shifted his neck, dodging the metal weapon before taking it in his mouth, tugging it with one violent yank. The sudden shift made Shadow tumble right towards him, letting Cold turn and slam his hooves into the unicorn's face.

"YAAH!" Shadow yelped, stumbling back as Cold slammed his hooves into the dragon.

"Cold Spikes!" A wave of icy spires shot out next, only for Shadow to swipe his blade, mist hitting the spikes. Melting the attack, he then stabbed the dragon, causing it the fall apart in an instant. Shadow formed a portal next, cutting his fall as Cold began to descend. And as Shadow reappeared on the ground, he fired a black beam right at Cold, making the knight counter with a Cold Gale.

KABOOM!

The attacks exploded off each other, Cold being sent flying as Shadow was also knocked back into a nearby building. This was followed by a giant dust cloud that covered the area, lasting over a minute as both moaned to try and pick themselves up. But as they did this, their eyes went wide at a new sight.

In a house that was destroyed by the explosion now stood a floating shining orb, both staring at it with now twitching eyes. The two quickly hopped to their hooves, their horns sparking as they teleported to the sphere. Cold got there first, forming a sword as Shadow blocked it with his own.

And as Cold tried to push Shadow back, he growled, "I won't let you have it."

"Why? What's so special about it?" The two slashed their weapons, both blocking each other with ease. But as this happened, Shadow then hooked Cold's sword with one of the spikes on his blade, letting him punch Cold in the chest.

"Urgh!" Cold grunted before trying to thrust his sword again, only for Shadow to just stand there.

"Activate." Shadow whispered as the blade got centimeters from his eyeball...only to stop. It was followed by the sounds of the sword falling to the ground, Shadow shining a huge grin as he saw Cold's body clinch up.

"What?" the knight muttered out as Shadow batted the ice sword away, Cold's eyes now looking down at this body. He now saw a glowing symbol on his chest, one that pulsed all throughout his body. "A...rune?"

"AHAHAHAHA!!!" Shadow cackled as he raised his sword at Cold's chest. "Goodbye worm. This one's for Salix."

"NOOOOO!" Flash screamed as he watched the blade stab into his friend, his heart stopping at the sight. Trixie and Soul both gasped, covering their mouths with tears forming while Soarin and Heart just stood there in shock.

"This...this can't be happening," Trixie muttered out, "It's...it's a trick."

Soarin shook his head, "No...I'm really scared that its real."

"Cold..." Flash whispered. "No way..."

Springer was now in full sprint, feeling Cold's fading aura. But as he got close, he let out a scream as he saw a new sight, "COLD!"

He then saw Shadow pull out the blade, laughing as the rune vanished off the knights body. Cold began to stagger back, dust starting to fly off his body. He said nothing as the amount increased, slowly turning to glare at Shadow.

"You...will not win," he panted out before falling over.

"NO!" Springer yelled as he ran over to try and catch him, only to explode into a pile of dust that flew up into the air.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Cold continued as he turned away, "The fool. Thinking he or anypony else could defeat me."

Springer's body shook before glaring at Shadow, "RAAAHHH!" He roared as he ran at him with a now forming Bone Breaker, "You monster!"

But as he ran, Shadow didn't even look back as his horn sparked. A portal instantly formed in front of Springer, his body going right through before he could stop himself, only to be shot out another portal just a few yards away. "Gyah!" the jakhowl yelped as he tried to adjust himself from the sudden movement, only to turn and see his worse fear.

Shadow now had the orb in hoof, a light now exploding out before it engulfed everything. The light consumed the city, blinding everypony.

Winners, Team Shadow!

Those words now appeared on a now completely whited out screen in Flash's castle before vanishing. Everypony just stood there, speechless as two lights shined out in the room before making Ruby and Springer kiss the floor.

"Springer!" Flash yelled as he helped his partner up, "You okay?" Springer didn't reply, just sitting there with a shocked look on his face. Seeing this, he hugged him with his wings, "Springer..."

Soarin moved over to Ruby, trying to help her up as well. As he did this, he blinked at the look on her face. He noticed he couldn't read it, making him ask, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied as she began to get up, now glancing around as she then asked, "Where's Cold?" She watched as everypony looked away from her, the mare now going wide-eyed, "No..."

Flash felt his legs weaken, soon falling to his flank as he stared at the floor, "This is all my fault." The others turned to him, seeing him shake his head, "I brought us here. I stopped the others from coming with us...and I'm the reason Cold is gone."

"Flash, you're not-" Springer tried to reply, only for his body to suddenly stiffen as his ear dangles flared up. Everypony turned to him, only for him to le out a gasp, "No way!"

"Springer?" Flash asked, but Springer didn't respond. Instead, he ran out of the room, making Flash yelp, "Springer!" He got up and flew after him, the others following behind, "Hey! Where you going?!"

Meanwhile...

"Hold still." Shadow growled as he squinted his eyes, his glowing horn now welding a broken piece back onto Armalum's armor. "And...there. How do you feel?"

Armalum took in a deep breath, "Better."

Shadow nodded before turning back to the others, his eyes directly on Tempera as she scanned the orb with her horn. "What have you found?"

She let out a long breath before shaking her head, "It's...just metal, master."

"What?!" Shadow growled as he walked over, his horn flaring as he began to scan it. And as a full minute passed, he let out a long hiss, "This can't be! There must be more to this thing than that!"

Tempera did a small shrug, "My apologies master, but...that's it. Though, there might be more to this then we're seeing."

"What do you mean?"

She rested a hoof on her chin, "Well...maybe this orb has some unknown properties that our magic can't detect."

Storm nodded in agreement, "And maybe they'll become more apparent as we collect the orbs."

Shadow let out a snort as he walked over to his throne, "It better," he slouched down in the chair before glaring back at the orb. "I lost two of my best servants for this. I will not let it be for nothing!"

The others looked down at this, Terror now chiming in, "I still can't believe Wingill and Salix are gone."

"Who says I'm gone?" Everypony's head shot up before turning to the voice, "Nope, you're not getting rid of me that easily. Not now, not ever. That's for sure. I'll outlive you all, and you better believe it!" Their eyes went wide as they now saw Searing Salix stand in the doorway, a happy smile on his face while his tail wagged left and right. That is, till he saw their shocked faces, "What? Do I have something on my face? What's up?"

"Y...You're alive?!" Storm stuttered out.

"Heck yeah, I'm alive. What, you guys thought I was gone?"

Shadow slowly trotted up to him, Salix almost backpedaling at his approach. Then, the unicorn poked him as he muttered, "You...you vanished. Disintegrated. How are you here?"

Salix shined a big grin, "It'll be easier to show you master. Trust me, you'll like this." He then spun around, the other exchanging glances before following him, soon finding him going down the castle stairs.

At the same time, Springer had just led his friends down to the bottom of the stairs as well. "Springer, what is going on?" Flash asked, his question still unanswered as Springer opened the left door.

"Cold!" He cheered as he ran inside, the others looking in and gasping at the sight.

"What?! How is..." Flash whispered as they slowly walked in, "Cold..."

Within a big glass tube in the room was Cold Steel, the unicorn unconscious while lying against the back. The tube was filled with a strange white gas that was floating around him while two more tubes beside him were empty.

"How...how is he alive?" Ruby asked they all walked over to him, now seeing where Shadow's weapon had impaled him. The wound was slowly beginning to close, just like Soarin's. However, this one wasn't as fast.

"But...he vanished," Soul added. "How's he here?"

Ruby put her hoof on the tube, now seeing Cold shallowly breathing. "He wasn't killed. He was teleported."

"Teleported into this?" Flash asked, "Why?"

Ruby turned back to them, "To keep him alive."

"I see," Shadow spoke as he stared at Wingill, the hippogriff inside the far left tube, the mist now floating around him. "So the two of your were teleported into these things. Fascinating."

"Yes master!" Salix answered while cheerfully nodding, "One minute I'm disappearing into dust, and the next I'm waking up in there." He pointed at the middle tube. "That was just a few minutes ago. And look!" he pointed to his chest where he had been hit the hardest, only to show...nothing. "I'm completely healed! Never felt better, one hundred percent! Firing on all cylinders....whatever that means."

"So these tubes can heal ponies?" Tempera asked next.

"Not the tubes," Armalum added as he pointed at two other ponies, "Terror and Storm received some injuries during their battle and they're fine now. My guess is that these tubes keep a pony alive long enough for the healing magic to do its job."

"Huh," Heart said as he shined a big smile, "So that means....we're immortal?!"

"No," Ruby replied while rolling her eyes. "It means that as long as you live long enough to be in one of these tubes, whatever injuries you take can be healed."

Flash sighed in relief as he placed a hoof on Cold's tube. "That's good. Now we can go all out without needing to worry."

Ruby shook her head, "Maybe...but we shouldn't be completely sure of anything. For all we know, there's a limit to how many times these things can be used."

"So we'll need to be even more careful," Trixie continued.

"So what do we do now?" Soarin asked.

Flash turned to them with crossed hooves, "Now we need to come up with a way to beat Shadow. If Cold wasn't able to beat him, then neither will we unless we come up with a plan." They all nodded in agreement, ready to take on the next challenge. And with that, they left the room, all talking about the battle ahead

Author's Note

What, you thought I'd kill these characters off before we got to know them? Now you know all the rules of the game. The question now is, how will it play out.

The Trials of Teamwork

"How much longer is he gonna be in there?"

Ruby turned to Heart as he gestured at Cold's healing tube, "As long as he needs to be."

"But he doesn't even have a scratch on him anymore." Heart replied as he pointed to Cold's chest, the hole Shadow had inflicted now completely gone.

"The outer wound might be gone, but there may still be internal injuries that needs healing."

"We should just be glad we even have this no matter how long it takes to heal him." Flash added as he placed a hoof on the tube. "Without it, he'd be a goner."

The others nodded in agreement, Trixie sighing as she said, "I hate to say this, but it's now clear they don't have any hesitation in ending us."

Soarin crossed his hooves at this, "That also means those two, Salix and Wingill are still alive...and I'd bet every show I've ever done that we'll be fighting them again."

As he said this, a loud clicking sound suddenly filled the room. They turned to the tube, now seeing its door crack open before mist flew out. Backpedaling from the sight, the smoke slowly dissipated before a hoof reached out of the capsule. A unicorn head's came out next, eyes flickering open as Cold let out a moan as he slumped over from trying to get out of the tube.

Seeing this, Flash and Soarin caught him, the defender responded, "Easy there. Don't push yourself."

A tiny breath escaped Cold's breath before looking up, now seeing an orange figure focus into his eyes, "Flash?" He nodded back, Cold then turning to see everypony else grinning down at him. The knight blinked at this sight before rubbing his chest, only to gasp as he finds it fully healed. "Wh-what happened...to me?"

"It's a long story," Ruby replied as she created a small crystal cane for him, "Come on, let's get you upstairs and get you something to eat while we explain."

Meanwhile...

In the dark castle, Wingill's tube was now giving off the same clicking noise before the door cracked open to unleash a blast of mist. The rest soon opened up, Wingill's head thrusting out before gasping, taking several large breaths as he hit the floor. Numbness now shook his entire body, eyes twitching as he tried to get up.

"You're awake!" Wingill looked up to see Salix standing in the doorway, his tail wagging as the hippogriff's eyes went wide.

"Salix?!" He pushed himself to all fours and staggered over, using his claws to touch him. "You're....you're alive?" He then raised an eyebrow, "You are alive, right?"

Salix shined a big grin, "I'm as alive as you are right now." He then saw Wingill raise an eyebrow at that, "That means yes."

Wingill clutched his head in his claws, "What...happened?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, master Shadow wants to see you." Wingill nodded and stumbled out of the recovery room, soon getting to the illusion room where he found Shadow along with Storm and Armalum. Behind them was a large machine built around a glass tube like the one Wingill had just escaped from.

The three turned to see Wingill, Shadow speaking up, "So, you're finally awake." Wingill quickly knelt down with his head pointed to the floor in shame.

"Master, I failed you. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use."

"I would think so," Shadow hissed as he turned back to the machine. "But luckily, you managed to hold that dog thing back long enough for me to take down Cold Steel and retrieve the orb."

Wingill looked back up, a smile not on his face yet as he asked, "That's great. So, what is it?"

"We have no idea," Storm responded, "So far, it seems to just be a steel ball."

"Seriously?"

Armalum did a small nod, "We believe its purpose will be revealed once we collect more of them. Which is why we have this," he pointed to the machine.

"What is it?" His question remained unanswered as Terror and Tempera stepped into the room, carrying several glasses of colored liquid in their magic.

"Oh! Nice to you're awake." Tempera chimed in as she walked past him, "Just in time for the experiment."

"Experiment?"

"It's time you got an upgrade." Shadow replied as he turned around and glared at Wingill, the sight making him shrink back, "During your battle against Sentry and the wolf named Springer, you used the same strategy on both and were outmaneuvered both times. I doubt using it a third time will result in a different outcome."

Wingill resisted the urge to gulp as he muttered out, "So...you're going to put me in that?"

"Correct," Shadow took the bottles from the mares and raised them up to a large funnel. "Despite being an illusion, this machine will work just like the real thing. The cupboards were also able to create the right chemicals we require, so now everything's prepared for you."

"What's it gonna do to me?" Wingill asked before turning to see Shadow's glare again, "N-n-not that I'm questioning your decision m-m-master. Just...curious about what'll happen to me. This way, I'll know what to expect when it's over."

Shadow's eyes narrowed, staring at him for a few seconds before turning back to the machine, "The procedure should allow you to tap into more of your shard's abilities."

Wingill tilted his head at this, "But when I took it, Queen Novo locked the pearl to only allow transformation between a seapony and our natural forms. If I try to become something else, the shard could explode."

"I know that," Shadow growled as he looked over the chemicals, "Should this be successful, the magic on the lock will be weakened enough for you to make some kind of change to yourself that'll give you the edge."

"So I get to decide how I'll be able to change?"

"Theoretically. I've been theorizing the possibility of fully undoing the lock on your shard for a while, but it'll take time. Time we likely don't have. So..." he opened the door, "This will be the best we can do. Now get in."

Wingill finally gulped before stepping into chamber, Tempera putting an oxygen mask on for him, "Try to relax. Hopefully, it'll make the procedure easier."

"I'll try." With the mask on, Tempera closed the door as Shadow began fiddling with the dials on the machine.

"What happens if he gets chosen to fight?" Armalum asked next, "What if he's teleported out before the procedures finished?"

"No idea," Shadow grabbed a lever and pulled it. The machine lit up as the liquid poured down upon Wingill, who was trying with all his might not to transform into his seapony form. The liquid was a brownish red color and was soon consuming his body. Seeing this, Shadow spoke up, "Try to focus on what kind of abilities you want. Whatever it is, make sure it's something powerful." Wingill nodded as the liquid filled the tube to the top, now completely submerging him.

Shadow then turned to Storm, who had just grabbed his Celestic Gear from the corner, and nodded. Storm shifted his blade to a lightning node on the dial before sending out a bolt of lightning which struck a wire connected to the tube. The electricity surged through this, charging the tube before going directly into the liquid. Wingill's whole body tensed up at this, but there was no screams of pain to be heard from the tube. Instead, all that could be seen is pain on Wingill's face.

While this happened, an energy gauge on the edge of the machine filled to maximum, causing Storm to take his blade away. "So how long should this take?" He asked Shadow as they watched Wingill twitch and flinch.

"As long as it takes," Shadow casually replied as he turned to head out the door. Armalum followed suit, only for the others to just sit and watch as the experiment continue.

Flash and the others were now in the map room, all re-watching Cold's battle with Shadow. They had explained to him what had happened as they ate, Cold now going over the battle, "Decay. Magic portals and chains. Transmogrification into shadows. Rune Magic." The knight took a long gulp out of his drink, "I've never heard of a unicorn having this many differing magics at this high of a level. I can see why he's the leader."

Trixie let out a huff at this as she leaned back in a chair, "I've never even heard of those first two magicks, though it's clear they're pretty powerful."

"I've never heard of them either," Cold added while crossing his hooves, "The magic portals seems like a form of teleportation, though much stronger since they can be used more than once and have many tactically advantages. The chains don't seem like they're too difficult to learn on one's own, though it's the last two that worries me."

Flash nodded in agreement, "Rune magic. Using that requires years of practice and study according to Twilight, especially if he could instantly do the magic like that instead of putting it on paper...and yet I keep encountering rune magic anyways." He pointed at the screen as the scene where Shadow used the rune on Cold was now showing, "How the heck could he learn that and still be able to study those others?"

"That's what I'd like to know. Plus, there's that other magic he used....turning to a shadow," he turned to Ruby. "Sound like anypony you know?" Ruby didn't respond, just staring at the screen as it now showed Shadow transform into a cloud. "Ruby!"

"Hmm?" Ruby replied, turning to the others as Cold glared at him, "What?"

Cold pointed at the screen, "Tell me this doesn't look like that King Sombra you and Flash fought."

Ruby looked back at the scene one more time, "I'll admit that's true...but considering the other magic this Shadow has, I suspect he could have figured out that magic as well."

"That's...true." Cold replied as he slumped back in his seat. "And according to the reports I've read, Sombra is dead."

"He's dead. I saw the Crystal Heart obliterate him myself."

"So did I," Flash finished before feeling Soul pull at his wing.

"Who's Sombra?"

The knight grimaced at the question, "Its a long story. He's...a friend Ruby used to have. Their friendship didn't end well."

Ruby looked away from Flash's comment, only for Trixie to clap her hooves and say, "I got it! I bet its a cutie mark spell!"

"A what?" Heart replied with a raised eyebrow, Trixie turning to explain.

"It's a spell that's connected to the pony's special talent, which is connected to their cutie mark. It's a spell only the unicorn, or somepony highly skilled at magic, can learn. Like Ruby. Her special talent is creating crystal weapons. Not just anypony could learn that spell, only highly talented magic users like Twilight."

"Or you," Flash added, Trixie shining a big grin at this before turning to Soul.

"Like your cutie mark. I'm sure it's connected to your magic considering its design. How'd you get yours anyway?"

Soul just looked away as she muttered out, "I'm...not sure. It just sort of...showed up one day. I woke up and it was there."

The others exchanged glances, knowing getting one's cutie mark was a special occasion, only for Flash to notice Heart now looking at his blank flank with a frown. However, before anything else could be said, Cold spoke up, "Let's get back to the topic at hoof. We need to find a way to counter his magic in case one of us ends up facing off against him again."

Flash crossed his hooves at this, remembering back to his fight with Sombra, only to go wide-eyed, "Wait...if the magic he's using is the same as Sombra, then it might have the same weakness."

"Which is?" Springer asked next.

"He can't stay in that form for very long. If he does, he'll end up falling apart...or something like that. He'll have to change back to solid form, which means he'll be vulnerable."

"Good," Cold replied, "That kind of information will be important. But we also need to think about something else: chain of command." This got several tilted heads from everypony, making him sigh, "Just by looking at how these enemies interact, it's clear to see how their team is structured. Shadow leads with either Storm or Armalum being the next in line."

"So?"

"So, the group instinctively knows who to turn to when they're in a battle situation. If Shadow's there, they follow him. If he's not, they follow whoever's the highest ranking. Because of that, they don't waste any time wondering what to do. The highest ranking member knows they need a plan and they're already thinking of one before they even enter the battle."

"And that's what you want us to do?" Flash asked with a grimace.

"It's what we need if we want to stay ahead in this war." Cold slammed his hoof into the table, almost grinding it, "Clear, precise leadership."

Trixie did a small hum at this, "Do we really need that? I mean, if we do...I guess it only makes sense that Flash be the one leading us. He is the whole reason we're here."

Heart nodded in agreement, "And you all are called Team Flash according to that screen thingy."

Cold would have rolled his eyes at this if he didn't carry his usual blank face as he responded, "I didn't agree to that name, but I'm on board with Flash as leader. After him, Ruby or me should be next." Ruby just nodded in agreement, Cold then turning to Springer. "After us, you'll take the lead since you have as much experience."

Springer showed a thumbs up, "Got it."

The knight now turned to the mare. "Trixie, as a princess's student, you must have studied up on battle situations. From what I heard, Luna isn't one to let those she teaches go without battle experience. I'm sure that'll come in handy if you find yourself leading."

"I...guess," Trixie replied, doing a small shrug before Soarin smacked the table.

"Hey! Does that mean I'm on the bottom?!"

"Somepony has to be," Cold responded without even looking at him.

"But I'm the Wonderbolt's second in command! I take charge of the team all the time!" He pointed at Flash, "Heck, I trained him on how to fly!"

"Stunt flying doesn't really require leadership."

"Why you little-"

Flash quickly hopped between to them, "That's enough! No fighting!"

"I'm not fighting, I'm telling the truth." Cold instantly replied, "We need leadership-"

"No." Flash interrupted, crossing his hooves, "We're not an army Cold, we're friends. We don't put one pony on a pedestal."

This time Cold did roll his eyes, "And how do you suppose we decide who leads? We can't just run around aimlessly."

"Ha! That's simple," Flash shined a big smirk, "None of us lead."

"What?"

"I mean, none of us is the de facto leader." Flash pumped his hooves, "We're teammates, so we work together as a team."

Cold just barely glared at him, his expression still blank, "That makes no sense."

"No, I think it does." Springer added, "Like with the defenders. None of us are in charge, but we manage to keep things safe."

"Ignoring the fact that your town nearly blows up once a week," Trixie pointed out.

"Once a month!" Springer corrected, "But still, the point stands. One pony can't be expected to properly lead a group against everything. That's why it's better to have whoever's the most experienced in the matter take charge."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Me, Twilight and our friends have saved Equestria a bunch of times. And sure, most of the time Twilight and I are the ones leading...but when the time comes for an animal expert's touch, Fluttershy takes the reigns. Same with Rarity and fashion expertise, or Rainbow with weather knowledge. Pinkie's the same when making somepony happy and Applejack helps with farming issues. Twilight might be a princess and I might be a knight, but we're not all knowing."

"Some less knowing than others," Springer laughed, only for Flash to smack him with his tail.

"My point is, I don't wanna treat my friends like a bunch of mindless drones." He turned to Cold. "You wanted me to lead and this is how I lead: By not leading and putting my faith in my friends to build teamwork."

Cold remained silent, the others all smiling in agreement with Flash. Seeing this, Cold didn't make any expressions as he left his chair, "Very well. Its obvious you won't listen....but you better be ready to live with the consequences of this decision." He turned and walked away, "I'm gonna go train."

He then walked out of the room, the others doing the same while waiting for the alarm to sound again. While this happened, Ruby went to her room and laid down on the bed first. Memories poured through her brain as she thought, 'They were so focused on Shadow, they didn't even think to check on how my battle turned out. What I saw...that can't be real, can it?' She closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep as she whispered, "Armalum...what are you? Who...are you?"

Meanwhile...

Shadow was now watching the rerun of his fight with Cold, the close battle making him growl, "Not enough," he stared down at his hooves, "Still not enough power. I need more. I need...it." He looked back at the table as the 3-D image of the city appeared, "I know you can hear me. Just know that what you did will not go unpunished. When my power returns, I will use every ounce of it against you." As these words left his mouth, the doors opened to show the remaining members of his team step inside the room, "Wingill?"

Tempera did a small bow, "No errors have occurred yet. It looks like the procedure will continue without issue."

"Good."

"Master," he just now turned to Tempera, "We'd like permission to remain with Wingill during the next battle if we're not chosen. That is, in case something happens during it."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, only to look away, "Very well." The others smiled in agreement, only for the alarm to go off throughout the castle before the bingo machine appeared. "Let's just hope Wingill isn't chosen."

At the same time...

The alarm was also going off in the other castle, Flash and his friends all rushing into the map room. The bingo machine appeared next, orbs about to come out of it as Flash spoke up, "Remember, no matter who is picked, just remember to stick together and keep each other safe. We don't know if what happened to Cold will happen again." They all nodded in agreement before the first orb was thrown out of it, showing Trixie's cutie mark.

"Okay..." Trixie gulped as the second orb popped out.

"Alright!" Soarin cheered as he saw the sight of his cutie mark.

The final orb appeared, showing Cold Steel's cutie mark. The Frozen Wanderer nodded before turning to his teammates. "Just make sure neither of you get in the other's way."

Soarin and Trixie gave frowns back, only for all of them to be suddenly teleported in a flash of light. As this happened, Flash grimaced as he sat down at the table, "Cold..." He closed his eyes for a second, 'He's only recently learned to make friends...somewhat. Now he needs to learn to work with them.' The defender opened his eyes and saw their dots appear on the map, "I just hope he can figure it out before it's too late."

As soon as the three appeared in the city, Cold yelled out, "Circular formation!" Trixie and Soarin hopped in place, only to reflexively follow the order as Cold continued, "Keep an eye out for the enemy! Once we know who we're dealing with, we can decide who has the best chance against who."

"So you just want us to fight alone again?" Soarin asked first.

"That doesn't sound like teamwork to me," Trixie added.

Cold growled back, "There are three of us and three of them. If all three of us focus on just one at a time, we'll be so busy that the other two will find the orb."

"Oh, come on! We can still work together to-" Soarin tried to say before the ground began to shake, "Uh...what was that?"

A nearby explosion followed this, making them see a giant lindworm appear out of an imploding building. "MOVE!" Cold yelled as he and Trixie teleported away, Soarin zipping to the sky. As this happened, Cold sparked his horn and said, "So Tempera's here. Cold Bear!"

The unicorn summoned a giant icy bear, the sculpture tackling the lindworm. But as it did this, an army of uni-troopers suddenly rolled out from a nearby alleyway, the scribeasts surrounding the two unicorns. "Not good!" Trixie yelled as she started firing beams, turning them into piles of ink.

Cold did the same, forming a pair of ice axes as he started cutting the uni-troopers in half. Soarin then dived into the crowd, tackling then with enough speed to turn them to inky mush. But as they started to take them all out, more came out of another alleyway.

"These things don't quit!"

Cold sliced two more down as he added, "If we want to stop them, we need to take out their creator."

"Easier said than done," Trixie called out as she teleported away before two uni-troopers rammed, both smashing into each other instead. "She could be on the other side of the city for all we know!"

But as those words left her mouth, three ponies now watched the scene from a nearby roof. "Nice work." Storm told Tempera, Terror Card nodding in agreement. "Now we can let them tire themselves out before jumping in for the finishing blow."

"You can take them down," Tempera grumbled as she turned away and pulled out her sketchpad. "I have other plans."

"Like what?" Terror asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Finding the orb." She threw a page into the air, zapping with her horn before it turned into a giant winged serpent. "You two keep them busy while I search the city."

Before they had a chance to argue, Tempera teleported onto her scribeast's back, now flying off into the distance. Terror shook her head at this, "Typical." She turned back to the battle, seeing the scribeast numbers now whittling down. "We'll need to split that showmare from the rest of the ponies. She proved tricky last time."

"No problem," Storm spun the dial on his Celestic Gear. "You get ready to deal with her and I'll focus on the other two."

"You sure? That knight was able to keep the master occupied for a while."

Storm shined a huge grin in response, "Oh, don't worry about that. If he's anything like he was in the past, I can beat him with ease."

Back at the battle...

"Cold Force!" Cold unleashed a tornado of frozen wind, striking the last of the scribeasts as it turned them into frozen statues. Soarin and Trixie then shattered them, all three sighing in relief as Cold commented, "That's the last of them."

"For now," Trixie added as they got back into a fighting stance...only for nothing to happen.

Thirty seconds passed as they waited, Cold then growling, "Blast it! This is a just distraction! They've probably checked half the houses in the area by now!"

"But they still haven't found it yet," Soarin countered, "That means we still have a-"

"STORM FORCE!"

A tornado of wind flew down the street, instantly knocking them all off their hooves, "AUGH!" They all cried as they landed from the blow and tried to stay standing, only for a flash of light to appear in front of Trixie.

"Surprise!" Terror yelled as she suddenly tackled Trixie, her horn shining as she laughed, "You're all mine!"

Another flash of light followed this, making both vanish instantly. "TRIXIE!" Soarin screamed, only to hear some laughing above them. They looked up, now seeing Storm descend with a huge smirk as he clicked the dial on his blade.

"Oh no! What happened to her?" Soul yelped as she jumped up and down to try and get a view of the table, the furniture being too tall for her.

"There she is," Ruby pointed to the map, pressing the dots as the screen shifted to show Trixie and Terror rolling on the ground.

"That's not good. They're playing right into their hooves." Springer added.

"Don't worry. Trixie can take her." Flash finished.

"Get...off...of...me!" Trixie grunted as she tried to shove her hooves into Terror's face. But as she did this, the other unicorn's horn sparked before teleporting a few feet away. She then pulled a card out of her cloak and threw it to the ground, a wave of light firing out of the piece of paper that soon engulfed the entire street before forming a dome around them.

"What?! What is this?!" Trixie yelped as her eyes darted around.

"Just a little something our master cooked up to keep you contained." Terror pulled another two cards out of her cloak, which she tossed into the air before another dome appeared around the two.

"Not again," Trixie groaned as the cards spun, only to stop with both being right side up.

"Arcana of the Magician and Strength!" Terror announced as the domes shrank down around her before exploding into a wave of light that was absorbed into her. She laughed as she then fired a blast of magic at Trixie, the magician barely having a second to put up a shield.

But as the spell struck, her barrier shattered in an instant, knocking Trixie back, "AAAH!" She screamed as she started rolling on the ground, quickly scrambling to her hooves as she tried to stop herself. And as she did this, she turned to see Terror charging at her. The sight made her fire an ice spell at the floor, the whole place turning into a sheet of frozen water. However, Terror just leapt and slammed her hooves down, a sudden shockwave smashing through the ice.

Shards of ice flew off the ground as Terror kept charging, making Trixie yelp out, "Stay away!" She began to fire a barrage of random blasts, only to see Terror dodge each with ease. The unicorn didn't even look at the spells, just running ahead as she got closer to Trixie, making her mutter, "Impossible."

"Is it?" Terror asked as she got up to Trixie's face, the student of the Princess of Night now letting out a scream before throwing a punch...only to hit the air. She quickly tried to swinging several punches and kicks, but Terror just side-stepped every one, her eyes not even looking at Trixie as she raised a hoof, "Its pointless." Trixie's hoof was then caught by Terror's making her gasp as Terror pulled her other hoof back, "I see everything!"

Trixie's horn immediately sparked, trying to teleport away. But as she tried, her spell suddenly stopped, her horn no longer glowing despite knowing she had used the spell. "What!?" she yelped, only to feel a hoof collide with her chest. "BLAUGH!" Trixie screamed as she was sent flying back, slamming into a wall before slumping down the surface like a heap.

Meanwhile...

Storm Blade kept laughing as he twirled his weapon in his hoof, "My my...this is too good to be true." He then pointed the blade at Cold, "I have to say, its so good to see you again. You really have grown, haven't you?"

"What?" Cold responded as he barely raised an eyebrow.

"Let's keep this dance just between us, shall we?" Storm replied as he pulled out a card and flicked it to the ground. Both Cold and Soarin readied themselves for a Terror card effect, only for the piece of paper to explode into a wave of light.

It then formed a dome around them, making Soarin ask, "What is this thing?"

"Doesn't matter," Cold replied as he turned to the Wonderbolt, "You've fought him before, so you know what you're up against. I'm going to find Tempera." His horn sparked as he tried a teleportation spell...only for the horn to sputter out, "What?"

Storm let out a hearty laugh, "Sorry! You're in a no teleporting zone!"

"Runes again..." Cold grumbled before slamming his hooves into the ground. "Fine! I'll take you down and go after her! Cold Dragon!"

The ice snake shot out of the floor, making Storm just swipe his sword, "Storm Cutter!" He slashed the weapon through the air, slicing the dragon's head off before flying through the beast's body, "Come on! I thought he trained you better than that!" He then spun the dial on the sword and pointed the blade to his side, "Storm Shot!" A bolt of lightning flew out the sword, Soarin spinning around the shock before getting up close.

"Graaaaah!" He swung a punch, only for Storm to block it with his sheath before spinning and smacking Soarin with left hook to his face. "Gyah!" He screamed as he was knocked flying, smashing through a nearby window as Storm flew down.

"Cold Saber!" Cold swung his sword, Storm blocking it before countering with a horizontal strike. Cold spun to block it, summoning a second ice blade as he tried to thrust it directly into Storm. However, Storm just flapped his wings, dodging the attack before slamming his sword down, Cold now blocking it with both blades. Storm then leaned down with a huge grin on his face, Cold just barely showing anger on his face, "You speak like you know me. How?"

Storm quickly backflipped, dodging Cold's next two strikes before hovering over Cold, laughing as he replied, "Oh come now, you should remember me." He pointed to his chest with a giant grin, "I was at the castle when you first arrived there. I was on guard when Noble Banner presented you to Grand and the Princess. Ah, the memories...I remember watching him teaching you the ropes." Cold's eyes slowly widened in shock, making Storm laugh again, "Surprised? It shouldn't be too shocking. Though I gotta say, if Noble saw you right now, he would be sorely disappointed."

Hearing these word made Cold's horn spark, his body barely shivering as his brain burned itself at his words, 'He's lying. He has to be. How could he know Noble? I don't recognize him at all...'

Storm's grin widened at this, making him point his blade at the knight, "Storm Force!" A tornado of wind shot out, only for something to hit his side, his blade swerving to fire the windstorm to the side. The tornado hit a building next, tearing it to pieces as Cold saw that it was Soarin that had saved him.

"You okay?" Soarin asked, only to see Storm charge at them with a gust of wind surrounding his blade.

"MOVE!" Cold yelled, his horn shining as he pointed it at Storm, "COLD FORCE!"

A tornado of freezing wind came out next, Storm turning the dial on his sword in response before spinning like a top. As he did this, he quickly morphed into a drill of lightning. "Storm Driver!" The drill pierced the tornado, smashing all the ice as he then swooped down at the two while still in drill form.

Cold countered with a giant ice shield, the drill colliding with the barrier as he tried to the push the drill back, "Soarin, now!"

"You got it!" Soarin replied as he zipped upward and then flew down with a singular thrusting back hoof, "Sky kick!"

His attack slammed into Storm's head, knocking him back as the drill disappeared. Seeing this, Cold reshaped the shield into a cannon ball before tossing it back at Storm. The pegasus saw this and swung his weapon, unleashing a crescent-shaped wave of water. It struck the ice ball, the attack slowing down before hitting both back as the ice ball hit Storm as well.

"Augh!" The three groaned as they all hit the ground, Storm managing to kick off from the landing before zipping back into the air, "Storm Surge!" A stream of water shot at the two next, Cold's horn shining as he formed an igloo around them to block it.

"Get up. We need to win this now." Cold growled as he helped Soarin up.

"Cold..." Soarin moaned as he saw anger barely appear on Cold's face, "There's only one way we can win this. We have to work together."

"We are working together," Cold hissed as he reformed two ice swords. "Just keep following my lead and we'll win." His horn glowed next, the igloo exploding as ice shards flew everywhere. Storm began to spin his sword to deflect the attacks, Cold letting out a roar as he charged at the pegasi next.

Soarin watched as the two began to clash, making him sigh, 'He still doesn't get it.'

Meanwhile again...

Trixie was barely able to stay on her hooves now, her body shaking as she got up. And as she did this, all she could hear was Terror's laughter, "Aw, did that hurt?! Sorry, don't know my own strength."

A hoof rubbed Trixie's head as she focused on her horn, trying the teleport spell again, only to get nothing. "How? What is this magic?!" But as she asked this, the words from Terror earlier echoed in her head, "Contained." She glared up at Terror, "What did that card do?! Did it just seal teleportation magic?!"

Terror did one slow clap in response, "That's right. Looks like you're not as dumb as I thought you were. Yes, that card was a bit of master Shadow's Rune Magic. As long as we're in its confines, the barrier will prevent any and all teleportation."

"But that means you can't teleport either."

"Can't I?" Terror replied as she pulled out another card, this one with runes on it. Her horn then sparked as she disappeared, reappearing in front of Trixie before grabbing her mane. "Guess I can!" Using her increased strength, she spun Trixie around, letting her go with one mighty swing. The mare screamed as she sent flying, unable to stop herself without teleportation, only for Terror to teleport right by her in midair.

Trixie then fired a beam, but Terror just shifted her head to the side, dodging it with ease. "How-" was all Trixie could say before she saw Terror's horn shine. But as this happened, Trixie's eyes went wide as she saw Terror's face. Her eyes...were glowing.

However, time caught up to the magician as Terror fired a spell, another beam striking Trixie's chest. Her entire body screamed in pain in response, the mare now flying down the street. She then hit the dirt, rolling as she barely kept her eyes open. And as she came to a stop, Terror reappeared above her, pulling her hoof back. Trixie gasped at this, quickly rolling sideways as Terror slammed the ground with her hoof, causing the street to shake from the impact.

The blue unicorn's horn sparked next, a puff of smoke now surrounding her. Terror rolled her eyes at the sight, "Seriously? This lame trick again?" From out of the smoke came an army of Trixies, all firing beams of magic. As this happened, some light vanished off of Terror, showing her enhanced strength was now gone. Despite this, she began to levitate several nearby pieces of debris before tossing them at the illusions.

And as this happened, all but five Trixies were taken down, only for them to surround Terror while yelling, "YOU CAN'T DODGE ALL OF US!"

"I don't need to dodge all of them." Terror as she jumped backward while the five Trixies fired beams of magic, only for four of the five spells to hit her...and do nothing. "See? I just had to dodge the real one." She then shot a beam, this one hitting the fifth Trixie. The blow made her cry out in pain again, the other illusions vanishing as she sent down the street again.

And as she came to a stop, she whimpered out as she tried get up, "How? How did-"

"Oh, just give up!" Terror yelled as she pulled out a card and threw it upward. The card began to spin at this, only for Terror to fire another laser at Trixie. She responded by summoning another shield, the beam bouncing off this one. Terror rolled her eyes again as she spoke up, "That's all you're good for, isn't it? All you do is hide behind something. If you aren't hiding behind a shield, you're hiding behind an illusion or somepony else. Can't you actually do anything on your own?!"

"Be quiet!" Trixie cried out, another beam hitting the shield as cracks began to appear in the barrier.

"It's such a shame that you're blind to your own weaknesses. I can't believe this is the enemy we have to face in this place." Terror commented before looking up at the card, now seeing it stop right side up, "And now you'll be blind to everything. Arcana of the Sun!"

The card exploded into a light next, this one firing right at Trixie. Terror laughed at her spell, seeing it shatter Trixie's shield before striking Trixie's face, this light now burning right into her eyes as she screamed, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"TRIXIE!" Everypony yelled as they watched her fall over again, her eyes clenching shut.

Soul covered her mouth as she saw this, "Is...is she okay?"

Heart turned to her, "She just had her eyes burnt out, what do you think?!"

"That's enough Heart," Flash barked as he hit the colt on the head with his wing before looking back at Trixie, "This is bad. There's no way that light didn't do some major damage."

Ruby hung her head at this, "And with the others trapped, there's no way they can help her now...just like us."

Terror now stood over Trixie, the mare's eyes trying to open. But as she did this, her eyes could barely blink, unable to see anything but a white blur. "Wha…"

"How pathetic," she turned to the voice, only to feel Terror's hoof hit her face.

"Augh!" She cried, quickly trying to counter with a magic blast. She tried to fire in the direction she had heard Terror's voice, but there was no sound of pain. Instead, there was nothing but laughter.

"You missed!" She heard from behind her, spinning around as a fuzzy object came for her face. Trixie tried to put up a force-field in response, only to feel a sock to her jaw.

"Gyah!" She spat out some blood as she stumbled back from the blow, Terror still laughing. Trixie then fired another beam at the voice, but Terror just side-stepped the attack.

"Let me give you some advice." Terror started as Trixie tried to hit her, each beam flying past her as she continued, "The future belongs to those who have the strength to push past their limits and keep fighting despite the pain they feel. You however, just sit there and hide behind what little you have." She then pulled out another card. "You...have no future!" She tossed the card up, the dome not appearing as the card began to spin.

Trixie didn't see the piece of paper, unable to tell what was happening as the card stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Tower!"

In that moment, the card exploded into a massive surge of lightning, instantly striking Trixie before she could even try to react. And as it hit, a mighty scream of pain rang out across the city.

Both Cold and Soarin looked up from the sound of the scream, the Wonderbolt yelling, "Trixie!"

Storm shined a big grin at this, "Great work Terror."

And as he said this, in another section of the city, Tempera also heard the scream from atop her scribeast. "One down," she commented as a uni-trooper rolled out of a nearby building before going into another. "Now, where is that orb?" She flew past several upper level windows, her eyes darting around, "Don't think you can hide from me. I'll find you, and when I do..." Her face with bright red as her tongue stuck out, both of her hooves rubbing the side of her face, "My hunky, amazing, wonderful master will surely reward me!"

Terror shined the biggest grin as the last of the lightning faded, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke. Inside the black dust was Trixie, her coat badly burnt and now frizzy mane with smoke coming off of her.

The mare began to sway, dust now beginning to wisp off her body. "Good riddance," Terror commented as she walked over to Trixie, "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were holding back. But of course, I do." She and Trixie were now face to face as she finished, "Do yourself a favor and find a way to forfeit the next time you're picked. After all, you're not doing your team any good trying to help." With that, she pushed Trixie with a single tap of the hoof, Trixie falling over before exploding into a pile of shining dust.

"Huh," Terror added as she raised an eyebrow at the sight, "Looks like whoever's teleporting us can even bypass master Shadow's Runes. Truly impressive."

As this happened, Flash suddenly zipped out of the table room, Springer yelping, "Flash! Where are you going?"

The defender didn't answer, instead running down the castle as fast as he could. And as he threw the doors open for the recovery room, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Trixie was in the middle tube, unconscious and in the exact same position Cold had been in. "Thank Celestia," he placed a hoof on her tube. "Don't worry, we'll get them back for this."

"Storm Cutter!" Storm roared as he swung his blade, a wave of lightning now coming for the duo. Soarin and Cold quickly hopped away, the ground exploding before them.

Soarin found his back hooves hitting a building and used it as a springboard, propelling himself straight up at Storm.

"Wait! Don't just rush in!" Cold yelled out as he pegasi took to the air. "Blast it!"

Storm turned to point his sword at the athlete, only to see several ice spikes in the corner of his eye. "Storm Cutter!" He declared after spinning the dial on his weapon, swinging it again as a wind blade sliced the ice attacks into nothing.

"Gotcha!" Soarin suddenly said as he grabbed Storm's weapon, making Storm gasp as both began to spin around in the air.

The two began to do a tug-of-war for the sword, making Storm growl, "Don't be a fool! You really think I'd let you take my Celestic Gear?!"

"Nope!" Soarin laughed, "But I do know you don't know where I just pushed you to."

"Huh?" Storm yelped before feeling a burst of cold air hit his back. He quickly glanced back, now seeing Cold about to fire a Cold Force before glaring at Soarin, "You little punk!" He reached for the dial and spun it to yellow, Soarin's eyes going wide as he suddenly felt a jolt of lightning surge through his hooves.

"Gyah!" He cried as he was forced to let go, Storm then slamming his back hooves into the Wonderbolt's face before flying to a high altitude.

As this happened, Soarin landed by Cold, groaning as Cold said, "That was too reckless."

"It worked, didn't it?" They both looked up to see Storm now land, using wind from his blade to get off the ice that had got on his face from Cold's burst of cold air. While they stared at him, Soarin continued, "I told you, the only way we're gonna win this is if we work together. That means you have to listen to me just as much as I have to listen to you. Teamwork, remember?!"

Cold didn't reply, instead hopping back as Storm launched a lightning bolt at them. Soarin quickly zipped away, dodging another bolt from Storm as Cold summoned a flock of Cold Eagles. And as his attack went for the evil pegasi, Cold let out a low growl. 'Teamwork. What an absurd word. You're giving orders, that's all.' The ice birds dive-bombed Storm, only for him to easily smash them with his blade as Soarin tried to tackle him.

Storm flapped backward at Soarin's attempt, his hoof quickly spinning the blade's dial before firing a barrage of lightning blasts in response. Soarin yelped as he flew away, avoiding every bolt as Cold summoned a Cold Dragon. However, as the ice creature tried to reach Storm, a blast of magic suddenly struck the beast, destroying it in one blow.

Everypony turned to see the attacker, now seeing a smirking Terror Card atop a nearby building as she pulled out a card. As she did this, she suddenly teleported to Storm's side while tossing the card up.

"She can teleport?" Cold growled as he sparked his horn for the spell...only for it to sputter out again, "What?! How?!"

A dome then appeared around the two before the card stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Empress!" The dome shrank down on Terror, an explosion of light following this.

"You charged up?" Storm asked.

"Yup," Terror replied as the light now covered her body, "Magic levels back to full. Not that I needed much magic to defeat that wannabe mage. She should really go back to being a showpony...or a clown. I know I was thoroughly entertained by her pathetic antics."

She let out a laugh next as magic surged from her horn, now firing a volley of beams at the two. "Cold Defender!" Cold responded, forming a shield of ice as the lasers rained down on the barrier, "This won't hold long."

"We need a plan!" Soarin told him before Storm was teleported right beside them, "WATCH OUT!" He pushed Cold out of the way before Storm unleashed a burst of lightning, the two rolling on the ground as Cold summoned another shield. As this happened, Terror teleported over as well as she put her hooves into her cloak.

Soarin watched as her hooves shifted around, pulling out a few cards before selecting one. "What's she doing?" He asked as she threw it up, the card spinning around as the dome formed.

It then stopped upside-down, "Arcana of the Reversed Magician!" The dome shrank down around Storm before exploding, the light now being absorbed by him.

"YES!" He roared before pointing his Celestic Gear at the two, "STORM FORCE!" A tornado of wind exploded out, this one twice as big as usual.

Cold quickly created a wall of ice, him and Soarin hiding behind it as a blast of wind struck the frozen barrier. If they were gonna win this, they needed to work together. "That's starting to get annoying." Cold grunted as he formed a small ice blade, "They can power themselves up and teleport while we can't. There's gotta be an opening there..."

The Wonderbolt blinked at his words, now going over what his enemies had just done. "We're not gonna win unless..." his eyes went wide, "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"I think I have a plan to beat them, but you have to trust me." Cold gave a slight glare back, making Soarin sigh, "Look, I know you don't like the idea of there being no leader, but not everypony is suited to lead in every type of situation. You agreed to make Flash the leader because you trusted him, and he trusts in all of us to be able to work together." He and Cold locked eyes, "If you truly trust Flash, then you'll be able to put your trust in me."

Cold didn't respond. Instead, the memory of him asking Flash to be his friend showed itself in his head, making him sigh as he responded. "Fine. What's your idea?"

"So...which do you want to knock out first?" Storm asked as his attack continued to shake Cold's ice wall, Terror giggling at his question.

"Why not that knight? Isn't he a wimp according to you?"

"Oh yeah. After all, he-"

"That's a stupid idea! You're asking the impossible!" they suddenly heard Cold roar as the tornado shattered the last part of the barrier, only to show the two not even noticing the shield now destroyed.

"It'll work!" Soarin barked back, "You know, if you got your head out of your flank and realize there are others besides you who could make plans, you'd see that!"

Their opponents laughed at the sight, Terror now teleporting herself behind Cold and Soarin. The stallions were pulled from their argument and stood back to back, Soarin glaring at Terror while Cold stared at Storm. Soarin then glanced back at Cold, "We have to do it now."

"It won't work."

"It will."

"No," he pushed Soarin away, "it...WON'T!" He slammed his hoof into the ground, causing a massive ice wall to appear between them that went all the way to the dome's roof.

Storm let out a mighty laugh at this, "You'd rather fight alone than accept the help of somepony else." He raised his weapon again, "How sad."

"A solider that refuses to follow the chain of command is useless." Cold formed a pair of swords, "I'm better off alone."

"Figures. Let's dance!" With that, the two charged as both blades clashed, spark flying all around them.

As this happened, Cold growled as he swung both swords in a x formation, Storm dodging by backpedaling before trying to grab the dial on the blade. However, Cold got ahead of him, forcing Storm to block two more blows. While he did this, Cold's mind went a mile a minute as he thought to himself, 'I trust Flash...' He remembered back to their mission on the bridge, memories of them saving the town from Gold Hoof. 'Back then, Flash and I weren't taking orders from one another...but that doesn't matter. We did the job, simple as that. That was no different than taking orders...or teamwork.'

Storm leapt back next with a flap of his wings, "Storm Shot!" He fired a blast of high pressure water at Cold, the unicorn forming a shield to block it, only for it to shatter instantly.

"Gyah!" Cold yelped as he was sent into the ice wall, grunting in pain.

"Looks like that's game." Storm pointed the blade at Cold with a huge grin, "Its been fun."

Cold just let out a long breath, his mind growling at him, 'Power, discipline, and the courage to stand by oneself. These are the weapons you use to crush your foes. That's what I've always believed.' He watched as Storm spun the dial hard enough to keep it spinning, all three of his elements now sparking around the blade.

A few seconds earlier...

"Cold!" Soarin slammed his hooves against the ice wall, "You jerk!"

"Awww..." he heard Terror mock, "It's too bad your friend doesn't want to play with you."

Soarin growled as he glared back at her, "I'll make him pay after I'm finished with you! You'll pay for what you did to Trixie!"

He kicked off the wall in a bolt of speed, only for Terror to disappear in a blast of light. Soarin pulled himself to a stop as Terror appeared behind him, throwing a card up while firing several beams at him. The pegasus quickly started spinning, dodging each attack as the card stopped spinning right side up.

"Arcana of the Moon!" The card exploded into a black fog that instantly homed in on Soarin. Before he could react, the clouds surrounded him, making him flap his wings...but the gust from them did nothing.

"What the heck?!" He yelped before flying upward, but the cloud moved with him. The fog was thick as well, so much that he couldn't see as he began to fly blind. But as he did this, a burning blast of magic slammed into his wing. "Augh!" He fell like a rock from the blow, only to roll back onto his hooves. However, as he did this, a hoof then hit his face, making him yelp in pain before feeling another punch hit his side, a kick to his head.

His eyes rapidly blinked at each blow, only to notice the black cloud was now gone. But as he saw this, he turned to see Terror right up in his face with a shining horn. "Surprise!" A giant beam of magic followed this as he slammed into Soarin, knocking him into the ice wall. And as he slumped over from the attack, Terror just causally waked up to him, "You really should have known you didn't stand a chance against us. We fight for a living. What do you do?"

Soarin panted as he tried to pick himself up, his body now leaning against the wall, "I'm...a Wonderbolt."

"Oh? And how is that supposed to help you win in a fight?" Soarin said nothing, instead looking away as Terror let out a cackle, "As I thought. Face it, your future has nothing but pain in it." She pulled out a card and threw it up, the card spinning till it stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Magician!" The dome shrank down around her, a layer of light soon consuming her, "Its over." Soarin tried to get up, only to stagger to the side for a few inches before falling over. "Don't bother trying to run. Nothing can save you!"

"Cold," Soarin whispered as he stood back up, his back now against the wall.

"That's what I've always believed." Cold muttered as he saw Storm point his supercharged weapon at him. "But now..."

"STORM TRI-FORCE!" The swored unleashed an electrified tornado of water and wind.

"Teamwork..." Cold whispered as he slammed his hoof into the wall, causing it to shatter. At that exact moment, Terror unleashed her attack at Soarin, only to now see Soarin and Cold standing back to back. The two glanced and nodded before Soarin leapt and grabbed hold of Cold, both zipping into the air. This allowed both to dodge the attacks, the two colliding as Terror and Storm gasped at the sight.

KABOOM!

The attacks exploded on impact, the force creating a mushroom cloud that hit both the cultists before they could protect themselves. Cold cast a shield spell around him and Soarin as they flew up, only to feel the explosion's force propel them upward.

"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he did everything he could to keep himself level. And as the attack began to fade, both looked down to see a massive smoke cloud began to vanish. The damage done was a giant crater, several houses all obliterated by the blast. Among the debris were both Storm and Terror, the two badly burnt and bruised on top of rubble piles.

Their bodies began to fade as Storm moaned out, "How?! How...could you beat us?"

Cold looked up at Soarin as he responded, "By working together...as a team." Soarin chuckled back as both Storm and Terror fell to dust and were teleported away, Soarin now dropping Cold to the ground.

Soarin then nudged Cold's shoulder, "Great work partner."

"Thanks," Cold replied as he looked away, "I guess there is more to this teamwork thing than I thought."

"See? That's what we mean!"

"Yeah...don't push your luck." Cold deadpanned as his usual emotionless face returned, only to let out a sigh, 'I suppose this was what Flash meant by believing in your friends.' A small smile appeared on his lips, "Maybe it's not so bad."

It was here that he felt Soarin pat his shoulder, "Come on, we're not done yet. We've still got one more left before we can relax." Cold nodded in agreement, only to feel the ground shake. The two then turned to where the shaking was coming from, only to see a giant pillar of light.

"Oh no."

"Well done." Tempera said as one of her uni-troopers handed her the orb. She rubbed her hoof on the sphere, a big grin gracing her face, "Yes...victory is now ours!"

A shining light came out of the orb next, the glow passing over her as she and the remaining competitors were teleported back to their castles. And as this happened, both screens showed the same three words after going white.

Team Shadow wins.

Author's Note

A mixed victory is what I'd call this. They may have lost the orb, but Cold learnt how to work with others. I'm sure that'll come in handy in the long run. But who will win next time?

Ruby's Rage

Trixie let out a weak moan as she began to awaken, feeling herself laying against something that felt like glass. Creaking her eyes open, a small breath left her mouth as she heard a voice, "You okay?" Blinking at the sound, she looked down to see Shining Soul staring up at her with a giant frown.

"Oh...right. That happened." Trixie groaned as she pushed the glass, opening the tube as she started to get out of the capsule. "Urgh...it still hurts." The magician stumbled as she put her hooves out of the tube, Soul trying to help her stay steady, "Thanks."

"No problem." Soul replied, Trixie patting her head.

She then rubbed her face, her mind now feeling a certain unicorn's words go through her head:

"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were holding back. But of course, I do."

"Do yourself a favor and find a way to forfeit the next time you're picked. After all, you're not doing your team any good trying to help."

Trixie's stomach cramped at those words, her eyes trying to hold back tears as she whispered, "I...I have to get stronger."

"What?" She turned to Soul, the frown still on her face.

Trixie shook her head in response, "It's nothing. Where's everypony else?"

"Cold/Crystal...SABER!" Cold and Ruby roared as they clashed with swords of their element. They then hopped back, quickly circling around a low rocky terrain as they kept firing crystal and ice arrows at each other.

While this happened, Springer was racing through the canyon, trying to use Velocity Strike to speed himself up. But as he tried to do this, he felt his aura surge through his body, making him stumble. And as he felt himself kiss dirt, he let out a groan as he looked back up to see Heart walking up to him. "How long was that?"

The colt looked down at a stopwatch created from the illusion room and replied, "Two minutes and twenty seconds." Springer sighed as he started to get up as Heart continued, "That's ten seconds longer than your last try."

"And the kickback didn't feel as bad...but it still hurts like crazy." he grumbled, looking down his paws to see aura glitch in them, "My father really was a genius to make something like that without getting hurt. Guess my body just needs to get used to it."

Meanwhile...

Flash and Soarin were in the sky, the defender holding up a replica of Storm's Celestic Gear. "Alright, let's try it again."

Soarin nodded and charged, Flash thrusting the blade at him. Soarin then acted, saying out loud the actions Flash had been hammering into his head. "Dodge!" the blade just missed him before he wrapped both hooves around it, "Grab, twist!" Flash lost grip on the weapon as it spun around, "Pull!" Soarin yanked the blade out of Flash's grasp, these four actions being done in less than two seconds.

"Nice." Flash replied as he did a small clap, "Looks like you got it down."

"Thanks." Soarin added as he did the motions with his hooves again, "I won't let him get the better of me again."

"I know you won't." Flash continued as he patted his shoulder, "Remember, speed is your game. That's your biggest advantage against these cultists."

It was here that Trixie and Soul walked into the illusion room, watching the others train as the princess's student spoke up, "Everypony's working hard."

Soul let out a sigh at this, "The other team got the orb yesterday. Now everypony's trying to push themselves." Trixie did a small nod as they now saw Flash show Soarin several types of holds.

"No," Flash shook his head as Soarin tried to pull his hoof behind him, "You really need to put your weight behind it."

"I'm trying!" Soarin grunted before letting go, "This is tough bro, I'm not built for strength."

"Can I give it a go?" Heart asked as he and Springer walked up to them.

Soarin turned to him with a slight frown. "I don't know kid. This kind of fighting isn't something a colt could probably do." He then descended with a slight 'come on' gesture', "But if you wanna try, give me your best-GYAH!" In a blur, Soarin found himself tackled to the floor by the red colt. Heart quickly held his back hooves on the Wonderbolt's wings while his front hooves were pulling Soarin's back. "AUGH!" Soarin wheezed out as Heart pulled back even more, bending his body as he yelped, "Uncle....UNCLE!"

Flash and Springer laughed at the sight, Springer tapping Flash's side, "Kid's got guts."

"Yeah he does." Flash added as told Heart to get off of the Wonderbolt, "Why don't I show you a few moves? Who knows, you might even be able to take me down eventually."

Heart's eyes shined at the suggestion, wagging his tail as he rapidly nodded, "Yeah, let's do it!"

"Looks like your brother's having fun," Trixie commented as they saw Flash show Heart a fighting stance, only to turn to see Soul looking away, "You okay?"

"No..." Soul muttered as she shook her head, "I don't like the idea of fighting."

"Nopony likes that idea. But they do it because they have no choice." Trixie replied, only to see a now huge grimace on Soul's face. She put a hoof to her mouth, now noticing she may have had said the wrong words. Leaning down next, she slowly said, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Say...why don't I show you a thing or too about this little thing?" She tapped her filly's horn, Soul looking back with a look of fear in her eyes.

"I-I-I don't know. W-w-what if I can't control it?!"

"Trust me, everypony has that feeling when they first start trying to tap into their magic." She moved her over to a stack of rocks, "Let's try something simple. See this rock?" Soul nodded, "Imagine it floating in the air."

"That's it?"

"Yes. Levitation is a basic magic anypony can get after some practice. Now give it a try."

Soul did a small gulp, her eyes staring at the rock as gritted her teeth. But as she did this, her horn didn't even remotely spark, "Um...its not working. I don't feel anything."

Trixie hummed, leaning down to Soul's level, "Hmm....maybe we need to work on helping you tap into your magic. Alright, close your eyes and imagine a light switch." Soul closed her eyes, the image of the switch slowly appearing in her mind. "Now...image the switch flipping from off to on." The mental image showed the switch moving upward, her horn beginning to weakly glow.

"There ya go...just do it slowly." Trixie commented as she turned to the rock, now seeing it glow gold before floating upward. "See? You've got this."

"Huh?" Soul's eyes opened, gasping at the sight of the rock floating. And as she saw this, her horn suddenly surged, making the rock go flying.

"WHOA!" Flash yelped as he pulled Heart out of the rock's path, "Look out!" Ruby and Cold stopped their spar, turning to see the rock before the Crystal Knight sliced the rubble in half.

"I'm sorry!" Soul screamed, clutching her jumper as several other rocks start to glow. They soon began firing off in random directions, the filly yelling, "AAAAH!"

Everypony started to dodge the rubble, Flash zipping over to the room's crystal as he slapped it down with his hoof. The illusion room instantly shut off, the rocks vanishing as Soul's horn kept glowing. Trixie then put her hooves around her, telling her its okay as her horn started to calm down. And as her horn stopped shining, tears began to appear in her eyes as she muttered out, "I'm so sorry..."

"Its okay," Trixie added as she ended the hug and put her hoof on her shoulder, Heart now running over to comfort her as well, "It's alright. Losing control like that is natural."

"For a pony much younger than her," Cold grumbled as he walked over, "Most unicorns have at least that much mastered by the time they turn ten! She's...how old are you again?"

Heart started doing the math. "We were ten when we first woke up...so twelve or thirteen?" Hearing this made Soul hug Trixie, the unicorn patting her head before glaring at Cold.

"Have some tact Cold, she's still a filly and those ponies all had somepony else to teach them control. She didn't have that." Cold just blankly stared back, Trixie now rubbing Soul's head as she glanced down at the filly, "Its okay Soul, you'll get it. You just need a little more practice."

"Which she can get when we return to Equestria," Ruby called out, everypony turning to her as she continued, "I mean no offense, but right now we need to be focus our efforts on increasing our own strength."

"We know that Ruby," Flash replied, "But we're not gonna suddenly get stronger overnight, and neither are the goons we're fighting."

Cold nodded in agreement, "Which is why we need to play smarter, not harder."

"How can we play smarter?" Ruby responded, "We have no idea who we're fighting until the fight starts. There's no way to plan against that kind of random odds."

"And they've totally got an advantage," Heart added, "There's seven of them and only six of you."

"Exactly," Ruby turned back to the others. "For all we know, them getting even one more orb could spell the end of this contest. We might not know what getting those orbs means, but we can all agree that whatever it is, we don't want Shadow and his gang to be the winners. That's why we have to keep training, even if it kills us. We don't have time to mess around."

Heart and Soul both looked down in almost shame, both backpedalling as Ruby trotted over to the control crystal and remake the canyon as she reforged her swords. Turning to Cold, she pointed the blades at him, "Come at me with everything this time." Cold nodded as he prepared himself, Flash and Soarin also flying up to spar. Springer ran to another part as he began to focus his aura again, only for Trixie to just stand there and watch all her friends train.

Sighing at the sight, Terror's words still playing in her head, she turned to see Soul and Heart frowning at the sight of the training. Knowing they just wanted to help, Trixie leaned down and spoke up, "Heart, Soul?" The two turned to her, "Mind getting me some breakfast? I'm starving." The twin's eyes shined as they jumped back to their feet.

"Sure," Heart replied as his tail started to wag, "What would you like?"

"Something very filling but won't weigh me down if I need to fight."

The two shared a glance, Soul then looking back at Trixie, "Scrambled eggs?" Trixie put a hoof to her chin, only to nod back, "Alright! A plate of scrambled eggs coming up!"

"Anyone else want something to eat?" Heart asked the others, Ruby and Cold replying with a strong 'no.'

"I wouldn't mind something to drink," Flash added as he grabbed Soarin's hoof and swung him around.

"Same here!" The Wonderbolt cried as he was thrown across the room.

"Me three!" Springer raced past them, his body surrounded by blue lightning. Heart and Soul quickly nodded before running out the room, Trixie giggling at the sight.

And as she turned back to the others, she took a deep breath as her horn began to glow. "I need to get stronger. I...have to beat her."

But as this happened, one pony was also disturbed by her thoughts. It was Ruby, who was now beheading an ice tiger before clashing with Cold with two crystal swords, 'Next time...next time I face you, I'll learn the truth!' She rolled under a swipe from Cold's blade while forming a crystal spike on her hoof, throwing a punch in his direction. 'I swear it!'

Two and a half hours later...

A long stare was coming out of the eyes of Shadow as he and his minions were staring at the machine Wingill was in. The hippogriff was still twitching and flinching as the magic surged through the liquid he was within. Tempera and Armalum stood at either side of Shadow, Storm and Terror standing far back while Salix was walking around the tube in impatience. "How much longer is he gonna be in there?!" He asked as he turned to Shadow, his master giving him a blank stare in response.

"I don't know. We'll just have to be patient. I'm working with magic I know very little about. For all I know, the experiment won't even work."

"Don't worry master," Tempera leaned over with a goofy grin and placed her head on his shoulder. "Of course it'll work. You were the one that created it." She looked back at the others, "Isn't that right?"

Armalum neither nodded or shook his head. "Master Shadow's scientific abilities are incredible, but expecting him to know everything is moronic. Nopony can have every answer, especially about a subject possibly nopony has ever even attempted."

Tempera growled back at the armored pony, "How dare you! You do realize it's our job to keep Master Shadow pumped up and believing in himself, right?!" Armalum didn't reply, Tempera grumbling as she then turned to Storm and Terror. "What about you two?!"

Storm and Terror said nothing, both still thinking about the scolding Shadow had given them after their defeat. Since Tempera had gotten the orb, he had been 'lenient' with them, but they knew better as Storm muttered out, "I...have every belief that our master knows what he's doing."

"Agreed," Terror added with a small nod.

Salix huffed as he put his face right up to the glass, "Come on buddy! Give us some sign to say how much longer you'll be in there." Wingill's eyes then suddenly shot open, Salix screaming in surprise as he fell back on his flank. "He's awake!"

"I can see that," Shadow commented before pointing to the machine's controller as its lights turned green. "He's ready. Do it." Tempera pulled the leaver, causing the tube's liquid to drain, Wingill falling out of the container next. His body limped to the floor, completely drenched as Tempera walked over and removed his rebreather. She put her hoof on him next, checking his pulse and heart rate as Shadow asked, "Well?"

"He's alive."

And as those words left her mouth, a glob of water spat of the hippogriff as he groaned, "Ugh..." His eyes creaked back open, moaning as he turned over and saw everypony, "Morning..."

"How do you feel?" Storm asked as he walked over and helped Wingill stay steady.

"Numb. Like my entire body's got goosebumps."

"Likely just an aftereffect of the experiment," Shadow added. "They'll go away in time."

Salix took this moment to jump up in front of Wingill, his tail wagging as he asked, "So? What is it?!" The hippogriff raised an eyebrow, causing the kirin to roll his eyes, "What's your new power buddy?! You can't have gone through all this for nothing!"

Wingill looked down at his claws, then at the pearl fragment on his neck brace. "I'm...not sure."

Shadow sighed as he got off a illusionary throne, "There's no guarantee this experiment even worked. All we can do is wait and see what happens. You will need to start training to unlock the power you may have received." But as he said this, a familiar alarm sounded above their heads. "Perfect."

"But I don't even now what my new powers are," Wingill replied.

Terror shook her head in response, "Well, you'll just have to hope you don't get picked." Wingill growled back at her, the mare shrugging as they all left the room to find out who would be fighting today.

Meanwhile...

Flash and his friends had just entered the map room, the table activating to show the 3-D model of the city before a section of it became cornered off. This section was entirely made up of buildings, though it had a few canals running through it. "Here we go..." Flash muttered as he watched the bingo machine appear before it started rolling.

Eventually, the first orb popped out to show Flash's cutie mark. The knight gripped his sword, tightening it in his hooves. The second orb then popped out, this one with Ruby's cutie mark on it. Ruby did a small nod at this, rubbing her necklace with her hoof as she took a deep breath.

But as the machine continued to shake, everypony started to wonder if there was going to be a third sphere. And as an entire minute passed, the last appeared...only for everypony's eyes to go wide. On the tiny ball was a cutie mark of several pink lines that were in the image of a flower.

"That's-" was all Flash could mutter out as the rest turned to Soul, a look of pure terror on her face.

"Soul?!" Heart gasped as he saw his sister start to backpedal.

"Me?! But I'm not part of this!" she screamed, "No! No, no, no, no-"

Her words stopped as all three were consumed by a light, instantly teleporting away. As this happened, Heart tried to leap at her, trying to grab her before she vanished...only to hit the floor. "NO!" he yelled as he picked himself up, "Soul!"

The rest turned to the screens, now seeing three dots appear on the table. As this happened, Trixie commented, "You gotta be kidding me! She's just a filly! She can't be part of this!"

"Maybe..." Cold responded, letting out a long sigh, "But it looks like she's been picked to take part in this little game."

"What?! Why?!" Heart yelled as he saw his sister now appear on the screens, "Soul!" He flared his wings, Soarin instantly realizing what he was about to do. Reflexively the Wonderbolt grabbed him before the colt could take to the air, making him yell out, "Hey! Lemme go!"

"Forget it kid! All you'll do is hurt yourself by charging that barrier that's keeping us in this place!"

"But-"

"Calm down." Soarin said with a final yank, keeping Heart to the ground, "I'm sorry...but you gotta stay here now." He then turned to the others, Trixie and Springer showing unsure frowns while Cold kept his usual blank face. Despite this, he sighed as he began patting Heart's head, "Heart...we gotta trust in Flash and Ruby now."

"NO!" Soul cried out, clenching her jumper as tears began to appear in her eyes, "I SHOULDN'T BE HERE!"

"Soul!" Flash zipped over to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Soul, you need to calm down. Relax..."

Soul's lips trembled, tears now going down her face, "I don't want to be here."

"I know you don't. I don't want you here either, but there's nothing we can do." The tears were now going off her face, making Flash try to summon the kindest smile he could muster. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. I promise." Soul sniffed at this, Flash wiping her tears away. "I just need you stay calm and-"

He felt a shiver go down his spine, his ears twitching as he heard a hoof tap some rocks a bit away. Reflexes kicking in, he grabbed Soul and leapt away, a fireball exploding a second later. Soul cried out as Flash rolled them both to the side. Another set of flames came next, this time Ruby rackling them to dodge the fire before the two knights rolled back onto their hooves.

"Great..." Flash moaned as he looked up to see Salix and Wingill standing on one of the buildings, "You two again."

Salix let out a laugh as the nirik waved his flaming tail around. "I've been waiting for this!" He leapt up as the flames shot out of his hooves to propel him forward. "PAYBACK TIME!"

Ruby slammed her hooves into the ground, creating a crystal wall that Salix bonked into. "You're not hurting anypony on my watch." she commented, turning back to her friends, only to see a wave of red energy appearing from a nearby alleyway.

It flew at her head and forced her to teleport away, just as Salix and Wingill destroyed the crystal wall. "Whoa!" Flash yelped as he dodged another fireball, Soul still screaming as Flash kept her in his hooves.

"Show yourself!" Ruby yelled as she reappeared, forming a crystal sword at the same time as she pointed it at alley. And as she did this, the sound of clanging metal hooves now pierced the air. "You..." she growled, now seeing Armalum walk out with a large scythe resting on his shoulder.

"Ruby!" She glanced over to see Flash blocking a fireball with his sword, Soul now on his back, "Help me out here! We have to stick together!" As he said this, Wingill tried to slash at him, only for Flash to sidestep and slice him back as Salix fired several fireballs their way. Flash jumped up next, dodging the flames while Wingill flew after him. "RUBY!"

"What will you do?" She heard Armalum ask as she turned back to him, "Will you help them, or fight me?" He pointed his weapon at her, "I know what I'd do." Before Ruby could reply, the armoured pony jumped and swung the scythe downward, Ruby forming a crystal shield to block the attack. "That won't save you." he hissed as the blade struck and got stuck in the barrier, only to pull out a card with some runes on it as he tossed it on the ground.

And as it landed, the card exploded into a light that swept across the entire field. "No more teleporting!" He laughed as he pulled the scythe back, spinning it around his hooves as he continued, "You won't escape me this time!"

"I don't want to escape!" Ruby roared as she summoned some crystal arrows, firing the projectiles as the armoured pony cut them down with one swipe. But as he did this, Ruby quickly leapt up and swung a crystal sword down, Armalum barely blocking it with the staff of his scythe. This was followed by two more slashes, each one pushing the pony back.

"Urgh!" he growled as he felt the force from her attacks, looking up to see a look of pure anger on Ruby's face, "Hmm?" Before he could react, she thrust her sword next, making Armalum backpedal to dodge the attack. As he did this, his horn sparked as he tried to fire a ball of red energy at her, only for Ruby to slice it in half with one slash. This was followed with a second crystal sword, Ruby using it to block Armalum's scythe's bladed end while she spun to strike him with another slash.

Armalum ducked against the sword strike, sliding along the ground as Ruby leapt over his sweeping motion. And as both spun around to clash again, both blades hit each others as they now found their faces inches from each other. It was here that Armalum saw the bloodlust in Ruby's eyes, making him almost flinch, "This is new. Your emotions tell me everything...you hate me, don't you?" Ruby's face got even closer as he continued, "And its not because we're enemies...your hatred of me is personal."

"Of course it is!" Ruby roared as she pulled back, spinning like a top before slashing at him again.

And as Armalum blocked the next strike, he tilted his head with a hum, "Why? We have never met before." A roar of anger came out of Ruby after hearing this, making her break his guard, only for him to hop backward to dodge her blades. She then began to summoned some crystal arrows as he continued, "Tell me, did I harm somepony you knew? Somepony you loved? Who was it?"

"YOU KNOW WHO IT WAS!" She screamed as she fired the arrows, Armalum forming a shield while firing another energy fireball. The sphere struck the charging knight, making her yelp as she was sent flying into a nearby building. "Gyah!" she screamed, feeling a pile of rubble now land on her.

"I'm afraid I do not." Armalum replied as he watched Ruby ascend from the pile a second later, summoning two more blades as she death glared at him.

"What's wrong with her?" Trixie asked.

"I'm not sure," Cold added as he saw Ruby fired another volley of crystal arrows. "Whoever it is under that armor, she's letting him distract her from what's important."

He switched the screen back to show Flash flying through the city with Soul clinging to his back. The sight made Heart gulp, "Soul..."

Soarin patted his shoulder, making him turn to the Wonderbolt, "Don't worry, Flash will keep her safe."

"I hope so." Heart replied as he looked back at the screen, "Please help her Flash..."

"WHOA!" Flash yelped as he dodged another fireball, spinning around for a second as he fired a Flash Cutter. The duo chasing him dodged the blow, letting Flash quickly zip into a nearby alley, only to leapt into a window.

Once inside, he pulled Soul off his back and placed her in the far corner. "Alright, stay in here and out of sight. I'll try and lead them away from you."

"O-o-okay..." Soul muttered, only to let out an 'eep' as they heard a nearby building explode in flames.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Wingill yelled out next, "Come on! I was hoping this fight could help me figure out what my new powers are!"

"New powers?!" Flash responded with raised eyebrows. He then glanced out the window, now seeing the two had their back to him. "Okay....gotta be sneaky here." The defender gave Soul one last glance, showing her a big smile before crawling out the window. Slowly flapping his wings, he silently flew across a street before going into another building. He then pointed his sword to the building next to the one Soul was in.

He shot a quick laser next, a minor explosion occurring inside. "What was that?!" Wingill asked as the two zipped over to the window, only to see a broken room with nothing in it. "Huh?"

"GOTCHA!" Flash leapt out of the window, blade shining as he swiped it, "FLASH CUTTER!" The light blade flew at the two as they turned around, Salix quickly spitting a fireball to block it before Wingill charged at him through the smoke, tackling the knight, "Gyah!"

Wingill slammed him into the building he had flown out of, his talons gripping him around the hooves. "What, you think we're idiots?" He turned back to Salix, "The girl must be in the window! Fry her!"

Salix nodded as he began to summon his flames, Flash growling as he tried to escape Wingill's claws, "Hurting a little filly. You all are really low!"

"If you brought her to this city, it must mean she has some kind of power."

"I didn't bring her here. She and her brother were already here when we arrived."

"Yeah, sure." They both looked up to see Salix formed a fireball in his hooves, smacking it into the window without even looking, causing the place's to be consumed by an explosion.

"NOOO!" Flash pulled his back hooves up and kicked Wingill off of him, flying up to slash at Salix. However, he quickly propelled himself backward, Flash then yelling into the smoking window. "SOUL!"

"Aww...what's the matter? Did we hurt your little friend?" Wingill mocked as Flash turned to them in Theta Mode. Salix countered with a swung tail of fire, making Flash slash them away before punching the nirik in the chest. As he did this, he spun around to charge at Wingill, who blocked the sword with his claws.

"You'll pay for what you did to her!" He pushed Wingill back next, only to fire a Flash Force which Wingill side-stepped. This caused the blast to hit the side of the building Soul was actually in, causing it to shake. Growling next, he took to the air and started to fly away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Wingill barked as he took to the sky as well.

As this happened, Salix galloped down the street, a trail of flaming hoof prints following him as the nirik kept spitting fireballs at Flash. "Come back here! I'm gonna roast you into nothingness! In fact, I'll roast you into less than nothing...whatever that is. Is there something that's less than nothing?! Oh yeah, a minus! I'll roast you into a minus!"

"That's right," Flash whispered, "Keep following morons. Don't think I'm leading you away."

"I can't believe those fools fell for that!" Tempera groaned, "I mean, it's so obvious!"

"Those two never were the brightest of us," Storm added with a long sight. "But it's not like it matters. If they defeat Sentry and Armalum defeats Scarlet, the match will be ours. There's no chance a child like her could defeat the three of them."

"But what if she finds the orb?" Terror asked, now seeing Soul's dot start to move as she ran out of the building. "See? If our team is too busy fighting, they won't be able to stop her if she finds the orb."

Shadow hissed, his horn sparking as he changed the screen back to Ruby and Armalum's fight, "They'd better finish them off quickly then." He leaned back in his chair, now seeing Ruby's horn flare as she charged at Armalum. "I do not like this situation before me. Something feels...off."

"Crystal Hammer!" Ruby roared as she leapt, swinging the weapon down as Armalum created a force field. The hammer clanged off it, its head and the shield both shattering. But as this happened, Ruby quickly formed the staff of the hammer into a spear, thrusting it at her opponent.

"It's hopeless to try to defeat me," he said as he dodged three thrusts before grabbing the spear. "You cannot harm me. I am immortal."

He then smashed the spear with a clenched hoof, making Ruby growl as she pulled back and formed a pair of swords. "You might be immortal, but you can still feel pain." She raised the blades, "And I'm looking forward to inflicting as much pain as possible!"

"I don't know what I did to make you angry." He replied as he blocked the first sword slashes, the armored pony hopping back before slicing the ground with his scythe, kicking up a cloud of dust into Ruby's face. And as she backpedalled and wiped her face, he continued, "I must say though, your anger...I must have done something truly great."

"You know what you did!" She yelled as she charged him again, slashing wildly as Armalum kept backpedalling, dodging each just from a hair's breath. While this happened, he blocked two blows with his scythe as she screamed, "Stop hiding! You know who you are! You know what you did! So stop hiding behind that mask and that name!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"ENOUGH!" She screeched as she began firing crystal arrows, Armalum countering with a bubble of magic. "ENOUGH LIES!" The arrows bounced off his shield, Armalum dropping it as he slammed his scythe into the ground, causing a red fissure to appear.

Ruby quickly formed a crystal barrier, only for the fissure's blow to turn into an explosion, knocking her flying into another building. "Gyaaaaah!" she screamed, slamming through another wall.

Armalum shook his head at the sight, simply trotting over while calmly swinging his weapon around to get the dirt off the blade. "I am not lying about who I am. My name is Armalum. I am, and have been lord Shadow's most loyal servant since the day he found me eight years ago. Whoever you think I am, you are wrong."

Ruby groaned as she rolled onto her back, forcing her eyes open to see her opponent now lumbering over her, "It's time for this game to end," he raised the scythe above his head, the blade now glowing bright red while steam began to come off of it, "Goodbye." With that, he swung the blade down.

"Flash Cutter Barrage!" Flash unleashed a stream of energy blades, each one striking down Salix's fireballs. As he did this, he quickly turned a corner, only to come to a stop.

"Surprise!" yelled Wingill as he tackled Flash, the hippogriff having snuck around the building he had just turned around. The two collided midair, falling while Wingill kept Flash pinned.

"Get...OFF!" Flash yelled as he flipped Wingill in the air, sending him flying into the street. It was here that Flash saw where they had landed, seeing Wingill was now close to a canal. "Oh no you don't!" He fired a Flash Force at Wingill next, the blast hitting the hippogriff's side.

"GRAAAAH!" He screamed, his body flying over the canal.

Flash turned back to Slaix next, seeing him slam his burning hoof into the ground. Knowing something was about to happen, he took to the sky as a bulb went off in his head. "Let's cool that jerk off." He pointed his weapon at the canal as he yelled, "Flash Force!"

The laser struck the water, causing an explosion that rained down gallons everywhere. "Whoa!" Salix yelped as the water drenched him and his flames, making his hair sag as he growled, "Not cool!"

"Oh, I'm plenty cool." Flash replied as he flew down and slashed at the kirin, "Not so hot now, huh?!"

"I'll show you!" Salix barked back as he dodged the slice, only to dodge two more slashes before grabbing Flash's hoof.

"What?!" Flash yelped as he felt his hoof get twisted, the blade falling to the ground before Salix kicked it away.

As this happened, Salix threw a jab as Flash got his hoof free, the pegasi dodging the blow. He then proceeded with a hook to Salix's face, the kirin responding with two punches of his own. Both hit the defender's face, which Flash countered with an uppercut. Pain surged in both ponies, only for Flash to grab Salix's hoof. He then spun him around, the kirin now finding himself pinned to the ground with Flash on top of him while holding his hoof behind his back as he pressed his other into his neck.

Salix grunted as he tried to move, only to grumble out, "You really think you can hold me forever?"

"I can try."

"So you're just gonna leave Wingill alone? I'm good with that." Flash looked up to see Wingill now getting up from the earlier blow, now seeing he hadn't been teleported away. But as he did this, Salix tail suddenly zipped up to Flash's neck.

"Augh!" Flash choked as the tail pulled him back, allowing Salix to spin and slam a back hoof into his face. "Gah!" Flash staggered back as Salix picked himself up, the kirin shaking his body like dog.

And as Flash pulled himself to a stop, a burst of heat made him tense up as he now saw Salix morph into his nirik form. "All fired up!"

"Oh great..." was all Flash could say before Salix began throwing fireballs again, Flash leaping side to side in response.

"Uh, yeah!" Salix replied as he began to charge at Flash, his entire body exploding into a fireball at the same time. Seeing this coming, Flash quickly flapped his wings, pushing himself back before suddenly rolling on the ground.

Salix raised an eyebrow at this, only to gasp as he saw Flash's intention. He had rolled on the dirt to get his Celestia Gear, the kirin stuck in a bum-rush as he swung the blade at the nirik. "Flash Cutter!" A blade of light clashed with the charging pony, causing an explosion that sent the nirik flying while singing Flash. "Grrr," he hissed while using his wings to put out a few patches of burnt fur, only look back to see Salix lying on the ground in his kirin form. "Right. Time to knock him out of the game."

Flash took to the air next, ascending above the opponent with blade in hoof. As this happened, Wingill looked up to see the defender ready to dive-bomb Salix, making him yell out, "NOOO!" as he thrust his claw out. And as he did this, the pearl fragment on his brace glowed before the water in the canal suddenly shot out, the liquid instantly slamming Flash into a nearby building.

"Bluagh!" Flash yelped as he was thrown into a window.

"What?!" Wingill yelped before looking down at his claws, "How did-is this..." He looked back at the water, turning his claw upside down, only to see the water ripple. "Wait..." He then imitated a scooping motion, only for a bubble of water to raise up out of canal. The sight made his eyes go wide before a big grin shined on his face, "Awesome."

"Hydrokinesis..." Shadow commented as he saw Wingill raise up even more water from the canal, "So that's his new power."

"But he hates water!" Tempera added, "Why would he want powers that involve it?!"

"I'm not entirely sure." Shadow replied, scratching his chin as he continued, "My experiment was supposed to give him something he wanted...but in all honesty, I wasn't sure this experiment would work. At most, it seems the results are the opposite of what I believed."

Terror nodded in agreement. "Either way, this is a big step up for him. Not only is he a threat in the water, he's now a threat out of it too."

"Agreed. Now, let's see how well he can use these powers."

"What the heck?" Flash yelped as he held his head flying out of the building, now seeing Wingill play with the water he had just lifted out of the canal. "He couldn't do that before."

Wingill turned back to the defender, a sinister smirk on his face. "You'll find I'm full of surprises." He then held out his talon, the water now morphing into a buzzsaw shape before it started spinning. "Take this!" He thrust his claws forward, the pegasi reacting with a quick zip upward as the attack hit building, slicing through the stone like it was made of sand.

"Seriously?!" Flash yelled, now seeing the results of the high pressured water attack.

Salix clapped at the sight, "Cool! That was awesome Wingill!"

"I know," Wingill cheered, "Master Shadow, you are a GENIUS!"

"So Shadow did this too you?" Flash asked from the air, Wingill and Salix looking up with giant grins.

"Our master is a scientific genius," Wingill responded as he flew up to his level. "He's studied magical enhancement science for years, and now...he's found a way to grant me more power than ever before!"

Flash's eyes shrunk at these words, making him mutter out, "That's not good. Look's like he's more dangerous than I thought."

Salix laughed at this, "You haven't seen anything Master Shadow has to offer yet. Your buddy Cold got off lightly. Our master has accomplished feats of magical engineering you wouldn't even believe. Heck, I bet he could even clone a pony if he had enough resources."

"Is that why you follow him? Because he's so powerful?"

Wingill did a small nod, "Mostly. Though we'd be fools to try and stand against him."

Flash crossed his hooves at this response. "So the only reason you're following him is through fear?" Neither of them answered, "You know, you don't have to be afraid of him. If you stand with us against him, we could stop him before he has a chance to hurt you." Wingill and Salix both exchanged a glance, both raising eyebrows at this as Flash continued, "If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can come back to Equestria with us. The princesses will welcome you, I promise." He presented his hoof next, "So, what do you say?"

He watched as the two looked back at each other again, smile slowing appearing on their faces. They turned back, both raising their hooves...only to burst out laughing.

"I can't believe you actually thought we'd join you!" Wingill cried through his laughter.

"What an idiot!" Salix added as he flicked his tail, a fireball flying out.

"Whoa!" Flash yelled as he deflected the flames, only to find Wingill flying into his face with a stream of water going into his talons.

"We don't work for Shadow out of fear!" He swung the water like a whip with his claws, slapping Flash in the face before smacking him downward.

The knight grunted as he flared his wings, trying to stop his fall before hitting the dirt. And as he spun back onto his hooves, he looked up to see a barrage of fireballs. And as Flash dodged the flames, Salix let out a deranged chuckle, "You really don't get it, do you? Master Shadow is the only one who doesn't try to change who we are."

His mane flared up next, unleashing a wave of fire as Flash used a Flash Cutter to counter it. But as this happened, a water buzzsaw flew through the fire as Wingill added, "Master Shadow might not be the nicest pony in the world, but there are worse things in this world. I'd rather follow him and destroy as many kingdoms as possible as opposed to spending the rest of my life hiding away." He then created a pair of water whips and started swinging them around, Flash quickly side-stepping around as fireballs and whips kept striking everywhere.

"Gyah!" Flash yelped as a water whip struck him next, making him go flying back as his sword fell out of his hooves. And as he stumbled over the ground, he let out a moan before trying to get up. He started at his sword just a few feet away, only to see Wingill land next to Salix.

"Master Shadow saved us from the cruel fate life handed us," Salix said as he formed a fireball on the tip of his hoof.

Wingill summoned more water and wrapped it around the fireball, the two merging to form a cloud of steam. "And we will follow him to the ends of the earth if we have too."

With that, they thrust their hoof/claw forward, unleashing a powerful stream of boiling air. Flash quickly grabbed his sword and raised it up just as the steam hit him, "AAAAAHHHH!" he cried out while feeling himself be roasted alive, the pegasus unable to keep himself from flying upward. And as he did this, he quickly zipped across the city, Wingill laughing as they saw him flee.

Salix kept chuckling as he raised a hoof to tap Wingill's, "I'd give that an eight point five."

Wingill tapped his hoof back, "Totally. Now come on," he took to the air. "Let's go find him." Salix nodded back, galloping down the street in agreement.

Meanwhile...

Soul was now tip-hoofing her way through the city.

Flash had told her to stay put, but she knew she had the best chance of finding the orb. Knowing this, she had slowly gone into several buildings, each showing nothing inside.

"Where is it?" she whispered as she went down an alleyway. And as she did this, a loud explosion suddenly shook the ground, making her leapt into a nearby building, "Ahhh!" she cried, putting her hooves over her head as she whimpered out, "Please stop...please, make it stop!"

Another shake happened, rubble falling off the building she was in. Seeing the sun come from the now open roof, her eyes shrinking before running out of the building, "I gotta get out of here! I gotta end this before it gets worse!"

But as the sound of more rumbles rang out, tears began to break out of her eyes as she ran. The liquid blocked her eyes, making her blindly run through the streets.

Ruby grunted as she shifted her head as far to the left as possible, trying to keep the scythe from piercing her flesh. When Armalum had swung the scythe down, Ruby formed a crystal rod that she jammed into the crux of the weapon. Pushing it up barbell style, she had kept the burning hot blade from touching her, but the heat was now biting into her flesh, causing her to pant and sweat.

Armalum just stared down as he slowly added more pressure to the weapon, "Just let go." The scythe inched closer to her face. "It'll all be over soon."

The tip of the blade made contact with her cheek, causing her to cry out. "AAAAAHHHHH!" The pain began to go through her face, the rest of the world vanishing in her eyes as she felt nothing but pain.

"RUBY!" The mare's eyes shot open at the sound of a voice, her eyes glaring to the side for a second as she saw Soul appear as she had accidently ran into the fight

"No..." she gasped before adding more pressure to her hooves. She glared back at Armalum, knowing he would go after her before yelling, "I...WON'T LET YOU WIN!" With one massive shove, the blade left her cheek, the force making Armalum stagger back. She then slammed his hooves into the ground, summoning several crystal spikes that the armored pony dodged by backpedalling.

"Ruby!" Soul said as she saw the wound on Ruby's cheek, reflexively running over to the knight.

"You have to get out of here." Ruby replied as she grabbed her, only to see ground split with a red light shot out of the dirt. "Move!" Ruby magically put Soul on her back, the two turning as she tired to run down a street, only for the red cracks to appear as it went down the city.

Laughter caused them to turn back to see Armalum pull his scythe out of the ground, twirling it as he began to trot up to them, "What will you do now? Protect the girl or protect yourself?"

"Both," Ruby replied as she created a pair of swords, her magic then taking Soul off of her, "I'll take you down, and that'll keep her safe."

"You can try." The two began to charge at each other, only for something to shoot down into the ground between them.

"YAAAAA-BLAUGH!" screamed a certain orange pegasus, the defender sliding down the street as he moaned out, "Ow..."

"Flash!" Soul yelped as she ran over to him, the knight getting up and gasping as he saw her.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Hey!" They all turned to see Salix and Wingill flew down to the battlefield, "I thought I deep fried her!"

Wingill growled next, "Trying to pull one over on us, huh?!" He then saw Flash throw Soul on her back before leaping into the air, "Oh no you don't!" He swung his front legs around, causing a wave of water to fly up and around to slam into the two. Both cried out as they were sent back into the ground, Soul being knocked off Flash's back before rolling away.

Ruby and Armalum both went wide-eyed at this, the armored pony speaking up, "Is this...your new powers?" Wingill nodded before raising his claws, several small bubbles now appearing around him.

"Master Shadow did a great job. Maybe he can upgrade the rest of you like he did me!" With that, he thrust his claws, the water about to hit both, only for a wall of crystals to appear.

The water slammed into the wall, the liquid's pressure enough to make some chunks of it explode. Ruby sighed in relief as she saw they were safe for now, only for Armalum to swing his scythe at her. She quickly countered with her blade, blocking the attack as Salix leapt down to Flash's level.

"Flash Driver!" The defender yelled as he morphed into a light drill, the attack hitting the nirik before he could react, knocking him flying back. As he did this, he spun up to slash Wingill's water whips, making the attacks burst like a balloon. But as this happened, a fireball came for him, making him slash it away as well. Now seeing several more flaming spheres incoming, Flash beat his wings to kick up a cloud of dust, extinguishing the flames, only to be hit by Wingill as he smacked him with a water fist.

"FLASH!" Soul cried out before turning to see Ruby get hit it in the face by the staff of Armalum's scythe. "NO!"

"This is bad," Springer commented with a long gulp, "Flash is good, but nopony can take on two opponents of that level."

"And Ruby's not doing too great either," Trixie added.

"Whatever's making her angry at Armalum, it's affecting her fighting skills." Cold huffed, his blank face now showing a tinge of anger, "She's attacking with no plan or strategy."

"So what do we do?" Heart asked, the colt's eyes not leaving the image of his sister on the screen.

"There's nothing we can do," Soarin sighed. "We're stuck in here and have no way out."

"GYAH!" Flash screamed as he was thrown back, only for Wingill to raise a wall of water behind him.

Flash slammed into it before the water wrapped around him, the Pegasus now finding himself being trapped into a giant bubble. Both Soul and Ruby gasped at the sight of Flash beginning to drown, the others all laughing until the hippogriff finally made the bubble burst. Flash gasped as hit the ground with a thud, coughing and panting to get the air back. He moaned as he crawled along the ground, trying to get to his Celestic Gear, only for a fireball to hit his side. A scream of pain followed this as Wingill zipped over and pinned him down.

"Not so tough now, are you?"

Ruby saw this and tried to run over, only for Armalum to teleport in front of her, "Move!" She yelled as she slashed at him, but he swung his scythe around, shattering the blade with one slice.

"I want you to see this," Wingill said as he pointed at the crystal wall, a large stream of water now shattering the crystals to reveal Soul for all to see.

Flash tried to move from Wingill's grip, only to feel the hippogriff push him down. Salix then landed right by them, lifting his tail as he began to ignite the largest fireball he could muster. Wingill chuckled at the sight, "Do it."

Salix nodded and with one mighty swing of his tail, the fireball propelled itself through the air. Flash and Ruby gasped at the sight, Flash screaming, "NOOOOO!"

Soul froze up, her eyes fully wide as she saw the attack coming. She knew she would be healed, but the pain would still be there. Time began to slow down as this happened, Ruby trying to counter Armalum, only to have to shield herself as his scythe came directly for her own head. Summoning a shield, she felt the scythe push her back, away from the terrified filly.

At the same time, Wingill just laughed as he saw the flames fly through the air. But as this happened, Flash let out a roar, slamming the back of his hoof into the hippogriff's gut. Spit flew out of his mouth as Flash escaped his pin, rolling over to grab his Celestic Gear as he yelled, "Flash Cutter!" The energy blade flew at Wingill, making him block it with a wall of water.

But as he turned back to Soul, he knew he wouldn't destroy the fireball in time. The very moment slowed down for him, Theta Mode activating in that split second before his body zipped over to Soul. Her eyes were now closing, flinching as she felt the heat about to hit her.

BOOM!

The filly's body now felt an explosion, the force of the heat now bracing her fur. Her heart came to a stop, now ready to feel an unending surge of pain.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" screamed a voice, making her eyes shot open. She gasped at the new sight in front of her, now seeing Flash with his sword as he unleashed a laser of light into the fireball. But as he did this, the flames still exploded, engulfing him in the explosion.

"FLASH!" She cried, the explosion now ending a second later. And as the flames began to fade, the defender's hold on Lightbringer vanished as he staggered back, his wings slumping over as he fell to the ground. "NO!" she screamed, running to his side as tears poured down her face, "Flash!"

Flash let out a moan as his eyes opened, looking up to see a crying Soul, "You okay?"

Soul's tears now hit his face as she sobbed, "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Why do you think? I promised you I'd keep you safe." And as he said this, dust began to come off of Flash's face.

"NO!" She hugged him tightly, "Please don't go!"

"Soul, I'll be fine. Just focus on keeping yourself safe." He turned his head to look at Ruby, the Crystal Knight now seeing the determined stare in his eyes. It was one she knew without him saying a word: 'Keep her safe.'

"FLASH!" Was all Soul could scream as the pegasus vanished, leaving her to cry as she began to curl up.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Wingill laughed as he slowly flew down, "One idiot down." He summoned some more water from a canal, which took shape of a spinning blade as he drew closer. "And soon it'll be two."

As this happened, Ruby quickly hooked Armalum's scythe with a crystal blade, letting her spin and kick him back. He felt his hooves grind on the ground as the knight ran over to Soul, slashing her sword at Wingill and Salix. Both leapt back from her attack, now seeing her summon a second blade. "I won't let you near her."

She then turned back to the filly, a now clear confident look on her face, "Don't worry Soul, I'll protect..."

Her mouth stopped moving as her and rest stared at Soul. The filly was now standing, no tears coming down her face as her horn began to glow. A golden aura shined from the horn, spreading around the rest of her body as Ruby muttered out, "Soul?"

Back at the castle...

The others were now staring at the filly on screen, her body glowing as Heart whispered out, "Oh no...its happening again."

They all turned to him, only for a voice to speak out, "What's happening again?" That voice made them turn again, this time seeing Flash, the pegasus leaning on the doorway panting. He was still covered in burns and was clutching his side.

"Flash?! What are you doing out the healing tube?!" Trixie yelped as she ran over to him, "You need to heal!"

"I couldn't just let myself sleep while Soul's in danger." Flash moaned as he turned to the screens, "Now...what's happening to her?" They looked back at the colt, "Heart?"

However, the colt said nothing as he just watched the screen.

And as this happened, Salix leaned over to Wingill and said, "What's with the kid? She looks like she's about to blow."

Wingill formed a water javelin in his claws, "Then I'll stop her before it happens!" He tossed the spear as Armalum fired several red blasts in unison, only for Soul's eyes to open. And just like the light from the rest of her body, they were glowing a radiant golden color. The light then exploded off of her, forming a dome that vaporized the water on contact while destroying Armalum's attack.

"What?!" he yelped as he saw energy now flow out of Soul's horn.

The magic streamed into the dome, which began to float while morphing into a bubble. "Soul!" Ruby called out, but the filly didn't respond as the orb began to grow around her.

Tears began to go down her face again, the filly now clutching her head as the magic kept pouring out of her horn, "AUGH!" she cried as the pressure pushed down on her, the light now consuming her into a blaze of heat.

"SOUL!" Ruby screamed as she prepared to make a crystal platform to get up to her, only to freeze as she saw light encase Soul. Salix, Wingill and Armalum froze as well, all now seeing the light consume Soul's jumper, burning it away as it revealed a new sight.

"Impossible..." Shadow whispered as he went wide-eyed, the rest of his team doing the same.

"No way," Flash gasped, closing one of his eyes as he knew it had to be his injuries. "This...can't be real." His words mumbled in his mouth as he saw the jumper burn away...to reveal a pair of silver wings. "Soul's...an alicorn?"

Author's Note

I'm not sure how many of you figured this out. But those who did and didn't say anything, thanks for keeping the surprise. So, what do you think of this development.

Baring One's Soul

The creatures occupying the Lost City had seen many surprises since arriving. There was the discovery that they couldn't escape the place, finding themselves playing a strange game with no idea what they were playing for...it seemed that there was just unknown after unknown things happening.

And yet, the sight before everypony was by far the biggest surprise of them all, Ruby speaking up despite it being in a whisper, "Soul...you're an alicorn?"

The newly outed filly didn't respond, a scream instead coming out of her mouth as energy began to explode out of her. "AAAAAAHHHHH!" she yelled, clutching her head as it felt like it was getting pounded on by a hammer.

"SOUL!" Ruby responded as she tried to run over to her while their opponents just stared at the foal.

"That little twerp's an alicorn?!"

"Looks like it," Wingill replied as he began to summon some more water, "That makes her dangerous."

"Agreed. We must dispose of her before she unleashes her full power." Armalum added as they charged as well, Ruby seeming them and summoning two crystal blades. But as she tried to charge at them, all four suddenly felt the ground shake.

"Huh?" Ruby said as she felt her coat tingle, making her look back up at Soul as the orb of magic continued swirl around her body.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Soul screamed as the sphere suddenly exploded, unleashing a wave of shining magic everywhere. Ruby tried to prepare to defend herself from the blast, only for the magic to go right through her. However, as this happened, she gasped as she saw the magic go for the others.

"GYAH/AUGH/GRAH!" Salix, Wingill and Armalum yelled as they were struck by the wave, all being sent into a building wall. The magic then slammed them with a giant of gust of wind, the force of the blow pinning them to the stone. And as they kept getting pushed back, parts of Armalum's armor began to crack.

Ruby had to keep her eyes closed as the light from Soul's magic continued to flow, blinding everypony in the vicinity. The knight then dug her hooves into the ground, keeping herself stable as the wind from the magic kept trying to blow her away. And as a full minute passed, the magic energy around Soul began to slow down, the orb fading around Soul.

Gasping at the sight, Ruby staggered her hooves out of the ground as she looked up, now seeing Soul float down as a light glow covered her body. And as this also faded, her form went limp, causing Ruby to run over and catch her. "Soul?" She exclaimed as she looked the alicorn in her hooves over, seeing she was physically okay, but the look on her face showed one of incredible exhaustion. "Please, say something!" It was then that Soul's eyes began to slowly open, the filly moaning as she looked up at the mare. "Thank Celestia. Are you okay?"

"I...I think so," she mumbled, only to feel a cool breeze around her body. The filly shivered at the tinge of coldness, making her look down, only to go wide-eyed. "Oh no..." She looked back up at Ruby as her wings slumped down to the ground. "You saw, didn't you?"

"Why didn't you tell us the truth?" Ruby asked back, Soul grimacing at the question. However, before anything else could be said, a sudden cracking sound rang out, making both look over at their fallen opponents.

Salix and Wingill were still laying on the ground, but Armalum was trying to pick himself up. And as he did, the crack on his helmet grew larger...only for the crack to split his face guard in two. Both pieces hit the ground, the sound of them ringing out as Ruby's eyes went wide, her heart completely stopping next.

Inside the castle, Ruby's friends were all staring at the pony's face in intrigue. That is, until Springer sensed a spike of fear coming off one of them, making him turn to see Flash stagger back while his hoof automatically clutched the scar on his chest. "Flash? You okay?" The others turned to see the look on Flash's face, all surprised as they saw fear now cover his face.

"No...it can't be!" Flash gasped as he fell onto his flank, "That's...that's impossible! He's dead!"

Cold exchanged glances between Flash and the pony on screen, eventually stopping as he gave Flash an almost glare, "You know this pony?" Flash slowly nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"He's...he's...he's..."

"Sombra," Ruby whispered.

Standing in front of her was the dethroned king of the Crystal Empire, though there were several differences from the last time she had seen him. He wasn't wearing the horned crown on his head, and his green and red eyes were no longer letting out the purple mist from the sides. The thought dead umbrum instead just stood weakly on the ground, staring down at the broken pieces of armor at his hooves.

"I knew it was you," he looked up at Ruby, the knight slowly putting Soul down as she trotted up to him, "I knew it was you under that armor, you monster!" She then spun a crystal sword in her hoof before growling, "Sombra...I don't know how you came back but-"

"I told you, my name is Armalum." he interrupted, "I do not know this Sombra you speak of." Ruby's eyes narrowed as she continued to walk up to him, only for his legs to suddenly give out, "Augh!" He flinched as his body began to turn to dust, Wingill and Salix doing the same.

But as he vanished, the metal pieces of his armor began to melt as well. They turned into a pile of purple goop, which slowly began to slide along the ground until it reached Sombra. When it came in contact with his hoof armor, it began to be absorbed into the metal, only the sludge to go up his body and cover his head. Ruby gasped as his face disappeared, a new helmet solidifying as it slowly reformed around Sombra's head.

The Crystal Knight could only stare as the helmet was completely reforged, only for his body to disappear into dust. "No! Come back here!" she roared as she tried to charge at them, but found she was too late. "Augh!" she growled, now coming to a stop before turning to Soul.

"You okay?" Soul asked, Ruby shaking her head in response.

"No. But that's okay." Ruby then picked up the filly in her magic, placing her on her back. "Come on, We still have to find the-" her words came to an abrupt stop next as a pillar of light exploded from a few streets away.

Ruby and Soul turned to the stare at the light, Ruby taking a slight defensive stance, only to see the pillar curve and turn to them. Both flinched at the brightness, the light fading a few seconds later as they reopened their eyes...only to see the orb now floating in front of them.

The duo now blinking at the sight, Ruby tilted her head as she asked herself, "Why is the...oh." She turned back to Soul, "Guess if there's nopony to fight, no point in searching for the orb, huh?"

"Guess so." Soul replied before Ruby trotted over and touched the orb, a bright now engulfing them before it teleported her and Soul away.

"HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!" Shadow roared, his voice echoing through the castle as he and the rest of his followers stood in their recovery room.

Both Wingill and Salix were in the tubes, their bodies covered in burns and bruises while Armalum stood outside. His body still in tact unlike the others, he was now getting the full brunt of his master's anger.

"You allowed a child, A FILLY, to defeat you!"

"I am sorry my master," the armored pony replied as he bowed, "I have no words of explanation or excuse. All I can say is that I will not fail you again."

"Make sure you won't! I will not allow such a pathetic display to happen in front of me!" Shadow screeched as he continued to growl, turning away next as he went back onto his throne.

As he did this, the others all exchange glances, Storm speaking up first, "That filly could pose a problem. With my own experiences with Princess Celestia, I can tell you that an alicorn, even a young one, should not be taken likely."

"He's right master," Tempera added as she turned to Shadow with a giant frown, "You saw what happened when she let loose. By the looks of things, that was just an accident. What if she learns to summon that power on command?"

"Oh please Tempera, that kind of control takes years to achieve," Terror chimed in, "I doubt we'll be here that long. All we need to do is focus on taking her down before she can learn it."

"We can't take her down," Storm replied, "Whenever somepony is close to death, they get teleported into one of these tubes. We're all immortal here."

Shadow let out a long hiss as he slumped over in his throne, the words of his minions going through his head before speaking up, "Listen up!" The others turned to him, all bowing as he continued, "When the time comes, I will deal with her myself. She may be young, but today she showed just how powerful she truly is. That power is something only I should be allowed to have...so when we finally meet, I will take that power for myself." He then got up and headed to the door, "I'm going to bed. The rest of you should rest as well. There's no telling which of us will be selected tomorrow, and who it is we'll be fighting." They all nodded within their bow, the group then following him to their rooms.

Meanwhile...

Flash and his friends were not in good shape at the moment. As soon as Ruby and Soul returned, Soul immediately ran out of the room with Heart chasing after her. Knowing they shouldn't demand anything from the frightened filly, they decided to all stare Ruby, the mare taking a seat in silence.

That is, till Cold spoke up, "How long have you known?"

Ruby didn't respond, just closing her eyes as she stared down at the table. Seeing this, Flash shook his head and said, "Ruby...I know more than anypony in this room what Sombra means to you." Flash clutched his chest as he kept panting, still feeling the pain from the battle, "Please. Please tell us."

"I...I know. I'm sorry." Ruby muttered out, her eyes still staring at the table, "I....I didn't know for sure it was him, but...but it was during my last battle with him."

The Second Match...

She did slight pants as she watched Armalum halt himself, his hoof rubbing his helmet as a crack began to form. And as it grew, it split into a Y formation that continued around his right eye, only for it pop off. Ruby's eyes went wide as she saw Armalum lowered himself to pick up the broken piece, a low growl coming from his mouth.

"Impossible," Ruby whispered, her eyes twitching as she began to backpedal.

Looking into the newly formed hole of the helmet, she saw something that made her entire body freeze up. An eye. A red and green eye that she had only ever seen one pony have. The purple mist wasn't there, but the grey fur around it was a dead giveaway.

"Sombra?"

Armalum just blinked at her, tilting his head, "Who's Sombra?"

The Present...

"Ruby...no offense, but why didn't you tell us?" Flash asked while now rubbing the side of her head, "Even if you weren't sure, you should have let us know your suspicions. Especially me." He pointed back to his chest, "You know why I have this scar."

"I know. I'm...I'm really sorry Flash," Ruby replied, still not making eye contact with anyone, "I guess...I guess I didn't want anypony to get involved. Sombra is my problem."

"Except he isn't," Trixie instantly chimed in, "We're all involved in this Ruby, even if you've been the only one to fight him the last two times."

Soarin nodded in agreement, "But there's no way that's gonna keep happening. Eventually, he's gonna get picked to fight and you won't be there."

"I know that!" Ruby barked back, only to let out a long sigh, "It's just...Sombra took so much from me. It's been hard, but I've managed to make a new life for me in this time period....and I just don't want to lose it to him again."

The others exchanged glances, frowns and pained faces all around before Springer walked up and patted Ruby's shoulder, "We get it Ruby, but you can't take Sombra down all on your own."

"He's right. You'll need all the help you can get to beat him," Flash added while rubbing his sides, "Only by working together are we gonna make sure what happened to the Crystal Empire doesn't happen again. After all, that's what we did last time."

Ruby chuckled at his words as she finally looked up, now seeing mostly caring looks on everypony's faces. A smile started to form on her face as this happened, making her reply, "Thank you. All of you."

The others smiled back before Trixie spoke up, "That being said, what I'd like to know is how the heck did Sombra survive?" She turned to Flash, "You said the Crystal Heart destroyed him."

"That's what we saw." Flash grumbled, "Though uh...I was only half awake when it happened."

"The entire Crystal Empire saw it," Ruby added, "Everypony confirmed that he did explode into a billion pieces." She let out another sigh, "But there's things about Sombra we don't know about. He's an umbrum, a species of creature we have zero information on. Something must have happened when he was destroyed that allowed him to come back."

"Or it wasn't even him who did it," Cold spoke up, "Remember what Wingill said and what he managed to do."

Soarin turned to him, "You mean the water control thing?"

Cold nodded back, "He said Shadow was the one that gave him to power to do that. If Shadow is willing to experiment on his own minions, it's possible he'll do anything to anypony."

"You're saying you think Shadow recreated Sombra?" Trixie asked, "Why?"

"To have a powerful minion on his side. If what the reports say on Sombra says is true, Shadow likely wanted that power for himself...so he found a way to revive him."

"And maybe that armor is meant to control him," Springer chimed in while turning to Ruby. "Armalum said he didn't know his name was Sombra. What if he wasn't lying?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow at this, "You think the armor is keeping him from remembering who he really is?"

Trixie crossed her hooves and tilted her head as she replied, "It's possible. It would explain why the armor repaired itself so quickly. If he's out of it too long, maybe Sombra will start to remember who he is."

As she said that, the door opened, Cold turning to it as he spoke up, "That's a theory to be tested for another day," The knight glared at a certain colt named Heart walk in, only to see Soul's hear peer into the room, "Right now, we have another newly uncovered fact we need to discuss. Soul?"

The filly did a long gulp before slowly walking into the room. She was now dressed in an almost perfect copy of her former jumper, only now it had holes in the side that allowed her wings to poke out. "H-h-hello everypony."

Cold opened his mouth, only for Flash to hop in front of him, "Soul...I know this is hard for you, but we need to know why. Why didn't you tell us the truth? You being an alicorn is big. We needed to know this."

"I...I'm sorry," Soul whispered while looking down at her hooves. "I-I-I know being an alicorn is important. T-t-that's why I hid it."

This made everypony raise an eyebrow, only for Heart to speak up, "When uh...when you all first came here, we were scared you'd do something bad when you found out Soul was an alicorn. For all we knew, you'd kidnap her to do something horrible."

"We wouldn't do that," Springer instantly replied, only for Flash to look back at him.

"But they didn't know that," Flash countered before turning back to Soul. "And...you're absolutely right. This was your secret, and it was your right to or not to tell anypony. I mean, look at who we're fighting! I could see them being kidnappers." Everypony sighed and nodded at this, Flash not looking back at the group as he kept staring at Soul, "So, we won't hold it against you. We understand why you did this."

Soul gasped at this, putting a hoof up to her mouth. A smile started to form on her face as she replied, "Well...now that everypony knows, I just have one thing to say." She spread her wings and shot into the air, "I missed flying so much!" They watched her do several flips with ease, a huge grin now on her face.

"Wow," Trixie whistled, "She's good."

Heart nodded in agreement, "She's always been the better flyer. Too bad she can't control her new magic the same way."

Everpony turned to the colt at that statement, "Wait, what?" Flash then pointed at Soul, "You're saying she wasn't always an alicorn?"

"Nope," Heart replied while shaking his head. And as he said this, Soul landed right by his side, "Up until two weeks ago, she was a pegasus like me."

Soul nodded at this, now speaking up, "It happened completely out of nowhere. One day, Heart and I were playing tag and Heart was it. I ran on the ground because I knew he'd think I would be in the air. So, I was running as fast as I could, not really looking where I was going....but then the floor collapsed under me. I felt myself fall and after that...I don't really remember what happened. Everything just went black."

The ponies and Springer all blinked at the explanation, Heart then chiming in, "I know what you're thinking. I was looking for Soul when suddenly, a massive beam of light shot into the air." He started waving his hooves around, "It was like when you all get those orbs, but even bigger! But uh...it then disappeared, so I decided to see what the pillar of light was, but when I got there, all I found was Soul laying on the ground with um...something new on her."

Soul did a small nod, "The next thing I know, I'm waking up in our house and I have...this." She gestured to her horn, which sparked with golden light.

"That's quite a story," Cold replied before he tilted his head, "Wait...did you say two weeks ago?"

Soul rubbed her chin in thought, "Well...two and a half weeks ago."

Cold turned to Flash, "Your dream."

Flash's eyes slowly grew large, the young ponies nodding in unison at the same time. "Yeah..." Heart rubbed the back of his head, "We uh...when you told us about that, we figured it might be about the same thing."

Soarin raised an eyebrow at this, "Am I missing something?"

Cold turned to him with a deadpan stare, "Two and a half weeks ago. That was when we left Equestria, right after Flash-"

"Had a dream about coming here," Springer finished. "No way!"

Cold did a slow nod, "Flash had a dream telling him to come here the same day Soul is transformed into an alicorn by an unknown force."

"We don't know for sure it happened in the same day," Soarin countered.

"I'm willing to bet it did," Cold replied, "In my job, coincidence doesn't exist. There's definitely a connection between these two events."

Everypony exchanged glances at this, Springer speaking up next, "So...what do we do now?"

Ruby turned to Soul, "Obviously, we need to focus on teaching Soul to control her magic. There's no doubt in my mind she'll likely be called again. When that happens, the enemy will be going for her." Soul eeped at hearing this, leaping behind her brother.

"Whoa, hang on there!" Flash chimed in, "Soul, we're not gonna let that happen. We won't let them get you-"

"We might not have a choice." Ruby interrupted, "No offense, but if what happened to you today happens again, Soul might find herself alone against Shadow and the others. I don't like the sound of that either, but it's a good possibility. We have to prepare for that eventuality, and teach her what we can."

"B-b-but I don't wanna hurt anypony," Soul whimpered before feeling a hoof on her shoulder.

"Nopony does," Trixie told her as the alicorn looked up at her, "But it's like I told you before, we don't really have a choice. These ponies aren't gonna listen to reason. Flash already tried that and failed." The pegasus nodded with a long sigh. "Our only hope is to beat them, and unfortunately, that'll mean fighting."

Soul shrunk down, her wings folding as she felt Heart put his right wing around his body. A frown was fully on her face, her body shivering like a leaf. But despite this, she looked up at the others, seeing nothing but kind smiles. And as she saw this, she turned to back to Trixie and nodded, "O-o-okay. I'll do it."

Everypony's smiles grew at this, Flash pumping his hooves, "Alright! And don't worry, we'll be sure to keep you safe no matter what." But as he said this, he suddenly flinched as his entire body screamed in pain. "Gyah!" He fell onto his flank, everypony now remembering his injuries.

"Oh dear. Come on you," Trixie helped him to his hooves. "You need to get back in the tube."

"What?! Why?!" Flash asked with a pout, "I'm fine. These wounds will heal fine on their own. I don't need to go back in that tube."

"You're going in it," Cold added as he walked up to him, "No arguments."

"Don't make us drag you there," Soarin finished.

Flash stared at the group, only to sigh, "fine." Everypony began to make their way to the recovery room, Trixie and Soarin helping keep Flash up until they got there. As they did, Soul flew in front of Flash and hovered backward with a giant frown. "I'm sorry Flash. This is all my fault."

The defender rolled his eyes at this, "Don't be silly Soul. Did you throw a massive fireball at me?"

"No...but you only got hurt because you were protecting me."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Let you get burnt? No filly should have to suffer through that. I did what any decent pony would do for any colt of filly. Right everypony?" The older ponies all nodded in agreement as he put a hoof to Soul's cheek, "So don't worry about what happened. I'm fine."

"Okay..." Soul muttered as she did a small nod. "Thanks Flash."

Getting inside the tube, Trixie closed the door as gas began to fill up the container, "Alright you, stay in there until you're completely recovered, even if it means you miss the next battle tomorrow."

Flash huffed as he laid back, "Alright mom." Trixie rolled her eyes before turning to leave, Cold and Ruby following behind her while Springer turned to the younger ponies.

"We should leave him to relax."

Heart looked back at Flash, "But isn't he gonna be bored?"

"He'll be fine," Soarin assured him while patting his back, "He should really be sleeping anyway. It'll make this whole process way easier. Now come on, why don't you both show me some of your flying skills? Maybe I'll teach you a few Wonderbolt tricks." Both of them gasped before flying out the room, leaving just Flash and Springer.

"See you tomorrow," the jakhowl saluted before heading off.

"See ya buddy."

And as Springer left, Flash laid back, his brain telling his body to go to sleep. The slumber was a type of dreamless sleep, one that only ever came about once in a blue moon. And as he did this, Flash found himself simply floating in a lake of calm without a care in the world.

However, as he did this, a flurry of sounds began to fill the air. The rustling of leaves in the wind, the chirping of birds and the gentle rushing of water in the stream. The defender opened his eyes to the noise, his brain accelerating as he felt something new beneath him. Grass.

He sat up, his eyes glancing around as he saw he was in some kind of field, "What the..." He turned to see a giant flowing lake, which the other side had a large forest. "Where am I?" He took to the skies, now looking over the forest and spotting a town a mile or so across the river. The defender glared at the town, about to go after it, only to hear...laughter.

Looking back down, he now saw a bunch of kids running through the tall grass of the field on the other side of the river. Pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns were all racing through, appearing to playing tag or some other game. Flash chuckled at the sight, flapping down in front of them as he said, "Hey there! Can you tell me where I-" He froze mid-sentence as he landed, only for a filly ran at him...and go through his body like a ghost. The pegasi didn't respond, two more colts doing the same thing without acknowledging he was there.

"Oh no...not this again." Flash muttered as he stared at his hooves, "Is this some past thing or a dream?"

His question went unanswered as he then heard the young ponies laugh, all of them turning back in his direction, "Gleaming Path!" The filly called out, "Come on! You're holding us back!"

"I'm coming!" A voice from behind Flash called out, the knight spinning around to see a new pony running up. The defender blinked at the incoming colt, seeing he was a dark gray unicorn with red eyes, mane and tail, along with a blank flank.

Flash stepped aside as the colt ran past him, joining the rest as they reached the water. There, they started skimming rocks across the river, most bouncing two or three times. But as this happened, the colt named Gleaming Path skimmed his stone and it bounced six, seven, eight times before finally sinking. The rest of the group gasped at this as Path pulled another stone out of the water, rubbing his hoof over it before flicking it, this time the stone bouncing ten times.

"That's awesome!" The filly cheered, "How'd you get it to bounce that much?!"

"My dad taught me," the unicorn pulled another rock out of the water. "It's all about the rock you pick. Only the very smoothest, flattest of them will bounce the way you want it too. Here," he handed it to her, "try it with this one." She took it and mirrored Path's movement before flicking the stone, getting it to bounce a good six times before it sank. "See?" The rest of the kids started following his instructions, most having their rocks bounce up to seven times.

Flash wasn't sure how long he stood there watching the foals play, but by the time they stopped, the sun was getting close to the horizon. "Oops," Path yelped as he saw the sun, "We should probably get home! My mom'll kill me if I'm late for dinner!" The rest of the kids moaned and nodded, the group now walking back to the little town. Flash took to the air and followed, hovering over them with crossed hooves.

And as a few minutes passed, Flash saw a sign that had the name of the town: Weeping Wood Hollow.

"Huh." Flash commented as he stared at the sign, only to look back at the village. He rubbed his chin as he stared at the town, noticing how similar is was to Ponyville. The houses looked almost identical to the standard house designs, though there were some slightly different structures like towers and two houses that were joined together by a stone bridge. He then spotted a bakery, library, town hall and even a decent looking school. The sight made him let out a small hum, "Not a bad place...talk about super peaceful."

Flash then saw the kids begin to split up, all heading off in different directions. But before he could choose one to follow, the pegasi found himself being pulled in the same direction as Gleaming Path. The colt got up to a one of the more uniformed houses, the pony throwing the doors open. Flash floated inside as the colt trotted inside, Flash now seeing an average living room with beige colored walls that was covered in multiple photos. Each photo showed Path with two other unicorns, one being a stallion that had the same gray fur as him, though his main and tail were an aqua blue. The other was a yellow mare with a red mane and tail.

Hundreds of photos covered the wall, all showing Path and the two at different stages of the colt's life. And not one picture showed him with anything other than the biggest of smiles on his lips. The sight made Flash chuckle, a smile appearing on his face, "He sure is one happy kid."

"Path!" He heard a female voice announce from another room, Flash following the sound to see the colt hugging the mare in the photo. Path pulled away and leapt up onto a table side chair as his mother placed a plate of spaghetti hoops in front of him, the colt licking his lips before digging in.

"Where's dad?" He asked with a full mouth, the mare laughing at the sight of a spaghetti string hanging from his lips.

"He was helping Rush fix the hole in his roof. He shouldn't be too long."

As if on cue, the door opened and shut as a stallion yelled, "I'm home!" they both turned to the pony, the unicorn walking up to the mare and kissing her cheek before sitting down next to the colt and ruffling his hair. "Hey there! Have a fun day squirt?"

"The best," Path cheered, "We went stone skimming and I showed everypony those tricks you taught me. It was awesome! They hung on my every word!"

The stallion laughed at this, "Well, I'm glad I could help."

The mare then returned with two more plates of spaghetti as the colt spoke up, "Hey, I have an idea! You know my birthday's coming up next week, right?" Flash noticed the adult ponies tense up for a second, only for Path to continue talking, "Well, can the party be in the fields next to the river? If we do that, we can show my friends the tricks you showed me! You're so much better at explaining it."

Flash watched as the two glanced at one another, only to give him two small smiles. "We'll talk about it," the mother replied before pointing at Path's now empty plate, "Wash your plate and head upstairs. We'll be up soon to run you a bath."

"Can we read a story together?" The colt asked with a wagging tail.

"Sure," the stallion responded as he patted Path's head again, "As long as you don't kick up a fuss when it's time to wash your mane." Path grumbled at this, talking his plate to the sink. And as he washed the plate before leaving, everything suddenly froze around Flash.

"Huh?" the knight said as he walked in front of Path, then looking back at the parents. There were big frowns on their faces, making the defender blink, "What is going on?" He looked back at the colt one more time, his eyes squinting as he stared at the foal.

And as he did this, his eyes suddenly went wide. He turned to the pictures, looking over each before staring back at the colt. He then leaned down, his jaw slowly dropping as he noticed how familiar the colt's body was now, despite it not having the scars of the future.

"Shadow?"

Shadow couldn't keep a disgusted look off his face as he stared at the situation in front of him. One moment ago, he had been asleep in his room. The next thing he knew, he was now in the city of Canterlot, the sight enraging him. He quickly started to summon his magic, his horn sparking as he prepared to twist his surroundings....only for a mare to suddenly run through him.

It had been several minutes since then, the ghost-like experience annoying him as he found an unknown force pull him toward a park. There, he found a little filly being bullied by three others, which confused him as to why that would be important. That is, till a certain orange pegasi colt flew into the scenario, trying to save the filly.

"Sentry," he growled as he now saw the two run and hide in some bushes, "What trickery is this?! Is this your doing, or whomever is deciding to make me play this disgusting game?!"

He then saw Flash and the filly run up to a treehouse to avoid the rain. They began to talk, but their words fell on deaf ears as Shadow just grit his teeth with horn glowing. "Why does this matter?! Why am I seeing this?!" he barked, only to see the world suddenly speed up, his form now right in front of Twilight's parents as they first met Flash.

And as smiles appeared on every face, the world around Shadow went black, the unicorn growling as his head shot up out of the bed. "Raugh!" he grumbled, feeling the covers slowly slip under his hooves. He put his hoof to his face next, muttering, "Ugh...what is happening to me?"

"Master?" asked a voice beside him, Shadow not looking at the owner as they put a hoof on his side, "Are you okay?"

"No Tempera." Shadow as he laid back down, "I had a dream...and yet, I know it wasn't."

The next morning...

Flash's eyes shot open as the tube released a pillar of gas. Moaning at the sight, the pegasi pushed the container's door open while rubbing his head, "Shadow...was that real?" he whispered as he headed for the door, "Ugh...why is everything a question right now?"

He then got to the dining room, now seeing all his friends eating different foods. Springer turned to him first, hopping out of his seat as he said, "Flash, you're awake! How you feeling?"

"Great," Flash replied as he moved over to the cupboard. "Those tubes really do the job." He pulled out a stack of pancakes next as the continued, "So how did the training go?" He turned to Soul, only for the filly to shrink in her seat with a giant frown, "Not well?"

"It wasn't as...fruitful as we had hoped," Trixie replied with a small sigh.

"Alright..." Ruby pulled an apple out of the cupboard and placed it in front of the filly "Let's try this again."

"Do we have too?" Soul asked with a bit of whine in her voice.

"Yes," Ruby nodded before pulling Soul's plate away. "You still hungry?" Soul nodded back, "Then feed yourself. Lift the apple and put it to your mouth." Soul sighed before closing her eyes, her horn beginning to glow along with the apple. The piece of fruit slowly wobbled, levitating just a centimeter above the ground...only to hit the table again.

"Focus," Ruby told her as the magic aura vanished around the food.

"I am focusing," Soul grunted, her horn sparking again, slowly lifting off the table again. But as Soul opened her eyes and saw it hovering, she gasped, making the glow vanish before it fell yet again.

Ruby shook her head at this, "Soul, you can't be afraid of your power. If you get scared every time you use it, then you'll never learn to control it....and if you don't control it, it will eventually control you."

"I know I need to learn to control it..." Soul moaned as she looked away, "But...but every time I try, I...I remember."

"Remember what?" Soarin asked, only to see Soul's gaze shift over to Heart for a faint second. The colt looked away, the two trying to not make eye contact.

Everypony exchanging glances at this, Flash then chimed in, "Alright...what happened you two?" The foals turned to him, gulping as he continued, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But, if you want to help you, you need to tell us everything."

The two sighed, Heart choosing to speak up first, "Well...uh...you see, it started right after Soul woke up as an alicorn."

Two weeks ago...

"AAAAAHHHH!" The filly screamed after looking at herself in the mirror, "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"

"Err..." Heart slightly backpedaled from his sister while scratching the back of his head, "I don't think those things are meant to come off."

"It has too!" Soul screeched as she reached up and grabbed her horn. "I can't have a horn! I'm not an alicorn!" She started pulling at it, only for pain to keep straining her head. "Aaaah!"

"Will you cut it out!" Heart yelled as he flew over and grabbed her hooves, "That's not gonna work!"

"But I can't be this! I don't wanna be this!"

"But you are now!" Heart barked back, Soul about to counter, only for her brother to put his hoof on her mouth, "I know you're panicking and don't know what to do, but...well, we might just have to face facts. You're an alicorn now."

Soul pushed his hoof away, "B-b-but...I can't be that! I'm not that! I'm...I'm...why did this happen to me?!"

"I...I don't know why sis." Heart replied as he put his wing around her, "I know I already asked, but are you sure you don't remember anything when became an alicorn?" Soul shook her head, making Heart sigh, "Darn it...well, maybe it'll come back to you in time. Until then, let's enjoy these new unlimited possibilities."

"Possibilities?"

"Yeah! You have a horn now!" he pointed at the newly grown appendage. "That means you can do magic! Come on," he pulled her outside before lining a bunch of cans on a nearby wall. "Now...blast 'em!" Soul slowly turned and gave him an 'are you serious' look. "What? You gotta learn to use it somehow. So start blasting."

Soul sighed while rolling her eyes, now turning to the cans before closing her eyes and grunting, the horn on her head sparking with light. Heart watched with a wagging tail...only to see the horn stop glowing. "What's wrong?"

"It's not working." She panted, shaking her head. "It hurts."

"Soul..." Heart's ears flopped over before patting her shoulder, "Sis, you gotta learn this." Heart pointed at the cans again, "Now hit'em! Come on, I know you can do this!" Soul looked up at the expectant look on her brother's face, making her sigh before closing her eyes again. The light began to appear around her horn, growing brighter and brighter within seconds. "That's it! Let it build and...let it fly!" The light shot off Soul's horn and flew at the cans, only to fly right past them and hit a nearby wall. "Oops."

Soul opened her eyes next, now seeing she had missed. Before she could say anything, Heart spoke up, "Relax. Practice makes perfect."

"I guess..." As Soul replied, only for her horn to spark again, "Huh?" She looked up at the horn, now feeling a surge through her head as it kept glowing...and glowing. The magic streamed through her horn, now feeling spark flying off her body as golden pieces of magic fall out, "Gyah!" She screamed, holding her head. "I can't turn it off!" A large lightning bolt then shot out of her horn, hitting the ground while carving a large groove and almost striking Heart.

"Whoa!" He yelped as he jumped back, only to see a light now come out of Soul's horn and form a dome around her, "SOUL!" he screamed, charging at her, only for a bolt to fly out and hit his hoof, "Augh!" He pulled back, clutching his limb as he saw the fur now turn burnt black.

Soul gasped as she saw her brother get hurt, her fear now consuming her as lightning began to surge around her. "No..." she whispered as she began to clutch her head, "NO!" She shut her eyes as tears began to pour down her face.

"Soul!" Heart yelled as he retried to get back to her. "Hang on, I'm coming-"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed, the dome now exploding off of her, the magic now shooting out a wave. Heart only had enough time to gasp before the wave hit him, nothing but a burning pain following the blow.

The Present...

"And uh...I was knocked out after that." Heart finished as he looked back up, now seeing wide-eyes from most of the others.

"Wait, what happened after that?" Trixie asked while pointing at him, "You don't look like you got several third degree burns."

"I...don't know," Heart replied with a shrug, "I woke up in my hammock a few hours later, covered in bandages."

Soul sighed at this, "Yeah...that was me. When I finally came too, I found Heart on the ground with burns all over him. I was scared I'd killed him, so I rushed him back into the house and made some bandages in the cupboard."

"And a few days later, my burns completely vanished!"

"Interesting..." Cold hummed, "You must have been healed by the same thing that's been healing us."

Soul then looked away again, tears about to form in her eyes, "I...I still hurt him though. That's why I'm so scared. You saw what I did to those cultists. What if I lose control again and this time, I hurt all of you?!"

"That won't happen," Ruby told her as she placed a hoof on filly's shoulder, "You've already shown you can control who you target with your magic. After all, you managed to only hit the villains and not me yesterday."

Soul's eyes went wide at this, "Really?!"

Ruby nodded back, "Yes."

"But that's not enough." Trixie chimed in as she walked over to the filly, "Magic is connected to the emotions of the caster. Negative emotions make it harder to control." She leaned down and patted the filly's shoulders, "Soul, as long as you stay calm and think happy thoughts while casting, you'll be okay."

"Really?" Trixie nodded, "A-a-alright. I'll...try again." She turned back to the apple, closing her eyes as she muttered, "Okay. I can do this. I can do this. I...can...do this."

"Heck yeah you can!" Soarin cheered, Flash doing the same.

Meanwhile...

Salix and Wingill had just awakened from the recovery room. It had taken a few minutes after waking up for them to remember what had happened, but only frustration remained when they did. "I can't believe that little squirt turned out to be an alicorn!" Wingill growled as they ate their breakfast. "Next time I see her, I'll drown her in so much water she'll be wrinkled for a month."

"Then I'll dry her off with so much heat, she'll end up three sizes smaller!" Salix barked as he slammed his hoof into the other, an explosion of fire blasting out from between them. "I mean, come on! Losing to a kid is just embarrassing! If we don't set this right, we'll lose all our street cred, and I don't know about you, but street cred's like...the only cred that matters!"

"Well it's not like you're gonna have an easy time getting to her," Terror replied as she sat back in her chair, "Now that we know she's an alicorn, the others will be doing there best to keep her as safe as possible." She spat as she said her next words, "I bet you all my cards that they're planning on making her some kind of disgusting princess as soon as they get back to Equestria."

"None of them are ever going back to Equestria," Shadow roared, everypony freezing before turning to his throne. A low hiss was coming from his mouth as he continued, "Each of them will not leave this city alive. The Wonderbolt and the showmare are of no use to me."

"Though you could probably keep them for experiments," Tempera cackled, "You know, to use as guinea pigs for experiments you aren't sure ponies valuable to you would survive. After all, thanks to that ice making knight, we are kinda running out of test subjects."

"Good point. As for the wolf creature...I'll admit I'm interested in him. Those abilities he has might be useful if I can find a way to replicate them." Shadow added as he scraped his hoof on the throne, "As for the knights...well, they'll make excellent servants."

"What about the filly?" Wingill asked next.

"The filly is mine. Nopony is to touch her until I've gotten what I need from her. After that, she must die just like all other alicorns." Wingill and Salix sighed at the statement, only to hop in their seats as an alarm suddenly went off. Hearing this, Shadow ascended his throne as he said, "It seems its time. Let's end this farce."

In the other castle...

Flash and his friends were now in the map room as the 3D image appeared on the table. The outline appeared around a sector of the city that was only streets, no canals or lakes to be seen. And as the roulette appeared, Soul started to shiver like a leaf. Seeing this, Heart walked up and hugged her with his wings.

"It'll be alright sis."

"B-b-but what if-"

Her words came to a stop as the sound of the first orb rolled out, revealing one with Ruby's cutie mark. The knight let out a long sigh, no words coming out of her mouth before the second orb came out.

"Alright! Looks like I'm up!" Soarin added as he began to stretch out his body. "I'm ready to rock!"

The final orb then flew out, this one showing Trixie's cutie mark. The former showmare gulped, memories of her last match now flowing through her head.

Flash slumped into his chair, biting his lip as he knew he had to see his friends vanish back into battle. He turned to the chosen ponies, nodding as he said, "Good luck." They nodded back before the trio suddenly vanished into thin air, the remaining individuals turning to the map. Flash then leaned over, touching one of the screens as three more dots appeared. And as he saw the chosen enemies, he did a small gulp, "This...could be tricky."

"I'll say," Cold added, the others nodding in agreement.

Three lights shined in the city as a certain trio appeared. As the glow wore off, they got into a battle ready stance as Ruby spoke up, "Be prepared for anything."

"Already am," Trixie replied.

"They won't get us without a fight," Soarin finished, only to turn and see a trio of creatures appear in the sky. One was a winged serpent along with a large black dragon to its left and a giant green mantis-like creature with metal blades for arms.

"Tempera's here!" Ruby yelled as a figure hopped off the mantis, the being throwing a card as a dome appeared around them.

The card came to a stop mid-flight and started spinning, Trixie calling out, "Terror's here too!" As these words left her mouth, the card came to a stop, this time showing the Tower Card right side up.

"LOOK OUT!" Soarin screamed as he grabbed both mares, pushing them away as a lightning bolt struck the ground. An explosion followed this, pushing all three down a street before rolling like barrels. As they did this, the trio quickly came to a stop, spinning before getting back on their hooves while Ruby formed a Crystal Saber.

And as they looked back, they now saw the other creature's passengers, Tempera on the winged serpent while Shadow rode on the black dragon. A long, dead stare was coming from Shadow while Terror just glared at Trixie with a giant confident grin. At the same time, Tempera had her hooves crossed, a half-grin on her face as she looked down on the group.

As for the trio, Ruby, Soarin and Trixie glared back, two horns shining while the third's wings were flared. All were primed for battle, knowing this could be the hardest challenge yet

Author's Note

I know that this probably adds more questions then it solves, but don't worry. Everything will be revealed in time.

The War Rages On

Ruby, Trixie and Soarin stared up at their opponents, Shadow, Tempera and Terror smirking down at them. "So...you're the three we'll be destroying." Shadow chuckled as he cracked his hooves. "Can't say I'm impressed."

"Of course you're not impressed," Terror added as she pointed at Trixie. "After all, they have a complete weakling on their side." Trixie started to backpedal at this comment, now seeing the giant grin on Terror's face as the memory of the previous fight went through her head.

"Don't listen to her Trixie," Ruby countered, "She's just trying to get into your head."

Soarin nodded in agreement, "Yeah! You're way stronger than she is."

"I doubt that," Shadow spat, "I don't allow weaklings to stand by my side."

"Enough talk!" Ruby yelled as she created a bunch of crystal arrows, firing a barrage at the trio. But as this happened, the unicorns teleported away, allowing the arrows to impale the scribeasts instead. And as the serpent, dragon and insect vanished, the three reappeared with Ruby charging at Shadow. "YAH!" She swung two crystal blades at him, but the dark unicorn summoned his own blade, blocking both with ease.

"Master!" Tempera shrieked as she pulled out some paper, only for Soarin to suddenly appear in front of her.

"Surprise!" He slammed into the mare, pushing her to the sky before she could react.

"Let me go!" She screamed as she tried to thrash, but Soarin kept hold with ease while starting to spin like a top. And after a good few seconds, he let go, sending the unicorn divebombing to the ground. "Gyah!" the mare yelped, her horn now sparking while throwing a drawing to the floor. Her spell struck the paper, causing a minotaur to appear, catching her in its fuzzy mane.

She sighed in relief as she felt the soft fur, "Good boy." The minotaur snorted air out of its nose as it put Tempera down, the mare shaking her head as she began to look around, "Now...which way is master Shadow in?"

"Why do you think I spun you around?" She looked up to see Soarin try to tackle into her, only for the minotaur to jump at him....and be destroyed with a well-timed spinning kick. Soarin then hovered above her with crossed hooves, "Don't think you'll get away from me. I threw you over here that way so you can't teleport back to your precious master. After all, if you don't know where he is-"

"SHUT UP!" The mare screeched as she threw out a bunch of quickly drawn paintings, soon summoning a small army of uni-troopers that charged at Soarin.

The pegasus just cricked his neck as he began to dance around the creatures, dodging each slash. And as one thrust its sword at him, he began to go over in his mind what Flash had taught him. "Okay..." he shifted to the side, "Dodge!" He grabbed the hand of the scribeast, "Grab and twist!" The monster lost the grip on its sword, "Pull!" With one final yank, he pulled the sword free and held it in his grasp. "Nice," he cheered before he started slashing at the uni-troopers.

Tempera growled at the sight, now pulling out her sketchpad. "Alright," she drew her next creation, "Let's see how you do against this!" She threw the page into the air and hit it with magic, causing the image of a lindworm to come alive.

Soarin cut down the last uni-trooper when the giant wolf snake crashed onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The Wonderbolt turned to the monster, the beast growling before it curled up and started spinning. "WHOA!" He yelped as he leapt out of the way, the lindworm rolling past him and slamming into a building. And as the structure fell over from the blow, both ponies saw the building began to collapse toward them.

Shadow and Ruby's blades clashed as Trixie and Terror shot a barrage of beams at one another. Terror had yet to use one of her cards, but Trixie knew it was only a matter of time as Terror spoke up, "I warned you to not keep playing. This is no place for a talentless mare like you!"

"You don't know me enough to call me talentless!" Trixie called back before teleporting behind her. But as she tried to throw a punch at Terror, the unicorn spun around and caught the hoof. "What?"

"I told you last time. I see everything." Trixie then stared into the mare's eyes, only to go wide-eyed as she saw Terror's eyes were now glowing again. But before she could say anything, the sound of a crashing building made everypony turn and see a cloud of smoke appear several streets over.

"Looks like I found Soarin," Trixie added before gripping Terror's leg and sparking her horn. And before Terror could react, they both teleported away.

SHING!

In a flash of light, Trixie and Terror appeared midair on a nearby street, both now rolling along the ground after the teleportation. And as they did this, Terror got under Trixie and thrust her back hooves forward, knocking her over to a minotaur that Tempera had created. "Trixie!" She heard Soarin yell, the mare opening her eyes to see the bull monster raise its giant fist above her head. She gasped and quickly teleported away, managing to escape just as the minotaur punched the earth.

She then appeared next to Soarin, both getting into a battle stance as Terror ran up to Tempera, the artist now speaking up, "Use the Lover card," Terror nodded and reached into her cloak, only to freeze up as she pulled out the card.

"I can't," she then shifted her hoof around, taking out another card as she threw it into the air. "But this should help instead!" The dome exploded around the two until the card stopped spinning, appearing upside down. "Arcana of the Reversed Empress!" The dome shrank down and encased Tempera before exploding, the light going into the unicorn. "Your magic back to full?"

"Oh yeah," Tempera chuckled as her horn began to glow, summoning a sketchpad next.

"Don't let her finish!" Soarin yelled as he leapt at her, ready to body slam the mare.

"Oh no you don't!" Terror pulled out a Tower card and was about to throw it, only to suddenly leapt backward. Trixie then appeared where Terror was before, now tripping and falling into the dirt, "Too bad!" She tossed the card into the air, the card spinning before stopping right side up. "Arcana of the Tower!" The card unleashed a bolt of lightning at Soarin, the Wonderbolt's eyes going wide until Trixie teleported in front of him and summoned a shield.

"Augh!" She cried, her head ringing from the fast pace she had to use the spells.

"You okay?" Soarin asked as the lightning faded, Trixie's spell following suit.

"She won't be for long," Terror pulled out another card, this one exploding into a light that the two recognized as the rune barrier. "No more teleporting for you."

"But we don't have such limitations," Tempera added as she finished her drawing and threw it upward, a beam of magic hitting it next before summoning a manticore. Both Soarin and Trixie gulped at the sight of the two monsters, standing side by side. Tempera then turned to Terror with a big grin, "Tell me Terror, what do you think of our odds in winning now?"

Terror unfolded five cards onto her hoof, a grin growing on her face as well, "Oh, just the usual perfect odds."

Trixie and Soarin began to growl in unison as the unicorn tilted her hat in anger, "Don't count us out just yet!"

Meanwhile...

Now alone, Ruby spoke up as she dodged a swipe of Shadow's sword, "What did you do to Sombra?!"

"Who?" Shadow replied with a raised eyebrow, only to tilt his head for a second before an exaggerated look of realization appeared on his face. "Oh! You mean Armalum, don't you? Why did you call him Sombra? His name is Armalum."

"It doesn't matter what you call him!" Ruby barked back before firing several crystal arrows, "How is he with you?!" Shadow raised a lone hoof as he created several portals, collecting the arrows before sending them right back at Ruby. The mare gasped as she created a wall of crystal that blocked the arrows, Shadow taking this opening to teleport behind her and slash with his sword.

And as she turned and blocked it with her own swords, he chuckled and shook his head, "Tell me, would you like to know why my most loyal servant looks like that?" He then leaned up her eye level, a huge grin on his face, "Let's just say...I'm borrowing his body for my purposes."

"What?"

And as this battle continued, the rest of team Flash were watching in the castle with nothing but tension and anticipation. "Come on....you can do it." Flash whispered as he tapped the table with his hoof.

"Considering who they're up against, I'm inclined to disagree." Cold added in a deadpan tone, "Shadow's powers are like nothing any of them have faced before." His hoof moved to his chest, remembering the hole that had previously been stabbed into him. "Though Ruby does have a minor advantage."

"Which is?" Springer asked as the image now showed Shadow encase his sword in a decay cloud. He then swung it at the Crystal Knight, the mare forming a shield that blocked the attack...and it didn't turn to dust.

"See? Crystal doesn't particularly age. That means it is semi-immune to Shadow's decaying magic."

"I guess that's good," Flash commented as Ruby jumped around her shield and tried to slash at him. "I just hope she doesn't lose it like she did before. This Sombra thing's really knocked her off her game."

The others nodded in agreement, only for the map to glow below them. Looking down at the table, the group raised an eyebrow as a second section of the city began to be cornered off. "What's happening?" Heart asked, only for the roulette machine to appear above the table again. "Seriously?"

"Maybe whoever's playing this game wants to speed things up," Cold added as the first orb flew out. This one had Cold's cutie mark on it, the knight nodding before the next one popped out with Springer's face on it.

"Oh no." Soul put her hooves over her eyes, her lips trembling as she repeated, "Please not me, please not me, please not me." Heart swung his wing over her, hugging her as she opened her eyes to see the final orb...and saw that it had Flash's cutie mark on it. "Oh thank goodness."

"Nice!" Flash cheered before turning to the two, "You both stay safe in here, alright?"

"What could we possibly do in here that's not safe?" Heart asked, his question going unanswered as the three were teleported away. And as this happened, the duo looked back at the map, now gulping in fear as three more names appeared.

As soon as the teleportation light died down, Flash raised his sword and entered his Theta Mode while Springer went Battle Mode and Cold formed a pair of Cold Sabers. The pegasus took to the skies while Springer closed his eyes, Cold glancing between the two. "Find anything?"

"Nothing on visual," Flash announced as he quickly descended back down.

"I've got 'em." Springer added as he reopened his eyes. "Follow me."

"Lead the way bud," the defender responded as the jakhowl took the lead, bolting down a street. The knights quickly followed, the three zigzagging through the roads until Springer raised his palm while coming to a stop.

"They're all together," the jakhowl finished as he pointed at a large building in front of them. "Behind there."

"Got it," Cold replied as his horn began to glow. "Cold Dragon!" He stomped down, creating a giant serpentine ice sculpture that flew up before arcing back down over the top of the building. As it did this, Cold and Springer raced up its back while Flash flew above them. But as they reached the top of the arc, a massive burst of fire caused the downward section of the dragon to explode, forcing them to quickly land.

"Salix's here!" Flash yelled out, only to see their opponents fly out of the smoke.

The nirik was rocketing ahead first, Storm and Wingill not far behind. "Surprise!" Salix shot another stream of fire out of his hooves, only for Springer to jump in front and summon an Aura Guard to block the flames.

"Storm Cutter!" Storm roared as he swung his blade, firing a blast of air next. However, Cold then grabbed his teammates and sparked his horn to teleport them away. The blade struck the remains of the dragon and shattered it, the three appearing on a nearby roof as it fell apart.

Flash then pointed his blade at the trio while Springer summoned a white aura orb as both yelled, "Flash/Aura FORCE!" Two beams of pure power came out of them, all three leaping into different directions. Flash saw Storm take to the sky, his own wings now flaring as he declared, "I'll get Storm!"

Cold turned to Springer, "I'm the best choice to tackle Salix. You think you can take Wingill down?"

"I did it before," Springer replied while giving him a thumbs up before jumping over the side of the building. The jakhowl then spotted the hippogriff close to one of the canals, the jakhowl quickly charging at him while forming a Bone Breaker in his paws. "Lets go, seaweed brain!"

"Oh, we'll go!" Wingill barked back while raising his claws, water now shooting out of the canal before forming a pair of water whips. He then took to the air and started swinging them around, Springer countering by spinning his energy bone to knock the water away.

"Now!" He roared as he smacked away one of the whips, only to vanish.

"What?!" Wingill yelped as he saw Springer disappear, his body now feeling a slight rush of wind above him.

"Head's up!" Springer yelled above Wingill, the hippogriff looking up to see an aura bone slam into his head.

"Gyah!" He cried as he was sent crashing into the canal. And as he turned into his seapony form, he shook his head before looking up and seeing Springer land on the canal's edge. "Idiot, I've got you now!" He thrust his fins forward...only for nothing to happen. "What?" He looked down at his fins before trying again, "Don't tell me..." He did it again, growling as he tried three more times before his brain clicked over the issue, "No...I can't control water in this form!"

As he realized this, Springer tried to backpedal from the water as he felt a surge of pain go through his body. "Darn it...I really shouldn't have tried Velocity Strike right there." He took a deep breath as he gripped his chest, "Maybe it should be trump card if I think I'm in trouble..."

His ears flared up next as he looked back up to see the water explode, Wingill leaping out while raising his claws. "This ends now!" He thrust his claws forward, a massive surge of water now shooting out of the canal.

"Aura Guard!" The shield came up around Springer as he blocked the water, the stream now pushing him back. And as the water slowly came to a stop, the jakhowl dropped the shield as both began to glare at each other.

At the same time...

"Flash Driver!"

"Storm Vortex!" Flash charged at he turned into a light drill, the attack slamming into the whirlpool that Storm had created. He then cut through the water, zipping up to the pegasus before Flash exploded out of the drill. He then swung his blade at Storm's face, only for Storm to block it with his sheath.

"You still haven't told me how you got that thing!" Flash grunted while pushing him back, "There's no way Grand trained you, so you must have stolen it!"

"You sure about that?" Storm asked with a giant grin, "I told you that Grand never told you everything."

"Maybe...but I know he'd never train someone like you!"

"HA!" Storm guffawed, spit flying out that almost landed on Flash's face as he then leaned up with his still growing smile, "For all you know, the reason that old mule picked you was because he failed with somepony superior like me!" Storm then did one last push, this one making Flash flap his wings back while the pegasi spun the blade's dial. "Storm Shower!" A barrage of lightning bolts shot out of his weapon, Flash quickly spinning around to dodge the attack.

"Flash Grinder!" He spun into a wheel of light, charging at the pegasus while knocking away several bolts.

"Grah!" Storm yelped as Flash hit him, the knight sending him straight into a building, "AAAHHH!" He screamed, the wheel pinning him against the stone, only for Flash to slow down and kick him away.

"Flash Force!" Flash then yelled as he pointed his sword at Storm, unleashing a laser beam. The pegasi countered with lifting his weapon, swinging in as a lightning wave came out to intercept the attack. However, it only slowed it down before the beam struck him, sending him flying though the building with a pained cry.

As this happened, Cold teleported down to a nearby street as the sound of the two other fights filled his ears. But as he did this, he yelled, "Cold Defender!" He forged an ice shield and spun around, a fireball then exploding off his barrier as Salix rocketed out of an alleyway.

He slammed a burning fist into the shield next, causing it to shatter. Cold reacted by forming a pair of swords, swinging both with a x-like slash, "Whoa!" Salix yelped as he leapt back to avoid the blades, "Watch it with those things! You could poke an eye out!"

"That's the idea," Cold replied as he thrusted the swords next, Salix hopping back before unleashing a wave of heat from this mane. The flames made the blades melt, Salix chuckled as Cold just dropped the swords without a hint of emotion.

"Bad idea Coldy!" Salix mocked as he started flicking his tail around, fireballs now covering the area, "Haven't you ever played a video game? In fire verses ice, fire always wins!"

Cold just teleported away, dodging each flame as Salix continued to create a volley of fire. As he did this, Salix saw Cold start to pant, his body slightly shaking as he teleported again. Salix laughed at this moment, taking in a deep breath as the flames flew off his mane and into his mouth. The nirik let out a roar, a single stream of fire now coming at Cold, only for his horn to shine, "Cold Force!" He unleashed a frozen tornado, the ice charging at the flames...and cutting right through them.

"WHAT?! How did you-" Salix yelped before coughing, accidentally cutting his fire breath short.

"If you stopped playing video games and took an actual science lesson, you'd know that fire can lose to ice if it's too cold to burn."

Before Salix could react, the tornado wiped out the last of his flames, striking him with ease. "Gyah!" He screamed as the icy wind bit into him, his entire body quickly being covered in ice. And as another second passed, Cold stopped his attack as he now saw his opponent completely immobilized, a look of shock frozen on his face with his now frozen body.

Meanwhile...

CLANG!

That was the sound of two blades clashing, Ruby now blocking Shadow's sword. They had been evenly matched, both blades having done no damage to each other. As this happened, Ruby's horn sparked as she suddenly teleported away, making Shadow raise an eyebrow before hearing a sound behind him.

Spinning around, he now saw a barrage of crystal arrows coming for him. Seeing this, his entire body exploded into smoke, letting the arrows fly right through him before solidifying just as Ruby charged at him with her blade. He quickly blocked her attack, Ruby sidestepping with two more thrusts as Shadow dodged both before their swords became locked again as Ruby growled, "You...did Sombra teach you that?!"

"Maybe," Shadow chuckled as Ruby leaped back, the unicorn not following after her as he instead just spun his blade in his hoof, "Does it really matter?"

"It matters to me!" She roared as she pointed her sword at him, "I'll ask one last time before I get really angry. How did you revive him?! Sombra said he's been with you for eight years, but that's impossible! Until last year, he was banished along with the Crystal Empire and me!"

Shadow shook his head in response, "My my, such a temper. Tell me, how do you know it's really him?" He then fired a laser out of his horn, Ruby ducking as the beam struck a nearby building, destroying it in one blow. "You know, maybe I just made him look like Sombra."

"Why would you do that?!" Ruby barked as she teleported in front of him, trying to swipe her blade at him, only for him to turn into a cloud of smoke.

He then floated backward as he began to reform, "That's for me to know," Shadow replied as he shot a chain out of his horn that struck Ruby's back leg, quickly pulling her, "And for you to wonder!" Ruby yelped as her leg was yanked, making him fall to the ground as he pulled her down the street. The sight made Shadow laugh as a sadistic smile graced his face, "You know what, I'm feeling generous. You see, a year ago I heard rumors of an ancient city that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Intrigued, I went to see what I could learn about it....and as I did, I saw something."

"What?" Ruby groaned out as she tried to get back up.

"A vision," Shadow replied while holding up his sword. "I saw your friends, Flash and Sombra, in a white void. They didn't seem to notice me or hear me when I spoke, and together we all saw...well, let's just say something to complicated to explain in our current situation."

Ruby went wide-eyed at this, now remembering what Flash had told her when he had saw the exact same vision. "You...had it too?"

Shadow nodded back, "When I eventually arrived at the outskirts of the empire, I found myself drawn to something. A strange red horn."

He then shined a huge grin, slashing his sword down at Ruby. But as he did this, Ruby's horn sparked, teleporting a few feet away. And as she reappeared, she stumbled over as she whispered, "So that's it. You found Sombra's horn and used it to revive him..." She summoned a new crystal blade and pointed it at him. "What is that armor?! Is it some form of mind control?! Is that why he thinks he's somepony else?!"

Shadow shook his head as he rubbed his hoof over his blade, "I think I've revealed enough for today." He looked back up before charging at the knight, "I have more important things to do!" Their swords clashed again, Shadow pushing the mare back as their vision locked onto each other. Talking was now over.

Meanwhile again...

"Whoa!" Soarin yelped as he dodged an impaling manticore's tail, the pegasi quickly zipping around to the lion-bat-scorpion hybrid's side, body slamming it with full force. As this happened, Trixie was rolling on the ground, dodging a bunch of punches from a minotaur. And as the beast kept hitting the ground, Trixie flashed her horn and created a bunch of fakes that began circling the monster. The minotaur's eyes starting to spinning as it tried to watch each one, only for a beam to hit its back, burning a hole right through it before exploding into ink.

"Gotcha!" Trixie cheered.

"Maybe," Terror added as she reached into her cloak, "But there's more where that come from." She tossed a card up as it started spinning, Tempera now drawing a new creation as the card stopped face up, "Arcana of the Moon!" The card exploded into a puff of black smoke that now surrounded Trixie.

"What is this?" She asked as the mare started blinking, seeing she now couldn't see a thing in front of her.

Soarin then turned to his friend, remembering that card from his fight with Terror. However, he couldn't see the dark fog over Trixie, making him blink at the sight, "Wait...its just an illusion?"

"Ha!" Tempera laughed before throwing a piece of paper in the air, "Arise!" And as she fired a spell at the paper, a cragadile appeared, the rock monster turning to charge at Trixie.

"Look out!" Soarin yelled as he leapt at her, tackling the unicorn before the cragadile could take a bite. They both rolled across the ground before Soarin stood Trixie upright and pointed her head around, "Fire!" Trixie's horn instantly sparked, shooting a beam right into the rock crocodile.

BOOM!

"Did I get it?"

"Yeah," he turned to the mare, "Can you see yet?"

"No...wait," Trixie blinked her eyes as the smoke slowly started to vanish. "It's getting better."

"Right," Soarin jumped in front of her next, "I'll keep you safe until your vision's back." Tempera then created a bunch of uni-troopers, all rolling at Soarin as he charged at them.

Trixie could only watch as the blurry images in front of her moved around, the mare barely managing to distinguish who was who. But as she did this, she saw something coming close to a blue figure, "Look out!" she yelled, Soarin unable to react as he grabbed a uni-trooper's blade that was in front of him as another spun around to his back. "NO!" Trixie exclaimed as she saw the blue image not react to the uni-trooper behind him. She then fired a magic beam, this one ripping right through the beast before going across the street.

Terror let out a gasp next, having to dodge the sudden blast. "Whoa!" she then tripped over her own hooves, causing several cards to fall out of her cape, "Shoot!"

As this happened, Soarin side-stepped while releasing the blade before delivering a kick to the scribeast's head, destroying it in one hit. He then flew over to Trixie, her vision now finally coming back. "Thanks for that."

"No prob," Trixie replied while turning to see Terror pick her cards up.

"No," she said while grabbing a Tower card, "No, no, no, no, yes!" She threw a card up, a dome appearing around her and Tempera.

"What are you doing?" The artist asked as the card stopped spinning.

"Arcana of the Reversed Chariot!" the dome then shrank around Tempera before exploding into light.

"What do I need speed for?!" Tempera yelped, only to turn to see Soarin about to throw a punch at her face, "Eep!" She then ducked, only to see Soarin spin with a kick, making her dodge backward. "Ah...that's why." She commented as Soarin kept trying to hit her, the mare barely able to dodge each blow.

As this happened, Trixie fired another beam at Terror as the unicorn kept going through her cards. But as the beam was about to hit her, Terror ducked under the attack. The sight made Trixie let out a screech, "What?! How do you keep doing that?!"

Terror giggled at Trixie's outburst as the mare fired five more blasts, Terror summoning a force field that only blocked one of the spells while the other four flew past her. "I told you before, its pointless. I see everything." She then reached for a card, but stopped as her hoof touched it, quickly changing to another one. As she did this, Trixie saw a certain familiar glow in the mare's eyes.

And as this sight went through Trixie's brain, gears began to grind in her mind, going over both battles until a certain pony appeared in her mind. "It can't be...." Trixie whispered before her voice slowly got louder, "Terror, can you...see the future?!"

As this question exited her mouth, Terror froze in place as she just gripped a card, Soarin and Tempera also going still as they all turned to Trixie. Terror then shifted her gaze at Trixie, her voice slightly cracking, "How...did you know?"

In another part of the city...

Cold continued to stare at his frozen opponent, waiting to make sure the kirin vanished into dust. But as this happened, he started to see large droplets appear on the side of the ice, making him growl, "Great." He then formed an ice hammer, slowly moving over before a wave of fire suddenly exploded off the ice.

"RAAAHHHH!" The nirik screamed as a tornado of flames consumed him, barely walking out of the fire next as his teeth chattered, "Not cool dude! If I end up with hypothermia, you'll be sorry!"

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Only when I'm asleep, and even then I've been told I tend to sleep talk." He then spun around and launched several tail flames, Cold knocking them away with his hammer before seeing Salix put himself into a bull charge position.

Cold's horn shined as he teleported a few feet away, his horn now sparking as Salix bum-rushed down the street with flames burning behind him. "Cold Tigers!" A small army of ice cats appeared, Salix coming to a stop before unleashing a wave of fire that melted the first line into steam. He then started swinging his tail around like a mace, slamming it into the other ice sculptures. But as he took down the last one, he staggered back, panting as the heat died off his body.

"Cold Saber!" He looked up to see a mid-air Cold with a pair of swords, gravity pulling him down as he swung the first one downward. Salix jumped back in response, dodging the first blow before Cold thrust the other at him. Side-stepping the attack, Cold magically pulled the first sword upward, Salix still backpedaling as Cold kept swinging both blades at him. And as this happened, not a single flame came off Salix as he kept dodging.

Meanwhile once more...

"Aura Blast!" Springer roared as he fired an energy sphere at Wingill, the hippogriff summoning a water ball the morphed into a buzzsaw. The two attacks collided, only for Wingill to feel a foot slam into his face.

"GYAH!" Wingill yelped as he was knocked back, trying to quickly recover before thrusting his claws at Springer. As he did this, water bullets shot out of the canal, the barrage hitting Springer before he could summon an aura shield.

"Augh!" he cried as the water exploded, sending him tumbling as Wingill got back on this feet. He then pulled out some more water, turning it to a whip before lashing it at the jakhowl. The water quickly grabbed him, making Wingill laugh as he pulled Springer back towards him.

"Ha! Time for payback!" Wingill cheered as he clenched his claws, talons popping out as the whip pulled Springer right up to him. But as he did this, Springer summoned a Steel Paw, cutting the water with one swipe. "What?!" Wingill yelped as he tried to hit Springer with a water whip again, only to bounce off a sudden Aura Guard. "On come on!"

"You're not winning this fish breath!" Springer barked back, still blocking Wingill continuous water whip lashes.

But as he did this, a new voice spoke out, "Flash Cutter!"

A light blade went straight for Wingill, making him hop back as an orange blur landed right by Springer, letting the jakhowl drop his shield. "Flash!"

"Hey bud. Thought you could use a hoof."

"Thanks," Springer added, only for a barrage of lightning bolts to hit the ground between them and Wingill.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he grabbed Springer to dodge the attack, both quickly getting down the street. And as both spun around, they saw Storm now hover over Wingill. The sight made Flash raise his sword and point it at both enemies. "Hate to say it buddy, but you might not want to thank me yet."

"Eh, we can take 'em." Springer replied as he made a Bone Breaker.

Flash put his blade over his shoulder, a grin gracing his face as he continued, "You're right. Let's show 'em a good old fashioned defender of the peace beatdown!"

And as the battles continued, one had come to a halt. Four ponies were in a standstill, Terror glaring at Trixie as she asked, "How...did you know?"

Trixie's face didn't falter or change at the question, a look of nothing but determination showing itself now as she replied, "Well, it's not like you hid it well. You said it yourself that you could see everything, and in all our fights, I can never seem to hit you, even when I knew you couldn't see it coming." She now pointed at the unicorn, "That's why I thought you could see the future. You're too perfect when fighting, so I knew it had to be some other trick."

"Even so," Tempera added as she took this moment to jump away from Soarin and pull out her sketchpad. "It's an awfully big jump to go from wondering how she dodges to coming up with seeing the future. How'd you know she doesn't have some kind of mind reading ability?!"

"Because I've never heard of magic that let's one read another's mind...but I do know of ponies that can see the future. Our friend Flash's mother for example, she also has the ability to see the future, though it's not on demand as your powers seem to be."

Terror went wide-eyed at the comment, her voice shaking as she responded, "I'm...not the only one?"

Trixie's grin now appeared as she tipped her hat, "Plus, mind reading wouldn't explain your cards." Tempera tilted her head at this as Trixie continued, "Your cards keep coming out with an outcome that's always positive for you, whether it be right side up or upside down."

Soarin gasped at this as he caught on, "She's using her ability to see what the outcome of each card is!"

"Exactly," Trixie grinded her hooves into the ground, getting back into a fighting stance. "That's why she hasn't been using the Tower card so much. If she did, I bet it would have been upside down. Let me guess, that would mean you get zapped."

Terror just growled as she reached for a card, "Don't think you're so great just because you figured it out! Knowing my powers in one thing, but beating it is a whole other story!" She threw the card up before it span and stopped right side up. "Arcana of the Sun!"

Trixie's eyes went wide before she pulled Soarin over to her, "Close your eyes!" He did so, the card exploding into light as it came after the duo. But as it did this, Trixie put up a barrier with her eyes closed, this one not being the usual blue color of her magic, but rather an almost blackish blue color that the light hit. The bolt exploded off the dark shield, the light dimming as the blinding spell was negated. And as Trixie and Soarin opened their eyes, both gulped as they saw a new sight in front of them.

A lindworm, quetzalcoatl and a chimera now landed before them, Soarin whispering out, "Not good."

"We have to get out of here!" Trixie yelled as her horn sparked, instantly consuming both in a smoke screen.

"Seriously?! This again?!" Terror sighed before her eyes glowed again, only to let out a gasp.

A second later, an army of Soarin flew out of the cloud, each carrying a Trixie. Each flew off in a different direction, the unicorns and scribeasts unable to tell which one to follow. "Which ones do we go after?" Tempera asked as she turned to Terror, only to see her eyes glowing again...only to let out a sigh.

"I don't know." She growled as they all got out of sight, "Damn you, Lulamoon."

"Eh, its fine. They can't hide forever," Tempera began drawing again, throwing a full sketchpad up next. In a flash, a miniature army of uni-troopers, half sized lindworms and giant flying eyeballs appeared. "Find them!" The scribeasts all let out roars of understanding before heading off, leaving the two alone. "And while they're busy hiding, we'll find the orb." Terror nodded in agreement as they ran down a nearby road.

"Ruby FORCE!" The Crystal Knight screeched as she fired a gem laced tornado from her horn.

It flew at Shadow, the pony waving his hoof as he summoned a shield, "Try again," he replied as he rubbed the length of his blade, "You're not half bad, for a mare." Ruby growled as she summoned two crystal swords, Shadow just staring at her as his shield disappeared, "If you surrender now and pledge yourself to me, I might decide to go easy on the rest of your friends."

"You're crazy!" Ruby charged as she swung both swords at him, Shadow blocking both with ease. However, as he did this, Ruby tried to push against his blade as she yelled, "I'd never join you!"

"Why not? It'll happen sooner or later, as it's inevitable that I will rule over all. Save yourself a lot of time and pain and just give up now."

"Don't underestimate us," Ruby growled as she leapt back and pointed one sword at him. "You may have gotten the drop on us a few times, but with every defeat my friends and I grow stronger. And if you think we're just gonna sit back and let you conquer our home, you've got another thing coming!"

She charged at full force, her speed and precision suddenly increasing. Shadow raised an eyebrow as she rapidly thrusted her blades at him, Shadow blocking each at the last split second. But as she swiped again at him, his horn sparked, teleporting away. He then reappeared below a nearby building, slicing his decaying sword into the structure. It instantly started to fall, the mare gasping as she saw it about to fall on her. In response, she slammed her crystal blades into the ground, a tepee of crystals shooting up around her as the building collapsed on her.

And as Shadow reappeared above rubble, he showed he was now in his cloud form to dodge the building. Solidifying next, he chuckled as he saw no sign of life in the pile of endless rubble. "Such a waste. Its too bad, as her magic isn't bad."

He then turned around, walking away before suddenly feeling a rumble under his hooves. Looking back, a crystal pillar shot out of the rubble, a unicorn coming out of the stone pile next. The knight was panting, glaring at her enemy as Shadow just continued to chuckle.

"I'm not done with you yet."

"Oh? Are you sure?" Shadow replied as he pointed at her, seeing Ruby now forcing herself to get her breathing under control. "You're looking tired. Still don't wanna give up?"

"Just like my friends, I'll never give up." She summoned a new crystal blade as she continued, "We will beat you and your goons."

And as those words hit Shadow's ears, he let out a mighty laugh, "HA! Don't be absurd." He then pointed his decaying blade at her, "I always win, and that includes my followers."

In another section of the city...

Trixie and Soarin were now hiding in an alleyway, both panting up a storm as Soarin said, "This is nuts." His ears shot up next as he heard the sound of a wheel, "Hide!" The two curled themselves up against the wall before Trixie's horn sparked, both now being replaced by a large bush.

A uni-trooper then rolled by the alleyway, passing by the bush before Trixie dropped the illusion, "We can't keep doing this," she gasped, "While we hide away, they're gonna find the orb."

"Well, what else can we do?" Soarin asked back, "If we try anything, Terror's just gonna see it coming. How do you beat somepony that can see the future?!"

Trixie rubbed her chin in thought, only to turn to Soarin, "You already did."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you and Cold beat her and Storm after she uh...beat me?"

Soarin nodded back, "Yeah. We managed to trick them into taking each other out."

"Exactly. There's no way that would have worked if she had seen it coming."

"Oh," Soarin whispered, "Does that mean she has a limit or something?"

Trixie nodded in agreement. "Probably. That means either she couldn't use it while fighting you...or she can't constantly use it. We just have to find that opening."

This statement was followed by Trixie turning them into a bush again, dodging a flying eyeball before Soarin replied, "Okay, so her future power isn't perfect. But even if we can find a window where she can't see what's gonna happen, Tempera and those scribeasts are backing her up."

"We can handle them. Terror's the real problem since she can be one step ahead of us no matter what. We have to take her out first..." She slowly began to smile, "And I think I know how."

"I like that grin." Soarin cheered, "What's the plan?"

Meanwhile...

"This is ridiculous!" Tempera growled as she turned to her teammate. "Can't you just look into the future and see which building we'll find it in?!"

"You know it doesn't work that way," Terror told her. "I can only see about a minute into the future when I'm actually trying to use it. The only times I can see any further is during visions that come naturally."

Tempera grit her teeth at the response, about to yell at her before the sound of a nearby building collapsing caught her ears. Turning to see a giant cloud of dust, Tempera grabbed Terror and warped them over to that location, only to see Soarin dodging an attacking lindworm.

"Well we found one."

"Where's Lulamoon?" Terror asked as her eyes darted around.

"Who cares," Tempera added as she pointed at Soarin, the pegasi hopping around due to his now broken left wing. It was covered in blood, slightly looking bent as Soarin flinched anytime he moved it. "Looks like my scribeast did some damage. Bet they already managed to beat the unicorn." She began to charge in with her horn shining, "Let's end this!"

"Wait!" Terror yelled, but Tempera didn't listen as she fired a spell at the Wonderbolt. The pegasi turned to her, shifting his head to dodge a magic beam from Tempera. As he did this, the lindword swung its tail at the pony, only for Soarin to grab it with his hooves.

"Oh, no you don't!" Soarin cheered as he began spinning on his back hooves with all his strength, swinging the serpent wolf creature around like a top before letting go. Tempera gasped as she saw her beast be thrown at her, the mare firing a blast that caused her creation to explode into ink. But as ink covered her vision, Soarin leapt over her. "Surprise!" He yelled, throwing a punch right into her face. And as the punch knocked the unicorn back, a piece of rubble from the previously destroyed building suddenly vanished and was replaced by Trixie.

"Double surprise!" She roared as she fired a blast from her horn right at Tempera.

"No!" Terror yelled as everything went white around her, the unicorn blinking as the world around her rewound to the previous minute. Terror then turned to the piece of rubble, quickly firing a beam at it. But as it hit the rock...it went right through with no pained scream. "What?!" She yelped before seeing Soarin throw the lindworm at Tempera. And as the mare fired a blast through the scribeast, Terror created a force field around her, stopping Soarin's attack cold.

"Huh?!" He growled before jumping back, now glaring at Terror.

The unicorn just looked away, glaring at all the debris around them, "If that piece of debris wasn't her and it was still an illusion, she's probably close by." She then pulled out a card, throwing it up as the dome appeared around her and Tempera, soon stopping right side up. "Arcana of the Strength!" The dome shrank around her before exploding, the light covering her. "Playtime is over!" She slammed her hoof into the ground, causing an earthquake that knocked both Soarin and Tempera off balance.

Terror then charged at Soarin, firing blasts as the pegasi kept hopping around each beam, "Where is she?!" Terror yelled as she started throwing punches and kicks, Soarin now break-dancing around her to avoid the attacks. He could feel air blasts coming out of her hooves, wind pressure hitting pieces of rubble all around him.

"What's the matter?" Soarin chuckled as he dodged another punch, only to grab and toss the mare over his shoulder. "Can't foresee where she is?" Terror growled as she hit the ground rolling, Tempera taking this chance to create a minotaur behind him. "NOW TRICKS!" The mares then saw him be consumed by smoke, an army of him suddenly coming out as the minotaur froze up from the huge amount of targets.

"Where's the real one?" Tempera asked Terror, the mare about to activate her ability until she saw the many Soarins jump over to the rubble of the destroyed building. Each picked up a large rock before all but one of them spread their wings and took to the air.

"Wait!" The grounded Soarin yelled, "Don't!"

"That one!" Terror and Tempera both fired a spell at the grounded Soarin, causing the ground to explode around him. The pony went flying back from the blow, crashing into a wall with an enormous thud. "Got him!"

Tempera laughed before looking up at the fake Soarins. "Don't bother. You can't trick us. There's no way any of you are real." But as she said that, the Soarins threw the rocks anyways, two mares rolling their eyes at the sight. However, one of the rocks then slammed into the minotaur, the two's eyes going wide as three more hit it, causing it to explode, "What?!"

The two quickly brought up a shield next, the rocks now bouncing off the barriers as Tempera yelped out, "How are they doing this?!"

Terror looked up, gasping as she saw all the Soarin clones vanish as the rocks stopped falling, "She was levitating the rocks! He was never here!"

"Then where is he?!" Tempera asked as both lowered their shields. Her ears then heard a mighty roar, making her turn to see the pegasi charge at her to deal a powerful kick to her head, only for him to freeze midair as Tempera caught him in her magic.

"Really?" She asked as she slung him into the ground.

"AUGH!" He wheezed out, both now walking up to him as a smile appeared on his face, a dim light shining around him, "Gotcha!" Before they could respond, Soarin's body exploded into a million specks of light to reveal Trixie beneath it. "NOW!" She screamed before her horn exploded with light, hitting the two in the face with a blinding light.

As they screamed and clutched their eyes, they then heard a loud booming sound coming from above them. Had they been able to see, the duo would have seen the real Soarin charging downward at such speeds that he had just hit the sound barrier. Rocketing through the streets at such a high velocity that a cone of air wrapped around him, he pulled his hoof back as he got closer to the two.

Forcing her eyes open, Tempera turned to the sound to see a blue blur coming straight for Terror. "LOOK OUT!" She then fired a teleportation spell, warping her over to Terror before throwing her off to the left.

Soarin saw the exchange, knowing he couldn't turn or slow down at all. "Dang it!" was all he could say as he charged ahead, throwing his hoof forward as he reached his target.

BOOM!

The impact caused a second sonic boom, a shockwave flying across the area next as the sound blocked out the screams of pain that Tempera unleashed as she was sent flying back. And as the boom began to come to a stop, Terror's eyesight cleared as she picked herself up, only to let out a gasp.

"Tempera!" She screamed as she teleported over to her, her teammate now pinned against the wall of a building. The pony was now producing dust as she fell off the structure, Terror catching her in her hooves, "How?!"

"They tricked us," Tempera wheezed out.

Terror then glared over at Soarin, now seeing him help Trixie to her hooves, "Nice shot," she told him as he waved his hoof around.

"Yeah, but I got the wrong one."

"Better than missing all together." They both turned to see Tempera completely vanish, Terror picking herself up while glaring at the two.

"You'll pay for that." Terror growled as her horn began to shine.

Soarin and Trixie nodded to each other before getting in a fighting stance, not needing to say anything as they glared at their opponent. And as their battle was about to continue, the rest of the heroes were still in their own fights, all growing exhausted every second. These two battle's were anypony's game. Who will win?

Author's Note

Well, now you know why Terror was so hard to beat before. For those trying to understand her abilities, go watch Next staring Nicolas Cage. So, how will these fights turn out? Only one why to find out. Stay tuned.

All In The Cards

Manehatten, many years ago.

In a small corner of the city, a little neighborhood was huddling multiple fillies and colts of differing races all playing together. Some where playing catch on the street while others played hopscotch or four square.

But on one sidewalk, there were a bunch of fillies sitting around an upside down box. One of the fillies was a brown unicorn with a purple mane and tail, the young pony smiling as she shuffled a bunch of cards around. She then placed them on the box, tapping the cards several times before shuffling and splitting them into three piles. "Pick one?" She asked the filly in front of her, the earth pony touching the pile. "Again." She touched another, the unicorn taking it while placing it on the pile not picked before placing the first pile atop them. She shuffled one last time before spreading the cards out. "Now pick three, as these will indicate your future husband's past, present and future."

"Okay." The filly pulled three out, leaving them uncovered as she did.

The unicorn flipped the first card, showing an image before glancing at a book on her left. "This card symbolizes excitement and adventure. It appears that the stallion you'll one day marry will be a pony that will have travelled far and wide before he meets you."

"Oooh," the girls all hummed as the second card was flipped over.

"This card symbolizes surprise. It's likely your first meeting with your husband will be unexpected, the two of you bumping into one another when you least expect it."

"What about our future?" The filly quickly flipped the last card over, showing an image of a basic pony with nothing else extravagant on the card.

"Hmm..." the unicorn looked through her book. "This card is one of blandity, representing a future of boredom. Once married, your husband will likely get a desk job and spend the rest of his life wasting away behind it." This caused the other filly to pout, all of her friends laughing until they turned to the unicorn.

"Wow Glitter," one spoke up. "You're getting really good at reading tarot cards."

"Though all your predictions seem to end in misery," another stated.

"Don't blame me," Glitter shuffled the cards back together. "That's just the way the universe works."

The others snorted at this as one laughed, "Tarot cards?! More like terror cards!" The rest began to laugh as well as they all ran away, all ready to go to their houses. Glitter was following behind as she held her cards in her magic, but as she followed her friends, she suddenly froze, her entire body going ridged. Her cards fell to ground next, scattering everywhere as the filly's eyes went wide with a purple glow.

The world around her suddenly whited out for a second, only to fade into a completely different location. It was one she recognized as a street several blocks over, which had one of her favorite candy shops on it. She tried to move, but found herself instead frozen as she then saw her friends standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to go green. "Glitter!" The friend she had just told her fortune too waved at her, "Come on! All the good stuff's gonna be gone!" The light then turned green, the girl quickly spinning around as she sprinted across the street...only for a voice to suddenly cry out.

"LOOK OUT!" Looking up the street, a taxi cab came charging at high speed, It headed straight for Glitter's friend, the filly freezing up in fear at the sight of the runaway carriage.

But as it got within inches of her, the world whited out again. Glitter found herself stumbling on the street, blinking as she shook her head. "What...was that?" she moaned as she rubbed the side of her head, a headache now hitting her brain.

"Glitter!" She glanced back up to see her friends now standing in front of one of their houses. "Hey, my mom just gave me a sack of bits! She said we can go to the candy store!"

"Candy store?" Glitter replied, only to grip her head as she felt pain rush into it again. She could feel some sweat go down her face before seeing her friends now run down the street, "Wait!" She yelled as she ran after them, only to gasp as she saw them stop in front of a very familiar crossway. "No...this can't be happening!"

"Glitter!" Her one friend yelled while waving at the unicorn filly, "Come on! All the good stuff's gonna be gone!"

"NO!" Glitter screamed as she light turned green, her friend turning around to sprint down the road as a certain voice yelled out.

"LOOK OUT!"

But it was too late. The taxi cab appeared again, the street soon being filled with screams of horror.

The Present...

Trixie and Soarin were now standing side by side as they stared down Terror Card. Their combo of illusions and speed had managed to trick the unicorn's foresight, beating the artist known as Tempera.

"You two are gonna regret what you just did," Terror growled as she slowly walked up to them. "Mark my words."

"Really?" Soarin laughed, "Is that something you foresaw?" But as he said that, a beam of light suddenly shot down from the sky. The pegasi's reflexes instantly kicked in, dodging the blast as it the ground with an explosion. "WHOA!"

"What was that?!" Trixie yelped before seeing one of the eyeball monsters Tempera had made, the creature glaring down at them, "That thing's still alive?"

"What, you thought because you took Tempera down, her scribeasts would go down with her? Hate to break it to you...actually, I'm gonna love breaking it to you. Even if Tempera's unconscious, her scribeast can still remain as long as they have orders to complete."

"And let me guess," Soarin added as he glared back at her, "Their last order was to find and take us down."

"Exactly," Terror chuckled as she pointed upward, "And it seems your little sonic boom caught the others' attention." The two looked up and went wide-eyed, now seeing the remaining eyeball monsters appearing before the uni-troopers and lindworms started charging from the alleyways.

Soarin and Trixie went back to back as they now found themselves surrounded and outnumbered, Terror pulling out a card while the scribeasts went in for the attack. The lindworms curled up and began to spin at them, both leaping away as Trixie fired a weak blast at the beast, just enough to make it pop.

"Oh? What's the matter?" Terror laughed, "Did all those illusions you used to trick Tempera and me drain you close to your limit? Tch, you really are a weakling."

Trixie growled back, knowing she was right as she barked back, "I doubt I'm the only one. Seeing into the future must burn through a lot of magic."

Terror did a small shrug, "Maybe, but I have ways around that." She took out an Empress card from her cape, her eyes glowing purple before sighing, "Not yet."

Her opponent saw this was about to spark her horn to fire a beam at the thinking unicorn, only for Soarin to yell, "Trixie, MOVE!" She leapt to the side, just in time to dodge a laser from an eyebat. Its eyes kept glowing as it soon fired another beam, Trixie running around as Soarin zipped up and slammed the bat from above before tackling it to the ground.

Like a balloon, the beast popped under his weight before Soarin rolled back to his hooves, jumping around as another beam hit just a few inches away from him. And as he and Trixie went back to back, the remaining eyebats, lindworms and uni-troopers surrounded them, ready to fight the monsters as Terror stood safely behind the crowd.

Meanwhile...

Flash and Springer were also standing side by side against Storm and Wingill. Flash soon raised his sword while Springer formed a Bone Breaker, the two glancing and nodding at one another. Wingill then broke the silence, "Don't think because you're together you'll suddenly be able to turn things around!" He pulled a stream of water out of the canal, "Storm and I have fought in countless battles together!" He swung the whip at the two, Flash slashing the water while his blade began to shine, the heat coming off it evaporating the liquid.

"And together we've defeated opponents with greater numbers than you two!" Storm yelled as he charged at Flash, only for an Aura Guard to appear around him.

"Maybe, but I bet they didn't have the teamwork we have." Flash countered as Springer leapt above the shield, throwing an Aura Blast at the pegasi. Storm quickly blocked the orb with his Celestic Gear, the Aura Guard dropping as Flash slashed at him, "Flash Cutter!"

An energy blade struck his side, causing him to yell out in pain. "Storm!" Wingill yelled as he flew upward while trying to summon some more water, only for Springer to zip right up to him.

"Steel Paw!" He roared as he slashed at the hippogriff, clipping the bird's wings. He let out a yelp of pain as the jakhowl fell back down, Flash catching him with ease.

And as they landed, Storm flapped backward to Wingill as they both clutched their injured bodies. "How'd they do that?" Wingill grunted as he pulled out his talons.

"Not sure. Its like they knew what the other was planning without even looking at one another." Storm added as he pointed his blade at the duo. "Doesn't matter. Get ready to tear them apart."

"Got it."

However, as they said this, Flash and Springer just chuckled as their minds did the talking for them. 'Nice work bud. They've got no idea we're talking through our auras. That being said, your aura okay right now?'

'I'm fine. Besides, they'll never see us coming since they have to speak all their plans.'

'Right. Get ready to give me another Aura Guard. Then drop it when I'm ready.'

'You got it! Let's take 'em down!'

With that, Flash charged with his sword fulling glowing. Wingill thrusted his claws in response, sending a blast of water at the pegasus. But before it hit, another shield appeared around him as Flash began to spin.

"FLASH DRIVER!" he yelled as his aura said, 'Now bud!' The shield dropped as Flash morphed into a light drill, cutting through the water as it charged at the two cultists.

Both saw the incoming attack, both leaping to the side as the drill struck the ground, sending chunks of flying rocks out next. The rubble flew everywhere, hitting both as they tried to dodge the rubble. And as the dust from the impact faded, Flash flew out of the cloud, both partners smiling as they now saw their opponents trying to recover.

"Cold Dragons!" A barrage of ice serpents shot out of the ground, all charging at a panting Salix as he kept running down a street. As he did this, Cold rode one of the frozen beasts, slashing at the nirik with an ice blade.

"Hey!" Salix yelped as he barely managed to duck, turning next to shoot a small fireball out of his mouth. "Back off!" The flame flew at Cold, only for him to cross two ice blades to block it. The flames exploded just an inch from the knight's face, the ice weapons remaining solid, though a bit thinner now.

"Seems I was right." Cold commented as he reinforced his weapons, "Tell me, where's your bigger fireballs?" Salix's eyes started to grow at the question, only to see an ice dragon's mouth coming right for him, making him hop out of the way. And as he dodged another serpent, Cold gestured for his creations to come to a stop. Salix halted as well, now seeing tree dragons surround him as Cold kept talking, "You know what I think?"

"That deep fried apples in barbecue source is an awesome idea for a restaurant idea?"

"No." Cold deadpanned, his face still not fazing as he continued, "I think you've got a limit to how much fire you can withstand." Salix's eyes went from growing to shrinking, doing a small gulp as Cold kept going, "I thought so. Even fire creatures like you aren't immune to the risks of overheating. I'm betting you're getting dizzy, nauseous...maybe even have a small headache."

Salix's face morphed back into one showing anger, growling as he replied, "You think you're so smart..."

"Smart enough to figure you out. Nopony noticed it before, but in your previous battles, you've kept your flames relatively low when you aren't attacking. But since I froze you, you've kept the heat high to save yourself from getting a repeat." Cold rested one of his blades on his shoulder, "I'm betting you can't keep that up for long." A big fake smile began to form on Cold's face as he leaned in and continued, "I wonder...would Shadow want you around if he knew you had such a pathetic weakness?"

"Shut up!" Salix barked back, flames exploding off his body as it melted the three ice dragons.

'Step one when dealing with hot-heads.' Cold thought as he felt the serpent he was riding melt under his hooves, gently putting him down on the street. 'Get them even more angry till their flames run without control and don't notice they reached their limit. But before that-'

He then slammed his hooves into the ground as he yelled, "Cold Field!" A sheet of freezing wind shot of the knight, encasing the whole area except Salix as the cold gust melted around him.

"Don't think your little popsicle powers scare me! I'll burn you into....into....into something hotter than anything I can think of!"

Cold just raised one hoof and gave a 'come on' gesture, "I'll take that threat. Bring it."

Another part of the city...

"Crystal Shot Barrage!" Tons of crystal arrows shot down a street, Shadow's morphing into a shadow as every one went right through him. As they did this, he summoned a portal to catch them, several more holes appearing around Ruby at the same time. He eyes went wide as she summoned a crystal barrier around her, blocking her own attacks.

However, Shadow just laughed as he went into another portal, coming out above her with blade in hoof. He slammed the sword into the shield, cutting in half as Ruby side-stepped from his attack. Shadow's body reformed again as he now landed, pointed the blade at her, "Tell me, do you still think you can defeat me?" He let out a chuckle while pulling his blade bac, "That's a laugh." The stallion thrust the sword forward, slashing horizontally next as Ruby hopped back from each attack, forming a crystal blade as well before swinging it back at the unicorn. However, the sword just clanged against his blade, both locking in place. But as they did this, Shadow laughed before pushing the knight back, "I mean, I would understand if you were simply trying to hold me back long enough for the others to find the orb, but you're actually trying to beat me."

"Of course I am!" Ruby yelled as she quickly began hopping backward, her horn flaring as she did this, "Everypony has a weakness, even ones with as many abilities as you! So no matter how unbeatable you think you are..." a giant amount of magic aura now consumed her horn, "I WILL FIND A WAY TO BEAT YOU!"

With that, she unleashed a Crystal Force at the unicorn. Laughing at the sight, the unicorn created another portal, catching the gem laced tornado, another portal firing it into a nearby building. The force of the attack ripped the place apart, causing the structure to collapse.

The two started to glare at each other, Ruby noticeably panting as Shadow just showed a tiny amount of breath. But as they prepared to attack, their ears suddenly spiked up. Both turned to the now collapsed building, both going wide-eyed as they saw a new sight. It was the sound and sight of a metallic clinking orb, the sphere rolling out of the rubble.

Shadow and Ruby stood frozen as it came to a stop fifteen feet from them. They then slowly turned to one another, the same thought entering their minds before Shadow's horn glowed, his form instantly warping away. At the same time, Ruby's horn sparked before stomping the ground. And as Shadow teleported over to the orb, crystal spikes shot out of the ground, encasing it within them. "Graaah!" He growled as he felt the crystals suddenly strike his hooves, making him turn to see Ruby charging with a pair of swords. But as she was about to hit him, Shadow summoned his sword and blocked it, getting pushed back only a few inches.

"Looks like that orb's gonna go to whoever can overpower the other."

And as those words left Ruby's mouth, Shadow just laughed in her face, "That means it's going to me."

Meanwhile again...

"Take...this!" Soarin yelled as he slammed his hoof into a uni-trooper, causing it to explode into ink. Trixie then fired several more weak blasts in the scribeast's directions, destroying the many uni-troopers and lindworms with ease. But as they did this, several more began to appear all around them.

As the happened, Terror gestured to a lindworm, pulling out a card at the same time. She threw the card upward, a dome now appearing around her and the scribeast. And as the card spun, Trixie gasped as she destroyed an eyebat, "No way...she can use those cards on the scribeasts?!"

"Arcana of the Reversed Chariot!" The dome shrank around the lindworm before exploding, the wolf serpent glowing before howling. It then curled up and spun around, speed picking up so fast as that it dug a trench in the ground as it charged at the duo.

Trixie quickly tried to fire of a spell at it, but the spell just bounced off the spinning worm. And as it charged, it accidentally crushed some uni-troopers as it kept smashing the street under it.

"We have to stop that thing!" Trixie screamed as she tried backpedal.

"On it!" Soarin responded as he flew into the beast, Trixie gasping as she saw him slam into the wheel, grunting as he pushed it back with just his hooves. "Now!" Trixie didn't waste the chance and fired, the reduced speed managing to get through the wind pressure of the wheel like worm, destroying it with one blow.

Soarin spat out a glob of spit as he staggered back from the destruction of the worm, coughing next as he rubbed his new scratches covering his body. But as he tried to recover, three more lindworms appeared, all ready to mow him down. As this happened, Trixie found herself having to use hoof to hoof combat due to drained magic to help the Wonderbolt.

And as this happened, Terror just saw there with glowing eyes before pulling out a card, "Its time for a little payback. This one is for you Tempera."

Trixie then punched a lindword before looking up, gasping as she saw no dome appear, "Soarin, get over here! She's gonna do one of those attack cards!"

Kicking the last lindworm away, he sprinted into high gear to get over to Trixie. The mare began to form a bubble around herself as Soarin slid under as it closed, Soarin then asking, "Are you sure you can keep this thing up?" His question was followed by several eyebat beams, Trixie flinching as she felt their attack hit the shield.

Terror just laughed at the sight while she watched her card slow down, her horn sparking as it began its last turn. A flash of light consumed as she teleported over to the barrier, Trixie's shield faltering for a split second. And within that moment, she reappeared and grabbed Soarin.

"Surprise!" She cheered as she teleported both out of the shield and over to the card.

"NO!" Trixie cried as she watched Terror kick Soarin away, the pegasus staggering right under the card as it stopped right side up.

"Arcana of the Tower!" In that moment, the card exploded with electrical energy, striking Soarin with a pillar of lightning and thunder.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as one billion volts ran through his body.

"Soarin!" Heart yelled, Soul covering her face in horror.

The two had been watching the battles intermittently, both barely able to watch Ruby, Trixie and Soarin's fights compared to the others. And as they saw the lightning slowly began to weaken and ground into the earth, it revealed a standing smoking Soarin.

"Is...is he okay?" Soul squeaked out while still closing her eyes.

"I'm...not sure." Heart replied, only for despair to cover his face as he saw dust begin to fade off of the pegasi. "Oh no..."

"SOARIN!" Trixie screamed as she tried to run after him, only for her legs to give out, making her stumble onto the dirt. She then tried to look up, now seeing the Wonderbolt fall over as well. "Soarin…" she whimpered out, his body silently fading into dust that was taken by the wind.

Terror laughed at the sight, soon turning to slowly walk over to Trixie, "You lose. You and your friend may have been able to trick my future sight once, but never again."

Trixie glared up at her, the mare trying to push herself back to her hooves, only to give out again as the scribeasts began to surround her. But as they readied to attack her, Terror raised her hoof, stopping them. And as they all hissed and glared at her, Trixie tried to pick herself up again, only to fall over again.

"No. I...I won't...give up."

"I know you won't," Terror giggled with glowing eyes. "But it won't matter. My victory over you is set in stone."

"I don't...believe that," Trixie growled, hissing as she glared up at the unicorn, "Even if you've seen it, I'll change it. You might have seen me losing, but I'll win and prove you wrong!"

This statement made Terror's giggling stop, her face morphing to a glaring frown as she leaned down to Trixie's level, "Don't be a fool. The future cannot be changed by somepony as pathetic as you."

Meanwhile once more...

"Storm Shot!" Storm roared as he unleashed several bolts of lightning, Flash charging at the attack with a giant grin.

"Flash Grinder!" Flash responded as he spun into a light wheel, deflecting every bolt as he descended. Seeing the attack, Storm held up his sheath to block the attack, only for Flash to stop spinning and slam his back hooves into the sheath. Feeling the sudden push, Flash kicked off the sheath and backflipped as Springer appeared right behind him with a Bone Breaker in paw.

Storm's eyes went wide at the sight, Wingill jumping in to form a wall of water to block the jakhowl. However, Springer instead broke his weapon in two and swung them in an X formation, dispersing the water as the jakhowl bent over, Flash rolling over his back before thrusting his back hoof into Wingill, smacking him into Storm.

"Blaugh!" they both yelped in pain, Flash and Springer hoof-bumping as they saw their enemies trying to recover.

"I told you, follow my lead!" Storm growled as he pushed Wingill off of him.

"I'm trying!" Wingill hissed as he picked himself up before summoning a large bubble of water. Storm then raised his weapon, lightning exploding off the blade.

"Now!" Wingill thrust his claws forward, the water flying past the pegasi as he thrusted the electricity into the liquid. Flash and Springer saw the zapping water coming, both smirking as they began to dance around the attack. Electric water whips swung around, Flash and Springer ducking and weaving as they mentally kept telling each other what to do. And as they easily dodged each one without a burn or singe, Wingill and Storm could just sit and watch with dropped jaws.

"How are you doing that?!" Storm almost screamed.

Flash and Springer just laughed as the knight replied, "Its called teamwork, right bud?"

"That's right. You might be able to work together, but it's nothing compared to us. We're not just teammates, we're partners."

"Friends..."

"FAMILY!" They both roared, their opponents yelling out as well as they charged at the two. Springer instantly put up an Aura Guard, blocking a swipe from Storm's blade and Wingill's claws, only to drop it as he ducked down over Flash's sword. "Flash Cutter!" A light blade flew out of the weapon, pushing both back as Springer summoned an Aura Force.

"Oh, no you don't!" Storm growled as he quickly turned the dial and pointed his weapon at the attack, "Storm Force!" A tornado shot out at the aura laser, the jakhowl's attack powering through the wind. Wingill saw this and summoned a wall of water, blocking the rest of the Aura Force. But as this happened, another voice yelled out.

"Flash Driver!" A drill of light broke through the water, slamming into both. The attack cut through the cultists, Storm quickly blocking the tip of the drill and tried to push it back. But as he did this, the rest of the water wall dropped to reveal Springer forming an Aura Blast in his paws.

"Grrr..." Storm grunted as he swung his blade upward, knocking Flash's attack upward before turning his dial while glaring at Springer's incoming attack. "I'm not done yet!" he roared as Springer threw the Aura Blast. Seeing the incoming sphere, he pointed the blade directly at the projectile. "Storm Vortex!" A tornado appeared around them and intercepted the orb, sucking it into the vortex and spinning it around until it was shot out behind them.

But as Wingill got back to his hooves, their ears heard a new sound, "Flash Cutter!" Storm spun around to see Flash swing his sword at the previous aura orb, knocking it back at the duo with Flash's light now wrapping around the sphere.

Storm raised his weapon, ready to deflect the attack again...only for the sphere to disappear. "Ha! Looks like your attack ran out!" he chuckled as he lowered his weapon, reaching for the dial. "Now I'll-"

BOOM!

"GYAH!" The cultists screamed, an explosion hitting their feet before knocking both into opposite building walls.

The two moaned as they tried to pull themselves out of the their own body-shaped holes in the wall, only to gasp as they saw Flash and Springer back to back, Flash pointing his weapon at Storm while Springer formed an aura sphere between his paws.

"Wait!" They yelped, Wingill only able to protect himself as he formed a water wall again. Storm on the other hoof, had dropped his Celestic Gear from the previous blow.

"Flash/Aura...FORCE!" The two attacks launched at the opposing winged beings, Wingill barely blocking the attack as Storm was sent flyting through the wall of the building. The pegasi was then flung through another building, crashing into the next street. And as this happened, the Aura Force broke through Wingill's defense and slammed into him, now being flung through only one wall before rolling to a stop.

"Did we get them?" Springer asked as he flexed his paws, aura sparking around his arms.

"I'll check on Storm," Flash replied while flying over to the hole, "You get Wingill."

"Got it." Springer walked into the destroyed building, scanning the room with his aura. And as he felt a certain aura, a claw suddenly came out of some rubble, "Whoa!" he yelped as he leapt back, evading the attack as Wingill pulled himself out of a pile of rocks. His body was battered, blood streaming down one of his wings and over his left eye.

"We're not...done...yet." Wingill moaned, not noticing some dust now fading off his tail.

Seeing this, Springer shook his head, "No, I think you are." He pointed to behind himself, "You and Storm are done today."

And as this happened, Storm groaned as he tried to pick himself up, his entire body screaming at him. He rolled over to his belly, pushing his legs upward, only to flop over. He tried again, only to see dust come off his body. "No...I can't lose..."

He then looked up, his eyes showing nothing but blurs...until he saw it. The orb was floating a few feet from him, making him gasp. The cultist began to crawl along the ground, his body still vanishing as he kept trying to move. "Victory...I have to-"

"Not today!" Flash yelled as he leapt into the room, pinning the pegasi to the floor. Storm whizzed out a gasp of air, feeling all the wind be knocked out at him.

And as he felt Flash's hoof push his head into the ground, he felt all his strength leave his body. He let out a long sigh, "Fine. You win this round."

"Thanks." Flash added as he started to release the tension off his hoof, only for Storm to start laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You. All you fools are hilarious." Storm's eyes looked up at the defender with a giant grin, his belly now fading as he said, "You'll never win, and you're deluding yourself if you think your friends can defeat master Shadow. Everything will still be even."

With that, he let out one last laugh before fading, leaving Flash alone with the orb. The knight shook his head as he grabbed the orb, "Maybe...but I trust them to pull off a miracle."

Another part of the city...

On a now half-frozen street, a giant ice snake slammed its body into a building, a certain nirik leaping just out of the way from the attack. As he did this, a second snake descended down on him, making him look up and spit a fireball right at the icy beast's face. Melting the creature's top half with the flaming sphere, the nirik let out a deep breath, his tongue waving as he gasped for air.

"So cold...need warmth." he moaned as he clinched his body, fire coating his form for a quick second. And as he did this, a giant ice hammer suddenly slammed the ground in front of him, making him yelp out, "Whoa!" he hopped back and spat another volley of fire, melting the weapon before turning to see Cold with two ice blades.

"Time's up." Cold commented as he thrust his left blade right at Salix's face. He stretched his head back, feeling the weapon nick his face cheek as he almost dodged the sword. His eyes darted over to Cold's other hoof, the knight swiping the other blade upward to strike the nirik in the chest.

But as he was about to hit the nirik, the ground suddenly shook, causing both to come to a stop. In the corners of their eyes, a pillar of light exploded in the distance. Cold dismissed his blades at that point, Salix stumbling backward as his flames rose again to keep him warm.

"Looks like our game's over." Salix barked as he glared at Cold, "I bet my team got the orb. I bet you anything. Name it and I'll bet it. Go on, name it!"

Cold didn't reply, instead just giving the nirik an emotionless, blank stare. And as the light caught up to them, he spoke, "Betting without all the facts is a fool's game." The light then hit them, "Remember that."

Salix didn't say anything else as they were both teleported away. In the blink of an eye, Cold found himself back in the map room with Flash and Springer. Shaking off the usual landing from the battlefield, he turned to the duo, only to see two giant grins. Turning to the map, he then saw the third orb, "Good work."

"You know it!" Flash cheered as he and Springer hoof-bumped.

As they did this, Cold sat down in a nearby chair and turned to Heart and Soul, "How are the others doing?"

Heart did a small gulp as he replied, "Soarin got knocked out, but he managed to take Tempera out as well. But you'll never guess what he and Trixie found out about Terror." The three raised eyebrows at this, all turning to the screen as they now saw Trixie surrounded by scribeasts with Terror staring down at her.

"I commend you on making it this far," Terror laughed as watched Trixie continue to try and pick herself up, "But you can't fight fate." She then held a her card, spinning it around to reveal the Empress Card. "It's time. With this, my magic will return and I'll have everything I need to defeat you."

"That's...not happening."

"Oh please. What can you do?" Terror spat, leaning down next as she grabbed Trixie's throat with her magic, "You might as well be an earth pony, you're as useless as one. Face it, you're going to lose, just like your friends. I've already seen it."

"Just because you saw it..." Trixie choked, her eyes trying to squint and glare at Terror, "It doesn't...it doesn't mean it'll definitely come true."

"Maybe not, but this future is a certain." She replied before letting Trixie go, "There's only one pony with the power to change the future, and that for sure isn't you."

Trixie felt her chin hit the ground, tensing at the pain before trying to push herself up again. And as she started to get up, her hooves shook like jelly as she responded, "Let me guess. It's you."

Terror shook her head, "No, not me. But Celestia knows I tried." Trixie raised an eyebrow at this, now seeing Terror spin the card in her hoof, "Ever since I was a filly, I constantly got visions of those around me. And every time, it was an event that caused great sadness and pain. Alas, no matter what I did, I couldn't change it. Whether I interfered or left things to unfold on their own, ponies I cared about would always be hurt, killed or lose somepony they care about." She let out a long sigh, "I even foresaw the loss of an unborn pony and was unable to stop it."

Trixie's eyes went wide at those words, "You can't be serious. Are you saying...the future really is that set in stone?!" She then watched Terror look away, seemingly staring off into the horizon, as if she was remembering a fond memory.

"I used to think so, but then I met him."

Two years ago...

In the market place of a small village, Glitter let out a long sigh as she leaned back in a chair inside her fortune teller's booth. She had grown a lot since she was a filly, now dressing in a silver hooded cape with earrings. As for her sigh, it was because she had just told a young couple their future, the two not happy when she predicted an eventual split that lead to the two stomping out and screaming to the rest of the ponies that she was a hack. Grumbling at the sight, she took a bite of a sandwich, knowing she would need to pack up and leave for the day.

After packing up her cart a few minutes later, she pulled the wagon out of town and into a forest that separated it from another town. But after an hour of travel, she came to stop before unhooking her wagon. "Come out," she called out in a bored tone, "I know you're there."

A light chuckle filled the air next, only for a yellow earth pony stallion to come out of the bushes and say, "I'm impressed you were able to detect us. Most ponies don't notice until it's too late."

"Don't be too disappointed. You did get the jump on me the first time." She lifted her head so her eyes could be seen through her hood, the stallion staggering back at the sight of her glowing eyes. "Why don't you and your friends save yourself the trouble and leave?"

The stallion growled before pointing at her, several more ponies appeared as he yelled, "Get her!" They all charged at her, only for Glitter to disappear in a flash of light. Two of the ponies bonked into each other as she did this, the others turning to see her appear a few feet away. And as they charged at her, she fired a beam of magic, knocking back two more before the others got to her. But as they tried to punch and tackle her, she dodged each blow, kicking them away with ease.

Several minutes passed as she continued to evade every blow, easily beating them without taking a single bit of damage. And as the leader flopped to the ground in exhaustion, he moaned out, "How...are...you...doing this?!"

"A mild advantage of the cursed life I live." Glitter replied, doing a small sigh as she dusted herself off, "Are you all done?"

"Grrr...not yet!" the leader roared as he got up again, roaring as he charged at her. But as he did this, her eyes began to glow purple, only for the glow to cut out.

"What?!" she yelped, now seeing her future vision suddenly go dark. She then looked back to se the charging stallion, fear now entering her mind as he got closer. "Wait, no-"

WHAM!

A black blur suddenly shot out of the forest, slamming into the earth pony with so much force that his body went through a tree. The others' jaws dropped at this, only to now see a gray unicorn with a red mane and tail that was covered in scars. "You lot really should have heeded her previous warning." The others replied by charging at him, yelling profanities as they did. But as they tried to reach him, an army of uni-troopers sprang from the bushes, striking them all down. And as the first fell, the other bandits quickly turned tail and ran, all running as the uni-troopers knocked out the rest.

"Should we go after them?" asked a silver unicorn that was now walking out of the nearby bushes.

"No." he shook his head, "They're of no consequence." He then turned to Glitter, "You, on the other hoof..."

Glitter got back into a battle stance, her voice slightly shaking at the sight of the stallion as she replied, "What do you want with me?" Her eyes instantly began to glow next, looking ahead to the answer he was about to say...only to gasp out as she saw the world around her suddenly turned fuzzy, filled with nothing but the static one would get on an untuned television. "Gah!" she screamed while clutching her eyes. Her eyes began to glow again, only for pain to surge in her brain again. And as she tried a third time, she began to pant as she stared up at the stallion, "You...what did you do to me?!"

"Hmm? Whatever do you mean?" He asked, his stance going between an offensive and defensive one.

"Don't play games with me! How are you stopping my future sight?!"

"Future sight?"

"Yes! How are you stopping my visions?!" Glitter screeched, her horn sparking as she squinted her eyes.

The mare then walked in front of the stallion, "Don't bother with her master, she's obviously insane. There's no way to see the future."

"Maybe not..." the stallion replied before slowly pushing the mare out of the way, "You can see the future? Truly?"

Glitter nodded back, "Yeah."

"Hmmm...that would explain how you were fighting so well earlier. You don't have a scratch on you."

"Oh please master." the mare added, "I bet she just has some fighting experience...despite her odd outfit for something like that."

"Hold on there." the stallion responded as he pointed at Glitter, "You obviously can do this ability on command. How far can you look ahead?"

Glitter blinked at his question, arguing in her head if she should respond. Despite this, she replied, "On demand, just a minute or so."

"A minute...that's a long time in a fight. Could turn the tide of an entire battle." The stallion shook his head next, "Too bad. I'm not interested if the ability only goes that far. I would prefer something much more long term. That being said, what did you mean by on demand? Do you not command your ability completely?"

"Well...no." Glitter added before sighing, "I can see further into the future, but I can't do it on command. The visions happen at random, letting me see events that can happen anytime in somepony's future."

"Does that include yours?"

"Always. Every future I see is one where I'm there. I've never seen a future that didn't have me in the vicinity."

The stallion did a long chuckle, "You were born with an amazing gift. Its a shame there is less control to it."

And as those words entered Glitter's ears, she grit her teeth, horn sparking as she yelled at him, "How dare you! This isn't a gift, its a curse!"

"Oh? How so?"

"This...this future sight has ruined my life!" she screamed, "Every time I forge a bond with somepony, family, friends or whatever, I always get a vision of a horrible fate that befalls them! And no matter what I do, it always comes true! Because of me, because of...this, I'm forced to be alone for fear of setting somepony's doom in stone."

The stallion and mare exchanged a small glance before slowly trotted over to her, "If that's the case, what do you see in that future now? Can you see my demise?" Glitter almost backpedaled at the incoming pony, her eyes glowing before static appeared in her vision. And as she got back to the present, the stallion closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the neck before thrusting her into the ground.

"Gyah!" She coughed as pressure was added to her neck, the mare held in place by a single hoof while the stallion chuckled.

"You can't see a future involving me, can you?" She slowly shook her head. "That's because my future is mine to carve and nopony else's." He then released his grip, letting her breath as she began coughing, "I decide what my future holds, not you."

Glitter's whole body began to shake at those words, looking back up and staring at the stallion, "You mean, I won't be able to see your future no matter what?"

"I'm saying I won't allow you to see it. Even if you have a vision showing my death, I will change it. Because the future belongs to those who have the strength to push past their limits and keep fighting, even if something is set in stone." He turned to the other mare, "We're leaving."

And as the two began to trot away, Glitter quickly got up and yelled, "Wait! Please take me with you!" They came to a stop, both looking back as she continued, "If it's true that I can't see your future, then being with you will mean I'll be free!"

The mare growled as she stepped in front of the stallion, "Back off! If you think I'll let some hussy near my stallion, you've got another thing coming."

Glitter blinked at her for a second, only to stare back at the stallion, "Please. Please take me with you. I'll do anything to be free of this curse."

He responded with a long, deep stare before asking, "And what use would you be to me?"

"I might not be able to see your future, but I can see others. You said yourself that that power could be helpful."

The stallion nodded back, "That's true. Alright," he turned away, "You can join us....but you better prove your worth. If not, you won't see your end coming." Glitter cheered back as she ran over to her wagon, putting it back on before trotting toward her new 'friends'.

"Say, what do I call you?" She asked as she began to follow behind them.

"I am Shadow Corrupter. And this is Tempera." Shadow glanced back at her, "What about you?"

Glitter was about to announce her name, only for her mind to scream at her, saying her name was something he would never respect. And as she thought about this, a memory from long ago echoed into her mind as she replied, "Call me...Terror Card."

The Present...

"Since that day, I've never had a vision depicting the doom of those I've grown close too. Master Shadow's unbreakable will is so strong, it can change the course of any and all futures I see."

"Unbreakable...will?" Trixie whispered to herself, a small smile now appearing on his face, "So it is possible for Trixie to change the future if her will is strong enough?"

"HA! Not in a million years!" Terror laughed, "Only master Shadow has the power to shape his own destiny, not some scrub like you. Everypony else must simply accept what the universe has chosen to be their fate."

Trixie let out a long breath as she glared back at Terror, "You're wrong...anypony can shape their own destiny, if they're willing to push themselves." Terror rolled her eyes and gestured to the scribeasts, the group charging at her on command. Several uni-troopers came first, Trixie grabbing one and throwing it at another before dodging and eyebat blast.

And as she saw a lindworm about to swing its tail at her, Terror fired a blast at Trixie's feet. An explosion came next, knocking the magician back before her horn sparked, forming a bubble shield around her. However, the lindworm's body swung at her next, smashing the barrier in one go. The tail hit her stomach, sending her flying down the street.

Soul let out a scream while Heart flinched at the sight, the others simply staring as Trixie rolled down the road.

"It's over," Cold sighed while looking away.

"No way," he heard Flash say next, the others turning to him as he stared at Trixie. The mare was now trying to get back up, her body shaking like crazy as he continued, "It's only over if she gives up. And Trixie hasn't given up yet."

They looked back at the screen, Cold shaking his head, "I don't see it."

"Then watch and learn Cold. This is what happens when somepony never gives up."

Terror growled as she walked over to Trixie, the scribeast surrounding them all. "How many times do I have to explain it?! You are destined to lose this fight! That is the future that has been written." Her eyes glowed as she pulled out her Empress Card, "Last warning. Accept your fate, or be destroyed."

Trixie grunted in pain as she rolled onto her stomach, panting as she pushed on her hooves, "A long time ago...Trixie believed that her future was set in stone. Everypony, even her own father, believed she would achieve nothing worth while in her life. And slowly...she started to think the same thing. She started hiding her insecurities behind a façade, becoming an egotistic boaster that lied about her abilities."

Terror giggled at this, "Oh? Sounds like the hopeless opponent I'm fighting right now."

"You're wrong." Trixie replied as she kept trying to stand up, "You see, Trixie...I met Flash. He made me realize my future was whatever I could make it. He, Twilight and all my friends helped me find the strength I needed to achieve me true power. Then I met Luna and she took me under her wing, because she believed I had more potential then I had ever dreamed of." She finally lifted her head, glaring at Terror. "So go ahead, throw that card! I don't care what future you saw! It won't be the same one that happens!"

The mare growled back at her, raising the card, "Don't be a fool. I already told you how this ends. You lose and master Shadow will defeat your friend, earning us the orb!"

"You're wrong," Trixie's horn began to spark as Terror threw the card, "Even if it's already been decided," the dome appeared around them as the card began to spin. "Even if it's set in stone..." She galloped forward as she screamed, "I'LL SMASH THAT FUTURE!"

"You'll smash nothing!" She ducked under Trixie's punch, quickly side-stepping away, "The future has been confirmed and there's nothing you can-" She stopped when she looked up at the card, now seeing it come to a halt...upside down. "What?!" She screeched as the dome shrank around Trixie, "NO!"

The dome exploded into light, absorbing into Trixie as she felt a pulse of magic charge into her body.

"That's not possible!" Terror screamed as she shook her head, "That's...that's not what I saw!" Her thoughts were cut when Trixie's horn fired a blast of magic at her. Terror's eyes glowed before shifting her head to dodge it, only for it to hit her chest, "AUGH!" She yelped as a scribeast began to charge at her, only to be torn apart from a magic beam.

"This can't be happening!" Terror said as she tried to look into the future again, only to see Trixie fight a lindworm...only for it to go blurry. Blinking at the vision, she then saw Trixie about to be hit by the lindworm's tail in the vision, only for Trixie to hop out of the way, blasting the worm down a second later.

"This isn't possible...how is she changing the future?" she whispered, now seeing Trixie fire a barrage of spells that wiped out the remaining eyebats. And as she did this, she then formed a bubble to block several uni-trooper swords.

And as the blades bounced off the barrier, Trixie's horn shining as readied to attack the monsters. As she did this, Terror's eyes kept glowing, looking into the future again. But as she looked ahead, the vision was now fully blurry, only to turn into static. "GYAH! What...who...what are you?!"

Trixie laughed as her magic bubble lowered, her horn now shining in a pillar of magical aura, "I...am the student of the moon!"

With that, a wave of magic flew out the mare, Terror trying to summon a shield of magic, only for her horn to sputter out. "No!" And as she did this, a freezing sensation washed over her body, her form shivering as she now saw ice cover the entire street. Everything except Terror's head and the tips of her hooves were encased in ice, the rest of the scribeasts now turned into ice sculptures.

And standing in the middle of the ice field, Trixie shined a big grin as she walked over to Terror. The mare growled as she tried move, her eyes glowing as she kept looking at future...only to see static. "No...how?! How can you do what only master Shadow could?! You're nopony special!"

"I know," Trixie replied with a slow nod, "I am nopony special, no matter how much I boasted once." Cracks began to appear on the frozen scribeasts. "But I'm also no less special then you, and neither am I less special than your precious master, Flash, Soarin, Cold, Ruby, Springer...or Twilight." The cracks continued to spread around the statues. "Nopony is more special than anypony else, even the princesses. Our lives may be different, our skills and magical abilities may be miles apart, but I'm just as important as anypony else. The only difference between us is that I choose to forge my own future. Let others believe in destiny and fate. My future is whatever I choose to make it. That's why-"

Terror gasped as the scribeasts ice finally broke apart...only to fall apart into chunks of ice. "No..."

"You can't predict my future anymore. Because, it's mine to shape."

"You...you....You insignificant nopony!" Terror screeched as her body suddenly smashed out of the ice. "I won't let you beat me! Your defeat is in my future!" She quickly charged at Trixie, throwing several blind visionless punches at the mare. Trixie dodged the first blow, her horn sparking next as an army of Trixies appeared around them before hopping back into the crowd.

"Don't you dare! Come out and fight!" She screamed, only to get sucker punched in the face by one of the Trixies. She staggered back, quickly firing a beam to counter the magician, only to hit an illusion. This was followed by another blow, Trixie hitting her side with a beam of magic.

"What's the matter?" One of the Trixies asked.

"Can't fight if you don't know what's gonna happen before it does?" another Trixie added.

Terror panted as she glared at the army around her, "You're only delaying the inevitable."

"I don't think so," a Trixie replied.

"Your future sight might give you the edge in most fights."

"But without it, you've got no fighting skills."

And as another beam of magic came out of the crowd of Trixies, Terror ducked under the attack, a death glare in her eyes, "Don't mock me. I'm still better than you." A blazing aura covered her horn next as she stared all the illusions down, "I will win this, just as Master Shadow will win his battle."

Meanwhile...

"Crystal Hammer!" Ruby roared as she created the biggest hammer she could, slamming the weapon at Shadow's barrier he created, only for the dark unicorn to stagger back from the blow as the shield shattered. Seeing this, Ruby charged with two crystal blades, Shadow turning to smoke in response. But as he did this, the tip of the blade cut his cheek.

"Gyah!" He hissed as his smoke form flew back, reforming as he put a hoof to his cheek. The stallion felt the red liquid soak it, making his eyes narrow as he let out a roar, firing a black beam of magic at Ruby.

"Crystal Guard!" She formed the largest shield she could produce, the spell hitting the barrier before refracting into another building. The structure was sliced in half, leading it to begin to fall toward them. Shadow instantly teleported away while Ruby created a crystal tent like before, she and the orb getting buried beneath the rubble.

And when Shadow reappeared, he stared at the debris, only for Ruby to shoot out of the rubble on a crystal pillar. A beam fired out of her horn, Shadow creating a portal to deflect it at another building. Ruby let out a scream as she kept firing more blasts, Shadow creating a crowd of portals that reflected every attack.

"Its pointless." Shadow commented as he blocked another attack, "You will not beat me."

"I can try." Ruby yelled as she summoned a volley of arrows, "I'll never stop."

"Pitiful." Shadow replied as his horn began to glow, an aura encasing his entire body, "This ends now."

"I agree!" Ruby screamed as a surge of magic encased her entire horn, "CRYSTAL FORCE!" A crystal laced tornado came out of her horn a second later, Shadow firing a singular beam back at her as both forces clashed. And as both attacks fought, the two magics mixing together before one began to overpower the other.

At the same time...

Terror's horn kept sparking as she fired beam after beam, fake Trixies turning into dust as kept going. But as she did this, more illusions kept appearing, the fakes now mocking her. "Not that one," one said after she dispelled another fake, only for it to be destroyed as well.

"Ooh," another laughed, "I felt some wind from that one."

"I should have brought popcorn."

"ENOUGH!" Terror screamed as she pulled out a Tower Card, not even bothering to look into the future. "This ends now!" She tossed it into the air, the card spinning as she kept attacking the clones. And as the card came to a stop, it stood right side up, "HA!"

A bolt of lighting came out next, heading right for a certain Trixie. The unicorn formed a shield, blocking the bolt as the others vanished. But as the attack ended, Trixie dropped her shield, only to be tackled by Terror. The two began rolling down the street, punching, biting and kicking one another until Trixie managed to throw Terror off. The mare hit the ground sliding, pulling out a random card and throwing it.

The dome appeared as the card span, both mares jumping up and sparking their horns. They screamed as they unleashed two beams of magic, both attacks clashing as they began to push each other. And as they did this, the card came to stop...upside down. As such, the dome encased Trixie, light now consuming her as Trixie's eyes shot open as a flood of power exploded out of her horn.

Terror's eyes went wide as she saw this, "No...don't tell me that was the Magician!" She screamed, now feeling the full force of Trixie's power. "This can't be happening..." she groaned as the magic pushed her back, the spell about to hit her, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

KABOOM!

The entire street shook, an explosion following as smoke filled the area. Trixie coughed and waved her hoof at the ash, throwing up a shield next to keep the smoke off of her. And as the cloud faded, Trixie blinked as she saw Terror had completely vanished. Looking around, she saw a pile of rubble in the far corner.

Walking over to the debris, a battered Terror pulled herself out, her entire body filled with bruises and streaming blood. "I'm...not...done." She wheezed, only to see her body begin to radiate dust, "No...I can still...fight."

Trixie shook her head in response, "Its over Terror. I beat you and your power over me is gone. And when you fight my friends, I know they'll be able to do the same thing I did. Your future sight is gone."

And as those words hit Terror's ears, her eyes went red as she let out a roar, "RAAAAAAHHHH!" She pushed herself out of the rubble, trying to punch Trixie...only to turn to dust.

Trixie let out a long sigh next, slumping over as she felt some pride in the battle. "I did it...I can't believe it, but...I did it. I won. I...can shape my own future." Her flank hit the ground as she stared at the debris Terror had been in, only to see a notebook under the rocks, "Huh?"

She grabbed the book and wiped off the dust, opening it next to see tons of written pages. Blinking at the sight, she saw that the writing was faded, some sections missing while all of it was in a dialect she had never seen before.

"What is this?" She muttered, only to feel the street rumble. Looking up, she saw a pillar of light explode in the distance, "Ruby..."

One minute earlier...

An entire street was now completely destroyed, several buildings leveled into piles of rubble. And atop those stones, one pony stood above another with a cackling laugh. It was Shadow, continuing to chuckle as he saw Ruby's body slowly turn to dust. He would have mocked her, but he doubted she could even hear him in her half conscious state. Instead, he just let her see his smug expression as she finally vanished.

Once gone, he turned to a section of rubble as a dark cloud appeared around his horn. The dust soon went over the debris, melting everything down to molecules as the rubble began to disappear. And as it did this, it slowly revealed the crystal tent Ruby had created around the orb.

Shadow hopped off the rubble next, walking over as he summoned his decaying sword. With one giant slash, he smashed the tent to pieces, the orb not moving as the crystals shattered around it. And as a final chuckle escaped his mouth, he reached down and grasped the sphere, the orb unleashing a powerful light. "I win."

Author's Note

Well you wanted Trixie to get her revenge and now, she got it. Hope you enjoyed.

The Armoured King

Eight years ago.

In a jungle of a far off land, a group of ponies were trotting through the undergrowth. Leading the group was an Indiana Jones styled unicorn stallion, the pony carrying a map in his magic while also swinging a machete to cut through the branches and vines. But as he cut down another bush, he and the stallions behind him froze as a giant snake appeared, glaring and hissing at them.

The group stayed entirely still, all knowing this was one of the most venomous snakes in the area. Their eyes shrunk as the snake let out a roar, only for them all to scream in fear as the snake charged at them, closing their eyes as it was about to bite into their leader. But as it did this...nothing happened.

Blinking their eyes open, they all now saw the snake frozen in midair, a black aura wrapped around it. "Enough clowning around," said a voice, all turning to see one Shadow Corrupter. He was fifteen years old right now, glaring up at the frozen snake before flicking his head, sending the serpent flying into the horizon. "I didn't hire you to freeze up every time something scary looking shows up." He pulled the map and knife from Jones and took the lead, "If you're not gonna be of any help, leave now before I get angry."

The group growled at him, one of the other stallions turning to Jones. "Remind me why we're working for him again?"

"He already payed us a flank ton of bits and promised even more once the job is done. Plus, he said we get any treasure we find at this so called temple." Jones gave them all a knowing smirk, "Besides, if he tries anything, we'll be ready. He's just a kid after all."

"Yeah...a kid with more pocket money than most towns have."

"Who cares how much he has. Soon, it'll be all ours."

"We should still be careful," another stallion chimed in, "Considering all those scars he has, he's obviously been through a lot. Don't wanna underestimate a pony like that."

Jones just rolled his eyes, gesturing them to follow as they caught up to Shadow. Their walk continued for several hours, Jones retaking the map until they arrived at a point on the map. Walking out of the trees and into a clearing, Jones came to a stop as they found themselves staring down a large cliff wall. Shadow let out a long sigh at this, "What is it now? Another snake?"

"Nope. We're here."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at this. "I don't see any temples."

"One of the first things you need to learn kid. Not all temples are big flashy buildings." Jones stepped up to the wall and brushed his hoof against it, revealing the wall to actually be made of bricks. Each brick had a different shape or symbol like a sun, moon and other things. As he bushed this off, they now saw a single larger brick in the center, which had a bunch of writing on it. "Huh. That's a new language on me." He then turned to Shadow, the teen squinting at the symbols, "You okay kid?"

"I think I...understand them?" Shadow replied, tilting his head as he continued, "I've never seen these shapes before, but somehow I know what they mean."

"Well, what do they mean?"

Shadow glared at him, hissing as he looked back at the walls, "Don't interrupt me worm. Now..." he put his hoof to and traced it under the letters, "The world is right, when stars align. When not in sync, the danger you'll find."

"Stars?" An explorer asked, "You mean we have to wait until dark?"

"Maybe not," Jones pointed at one of the bricks. "Look." They turned to a star shape carved into a brick, Shadow's horn glowing as he grabbed it in his magic, "No!" Jones yelled as he used his magic to push it back into place, Shadow glaring at him. "Remember! When not in sync. I'm betting there's a second stone we have to remove at the same time." His eyes darted around next, pointing to a second star stone, "There."

Jones then gripped both in his magic before pulling them out, the wall shaking as the pieces came out. A gap in the wall came out a second later, revealing a staircase leading down into a dark cave.

"This is it," Shadow commented as he went first, the rest following. The journey down the stairs was a short one, soon arriving at a stone door with several carvings. It seemed to show a story, depicting what looked like an army of armoured ponies marching into battle against an army of alicorns and a tree of subspecies. One carving showed a piece of armor shatter off their wearers due to damage, only for the next carving to show the broken pieces fly over to the pony that broke it. The third showed the armor had completely encased the pony, turning them into a replacement solider. "Perfect." Shadow chuckled as he pushed the door open.

The explorers went in, casting a light spell to illuminate the temple room. Grins appeared on all their faces as they now saw multiple chests inside, Shadow grinning as he saw a large stone box with a stone lid in the back. He ran over to the tome, using his magic to lift the slab over it. And as he pushed the lid off, cobwebs and dust scattered all around as he looked inside the tome, "Yes....Armalum."

Within the box was a mask, just like the ones shown on the door carvings. The mere sight of it made a tinge go down Shadow's spine, making a huge grin grow on his face. He leaned in and pulled it free, holding it up to the light, "With this, nothing will stop me...."

"HEY!" He turned to the sudden outcry, now seeing the other explorers with all the opened chests, seeing them filled with nothing but books and stone slabs, "What kind of treasure is this?!"

"Yeah!" another growled, "We were promised riches!"

"I said you could have whatever was in this temple other than this mask. Not my fault the ancient Alicorns didn't want to hide their treasures here."

Jones growled, stomping his hooves. "We didn't come all this way for just a bunch of ratty old books!" His vision then shifted to the mask, "If you only want that mask, it must be worth a pretty bit. I think we'll take it as our pay."

Shadow just shook his head, "Imbeciles." His horn began to glow a deep dark aura, "Seems you still haven't listened. I'll only give you one warning. Crossing me isn't something the same pony does twice, because nopony lives to do it." His warning went on deaf ears, the explorers all trotting up as a dark aura began to cover his body, "Last chance."

Several minutes later...

BOOM!

"AUGH!" yelped Jones as he was flung out of the temple, his clothes in tatters as he rolled down the mud-filled ground. He spat out a glob of blood as he tried to get up, only for a black spell to carve a line along the ground before getting under the stallion, another explosion following this. Screaming in pain, his body went flying into a tree, slumping over next as he saw Shadow walk out of the temple.

"P--p-please, have m-m-mercy..." he whimpered out, now seeing Shadow walk up to him.

The teen glared down at him before letting out a long deep breath, "Very well. Let it never be said that I am without heart. You may live."

Jones sighed in relief, "Thank you...thank you so much. I promise, you'll never see me again. I'll-"

"You misunderstand me," Shadow interrupted, "I said you would live. I didn't say you would go unpunished." Jones's eeys shrunk as he tried to scream, only to feel a magic aura shut his mouth up. "Stop your screams. Now, I need somepony to test this on, and since you were so adamant about having this..."

Shadow then levitated the mask up to Jones's face, his magic releasing his mouth as it encased the explorer. And as it encased him, the pony screamed as everything went black.

The Present...

Armalum shook his head as he sat down in the map room, its door opening to see present day Shadow with Salix and Wingill behind him. The dark unicorn saw the armoured pony just sitting in non-repose, making him ask, "Problem?"

"No master," Armalum replied, "Simply...lost in a memory." This made Shadow raise an eyebrow, Armalum responding, "Eight years ago, when I first became your loyal servant."

"I see," Shadow nodded before glancing at the three orbs circling the map. "But we do not have time to focus on the pointless past. The present and future are all we have to care about." He glared at Wingill next, "How much longer until the others awaken?"

"We're not sure."

Salix nodded in agreement, "We're not exactly experts when it comes to this weird healing magic."

Shadow sighed before turning back to the table, a 3D image of the city now appearing, "How many more of these battles must we endure before their purpose is revealed?"

Armalum crossed his hooves at this, "And with each battle, Sentry's side seems to grow in strength. That Trixie mare didn't stand a chance against Terror, only to suddenly defeat her yesterday. If this keeps up, they may grow too strong for us to handle."

Shadow let out a low hiss, "That is an issue. With me not at full strength and with each match randomized, we keep finding ourselves fighting blind."

Salix shrugged at this, "Well, maybe we'll get lucky and face off against opponents we're strong again-"

"LUCK?!" Shadow roared, glaring at Salix as he let out an 'eep,' his body flinching as Shadow marched down and got up to his face, "Luck is for gamblers and little foals opening trading card packs!" He continued to march, Salix retreating until his back was up against the wall. "We don't rely on luck! We don't play the odds! We are more powerful than those fools! We do everything we can to make sure we win! We exist only for victory! Do you understand me?!"

Salix's entire body shook as a long gulp went down his throat, "Yes master. Sorry master. Slip of the tongue. I just-" He stopped talking as he saw Shadow's horn about to spark, "Sorry."

Salix was about to faint, only for the doors to open to reveal Tempera, Storm and Terror. Shadow turned and glared at this, "You're all awake. Good."

The three bowed to him, Storm speaking up first, "We can not apologize enough for our failure."

"They caught me by surprise my love."

Terror said nothing, Shadow letting out a long hiss as he spoke up, "Terror!" She glanced up, her form shaking as he continued, "I saw what happened. It seems you are your own worst enemy. If you had simply kept your mouth shut, your opponent wouldn't have been able to beat you."

"I'm...I'm sorry master."

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again," Shadow growled as he looked back at the map, "For now, we make sure our next battle ends in victory...along with the rest."

In the other castle...

Ruby and Soarin had now woken up, both entering the dining room as they saw their friends eating breakfast. "Morning! How you doing?" Flash chimed in first, a semi-giant smile on his face.

"Not the best..." Ruby grumbled as she saw the other smiles except Cold and his usual emotionless face. "Why are you so happy? We're behind again."

"Not exactly," Springer chuckled, both raising an eyebrow as he continued, "While you two and Trixie were fighting, this game made me, Flash and Cold do a separate fight...and we won!"

"Cool!" Soarin cheered, clapping his hooves.

"Not just that," Flash added as he pointed at a certain magician, "Trixie managed to even the score with Terror."

"Really?" Soarin gasped as he turned to her, "You beat her future sight?"

"Future Sight?!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes now going wide. The others giggling at her reaction, they went into a small explanation, making Ruby take on a look of curiosity, "Incredible. No wonder those cards always landed the way she wanted."

"Until Trixie managed to overpower her abilities," Cold added as he finished his meal, "I suggest we watch her fight so the rest of us can do the same thing."

"Who cares about that?! Great work Tricks!" Soarin exclaimed as Soul gave him some breakfast, walking over and sitting down by the magician. But as he did this, he raised an eyebrow as he saw she had a book open on the table, "What's with the book?"

Trixie took a small gulp of milk before replying, "I found it after my battle with Terror. I thought it might have something that could help give us an understanding of this city. None of the other buildings seem to have any books in them, but this one was here despite the whole...city changing thing. So...this thing must be special."

Cold hummed at her statement, "You have a point. What does it say?"

This caused Trixie to sigh. "I wish I knew. Most of the pages are so faded I can't even tell what's written. And even the parts that survived are written in a way I can't make heads or tails. Although..." she crossed her hooves at the current page, "It does look familiar, but I can't put my hoof on it."

The others then gathered around her, Flash looking over her shoulder before going wide-eyed, "Hey..." He leaned in and squinted his eyes, "I can read this stuff." He took the book and flipped through it, "This is...this is the same writing my parents showed me that temple stuff."

Several others in the room all raised an eyebrow at this, remembering that moment as Trixie added, "So that's why it looked familiar." She tapped the table, Flash sitting down and putting the book down as she said, "Well? Can you read it?"

"Not much. You weren't kidding when you said it was all faded. Let's see..."

Day 15

The quarantine is --- beginning its third week. We can only hope --- healers can discover a ---- before it is too late. Many of our -------- have fallen to this plague. If we do not do something ----, all ---- is lost.

"Plague?" Cold asked.

"Is that what might have wiped out the city?" Ruby added, everypony turning to Flash as he flipped to the next readable page.

Day 63

673 --i---n-, 541 -e--s-, -9- e---h --nie-, 71 ----c--s, and 35 --k----- have perished. Even if the remaining ponies ------ to survive this plague, what is left of us will not have the ---- power to -------. Our only hope are the children. None of them seem to be -------- by this illness. If we can find --- what allows them to be immune, we may -- able to find a cure and ---- out this disease. We can only ----.

"Ouch. This sounds...really depressing." Soarin commented.

"That is what happens when you have no hope." Ruby sighed, Heart and Soul now seeing a long depressed frown on her face. "How sad..."

"Hmmm..." Flash muttered as he flipped through a few more pages, "Nothing...nothing...noth-wait! Here's something."

Day 181

I'm afraid the ---- has come to accept our fate. The plague --- spread to everypony over the age of --, with ----- following within days of infection. We have no choice but to ---- the quarantine up ---- the plague is completely extinct.

"But wouldn't that mean they would all be dead?!" Trixie gasped.

"What kind of disease could cause such suffering?" Cold asked as Flash kept reading.

But our culture still has hope. The children will survive. King -------- has designed a spell that will allow us to seal our children in a temporal bubble. They will sleep as the world passes ---- by. Eventually, the plague will die out and they can ------ to the world. Though it may be many generations before they ------, we have no other choice. The king has ------ tested the spell on his own ---------, and got excellent results. Though we don't know what side effects --- occur due to this spell, or even if the children will be able to ------- within the bubble, we are sure it is far ------ than simply watching your ---- be destroyed. But we must be -------. If even one foal is carrying the plague within them, we may end up ----- the disease into the future.

There is ---- testing to be done before we can start, so I will leave this final entry now and hope the next ---- to read it are living in a world where this disease is gone.

Grimaces were all on faces, Cold's just showing a small frown as Flash shut the book, "Well...that was unexpected."

"So that's how the city was destroyed," Cold chimed in as he saw down and rubbed his chin in thought, "No wonder this bubble's so powerful. It must be what they used to keep the plague in." He then turned to Heart and Soul, "It also explains where you came from. You must be the inhabitants of the city."

Heart and Soul exchanged a glance, Heart looking back at him as he said, "Huh?! Are you saying we're from a thousand years in the past?"

"Maybe?" Soarin chimed in, "You did say can't remember anything, right?"

They nodded back, Cold pointing at the book as he continued, "It said there might be side effects to the spell. Maybe one of them is memory loss."

"It's possible," Ruby added. "But let's not forget there were supposed to be many ponies placed inside it. Why were you two the only ones released? Does that mean you two were the only ones to survive?"

This made both young ponies freeze up, Soul shivering while Heart did a long gulp. Seeing this, Flash leaned over and patted their heads, "Hey, don't feel bad. If that is what happened, it's not your fault." The two looked up at the pegasi, a giant grin on his face now. The sight made both smile back as he continued, "Besides, even if we know what happened to the city, it doesn't help us. Right now, let's just focus on winning our next match." He turned to the others as his grin kept growing, "That means training."

The others nodded back, all soon heading downstairs. Once inside the training room, they morphed it into a replica of the city with replicas of Shadow and his followers.

"Let's do this!" Flash cheered as he charged at Shadow, the unicorn transforming into smoke before Flash could hit him before reforming behind him. At the same time, Springer took up his battle mode and ran to fight Wingill and Salix while Soarin began to fight against Tempera and Storm. Finally, Ruby took on Armalum, only for the Terror illusion to vanish.

As for this, Trixie and Cold with Soul, the knight making some targets for her as he Trixie kneeled down to help her, "Okay Soul. Since we...well, we can't stop this game from picking you, we need to help you control your magic. As such, Cold is setting up some simple target practice."

"Practice with what?!" Soul exclaimed, "I don't know any spells!"

Trixie shook her head before turning to a target and firing a blast from her horn, knocking it down instantly. "That...was not a spell. It was just raw magic power that's focused into a shot." She turned back to the filly, "You just got a horn and spells are...well, they're not something you learn instantly. But this is something you can learn, as its nothing but raw magic."

"She's right. This is how unicorns learn offensive magic." Cold added as he set up the last target before walking over to her, only for his eyes to slightly look away as he said, "Also, Flash told me to....apologize for how I've been. I didn't realize you hadn't had that horn for your whole life and was...insensitive."

Trixie giggled at his words, Soul just blinking at his statement as he didn't go any further. The magician then nudged her side and whispered, "Just take it as an apology. He doesn't know any better way to say it."

"Okay." Soul replied as she turned to the targets, "So I just gotta...aim and shoot?"

"Yup. Let's begin."

As that happened, Heart watched from the sidelines as Flash, Springer, Soarin and Ruby sparred against their chosen opponents. But as he turned to watch Springer, he saw the jakhowl make an Aura Guard. The sight made him raise an eyebrow, walking over as he spoke up, "Hey! Springer!"

The jakhowl disengaged from the battle, Salix and Wingill freezing in place as he turned to the colt, "What's up?"

"I was just wondering how you do that. You know, make all those cool weapons and attacks. You don't have a horn, so how's it work?"

Springer smirked as he formed an Aura Blast in his paw, Heart staring at it intensely as he began to speak, "I don't need a horn, it's just something I can naturally do." Heath raised an eyebrow as Springer desummoned the orb, "Okay, simplest explanation: I can manipulate Aura. Its uh...an energy that flows through every living thing. It's usually invisible and intangible, but jakhowls like me can solidify it so it becomes visible. Then we can just shape it into whatever we want."

"Cool..." Heart gasped as his eyes became like stars, "What else can you make?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you can make orbs, bones, claws, blasts and that bubble. What else can you make?"

"I uh....huh." Springer looked down at his paws, blinking, "Never really thought about it. Every time I get a new power, it just sort of happens."

"Well, why don't you try making something? Maybe make that guard one turn into something else!"

Springer hummed for a moment before nodding, "Alright." He raised his paws, causing the bubble to form around him before he closed his eyes. As he did this, the bubble began to wobble and weave, as if it was trying to be stretched. He then tried to reform it into a square.

The situation soon caught the attention of the others, making them look away from their work. They watched as the bubble slowly began to reshape itself, trying to make a cube....only for cracks to appear. "Urgh….this is tough." Springer growled as he clenched his paws, veins appearing on his head. But as he did this, the cracks continued to appear before shattering like glass. "AUGH!"

Springer fell to his knees, gripping his head as he let out a moan of pain. Flash then cut his fight with Shadow before flying over, "You okay bud?"

"Yeah...I'm okay. That really hurt though." Springer moaned. "I really hope that wasn't how my father used to make his new moves."

"He wasn't that reckless." Ruby chimed in as she walked over. "But you're not wrong in terms of experimenting. That being said, you shouldn't just try to manipulate aura like that. Aura should never be forced."

"Ugh..." Springer groaned as he rubbed the side of his head, "Okay."

"Now hang on. New ideas are never bad, especially right now." Cold added as he appeared beside Ruby, "You should definitely try it as long as you don't kill yourself." The others turned to his deadpan comment, the knight looking away as he focused back on Soul, "Now, back to work."

"He's not wrong." Flash replied as he gave Springer one last glance, "Don't overdo it, okay bud?"

"I won't." Springer responded as he retook his battle form. "I'll figure something out."

And as everypony went back to their training, Ruby went up to the Armalum illusion, a long deep sigh leaving her mouth as she began to slash her swords at him. Her blades were blocked by his scythe, the unicorn spinning around as she began to thrust the swords, her mind now racing, 'Sombra….whether it really is you under there or just something that looks like you, I will find a way to take you down. This, I swear.' She slashed at him again, her mind now flashing with images of their childhood, making her shake her head. 'No...you burnt that bridge a long time ago.'

Everypony trained for about three hours. In that time, Springer was unable to reshape his aura the way he wanted it to, but Soul was able to make some progress. She was able to fire a very small blast out of her horn, which just enough energy to reach the targets...but not hit any of them. And as this time passed, the alarm went off, the group nodding to each other before rushing into the map room. As they entered, the 3D image appeared and outlined a section of the city close to the edge.

The roulette then began to spin, the first ball revealing Springer's face. The jakhowl nodded at the sight before the second one showed Flash's cutie mark. "Alright!" he and Springer hoof-bumped as the last orb flew out, this one showing Soarin's cutie mark, making Flash turn to the Wonderbolt, "You ready bro?"

Soarin nodded back, "You bet!"

The trio turned to the others as Flash said, "Wish us luck!"

"Be careful," Ruby replied as they vanished. They then turned to the table, now seeing six dots appear, Ruby gasping as she saw the names, "Oh no..."

Flash, Springer and Soarin took to the air as soon they appeared in the city, Springer having caught onto a pair of auras. "Where's the third?" Flash asked as the jakhowl rode on his back.

"I'm not sure." Springer replied, clenching his eyes as he tried to focus, "I don't get it. It's like there's nothing here but those two."

"Well at least we know where two of 'em are," Soarin pointed out. "Once we deal with them, we can focus on the third."

"We tried that before, remember?" Flash countered, "Leaving one of them undistracted just gives them a better chance of finding the-"

"Wait!" Springer interrupted, "Something's wrong!"

"What?"

"One of the auras is splitting off from the first. And they're moving fast...too fast to be on the ground." Soarin and Flash followed Springer's gaze, only to see Storm shoot out of a building while spinning the dial on his weapon.

"STORM TRI-FORCE!" A triple element tornado shot out of his blade, Soarin and Flash flying apart as it flew between them. The wind coming off the tornado quickly hit them, rocketing both back while causing Springer to lose his grip.

"AUGH!" He yelped as he was sent flying off the pegasus, Soarin spinning to dive down to catch him. But as he did this, Storm appeared in front of him, smacking him with his sheath.

"Unf!" the Wonderbolt grunted as he was knocked back, only to counter with a spin-kick, which Storm blocked with the sheath.

"Going somewhere?" Storm chuckled before doing a thrusted kick, Soarin flapping his wings to fly backward as he dodged the attack.

As this happened, Flash dove to catch Springer, only for a blur to fly by, grabbing the jakhowl. "What the-Springer!" the defender yelled as he saw that the blur was a giant bird, the jakhowl in his talons. "What the heck?! Hey! Get back-GYAH!" he yelped as a sudden red energy blade struck him, exploding next as it slammed into a building. "BLAUGH!"

"That was easier than I thought." commented a voice as it walked up to the house Flash had crashed into. "Perhaps-"

THOOM!

The door of the building went flying down the street, Flash growling as he pulled out his blade, "Okay, who did that?!" he yelled as he entered through the now doorless space of the house.

"You're a sturdy one, I'll give you that." Flash's eyes shot open at the voice, making him turn to see a certain chuckling armoured pony.

"You..." Flash hissed as he got into a fighting stance, glaring at the pony. But as he pointed his blade at him, he suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine. He gripped his chest, feeling a slight burn on his scar as he began to shake, "Wha…" He looked down at his shaking hoof, now feeling a drop of sweat go down his face.

"Problem?"

Flash looked back up, his eyes shaking as he replied, "No. Let's go."

At the same time...

"Let me go!" Springer yelled as he kept squirming in the bird's talons. But as he tried, the bird kept flying him across the battlefield, a bulb went off in Springer's head. "That's it!" His morphed into his battle form, pushing the talons away before bursting out of its grip, quickly landing on a nearby rooftop.

"Aura Blast!" He threw an orb at the bird, the beast popping like a balloon from the blow. "Oh great...that means-" his words came to a stop as a sudden light shined in front of him, revealing a certain smiling unicorn, "You."

"Hello." she waved with a cocky smirk.

'Can't give her time to draw anything.' Springer thought as he charged at her, only for an eyebat to appear from below the building, firing a blast at him. "Whoa!" He yelped as he put up an Aura Guard, the blast destroying the shield in one blow, sending him flying to another roof.

Quickly hopping back to his feet, he ducked as he dodged another beam from the eyebat. As he did this, Tempera pulled out a notepad and began to draw, Springer growling as he formed a Bone Breaker.

"Oh, no you don't!" he roared as he charged at her, swinging the bone at the eyebat as it charged at him.

"This'll be easier than I thought." Tempera commented as she finished her drawing before looking up to see Springer strike down the beast. "Want a new playmate?"

"Bring...it...on!"

Meanwhile...

Soarin glared down Storm, the cultist shining a huge grin in response. His side tinged as he remembered their last fight, making him whisper to himself, "Just gotta remember what Flash told me."

"Remember, speed is your game. That's your biggest advantage against these cultists."

"Right....doesn't matter how powerful their attacks are if they don't connect." he finished before charging at the other pegasus.

"Storm Cutter!" Storm countered as he swung his weapon, firing a blade of lightning. Soarin then spun like a top, only to bounce around the lightning blast, circling its edge. Storm's eyes went wide at the sudden motion, Soarin getting right up to his face, a hoof hitting his head, "Augh!" Soarin yelped as he felt the punch, only for Soarin to quickly grip his blade, swiping it in one motion before tossing it away.

And as he came to a stop from the blow, Storm shook his head before clenching his hoof. He now felt his missing weapon, making him glare at Soarin, "Not bad. Let me guess, you think because I don't have my weapon, you can beat me?"

"That's the idea."

"HA! Now that's a foolish idea!" Storm laughed as he instantly zipped up to the Wonderbolt, immediately punching his face with a one-two jab. He then spun and kicked Soarin's face, smacking him into a building wall. He then shot down to his weapon, a big grin on his face as he got close. "Come to papa."

"No!" Soarin yelled as he bounced off the wall, hitting the ground and springboarding off the floor before tackling Storm.

"GYAH!" Storm wheezed as Soarin slammed his stomach, gripping him next as he spun like a top. Letting go a second later, the cultist went flying into a nearby building wall, "AUGH!" he yelped as he slumped off the wall, hitting the dirt with a moan.

Gasping as he landed, shaking his head from the spin move as his eyes were still spinning, "I've gotta stop doing that." He turned around and grabbed Storm's blade before flying up and threw it as hard as he could. Looking back at Storm, the pegasi had just recovered from the blow, Soarin seeing he didn't see where he had thrown the sword. Running up and getting into a fighting stance, he yelled at the cultist, "Now there's no chance you'll be able to use your Celestic Gear!"

Storm just growled back, "Oh please. I don't need my Celestic Gear to defeat a weakling like you."

Back to another part of the city...

Flash's whole body was now shaking, like he was a colt going into a haunted house for the first time. Armalum stood in front of him, inspecting him like a piece of meat before speaking up, "You're afraid." Flash glared at him, the shaking not stopping as he continued, "I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid."

"So what if I am?" Flash asked as he put one hoof on his other, slowing the shaking down.

"Fear is a weakness."

"Fear is what's gonna keep me alive," Flash countered, "Yeah...I'm afraid. Its because of our last encounter." Armalum said nothing, "You really don't remember, do you?" Flash pointed at the stallion with his blade, "Well I remember. I remember it all. And because I'm scared, I won't take you lightly like last time. I will take you down."

But as he did this, Armalum rubbed his chin with his hoof, "Hmm...strange."

"What?!" Flash barked back, only to feel a twinge in his scar. Putting his hoof on it, he now felt it was like a mild burning sensation.

"I'm just...comparing you two. Master Shadow is quiet interested in you. He believes you two have some kind of connection, but I see no similarities to the two of you." Flash didn't reply, just gripping his chest as Armalum continued, "You see fear as a benefit, while master Shadow despises any form of cowardice."

"Guess your boss isn't as smart as he thinks," Flash spat before charging at him with his blade, "Now, let's go!" He swung his blade downward, Armalum instantly blocking with the handle of his scythe before pushing the blade forward. Flash flapped his wings backward, quickly pointing the sword at the armoured pony, "Flash Force!"

The laser shot out the sword, Armalum responding with a red beam from his born. Both attacks collided, instantly creating an explosion. A blast of smoke came next, only for Flash to leap out of the smoke with sword raised. "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Several light blades came next, the armoured pony countering as he spun his scythe like a pinwheel, deflecting them all. But as he did this, Flash thrust his blade right at Armalum's face, the pony ducking before swinging his scythe horizontally. Flash countered by entering Theta Mode, dodging the swing as he leaned back.

His neck felt the slight breeze from the scythe's swing, Flash then thrusting his sword again. Armalum blocked it again, only to stretch out his hoof, gripping Flash's neck. He began to pull the pegasi, only for Flash to flip his body, uppercutting Armalum's chin with a kick from his backhoof. But as the blow hit his helmet, Flash felt the rough armor scratch his skin, making him flinch. And as he got back into a battle stance, Armalum fired a beam from his horn, Flash quickly ducking and hopping back.

But as he did this, he felt a burn hit his body, making him grab his scarred chest. "Urgh…"

"Problem?" Armalum asked, now seeing Flash's pain riddled face.

Flash growled back before firing a Flash Cutter at the ground, an explosion covering him as he flapped backward. He then landed a few feet away, only to flinch as he slumped over, gripping his chest. "What...is going on?"

"What's wrong with him?" Heart asked as they all watched Flash stumble backward.

"Not sure," Trixie added as she squinted her eyes at the fight, "It looks like he's in pain, but he hasn't taken a hit yet."

"There must be something we're not seeing," Ruby commented as she rubbed her chin, only for her eyes to slowly grow as she saw Flash hold his chest now while dodging a beam from Armalum's horn. "His scar?"

"Didn't he say that he got that from Sombra?" Cold chimed in, Ruby barely nodding back.

"Yes..." Ruby barely replied, her mind melting between the present and the memory of that battle of Sombra versus Flash several months ago, "Sombra...what did you do?"

Meanwhile again...

"Bone Breaker!" Springer roared as his swung his aura weapon, slicing through several uni-troopers before ducking under a minotaur's punch. He then fired an Aura Blast at the beast, blowing it up with a single orb. But as he did this, three more uni-troopers appeared, making him switch to Steel Paw.

Tempera just laughed as she saw him cut those down, now summoning a lindworm next. Yelping at the sight of the beast, he hopped away as the worm swung its tail at the jakhowl. He quickly glanced behind himself, making sure nothing was back there before looking back at the lindworm, dodging a charge from the beast next. The jakhowl was starting to pant, frustrated due to knowing he couldn't sense where any of these lifeless, aura-empty scribeasts were coming from.

And as he kept hopping back, his body suddenly disappeared. The lindworm stopped at the sight, looking up to see Springer appear on a building wall. His body was in Velocity Strike mode, rocketing off the wall before slamming its fist into the worm's mouth. However, the attack didn't kill it, making him hit it with ten punches in a split second. Ink exploding off the beast, Springer flinched as he felt his aura tinge across his body.

"Urgh...it still hurts." He whispered as he looked down at his paws for a second, "But not as much."

His words came to a stop as several eyebats appeared around him, the jakhowl leaping as a barrage of beams fired at him. As he did this, he spun and fired several Aura Blasts, knocking several down. He then cartwheeled, dodging the last few as he felt a tinge of aura shook his spine.

"Flash?" he muttered as he felt the aura shake his body. Narrowing his eyes next, he leapt off the roof as he told himself, "I gotta get out there! Hang on Flash, I'm coming!"

"Hey!" Tempera yelled as she saw him sprint down the street. She then flipped to a page that had a Quetzalcoatl, summoning it as she leapt onto the beast, "Come back here!"

In another sector of the city...

Two pegasi collided, punches hitting each others' faces. Both were knocked back into a building, the two then pushing off the walls as they turned into light and dark blue blurs before slamming into each other again. Two, three, four, five times they smashed into each other at incredible speed, the force of each collision knocking them back again and again.

Minute after minute passed, both now crashing into a nearby rooftop. The two got back up and hit each other again, both colliding before rolling back onto their hooves. Panting as they both stood up, Storm chuckled as he pointed at Soarin, "See?! I don't need my weapon! Especially to beat the weakest member of your team." This made Soarin growl, Storm laughing at his reaction, "What, you didn't know? Surely you must have figured it out. After all, there's nothing special about you. You're fast, but that's all you got. You don't have a Celestic Gear, you don't have illusions or weapons or magic...you're nothing. Heck, even that filly's stronger than you!"

"Oh, shut up!" Soarin roared as he charged at him, Storm blocking a punch next before countering with a jab to the Wonderbolt's face, "Blaugh!" Storm then grabbed him and slammed a bent backhoof into Soarin's chest, making him spit out a glob of blood. Storm let out a single laugh before spinning and throwing Soarin off the roof, the Wonderbolt flaring his wings to slow his descent before kissing the ground.

"And that's that." Storm chuckled before taking to the air, staring downward as he began to fly over the many buildings. "Now...where are you? You have to be somewhere." He flapped over a few houses, only for a giant grin to grace his face, "Ah! There you are."

But as he began to descend, his ears spiked up as he turned to see Soarin flying at him at full-speed. Unable to react, the pegasus tackled him into a building, the wall instantly crumbling as they flung into the house. And as they hit the floor, the two rolled around, wrestling each other as Soarin began to pin Storm down. However, as he did this, Storm suddenly slammed his lower hooves into Soarin's stomach, kicking him off a second later.

"Augh!" The Wonderbolt cried as the wind was knocked out of him, Storm quickly flying out of the building. And as Soarin tried to recover, Storm reappeared with a certain blade in his hoof. "Aw crap."

SHING!

"BLAUGH!" Soarin screamed as the Celestic Gear sliced his chest open, staggering back next as he clutched his now bleeding body. A mild concussion was now throbbing his head as well, barely looking up as he saw Storm spin the blade in his hoof.

Storm then struck him in the face with the hilt of the blade, Soarin trying to block the next blow as Storm spun around to hit him with the sheath. But as he did this, Storm punched his gut before smacking him in the head with the blade. Soarin could only scream as he was knocked back, blood now rolling down his face.

The cultist shook his head while chuckling as he pointed his blade at the Wonderbolt before spinning the dial. "Such a shame. You Wonderbolts are so well loved, but in the end, I guess a show pony can't compete with a true solider." Soarin growled as he tried to push himself up, only for Storm to yell, "STORM TRI-FORCE!" The three in one attack launched out of his weapon, forming a tornado that stuck the pegasi before he could react.

"GRAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as the wind ripped into his skin, the cuts then drenched by water that acted as a conductor for the lightning. Within seconds, his entire body was cut, watered and electrocuted, all while being thrown backward by the spiraling force of the tornado.

The tornado curved upward, pushing Soarin flying before gravity pulled him down. Nothing could be done as he fell like a rock, his limp body hitting the dirt before bouncing like a basketball. And as he came to a stop, Soarin could feel almost every bone in his body now breaking.

A long moan came out of his mouth as Storm walked over and laughed at him, "As I said before, you bring disgrace to your uniform. I don't know why you were chosen to come here, but it's clear it was a mistake. You're no warrior."

Soarin tried to counter, but his mouth could barely move. As such, Storm took to the air, the Wonderbolt groaning out, "Sorry everypony. I wasn't...strong enough."

Meanwhile...

"Flash Grinder!" Flash roared as he spun into a wheel, Armalum raising his scythe to block the attack. And as the wheel struck the weapon, he swatted Flash away with a single swipe. Flash quickly broke out of the wheel, flaring his wings to come to a stop. But as he did this, Armalum appeared right in front of him, thrusting his scythe downward. The defender blocked it with his blade, hopping back at the same time. And as he did this, he let out a yelp as he clutched his chest again.

"Grrr...blast it." Flash moaned, gripping his scar as he felt pain there again. He then raised his blade at his enemy, "Flash...force."

A laser shot right out of the sword, instantly pushing Armalum back. He let out a gasp as he felt his hooves grind against the ground, a crack appearing in his armor. And as he came to a stop, Flash slumped over, gripping his chest as Armalum stared down at his armor, his horn shining as his magic began to repair the crack.

"What is happening to me?!" Flash whispered as he panted, rubbing his chest as the heat in his body started to die down. He let out a long breath, only to look back up as he saw Armalum charging at him, scythe pulled back. "Whoa!" Flash yelped as he ducked from a swipe of the blade, countering by swinging his sword, "Flash Cutter!"

An energy blade fired out of the weapon, Armalum spinning his scythe before slamming it into the ground. A red crack came out of the ground, blocking the attack before the crack started to charge at Flash. The defender took to the air next, avoiding the exploding earth before spinning into a drill. "Flash Driver!"

"Tch!" Armalum hissed as he pulled his weapon back, the blade now glowing in a dark aura. Swiping it next, a mix of red and black lights flew off the scythe, forming a boomerang that struck Flash, instantly destroying the Flash Driver.

"AAAHHH!" Flash screamed as he was sent flying back, slamming into building. Armalum let out a laugh before pulling back his scythe again, Flash looking up to see him fire another boomerang again. However, before he could do anything, the energy blade him, an explosion following as it smashed him through the house. "Augh!"

"So pathetic." Armalum commented as he rested the scythe on his shoulder. "Let's end this."

At the same time...

Springer was now sprinting down another street, his aura feeling Flash's pain through their link. But as he ran, the building in front of him exploded, two minotaurs and a lindworm flying out of the house. The jakhowl leapt away as the lindworm swung its tail, only to raise an Aura Guard to block the minotaurs' fists. And as they pulled back to hit again, he dropped the bubble and zipped under their legs, spinning around and firing a pair of Aura Blasts.

BOOM!

Both cows exploded into ink, only for Springer to create another shield as the lindworm slammed its tail in him again. "Stupid worm..." he growled, only to look up to see Tempera on a flying beast above the worm.

"Done running?" She asked with a deadpan stare.

"Nope." Springer replied before lowering his shield, switching to Steel Paw as he cut the lindworm in half before putting his paws together, "Aura Force!"

He fired an aura laser at Tempera's ride, instantly destroying it. She let out a yelp as she found herself falling before her horn sparked, casting a levitation spell on herself. Her body came to stop just an inch off the ground, gasping before landing with a thud, "Ow!"

And as she started to pick herself up, she looked up to see Springer now running down the street again. "Oh, come on!" she yelled before pulling out her sketchpad again. "Let's see how you like a Scorpentine!" she growled as the paper was hit by her magic, the piece teleporting right above Springer before forming into the giant beast.

Springer leaped back as the creature landed in front of him, the beast swinging its tail down at him. The jakhowl backflipped from a swipe of its claws, only to come to a stop as he saw he was now again surrounded by minotaurs, eyebats and lindworms.

Flash's heart felt like it was in a vice, pain consuming the defender as he gripped his body. "Stop it..." he whispered as he tried to escape a pile of rubble. As he did this, he felt his blade now longer in his hoof, making him realize the previous blow had knocked it away. But before he could try to find it, he looked up to see Armalum walking up to him.

"Stay back!" Flash cried as he tried to take to the air, only for a beam to fly out of Armalum's horn. The laser missed the knight, instead hitting the building behind the defender, causing a rain of rubble. "AUGH!" he yelped as the rocks slammed into him, knocking him back to the ground.

Armalum just laughed at the sight, walking up slowly as he raised his scythe. Flash looked back up as he got on his hooves again, now seeing the blade about to come for his head. "Whoa!" he yelped as he pulled his head back, dodging the stab by doing a limbo slide. He then turned to see his sword just a few feet away, diving for the blade at the same time. The pony gripped the sword while rolling on the ground, rolling back to his hooves as he pointed it at the enemy, "FLASH-"

"Stop." Armalum interrupted as a black light shot out of his horn, hitting Flash's chest. The light then morphed into a black rope, quickly wrapping around the defender before tying his wings and front hooves to the side.

Flash grunted as he fell to the ground, his sword slipping from his grip. "Dang it!" He yelled as he tried to move, only to feel the rope tighten. "Augh!"

"Now, let's end this farce." Armalum's horn began to glow, the aura growing into a pillar of magic. Flash could only watch as his eyes shrunk at the sight.

And as this happened, a yell down the street could be heard. "Aura Force!" Springer roared as he unleashed another blast, vaporizing an oncoming lindworm before performing several back flips to avoid an eyebat attack. And as he did this, he got to the street where Flash was, making him to turn to see Flash tied up.

"FLASH!" He yelled as he turned to run over, only for a giant minotaur to appear in front of him. Slamming its fists down, the jakhowl summoning an Aura Guard to block it. He felt the beast's blow hit the bubble, making him drop to a knee as he tried to keep the barrier up. And as more punches followed, he glared over to Flash and Armalum, seeing Flash struggle against the magic rope.

"Flash...I gotta...no..." he moaned, having to look back at the minotaur as it kept hitting the shield.

"It's over," Armalum chuckled as he reached maximum power.

"Ahh!" Soul screamed as she turned away while covering her eyes with her wings.

"Get out of there!" Heart called out, "Flash!"

"I can't watch," Trixie whimpered as she looked away, shutting her eyes. Cold sighed as he looked down, also not watching.

But as this happened, Ruby kept her gaze firmly locked on Flash and Armalum, unable to look away. "Even now, after everything he's been through, Flash still can't defeat Sombra." she whispered, memories of the battle all the way back then. Her fears for what would happen if Sombra broke free of the armor came into her mind, only to go wide eyed at the next sight, "Wait...what's that?"

The others turned back to the screen, now seeing a soft glow radiate from Flash.

"Is that..." Cold tried to say.

"The Sacred Light?" Trixie added, "But the light seems to be coming from his chest."

Ruby's eyes continued to grow as she heard those words, "His scar."

Armalum's had also noticed this, holding back his attack as he stared Flash down. The pegasus was now screaming in pain, his eyes shut as the light from the chest seemed to increase. He felt like his heart was being roasted alive as he kept shaking in the magic rope.

And as his X-shaped mark continued to glow, Armalum leaned down and asked, "What is this? If this is some kind of tick, I'm not falling-"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Flash screamed, the light exploding out of the chest. Gasping at the sight, Tempera teleported onto a building roof while Springer and the minotaur just watched the scene. The light then morphed into a beam, striking Armalum right in the forehead.

His response mirrored Flash as he screamed out, letting the spell he had held back loose, hitting the building behind Flash. Pain ripped through his entire body as cracks appeared along his armor, his loss of focus causing the ropes around Flash to vanish. The pegasus didn't notice as he just gripped his chest in pain, also not noticing the building crumbling behind him.

"FLASH!" Springer yelled as he leapt over the minotaur, trying to sprint after the defender as rubble began to fall onto him. "NOOOO!" he threw a paw in that direction, knowing he wouldn't make it until....suddenly, a tentacle of aura shot out of his shield. The tip of the tentacle went over Flash, only to morph into a shape that mimicked Springer's paw.

"What?!" Tempera yelped as she saw the paw block the rubble, Springer coming to a stop as he watched the paw just stay hovering there.

As this happened, Flash let out a giant pant of exhaustion before looking up, now seeing a blue energy paw levitating above him. Blinking at the sight, he saw the rubble the paw was carrying, making him grab his sword and leap away. The paw disappeared a second later, Springer flexing his paw as he saw Flash get to safety. His ears spiked up next, hearing the roar of the minotaur before turning and firing an Aura Blast into its stomach, instantly destroying it.

"Okay....okay..." he gasped as ink splattered the road below him, making him look down at his paws, "What was that? Was that something-"

"RRRRAAAAAUUUGGGGHHHHH!" screamed a voice, Springer, Flash and Tempera turning to Armalum as he began to stagger around while clutching his mask while screaming.

"What's happening to him?" Springer asked, Flash shrugging in response.

However, Tempera just let a long gulp down her throat, "This isn't good. He must be...remembering."

"No..." Shadow growled, putting a hoof to his head as he felt a shiver go down his spine, "Sentry...what did you do?!"

"What's going on?" Salix asked while tilting his head.

"It sounds like Armalum's gonna be getting a roommate," Wingill told him.

Terror bit her hoof before turning to Shadow, "Master, is he really going to remember?"

"It appears so," Shadow hissed as he slumped back in his throne, "And that could cause issues for us."

Inside a dark void, Sombra was floating there without the armor or his usual attire. The umbrum's head was waving back and forth, only to grip his head with his hooves, "Who...who am I?" he moaned as he tried to remember who or what he was, "Armalum...Sombra...who is it? What....just what is happening to me?!"

He let out a scream of pain next, his eyes shooting open as his question echoed through the void. And as he said this, a bright light suddenly exploded in front of him. Gasping, he now found himself staring at a golden bubble of light floating in front of him. "What is this?"

The pony leaned forward, now seeing inside the orb an image of Sombra as a colt, being found by the Crystal Guards. The bubble then switched to another image, this one showing him arriving at the orphanage and meeting Ruby. More and more bubbles flew up next, each showing a different scene. His life growing up, the yearly pains brought on by the Crystal Festival. Ruby saving him from the yeti and leaving before discovering his destiny to take over the Empire. He then saw the empire be banished alongside himself, only to be followed by the thousand year return. And as he saw this, another bubble came up, showing him fighting against Flash and winning. The memory seemed to freeze on a single moment: When he gave Flash his scar.

"I...I remember. I remember...EVERYTHING!"

Armalum's screams continued as his entire body thrashed around, cracks appearing on every piece of the armor. Flash and Springer just watched the sight, Tempera switching between her sketchpad and her ally. At the same time, both castle audiences were staring at the scene, Ruby shivering at the sight as a mix of emotions appeared on her face.

And as this happened, a sudden golden light began to seep out from the cracks, glowing brighter as Sombra screamed out, "GYAAAAAAAAAH!" He bellowed as the armor exploded off of him, Flash and Springer hopping back as they dodged the pieces.

But as the pieces all hit the ground, the light off the pony died down, revealing one Sombra. The umbrum's eyes slowly opened, the purple gas still not present around them as he gasped, "I'm...back." he looked down, raising and flexing his hoof as he added, "The king...is back."

"Sombra..." hissed a voice, making him look up to see Flash getting into a defensive stance.

Sombra opened his mouth to respond to the defender, only to let out a scream of pain, gripping his head, "Gyah!" he yelped as he clutched his forehead, new images now going through his mind, "What...is this?! These memories...they aren't....mine?"

"No, they're mine." a voice replied out of nowhere, Sombra suddenly feeling the pain stop. He let go of his head next as the trio looked around for the voice. "Down here." The three looked down, now see puddles of sludge move along the ground, all the same color as the Armalum's armor. Blinking at the sight, the pile of sludge moved up to each other before solidifying into a mask...only for the mask to speak.

"It's nice to finally meet you face to face." The voice chuckled, everypony but Tempera going wide-eyed.

"Wait...that voice." Flash spoke up, "You...you're the real Armalum?"

"That's right," the mask replied as more sludge began to circle around Sombra. "See? I'm actually just the armor."

"What?!" Springer yelped before pointing at Sombra, "Then who have we been fighting, Sombra or the armor?!"

"A bit of both, really." Armalum chuckled, "Sombra was the one in control, but I've been secretly pulling his strings. Think of me like a little shoulder angel."

"More like a devil," Flash growled.

"What are you?!" Sombra asked while panting, "I doubt you're a natural creation."

"You're right." The mask replied before it began to levitate, everypony backpedaling at the sight as it began to hover, "Long story short, I was forged centuries ago by a powerful group of creatures who needed a way to fill out their dwindling number to build their armies. I was one of hundreds, but uh...let's just say I'm probably the last of my kind."

"But why were you on Sombra?" Springer asked next, Flash nodding in agreement.

"I'm a suit of armor mutt. Even if I'm sentient, I can't move or fight without somepony to wear me." Armalum replied before turning to Sombra, "That's where you come in. Remember partner?"

Sombra blinked at his words, only to feel a sudden foreign memory surge through his head. He let out a gasp of pain, clutching his head again as a scene played in his head.

The past...

Sombra could see himself watching in the back of a room, now seeing Shadow and his followers staring at something in a glass tube. It was being electrified by black lightning, courtesy of Shadow as Tempera looked up at the container, now showing a red curved horn inside. But as it was electrified, the horn slowly grew something from its base, the horn trying to form a pony-esque shape.

"I was right!" Shadow cheered, "He can be revived!"

"Master!" Tempera yelped as she saw the lightning surge in the tube, "Maybe we should be a little more careful. We know nothing about this creature or its powers."

"It'll fine!" Shadow yelled back as the pony finished reforming. As soon as it did, Shadow cut the power, the tube opening as Sombra's body slumped over in the container.

It was then that the memory seemed to shift, the world going white for a second before he found himself looking out his own eyes as he was slumped on the ground. Storm and Salix ran up next, grabbing his sides as they helped him up to his front hooves. Shadow then walked up, leaning down and putting a hoof to Sombra's chin, "Tell me...who are you?"

"Who...am...I?" Sombra replied, now feeling Shadow's hoof leave his chin. His head leaned back, his eyes waving back and forth before letting out a low breath, "I...I don't...I don't know."

Everypony went wide-eyed at this except Shadow, a curt smile appearing on his face. "Is that so?"

"Yeah...where-" Sombra tried to ask, only to let out a scream of pain. Both Salix and Storm let go of him next, Sombra's body thrashing as he screeched in pain. "AAAAHHHH! It hurts!" he cried, only to look down and see his hooves starting to show cracks.

"He's coming apart," Storm gasped as Shadow saw the cracks continue to appear.

A bulb went off in Shadow's head next, making him to point to Tempera, "Get the mask." She quickly nodded before running out of the room, Shadow turning back to Sombra, "You're in luck. This should keep you in one piece, and with your lack of memories, the two of you should work quite well together." Before Sombra could ask what he meant, Tempera returned with the mask, "Armalum." Shadow said as he took the mask and put it on Sombra, "Meet your new partner."

The Present...

Sombra's eyes shot open and he staggered back, only to start glaring at Armalum. "You...you used me. Controlled me."

"I saved you," the armor countered, "Without me, your unstable body will disintegrate. It was a win-win for both of us. Usually, my mind ends up fighting with the mind of my host. But since you didn't have any memories, it was easy to suppress your personality and bend it to my will."

"But now my memories are back," Sombra growled as he put himself in a defensive stance.

"Yeah...that does pose a problem." Armalum replied while trying to imitate a sigh. "Though I doubt it'll be that much of an issue."

As he said that, Sombra suddenly let out a scream of pain. "Sombra!" Flash and Springer gasped, now seeing cracks appear on Sombra's body. But before they could do anything, a Quetzalcoatl landed in front of them.

"Stay out of this!" Tempera yelled from atop the beast before looking back at her comrade, "Armalum, get yourself back under control."

"Working on it," the mask responded as he turned back to Sombra. The umbrum was now staring at himself, seeing the cracks appear again just like in the memories. "Hey! Up here!" Sombra looked up to see Armalum hover in front of him, "Put me on partner, you need me. Without me, you'll be nothing but a pile of dust, and I doubt master Shadow will decide to revive you a second time."

Sombra panted as he looked down at his body, more cracks appearing. He kept going between the mask and his body, his eyes darting up and down. A long sigh left his mouth next, his head slumping as he said, "Do it."

"Gladly." Armalum chuckled as he spun around and latched itself to Sombra's face. As he did this, Sombra cried out as the sludge grabbed his body, slowly reforming the armor around him.

"No!" Flash yelled as he took down the scribeast, Tempera leaping back behind Armalum as her creation was destroyed. And as the ink splattered the dirt, the armor sludge solidified on the pony as Flash asked, "Sombra? Are you in there?"

"Sorry," Armalum's voice cackled, "Sombra is unavailable right now. Please leave a message."

Meanwhile...

In another part of the city, Storm was flying down a few streets. His wings were doing a casual set of flaps as he looked at every window. "Where are you..."

And as he went down another road, he looked into another house before laughing, "Yes! There you are!" he landed and walked up to the orb, tapping it with his hoof, "Another victory in the bag."

"SOMBRA!" Flash yelled as he swung his blade at the armoured pony, Armalum blocking the blow with his scythe, "Sombra, I know you're in there! Don't let this creep control you!"

"You misunderstand," Armalum replied while chuckling, "I'm not controlling him, I'm just borrowing his body as payment for keeping him alive." He the pushed Flash back before resting the scythe on his shoulder, "Now, let's get back down to business."

Flash and Springer both got into fighting stances, Tempera pulling out a sketch as her horn began to glow. But before they could start, a bright light exploded in the distance.

"Oh." Armalum added as he turned to the light, "Looks like we'll have to settle this another time."

Flash growled as he sheathed his sword, "This isn't over."

"I'm counting on it," Armalum quipped as the light struck them.

Inside the dark castle...

Shadow hopped off his throne as Armalum and the others reappeared. As soon as they did this, he threw a hoof into Armalum's face. "BLAUGH!" The armour cried as black lightning shot out of Shadow's hoof, zapping both him and his host. "Master, what are you doing?!"

"I'm putting you down for a bit. We can't afford for you to lose your host. He may start to cause problems." Armalum fell to his knees as the lightning flowed into him. Within the armor, Sombra screamed as he felt the world around him go dark, his consciousness fading as he fell into a deep and uncomfortable sleep.

Sensing the host calming down, Shadow pulled his hoof away. "There. I've managed to suppress the consciousness of your host. This should allow you to use his body and power without him trying to take control....but it won't last long."

Armalum panted as he picked himself up, "As long as it helps me help you. I just wanna know what happened. All I remember was Sentry's scar seemed to glow this light and then hit me with it."

Shadow shook his head at this, "I know. I saw that." He crossed his hooves in thought, "But as I watched...it didn't feel like it was just Sentry's doing...wait." he pointed at Armalum's horn, "Check the host's memories now that they have returned. Maybe Sombra knows what happened."

Armalum nodded before standing still. Everypony watched as he stood there, only for a long cackle to come out of its mouth. "My my....Sombra, you sneaky sneak stallion. I must say master, I suspect you would like my host."

"Oh? What did he do?"

"He made a backup of himself."

In the other castle...

Everypony was in the map room, all discussing the battle with looks of confusion and surprise.

"Living armor," Cold repeated for the third time. "It's just...it doesn't seem possible."

Flash turned to him. "Well trust me, it's real."

"Though I wouldn't really call him alive," Springer added, "When Sombra was out of the armor, I was able to sense an aura around him....but I couldn't sense one coming off the armor. It probably also explains why I couldn't sense him at the start of the fight. They must have figured out my abilities and Armalum blocked Sombra's aura."

"Augh! You gotta be kidding me!" Trixie yelped, "We get answers to one mystery, but now we've got more questions about this armor! Why is everything a mystery in this place?!" She then turned to Flash, now seeing him scratch his scar. "Oh yeah...how do you feel?"

"Weird. It hurt like Tartarus before, but now it's fine."

"What the heck even happened back there?" Heart asked next.

"No idea," Flash replied while shaking his head, "But whatever it was, it seemed to give Sombra back his memories."

Cold stared at the scar, "Sombra was the one that gave that to you, right?" Flash nodded back. "I see. Ruby said there was much we don't know about umbrum. Maybe Sombra did something when he gave you that scar."

Springer turned and raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying Sombra put his memories into Flash's scar?" Cold shrugged back, "That's...creepy."

"Doesn't change the fact that Sombra's memories are back," Trixie chimed in.

"So what do we do?" Soul asked next, everypony turning to her as she continued, "It's clear Sombra doesn't want to be trapped in the armor. But if he leaves it, he dies. So what do we do?"

Flash sighed, leaning back in his chair, "That's a good question." He turned to Trixie, "Don't suppose you know any way to stabilize his body?"

Trixie shook her head. "I doubt even if Twilight or the princesses could do that. The only being I can think of that might have the power to completely restore him is Discord." She then blinked at her own words, "Say, did we ever try summoning Discord?" She looked up as all but Cold, Ruby and the twins yelled out, "DISCORD!"

...

"Rats."

Heart and Soul blinked at the weird exchange before Heart said, "Ooookay. But getting back to Soul's question, what do we do?"

Nopony answered for a moment, only for Ruby to speak up, "Its obvious what we do." they all turned to her, seeing a dark expression on her face, "The next time Armalum is fighting, we do our best to destroy the armor and free him."

"But if we do that, Sombra will turn to dust."

"Exactly."

Everypony went wide-eyed at her tone, Flash standing up as he said, "Ruby, you can't be serious. You don't wanna really kill Sombra, do you?"

"Sombra died a long time ago. At least, the Sombra I knew." Ruby hissed as she stared at the nearby window, "He...was replaced by a monster that looked like him. One we had no second thoughts about destroying last time." Flash opened his mouth to respond to her words, only for nothing to come out. As such, she continued, "If Sombra's gone, Armalum won't have a host. That'll give Shadow two options. Leave him out of the fight, or put him on another one of his minions. Either way, that'll mean he'll be down a follower."

She turned back to the others, her face now showing no emotion as she stared at Flash, "Flash, if the Sombra in that suit was the same one I knew so long ago, he'd rather die than be trapped and causing pain to others." Her body then ascended from her seat, "I'm going to bed. We need to be ready tomorrow, as who knows what's gonna happen."

With that, she walked out of the room, the others just staring at the leaving figure. No dialogue came out next, all knowing the new situation of Sombra and Shadow's team now being one point ahead. If they were to win, they needed to go all out for the next battle.

Author's Note

Well, hope this explains Armalum and Sombra's dynamic. If you're wondering about where I got the idea for this, look up Dogold.

Also, some people have been asking about voices for the OCs. While I haven't thought of many, I have come up with a few.

Shadow Corrupter: David Kaye's Megatron Voice
Fire Heart: Pierce Cravens
Shining Soul: Laurie Hymes' Lillie Voice
Tempera: Maryke Hendrikse

Soul's Destiny

It was another peaceful day in the Lost City of Faust.

The sun was shining, the birds singing and ninety-nine point nine nine percent of the city was completely abandoned. But in that point one percent of the city, cries of laughter could be heard echoing through the streets.

"You can't catch me!" The pegasus colt known as Fire Heart cheered as he flew through the street, right now being chased by another pegasus. This one was his sister Shining Soul, the filly zipping around as she tried to catch him.

"Get back here!" She yelled, Heart laughing as he zigzagged around the corners of several buildings. He laughed as he looked back and saw nopony in sight, a smirk appearing on his face before turning to another corner...only to see Soul flying right at him.

"WHOA!" He yelped as Soul tackled him, the two falling before bouncing off the rocky floor, the ground turning to a pillow-like surface. They bounced along the ground until coming to a stop, Soul pinning Heart to the ground as it solidified.

"Gotcha!" She laughed before jumping off him, "Tag, you're it!"

"No fair!" Heart growled as he stood up, "How'd you do that?"

"Talent," she laughed will whipping her tail in his face. "Anyway, your turn to count."

"Fine..." Heart groaned as he turned to the closest building and hid his face in it, "One, two, three, four, five..." Soul giggled as she flew away, soon getting herself about three streets away.

Once there, she landed and looked for a place to hide. The area was one she didn't know too well, mainly due to it being one of the more forage overgrown locations that she chose to stay clear of. "Hee hee..." Soul giggled, "He'll never think to look for me here."

"Ready or not, here I come!" Heart's voice echoed over the entire city, Soul quickly hiding in the shade of a building. She remained there for a few minutes, noticing Heart hadn't gotten even close to her location until hearing a voice.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" She looked up as she heard the sudden voice, now seeing Heart fly overhead. The filly quickly jumped into an alleyway in response, quietly trotting away before her ears suddenly spiked up.

"Hear me."

Soul froze on the spot, her eyes darting around as she swore she just heard another voice, "H-h-hello?"

"Hear me."

Soul turned around, hearing the voice in another alleyway, "Heart? Is that you...or a prank?" she asked into the empty street, only to hear the voice again.

"Come. Follow my voice." Soul blinked at the voice, her body moving as she felt herself drawn to the voice. She slowly walked into the alleyway, now seeing a large pile of boxes in front of her. "Follow my voice." As if in a trance, Soul flew over the boxes until she saw a section of the pile that was open with clear ground. "Come." She folded her wings and landed, only for the ground to suddenly vanish.

"WHOA!" She yelped as she found herself falling into some kind of tunnel, the place acting like a slide that she began to fall down at incredible speed. Panic struck her brain, the thought of using her wings to slow herself down not entering her mind as she fell. At some point, the tunnel began to spiral, Soul now finding herself on a helter-skelter for almost a minute until she reached the end...and was shot into a dark void.

She screamed as she began to fall into the darkness, but before she could open her wings, something shot out of the shadows. What could only be described as a bunch of thin glowing cables, the wires shot up and wrapped around different parts of her body to break her fall.

"What?!" She gasped as the cables kept her suspended. And as this happened, the entire area was suddenly filled with light, her eyes squinting as she now saw she was in a chamber filled with reflective crystals. Blinking at the sight, she looked up to see the source of the light, which was a spherical crystal sitting on a podium in the center of the camber.

Then...the crystal spoke.

"So, you are the one who can hear my voice." The voice was barely a whisper, Soul taking several seconds to figure out what was being said.

"What?"

"A time of great change is about to occur. For this, I will need a pony that can act as my voice. Only a select few have the ability to take up that role, and you are one such pony."

"Me? What are you talking about?" Soul asked, her little filly mind unable to comprehend the sight, "Why me?"

"You can hear my voice, meaning you have what it takes."

"But I can barely hear you."

"I know. That is why you must undergo a change. One that will forever shape your destiny in this world." Soul felt a shot of panic rush through her body, making her squirm as the crystal continued to speak, "I sense your fear, but do not be frightened. Your life up until now has lead up to this moment. The power you receive is one you can control as long as you accept it into your heart."

"Power?!" But before she could say anything else, the cables holding her began to loosen as a rainbow colored bubble appeared around her, "What's that?! What's happening?!"

"The time has come. I will summon you again when the time is right. Until then, take this time to grow used to your new form and remember my words. The power you will be gifted with is not a curse as long as you remember to accept it and not fear it. How you use it is your right and nopony else's. Remember that."

With those words said, the light coming from the bubble began to blind out the chamber. The filly's body started to get warmer next, Soul letting out cries of discomfort as she felt a mild piercing in her head. It didn't hurt, but it definitely caught her attention, so much so she didn't notice a flash of light appear on her flank that faded to reveal a pink mark. And before the pain could get beyond an annoying level, she blacked out.

"Aaaah!" Soul screamed as she sat up, her eyes shooting open. Gasping next, the filly rapidly blinked her eyes as she saw she was now back in her castle room with her brother snoring peacefully beside her.

She put her hoof to her chest, panting as she rubbed her head next, "It was just a dream Soul...just a dream." The filly laid back down, still gasping as her mind said, 'But was that really a dream?' She did a long gulp, curling up in her bed as she kept thinking about the dream.

"The power you receive is one you can control as long as you accept it into your heart."

"Power?" she whispered, clinching her hooves as she let out a whimper. Her mind went over the past few days, now trying to use magic. But as she did this, her mind thought only one question, 'Am I really the right choice to have this power?'

The next morning...

Shadow Corrupter sat in his throne, growling as he stared at the illusion screen that showed clips of his opponents in their battle.

"Lulamoon is able to overpower Terror's future sight. Steel's ice can actually overpower Salix's flames, and Scarlet's past with Sombra may lead to his consciousness re-surging. Then there's that wolf beast, who seems to be developing new abilities." The image changed to show Springer creating the hand from his Aura Guard. "Who knows how strong that thing could become...I really need some information on that creature." He switched it to Soarin trying to fight Storm, "Only the Wonderbolt doesn't seem all that strong...but that's guarantee victory. Then there's the last two." The first image showed Flash battling, him and Springer beating Wingill and Storm's team-up while the other showed Soul overwhelming three of his goons.

"Against that filly at full power, none of my minions have any chance of victory. If she unleashes that power again, I need to find a way to nullify it." He hissed, scratching the side of his head, "If only I was at full power. Then that disgusting alicorn wouldn't stand a chance."

"Master?" He turned to see Tempera walk into the room, a plate of his favorite breakfast floating beside her. "Is something wrong?"

"Everything's fine," he replied while looking back at the footage of Soul. "Tell me Tempera, how many of our possessions survived the transformation into the castle?"

"I...am not sure master," she muttered out, "With everything that's happened, we haven't really checked to see how much survived the transport's destruction. Would you like me to make a list of everything we've lost?"

"No, I only want one thing...and it better be in our possessions. The text of Sendak the Elder."

Tempera's eyes went wide, a small gulp going down her throat as she responded, "Master, you know what that'll do to you. It could be...weeks before you're able to move again. What about the rest of this war?"

"Against this filly, our only hope of winning is by this. Without her, they have no hope of victory."

"But without you-"

"You'll just have to pull out all the stops, won't you? Now bring me the text. I need to have the spell memorized before the game begins. Even if the two of us aren't chosen, it'll happen eventually. I wish to be ready." Tempera put his breakfast down, a huge frown on her face before bowing. And as she left the room, Shadow turned to the screens again, "I will win this...nothing will stop me."

"RAAAAAH!" Soarin roared as he threw several punches at Flash, the defender swiftly motioning backward to dodge each blow before blocking the last one with the flat of his blade. After Soarin had awakened, Flash and the others explained what they had learned about Sombra before everypony headed down to the training room. But as they did this, it was clear Soarin wasn't happy, his moves angry and erratic.

"Calm down!" Flash told him as he blocked two more blows, "You're not gonna beat anypony if you're angry like that."

"Grrrr…" Soarin growled as he and Flash took to air, Storm's words echoing in his head.

"Such a shame. You Wonderbolts are so well loved, but in the end, I guess a show pony can't compete with a true solider.

As I said before, you bring disgrace to your uniform. I don't know why you were chosen to come here, but it's clear it was a mistake. You're no warrior."

'Yeah, I'm no warrior...at least not yet.' Soarin let out a angry roar again, charging at Flash before the defender grabbed his front hoof and slung him downward. The pegasi quickly flashed his wings next, zipping back up at Flash as the knight started to block his blows again.

While this happened, Springer was trying to recreate what he did during the last battle. "Come on..." he moaned as he held his paw out, trying to change the shield's shape. But as he did this, the shield didn't even slightly change from its bubble shape. "Augh!" He yelped as the shield broke, falling over while reverting out of his battle form.

"You okay?" Heart asked him, now seeing the jakhowl clutch his head.

"My brain feels like it's on fire." Hearing this, Cold walked over and placed a hoof on his head, channeling ice magic into it. Springer's eyes closed as he sighed in relief, "Ah...that's nice. Thanks." Cold didn't respond, making Springer now look down at his paws, "I don't get it. Why can't I do that again?"

"Maybe try another shape?" Heart suggested, only for Springer to shake his head.

"No, I've tried that....but there's nothing." The jakhowl replied before turning to Ruby, the knight also being nearby. "Hey Ruby, did any other jakhowl you knew do anything like this? You know, like my dad?"

Ruby shook her head back, "No....at least of the ones I know. If they could, I never saw them do it." She let out a long hum, "Then again, you are Sharp Paw's kid...but I don't remember him or Calm doing anything like this. Perhaps its a power no regular jakhowl could do."

"Then why can't he do it again?" Heart asked next.

"Maybe it's not a matter of he can't and more of a can't yet." Cold responded, the others turning to him as he continued, "Say, you can't use your Aura Force attack in your current form, right?"

Springer did a small nod, "Yeah. I have to be in my battle mode to do it."

"Well maybe this is something you're not supposed to be able to do until you reach the next stage of your development."

"Next stage?" Heart yelped, "There's something past that battle mode transformation you have?"

"Yeah. I've been able to go past that form once." Springer replied, a certain memory now playing in his head, "Mega Mode...well, that's what I called it. I haven't been able to use it again since that fight with Shade. Heck, I haven't even got close."

"That's no surprise." Ruby chimed in, "You're still not an adult. Not only that, I didn't know any jakhowls that could pass battle form...but your circumstances are different than usual."

"I honestly don't think that matters." Cold added, "Springer is proof its possible. That should be enough until he figures it out."

"Wow..." Heart gasped before turning to his sister, "Jakhowls are so cool, right Soul?" His sister didn't respond, the filly just standing still where her horn tried to summon a small aura. "Sis?" He moved over and nudged her shoulder, making her gasp before spinning around. "Whoa, relax."

Soul quickly backpedaled, her horn sputtering as her eyes darted around, "Oh uh...sorry."

"Are you alright?" Trixie asked as she looked away from her own training. "You seem...distracted."

"I um...I just uh...had a bad dream. It was...weird."

"You wanna talk about it?" Trixie replied as she walked over and leaned down to the alicorn's level. Soul shrunk back, now seeing the others also staring at her. But before she could respond, the alarm rang throughout the room.

"Times up!" Flash yelled as he flew over and turned off the room. "Let's go!" The others nodded, all leaving the room in unison. And as they left, Soul slowly walked out, her mind playing the dream over and over.

In the other castle...

Shadow's eyes drifted back and forth as he read the old dusty tome before him. It was a book written in an ancient language, one that was neither Equestrian or the language he had seen on the tomb he found Armalum in. Despite this, he understood every word perfectly, his brain translating everything with ease.

A small smile began to form on his face as he then slammed the book shut, "Got it." As he said this, the alarm went off, making him put the book to his side, "Excellent. Just in time."

The doors burst open next, his followers rushing in as the machine appeared above the map. Three orbs came out next, Shadow's grin growing wider at the sight. "Perfect."

As this happened, Flash and his friends were now sitting at a 3D image on the table, a section of the city becoming outlined as the machine appeared and started spinning. Everypony grew tense as the first orb flew out, revealing it to have Ruby's cutie mark. The second ball came soon after, now showing Trixie's mark.

And as the machine continued to spin, Soul felt a chill go down her spine. She couldn't close her eyes, dread flushing over her form as a third sphere appeared...and showed her cutie mark. "NO!" she screamed, "Please, pick somepony else!"

Ruby and Trixie quickly went over to the filly, the knight patting her shoulder, "Don't panic Soul. Don't worry, we'll protect you."

"Promise." Trixie added before they all vanished. Heart sunk in his seat as the others began to tapping the map, now looking at the three dots appearing on the other side of the map.

"Oh no." Flash grimaced, the rest doing the same as a certain name appeared.

As soon as the mares appeared in the city, Ruby turned to Soul. "Go and hide. We'll try to draw them away from you."

"But then it'll be three against two!" Soul whimpered out, "I mean, I know I can't fight but....you know what happened last time!"

"That's a risk we'll gladly take." Ruby replied before leaning down to the filly's level, "Listen, do you want to help us?" Trixie went wide-eyed at the knight's question, only to see Soul slowly nod back. "Okay. If that's the case, hide for a few minutes and when you're in the clear, start looking for the orb. But the second you think somepony else is close by, hide and don't come out. Understand?"

Soul nodded back again, "Okay, I promise." She then turned away, only to look back, "Um....I'm sorry. I'll try to not be a burden."

The mares gave her two comforting smiles before the filly ran off, Trixie turning to Ruby next, "You don't think she's a burden, do you?"

"Not at all. But...she's too young for this kind of ordeal." The knight turned around and pointed her hoof ahead, "That's why we have to make sure she stays out of this fight."

"Right." Trixie replied before sighing, "Sweet Luna, she's a Fluttershy in a Rainbow situation....but we can't help that. Come on, we have to get as far away from her as possible."

Ruby nodded back as they started to run down the many streets, Ruby asking, "Any ideas for getting their attention?"

"No, but I could always-"

"Look out!" Ruby interrupted before tackling Trixie just as a burst of fire shot out of an alleyway, an explosion now happening behind them. The two quickly rolled back to their hooves, spinning around to see Salix, "Guess we don't need to get their attention now."

"Its fine. We can take him!" Trixie yelled as Salix charged at them, flames encasing his entire body. Seeing this, she formed a shield, the nirik bouncing off the sudden barrier before cutting the shield.

"Ruby Saber!" the knight roared as she ran through the now vanishing barrier, quickly swiping the blade at the nirik. He tried to backpedal away, only for the sword to nick his face, making him yelp and hop back. But as he did this, Trixie fired an ice blast, hitting his hooves.

"Not this time!" he growled as he flared up his mane, melting the frozen liquid before it could even hurt. "Don't think I'll fall for that twice! You might be able to do ice magic, but you're leagues from being on that ice-making knight guy's level!"

"Maybe...but my illusions are a cut above the rest." She sparked her horn, creating an army of Rubys that were all carrying a crystal sword and a smirk on their faces.

"Oh, come on!" Salix yelled as he began firing fireballs at the fakes, knocking out a few. But as they continued to charge, he tensed up his body, then unleashing an extreme amount of heat that flew over the group. And as this happened, only one appeared to flinch. "There you are!" He fired out a burst of flame at the real Ruby, the mare quickly stabbing her sword into the ground, transforming it into a giant crystal wall.

And as Ruby and Trixie began to counterattack, Shadow stood on a nearby roof with Terror by his side. She was glaring at Trixie as she commented, "It's like there's some unseen force dragging the two of us together."

"Then go settle the score," Shadow ordered, "I'll deal with the last of their team. After all, if those two are on their own, it means only one thing..." His face morphed into a giant grin, "The alicorn's with them."

Terror's eyes grew wide as she turned to her master, "You sure?"

"None of the others are the hiding type. It has to be her." His horn began to flare as he turned to her, "Keep them occupied by any means necessary."

The unicorn replied with a small bow, "Yes master."

Shadow's grin continued to grow as he turned around, slowly walking away as he whispered, "At last. Its finally time to take the power I deserve."

With that, he teleported away in a black flash, leaving Terror as she stared back at Trixie. "Payback time Lulamoon." She hissed, now watching Salix launched fireballs at the two. And as Trixie jumped back to avoid some of the flames, Terror warped down to her, "Surprise!"

Before Trixie could react, Terror tackled her as a magic encased both. A split second later, both vanished out of sight, making Ruby yell, "TRIXIE!"

"Ha!" Salix laughed as he fired another fireball at the knight, Ruby quickly blocking it with her blade. "Don't worry about her. Its just you and me now."

"Crystal Shot!" Ruby instantly responded, summoning several crystal arrows before firing them. Seeing the incoming attacks, Salix breathed a stream of fire...only for the arrows to fly right through the flames unscathed.

"What?!" He yelped, ducking as the arrows skimmed over his body, cutting off some burning hairs, "Oh, come on!" He growled, "First Cold and now you?! What happened to the good old days when everything caught on fire?!"

"My crystals have a very high melting point. One you clearly can't reach." Ruby replied as she reshaped her sword into a pike-like instrument. "Now, are you gonna bring the heat or am I in for a disappointing battle?"

"Grrrr….I'll show you heat! RAAAH!" Salix roared as flames consumed his body, a trail of fire following behind him as he charged.

Meanwhile...

A flash of light enveloped a nearby street, Trixie and Terror appearing next as they rolled on the ground. As this happened, Trixie kicked Terror off her before getting on her hooves. And as they stared each other down, Trixie chuckled, "What, didn't you get enough of a flank whopping last time? Don't tell me you enjoy being beaten."

Terror let out a low growl, "You may have beaten me last time, but I beat you the time before. Our score is dead even!"

"So you wanna break the tie?"

"Obviously," Terror's eyes flashed purple next, only to flinch as she saw nothing but a blur. "Augh!"

"Still can't see it, can you?" Trixie replied while crossing her hooves with a confident smirk, "I told you, I'm not letting anypony dictate my future other than me."

"We'll see about that!" Terror barked back before throwing a card. A dome appeared around them next, Terror tensing up as she had never used the card regularly without future sight, only for it to stop right side up, "Arcana of the Chariot!" The dome shrank around her before exploding, the light consuming her body before she charged at Trixie with blinding speed.

Trixie yelped as she barely jumped to the side, dodging Terror's punch. The mare slid along the ground as Terror threw another card up before rushing in, slamming her hoof into Trixie's gut. A wheeze of air came out of Trixie's mouth as she felt the blow, only to grab Terror's hoof and spin her around, throwing her into the street.

Terror grinded along the ground from the blow, now looking up to see the card stopped spinning, now being upside down. Trixie chuckled as she saw the card, "Arcana of the Reversed...what is that, the Magician?" The dome exploded and as the light flew into her, Trixie felt a sudden rush of magical energy, "Oh yeah, that's the one." She started firing a barrage of magical beams, Terror's still enhanced speed allowing her to side-step every blast. But as she did this, the magic began to wear off, causing a beam to her right in the chest.

"AUGH!" She yelped as she knocked back, this time about to hit a building. The cultist then summoned a shield, Trixie firing another beam at her. The barrier was instantly shattered by the blow, knocking her into the stone wall...only for her to spin midair and plant her hooves in the stone.

Propelling off the side, her horn sparked as she suddenly teleported, Trixie now hearing a flash of magic behind her. But as she turned around, a beam of magic hit her chest, "Augh!" she cried as she was now knocked back, Terror laughing as she threw up another card.

As they happened, Trixie got back on her hooves, firing another beam at Terror, only for the seer to duck under the blast. And as she did this, the card came to a stop...right side up. "Yes! Arcana of the Tower!" Terror cheered as a bolt of lightning shot out of the card, Trixie summoning a shield in response.

But as the bolt hit, the barrier shattered instantly, knocking her back. "Gyah!" she yelped as she was sent flying, only to point her horn down as she fired another beam, this one hitting the still cheering Terror.

"AAAAH!" She and Trixie screamed as they both slammed into nearby building walls, the two slumping over with loud shouts of pain.

"Ouch," Heart flinched before looking away, "That had to hurt."

"They appear to be on even hoofing," Cold added as they saw the two pick themselves up and continue their fight. "Though with Terror no longer able to see the future, Trixie's abilities may be too much for her to keep up with."

As he said that, Terror threw a card into the air, making Springer shake his head, "Yeah...but those cards are still bad news."

"Unless they stop for Trixie," Soarin chimed in as the Strength card stopped upside down, granting Trixie the boost. "See?"

Flash didn't say anything as he watched Trixie punch the ground, causing an earthquake that knocked Terror off balance. His eyes weren't looking at the fights, instead alternating between the screens and the map as he watched Soul's dot slowly move from building to building. "Please find that orb soon..." he whispered, only to go wide-eyed as another dot got closer to her, "Oh no."

The others turned to him, now seeing what he was watching as Cold let out a low sigh, "Shadow..."

Down in the city, Soul beat her wings furiously as she zipped between the houses.

As she entered one, the filly zoomed through every room before going to the next, her ears trying to hear every explosion in the distance. She knew they would be her signal on where not to go, and as is she left another building, she landed on a street and closed her eyes, "Come on, think Soul! In the past, the orbs were never in the areas the two teams first arrived in. Of course, that makes sense if you're trying to be fair....but that also means its somewhere in the middle of the battleground." She turned to the a new explosion happening in the distance, her ears flopping down, "That means its somewhere over there."

But as she said this, her eyes turned to see a building collapse two streets over. Her eyes went wide as she saw another building now melt into nothingness, a familiar black-gray mist appearing on the edges of the disappearing house. "Shadow..." she whispered as her fear meter jumped from five to eleven in a matter of seconds. The filly tried to not gasp, quickly turning and shooting down an alleyway.

However, as she tried to hide, Shadow turned to the street she was on, his eyes catching a glimpse of her tail. A low chuckle left his mouth, "There you are." His horn began to glow as it was covered by the mist, "I'm in the mood for a little bit of fun. It's been a while since I got to enjoy the thrill of the chase."

With that, he shot the mist off his horn, hitting the building Soul had hidden behind. The filly's eyes shrunk as she saw the house melt in front of her, turning to dust as she flared her wings and flew away. The sight made him laugh, "Run run run as fast as you can. I'll catch you, no matter how far you go." His horn shined as he teleported to the street she had just flew over, his hooves calmly trotted down the road, "And when I finally have you, I will take what is rightfully mine."

Meanwhile, again...

"Take this!" Salix roared as he fired several fireballs at Ruby, the crystal mare spinning her pike around the same way Storm would his Celestic Gear.

The weapon deflected every flame, Ruby then spinning her body before thrusting the tip of the spear, "Hey!" Salix yelped as he started to backpedal, "What is it with you knights and pointy things?!"

"They get the job done," Ruby replied as she kept swinging the spear, Salix continuing to move backward.

"Grah! Just burn already!" Salix yelled as he started thrusting his tail, flinging fireballs over the knight. Ruby quickly countered by spinning her spear over her, only for Salix to fire a stream out of his mouth. The mare looked back down just as he did this, her horn flaring as she dismissed the spear and punched the ground, creating a crystal spike to block the blast.

"Gotcha!" the nirik cheered as he lit on fire and rocketed around the spike, only to see the mare was now gone, "Huh?"

"No, I've got you!" Salix heard as he turned to see Ruby suddenly appeared before swinging a Crystal Hammer into his head.

"Augh!" he yelped as he was thrown back, Ruby creating a second hammer while he skid across the ground. And as Salix tried to pick himself up, Ruby teleported over and smacked him with a hammer, knocking him away before teleporting to where he was about to land. Another blow from the hammer followed this, knocking Salix back as she teleported to another spot and hit him around like a pinball.

And as this happened, Salix let out a scream, "ENOUGH!" A wave of heat shot off him in all directions, pushing Ruby back as he put a hoof in his mane and suddenly threw something out. It was a card, which exploded and created a dome of light around them. Seeing this, Ruby sparked her horn for a teleport spell, only for her magic aura to sputter out.

"HA! Now you're mine!" Salix roared as he saw this.

Ruby spun both hammers in her hooves before morphing them into one, "I don't think so."

At the same time...

"Arcana of the Emperor!" Terror's card dome shrank around her before exploding, the light entering her body and re-energizing her. The seer then started firing a barrage of blasts, Trixie countering by creating a small army of herselves. They quickly started running around, Terror taking out several before they all charged at her. Seeing this, Terror began back-flipping, dodging a few of the Trixies punches before the real one appeared behind her, slamming both backhooves into the cultist's side, "Augh!"

Trixie giggled as she saw Terror land into a few of the Trixie illusions, turning them into smoke before the rest vanished. "That the best you got?! Guess you really can't fight without seeing the future." Trixie mocked with a confident smirk, Terror getting back on her hooves before throwing two cards up.

However, no dome appeared with these cards, making Trixie realize what she was going for. Despite this, Terror let out a roar as she charged at Trixie, trying to punch her. Trixie quickly blocked the blow and countered with a jab, smacking the cultist back before Terror threw two more punches. And as Trixie dodged both, the cards stopped spinning with one right side up and the other upside down.

The two leapt back as the cards unleashed their effects, Trixie finding a lightning bolt coming down at her while a black fog went after Terror. Trixie summoned a halfway decent shield that blocked a good amount of the lightning, but it broke before the bolt was completely spent, the remaining lightning striking her to the core. "AAAHHH!" She screamed, falling over as the electricity flowed through her body.

As this happened, Terror stood still, barely moving as she kept looking around in a empty black void. And as this happened, Trixie got up and shook her head before seeing Terror still being blinded. Quickly grabbing a piece of debris, she threw it past Terror, the sound of the rock getting the mare's attention.

"Gotcha!" She spun around and fired a blast, hitting the rock. But as she did this, Trixie charged up her horn before hitting the mare with a giant magic beam, "GYAH!" She screamed as she was struck in the back, slumping over before spinning around and firing back.

However, her blast hit nothing as Trixie teleported a few feet away, now catching her breath as Terror kept spinning around. 'Not good. I've been too confident and used up way too much magic.' she thought before shaking her head, 'No. I beat her once, I'll do it again.'

In another section of the city...

Soul was now zigzagging between buildings, her form zipping around every alley as she kept doubling back to make sure Shadow wasn't following her. But as she did this, a sudden flash of light appeared in front of her, "Boo!" he laughed as he teleported in, making her scream before spinning around and flying away.

"Ahahaha!" Shadow laughed as he saw her fly, his horn glowing before vanishing again. As he did this, Soul went behind another two buildings, only for him to appear again, "Surprise!"

"Eek!" she yelped before she darting away again, "Please go away!" she whimpered out, tears flowing down her face as he heart pounded a million times a minute.

And as she kept flying, Shadow teleported behind her...only to see she had jumped into a nearby building. Hopping down to the structure's doors, he opened it up to see it was a warehouse-like building. The place was filled with different sized boxes, all stacked up to almost the ceiling in some parts.

He let out a low chuckle as he slowly tiphoofed inside, "Marco...polo." Soul's entire body vibrated, the filly covering her mouth as she hid in one of the boxes. The sound of his hooves tapped the floor, making sweat pour down her face, "Marco..." his voice was right outside of her box, "Polo." Her mind went blank, about to faint as he suddenly stood still, pure fear consuming her as she waited for him to speak. "Marco...POLO!"

BOOM!

Her body didn't move, her heart stopping as she heard a pile of wood boxes a few feet from her explode. And as she heard this, Shadow clicked his tongue as he said, "You know, this can end right now. Just come out and I promise I'll be merciful." He then heard a knocking sound, spinning around to see a box with its lid off. Leaning over the container, he found it empty, "Hmm...still hiding." The stallion looked up and yelled, "Listen, I can make it quick and painless. I'll admit, I'm no fan of alicorns, but...I can make an exception. I can promise your pain will be far less than your friends, which is not a bad deal. All you have to do is surrender. If not, I'll be forced to-"

His words suddenly came to a stop as he heard the sound of moving wood, making him turn to see a whole pile of crates fall on top of him. His horn tried to spark, only for the wood to smash into his head, covering him in a pile of boxes.

Soul quickly zipped out of the room at this, an explosion reaching her ears just as she left the building. Behind her stood Shadow, his form walking out of a pillar of cinders. "Well played. But I don't fall for the same trick twice." He then teleported out of the warehouse, now seeing Soul fly over a nearby rooftop. The sight made a big grin reappear on his face, "You will be mine."

Meanwhile yet again...

"Crystal Wave!" A barrage of crystal spikes shot out the ground, Salix unleashing a stream of fire to draw a line of melted earth, blocking the crystals. He then rocketed over the attack, Ruby tapping the ground in response as she summoned a crystal pillar under her hooves.

Seeing her go upward, Salix let out a roar before changing his trajectory toward her. But as he did this, her horn shined as she pointed it at the nirik. "Crystal...FORCE!" A tornado of crystals came flying at Salix, the nirik trying to turn as he dodged half of the shards, the rest striking his side.

"Grah!" he hissed as he felt the scratches, only to push his flames downward, pulsing him upward again. As he did this, Ruby slammed her hooves into the pillar, causing the round tower to break apart until it was a stack of round crystal disks. She then started throwing them at the nirik, causing him to fly away as her pillar continued to descend.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he flattened himself to dodge two disks that were both above and below him, sucking his gut in at the same time. And as he evaded three more disks, he let out a roar, "That's it!"

An explosion of fire consumed him as he suddenly charged right at Ruby, his body turning into a fiery meteor. Ruby pulled several disks out in response before forming a shield with them. Salix slammed into the barrier, pushing her back with considerable force as her horn sparked, grabbing the rest of the disks. The crystal then morphed into a slide behind her, the mare leaning back as Salix continued to push, knocking her down the slide while her horn shined again. A blast then shot out of the shield, smacking Salix in the face.

"GYAH!" He screeched as he knocked back, Ruby taking this moment to turn the shield into a spear. And as he landed on his hooves, he growled back at the mare, "Augh! How are you beating me?! I have fire! Fire's supposed to beat and burn everything!"

Ruby just spun the weapon in her hooves, "Fire is powerful, but against somepony with actual skill and technique, the weaknesses in your abilities are painfully obvious." Salix growled and took on an attack stance as she continued, "All you know is power, but power alone is nothing compared to true strategy."

Flames began to dance around his body as he then yelled, "I'll show you strategy!" He then morphed into a charging fireball, screaming as flames spread all around him.

"A frontal assault. How unexpected." Ruby deadpanned while spinning her spear, "Guess we gotta do this hard way."

"Arcana of the Sun!" Terror yelled as an intense light suddenly shined down on Trixie. The mare closed her eyes, summoning a shield to block the light. As she did this, Terror tried to teleport behind her while still being blinded by the moon card.

She fired a blast next, hitting Trixie's side before firing several more in all directions. As this happened, her vision started to return, only for the first thing to see was Trixie's hoof in her face. Feeling herself being knocked back a few feet next, she put her hoof into her cape, "I'm not done yet!" She screeched as she threw another card, a dome covering both.

And as they both looked up to see the card was the Magician…which stopped upside down. "No!" Terror yelped as the dome shrunk down on Trixie. As the power-up began to happen, Terror quickly pulled out another Magician card, "This'll either turn out very good, or very bad."

She then threw the card, only to see a magic beam coming for her. Teleporting away, she dodged the blast, only for it to hit the building now behind her, the explosion pushing her flying forward. And as she flew, the Magician stopped right side up, sending its power to Terror.

Seeing this, Trixie fired another powered up blast at Terror, but the mare formed a shield, deflecting the blow. Seeing this, the two mares then used their levitation magic on themselves, both taking to the skies as they started firing blasts at each other. The two danced in the air, destroying the building around them as they continued to shoot beams of magic at each other. Rocks and rubble went flying with them, the explosions sending them upward before hitting both as they kept trying to stay airborne.

It wasn't long till both stood still in mid-air, unable to move much before both fired a singular long stream of magic. The two spells clashed, soon creating a blue and silver orb of magic that grew to the size of a standard pony. And as the bubble continued to grow, it started to twitch before-

Boom!

The orb exploded, the shockwaves smacking both into the street. Two loud thuds rang out as they landed, both rolling across the ground. Groans began to come out of their mouths as she they both began to get up, Trixie rubbing her head while Terror reached into her cape and pulled out a card. 'The Priestess. With this, I'll be able to heal my wounds. But if it's reversed, it'll heal her wounds. Do I risk it?' She was pulled from her thoughts as Trixie fired another beam, the mare ducking as the blast then hit her cloak.

Before she could react, she threw the card up. As she did this, both she and Trixie began charging up their magic. The two seemed to have the same idea, wanting to end this with one final blast. And as the dome went up around them, they fired their spells, the beams meeting below the spinning card. They both grunted as they pushed as much magic as possible into their attack, forming an orb. But as it did this, it grew even more, getting bigger as the card came to a stop and-

KABOOM!

Another explosion hit the area, a wave of magic hitting both back as the effect of the Priestess card began. A shining light began to float down to one mare as both flying into separate walls. Groans of pain continued to ring out, Terror getting up first as she peeled herself from a wall.

But as she did this, she looked up to see a shining Trixie, her wounds healing as Terror let out a sigh. The mare slumped over, her body starting to turn to dust as she growled, "You win. I guess...I have to admit how strong you truly are. Don't forget that, no matter what anypony tells you."

And as those words left Terror's mouth, she vanished. Trixie let out a long sigh, her body slumping to the ground. "Ugh...still hurts. But I gotta...keep moving." She rolled over next, now staring at the sky as she began to succumb to her own exhaustion, "Soul...Ruby...please be strong."

Soul's body was running on fumes. She kept beating her wings as fast as they would go, but every flap was harder than the last. But as she did this, her body started to give out, soon falling face first into the dirt. "Augh!" She yelped as she slid on the ground, moaning next as she picked herself up.

She looked back after this, not seeing Shadow behind her as she sighed in relief. Staggering over to the most nearby wall, she continued to pant, "Why? Why do I have to do this?" she whispered as she rubbed against the wall, only to find a door. Before she could react, she slumped over on the frame, causing it fall along with her, both hitting the floor. "Eep!"

Grumbling at the sudden fall, she got back up and let out a huff. Her body was trying to tell her to rest, but her hooves kept moving as she moaned, "I gotta...keep...huh?" she then saw something in the corner of her eye, making her turn to see an orb inside the building. "Yes!"

She didn't waste a second as she spread her wings, leaping at the sphere next. But as she got within inches of it, her entire body froze up.

"What?!" She yelped, only to feel something pull her back. The filly looked down, gasping as she saw a black chain now wrapping her backhoof. This was followed by a deep laugh, making her heart stop as she now saw Shadow standing outside the building.

"Finally got you." he commented as another chain appeared, gripping her other backhoof as it pulled her away from the orb. The filly began scraping her hooves along the ground, her body slowly being yanked out of the building.

"No! Help! AAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed before a magic aura turned her over, her mouth stopping as her eyes locked with Shadow's deranged blood-red orbs.

"Now you're all mine."

"SOUL!" Heart's scream echoed through the castle as he watched his sister fall into Shadow's clutches, "Let her go, you bully!"

"He can't hear you," Springer told him before the colt growled at him.

"But we have to do something!"

"You're right, and we will," Flash replied as he hopped out of his chair and walked over to the balcony, opening the doors.

"Flash...what are you planning?" Cold asked as Flash held up his Celestic Gear, the sword glowing before unleashing a Flash Cutter. The attack struck the barrier, exploding despite not making a bit of damage.

"That's what I'm planning," Flash responded as he turned back to his friends, "You just gonna stand there and watch that happen to a filly, or are you gonna put a stop to this stupid game once and for all?!" The four exchanged glances, only to nod as they all got up before walking over to the balcony. In unison, Cold started shooting icicles at it while Springer threw an Aura Blast and Soarin tackled the barrier. "Hold on Soul!" Flash yelled as he started slashing at the barrier as well.

And as they did this, Heart simply watched the screen, his body shivering at the sight of his sister's dilemma.

"Let me go! Please!" Soul screamed as more chains wrapped around her body, "You can have the orb! Just please let me go!"

"Oh, I know I can have the orb. I deserve it, unlike these other vermin. But...that orb is nothing compared to what I really want." He pulled her up to him, leaning in next as he whispered into her ear, "What I really want...is you."

Her eyes shrunk at these words, mouth shaking as she asked, "W-w-what are you g-g-gonna d-d-do with m-m-me?"

"The same thing I do to every pony I meet that has a magic I'm interested in. Take it!" With that, Shadow opened his mouth before breathing in. As he did this, Soul suddenly felt a force shake her body, as if it was being ripped in half as she started to scream. And as this happened, a golden liquid-like light began to seep out of her horn towards Shadow's mouth.

Her screams echoed through the city, hitting everypony's ears.

"SOUL!" Ruby yelled as she heard it, turning to the voice as Salix rocketed in front of her.

"I don't think so."

"Get out of my way!" Ruby roared as she unleashed a barrage of arrows, Salix ducking under the attack before slamming his hooves down, creating a massive wall of fire around them both.

"Sorry. Can't let you go until master's done."

"Done what?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Whatever it is he's doing. If he's doing what I think he's doing, then your friend's a goner, even with this game's rules."

And as this statement hit Ruby's ears, she summoned a giant crystal hammer, "Then get out of my way!"

But as she tried to fight Salix off, Trixie had also heard the filly's screams. The mare tried to pick herself up, but her legs gave out, making her slump over. "Come on..." she groaned as she tried to pick herself up again, "MOVE!" But her legs buckled again, making her fall over, "Darn it! Stupid body!" her horn began to gather some magic as well, only to sputter out, "No. Soul...I'm so sorry."

Back in the castle...

Flash had stopped his assault on the barrier as he heard Soul's cries, making him look back to see the filly screaming in pain. And while her expression made his heart burn in rage, it was what Shadow was doing that made him come to a complete stop.

"That's..." Flash gasped, unable to finish his own sentence.

Cold stopped his onslaught next as he also looked at the screen, then turning to Flash, "You recognize the magic he's using?" Flash didn't respond, "Flash!"

"Tirek..." was all Flash could say, Soarin and Springer glancing at the screen before memories flashed into their minds.

"No way."

"How?!" Springer yelped, only for Flash to turn back to the barrier, firing a Flash Force now. Seeing this, the others did the same, not talking as they kept hitting the barrier. But as they did this, the attacks suddenly rebounded, knocking them all back.

"Blaugh!" yelped Soarin as the barrier smacked them into the room's opposite wall, "Ow...I don't think they want us doing that."

But as these words left his mouth, another scream from Soul hit all their ears.

"I don't care! We have to break out of here now!" Flash yelled as he pushed himself back up, his blade shining before turning to his friends, "Get up! We have to do something!"

The others nodded back, all getting up as they began to ignore the pain from the barrier's power. And as this happened, Heart just watched helplessly, tears threatening to break free of her eyes, "Soul..."

Soul continued to scream as she felt her alicorn magic being pulled out of her. But as this happened, she found she could feel pain, both her and Shadow not feeling any magic being moved. Shadow started growling at this, only to move his mouth away and spat out a glob of spit. "Grrr....stop resisting! You're only prolonging your pain!"

Soul stopped screaming, tears pouring down her face as she whimpered, "Why?! Why are you doing this?!"

Shadow chuckled as her question, leaning up to her face as he replied, "You really have to ask? Alicorn magic is a goldmine of power. I have trained myself for years to get to their level, as I always thought it would take me that long to get that strong to take their magic. But with a weakling like you, it'll be like taking candy from a foal. And with it, I'll be able to win this game in the blink of an eye!" A giant grin began to grow on his face as he said, "Your friends will stand no chance! I will destroy them all!"

With that, he opened his mouth, the filly screaming as the draining began again. She could feel her magic now trickling out as she screamed. And as this happened, she could hear Shadow start to whisper, "Let it go. Let it go and it'll all be over. Let go...let go...let go."

Those two words began to echo in her head, the pain surging through her body now making her numb. Her screams still rang out, but the life within her yells began to slowly go out. As this happened, her friends were all trying to get to her, Trixie dragging herself along the ground while Ruby kept fighting Salix up close and personal, no longer caring about the flames striking her body. At the same time, Flash, Springer, Soarin and Cold continued their attack on the barrier while Heart just stared at the screen, tears pouring down his face as he simply cried at how unless he was.

"Soul..." he whimpered while shutting his eyes and staring at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Enough!" Flash yelled as they staggered back again, only to point his blade at the barrier again, "This time we do it together. Aim for one spot." They nodded back as the sword began to glow, "On my mark...Flash Force!"

"Cold Force!"

"Aura Force!" The three attacks hit the barrier in the exact same spot, Soarin then slamming into the area next to it. But as they did this, a rebound of force slammed into them, all four flying across the room from the blow.

At the same time...

"Out of my way!" Ruby roared as she jumped through a third wall of flames, smacking Salix with a crystal hammer at the same time.

"Not happening!" Salix barked back as he countered with a stream of fire, the flames pouring out of his mouth.

The knight was knocked back as she guarded with just the hammer, her horn sparking as she then yelled, "Fine! Crystal FORCE!" A gem laced tornado shot out of her horn, Salix breathing in before firing another blast of flames.

And as this happened, Soul's eyes began to drift to the back of her head, her consciousness fully fading. But as she felt the magic now leaving her, two words echoed through her mind. "Let go. Let go. Let...go."

"Let go."

Soul's mind suddenly rattled at that last one, a new voice now saying those two words. Her eyes began to go back down, the voice continuing to talk, "Let go Soul. The time has come. Let go of your fear. Let your magic flow."

As she heard this, her mind replied, 'I...I can't. I'm scared...so scared.'

"It's okay Soul. You can let go now." the voice replied, a soothing calmness coming from its tone.

And as these words entered the filly, her ears spiked as everypony she knew let out a single yell at the top of their voices.

"SOUL!"

This mighty cry echoed throughout the city, instantly hitting Soul's ears. Her mind suddenly flashed to every scene across the city, now seeing Trixie struggle across the ground, a burning Ruby punching Salix, and Flash with the others trying to destroy the barrier. Pain, determination, rage...they were all there on her friends faces, all pushing themselves to save her.

"My friends," she whispered to herself, a spark suddenly zapping into her mind as the tears stopped flowing down her face.

"Let go Soul. Let your power flow."

And as the voice said these words again, Soul listened. Her body relaxed, the chains around her form slightly loosening. As this happened, Shadow felt a sudden magical block within the filly vanish. "Finally!" he yelled as he pulled his neck back, magic now surging out of the filly. But as he did this, Soul's head shifted to look right in his eyes, only for an explosion of light to shine off her body. "What the-gyah!"

The light instantly destroyed the chains, turning them to ash as Shadow suddenly felt his body being pushed back. His teeth gritted as he glared back at her, his horn flaring as he roared, "Accursed alicorn! What are you doing?!"

She didn't reply, her horn instead responding as she fired a beam of light at the unicorn. He quickly summoned a wall of black chains in response, the light melting them in a split second. Shadow clapped his hooves next, a dark aura covering his body as he turned to smoke, shrinking down to the ground to dodge the attack.

As this happened, another beam of light shined out of her horn, forming a pillar that all the city could see as it struck through the roof of the building. The light caught everypony's attention, Flash and the others stopping their attack on the barrier while Ruby and Salix ceased their fight. Trixie forced her eyes open as she saw the light, the others now seeing Soul flare her wings while her eyes began to glow.

"Too little, too late little filly. Your power will be mine!" Shadow growled as his horn was now consumed in a thick black aura, the ground around him decaying as he glared at Soul. Several dark portals appeared behind him next, an army of chains flying out of them as he roared, "Become mine alicorn!"

But as the chains swooped around the filly, covering every direction...they suddenly became still. "WHAT?!" Shadow screeched, only to see Soul turn to him. In the blink of an eye, a powerful wave of energy shot out of her horn, the attack flying in every direction across the city. Before he could react, the energy struck the unicorn, slamming him into and through a building fifty feet away.

And the wave didn't stop there. Trixie was the next one hit, only for it phase right through her. Her energy suddenly came back to her, injuries vanishing at the same time. It then hit Ruby and Salix, two different reactions occurring to them. Ruby remained still as she felt the wave wash over her, restoring the knight like a gentle breeze.

However, Salix tried to run away while yelling, "Oh, come on! Not again!" But as he did this, the attack smacked his back, blasting him through two buildings as he screamed in pain. "AUGH!"

The light around Soul had now began to die down, a golden aura still around her as her eyes continued to glow. She barely had time to process as her body suddenly froze up, a million words and images appearing in her mind in seconds. To most, it would just be just noise, but Soul was able to distinguish it perfectly.

"I understand..." She whispered before turning back to the building with the orb. Her horn shined as two flashes of light appeared down the street, Ruby and Trixie being summoned to that spot.

"What the-" Ruby tried to saw as they saw each other, both then asking, "Where's Soul?"

BOOM!

The sudden explosion made both turn to see Shadow ascend from a now destroyed building, two houses to his sides now melting at the same time. His eyes were blood red in rage, the knight and magician getting into fighting stance as he roared, "Where is she?! Where is that brat!?!" Both mares didn't reply, making him slam his hooves down, the ground shaking as he screeched, "ANSWER ME!"

And as he asked this, a bright light suddenly exploded behind Ruby and Trixie, both turning around to see a filly fly out of a building with a orb in her hooves.

"NOOOO!" Shadow yelled as he teleported right in front of her, summoning his decaying blade in hoof as he swung it down. "DIE!"

The tip of the blade began its downward path, about to touch the filly's horn with the decay magic on it. But as it tried to reach her, the two locked eyes, the filly's still glowing before Shadow suddenly exploded into dust. Not a sound was made in that moment, the blade vanishing along with its master.

As for Ruby and Trixie, they just stared at her in shock as Soul landed with the orb. The knight's lips shivered as she then whispered, "Soul?"

But as these words left her mouth, the orb unleashed a bright light, consuming both. In the blink of an eye, both were back in the map room. The two flopped onto the floor, both looking up to see Flash, Springer, Soarin, Cold and Heart staring at them in shock before glancing over to see the orb now beside the other three. Then Heart spoke up, saying something that made everypony's hearts stop.

"Where's Soul?" he said as everypony saw that the filly was nowhere in sight. "WHERE'S SOUL?!"

Deep below within a long dark chamber, Soul was now curled up inside a crystal sphere. A slight snore escaped her breath as she laid there, her body now completely still as the orb kept her still and safe.

Author's Note

Well...that happened. What do you think?

Courageous Burning Heart

Five years ago...

At the Peaks of Peril, another day was beginning at the kirin village. There, the pony-lion-deer hybrids were beginning their day, including one particular kirin.

"Good morning everypony!" Searing Salix announced as he leapt out of his house, sliding along the ground with a giant smile on his face. "Who's ready for another astounding day?!" And as he said this, he stopped sliding as his hoof hit a loose rock, making him roll on the ground and crash into a tree. "Blaugh!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" roared another voice, making Salix look up to see his friend Fern Flare on the ground, clutching her stomach.

"Oh, ha ha!" Salix laughed as he got back onto his feet, only to see another kirin walking by, "Hey Rain Shine!" She turned to him with a smile, "We gonna get to enjoy another awesome song any time soon?"

Rain tilted her head at this, "I may be working on a little something."

"Any chance I can hear a preview?" She gave him a deadpan stare, "Oh, come on! Just one little verse?" Rain contined to stare at him, no changes in her expression, "Half a verse? Maybe two thirds and that's my final off...one line?" Rain Shine rolled her eyes at this, laughing before walking away.

"Awww...I just wanted a preview." Salix sighed, only to feet a pat on his shoulder.

"Rain just wants to show everypony Salix. Don't take it personally." Fern chimed in.

"I know..." Salix's eyes then went wide as a bulb went off in his head, "Wait, that's it! Maybe I should start singing too! Then she'll sing with me!" She turned to see Rain vanishing into the town's market crowd. "Rain, come back!"

He started to trot into the market after this. And as he walked into the crowd, his ears heard a yell, "HEY!" he turned to one of the stalls, seeing it was his friend Autumn Blaze running up to two other kirin that were fighting over a flower pot.

"This is mine!" The first one yelled as she tried to pull the pot with her magic.

"No!" another yelled as he yanked it back, "It's mine!" The two continued to pull at the vase, their disagreement quickly shifting from the pot to an all-out argument. This included name-calling and other insults, Salix gulping as he saw the next sight.

"What did you just call me?!" The mare screamed at the stallion.

"You heard me!" He barked back, only for the mare's entire body to explode in flames, going into her nirik form.

"Not good," Salix added as he watched the stallion transform into a nirik as well. The pot had now fallen and shattered, all due to the niriks not having the ability to levitate things like their alter-egos.

The two growled at each other before the mare spat a fireball from her horn, the stallion dodging as the flames as it went flying and hitting another stall.

"Hey! Watch it!" another kirin yelled back at them.

"It wasn't my fault! Blame her!" the stallion barked back, only for a fireball to hit his side, making him glare back at the mare, "Hey!"

"Its your fault!" the mare roared as she fired another fireball, the stallion dodging again as the flames then hit a kirin.

"Augh!" The kirin yelled as the fire smacked his face, making him turn to his nirik form. Shaking his head from the blow, he glared at the couple, "You're gonna pay for that!"

However, the couple ignored them as they continued to shoot flames around, making the market into a wildfire. Multiple kirins turned into niriks after this, fire covering everything as the niriks started to yell at the two.

Soon enough, Salix was one of the last kirin still in the village. But as he watched the fights going off, he dodged a rogue fireball by backpedaling, only to step on another nirik's tail. "HEY!" The nirik yelped in pain as Salix saw it was Autumn, "WATCH IT!"

"Sorry! It was an accident!" Salix told her.

"Well, so is this!" She roared as she swung her tail at him, firing a wave of flames. Seeing this, Salix's reflexes kicked in and morphed into a nirik. But as the flames hit his face, he felt a slight stinging pain, making him bark back at Autumn, "Hey, that hurts!"

He opened his mouth, flames blazing out as it hit Autumn. As he did this, another rogue fireball hit his side, making Salix yell back before firing a wave of flames back. And as he did this, more niriks yelled at each other, the village catching completely on fire.

Present day...

Flash stared at his opponents, both hovering in the air with him. And as this happened, Salix turned himself into a fireball, his flames propelling him through the sky as he charged at the pegasus. The knight evaded with a flap of the wings, only for Salix to reangle his back hooves, jetting himself backward as Flash tried to counter. But as he did this, Storm swooped up and swung his blade, making Flash block the sword before flapping back as well.

And as Flash dodged another swipe of Storm's blade, he turned to see Salix taking a deep breath, "Flash Force!" he yelled as he fired a beam of light from his crossguard, the laser hitting a stream of fire coming from Salix's mouth. The two collided, an explosion covering the area instantly.

"Ack!" Flash yelped as he began flapping his wings, pushing the smoke away. But as he did this, Storm appeared within the smoke cloud, slashing downward at the pegasi, "Whoa!" he squeaked as he held his blade to block the blow, only for one of Storm's backhooves to hit him in the face, "Blaugh!"

"And now, let's make some noise, shall we?" Storm laughed as he spun the dial on his blade.

"Let's not." Flash barked back, Storm instantly seeing Flash swing his sword at him. Storm quickly blocked it, now noticing that Flash was in Theta Mode. "Flash Cutter!"

"Oh please," Storm spat as flapped his wings, quickly flipping himself over Flash as the light blade shot out of the Celestic Gear. The attack crashed into the street below them as Storm spun around, blocking Flash's next swipe of his blade.

"How did you-"

"I told you before, I was trained by Grand too." Storm replied before blocking a punch from Flash next, only to counter with a right jab that Flash blocked with his sword's broad side. "See? I knew you would guard there. Just like you're gonna-" Storm's wings flared as he leaned back, dodging a kick from Flash before the knight swung his blade again, Storm interrupting with his own.

CLANG!

The sound of metal echoed through the street as Flash spun around and tried to slash at the cultist again, this time going for a horizontal swipe. But as he did this, Storm easily blocked it with his sheath, Flash's attack not even getting started before both flapped their wings, the two going backward as they got some distance from each other.

"See? What did I tell you?" Storm chuckled as he rested his sword on his shoulder, "Let me give you some advice and just give up. You can't beat me alone."

"Oh yeah? I remember beating you while I was with Springer."

"And I blame Wingill for that."

"Don't wanna admit you're bad?"

Storm let out a cackle at this, "HA! Not at all...cuz I know I'm better. You see, I know how you fight. I've been watching the previous fights, and your moves are just like Grand's." Flash glared back at him, about to yell at him before gripping his blade and swinging the sword down. A Flash Cutter came out of the blade, Storm seeing that the energy blade was now hitting a fireball from Salix. Storm hummed at the sight as Flash looked back at him, "Not bad...for a rookie."

"I'll say this again, I don't believe you." Flash growled before looking down and see Salix turning into a charging fireball. The knight quickly beat his wings back, dodging the first attack before Salix swung his tail at him. A wave of flames came from this, Flash then yelling, "Flash Cutter!" The energy blade destroyed the flames, the excess from the fire suddenly scattering across the sky before hitting Storm's shoulder.

"Urgh!" Storm grimaced as he held his shoulder, Flash flapping back while Salix zipped over to him. They two then landed on a rooftop, Flash floating over to it as Salix used his flames to cauterize the wound. As he did this, Storm growled at the knight, "Lucky shot."

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Flash replied while pointing his sword at them, "Two heads aren't better than one, especially if those heads obviously have no idea how to actually fight together."

"Don't get cocky," Salix barked back. "We still outnumber you, and that's gonna win us this match! Maybe you should have kept that kid around. He could have been a great distraction."

"You're not going anywhere near him!" Flash yelled, "I won't let him vanish like his sister."

The two cultists raised an eyebrow at this, only to get into fighting stances as they saw Flash flare his wings.

Several streets away...

Heart was flying as fast as he could, his tiny colt body zipping through streets and buildings.

And as he did this, he kept sighing as he felt himself slow down. Before long, he landed as he slumped over, 'Useless...I'm so useless! Why can't I help?!' he thought as his ears flopped down, 'I just...I wish I could be like Flash, or Springer or... any of them. I just want to help!'

The sound of an explosion hit his ears next, making him turn back to see a cloud of smoke cover the sky of the city. Seeing this, he then saw an orange dot in the air fly around, dodging several fireballs before a tornado appeared next. A laser of light shined down after this, colliding with another tornado as both attacks exploded on impact.

Heart shook at the sight, his whole body shaking as he got back on his hooves, "I...I can't run away! I have to help Flash!"

But as the colt began to take to the sky, his friends at the castle all saw his actions.

"What's he doing?" Trixie gasped.

"He's trying to help Flash," Soarin added before shaking his head, "Shoot...the kid's too brave for his own good."

"This isn't good," Ruby turned to Springer. "You have to tell Flash."

Springer nodded and closed his eyes, "Flash, can you hear me?"

"Little busy here bud. Can this-WHOA!" Flash mentally yelped as he dodged another fireball before firing a Flash Cutter at one of Storm's lightning blasts.

"Heart's coming back. I think he's trying to help."

"What?! Why?! I know the kid's got guts, but this isn't a time to be reckless!" Flash thought before shaking his head while blocking Storm's blade, his teeth gritting as he felt the cultist begin to push him back.

"You gotta keep yourself away from the battle," Springer added, "Try and keep him from finding you."

"Alright. Time for improvising." Flash then fired a Flash Force along the ground, an explosion of smoke rising from the laser's attack. Both opponent's had to step back from the sudden cover, only to see Flash fly away.

"HEY!" Salix yelled before the two started to chase after him, "GET BACK HERE!"

"You think Flash'll be able to get far enough away?" Trixie asked as they switched the screen back to Heart.

Soarin sighed at the sight, "Heart's still pretty young. A pegasus his age shouldn't be able to keep up with a fully grown one. As long as Flash keeps moving, Heart shouldn't get close to 'em."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "And hopefully, Cold will be able to take Wingill down fast so he can help Flash." The others nodded back, now switching to Cold for a second.

A few minutes ago...

In another area of the city, a flash of light signaled the arrival of Cold and Wingill. The two rolled along the ground, only for both to hop to their hooves as Wingill flapped his wings, taking to air as Cold summoned a pair of ice swords.

"Big mistake picking me!" Wingill barked as he pointed his claws at Cold.

The knight suddenly felt his blades vibrate, realizing Wingill was trying to control the water they were made from. "Not happening!" He and his swords teleported up to Wingill, the hippogriff yelping as he saw Cold swipe his blades at him. Wingill flared his wings at this, going backward as Cold now reappearing back on the ground in a flash of light before firing several icicles upward.

Wingill tried to stop them with his power, the icicles at the front coming to a stop mid-air before Cold summoned another volley, this one instantly soaring upward and clipping the tip of one of Wingill's wings. "Gyah!"

Cold hummed at the sight, "Guess he doesn't have too much control over frozen water. If that's the case..." The knight slammed his hooves down, a bunch of ice canons appearing before firing a giant barrage of icicles. Wingill gasped at the sight, thrusting both claws as he tried to stop the ice. And as he did this, Cold teleported to a nearby roof and yelled, "COLD FORCE!"

Wingill spun around just in time to see a tornado of frozen wind about to hit him, the hippogriff now feeling himself bombarded by snowballs that struck his wings. The feathery limbs froze at this, making him yelp, "NO!" before falling, crashing into the street as the ice on his wings shattered from the blow, "AUGH!"

He let out a long pained moan next as Cold hopped off the roof, landing and trotting over to the hippogriff. As he did this, he asked, "Why do you fight for Shadow?"

Wingill turned to him while letting out a groan, "What?"

"Why do you fight for Shadow? It's a simple question, and I am an individual who prefers having all the facts." He pointed at the hippogriff as he tried to get up, "What made you decide to join Shadow and fight for him? You glossed over it before when Flash asked you, but now I want the truth. So, why did you join him?"

The cultist let out a grunt as he began to pant from the frostbite, "I...I wanted to be on the winning team."

"Winning team?"

Wingill chuckled at his words, glaring up at him with a low dead-eyed stare, "That's right. Master Shadow...he's the most powerful being in this world. I've seen it." The hippogriff pointed at the knight before clenching his claws, "Sooner or later, he's gonna be the one ruling the whole world. And when he does, I'll be right there beside him."

"So that's it," Cold added with a small shrug, "You just want power."

"I want to be free!" Wingill almost yelled, "Free to live where I want, how I want! No more running! No more hiding! Just me, living the life I choose!"

"You could live that life without selling your soul," Cold instantly replied, "Equestria-"

"Is doomed to be conquered!" Wingill screamed back, "If not by master Shadow, then by something." His wings began to open as he stared at Cold, "A storm is coming, and when it gets here...you won't know what hit you."

And as those words left his mouth, Wingill charged at him with primed claws. Cold instantly summoned a ice wall at his, only for Wingill to pull his claws back, the ice wall shattering as half of it turned to water. Seeing this, Cold began to side-step as Wingill turned the water into a whip, only for his horn to fire a direct laser at the stream. Wingill gasped as he saw his new water whip turn to ice instantly, making him flare his wings before flapping backward.

"I'm not losing here." Wingill growled as the remaining water swirled around his claws.

Cold summoned an ice sword in response, "No, I suspect you will."

Meanwhile...

Flash's wings weren't feeling the best right now as he continued to fly away, constantly looking back to his opponents trying to catch him. He then came to a stop as a wind blade flew past him and struck the building to his left, causing it to collapse as Flash now saw a fireball coming for him. Swinging at the flames, he cut the fiery sphere with one swipe before Storm called out, "Storm Shot!"

"Gyah!" Flash yelped as a bullet of water hit his side, making him lose grip on his blade. Gravity took the sword as he then felt Salix fly up to him, slamming a burning punch into his chest, "Blaugh!" He felt the flames zap all his pain receptors before grabbing the nirik by the hoof, quickly spinning and throwing him down. But as he did this, Storm appeared and sliced his wing, kicking his back next as he hit Flash into the recently destroyed building.

"AAAAAHHH!" he screamed as he went sailing into the pile of rubble, Storm laughing at the sight as Salix got up. And as he popped out of the debris, he saw his sword was now sitting between him and the recovering Salix. "Aw horseapples." he muttered as he flared his wings, charging for the blade as Salix fired another wave of flames. As this happened, Storm unleashed tornado, both attacks merging into a flaming vortex that hit Flash before he could reach his sword.

"GYAH!" He cried as the fire cut into him, only for Salix to hop into the flames, punching him in the face. This was followed by two more jabs to Flash's stomach, the knight blocking a kick from the nirik next. But as he did this, Salix spun around and smacked Flash with his tail.

As this happened, the vortex began to dissipate as Storm spun the dial on his blade. And as he did this, Flash blocked another punch from Salix, only to counter with an uppercut to the nirik's jaw, knocking him back. He then dove at his blade, rolling on the ground as he heard the crackle of lightning from Storm's sword. Spinning the floor next, he hopped to his hooves before launching a Flash Cutter, the light blade just blocking a bolt from Storm's blade.

The pegasi flared his wings next, taking to the sky as he yelled, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Spinning like a top, blades of light flew all around as Storm and Salix began to backpedal from the random attack. But as he did this, Flash quickly turned to Storm and yelled, "Flash Grinder!" He turned into a wheel of light next, slamming into the cultist as he raised his blade to block the attack. Sparks flew everywhere at this, pushing him back with ease.

As it did this, Salix's horn flared to prepare a giant flamethrower attack. And as he began to fire the stream at the pegasi, Flash suddenly stopped the wheel and kicked off Storm's blade, dodging the flames as they instead went for Storm.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he flared his wings, flapping backward as he tried to avoid the fire.

But as he tried to do this, his ears heard Flash yell, "FLASH FORCE!" The two looked up to see Flash fire a laser at the ground, the explosion knocking both back down the street. And as they went flying, Flash landed and coughed up a bit of blood. "Ugh...hurry up Cold. I don't think I can do this forever."

"FLASH!" The pegasi's heart stopped at the sudden yell, making him turn to see Fire Heart flying over a few buildings, "Hang on, I'm coming!"

"NO!" Flash screamed back, "Just get out of here!" And as he said this, Storm and Salix saw the colt and shared a certain grin.

"Storm Shot!" Storm yelled as he pointed his weapon at Heart, a bolt of lightning now going straight for the colt. The tiny pegasi gasped at the sudden sight of the attack, closing his eyes as it was about to hit him.

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" screeched another voice, Heart's eyes reopening to see Flash getting zapped by the bolt. And as the attack began to end, Salix propelled himself above them before firing a stream of flames. But as he did this, Flash quickly countered with a swing of his sword, "FLASH CUTTER!" The energy blade cut the attack in two, Heart gasping as he saw Storm appear and swipe his blade at them.

"Storm Cutter!" he said as the wind blade flew out of his sword.

"LOOK OUT!" Heart screamed as Flash turned to the attack, only to spin around and grab Heart's collar. "Huh? What are you-aaah!" he yelped as Flash threw him downward before the attack struck his back. The colt watched as he began to fall, now seeing Salix tackle Flash in mid-air before punching him in the face.

And as he landed, his body rolled on the ground for a second before hopping to his hooves. But as he did this, he now saw Flash get slammed into nearby building, both Storm and Salix firing their elemental attacks at the house's roof. Before anything could be done, the rubble from the roof collapsed on the knight, burying him instantly.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Heart screamed, falling to his knees as he slumped over at the sight, "What...what have I done?!"

Meanwhile again...

"COLD DRAGON!" A icy serpent shot out of the ground, the hippogriff countering by sending a stream of water at it. The liquid morphed into a claw that grabbed the dragon's neck, snapping it before it could freeze the water. And as he did this, Wingill charged at Cold, his claws primed as he tried to slash at him.

"Raaah!" He yelled as he kept trying to hit the knight, Cold blocking each blow with ease with his sword. And as he did this, his horn shined before making an ice hammer, swinging it back at the hippogriff. However, the cultist ducked under the weapon before uppercutting with a claw.

"Grah!" Cold hissed as the claw struck his cheek, the knight hopping back next. As he did this, Wingill's water turned into a pair of fists, thrusting both at Cold as his horn sparked in response.

Teleporting to a nearby rooftop, Wingill yelled at him, "That won't save you!" He then swung a whip of water at the building, cutting it in half. Cold responded with another teleport to a rooftop, only for that one to be cut down as well.

As this happened, Cold teleported to another before seeing a nearby lake just behind him. A bulb went off in his head before turning back to Wingill, the hippogriff about to slice the building up. A shine of light happened next, Cold reappearing in front of Wingill before slamming his hooves downward, "COLD DRAGONS!"

A trio of ice snakes ascended from the ground, quickly charging at the cultist as he summoned a water spear. He threw the weapons at the serpents, impaling two as the third tried to bite the hippogriff. But as it did this, he created a water fist and smashed it into the frozen beast. However, as the shards from the dragon began to fly apart from the blow, Cold teleported right up to Wingill as he said, "Cold Force!"

"Blaugh!" Wingill yelped as he felt a icy tornado strike him back, only to flare his wings as he tried to take to the air. And as he did this, Cold formed a long ice spear, lowering its temperature as much as he could. He then threw it upward, Wingill trying to stop with his hydrokensis. But as he did this, Cold summoned a volley of icicles and fired them up as well.

Seeing the attack, Wingill dodged the spear before firing several water saw-blades at the icicles. The two attacks collided, creating a blast of misty water to cover the sky. Growling at this, Wingill dove down at the knight, taking the mist to form new water blades to fire at Cold.

But as he fired them, the knight summoned a giant ice spoon. The sight made Wingill's eyebrows raise up as he saw Cold suddenly catch the blades in the spoon with one swing. Spinning around next, he slung the water out like a slingshot, reflecting them back into the hippogriff. And as the water started to fly at him, Wingill thrusted his claws to control the water, only to see Cold's horn shining as the liquid turned into icicles. A scream of pain happened next, the projectiles hitting him and making him fall.

"Cold Tiger!" An army of ice cats all appeared, charging at Wingill as he pulled out the icicles out while trying to descend slowly. He then dodged the first cat before shaping his remaining water back into a whip, using it slice the tigers with a single swipe. But as he did this, Cold just trotted up while forming an orb of ice in his hooves. His tone was firm as he spoke these next words, "You said you wanted to be on the winning team, that Equestria was doomed to be conquered." Wingill finished off the last tiger as he heard Cold say this, "But you're wrong, because Equestria has something you don't understand. Something that even I, who still feels like I should deny it somewhat, has that you do not."

"Oh yeah?" Wingill asked, "What's that?"

"The power born from friendship." With that, he slammed the orb into the ground. "CYCLONE BLIZZARD!" The orb exploded into a giant tornado, one that began to move across the battlefield.

The hippogriff gasped and tried to take to the air, only to feel the vortex pull him in. The wind from the cyclone yanked him into the vortex, a barrage of ice now smashing into his body. "RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed as a full minute passed, the vortex then spitting Wingill out.

His body rolled down the street as Cold watched the hippogriff start to pick himself up. "Impressive. You managed to survive one of my best attacks." His horn flashed before an ice dragon ascended from the ground, the unicorn now standing on its head as it slithered up to the cultist.

Wingill let out a long hiss as he saw the charging icy beast. Summoning a buzzsaw of water next, he fired it at the sculpture's head, only for Cold to teleport away. But as he did this, Cold appeared by his side, Wingill yelling at him before reforming a water whip, slashing it at the knight. However, Cold just teleported away, reappearing just a few feet away.

"Stop that!" Wingill screamed as he tried to hit Cold again, only for him vanish.

"Make me." Cold replied in a deadpan tone, now seeing Wingill charge right at him as his horn began to spark, ready for another teleportation spell. And as he disappeared, Cold muttered to himself, "That's right...keep following me."

Over in the castle...

Everypony was just staring at the giant pile of rock that had buried Flash. Seeing this, Trixie stuttered out, "D-d-do you think he's okay?"

"Well...I mean, the dust that happens when you get knocked out isn't coming out of the rubble, so he should be okay." Springer replied, only to then see the pile start to move.

"Look! That's my bro!" Soarin cheered, "I knew it! It'll take more than that to stop Flash!"

"No..." Ruby pointed at Salix, "But maybe that will." They focused on the Nirik as he started to launch fire from his horn, the flames starting to melt the rock pile.

"That's not good," Trixie gulped, only to see another sight on the screen, "And that's even worse!"

"STOP IT!" Heart yelled as he appeared on the screen, trying to tackle Salix. But as he did this, the nirik morphed back to kirin form.

A red glow came from his horn next, grabbing the colt in mid-air as he turned and glared at him, "Get lost kid." he then threw the colt clear across the street before turning to Storm. "Let's keep him there." Storm nodded back as he turned the dial on his weapon and pointed it at the melted rock, a jet of water coming out next. The water instantly started to cool the pile, the rubble soon hardening as it kept the rocks in place.

"HA! There's no way he's getting out of there now!" Salix laughed before tilting his head and rubbing his chin in thought, "Well...unless he can teleport, or phase through solid matter, or has some kind of super strength, or-"

"Stop panicking Salix, he won't get out of that." Storm interrupted in a deadpan tone, Salix blushing at this.

"Sorry. You know how I like to talk about all the different possibilities and-

"HEY!" They both turned to see Heart land beside the pile of rubble, his entire body shaking as he yelled at them, "Let him go!"

"And why would we do that?" Storm asked with a slight chuckle, "What strategic advantage would that do for us?"

Salix nodded rapidly in agreement, "With him stuck in there, we're free to find the orb and win this round with nothing to get in our way." He then shined a big grin at the colt, "Unless you wanna try and take us on."

"I...I...I..." Heart's entire body shook, only to take a deep breath before glaring at them, "I'll stop you two!"

Both cultists shared a glance before busting out into a fit of giggles, Salix cackling as he asked, "Oh yeah?! And how are you gonna do that?!" His laughter came to a stop as he turned back to Heart, his grin returning as it began to grow, "What could you possibly do that could stop us from just wailing on you?"

"I...I'll find a way!" Heart tried to yell, his mouth quivering at his own words, "Because...because the good guys always win!"

"AHAHAHA!" Salix laughed, Storm wheezing out a few cackles with him.

"Stop laughing at me!"

Storm shook his head at this, wiping away a tear from the laughter next before pointing his sword at the colt, "You need to wake up kid. This isn't some silly foal's story. This is the real world."

"Yeah!" Salix added while nodding, "And in the real world, good is nothing but a dream. Sure, sometimes something will happen to make you think everything is good, but in the end, reality always kicks in. And when that happens, you have two choices: Keep dreaming and live in denial, or accept it and move on with your life. Just like I had to."

Five years ago...

The village was in utter ruin. Every tree had been burnt black and the houses were turned into piles of cinders.

On a nearby hillside, Rain Shine stared down at her ruined home, sighing as she spun around and saw her kin just now calming down. But as they did this, a few turned to the couple from the start, only for the mare to point at the stallion and yell, "This is all your fault!"

"Me?!" He growled while gesturing to himself before pointing at her, "You're the one that flamed up first! If anything, it's your fault!"

The rest of the kirin hissed at the two as they began to yell at each other again, Salix and Autumn joining in as well. But as this happened, Rain Shine saw the flame wisps starting to come off their horns, making her quickly yell, "ENOUGH!" The kirin all stopped and turned to her, seeing she was closing to niriking out as well. "Don't you see what's going on?! If you keep arguing, all that'll happen is you'll transform and cause even more damage!"

The kirin all shrunk back at her words, a few exchanging glances as she glared down at them, "We have gone too far. We can not allow this to happen again."

Everypony grimaced at her words, Salix speaking up next, "But...what are we supposed to do? We can't help what just happened."

"We can." She instantly replied, taking a deep breath next before saying, "There is only one option. No more talking."

The statement made everypony go wide-eyed, Salix screaming out, "WHAT?! That's crazy! How are we supposed to not talk anymore?"

"Simple," Rain pointed to an area of the villiage many steered clear of: The stream of silence.

"No....NO!" Salix yelled as he glared at Rain, "I'm not going in there!"

"We have too," Rain replied, "There is no other choice. If we don't, it's only a matter of time before another big argument occurs. It's clear now that the ability to speak is nothing but a curse."

"Seriously?! You're crazy!" He yelped before turning to the others, "You all do realize this is nuts, right?" But as those words left his mouth, he saw the others all glance back at their village, seeing the damage they had caused. Biting his lip at this, he turned to one of his friends, "Flare, you'll never be able to laugh at anything!"

"Better to not laugh at something then have nothing to laugh at." she immediately replied.

Salix spun around and went up to Autumn, "Come on Blaze, you love talking just as much as me! If you became silent, all the stuff you would want to say but couldn't would drive you nuts!"

"I can live without words," she responded, making Salix's ears drop.

"But...but...what about your stand up?!"

"All the more reason I need to do this. What if one of my jokes gets somepony angry and they flame up?"

"But that's...you can't.....RAAAHHH!" He roared in frustration, the others flinching when they saw his horn catch fire. He quickly took a deep breath and patted his horn out before looking away, "Well you all can do it, but there's no way you're making me go in there." He crossed his hooves before glancing back, only to see all of their horns glowing, "What?" he yelped as he suddenly found himself floating, the group turning back to the stream, "Hey! Let me go! You can't do this me!"

"It's for your own good," Rain replied in a low tone.

"No!" He yelled as he tried to move, "Let me go...let me go!" But as he did this, he saw the kirin had put him in front of the group, his eyes going wide before he roared, "I said...let...me...GO!" With that, he transformed into a nirik, unleashing a wave of fire at the village. The kirin all flinched from the heat, dropping him as Salix landed inches from the edge of the stream.

Seeing this, he quickly hopped onto his hooves, spinning around to see a range of angry glares looking at him. Growling at this, he swung his tail, firing a sphere of flames at the group, making them hop away before he charged right through the crowd. And as he got past them, Rain suddenly appeared to him in front at the back of the group.

He came to a stop, panting as he turned to the others and pointed at them, "Don't do this. It might seem like a good idea now, but you'll come to regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday."

Rain shook her head at this, "If you refuse to take this vow of silence, then I can not risk you living here."

Salix's heart split in two as he heard those words, the nirik turning with a low hiss as he looked away from them all. "Fine. If that's what you want, you'll never see me again." With that, he ran away while leaving a flaming trail behind him. He kept running until he reached a nearby hill that overlooked the stream, coming to a stop before looking down at the village.

There, he saw the kirin walk into the water in a line, stepping out the other side with a stoic emotionless expression on their faces. And after the last of her subjects took the dip, Rain Shine followed and soon all but one of the kirin race was completely silent and emotionless.

And the only emotion that kirin felt was sorrow as he walked off, leaving his home forever.

Present...

"This world is a cruel one, and will do whatever it takes to take away the few things in life that gives you pleasure. If you wanna keep those things, you've gotta have the guts to protect them."

"Is that why you joined Shadow?" Heart asked him, Salix shining a huge grin at this.

"He doesn't care if I talk a lot, and he certainly doesn't care that I set things on fire. He lets me be me, as long as me being me helps him."

"But Flash and his friends would let you be you too!" Heart barked back, "They don't care about those kind of things!"

"Maybe not now, but eventually they will. Eventually, they'll get scared of me losing my temper and burn something down, just like my kin. Then they'll do what everypony does when they're afraid, get as far away from the thing they're afraid of. That'll mean locking me up somewhere I can't escape or find a way to seal my powers away." His mane surged with flames at these words, his grin vanishing as he glared at the colt, "Well, I won't let that happen! I decide what happens to me and nopony else!"

"Too right," Storm added as he started spinning the dial on his sword, "You really need to learn that the world isn't so happy go lucky where good things happen just because you really really want them to, and you're really really good." He stopped the dial and pointed it directly at Heart, "There are only two choices in life kid. Be good, or be conquered. Maybe a good thrashing will teach you that."

The two started to move again, Heart shivering like a leaf as he flared his wings, "S-s-stay back. I'm warning you!"

"Oh, are you now?" Salix laughed again, "And how you gonna fight back? Ya got no muscles. No brains. No heroes to protect you when you do something stupid."

"And don't think Cold will save you either." Storm added with a slight chuckle, "Even if he beats Wingill, he'll never beat us both."

"Yeah!" Salix cheered, only to go wide-eyed, "Oh shoot! He is still out there and could find the orb!"

"It'll be fine Salix." Storm responded while making some air-quotes at his next words, "I know how these knights operate. He'll be 'duty-bound' to come back and help this kid." He then gave Heart a cold dead stare, "And before you get any ideas, know that out of your little group, Cold will never ever beat me one on one. Even that weakling Wonderbolt has a better chance against me than him."

Heart continued to backpedal at these words, seeing the pure confidence on Storm's face as Salix kept laughing at the colt, "So kid, what are ya gonna do, huh? What are ya gonna do?!"

The colt's entire body was screaming at him to flee, his hooves shaking like jelly before spinning around. His wings flared next, taking flight as he flew away. "As I thought," Salix yelled as him and Storm took to the air, "Don't think that'll get you off the hook!"

Storm nodded in agreement as he flapped his wings, "Seeing you hurt is just the thing that'll finally break Sentry and his friends. They'll be so scared, the next time you're picked, they'll be too petrified to fight back! HA!"

In another section of the city...

Cold reappeared as he finished another teleportation spell, now seeing the lake just a few feet away. But as he saw this, a yell entered his ears, making him turn to see Wingill flying at him. The hippogriff pulled a bunch of water out of the lake next, trying to turn it into a weapon before Cold's horn fired a spell at the liquid, freezing it over.

"You can't beat me." Cold said as he turned back at the cultist. "Just give up."

"Oh yeah?!" Wingill screeched before pulling out a card and throwing at the knight. He side-stepped from the projectile, only to see it explode unleashing a field of energy around the entire lake. "No more teleporting for you!" With that, he swung a clenched claw, a fist of water coming out of the lake within this motion.

The knight just turned tot he sight, hopping back with ease as he dodged the first punch from the fist. He then fired a Cold Force at it, freezing it place as Wingill thrust his claws upward, summoning two streams of water from the lake. Swinging his hooves down next, the first stream came for Cold as he froze it as well, only for the other to swoop around and hit the knight's back.

"Gyah!" he moaned as the water struck him, quickly turning into a bubble that Wingill levitated over the lake. And as Cold's horn sparked to freeze the bubble, Wingill snapped his claws, causing the water to burst, dropping Cold right into the lake.

"YES!" Wingill cheered as he leapt into lake, switching to his seapony form, "You're in my world now!" He then thrusted his body like a torpedo, instantly hitting Cold's stomach, making him release what little air he had. Wingill saw the pain on Cold's face, making him declare, "And now, its time for you to drown!"

But as those words left his mouth, Cold just glared down at him, the look of pain gone as he stared at him with a emotionless stare. The sight made Wingill freeze for just a second, not able to comprehend why Cold was like that. And as he did this, Cold suddenly thrust a backhoof into his stomach.

"AUGH!" he yelped, only for Cold to grabbed him by the fins and spin him around. "Hey, what are you-blugh!"

Cold kicked him straight in the head, the seapony falling back as Cold's horn shined, creating a ice platform under the knight. The laws of physics took over as the ice immediately took the unicorn upward, pushing him to the surface as he let out a gasp of air.

And as Wingill recovered from the kick, he looked up to see Cold coughing up water on the ice platform. His brain began to go into overdrive as he saw Cold's horn start to glow, making him scream, "No!" he smacked his tail back, trying to push himself as fast as possible upward. But as he did this, he soon realized he was too late.

"NO!" he cried as he kept trying to get up to the surface, but it was too later. Cold's ice spell had begun, ice now covering the entire lake faster than he could even blink. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Was all he could scream as he tried to get to Cold, only for his body to lock in place, the ice now covering the lake, including below the surface.

Above the water's surface, Cold stared down at his now fully frozen foe as he commented, "I don't know what happened to you to make you choose to join Shadow, but no matter what it was, it doesn't give you the right to do the things you've done." He then saw Wingill's body slowly turn to dust, the hippogriff likely running out of oxygen and falling unconscious.

Seeing this, he coughed out the last bit of water, only to then hear Soul's voice echo throughout the city, "WINGILL, ELIMINATED!"

He raised an eyebrow at this, his brain quickly switching to memories as he now remembered the current situation with Flash and Heart. "Right. No time to rest." He sparked his horn, only for it sputter out. "And no teleportation. Guess I have to go the old fashioned way." With that, he tapped his hooves on the frozen ground, summoning an ice dragon for a ride. "Stay strong Sentry, I'm coming."

Heart kept panting as he jumped into a nearby alleyway, hiding behind some crates as he saw a fireball flying over the buildings.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" He heard Salix call out, Storm flying above him. "I like a game of hide and seek as much as the next pony, but there's a time and a place." He then glanced into the alleyway, spotting a pony-shaped shadow.

He launched a fireball at the crates, an explosion following this. The colt gasped as he tried to leap away from the flames, only for Salix to fire another sphere of flames, this one exploding on the ground in front of Heart. "Aaaah!" He yelped as he sent out of the alleyway and down a street.

"There you are." Salix cheered as he hopped over the burning crates, the tip of his horn lighting at the same time. And as Heart started to get back onto his hooves, his brain went back to something he had seen Soarin do. Grinning at the sight, he spun around and swung his tail upward after hitting the ground. A load of dirt had been picked up from this tail, the mud splattering into Salix's face, "Blugh!" he spat, making him backpedal as the flame over his horn sputter out.

Seeing this, Heart ran up and dove under Salix's legs before flying back into the alleyway. But as he did this, a bolt of lightning suddenly came striking down at the end of the alley. "WHOA!" he yelled, looking up next to see Storm pointing his blade at him.

"End of line kid."

"Not a chance!" Heart yelled as he flared his wings, zipping under Storm as he flew out of the alleyway and into another. Storm turned to follow him, only to see Heart suddenly make a rapid turn at the end of the next alley.

"Hmm?" Storm muttered as he got to the end of the alleyway, not seeing that Heart had leapt into a window in the building right by him. The cultist looked into the window next, only to see nothing. "Where's he go?"

And as he floated to the next window, Heart jumped out of a window from the building next to that one. He then flew over to another window, quickly zipping under the cultist's view with a big grin on his face, "Sucker."

Back at the castle...

"Brilliant!" Trixie cheered as she now saw Heart beeline for a wall that had a hole in it, jumped through before moving behind some furniture as Storm flew by.

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Storm might be faster, but Heart knows this city like the back of his hoof."

"But that won't help him win," Springer added.

"But maybe that will," Soarin chimed in as he pointed at the face Heart was showing. "Looks like the kid thought up something. I just hope it doesn't screw up things."

"He's a smart kid," Springer continued, "He might have made a mistake before, but I think he's learned from it."

"I hope you're right," Trixie finished.

Back at the battle...

Heart flapped his wings as fast as he could, zipping between buildings everyway he could. And as he did this, he turned another corner, only to see a certain melted pile in the distance. A smile graced his face at the sight, but it soon switched to a gasp as a rain of fireballs suddenly hit the ground behind him.

"WHOA!" He yelped as he started zigzagging in mid-air, glancing back to see Salix charging at him.

"DIE!" He roared as he launched one large fireball, an explosion following this as it hit the ground under Heart. The force from the implosion knocked the colt flying, heat singeing him as his body slammed into the magma tomb holding Flash.

"Trying to free him, were ya?!" Salix barked before laughing again, "And how exactly were ya gonna do that?! You're not strong enough to break through it. He's in there for the long haul."

"I'll find a way," Heart replied as he tried to get up. "I told you, I won't let you win."

"And we told you that the world doesn't work that way."

"Maybe for somepony like you, but I'm not you." The colt fully picked himself up at this, showing a bit smirk to the kirin, "Cuz unlike you, I've actually got the brains to free him."

"What did you just say?!" Salix hissed, flames in his mane flaring up.

"You heard me." Heart responded, chuckling as he continued, "I mean, you're just a hot head. Bet you couldn't even find your way out of a paper bag. You'd probably just burn your way out and roast the rest of the place to do it." Salix's eyes started to twitch as Heart kept going, "Is that why you got kicked out of wherever you came from? Couldn't open a pickle jar, so you melted it instead like a moron?!"

"Shut up."

"I mean, I thought my sister had a temper when she had a bad mane day, but you take the cake! Guess that explains why you're so dumb. You must of melted your brain."

"Shut up!"

"I guess it also explains why you thought joining up with a total loser like that Shadow guy was a good idea. Only an idiot would-"

"I SAID, SHUT UP!" Salix screeched, the hottest fire blast he could make now flying at Heart. However, the colt just shined a huge grin as he took to the air, the flames striking the tomb as Heart zipped right over the kirin.

"Gotcha!" Heart laughed as Salix went wide-eyed, now seeing the mistake he had just made.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" He yelled as he hopped onto the melting rock, trying to stomp out the flames. And as he did this, he turned to see Storm flying over, yelling at the pegasi, "Hurry!" Storm began to turn the dial on his blade, only for a light to emit from under the rock, "Aw horse-apples."

KABOOM!

The tomb exploded, sending Salix flying off with a scream. Heart's grin grew as he saw Flash take to the sky, heavily panting with an angry glare on his face.

"That...wasn't...fun." He growled, only to fire a Flash Cutter, the energy going straight for Storm. The cultist blocked it, quickly spinning like a top as he tried to counter with a downward swing of his blade. However, Flash's sword met his, both locking in place.

Heart gasped at the sight, only to feel a blast of heat his back. Turning around, he saw a certain kirin getting up and screaming, "You little twerp! I'M GONNA ROAST YOU!" What followed was what looked like a beam of fire, consuming the street. The colt tried to take the sky next, only for the flames to strike him, exploding into a tornado of fire that spiraled around him.

"Heart!" Flash yelled, only for Storm to appear in front of him.

"You're not going anywhere! Not until your little friend learns what happens to brave little ponies that mess with us!" He unleashed a lightning storm next, a electric bolt instantly hitting Flash. The knight held up his blade to block it, now feeling the electricity surge through him despite his guard.

"I...won't..." Flash grunted as he tried to move.

And as this happened, Heart felt his fur burn inside the tornado. The colt watched as the flames grew closer, his throat choking as he now found it hard to breathe. Before he could do anything, his hooves gave out as he slumped over, knowing any second from now...it would be over.

Down below in the crystal chambers, Soul continued to float curled up within the crystal orb. Despite appearing asleep, the images of the battle were flashing on the forefront of her mind, keeping her awake. This included images of Heart, Soul's eyes filling with tears as she watched him about to be deep fried. And as she saw this, Salix laughed as he walked into the flames of the spiral.

"If you beg, I might be willing to let you off with a light scorching. What do you say kid?"

Heart moaned as he tried to push himself back to his hooves, "Dream on. I'd rather die than show you weakness. I don't care how much it hurts, I'm not losing to you!"

"Oh please," Salix spat with a giant grin, "What could you possibly do?"

"I...I don't know," Heart grunted as he got up, "But I'll do whatever it takes to find and save my sister!" A tear went down Soul's face as she heard this, seeing her brother start to stagger over to Salix, "No matter what...I'm gonna beat you and find my sister!"

"Yeah right," Salix laughed as he leapt out of the flames before slamming his hooves together. "The only thing you're gonna do is get roasted!" With that, the tornado began to quickly shrink, the top of spiral now closing up to prevent any escape. And as Heart saw this, his eyes closed as he waited for the flames to consume him.

But as his eyes closed, Soul's shot open. They were filled with a brilliant golden light, that same light now exploding out of her body and filling the room before shooting up through the ceiling. What followed was a pillar of light exploding out of the ground of the city. Time seemed to slow down at this moment, everypony turning to the light as it suddenly started to curve and shoot itself right into the fire tornado, hitting Heart as the light blinded everypony else.

Heart wasn't sure how much time had passed when he realized that the flames weren't hurting him. The feeling made him open his eyes, only to see he was in a white void. His eyes grew at the sight, making him blink as he muttered out, "Am...am I dead?"

"Not yet, you're not." Heart's...heart stopped beating as he heard that voice, making him turn to see somepony he had feared he would never see ever again.

"Soul..." he gasped as he saw his sister now floating several feet away, tears flowing loose as she spread her hooves. The colt instantly flew over to her, both hugging tightly as tears poured down all four eyes. They weren't sure how much time passed as they embraced each other, Heart muttering into her shoulder, "What...what happened to you?! Where'd you go? Why were you talking like that before? You...you scared me. I...I thought I lost you."

Soul ended the hug, only to look away from him, "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice."

"Didn't have a choice?" Heart muttered, his eyes narrowing as he growled, "Wait...somepony did this to you?! Who?! I'll find them and-"

"No!" Soul interrupted while shaking her head, "Nopony did anything to me. I agreed to what happened."

"But you just said you didn't have a choice."

"Yes...but nopony's forcing me. It's more of a..." She twiddled her hooves at her next words, "Well, its a kind of 'something I have to do' type of thing. That's why I became an alicorn, so I could fulfil the task I was given."

"What task? Who gave it to you?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. The only reason I was allowed to come talk to you was because I promised not to give away too much information." She then put her hooves on his shoulders. "But I promise you, I'm okay. And once this game is over and my task is complete, I'll be let go."

"But...but...what's the point of this game, and when is it actually gonna be over?!"

"I can't tell you why, but I can tell you when." Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a serious glare, "The game is over when one of the two teams manage to gather seven orbs. Only then will the game come to an end."

"Seven orbs?" Heart replied, "That means the game is like...half over already. Wait, what happens after that?"

"I can't say. But it's vital that Flash be the one to win this game. If he doesn't, then...then the entire world may fall into a state of eternal ruin." Heart's eyes went wide at this, seeing Soul stare into his eyes with pure confidence, "That's why you need to help Flash and the others win, no matter what!"

"But...what can I do?" Heart asked, "I...I don't have any fighting skills. I've got no magical abilities. I'm...not like you or Flash or...any of our new friends."

Soul giggled at his response, patting his shoulder now, "That's why I'm here. To even the odds."

"How?" Heart responded while raising an eyebrow, only to see the huge grin on his sister's face.

"One upside of my current situation is that I'm pretty much all powerful right now, with perfect control." Her horn began to glow before a tiny rainbow light sphere appeared on the tip. The orb popped off the horn as the ball began to float over to Heart. The colt started to backpedal at the sight, only for Heart to say, "Just stay still Heart. Trust me, you'll enjoy what's about to happen."

Heart glanced between her and the orb, only to sigh as he came to a stop. And as he did this, the orb floated over and phased into his chest, "What did-YAAAAAAAH!" His entire body exploded with light while a piecing sting surged through his heart. But before he could do more than scream, the pain stopped as he suddenly felt a warmth cover his entire body. "What is..."

"With this, you'll be able to fight with Flash and the others. Just...don't do anything too reckless." Soul interrupted, the colt looking back at his sister. But as he did this, he saw they were now floating away from one another, Soul sighing a frown appeared on her face, "I'm sorry, but that's all the time I have. I have to go now Heart."

"Wait! Don't go!" Heart screamed, "Please...come back!"

Soul shook her head, new tears going down her face, "I don't have a choice. But don't worry...you'll see me again. Just focus on helping Flash win. That's all that is important right now." The void around them started to fill with light, causing the two to blur out as she her final words, "I love you."

Heart felt himself tear up, as he yelled back into the void, "I love you too! And I promise, I'll help Flash win! No matter what!" With that, the void blinded both, the two vanishing within the light.

The pillar of light had now vanished, time going back to normal speed. Flash blinked his eyes as he turned to the flaming tornado, his mouth moving on its own, "Heart?"

What was once a fiery vortex now seemed to be getting sucked into something, which turned out to be Heart. The young pegasus seemed completely unphased as the fire was absorbed into his fur, a calm smile on his face as the last bit of fire was sucked into him. He wiped a single tear from his eye before opening them, turning to Salix as his smile morphed into a confident smirk. "Alright. Now that that's out of the way...where were we?"

"Wha...but...how did...what did you do?!"

"Oh, nothing much," Heart replied, chuckling as he stretched, "Let's just say, my sister saved me."

"Sister?" Flash gasped, "Wait...Soul's okay?!"

Heart cricked his neck in response, "Oh yeah. And thanks to her," He pointed at the kirin, "I can now go hoof to hoof with you."

Salix almost chuckled hearing that, "And how exactly can you now do that?! I don't know what that light did to you, but you look exactly the same to me!"

"Really?" Heart snickered, "Then maybe you should take a better LOOK!" As he yelled that, his entire body burst into flames. Everypony gasped at the sight, the flames now swirling around Heart as he revealed a new form. His mane and tail were now completely ablaze while flaming rings wrapped around the ends of his front legs but kept his hooves uncovered. When he opened his eyes, they were now completely white like Salix's.

The sight made everypony freeze up, Flash noticing this as he quickly body-checked Storm. Slamming him into a nearby building, Flash then flew over to the now flaming colt as he yelled, "Heart?! Is that really you?!"

"You know it." Heart cheered, spreading his wings as he began to hover. He looked down next at his form, seeing his burning hooves before shaking his head to make embers fly off his mane. "This is so awesome! I've never felt so much power!"

And as those words left his mouth, a light suddenly shined off him. Both him and Flash saw this, Heart looking back at his flank as a blue shield with a heart-shaped flame inside it appeared.

"No way...my cutie mark! YES!"

"A shield?" Flash muttered as he saw the design, a certain memory from Grand talking about shield cutie marks now entering his mind.

"What a joke!" yelled a voice, making the two return to reality as they now saw Storm blow up the roof of the building before flying over, "You may look different, but you're still the same puny little colt that ran from us before!" He spun the dial on his blade, "I'm gonna skewer you both!"

Salix nodded as he slammed his hooves into the street, flames pouring off his body, "Yeah! And when this is over, you'll be running with your flaming tail between your legs again!"

Seeing this, Flash instinctively spread his wings in front of Heart, only for Heart to suddenly fly over him. "Guess again hothead!" Heart yelled as his body began to radiate an intense heat, "Say hello to the new improved me!" The flaming bands around his front legs suddenly grew until they enveloped both hooves, Heart then slamming the two together before pulling them apart to form a fireball. "This'll be over before it begins!" With that, he thrust the ball forward, the flames suddenly exploding into a giant stream of fire.

Storm and Salix gasped at the sight, quickly trying to guard as the flamethrower pushed both back down the street. The sight made Flash's jaw drop, turning to Heart as he said, "Whoa...that was incredible. It's like you've got your own Force attack."

"Force attack?" Heart replied with a raised eyebrow, "Oh....you mean that thing you, Springer, Cold and Ruby can do!" He stared at his hooves for a second, "I can do that? Huh...its like its a...Fire Force attack."

"Hey, that name works." Flash added.

"Doesn't matter what you call it!" They both turned to see the two cultists charging at them again, "It won't save you!" Storm then spun the dial to the water section, "You're still just a weak little kid!"

"A kid with more power than any of us when we were his age," Flash barked back before giving Heart a big smirk, "You really wanna help?" Heart nodded back with his own grin, "Then follow my lead!" They turned back to their opponents before charging, Flash in front of Heart as Storm aimed his weapon.

"Storm Shot!" A stream of water came flying at them as Flash's sword began to glow.

"Flash Cutter!" He swung his blade and hit the liquid bullet, dispelling it as he reached Storm. The cultist blocked the knight's next slash, quickly countering with a right jab that Flash blocked with his left hoof. And as he did this, Heart dove under both pegasi, heading straight for Salix.

"BACK OFF!" Salix unleashed a flamethrower at Heart, hitting the colt dead on. But Heart just pushed right through, the flames not even phasing him, "What?!" he yelped as Heart suddenly ran up to him, instantly slamming a hoof right into the kirin's face, "BLAUGH!"

Heart then spun and slammed both back hooves into him, backflipping next as he hopped a few feet away. Laughing as he did this, he swung himself around, the action causing his blazing tail to suddenly launch a bunch of random fireballs. Salix grunted as one of the fireballs slammed into him, the flames doing nothing but the force making him stagger back.

"HA!" Heart laughed as he saw Salix shake his head in frustration. At the same time, the colt charged at the kirin, ready to punch him again. But as he did this, his back hooves suddenly exploded with a burst of flames, firing him like a bullet right at the cultist, "WHOA!"

Salix smirked at the sight, doing a small sidestep as Heart went sailing past him and crashing into the street. His body rolled like a barrel, the flames on him sputtering as Salix pointed at him, "HA! Maybe you should have asked your sister for a manual, cuz you're a million years too early to call yourself a master of this power."

"Ugh..." Heart moaned as he picked himself up, 'Shoot. He's right about that...I just got this.' He then turned to Salix, now seeing the kirin already right up to the colt's face. Salix quickly hit his face, Heart flinching as he ducked under a second punch, only for the kirin to buck him in the stomach. "Gyah!" Heart yelped as he was thrown back, his hooves scrambling as he tried to keep on his hooves. He then slammed his hooves together, forming a familiar flame attack. "FIRE FORCE!"

"Oh please," Salix spat as he launched his own flamethrower from his horn, the two attacks now meeting. But as they collided, Heart's fire was being overpowered, Salix's dark flames pushing through and hitting the colt again.

"Blaugh!" he yelped, his body rolling down the street again.

"Nice try kid, but I don't fall for the same trick twice." Salix chuckled as flames started to dance around his horn.

At the same time, Flash and Storm were continuing to block each other, only for the defender to see Heart get hit by Salix's attack in the corner of his eye. The sight made his head turn, Storm's blade clipping his ear at this moment. Flinching in pain, he glared back at the cultist before launching several Flash Cutters at once.

"Storm Vortex!" An aerial whirlpool blocked the attacks, Storm zipping through his own wind as both blades locked again. Seeing this, Storm leaned up to Flash's face, "You should focus on your own battle instead of worrying about your subordinate. If you haven't trained him well enough, you should have thought of that before bringing him here."

"I didn't bring him here," Flash grunted back as he saw Heart pick himself up. "And he's not my subordinate. He's a kid. A kid with more guts than I've ever seen from somepony his age."

"I can't disagree there. And with those powers, he could become a force to be reckoned with..." A smile began to creep onto Storm's face, "The only question is, how will he choose to use this power? For others, or himself?"

Flash growled back, his sword glowing as he pushed Storm back. "I'll make sure he uses it right!" He roared as a spiral of light began to appear his blade, "Just watch me! Flash Vortex!"

"So naïve. Storm Vortex." Storm replied, both light and water attacks striking. An explosion followed this, water splattering everywhere. But as this happened, Storm shook his head at the sight. "What you do for him will not matter. That kind of power...Master Shadow will be interested. He will get his hooves on him, and when that happens, the colt will either bow or be destroyed."

"You won't touch him, or his sister!" Flash hissed. "I promised him I'd protect him, and I won't let him down."

"Typical." Storm replied, shrugging, "And what if he chooses to use his power like my master? What will you do then?"

Flash glanced back at Heart, now seeing the colt tricking Salix in missing an attack. Even though he had only known him a little over a week, he knew he saw the good in him. The Knight of Friendship's face shined a huge grin, turning back to the cultist, "That won't happen. And even if at some point he strays onto the dark path, I'll be there to help show him the light."

Storm gritted his teeth at this, seeing the resolve on Flash's face. The sight disgusted him, his hooves clenching on his weapon. But before he could say anything, the building to his side exploded. Turning to this, a giant Cold Dragon appeared as it charged at the cultist, tackling him into a nearby building. Seeing this, Flash's grin grew as he now saw Cold on a rooftop.

"Great timing!" He cheered, "Guess you beat Wingill?"

"You didn't hear the announcement?" Cold asked, making Flash tilt his head at him. But before he could explain, an explosion made them turn to see Heart biting Salix's tail, making the kirin cry out. He barely raised an eyebrow at this, seeing Heart's new look, "Did I miss something?"

"Explain later!" Flash replied as he dove at Salix. Cold teleported over there next, Heart seeing this as he let go of the kirin's tail. Cold reappeared right in front of Salix, a Cold Force slamming into the cultist's face. He let out a yelp of pain as he was slammed back at from the freezing attack, his mane flaring as he tried to keep his body heat going. But as he did this, Flash zipped up to him and swung his blade, "FLASH CUTTER!"

"RAAAAAH!" Salix screamed as the attack hit his chest, a wound opening and gushing blood from the blow.

But before they could continue, an explosion made them turn to see a building fall over. Storm hovered over the collapsing structure, his sword sparking off a tiny thunderstorm. "Storm Force!" he roared, a bolt of lightning flying out of the blade, Flash taking to the sky as Cold grabbed Heart and teleported them away. This allowed Storm to fly over to Salix, the nirik slumped over in pain, "Get up! Now!"

"I'm...trying," Salix moaned as he clutched his chest, trying to get up.

Storm growled at this, now turning to see his opponents group up. He then spun the blade's dial, pointing the weapon at the trio, "I'm ending this. STORM TRI-FORCE!" An electrified tornado of wind and water shot out, the three sharing a glance before nodding.

"Flash-"

"Cold-"

"Fire-"

"FORCE!" The three launched their attacks, the fire and light mixing with the ice tornado, morphing it all into a flaming tornado filled with ice that was covered in a shining laser. This bizarre combination of attacks struck Storm's attack, pushing right through and headed for the pair. Both gasped at the sight, Storm trying to summon a barrier of wind from his blade.

KABOOM!

The entire city shook from the impact, the force sending a burst of wind across the whole place. Cold quickly made a shield, trying to make sure they weren't blown away as the mini-earthquake continued. And as it died down, Cold dropped the barrier and they all saw their opponents laying on the ground. Both we covered in burns, bruises and frostbite. The two let out pained moans as their bodies began to dust, Storm getting to his hooves as he growled at them, "Enjoy this victory while you can, as it will be the last one you will celebrate."

And with that, both vanished into dust, all of it scattering into the wind.

"STORM BLADE, ELIMINATED!"

"SEARING SALIX, ELIMINATED!"

"What was that?" Flash asked.

"Yeah...I heard that earlier too. What was that?" Heart added as he then saw his body began to turn back to normal.

"It seems Soul is acting as the announcer and ref," Cold responded. But as he said this, a pillar of light exploded a few streets away, the three seeing the pillar curve and land in front of them before revealing a floating orb.

The sight made Flash chuckle before patting Heart's shoulder, "Go on kiddo. You earned it."

"Huh?" Heart gasped as he looked up at Flash, seeing a big grin on the defender's face. Seeing this, he turned back to the sphere and flew over to it. A moment of hesitation followed this, taking a deep breath before tapping the ball. And as he did this, the orb exploded with light that flew across the field.

However, when it struck the three...nothing happened.

"Huh?" The three said in unison, confusion striking them and the ones in the castle.

"What's going on?" Springer asked next.

"I'm...not sure," Ruby replied with crossed hooves. She then saw the four orbs from their previous victories, seeing them all glow with a gentle light. Before she could say anything, a light shot out of them, striking each in the chest, only to suddenly teleport them away. In the blink of an eye, they were warped from the castle down to the city, appearing right beside Flash and the others.

"What are you all doing here?" Flash asked, only for the group to gasp as the orbs flew out of them and joined the sphere in Heart's grasp. They watched as the balls flew up, forming a circle that they spun around. "What's happening?"

"WINNERS!" Soul's voice echoed throughout the city, "TEAM FLASH!"

"Maybe we won," Trixie chimed in, "Maybe we managed to get all the orbs."

Heart shook his head at this, "No. Soul said we need to get seven orbs."

"Seven?" Ruby asked, the others turning to him for answers.

But before anything could be asked, the orbs suddenly flew around Flash. "What the-" he yelped as the spheres came down to their level, the others getting into a battle stance. But as they saw this, Flash felt something...an almost comforting feeling. "Wait!" he yelled to the others, "Don't move."

"What?!" Trixie yelped back, "What do you mean, don't move?!"

"I don't know, but I feel like this isn't something bad." He stood up straight as the orbs spun around, picking up speed. Light poured off them as they merged into one single white circle. Everypony watched as the light grew brighter, only to explode as the light suddenly engulfed Flash.

"FLASH!" They all screamed, Cold, Soarin and Springer running up to get to him, only for them all to be suddenly thrown backward by a pulse of energy. And as this happened, the others just watched at the light pillar consumed the defender.

Inside, Flash took a long deep breath, filling a warmth flow through his body. And as this happened, his eyes shot open with a golden light. Outside the pillar, everypony saw the light suddenly turn from white to gold, the light then spiraling into a tornado. The sight was followed by the whirlwind exploding, now showing Flash with a certain set of armor on with a pair of swords on his back.

Silence followed this, Flash taking one of the swords out and spinning it in his hoof, "Hello old friend."

"Flash...you got your powers back." Springer gasped.

Flash chuckled as he put the blade back, "Yup. This'll definitely help for the battles ahead." He then turned to the five orbs, which had stopped spinning and were now floating off to the side. "Just two more to go."

Inside the black castle, silence filled the air as Shadow, Armalum, Tempera and Terror watched Flash regain his power.

Armalum remained silent, appearing unmoved by this development. However, Tempera and Terror both shook in fear, gulping at the sight as they slowly turned to Shadow. And as their eyes got to the throne, they went wide-eyed as they saw something new.

It was Shadow smiling, a huge grin growing on his face. "Excellent." He whispered as he turned to the four orbs they had, "Just one more...that's all I need to win everything."

Author's Note

Wow...that was something. Salix's backstory. Heart getting some action and even a power up. And of course, Flash is back to full power now. You know what that means. Let me know what you think?

Discarded Honour

Canterlot, many years ago.

It was another busy day in the city, the many ponies going about their business. But as this happened, it was also the first day of the Royal Guard boot camp, where the many aspiring young ponies would begin their journey through the ranks of the system.

This included a dark blue pegasus stallion with yellow streaks, along with a green mane and tail. His wings had several green tips and he was carrying a saddlebag, which appeared packed to the brim. He was now flying over the city, trying to get to Canterlot Castle.

And as he landed, he saw a number of ponies in line, each stepping up to the guards before showing a piece of paper and being let in. He pulled out his own sheet of paper, reading it before looking back at the gate. The stallion took a step forward, only to step back. He did this again, his hooves going back and forth as his body shook. But as this happened, a voice behind him spoke up, "I think you've got to the point where you can shake it all about before turning yourself around."

He spun around to see a gray unicorn with a white and blue striped mane and tail. His cutie mark showed a knight banner with a shield printed on it.

"Excuse me?"

The unicorn laughed back as he walked up to him, "You were moving back and forth so much, you looked like you were doing the...nevermind." He then pointed to the paper before taking out the same paper, "You joining the guard recruits too?"

"Well...I want too. But what if it's not the right decision. I...I don't know how well I'd do, and I don't want to waste the trainer's time if I end up flunking out."

The unicorn rolled his eyes before engulfing the pegasus in his magic and pushing him toward the line. "You seriously worry too much. Just go in there and try your best."

"But...but..." He suddenly found himself at the back of the line, unable to move due to the magic, "Please, don't-"

"I didn't get a name by the way," the unicorn interrupted, "I'm Noble. Noble Banner."

The pegasus looked back at him, sighing at the sight of the unicorn's smile, "Swift Wing."

"Nice to meet you Swifty. I bet we're gonna be fast friends. Maybe we'll even get rid of that hesitant streak."

"T-t-there's nothing wrong with being cautious."

"True, but being overcautious isn't exactly great. You'll never be able to sniff the roses if you're worried a bee might fly out of it." Noble then tapped Swift's shoulder, "Come on, have some confidence in yourself."

Swift looked back at the castle, now seeing they were nearing the end of the line. "I...uh...I guess I'm in."

"Heck yeah you are," Noble chuckled as pointed at the castle, "Oh...this is gonna be awesome! Can you believe we're gonna get trained by a real Royal Knight?!"

"We are?" Swift asked with a long gulp.

"You a fan of the knights too?" Swift slowly nodded back, "Awesome. That's why I'm here. I wanna be a Royal Knight, just like them. What about you?"

"If I was offered the position, I'd certainly take it. I doubt I have the skills to become one though."

"None of us have the skills to become one. That's why we're here. To learn those skills and any other that might help us save Equestria. Hey, what kind of Celestic Gear would you have?"

"Me? Err...I'm not sure."

"I already have mine thought up. It'd be a triple elemental weapon." Swift raised an eyebrow. "A weapon that could switch between three different elements. I'm thinking lightning, wind and water. If I could control those three elements, I would be able to deal with anything. House fires, rampaging bulls, tornadoes...heck, even a blackout at a hospital with ponies on life support. Show me the generators and I'll zap the power on!"

"So you want to control a storm?" Swift asked, Noble turning to him with raised eyebrows. Seeing the confusion on his face, Swift continued, "A storm is made up of wind, water and lightning, so having control over all three elements would mean you would be in control of a storm."

"Yeah...I guess you're right." Noble replied, "Now I know what I'm gonna call me weapon. The Storm Blade."

"Sounds cool. I wonder what-"

"RECRUITS, LINE UP!" yelled a voice, both turning to see Grand Hoof walk down the line. The two quickly got into position as the knight passed over every one of them, a long glare on his face. "Well if you lot aren't the most sorry excuse for cadets I've ever seen! What, was there an error in the mail and your letters got swapped with the real soldier letters?! I bet there's some real confused filly scout leaders wondering why their newest recruits are a bunch of tough ponies instead of you weaklings!"

Swift gulped as he saw Grand go to the first cadet, asking for his name and where he was from. The sight made his heart hide in his stomach, sweat pouring down his face as he saw Grand slowly trot up to him.

"What about you, maggot?"

Swift stood to attention, "I...I'm Swift Wing from Rainbow Falls."

"Rainbow Falls, huh? They've only got two things in Rainbow Falls. Deers and fleers, and I don't see no horn on ya. Know what that makes you?"

"A fleer."

"So you're admitting you're impudent," Grand growled. "That's not something we take to kindly too in the guard." Swift's eyes went wide, his whole body shaking as Grand leaned up to his face. But before anything could be said, a chuckle entered both ponies' ears, making him turn to see Noble laughing under his breath. "Something funny colt?!"

"Yeah. That little back and forth you had there with Swifty was pretty funny." Noble chuckled with a nod, Grand stomping over to him. The two stared at each other, the other cadets trying to not gasp at Noble's comments.

And as this happened, Grand growled, "You must think you're pretty hot stuff."

Noble shined a big grin, "I do have a tendency to raise the temperature of any room I'm in. So-GRAH!" He fell backward, clutching his nose after Grand had headbutted him.

"Nopony told you to sit recruit!" He yelled as Noble started to pick himself up, Grand now walking away, "That kind of attitude won't get you far in the field. Cocky hotshots are always the first the fall. Remember that."

"Yes sir," he moaned as Grand continued to inspect them.

And when he dismissed the recruits, Swift whispered to Noble, "I can't believe you did that. That was just...insane."

Noble just shrugged, "Eh, I'm just glad I managed to get his attention off of you. I didn't think that deer fleer thing was really funny."

"You did that for me?" Swift asked.

"Sure, why not? But don't think I'll always be there to save your flank. No matter what, I'm gonna find a way to help you boost your confidence."

"Oh...thank you." Swift replied, the first smile today now appearing on his face as he knew he had found an irreplaceable friend.

The Present...

Storm's eyes slowly opened, the pegasi letting out a low breath as he now found his body in one of the medical chambers. Sighing at the sight, he opened the chamber's door, only to hear Salix and Wingill's doors opening as well.

"Seriously?!" Wingill yelled, "You all lost too?!"

"Don't give us lip. You were the first one beaten." Storm hissed as he put his hooves on the floor, only to feel his headphones spark with a static screech feeling his ears. "Gyah!" He shut his eyes and pulled his headset off, opening them a second later to see everything out of focus.

"You okay?" Salix asked, his voice barely a whisper for Storm.

"Sorry," he growled as he looked down at his headset, "My gear must have been damaged in that last fight." He could already feel himself getting a headache from the double vision, quickly closing his eyes, "Blast it..."

"Come on, let's get you upstairs." Wingill replied as he walked over to the pegasi, only to get his claws knocked away.

"I can do it on my own," he hissed as he walked over to the door, his shoulder banging the doorway. Despite this, he continued to walk as Wingill and Salix just exchanged glances with grimaces on their faces.

In the other castle...

Everypony was down in the training room, Flash now in his Sacred Light form. He had asked the others to help him get some practice with his old form. "RAAAAAH!" Cold, Ruby, Springer and Soarin yelled as they leapt at him, Cold and Ruby forming swords while Springer made a Bone Breaker.

"Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as pulled his light swords off his back, blocking both the blades and bone while spinning like a top. Energy blades came out next, pushing Springer, Cold and Ruby back while Soarin was sent flying. Cold then slammed his hooves into the ground, summoning a Cold Dragon that made Flash spin around with light spiraling around him. "Flash Driver!"

He quickly cut through the dragon, the light drill tearing it apart before Flash landed in front of the group. Seeing this, Cold dusted his hooves as he said, "I think it's safe to say you're back in the groove."

"Heck yeah I am!" Flash cheered as his armor disappeared, "Oh...it feels so great to be running on all cylinders again!"

Ruby nodded in agreement, "And with only two orbs left to collect, we'll need every advantage we can to obtain them."

After getting back to the castle yesterday, Fire Heart had told them everything Soul had said. They were all relieved to hear she was alright and to know what their goal was. But as for the colt, he was on the opposite side of the training room.

"YEAH!" he cheered as he ran around, firing flames from his hooves at several illusions while Trixie watched him with a fire extinguisher.

"This...is...AWESOME!" he exclaimed as he swung his tail, a barrage of fireballs coming out next.

"Uh oh..." Flash said before grabbing the room's crystal, turning off the illusions, "Alright, that's enough!"

"Hey! What-augh!" Heart yelped as Trixie shot him with the extinguisher, putting the colt out.

"Sorry," Trixie replied, "But you really looked like you needed to cool off."

"Awww..." Heart moaned as he shook off the foam.

And as he did this, the group walked up to him, Cold speaking up first, "Heart, I know you're excited about your new abilities, but just having power is worthless without control. Instead of basking in them, you should be trying to understand them and what limiations you have with them."

"What limiations?" Heart responded, "I'm practically unstoppable."

"As long as Shadow's goons don't have a fire extinquisher," Soarin added, all but Cold laughing.

"They've got a point though," Flash told Heart as he patted the colt's side, "Your powers seem to be a lot like Salix's, so you might have the same weaknesses."

"Like overheating," Cold chimed in, "You might right now be fireproof, but that doesn't mean you can't feel the effects of the heat. You're probably feeling thirsty." Heart's hoof moved to his throat in response, Cold pointing at him next, "Exactly. That's something you'll need to take into account and find a work around for."

"How?" Heart asked back.

"With training and control," Ruby replied, "Start by trying to lower the heat of your attacks. You've been going all out, even on opponents that only need a tenth of the power used to beat them."

"Alright..." Heart moaned, everypony picking up his low tone, "But can we have a break first? I'm kinda worn out." The others nodded, Soarin leaving to get them all something to drink. As he did this, Flash turned back on his Sacred Light as Trixie tapped the control crystal to make some illusionary enemies. But as he did this, Heart tugged Flash's side, "Hey, I still can't get over how cool that is. How do you not do that accidentally?"

"Huh?" Flash muttered as he looked back at the colt, now remembering that Heart had been just randomly transforming whenever the thought of it popped into his head. "Oh uh...I guess I'm just more well trained. That and the Sacred Light is a...bit different."

"What do you mean?"

Ruby decided to chime in here, "Flash has likely developed a mental trigger that allows him to access it only when he wants too. It's the same thing you'll need to learn so you can keep yourself from setting everything around you on fire."

"Oh..." Heart stuttered for a bit, only for his tail to wag as he stared up at Flash, "So what's your mental trigger? Do you have to say something in your head or out loud?" Flash shook his head, "Seriously?! You totally should though! I'd be awesome, like one of those comics Springer showed me. What were they called again? Caravan ponies?"

"Kamen Ponies," Springer responded while Flash and Trixie mentally chuckled about their memories of their past adventure with that franchise.

"Yeah! They have a phrase they say to transform, and that means you should have one too!" Heart rubbed the side of his head, squinting his eyes in thought, "Armor...on? Nah. How about...pony armor energize! No...that's too long. Hmm..." he then clapped his hooves, "I got it! Armorize!"

"That's not even a word," Trixie deadpanned.

"Exactly! So there's no way he'd say it when he's not trying to transform!"

Flash chuckled as he began to ruffle the colt's mane, "I'll think about it."

Back at the other castle...

Storm was in his room, working on his headset. It wasn't easy due to his double vision, his teeth gritting as he finished the last bit of repairs. "There..." he sighed as he put the headset back on. His vision quickly stabilized as he turned it on, his hearing back to normal. "Perfect."

"Back to full power?" Storm jumped in his seat, turning to see Shadow at the door, holding his Celestic Gear.

"Master," he bowed, "my gear is now one hundred percent functional."

"Good," Shadow placed the weapon on the wall, "You'll need it. Flash Sentry has regained his abilities." Storm looked back up, his eyes slightly growing at the statement. "You'll need to be careful should you come up against him again."

"I will master," Storm nodded. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. You've served me well these last seven years, taught me a lot about how to wield my power. I expect you to continue that hard work, understand?" Storm nodded again, "Good. Now get to training." The pegasi ascended from this and grabbed his sword, running for the training room next. And as he did this, Shadow took a deep breath as he said, "I'm but one victory away from getting my full power back. I can't have anypony preventing that."

A few hours later...

Everypony had finished training a while back, deciding to have a full meal after that. And as they got done with their lunch, the alarm went off, Soul's voice now announcing, "Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."

The ran over to the map room as the 3D model appeared, outlining a part of the city. "Alright!" Heart cheered as the bingo machine appeared, "Let's do this! I'm ready for some action!"

"Cool it Heart," Springer told him. "You might not even get chosen." But as he said that, an orb popped out showing Heart's brand new cutie mark. "Never mind."

Heart hoof pumped at this as the next orb flew out, revealing Ruby's cutie mark. "Alright," she said as the third orb rolled out, showing Flash's cutie mark. "Seems that's our team."

"The competitors have been selected. Flash Sentry, Ruby Scarlet and Fire Heart. Proceed to the battlefield."

The older pegasus turned to the other two. "Let's be careful, but let's get this done." They nodded back before the three disappeared, the others seeing the dots appear on the screen.

"Be careful you three," Soarin commented as then tapped the map to see what the other dots were. "Uh-oh."

"Agreed. I hope Ruby doesn't go overboard," Trixie gulped.

At the same time...

Down in the city, a flash of light signaled the arrival of Tempera, Storm and Armalum. The trio saw no sign of their opponents, Tempera turning to the others, "Plan?"

"Nothing yet," Storm replied, "We need to find out which ponies we're facing before we decide how to best split our focus." He took to the air next, "Let's split up. If you run into any of them, send up a signal."

They nodded back before Armalum spoke up, "Remember everypony, Sentry isn't like he was before. If he's here, we won't have such an easy time. If you see him and see an opening, take him down without hesitation."

"I'm fine with that," Storm responded with crossed hooves. "I never hesitate."

He then took to the skies, those words going through his head as a certain memory went over his words. That one time he hesitated.

Canterlot, many years ago...

Several years had passed since Swift Wing joined the guard. He had managed to get through basic training, actually coming in the top five of his class due to his high physical skill. Since pegasi were built for speed and agility, he aced the many obstacle courses and sparring matches. This was all thanks to his close friend Noble, who had helped him break out of his shell and come into his own as a guard. As for Noble, Swift found quickly that Noble didn't have skill, something Swift had to work hard for to teach the unicorn for the later tests of the military.

After their graduation, the two found themselves right on the front lines when their squad was set to investigate a disturbance in the west. There they found an ambush of a timberwolf pack, which they proved themselves by protecting several guards before being saved by Grand Hoof himself.

Receiving a commendation for their heroic deed, it lead to them getting many high ranking assignments, rising them through the ranks. Now the two both held the second highest rank in the guard, outdone only by the rank of captain. As such, Swift was now standing guard in one of the hallways near the treasury as the day began.

"Swift Wing!" He turned to see another guard marching up, "You've been summoned by the Princess. I'm here to relieve you." Swift nodded back, quickly making his way to the throne room, only to spot Noble Banner along the way.

"Hey Swifty!" The unicorn called out, "You get called to Celestia too?"

"Yes," Swift nodded, "And you really shouldn't call her that."

"What, her name? That's kinda silly. Why would she even have it if we're not supposed to call her by her name?" Swift rolled his eyes as they continued down the halls, "So, I haven't seem much of you in the last few months."

"I've been busy."

"No kidding. I heard about what happened in Vanhoover!"

Swift shook his head at this, the memory of the event going through his mind. Several weeks ago he had lead a team to capture a bunch of criminals that were on a crime spree. They were known for setting off bombs to cover their thieving escapes. As such, Swift's team managed to track them down, only to find the bombs they had always used. Seeing this, Swift suddenly frozen, unable to choose stopping the explosives or catching the thieves. It was here that his second in command had to jump in, suggesting to split up. Swift agreed to this...only to end in failure.

Their group wasn't big enough to completely surround all the criminals, allowing some to escape while the bombs ended up going off due to running out of time. The result was a disaster, injuring several ponies including the second in command. However, it was after this that he found the rest of the criminals, catching some of them before they left the city.

"What about you?" Swift asked as he tried to change the subject, "What's this I've been hearing about you taking a kid in?"

Noble nodded back with a huge smile, "Cold Steel. He's a pretty amazing colt. His ice magic is like none I've seen before. In a few years, he'll be a serious monster. You should meet him. I bet you two would seriously hit it off."

"Maybe..." Swift muttered before looking away, now seeing they were in front of the throne room. Walking inside, they saw Grand and Celestia and bowed in unison as they said, "Your highness."

"Please rise," Celestia replied while waving her hoof, "You're probably wondering why we called you here." They nodded back. "Well simply put, you two have done exceptional work since you both joined the guard. You should be proud of your accomplishments." They both blinked at this, only to go wide-eyed as she said her next words, "That's why I wish for the two of you to take a trial to become Royal Knights."

The two gasped at this, exchanging shocked glanced before turning back to the princess, "Are you serious?!"

"Very," Grand responded next, "We've set up a test for the two of you that plays to your greatest flaw. If you're able to fight past that flaw, you'll be on the road to being a knight. Your test will begin in one hour."

"That soon?" Swift asked, "Don't we get time to prepare?"

"The spontaneity of it is part of your test," Celestia added, "If you feel you're not ready, then speak now or forever hold your peace." The two remained silent, barely able to respond as she continued, "Very good. Then we'll see you in the training ground in an hour."

The two nodded and turned to leave. And as they exited the room, Swift turned to Noble, "I...I don't think I can do this. You heard what they said. The test is designed to play to our biggest fears. That means I'll have to face some kind of choice, and if Vanhoover's anything to go by, I'm not ready for that!"

"Hey, relax." Noble patted his shoulder. "You can do this. Just don't overthink anything. Go with your gut and you'll have this thing down."

"But...but I..."

"You'll be fine." Noble added, patting his shoulder again. "Trust me."

"I don't know." Swift continued as he tried to slowly push Noble's hoof away, "I don't think I'm ready."

"Swifty." Noble gripped Swift's shoulder this time, spinning him so they could stare at each other's eyes, "We've trying to get to this moment since we first met. You'll be fine."

"I...I..." Swift tried to say, only to see the giant smile on Noble's face, making him sigh, "Okay...I'll try."

One hour later...

Swift and Noble were now at the training ground, now seeing Grand and Celestia with two large long metal containers. They each had Noble and Swift's cutie marks, Grand tapping the containers as he spoke up, "Your test is inside these." He held up a pair of goggles for the duo, "These goggles are enchanted so that once you're inside, it'll seem like you're in a completely different place."

Celestia then spoke up while two golden orbs of magic appeared in front of her. "Both containers have an enchantment that will allow us to watch and see what you see. When you're ready, please enter the containers."

Both nodded before moving up to the containers, Celestia magically opening them. Putting the goggles on, they walked in while the doors closed behind them. Swift then opened his eyes, only to now find himself in a rocky area, a length of rope around his body. He looked down, tilting his head before hearing a voice cry out, "HELP!"

Turning to the voice, he saw a fissure with two earth ponies standing on a pair of ledges thirty feet down and several feet apart. The ledges were crumbling, rubble and dirt falling off every second. "Hang on!" he yelled, flying over the fissure before noticing the length between them. Seeing this, he took the rope and said, "Alright, I'm gonna pull you both up. Just-" but as those words left his mouth, he now saw that the ponies were large, showing he wouldn't have the strength to carry both at the same time. "Oh no."

When Noble opened his eyes, he almost gasped at the sight.

"What about you, maggot?" He turned to see he was now back to the day he had met Swift and joined the guards, back when he got on Grand's bad side to help the pegasus from wetting himself. 'This is my test?'

Swift stood to attention, "I...I'm Swift Wing from Rainbow Falls."

"Rainbow Falls, huh? They've only got two things in Rainbow Falls. Deers and fleers, and I don't see no horns on ya. Know what that makes you?"

"A fleer."

'Maybe they want to see if I'm still the cocky punk I was back then. If that's the case...'

"So you're admitting you're impudent," Grand growled. "That's not something we take too kindly to in the guard." Swift's face shrunk as Grand leaned in and continued to berate him. And as he did this, Noble watched while holding his tongue. "Are you gonna cry?!" Grand now yelled at Swift. "I can't have cry babies on my squad. If you're gonna cry, just give up now. Maybe I can get you a job in the castle. I hear one of the bathrooms needs a replacement shower." Seeing Swift looking close to breaking down, Noble took a deep breath...and let out a chuckle, catching the knight's attention. couldn't take it anymore. So, despite his better judgement, he let out a chuckle and caught their attention. "Something funny colt?"

"Yeah. That little back and forth you had there with Swifty was pretty funny." Grand stomped over to him, the two staring each other down.

"You must think you're pretty hot stuff."

Noble shined a big smile next as he replied, "I do have a tendency to raise the temperature of any room I'm in."

Swift's eyes kept darting back and forth, his body vibrating like crazy as he stared at the situation.

HIs mind kept going over who to save, unable to focus as he tried to think up plans to save both. "W-w-what do I do?!" he muttered to himself, seeing both ledges crumble away, "How do I save them?! What do I-"

"SAVE ME!" One of the stallions yelled.

"NO! SAVE ME!" The other cried, their voices continuing to get louder.

Swift's mind began to crack at this, only to hear the sound of rocks shattering. One of the ledges broke apart, the pony yelling, "NOOOOOO!"

The pony then leapt to other ledge, the other screaming, "DON'T!"

But it was too late. The second pony's hooves destroyed the ledge, making both fall down into the chasm as Swift yelled, "NOOOOOOOO!"

Grand and Celestia were of mixed emotions when the two stepped outside of the container. Both guards came out next, the duo trembling as Grand went up to Swift first. He put his hoof on the pegasus's shoulder as he said, "Swift Wing, I'm sorry. You didn't pass your test."

"I...I don't..." Swift stuttered out, "W-w-which one was the right one to save?!"

"There was no right one to save," Celestia replied, "Your test wasn't too pick the right pony to save. It was to pick a pony to save."

"What?!"

"Swift..." Grand patted his shoulder again as he continued, "I hated how this test was set, but it was necessary. The one thing every knight must learn is that sometimes, you can't save everypony. As a knight, you're gonna find yourself facing a choice that will cost somepony their life. If you can, always try to save everypony...but you won't always get that opportunity."

Celestia shook her head at this, "I'm sorry. You're an amazing guard, but your over-hesitation in life will get you and those around you killed as a knight."

Grand lifted his hoof as he added, "Until you learn to overcome that, you aren't ready to be knighted."

Swift's eyes shrunk at this, looking down at the floor next as his whole body shook.

But the two then turned to Noble, Celestia speaking up, "Noble Banner, when you first came here, you were arrogant and overzealous about your skills. But since then, especially in the last year, you've truly matured. So I have to ask, why did you choose to speak up instead of staying calm? You must know what it would cost you."

Noble just smiled back, "If being a knight means holding myself back from doing what I believe is right, then I've changed my mind. I don't wanna be a knight. I'd rather spend my life looking out for those who can't help themselves, then smile and do what others tell me is right when I know it's not."

"Is that so?" Grand asked, Noble nodding. This caused them both to smile, "Well done." Noble raised his eyebrows at this, these words making Swift look up at Noble as Grand continued, "Being a knight is about more than following the princess's orders. It's about upholding what is right, even if nopony but you believes it is."

Celestia nodded in agreement, "Even I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes in the past, horrible ones. But I would have made many more if I didn't have brave ponies willing to voice their opinion and tell me they thought I was wrong." Noble nodded back at this as she continued, "I've seen many ponies who have been considered potential knights. Some had the heart, but lacked the skill. Some had the skill, but lacked the heart. Some had both the skill and heart, but also had a flaw holding them back from being ready. And some...some had the heart but lost it as they worked to gain the skill needed." She shined a big smile as she said these next words, "When you first came here, you had the heart of a knight but no skill."

"I know you didn't think my joke was funny back then," Grand added, "You did it to help Swift."

Celestia chimed in at this, "And as the years went on, you've gained more skill and matured. At the time, I feared you had lose that sense of right and wrong that first impressed Grand back then. But what you did back there proves you are ready. You have the skill and have bloomed into a mature young stallion, and your little protégé likely helping you with that. And now, you've proven you still have the heart needed. You are ready to begin the next level of training. Your future as a Royal Knight is all but set."

"Thank you, your highness," Noble replied with a bow, "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Celestia responded, only to turn to Swift, who had already turned away, "I am truly sorry Swift." He stopped and looked back at her as she continued, "Maybe one day you'll be ready to take this test again. Take this day not as a failure, but as a learning experience."

Swift said nothing, just turning around as he walked away. And as he did this, Noble wanted to follow after him, but Grand grabbed his shoulder. "Come on Noble, we need to set you up for the next part of your journey."

"Um...okay." Noble replied as he took one last look at Swift before walking away.

And as he did this, Grand turned to Celestia, "Do you think Swift will be alright? Its a shame that kind of talent is held back like that."

"We can try to help him..." Celestia let out a small sigh, "But in the end, it'll be up to him to do it."

And as they went back to Noble, ready to show him the way ahead, Swift began to stagger down a hallway of the castle. His breath was rapid, panting as the test went over again and again in his mind. Before he knew it, he raised a hoof and slammed it into the wall, "RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" he yelled, blood now forming over the hoof as he panted, "WHY?! Why am I so useless?!"

But as those words came out of his mouth, he felt something inside him snap. His eyes widened as he felt an anger swirl within him. "No more. No more hesitating."

The Present...

Heart shined a huge grin as he flew into the air, "Come on out! I'm ready for whatever you throw at me!" But as he said this, he felt something yank his tail, smacking him into the ground, "Yow!" He rubbed his flank as he glared back at Flash and Ruby, "Hey! What was that for?!"

"We don't want to fight if we can help it," Ruby replied, "Our objective is to find the orb before they show up."

"Like that's gonna happen," he pouted. "Have you not watched all the battles so far?! We're gonna get into a fight." He flamed up as he continued, "Might as well go out there and show them why they shouldn't mess with us." The duo just continued to glare at him, making him sigh as his flames went out, "Fine."

"Good," Ruby responded, "Now don't transform again until you actually need too."

"She's right. Don't wanna overheat yourself too quickly," Flash added as the trio started to make their way through the streets, searching through the first few houses.

"There's nothing here," Heart commented, "The orb's not gonna be closer to our side. It's probably gonna be somewhere in the middle of the city."

The older ponies sighed, Ruby now saying, "I suppose you're right. Let's-"

Her words came to a stop as they all felt the ground suddenly rumble, Flash adding, "That's not good."

"Flash!" Flash's head shot up at Springer's voice, "Watch out! Tempera's-" The jakhowl's words cut out as a nearby building exploded, making Ruby teleport away while Flash grabbed Heart and took to the air. The pegasi looked down next, now seeing a minotaur standing where the building once was, snorting as it glared at them.

"Awesome!" Heart cheered.

"You and I need to have a serious talk about what is deemed 'awesome'," Flash deadpanned before looking up to see what looked like a firework fly up into the sky. The sight made him growl as turned to a certain unicorn standing on a quetzalcoatl. "Warning your friends?"

"With you here, I'd be a fool to try and take you on myself." she spat back, only to see a barrage of crystal shards strike her serpent, making it burst into ink. However, as this happened, Tempera teleported to a nearby roof before throwing a page that morphed into a giant lindworm.

"Nice! I got this!" Heart yelled as he hopped out of Flash's hooves.

"Heart, wait!"

"Get ready to feel the heat!" Heart's body ignited as he charged into the lindworm, a giant fireball flying out of the colt's hooves that struck the beast. Tempera's eyes went wide at this, the fire now turning to the lindworm completely stiff. The sight made Heart lower his flames, "Huh?" The lindworm's body began to crack next, soon collapsing into dust that littered the ground. "What just happened?"

Back at the castle...

"That's what I'd like to know!" Soarin yelled at the screen while Trixie rolled her eyes at his outburst.

"Its pretty obvious Soarin. He evaporated the water." Trixie chimed in.

Soarin and Springer turned to her answer, seeing a smirk on her face as Cold continued her train of thought, "Those creatures are just ink brought to life. When ink dries, it turns hard, so it makes sense that when the water making up a scribeast dries, that happens."

"Oh." Soarin replied before looking back at the screen, "Right. I knew that."

"No you didn't." Springer deadpanned.

"Shut up." Soarin pouted as he now stared at Heart on the screen, "Guess he's the best pony to take on Tempera. Go get 'em little buddy."

"Aw yeah!" Heart cheered as he spun around and launched another fire blast, this one destroying the minotaur in one go.

Both Flash and Ruby went wide-eyed at this, seeing Heart easily destroy these usually durable monsters. But before they could say anything, Tempera spoke up, "Don't think you're so great! You think I don't know what fire does to my creations? I work with Salix."

She then fired a magic beam from her horn at the colt, only for Flash to appear, blocking it with his sword. "Yeah, we know." He replied as he swung his sword, unleashing a Flash Cutter.

Tempera teleported again at this, going to another rooftop. As she did this, Ruby sparked her horn to follow, only for Heart to fly up at her, "I got her!"

"Wait!" She yelled at the colt, but her warning fell on deaf ears. Instead, Heart shot a fireball at Tempera, only for the unicorn to easily block the flames with a simple magic shield. But as she did this, a sudden gust of wind slammed into Heart.

"Wow wit WOW!" he yelped as he was thrown into a building, hearing the sound of laughter as he slumped down the structure's wall. Looking up, he saw Storm chuckling as he spun the dial on his weapon to lightning, only for Flash to appear between them.

"Seems we're doing another dance." Storm replied as he pointed his blade at the defender, "Though I gotta say, looks like your little friend is getting a little overzealous with his new powers."

"He's young and he's got new powers. Of course he'll be eager to show them off." Flash replied as he fired a Flash Cutter, Storm swatting it away with a swipe of his own blade. As he did this, Flash spun his sword and pointed it at the cultist, "And don't think your little speech from yesterday holds any water."

Storm growled back before both charged at each other, light and electricity sparking as they collided, locking swords as Storm replied, "I was told you were now able to wield that strange power again. If that's so, then where is it?"

"Trust me, your really don't wanna mess with me like that."

"Don't I?" Storm flared his wings, flapping back as he spun the dial before pointing the sword at Flash, "STORM TRI-FORCE!" The triple attack shot out of his blade, Flash quickly crossing his front hooves in response.

"ARMORIZE!" His entire body exploded with light, blocking the tornado as the armor appeared around him. And as the Storm Tri-Force faded, Flash's full form appeared.

At the same time, Heart shined a big grin as he heard Flash use the phrase he had coined. But before he could say anything, he found himself surrounded by a bunch of flying scribeasts. As this happened, Ruby watched the battles from below, seeing Flash and Storm now flying high in the sky while Tempera kept teleporting around. "What do I do here? Should I find the other member or help out here?"

"I know what you can do! YOU CAN DIE!" yelled a voice, making her turn to see a red fissure coming right for her. The mare's horn sparked at this, teleporting her away as the street now exploded.

And as she reappeared, she let out a low growl, "Armalum."

The living armor chuckled as he walked out of an alleyway, "Finally decided to call me by my real name, huh? What, not gonna call me somepony else, or blame me for something I didn't do?"

She shook her head, "No. I know the truth now. You're not Sombra, you're just some...mask using him to exist in this world."

"Got it in one," Armalum laughed as his scythe appeared in his hooves, "And maybe now you'll fight me for real."

With that, he teleported right in front of Ruby, swinging the blade down, only for it to be locked on a crystal shield. Feeling the weapon now stuck, Armalum heard these words from the knight, "I was always fighting you for real."

A flash of light happened next, Ruby reappearing behind him with a crystal sword. But before it could strike, he quickly pulled the scythe out, blocking the blow with its handle. He then yanked his scythe's bottom upward, smacking the soft end on Ruby's neck before spinning around. This was followed by a horizontal slash of the scythe, which Ruby blocked again with the crystal blade. However, the sword was being held by her magic, her hooves now hitting the ground as she summoned a wave of crystal spikes. But as they tried to hit Armalum, he merely hopped back before tapping the ground, channeling a red fissure that met the crystals before morphing into an explosion.

And as a smoke cloud formed from the blast, Ruby dove through the fog, her blade back in her hoof as she swung it down. But as she did this, Armalum raised his scythe, blocking the sword again as the two now locked blades. Their eyes glared at each other, Ruby now seeing her reflection on the soulless black mask.

"I will win this." Ruby growled as she started to push.

"No, I don't think you will."

"TAKE THIS!" Heart yelled as he unleashed a fire blast at one of Tempera's eyebats, roasting it before turning to a charging roc, "AND THIS!" He burnt the giant bird, evaporating the moisture from it instantly. Heart shined a huge grin at this, turning to see a now created monster hornet, the sight making him laugh, "Seriously?! You're gonna have to do better than that."

Tempera growled as she saw the bug be destroyed, looking back down at her drawings. But as she did this, the corner of her eye saw something in the distance. A smile graced her lips, turning back to Heart before summoning an army of uni-troopers.

"Really?!" Heart barked as the flames on his back hooves burst into ignition, causing him to turn into a rocket as the flames that made up his mane exploded into a cocoon around him. The colt was transformed into a fireball, moving like a comet through the air. "It's gonna take more than these freaks to beat me!" He crashed into the scribeasts, burning them all with ease before jetting right up to the rooftop Tempera was on.

But as he was about to hit her, the unicorn's horn shined as she teleported away, making him come to a stop. "Whoa!" he flared his wings as the flames on him settled down a little, "Huh? Where'd she go?"

"Up here!" He spun to see Tempera on another rooftop, a growl escaping his breath as he used his flames to catapult himself at her. And as he was about to reach her, she vanished into thin air, making him crash into the roof. He yelped as he rolled on the rocky surface, coming to a stop as he then looked up to see Tempera now riding a winged serpent. "Come and get me colt!"

The beast spun around next, making Heart growl as lit himself up again, "Oh, I'll get you alright!"

Meanwhile...

"Flash Driver!" Flash roared as he morphed into a light drill.

"Storm Force!" A tornado of wind shot at the drill, only for the attack to cut right through the gust. Storm quickly prepared to block the drill next, only for Flash to suddenly cut out his attack and clock Storm in the face. "Blaugh!"

Flash then grabbed the swords off his back before slashing the air, "Flash Cutter!" Twin energy blades came for Storm next, causing him to fire a large slash of wind at the incoming attack. An explosion happened next, Flash not flinching as he charged right through the smoke cloud. Storm raised his blade to block again, only to feel a backhoof hit his head as Flash did an axe-kick into the pegasus's skull.

Storm let out a scream of pain as he was sent crashing down, slamming the ground with a thud. And as he tried to recover from the blow, he looked up to see Flash raising his blade upward and yelling, "Flash Vortex!" A tornado of light formed around him, sucking all the air and the cultist up. Feeling the pull, Storm thrust his blade down, trying to keep himself from being sucked up.

However, the suction attack suddenly cut, making Storm lose his balance as Flash dove down and slammed his backhooves into the pegasi's face. "GRAH!" he yelped as he was sent flying down the street, crashing into a nearby building.

And as this happened, Flash flew over to him. Storm glanced up at him next, seeing the defender crossing his hooves with a smirk, "Starting to regret egging me on, huh?"

Storm grunted as he wiped some blood off his mouth, "I never regret anything. Regrets just leads to hesitation, and I never hesitate."

Flash raised an eyebrow at those words as he replied, "That's dumb. Without hesitation, you're gonna end up doing something stupid. Ever wonder about the consequences of your actions?"

As those words entered Storm's ears, a cold dead glare appeared inside his visor as he responded with a low growl, "You know...you remind me of somepony I knew a long time ago. He once told me the exact same thing...and I hate him for it with every fiber of my being."

Years ago...

Several weeks had passed since the day of the test. Noble had not heard anything from Swift since then, his new knight training occupying all his time. However, he was on a patrol in town today, only to hear somepony yell, "STOP!" He turned to see teenage earth pony running with a bag in his mouth, another earth pony chasing after him. "Thief!"

Noble quickly rushed after him, able to outpace the second earth pony while the teenager rushed around a corner. But as the solider turned to the alleyway, the teenager was now letting out a mighty cry of pain. Gasping at the sight, Noble now saw Swift with the not-pointy end of his spear on the teen's throat...and pushing him down as the teen began choking for air.

"Nice move Swifty, but I think you might be going a bit overboard."

Swift gave Noble a low glare before spitting out, "Why? He's nothing but filth." And as Noble heard Swift's reply, he picked up the bag the teen had, looking inside before glancing back at Swift. His horn shined next, magically pulling the spear away. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

Noble didn't reply as he gestured to the teen, the pony quickly scrambling to his hooves before running away. Swift turned to the fleeing pony, only to feel a yank on his tail. Glaring back at Noble, he then yelled, "Stop that!"

"I don't think so. That was going too far Swifty."

"He's a criminal. He needs to be punished."

"And that justifies guard brutality?! Look." He pulled what the teen had stolen out of the bag, showing it was just a loaf of bread. "This is his terrible crime. If anything, this would have gotten him a slap on the hoof. What's wrong with you?! What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that that kid is just gonna do it again unless he faces serious punishment. He needs to be held accountable for his actions."

"Well, what about your actions?" Noble barked back, "If I hadn't stopped you, you would have broken a major guard code. Did you even for a minute think of the consequences to your actions?!"

"THINK?!" Swift screamed before walking up and pushing Noble back, "Don't you dare say that word to me! Thinking about the consequences is what cost me my dreams! After that, I finally took your advice and I don't hesitate anymore!"

"I just told you not to overthink. I never said to stop thinking all together!"

"Why not?! You never think about your actions, and it's only ever gotten you good things. I know it because I had to teach that thick skull of yours!" Swift yelled, spit flying out of his mouth and into Noble's face. "And now, I don't get to be a knight because you didn't think about the consequences of your actions!"

"Me?! What did I do?!"

"I told you I wasn't ready for that test, and now I don't get to be a knight!" Swift screeched as he got up into Noble's face, "And now, I'm doing what you always do! I'm not doubting or hesitating anymore!"

"That doesn't justify you beating up a kid!" Noble replied as he pushed back Swift, "What is wrong with you Swifty?! You were never like this!"

"Well I am now." Swift growled as he spun around before glaring back at Noble, "I'll never hesitate again. I'll charge through my goals and tear apart anything in my way...and that includes you."

With that, he took to the sky, leaving a wide-eyed Noble as he fell onto his flank and mutter out, "Swifty...what is...what happened to you?"

Several days later...

Swift did exactly what he said he would. He continued to act on impulse without a second to think about his actions. The pegasus began to be known for his reckless actions: Running into a burning building, knocking over a street lamp to stop a runaway cart, beating a local gang with a brutal bone-breaking beatdown.

But it all came to a head when he almost comatosed a cleaner he had spotted trying to nab something from the royal treasury. This got him several reprimands from the captain, Grand and even Celestia herself. Now he was stuck on outer wall guard duty, no pony wanting to interact with him.

All but one that day as Noble walked up to him. He had been asked to bring Swift along for a mission, Grand now asking him to try and help Swift's attitude. As such, he was now trotting up to the guard as he yelled, "Swift!" the pegasi turned to him with a low glare, "We have a mission. Bandits have been spotted in the badlands, and I think you've fought them before. A few are from Vanhoover."

Swift raised an eyebrow at this, "And you want me there with you?"

"I'll admit your attitude isn't the best right now, but I need your skills...and there's no pony I trust more." Noble replied, only to see Swift just look away, "Swifty...come on buddy."

"Fine." he growled as he let out a sigh.

"Great! Come on, let's get to the briefing room."

It wasn't long till they got there, only to see Celestia and Grand in the room. "Ah, Noble." Celestia said before floating a box over to Noble, "Here. You'll be needing this."

"What's in it?" Noble asked as he tried to open it, "Huh? It won't open."

"That's because there's nothing in it." Celestia responded, "Yet that is. You see, there are some special runes inside in that connect it to another set of runes here. This will allow us to teleport things to you."

"Teleport what?" Noble asked, only to get a smile from the two.

"What else? A knight's best friend." Grand replied, chuckling at the smile now forming on Noble's face.

"A Celestic Gear?!"

They nodded back as Celestia chimed in, "It's almost ready, but we can't wait for it to be finished before you leave. That's why we're giving you this. You may need it." Noble nodded back, thanking the two before running off to meet their team. And as Swift followed him, his eyes were now locked on the box as one thought went through his head.

'I should be the one with that box.'

The Present...

"Hesitation only lead me to failure. I lost everything because I hesitated...only to find that if I force myself to stop hesitating, I can become something so much greater."

"And what's that? A deranged psycho that works for an even more deranged psycho? Really living the high life, huh?" Flash mocked as he let out a low chuckle, "Sounds like you didn't listen to your friends and just decided to go full nutjob instead."

"Shut up!" Storm yelled as he pointed his blade at Flash, a bolt of lightning flying out of the weapon. But as the attack came for Flash, the defender blocked it with one of his light blades, only to then disappear. Storm growled at the sight before feeling a hoof punch his face, another jab then hitting his back. "Blaugh!"

Storm let out a hiss of pain as he spun around and swung his blade at Flash, only for the sword to go right through the defender, "Huh?" He blinked at the sight, now seeing two more Flashs just a few feet away from him. The cultist quickly fired two bolts of lightning at the other Flashs, both vanishing from the blow before another sudden punch smacked Storm's face. "Augh!"

He winced in pain as he turned around again, now seeing a whole army of Flashs in front of him. "What?!" he muttered as the light mirages all stared at him. And before he could react, one Flash slammed his backhooves into the cultist's back, pushing him down the street and into the other mirages. "AAAAH!" he yelped as the mirages began to hit him, each one smacking him around like a pinball. Each mirage punched him, the final one axe-kicking him into a rooftop.

THOOM!

Storm's body went through the roof, slamming into the building's bottom floor as Flash hovered over him with Lightbringer pointing at the cultist. "Give up! This is your only warning."

And as Storm laid there in the roof's rubble, he let out a long sigh before opening his eyes and yelling, "NEVER!"

With that, he charged at Flash while spinning the dial on his blade, creating a giant storm at the same time. As for Flash, he merely spun his blade in his hoof before diving right back at the incoming cultist.

In another part of the city...

"Come back here!" Heart yelled as he flew after Tempera. The unicorn was now on a roc, having switched between scribeasts as Heart kept destroying her army. She had just sent out a pair of blade-armed mantises, which Heart charged into like a rocket before firing himself right at the cultist.

"Take this!" He screamed as he slammed into the roc she was riding, knocking the unicorn off. She let out a gasp as she fell, quickly drawing a trampoline before throwing the paper down to summon the object. A mighty 'boing' came next as she bounced off the springboard before landing, Heart seeing this while noticing the unicorn now panting for air.

"Now's my chance!" he said to himself as he charged at her.

As this happened, Tempera began to draw something onto her notepad, only for her horn to sputter out, "No!"

"HA!" Heart laughed as he tried to bum-rush her, "What's the matter?! Not as tough as you think you are?!"

"No..." Tempera then looked up from her pad, a giant smirk on her face, "But I know I'm smarter than you."

With that, she teleported right before he could punch her, making the colt come to a halt. "Huh?!" He spun around to see Tempera reappear where she had been standing, "How?!"

"It's called acting," Tempera replied before pointing down, "But you know, all that fire must be making you thirsty. How about a drink?" Heart blinked at her gesture, only to turn and see he had stopped just above a canal.

"Or maybe you would prefer to swim!" She yelled as she tossed the paper from before, summoning a giant rock above Heart.

The colt gasped as he saw the boulder, making him yell, "FIRE FORCE!" He blasted it with as much fire as he could, unable to now see his body glow the same color as the aura encasing Tempera's horn. And as he destroyed the rock, he felt a sudden yank of his body, pulling him into the water.

"Gotcha!" she cackled as he fell into the canal, his entire body sinking as his flames sputtered out. It was only a few seconds later that he flew out of the water, the colt gasping for air as he pushed his wet mane out of his eyes.

He then growled at Tempera, seeing the giant smile on her face, "You'll pay for that."

"Then roast me, little colt. That is, unless you're scared."

"I'll show you who's scared!" He thrust his front hooves forward...only for nothing to happen. "What?!" He looked down at his body, grunting as he tried to set himself ablaze, "Come on! Why isn't this...oh no."

"Oh yes," Tempera laughed as she threw another piece of paper upward, "You're helpless now. Completely rained out!"

And with that, a beam hit the paper before summoning a giant minotaur. The beast towered over the colt, Tempera warping up to the monster's shoulder as she said, "This would be the part where you start to run away, crying like the little foal that you are." Heart began to backpedal as the scribeast started to move, his eyes going wide as she added, "Now, let's have some real fun."

Meanwhile...

"Crystal Rain!" Ruby yelled as she fired a series of crystal spikes at Armalum, the armored pony just spinning his scythe to block the incoming attack.

And as this happened, Ruby charged with a crystal blade, only for Armalum to swing his scythe right at her neck, the knight ducking under the swipe of the weapon. She then thrusted her blade, making the armored pony block it with the staff of the scythe as he let out a chuckle, "My my, I guess you weren't lying about not holding back before. This really is all you can throw at me."

"It's more than enough to beat you!" Ruby barked back, "I won't stop until I've completed my mission."

"HA!" Armalum laughed, "Give it your best shot then." He then leapt backward before slamming his blade into the ground, unleashing a red crack. "You won't free your friend!"

"I don't want to free him!" Ruby yelled as she thrust her hooves down, summoning a wave of crystal spikes that met the fissure, causing an explosion. The two then dove into the forming smoke cloud, the sounds of metal on crystal echoing out as the fog faded to show them in a stalemate again.

As they began to push each other, Ruby leaned in and hissed at him, "I won't free him. I intend to end him."

"Oh?"

"All I have to do is break you off of him and keep you from reattaching yourself."

"You want to cause your friend's death?"

"It has to be done!" She roared as her horn began to spark, "CRYSTAL FORCE!" A tornado of crystals came next, only for Armalum to summon a shield, blocking the full blow.

"You must really hate him." he chuckled as he waved his hoof, desummoning the barrier, "Or perhaps this is something different. Maybe you still care about him, but can't bring yourself to forgive him, so it's better if he's just gone. Am I right?"

"Shut up!" Ruby screamed as she charged at him with a crystal blade, Armalum just backpedaling to dodge her slashes.

"I am right. You don't want him gone, but you can't let go of the pain he caused you. And I thought you knights were supposed to be brave and chivalrous. How dull."

"SHUT UP!" She screeched as she thrust the sword again, only for him to swipe his armored hoof into the blade, shattering it inn one blow.

"Good...very good. Let the hate flow through you." he replied as she summoned another sword, only to suddenly feel her hooves give out. She let out a cry of pain as he sweeped her hooves with a quick move from his own legs. His horn sparked next, firing a red beam into the knight

"GYAH!" She screamed as she was sent flying back.

And as she came to a stop, Armalum breezily trotted over to her as he said, "Your body is strong, but your spirit is weak. Until you learn to finally let go of the hate in your heart, you'll always be weak."

Ruby grunted as she saw him walk over, the words ringing in her head. "Hate...in my heart?"

"Maybe this will teach you a lesson." He jumped up onto his back hooves before thrusting his front hooves into the ground. As soon as they hit the earth, the ground began to shake before a quartet of crystal pillars shot out around Ruby.

She gasped as the pillars formed a pyramid-like design. "No...this is-"

"One of the benefits to your friend getting his memories back," Armalum's chuckled as his horn shined a crimson glow. "I now have all his abilities." The horn shot out a blood red beam that that struck the top of the pyramid. "Spirit...BREAKER!"

Ruby could only watch as red lightning sparked around the four pillars, a bolt of magic now striking her instantly. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as her whole being felt the electrocution, all her energy being drained in one go. And when the attack ended, Ruby slumped over onto her back, unable to move as Armalum just roared in laughter.

At the same time...

CLANG!

That was the sound of two Celestic Gears clashing, metal echoing across the streets of the city. As this happened, each clang let Flash push Storm back more and more. The cultist then thrusted his blade at him, Flash side-stepping before disappearing and striking Storm's back with an elbowed hoof, "GYAH!" he yelped as he spun to counter the pegasi, only for his sword to bounce off of one of Flash's light blades. He spun his blade to his side next, punching Storm in the face with a quick jab. "Pugh!"

"Stinking brat! Storm Cutter!" the cultist yelled as he tried to fire a blade of wind. However, Flash just swung his gear downward, cutting the wind in two before throwing Lightbringer upward. Teeth clenching at his next move, Flash's two light swords morphed around his hooves, forming into what looked like boxing gloves.

Storm quickly crossed his hooves, trying to guard the next few punches. But as he tried to do this, Flash grabbed both his hooves, literally pulling his guard open before rapidly pummeling the stallion with a barrage of punches. Burn spots began to form as Flash continued to jab him, only to catch the falling Lightbringer. As this happened, the light flew off his hooves and into the blade, causing it to glow brighter as he yelled, "SHINING BLADE OF THE HEAVENS!"

With a mighty downward slash, a giant light blade extended out of the gear before slamming into Storm, "GYAH!" he screamed as he sent crashing down into a nearby roof, collapsing the building with the blow.

A low moan escaped his breath as he opened his eyes, adjusting his headset as he now saw Flash flying over him. The defender had his blade pointed right at him as he said, "You've lost. Now give up before I have to do something worse."

Storm let out a low growl, now seeing his own weapon was laying behind Flash. Despite this, his face started to show a small smile as he replied, "I may have lost this battle, but I haven't lost the war."

Flash raised an eyebrow, only to hear a sudden cry of pain. Shifting his head around for a second, he gasped, "Heart!" The colt was flying through a nearby street while getting chased by a giant minotaur. "Oh no, I-"

"Looks like you have a choice," Storm interrupted as Flash turned to the cultist, now seeing him fly back up to his level. "Beat me, or save him." Flash hissed back at him, Storm laughing at his face, "It's funny, I faced a similar decision a long time ago. And I know that I made the right choice."

Years ago...

"Come on!" Noble yelled as he ran through a high canyon, Swift flying behind him. A rain of magic blasts were trailing them, a bunch of unicorns on the top of the canyon while firing at duo with deadly accuracy.

As for why this was happening, Noble had lead his troop through the canyon in search of a criminal's hideout, only to be ambushed. A pair of rock slides split the two from their party and trapped the platoon, making them fair pickings for the criminals up above. Now it was just the two, trying to escape while evading the blasts.

And as they turned a corner, they spotted the exit to the canyon. But as they saw this, several unicorns and pegasi came out of the entrance, all firing attacks. Seeing this, Swift turned and saw a crack in the canyon's wall.

"There!" He grabbed Noble and pulled him to side, both squeezing into the crack.

"Great. Now we're trapped." Noble grumbled as the criminals now fired several beams at them, keeping them pinned.

"This isn't gonna hold, is it?" Swift commented.

"I figured it wouldn't," Noble gulped. "So I guess this is it, eh old friend? We had a good run." A loud shake entered the crack next, both feeling the continued bombardment from the criminals' attacks. Swift glared back at him, only to see a big frown on Noble's face, "Swift, if this is it-"

"Don't say that kind of crap." Swift spat as he turned away, "I'm not going down like this."

"Swift..." Noble reached out and patted his shoulder, making Swift glance back at him. He then saw a face that could only be described as one filled with regret. "I'm sorry Swift."

"What?"

"I'm sorry." Noble repeated as Swift's glare went slightly away, "I...I shouldn't have pushed you to do that test. Grand was right, you weren't ready...but I pushed to do it anyways and now you're like this. I...I'm sorry I did that. I didn't know that it would affect you like that and...and I'm sorry."

As those words left his mouth, silence embraced the duo. Even with the shaking of the canyon, all the two could do was stare at each other. But as this happened, Swift's face began to no longer show that glare from before. Noble was about to smile as he saw some softness in his face, only to go wide-eyed as Swift's glare returned as he swatted Noble's hoof away, "You can take your apology and shove it."

"Swift!"

"What?! I have every right to tell you off!" Swift growled as he leaned right up to Noble's face, "Tell me Noble, did you hesitate saying sorry? Is that why you did it now, when you think you're gonna die instead of when we were back at the test?! Do you think you could've 'made sure I'm not like this' back then?!"

"No, I...I..."

"See?! You hesitated! That's what's gonna get you killed!" Swift looked back at the opening of the crack, "I'm not going down that way. I won't hesitate. I'll find a way out of this, and take those criminals down."

"Swift, you can't just-"

"I can!" Swift barked as glared back at Noble, "I'll find a way! Unlike you, I'm not afraid! I'll get out of this and I'll...I'll-why is your bag glowing?"

Noble raised an eyebrow before looking down at his saddlebag. Pulling out the box, he saw the runes were now glowing, "My Celestic Gear! This is just what we need!" He then pulled on its door, only to feel it not even budge. "Huh?"

"It's probably still being teleported," Swift added, "You'll be able to open it when the light dies down."

"So we'll just wait here until its here, then use it to wipe these baddies out!" But as he said this, a small rock tapped Noble's head. The two looked up next, now seeing more rocks beginning to fall.

The barrage on the canyon was starting to make the place fall apart. Seeing this, both yelled, "GO!" they then leapt out of the crack, Noble firing a beam at the criminals at the same time. And as they did this, Swift quickly swatted two pegasi away with his spear, blocking a third. But as he did this, a magic blast suddenly hit his spear.

BOOM!

"GYAH!" he yelped as he sent flying back.

"SWIFT!" Noble yelled before firing a sweep of magic at the criminals, pushing them back before putting a shield over him and the pegasi, "You okay? Swift?!"

The pegasus turned to him, squinting his eyes as everything around him distorted into double vision. A loud ringing went through his ears, everything else now just barely a whisper. "Swift?" Noble asked again, only to see Swift's non-reply. He then glanced down at his bag, seeing the light go down. But as he did this, he turned to see his shield was now weakening, causing him to pour his magic back into the barrier. He let out a yell next, the energy bubble exploding into a wave that knocked the criminals back. He gripped Swift's side as he started to run for the exit, "Hang on! We're almost home free!"

But as he said that, one of the criminals picked itself up...and pointed his horn at the rocks above them.

BOOM!

Noble looked up to see the cliff explode, a bunch of rocks coming right for the duo. Reflexes kicking in, he threw Swift in his magic, Swift rolling along the ground as the rocks crashed down on the unicorn, "GRAH!"

Swift moaned as he tried to get up again, his double vision not letting up as he started to see something that made him gasp. "NOBLE!" He yelled as he ran over to his friend, seeing his backside trapped under a pile of rocks. He was bleeding from his forehead and his horn had a crack running up it.

And as he began to check for a pulse, Noble let out a moan as he opened his eyes, looking up at Swift. "You okay?" He said in a low, quiet tone. Swift's ears tried to hear him, but a rock bouncing down the pile made them both look up and see the criminals climbing over the rock wall.

Seeing this, Swift grabbed the first rock on top of Noble, trying to pull it away. But as he did this, he found he had no strength to move the rubble. And as this happened, Swift's double vision made him see a certain box just a few feet away, the box having been knocked out of Noble's bag in the rock slide. The lights were gone, signaling one thing.

Swift's eyes went wide, his hooves grabbing the box instantly. The sight made Noble gasp, making him yell, "Swift, give the box to me!" But Swift didn't hear him. "SWIFT!" He turned to the unicorn this time, his ears barely hearing him as Noble held out a hoof, "Swift, I need to get my Celestic Gear! Give it to me!"

The pegasi's eyes shifted between Noble and the box, his pupils' shaking as his hoof slowly unlocked the box. His eyes went fully wide at this, the crystal within illuminating Swift's face. Noble saw this and yelled, "Swift, don't do it!"

But his words fell on deaf ears, even though Swift could barely hear him in the first place. Seeing this, Noble tried to grab the crystal in his magic, only for a painful spark to shoot out of his horn. He let out a yell of pain next before trying to tell Swift to not open the box again. And as he tried to do this, his heart sank as he saw Swift take the crystal in his hoof.

The next sight hit the entire badlands, filling the area with light. And when it faded, Swift could be seen carrying a long black bladed sword with a spinning dial on it that was spilt into three sections, one blue, one yellow and one green. Swift stared down at his new weapon, gasping as he whispered, "Storm Blade."

Noble's eyes were just as wide as Swift's, seeing the weapon he had conceived so long ago in his friend's grasp. But as he did this, the sound of falling rocks made them both turn to see the criminals now running around the sides of the canyon. The sight made Swift smile, making him flare his wings before taking to the air. As if on instinct, he spun the dial on the blade, sparks surging out of the blade as he swung it. Bolts struck several ponies, knocking them all away.

He then flew over the canyon, his hooves, repeatedly spinning the dial. Lightning, wind and water struck the canyon, beating every pony with ease. Despite his damaged sight and hearing, his blade struck them all down, leaving only the pegasi that had blocked his sword before. And as he charged at Swift, he spun the dial before pointing it at him. "STORM TRI-FORCE!" The electrified tornado of wind and water struck the pegasus, making him scream as he was cut open, doused and electrocuted.

The attack lasted over a minute, only for nothing put a burnt corpse to be seen after that. Noble gasped at the sight, Swift now landing in front of him as he said, "Swift...you did it."

"I sure did," Swift chuckled as he smiled at his weapon. "So much power....and it's all mine."

"Swift," he turned back to Noble, "You know you can't keep that. Only Royal Knights are allowed Celestic Gears. Celestia will likely take it from you when we get back. But I'm sure she'll keep it safe for when you're ready."

Swift looked back at his weapon, his hooves shaking as he gripped the blade. He then turned to Noble with a look of venom and anger, "No."

"What?"

"This gear...is mine. I didn't hesitate, which means I deserve it!" Swift spat as he looked back down at the sword and put the blade in its sheath. His eyes began to look as if they were entranced by the blade, hooves shaking as he held it. "Its mine. And if I go back, I'll...I'll lose it. All because I hesitated that one time." He glared back at Noble, "I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen."

He turned to walk away, Noble's horn trying to spark before sputtering out. Seeing this, Noble yelled out, "Swift! Come back! You won't get away with this!" His words made Swift come to a stop, spinning around as Noble continued, "They'll figure out what happened! They'll come after you!"

Swift blinked at him, his unfocused eyes showing a look of thought. "You're right. I have to prevent that."

"Wha-" Noble barely said as he saw Swift walk over to the burnt pegasi. "Wait...what are you doing?!"

"I'm making sure they don't find out." Swift replied as he put the burnt pegasus near Noble while putting the criminal's also very burnt blade just out of Noble's reach. He then took some blood off of Noble's head before smearing the blade's handle. "There. They'll think this is me, and they'll think this sword was your Celestic Gear. They lose their power when their owners die, so it won't look suspicious. Now all I have to do is make sure you never escape that rock pile."

Noble's eyes shifted between him and the corpse as Swift spread his wings in front of him one last time. "SWIFT!" He yelled as the pegasi went to top of the pile and began to push a rock onto Noble, "DON'T DO THIS! SWIFT!"

"I had a single decision where I chose victory over saving others...and it shaped my whole life. I believe I made the right choice. Now, what will you choose?" Storm stretched both hooves out before gesturing to Heart's cries while his other hoof pointed at himself, "Will you go save the colt, making you hesitate and not solve the problem before you, or will you be a true knight and fight me without hesitation?!"

Flash's eyes darted between Storm and Heart, only to go wide-eyed as he saw the minotaur had now grabbed Heart. The scribeast was squeezing the colt like a doll, making Flash flare wings before charging at the monster. "Hang on Heart, I'm coming!"

"So predictable." Storm laughed as he flew down to his gear and picked it up, "But what could I expect from Grand's brat?"

And as the cultist flew away, Heart was now groaning as the minotaur squeezed and lifted him up to Tempera's height at the same time. "You weren't bad," she commented with a low giggle, "But you really need to learn to not be so cocky. The loudest mouths are always the easiest ones to shoot down. Now my lovely creation, show him what it means to be turned into street paste."

The minotaur let out a snort before raising him up, ready to slam him into the ground. But as he did this, a golden blur suddenly flew by, slicing the beast's arm off. Heart let out a gasp for air, looking up to see his savior, "Flash?"

"You okay?" the defender asked back, "What happened?"

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" Tempera barked back, making him turn to see the artist glaring at him, "I didn't hear that annoying girl's voice, so you couldn't have beaten Storm. Why are you...wait." She let out a cackle next, "Oh, this is too good. Don't tell me you let him go to come help your little friend!"

Heart's eyes went wide at the words, only for Flash to put him down as he pulled a light sword off his back, "I didn't let him go. When I'm done here, I'll find him and finish him off." He looked back at Heart, "What happened to your flames?"

"I uh...I got wet," Heart instantly replied with a large blush on his face.

Flash blinked at this, only to sigh as he looked back at Tempera, "Of course. Should have known that would be your weakness."

"It is pretty obvious," Tempera laughed as threw some paper upward, her horn zapping the sheets before summoning a small army of uni-troopers, lindworms and even a few timberwolves. "Take him."

Flash watched as the army charged, the pegasus glancing back at Heart, "I'll handle this. Just stay behind me and try to heat yourself back up." With that, both light blades came off his back as he began to cut down the art monsters.

Another part of the city...

Ruby was laid out on the ground, her back embracing the street as Armalum trotted over to her. Her horn was sputtering as she tried to breathe, now finding both to be an absolute chore to do.

Armalum just chuckled at the sight, twirling his scythe around as he commented, "It's over. You thought you could destroy me, but you don't have anywhere near the power to do that." He then heard her trying to mumble something, "Oh? Do you have some last words? I love listening to last requests, mainly because I make sure to never fulfill them."

"Sombra..." Ruby gasped out, "I know you can hear me. Fight him."

Armalum shook his head at this, still chuckling as he responded, "Your friend can't hear you. Master Shadow made sure of that."

"I don't believe you," Ruby growled as she tried to lift her head up, her eyes glaring at the armored pony, "Sombra, you're better then this. If you really are the pony I knew all those years ago, you'd never let yourself be controlled like this. You...you have to fight it!"

"Oh please, why would he fight it? Don't you remember? I'm the only thing keeping him alive, which I'll remind you, is why he put me back on. Without me, he would just be dust in the wind. Now then," he raised his scythe up above his head. "Time to end this. Goodbye...whatever your name is."

With that, he swung the blade down, Ruby shutting her eyes as she prepared for the blow...only to feel nothing. Reopening her eyes, she now saw the scythe hovering just above her chest. The whole weapon was shaking in a magical aura, the twitching being mimicked by the armored pony's body. "GAH!" he grunted, "What is...augh!" Armalum put one hoof on his helmet while the other was on his scythe, trying to push the blade down. "Grrr...no...why..."

"Sombra?" Ruby whispered as she saw the scythe shake above her, only to suddenly be slung aside in a blast of magic aura. Her eyes followed the weapon for a second before going back to Armalum, seeing him now stagger backward as both his hooves clutched his head.

"No...you can't!" he yelled as he began to thrash around, "I'm...I'm...in...control! This is body is mine!"

Ruby could only blink at the sight as she now saw Armalum punch himself in the face, only to see cracks appear in the hoof. She took a deep breath as a new thought coursed through her mind, closing her eyes next as she began to focus her magic through her horn. And as she reopened her eyes, she barely pointed the horn at the armored pony as she poured every last ounce of magic she had.

"CRYSTAL FORCE!" she screeched, a gem laced tornado flying out of her horn that struck Armalum immediately.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as he was thrown back, more of his armor cracking as he was thrown into a building. The structure collapsed on him as Ruby saw the rubble consume the pony. And with that one attack, she fell back, unable to keep herself from succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Where are you?" Storm said to himself as he flew into another house, only to find no orb.

He had been flying as fast as he could, knowing Tempera would only be able to buy some time. And as he did this, he repeated to himself, "I won't let you down my lord. After all, you gave me a purpose again."

As he said these words, certain memories began to flow through his head.

Several years ago..

Swift had spent a long time roaming since his betrayal. He had traveled around Equestria, making sure to not be noticed by any guards or military while continuing to improve his skills. The pegasi now wore a visor he had a tinkerer create for him, which helped his now semi-broken vision. After this, he left the country, picking fights with the strongest thugs he could find in the world, trying to master the gear he had stolen.

That is, till he picked the wrong fight.

"GRAH!" Swift cried as he was knocked into a tree, his blade slipping out of his hooves from the blow.

He let out a long groan as he pushed himself back up, adjusting his headset as he stared at his opponent. It was a sixteen year old Shadow Corrupter, Tempera and Armalum standing behind him as they watched the fight.

"You're...strong," he moaned as he pushed himself back to his hooves.

"So are you," Shadow replied, "Though that's only because you have this." In a flash, the Storm Blade was warped over to the unicorn. "Without it, you're nothing." He began to bend the weapon, Swift gasping before trying to leap at him. But as he did this, an army of dark chains appeared and wrapped around him.

"NO!" He cried as Shadow began to bend the blade more, "Don't break it!"

"Why?" Shadow asked, "What will you give me in return?"

"Anything! I'll give you anything!"

"Oh? And what can you offer me?" Shadow responded as he stopped bending the weapon, "Besides your strength."

Swift stared at the colt, thinking about the fight they had just had. His brain then told him one thing, and he said it without hesitation. "Training."

"Training?"

"Yes." Swift replied while nodding, "You have a lot of power, that's clear. But you lack control, focus, and strategy in battle. You were strong enough to defeat me without it, but that won't always be the case...but I can teach you that. I was once a royal guard. Strategy and fighting tactics are ingrained into me. I can teach it all to you." Shadow blinked at his response, an unamused look soon appearing on his face. Seeing this, Swift then blurted out, "I can teach you to defeat a hundred opponents with the power you would normally need to beat ten."

Shadow stared at the pegasi for a minute, silence embracing the area before he dispelled the chains and threw the gear over to the pegasus. "Alright. What is your name?"

Swift scrambled to his hooves, now seeing his weapon at his hooves. His name was the last shred of his old life. And as he stared at the Celestic Gear, the face of Noble appeared in his mind...only to vanish. He was gone for good in Swift's mind, and this made a giant smile appear on his face as he looked up at Shadow and said, "Call me Storm Blade. And I promise, you won't regret taking me into your employ."

The Present...

"And you were right," Shadow commented as he watched Storm check another house. "I never regretted that decision. You taught me well."

A giant smile graced his face next as Storm came to a stop at a certain house before walking inside. And as he did this, the screen shifted to Flash's battle against Tempera. He was easily carving his way through the scribeasts, only for Tempera to replace it with twice as many monsters.

"That all you got?" He yelled as he wiped out a line of uni-troopers, only for the number to double, "Oh, come on! Do you ever run out of paper?!"

Tempera laughed as she kept drawing on her pad, only to then see flickers of fire coming off Heart. "Yes!" The colt cheered, "I'm almost dry enough." He took a deep breath before focusing, his entire body now igniting. "AW YEAH!" He flew up next, "I'm back in the game!" But as he said this, an explosion of light occurred several streets away, making them all turn to the light, "Oh, come on!"

"Please let that be Ruby." Flash added, only to hear Soul's voice as the light wave flew over them.

"WINNERS, TEAM SHADOW!"

In an instant, he and Heart found themselves back in their castle with Ruby also appearing. She flopped to the floor, turning to others as she moaned out, "What...just...happened?"

"We were gonna ask you that," Springer replied, "What happened between you and Armalum?"

"I...don't know." She then gasped, "Who won?" Flash and Heart both gave her a frown back, "I see."

Heart sighed before turning to Flash, "I'm sorry. It's because of me you had to let Storm go. Because of that, we couldn't win."

"It's...fine," Flash told him before patting his shoulder. "Though right now, we might have bigger issues."

The others raised an eyebrow at this, only for the screen to show Storm walk out of the house with the orb in hoof. "What's happening?" Cold asked next.

Flash grimaced as he said these next words: "The same thing that happened to me when we got five orbs."

A flash of light caught Storm's attention, the pegasus now seeing the rest of his team appearing before him. Armalum's armor was still repairing itself while Tempera looked really winded, but the rest were all smiling at him.

And nopony looked more pleased than Shadow as he walked up to the pegasus, "You did well my friend. Very well."

Storm nodded as he got down on one knee, presenting the orb, "I live to serve you, my master." Shadow chuckled as the sphere floated out of Storm's hooves, the other four following suit as they began to circle above him.

"Finally...the power will be mine once again."

With that, the light from the orbs exploded and enveloped Shadow. Everypony had to shield their eyes at this, only to reopen them as the light morphed into a giant black shadow that spiraled around the unicorn.

Within Flash's castle, everypony's eyes went wide at the sight as Springer tried to say, "Is that..."

"Yeah," Flash added in a low hesitant tone, "He has almost the exact same power as me. Only the source of his power is the Sacred Light's exact opposite."

The tornado then exploded off of Shadow, revealing a set of dark armor. It was pitch black, stationed on his chest and hooves. Covering his face was a black X shaped mask, which ran along the contours of his face. The shadows then flew onto his back, morphing into a pair of bat wing-shaped appendages. The almost alicorn-like pony spread his dark wings as his followers all bowed, a smile creeping onto his face as he clenched his hooves, "It's good to be back."

Author's Note

Well, now we know Storm's backstory. Didn't think this chapter would be so long. Hope you liked it.

So now Shadow's got his powers back. How're they gonna be able to combat it.

Bonds

The city was in ruins.

There wasn't a single building within the city that hadn't been damaged or destroyed, even the twin castles. The streets were littered with debris, giant holes in the roads and rubble piling on top canals. And as the disaster presented itself, a single jakhowl could be seen running through the wreckage.

It was Springer, the defender now hopping over one of the holes before hitting a rock. Tripping over the rubble, he rolled on the ground, quickly trying to recover and get back on his feet. But as he did this, the ground began to shake. He gasped and forced himself to his feet before leaping into a pile of rubble.

And as he did this, two buildings away exploded, dust covering the area. Springer glanced up from the sudden forming foggy cloud, now seeing Shadow Corrupter in his newly restored super form calmly walking down a the street with a giant smile on his face. He walked past Springer without a glance his way, the jakhowl following his path to see he was heading for a certain group of ponies.

"DON'T!" he yelled as he started run after him, now seeing Shadow raise his hoof.

"Goodbye." With a single motion, the shadows that made up his wings flared up and grabbed Soarin and Trixie, both screaming in pain as they were squeezed. The two then exploded into dust before the wings swung around and struck down Heart, Ruby and Cold with several lightning fast slashes. Screams of pain followed this, all of them exploding as Flash then appeared in front of the monster.

The defender was in his Sacred Light form, the two charging at each other as an explosion of light and darkness appeared next. Feeling the force from the blow, Springer squinted his eyes as he tried to run up to his best friend...only to see him fall as well. He let out a gasp as he now saw Shadow place a hoof on Flash's neck.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he yelled as Shadow pushed down, Flash turning to dust as well. And as he disappeared, Springer fell to his knees, the sound of Shadow laughing now gracing his ears. He stared at the monstrous pony, only for Shadow to disappear, a sheet of darkness now covering the area as the place became a inky black void.

"No...I can't...I did all I could but..." Springer stuttered out, tears filling his eyes as he screeched out at the darkness, "WHY?! Why is this all the power I have?! Why can't I reach that level?! I've done it before...why?!" He glanced down at his paws, the blue flames that usually appeared now not showing even a flicker of a flame. "Why...what is wrong with my aura?"

His voice echoed through the void around him, no reply coming as he then slammed his fists down, "No...I need more...I need more power! More aura...I need more! That's the only way I'll win!"

"Is it?" Springer's eyes shot open as he looked back up into the void, only to see nothing.

"What?! Who's there?!"

"Is becoming more powerful really the only way?"

The young jakhowl spun around, still seeing nothing. He turned back to where he was once looking next, only to see a small blue flame in the void. Blinking at the sight, the flame suddenly spread, turning the black void into a clear white one. "Whoa..." Springer gasped as he watched the black void fade away, then looking back at the blue flame to see a very familiar figure. "Dad?!"

It was Sharp Paw, the once jakhowl chief now standing over his son with both paws behind his back as he said, "I'll ask again son, is becoming more powerful really the only way?"

"Wha...I mean, yeah!" Springer replied, "Shadow's gotten too powerful. If I don't get stronger, I'll never be able to beat him."

"You have already grown stronger than any other jakhowl as ever grown, even more than me, and in such a short amount of time."

"But it's not enough! I've...I've seen what happens when somepony gains more power than they should. I saw it with Shade. If I hadn't gotten my Mega Mode...a disaster would have happened!"

Sharp Paw shook his head at this, "That may be true, but you must be careful. A desire for more power, no matter how pure, will almost always lead one to forgetting what makes power necessary."

"What makes its necessary?"

"Yes." Sharp replied while nodding, "You must remember what is the greatest reason to have strength. If you know this, you will gain the strength you need within you...and nothing is more powerful than that." And as these words left his mouth, the jakhowl turned around and began to walk away, "And do not worry, I have faith that you will figure it out."

"Wait!" Springer yelled as he tried to follow his vanishing father, "Don't go dad! What do you mean?!"

"Wait!" Springer gasped as he sat up in bed, panting as he felt sweat drip down his face. He quickly glanced over at Flash, seeing him still fast asleep in his bed before looking down at his paws. Blue flames swirled around them, making him sigh as he clenched the paws into fists, cancelling the aura.

"It was...just a dream." he whispered as he got out of the bed. The jakhowl began to rub his forehead as he slowly drifted out of the room, soon going to the dining room. Feeling like getting a late snack to calm his nerves, he then found Heart there, a huge frown on his face while twiddling with a straw in a milkshake. "Hey," Heart turned to him, "You okay?"

"No," Heart sighed as he looked back at his drink, "I'm not."

Springer went over to the cupboard and got himself a glass of pink lemonade before sitting down by the colt and asking, "Wanna talk about it?"

Heart sighed as he finished his drink and slumped over, "No."

"You do realize I can bug you until you tell me though, right?" Springer instantly replied.

"Yeah...I know." Heart huffed as he pushed the empty milkshake away, "I just...I really screwed up. Flash would have beaten Storm if he didn't have to save me."

"Maybe..." Springer responded while taking a sip of his drink, "But you just got these powers. It's gonna take a while to master them. At least we know that have you be careful around water."

"No kidding...though I probably should have known that one anyways."

"True, we all goofed there. But nopony's perfect." He nudged the colt, making him turn to see a small smile on the jakhowl's face as he continued, "Just don't let your new powers go to your head. We'll help you get a better control over them. And don't worry about what happened today. We all mess up every now and again. Heck, you should have seen how Flash was when he first started using his Sacred Light. He'd fall unconscious and freeze up at the worst times."

"Really?"

Springer nodded back. "Yup. And it took a looooong time before he got full control over it. Trust me, I've been there for like...half of the Sacred Light screw-ups. The worst being the fourth 'Renegade Farm Equipment Incident'."

"What was that like?"

"You don't wanna know." He then patted the colt's side, "And don't feel bad, cuz if it wasn't you, it could have been something else. The world's unpredictable like that."

"Huh...I guess you're right." Heart replied before asking, "So...are there any times you can tell me about when Flash messed up?"

"Oh yeah. Well, with the exception of the incidents involving 'electric mice'. I...actually don't remember any of them. Anyways, let me tell you about the one where him and Pinkie tried to make a 'super city-sized cake' after a cake contest fiasco..."

Meanwhile...

Flash lay in his bed, rolling around as he let out whimpers of pain within his mind. And as he opened his eyes...he found he was not in his room, but at the forest near Weeping Wood Hollow. The cultists were standing around the tomb, blood seeping everywhere as Gleaming Path's body laid out on it.

"This place again?" He commented while watching Path's parents drop the dagger, now seeing a large bloody hole in Path's chest. The rest of the cultists were just standing there, blank silence as they stared at the body.

"Well?" Path's father asked the leader, "What happens now?"

"Now we wait," he slowly replied, "We must allow our lord to accept the offering before he can break free."

It was here that Flash began to hover over the whole scene, looking at each face. They were all blank, cold expressions to him, making him sick to his stomach before looking back at Path. The sight of the colt made his skin crawl, disbelief on his face as he saw both the gruesomeness of the scene and the fear in the poor foal's eyes.

And as time began to pass, Path's blood slowly slid down the rock until it hit the ground. The liquid oozed onto the dirt, nopony noticing that it was beginning to bubble and morph. As for the cultists, they were beginning to worry that nothing was gonna happen, only for a loud cracking sound to suddenly strike out. They all turned to see rock explode, the pieces scattering as some tried to shield themselves. And as the remaining pieces of the tomb started to fire out black lights, the body of Gleaming Path floating upward at the same time.

Flash could only blink at the sight, now seeing the black lights swirl around the hovering colt. The darkness began to spin around Path, forming a pillar as the defender heard the mother ask, "Is this it?! Is this the moment?!"

"It has to be," the head cultist replied as the light began to grow darker, only to start spinning into a tornado around the colt. They all gasped as the tornado then exploded, revealing Path floating upright. He now wore the same armor Flash had seen him wear yesterday, while the shadows flew around him to form wings, allowing him to fly. Flash went wide-eyed as he then saw Path's flank shine, showing a tattoo of a black sun that had a red outline.

Everypony was silent as the colt flew down, landing on the tomb as his eyes slowly opened. "My lord," the head cultist responded as he bowed, "We live to serve you. Anything you wish, we will-GYAH!" His voice was cut when one of the shadow wings shot out and morphed into a claw, the claw then gripping the stallion's neck, pulling him up to Path's face.

"I am not your god," he hissed, his voice low and dense. A sense of gravelly grim dread were in those words as the colt responded by throwing the cultist away, his body hitting a tree before slumping down. But before anypony could check on him, the others gasped as the wing morphed into a singular pointed blade, quickly thrusting into the cultist's chest. Blood splashed everywhere from the blow, killing him instantly.

"Path?" Gleaming's father squeaked out.

"You're alive?" His mother added with a whisper.

"Yes," Path growled before reaching for his chest. The armor then disappeared, revealing the stab wound now completely gone. "No thanks to you." The armor returned after this, the colt flapping his wings as he started to hover over the crowd. Faces of dread, shock and even amazement were on all the cultists' faces, Flash showing the biggest frown of them all as Path pointed at his parents, "Tell me...you were willing to betray your own son, and for what?"

His parents both shook like leaves at the question, the father replying, "We...we just wanted to have a bit of power."

The mother slowly nodded in agreement, "Our magic was never anything special. We spent our lives being overshadowed by unicorns that could move cities. We just wanted some of that power."

"And that's why you birthed me? So you could have power?" They both nodded back. "Well congrats. Now you can say your son is the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. But you better be quick, you won't have long to say it." And before even Flash could react, a sudden explosion of darkness poured out of Path, consuming everything in a tornado of dark lights.

"GAH!" Flash gasped as he sat up, sweat pouring down his face as he looked down at his hooves.

"Whoa...that was..." he panted as he saw his hooves shake like leaves, his heart racing at the same time. The defender rubbed his forehead next, still gasping as the scene replayed in his head, "So that's how he got it."

He laid back next, sinking into the bed as he muttered out, "Its so different from mine...but I might be the only one that can take him in that form."

The stallion's eyes closed as he bit his lip, "But...will I be enough? Can I take on that kind of evil?"

He remained like that for several minutes, only to find sleep was impossible. A low moan left his breath as he got up, groaning as he made his way out of the room. "Ugh..." he whispered as he went to the dining room and sat down, his head slumping onto the table. "Just relax Flash...remember, you gotta tell them what happened. And...you got to be ready. You're the only one that can do it."

Before the sun rose above the mountain over the city, the inhabitants of the dark castle were awake. But it wasn't a calm morning routine for them, as their castle was now being filled with cries of unimaginable pain. As for its cause, it was Armalum as he screamed, "RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

His legs shook as he was about to give out, Shadow's hoof now on in his face. The unicorn was pouring a surge of dark lightning into the pony, the rest watching the situation with bated breath.

A few minutes later, Shadow pulled his hoof away. "That should do it." He sighed before growling, "This is starting to get tedious."

"I am sorry master," Armalum replied as he tried to stand up, "I am just as annoyed as you are."

"It's bad enough that your host is trying to regain control of his body, but now he's stopping you from fulfilling your duties." He let out a low hiss, tapping the armored pony in the chest, "Get him under control, or I'll cut my losses and remove you from him! If you're gonna be useless, you might as well take up less space in a scribeast or something!"

"Yes master...sorry master." Armalum muttered out, looking away.

In response, Shadow moved over and sat down on his throne, Tempera sauntering over next as she said, "You should try and relax my love. It'll do you no good to be stressed out if you're called."

"I don't need to relax," he replied, "Now that I have regained my power, nothing can stop me. Those fools will fall as easily as a stack of cards."

"What about Sentry?" Salix chimed in, Shadow turning to him with a hiss, making the kirin yelp as he stuttered out, "I-I-I was just gonna say that his powers and yours are uh...you know, similar. Y-y-you didn't use your powers the last time you fought him, so you don't really know how well they stack up against one another."

"He's right master," Storm added, "You should be cautious around Sentry. I get the feeling he wasn't even using half of what he had when he faced me."

Shadow's horn sparked as he heard these words, only to sigh as the magic sputtered out. "You...may be right." He slumped down in the seat, "But anypony else I face will not stand a chance. As long as I am there and he is not, this contest will be ours for the taking."

In the other castle...

"I see..." Cold hummed after Flash had finished telling the group about his dream. They were in the dining room and Heart was there this time, which Flash gave him a shortened, censored version for the colt's ears.

"So his parents sacrificed him because they wanted power?" Ruby asked, "What a pointless thing to betray your son for."

"You only see it that way because you have some form of power," Trixie chimed in, Ruby turning to her with a raised eyebrow. Trixie sighed at her reaction as she replied, "You've had your power for as long as you remember, right? To you, it's just a natural thing. But to ponies without power, there's nothing more important than having it. I know that more then anypony." She shook in her seat, looking away as she muttered out, "If I hadn't met Flash and Twilight and was shown my real skill, I probably would have eventually done something stupid like those cultists so I could have more power."

"So now we know what happened at this Weeping Wood Hollow," Soarin added, "But I still have a question: Is Shadow a zombie?" The others turned to him with deadpan stares, "What?! He's a pony that died and came back to life due to some kind of dark magic. How is that not a zombie?"

"I...guess?" Springer replied, "It does kinda sound like a zombie."

"There's no such thing as a zombie," Ruby barked out next, "Clearly he was still alive when the Corrupted Shadow entered him and he was healed."

Heart, who had been kinda quiet since Flash first entered the dining room, turned to him and asked, "Was he breathing?"

Flash blinked at the question before replying, "Well...I wasn't really paying attention to him. I was more focused on what was gonna happen. He could have been, but I'm not sure."

"We'll just have to wait to find out for when we capture him." Cold chimed in before seeing everypony now turn to him, "What? Flash is proof that Shadow is the one responsible for that massacre. A mass slaughter like that, on Equestrian soil, can't go unpunished. When this game comes to an end, win or lose, I intend to take him in."

"But how are we supposed to capture him?" Springer asked next, "If his magic is as powerful as Flash's, how are we supposed to take him down?"

"Simple. First, we'll need to deal with his followers, then we deal with him."

Trixie shook her head at this, "But even if we do manage to capture him, how do you expect us to get him back to Equestria?! That's a long journey, and we don't have any method of holding him and neutralizing his magic until we get there."

"We'll find a way," Cold replied, his face unchanging the entire time, "He may be much more powerful now, but even Flash has lost using his Sacred Light. We'll get him back to Equestria and he'll pay for his crimes."

Everypony grimaced at his words, most feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of capturing Shadow. But before they could voice their concerns, the alarm rang out as Soul's voice called out, "Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."

"Let's go," Flash commanded as he spread his wings, flying into the map room as the 3D image appeared on the table.

The bingo caller appeared next, the first orb coming down to show an ball with Springer's face on it, the jakhowl taking a deep breath. He remembered back to his dream, 'I need to remember the greatest reason to have strength? What does that mean?'

"The competitors have been selected." Springer gasped as he looked up, now seeing the two other orbs now in view. "Springer, Soarin Skies and Trixie Lulamoon. Proceed to the battlefield."

Springer turned to his teammates, Soarin and Trixie both nodding as Soarin asked, "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Let's do this!" Trixie added before they all vanished. The others turned to the table, now seeing the other names appear.

"Oh no..." Flash gasped before closing his eyes, "Springer!"

As soon as the three appeared down in the city, Springer instantly got the message from Flash. "Let me guess, you're calling to warn me."

"Its Shadow! He's in the battle!" Springer went wide-eyed at this, gulping as the memories of his dream went through him.

"Who else?"

"Wingill and Salix. They're-they're coming for you now!"

"Heads up everypony!" Springer yelled as he entered battle mode while forming a Bone Breaker. "They're here!"

"Who?" Trixie asked, only for a fireball to suddenly hit the a nearby roof. "Eep!" She yelped as she quickly raised magic shield around them, all turning to see Salix, Shadow and Wingill standing on a roof. "Nevermind."

Shadow took a long deep breath as Salix and Wingill just bowed before him. A smile creeped onto Shadow's face as he stared at the trio, "Excellent. I am truly glad you three will be the first to feel the raw unmatched power I have regained."

"You're not unmatched," Soarin barked back, "If Flash were here, he'd be kicking your flank halfway back to Equestria."

Trixie nodded in agreement, "And even if you could beat him, there's no way you'd be able to beat the princesses. You obviously know that because if you didn't, you probably would have tried to attack Equestria by now."

"You might think you're strong, but power alone is meaningless." Springer finished, those words making Shadow's ears twitch.

"Oh, is that so?" Wingill and Salix stood up, only for Shadow to raise a hoof. "No. You will do nothing."

"But master-"

"You will do nothing. I will finish this now. We have been shown that if all combatants are beaten, the orb will come. I will do this...personally." And as these words left his mouth, he teleported in front of the tree, "Now...bow. Kneel before your superior, and I will make your deaths quick and painless."

"You can't be serious. Did you not listen to what we just said?!" Springer yelled, Shadow almost rolling his eyes at his words.

"I will not deny that you are right. The power I wield is not enough to take on all the princesses of Equestria... but not you. You three are nothing, just a wolf and a pair of show ponies."

"We'll show you what we can do!" Springer replied as blue flames burned from his paws. "We won't lose to you!"

"Such foolishness." Shadow responded before a swirl of darkness appeared around him, exploding into a tornado that created a set of armor and shadow wings. He chuckled as they saw the hesitation in their faces. "Ah...and now you feel it. The power of my magic...my strength...and your doom."

"We won't fall." Springer growled, pointing his bone breaker at the unicorn, "I'll beat you myself."

"Oh?" Shadow chuckled as he tapped his hoof on the ground. "Are you so sure?"

THOOM!

As that question left his mouth, a tiny black flame appeared on the unicorn's horn. The fire split into three, firing off like bullets as they struck the buildings behind the trio. They turned to the noise, now seeing three rows of buildings collapsing into piles of rubble. He had destroyed over thirty houses in one attack.

"Has it now sunk in? Do you not see the pointlessness of this endeavor?" Shadow laughed as they looked back at him, "Now, I will say this again...kneel before me. Grovel under my heel, right where you belong."

"Never!" Springer yelled as he lifted his other paw, firing an Aura Blast. However, Shadow's wing swung down and swatted the blue orb away, a new dark flame appearing on his horn.

"Grab on!" Trixie screamed as Soarin and Springer did so, teleporting them away right before the flame left the horn.

"That's fine." Shadow chuckled, "It would be no fun if it was over too soon."

"Velocity Strike!" He turned to his right as Springer suddenly appeared, the jakhowl trying to kick him, only for Shadow's wing to grab his leg and slam the jakhowl into the ground, "Blaugh!" His Bone Breaker shattered as he hit the dirt, his body sparking next as the aura feedback struck him. "Urgh…"

"Pathetic." Shadow muttered, only to hear a certain battle roar to his left.

Turning to the noise, he saw Soarin charging, "RAAAAAH!" he yelled as he tried to body check the unicorn, only for Shadow to ascend with a single flap of the wings, "WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he shifted his wings to slow himself down before looking up, "No way."

"What? You thought these wings were for show?"

"Kinda," Soarin gulped.

Shadow cackled before turning around, now seeing Trixie on a nearby rooftop. The mare unleashed a magic blast, Shadow's horn shining as he fired a larger magic beam back. Both spells hit each other, Shadow's instantly pushing Trixie back. Seeing this, she let out a gasp before teleporting away, the magic hitting the building before exploding into pieces.

Trixie reappeared beside Soarin before grabbing him and Springer, teleporting them both further down the street as she yelled, "We need a plan!"

"We need a miracle," Soarin groaned. "He's too strong, and that's not counting fighting his cronies!"

"Stop being negative. We're not giving up," Springer added while tapping Soarin's chest, "I don't care how impossible it seems, I won't let him beat us!"

But as he said this, Shadow beat his wings, a powerful gust of wind striking the street. The force knocked all three back, Trixie's horn sparking reflexively as she tried to make an ice shield. However, a single dark fireball came from Shadow's horn, striking and melting the shield in one blow.

A pile of steam came next, Soarin zipping through the fog as he got up to Shadow. He swung a quick jab at the unicorn, Shadow dodging the blow as Soarin spun and tried to slam two backhooves into him. Shadow flapped his wings to go backward, evading the kick as Soarin spun again before doing two more jabs, Shadow swatting both away, "Not bad showpony." he chuckled as his horn shined, teleporting behind the Wonderbolt as his shadow wing suddenly grabbed Soarin's left back hoof, "Against any normal pony, you'd be considered somewhat skilled. But you're out of your league here."

"Shut up!" Soarin yelled as he tried to pull his hoof away, only for an Aura Force to hit the wing. The blast freed Soarin, the pegasi spinning like a top as he then tried to punch Shadow again. But as he did this, the wing regenerated as Shadow grabbed his hoof with ease, his other hoof slamming into Soarin's stomach. "BLAUGH!"

"Truly pitiful." Shadow sighed as he turned his punch into a semi-uppercut, shoving Soarin upward. As he did this, the tip of his horn began to surge with purple colored lightning that he grabbed in his hoof. "One down!" He flapped his wings as he went up to impale Soarin with the lightning punch, only for a blue blur to shoot past him and grab Soarin. "Hmm?"

Shadow growled as he turned to see Springer land on a nearby rooftop, his body sparking in pain as the aura feedback hit him again. He then hopped off the roof, landing by Trixie as she sparked her horn and asked, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Soarin groaned, "Been better, but I'll live."

"Allow me to correct that oversight!" Shadow roared as he summoned his sword while swooping down at them. And as he swung the blade down, Springer blocked it with a Bone Breaker, his body shaking as he felt the impact of the blade.

"Trixie, cover me!" Soarin yelled as he pushed himself back onto his hooves.

"You got it!" In a flash of light, tons of Soarin clones appeared around the original, all swarming at Shadow as the jakhowl leapt away.

"Oh please. You dare use parlor tricks on me?!" Shadow spat as he swung his blade, firing a wave of decay magic. The wave instantly stuck the clones, the unicorn's eye twitching as he saw one of them duck under the attack. "There you are!" He then fired a bolt of purple lightning out of his horn, immediately hitting the Wonderbolt.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed, Trixie quickly teleporting to catch the now falling pegasi.

"Soarin!" She cried as she caught him. "Are you okay?"

"I can guarantee he is not." Shadow laughed, raising a hoof as Springer swung a Bone Breaker at the unicorn's face...only for the hoof to block and shatter the weapon. "Same with you." Shadow chuckled as he turned to the jakhowl, quickly punching him in the gut.

"Augh!" he yelped as he sent to his knees, spatting out a glob of spit.

Trixie gasped as she then saw Springer get hit with a bolt of purple lightning as well, screaming in pain as he sent down the street, landing right by the mare. "Oh no..." she whispered as she glanced between the jakhowl and the unicorn, despair consuming her face.

"You fought admirably," Shadow commented as slowly walked up to them, Springer's body sparking as he tried to get up. "But you were fools to think you stood a chance against me." As he said that, his entire body began to be consumed in a dark black magical aura. "Now..." He raised both hooves as the energy flowed into them, "BE GONE!" With that he slammed his hooves down, unleashing a giant wave of dark magic across the street.

"LOOK OUT!" Everypony in the castle screamed as they watched Springer and Trixie try to raise a shield, only for the magic to completely obliterate it.

KABOOM!

The entire city shook as the screen went blank, completely cutting the viewers of both teams off. "NO!" Flash cried before looking down at the map, seeing the three dots now going flying down the street. But as they did this, Soul's voice didn't call out. And as the screen came back on, they saw nothing but the three laying on the ground, covered from head to hoof in bruises.

"AHAHAHAHA!!!" Shadow laughed as he hovered over to the three, "Pathetic. And you actually thought you could beat me." He then saw Springer slowly pick himself up, making him laugh even more. "My my...still able to stand?"

"I won't...give...up." Springer wheezed out, making Shadow cackle.

"Seriously?! Can't you see its pointless?" Shadow mocked as he landed, "Can't you see there's no hope...no power that can even remotely touch me."

"Power..." Springer whispered as he turned to Trixie and Soarin, his mind racing, 'This is just like my dream. I wasn't strong enough to protect them. I need more power...wait.' He turned to Shadow, seeing the look on his face. It reminded him of one moment, the time when Shade put on the Alicorn Amulet. A look of pure power and confidence...and yet, the memory made him think about his father's words. "The necessity...for power?"

Those words barely left his mouth as another memory went through his head, the words Flash had told Cold in their second battle.

"In my eyes, the only thing worth protecting in this world are the ponies that made it a great place to live in."

"Yeah...that's the same in my eyes too." Springer muttered.

"What?" Shadow asked with a raised eyebrow, Springer ignoring him as more lines went through his head.

"For the longest time, I had nothing. I was just some street rat that barely managed to scrape by. But then I met Twilight and her family. It was there that I felt love and affection for the very first time. Over the years, I've met more and more ponies and become friends with so many of them. They helped me grow into the pony I am today, the pony I never knew I could be.

Before I met Twilight, I never truly lived. I was just...surviving. It wasn't until I met them that my life truly began."

"That's...the same for me," Springer chuckled as a blue flame began to appear over his body, the bruises and burns glowing as he did this. "I was born alone in that forest, no idea what my life was meant to be. But then I met Flash and he showed me what purpose my life could have." He reached up and gripped the bandanna around his neck, the cutie mark on it making him smile. "It's thanks to meeting him that I got to make so many amazing friends and grew stronger than I ever thought possible." He looked back at Shadow, aura consuming both paws as he pointed at the unicorn, "That's why I'll beat you. Even if it's impossible, even if every piece of logic says I can't...I'll find a way so I can protect my friends!"

As those words left his mouth and entered Shadow's ears, his teeth gritted as he whispered, "You...you believe you can beat me?!" His horn flared as he then roared, "YOU INSOLENT WORM! JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!"

With that, a giant dark fireball came out of his horn and exploded into a stream of dark fire, Springer summoning an Aura Guard as the flames struck. The jakhowl let out a grunt as he felt himself get pushed back, only to grind his feet as he pushed the fire back, the shield remaining as the flames dissipated. The sight made the unicorn's eyes twitch, firing another dark flame at the shield.

"Do you now see that you have no hope?!" Shadow yelled as the dark fire began to make cracks in the shield, "You have none! No hope against me!"

"I...don't...care!" Springer panted as he kept the Aura Guard, "I don't care how powerful you are Shadow! I'll find a way to beat you and protect my friends!"

"Friends?!" Shadow almost laughed, "What a foolish word. Why put yourself at risk for somepony if it doesn't benefit you. Protecting them will do nothing more than deal you more pain."

"That's what you don't understand!" Springer screamed back as his shield began to shrink around him, "There are more important things in this world than just having the power to beat somepony. To me, nothing's more important than my friends, and if I could I would give up all my power to guarantee their safety!"

"Disgusting." Shadow spat, "What a fool you are. In this world, power is all that is important and everypony else is just there to be used to gain that power. After all, without sacrifice, one cannot achieve that power."

In the castle, Flash's eyes went wide at those words. The memory of his dream went through his head, now seeing exactly what Shadow's parents did in full display. That is, till Springer yelled, "NO!" Flash's eyes went back to the screen, now seeing the shield grow as Springer began to pick himself up. "I don't care what you say! If I had to pick between a life without power and a life without friends, I'd pick to keep my friends every time! Because power is meaningless without somepony to protect with it!"

"How dare you..." Shadow hissed as he gritted his teeth, grinding them as the aura around his horn began flare even more. "JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!"

"I'll never give up!" Springer roared as a blue aura flame consumed his whole body.

And as he did this, all of his friends began to whisper something under their breath.

"You got this bud."

"Beat that creep," Heart added.

"Show him what happens when you mess with Equestrians," Cold mumbled.

"You are your parents son. They would be so proud of you," Ruby continued.

"We're with you," Soarin muttered as he slowly pushed himself up onto his hooves.

"No matter what," Trixie finished. "We're not gonna let this joker take us down so easily."

A big smile appeared on Springer's face as he felt their support. Even though he couldn't hear any of them over the fight, he knew they were cheering him on. He could feel their trust, the words of Celestia at the fight of Flash and Cold now going through his head: "Flash's greatest strength was never the Sacred Light. It was the strength he got from having his friends beside him. So as long as he knows we're supporting him, his power has no limit."

"And that's my greatest strength too," Springer mumbled to himself as a bright light began to surround him, the words he heard his friends mutter fill his heart. "They give me power..." the light started to spread to his shield. "They give me strength..." The shield began to glow, the flames beginning to be pushed back. "They are...MY FRIENDS!" And with a mighty roar, Springer's Aura Guard exploded into a shockwave, extinguishing the flames as the bright light blinded everypony.

They all grunted, shielding their eyes as Shadow summoned a shade of darkness over his face. And as he reopened his eyes, he now found himself floating in a white void...with Springer. "What is this?!" He barked at the jakhowl.

"Uh...no idea." he replied before an orb of light suddenly flew past them. Springer reflexively grabbed it, putting up to his face and gasping, "This is..." he blinked as a certain scene of Flash beating up some timberwolves. "This is the day I met Flash."

Shadow just growled, his horn about to spark before an orb floated up to his face. This one showed Springer jumping off a cliff to save a flufflepuff, another orb coming up right after this, this one showing him cut down a bull's horn, learning Steel Paw. More orbs began to hover over to Shadow, showing him fight Shade, teaming up with Lightning at Omniara, yelling at Spike's greed over making a gem cake, getting hit by Zecora's potion...all these different events throughout his life.

"What is this?!" Shadow spat as he glared at Springer, now seeing a smirk on the jakhowl's face.

"The point is to show you where true power comes from." Springer replied as he pointed at the orbs, "Ever since I can remember, I've had ponies watching over me and giving me their support. And every time I've found myself in a tight spot, they helped me push past my limits. You see, the only purpose of having power is using it to protect those you care about."

Shadow's whole face twitched as he was about to yell, only for a bright light began to consume Springer as he continued, "That's why you'll never be able to truly beat us. Your power is tainted by your own hatred and ego." And as he said this, the light began to glow brighter, "True, unlimited power, is earned through hard work, dedication, and a pure reason for having it. Power achieved through betrayal and theft will never be able to overwhelm true power."

"ENOUGH!" Shadow screeched, "The power I wield is true power, and I will use it however I see fit!"

"And that's why you'll lose." With that, the light explode off of Springer, his body feeling something like a heavy chain now being released from him. "FOR EQUESTRIA!"

Back in the real world, the light began to weaken as both the jakhowl and unicorn reappeared. And as they came into view, everypony but one gasped at the new appearance of Springer. His wounds were gone, his body now sporting a larger form as Flash chuckled at the sight.

"Is that..." Heart gasped as he turned to Flash.

"Yup," Flash replied with a nod, "That's Mega Mode. Looks like he figured it out without needing me and the girls."

"Incredible..." Ruby whispered, "I've never seen this before, and I know Sharp Paw couldn't get to this form. Though now that I'm looking at it, Mega Mode sounds a little tacky."

"Almost cliché," Cold added.

"Eh, you two are just jealous." Flash chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "Just watch, Springer'll knock Shadow into next week now."

Back at the battle...

Trixie and Soarin felt the light from the transformation wash over them, their injures vanishing and energy restoring as they just stared at the jakhowl. But before they could say anything, they suddenly felt the ground shake, the whole city feeling a full earthquake as they all turned to a rabid growling Shadow.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Shadow screeched, "What did you do?! Sentry I can buy, even that colt since he seemed to have some outside help....but you?! Some mutt?! How could you acquire such strength so fast?!" He flared his wings as his horn began to spark, "What is with your team?! Why do you keep gaining power from pointless nonsense?! This...it has to be a trick! I bet you have no power at all!"

"Oh yeah?!" Springer barked as he suddenly disappeared, only to reappear as a fist was now about to hit Shadow's face, "YOU LOSE THAT BET!"

POW!

"Blaugh!" Shadow spat as he was sent flying down the street, his body crashing into a building.

"MASTER SHADOW!" Wingill and Salix screamed as they ran over to their master as Springer looked back at his friends.

"You two okay?"

"Heck yeah we are!" Soarin cheered, "And I gotta say, looking good buddy!"

Trixie nodded in agreement, "You sure look like you've leveled up. And the way you slammed Shadow, that was incredible!"

"She's right. You sure showed him," Springer heard Flash say in his mind. The evolved jakhowl smirked before giving a thumbs up, knowing Flash was watching.

Salix and Wingill landed in front of the building Shadow had crashed into, the two slowly trotting up as Wingill muttered out, "Um...master?"

BOOM!

"Whoa!" they both yelped as Shadow suddenly shot out of the structure, landing next to them as he hissed, "Forget what I said before. Do not let those other two interfere! That wolf is mine!"

"Yes master!" The two replied as Shadow zipped across the street. It wasn't a second later that he was about to reach Springer, summoning another shadow flame at the same time. Springer's eyes went wide, pulling up an Aura Guard that blocked the flames...only for the shield to start shining. The barrier began to eat away the flames, only to shift in appearance as the front began to extend outward while two triangular points stuck out of the side.

"Now what's happening?!" Soarin asked as they saw the shield continue to morph.

"I'm not sure!" Trixie replied, only to see some flames and water bombs fly over the jakhowl and cult leader, "Look out!" She teleported away while Soarin did several back-flips to escape the impact zone, the two now seeing Salix and Wingill flying down to do battle.

"Leave Wingill to me," Trixie commanded, Soarin nodding as he was about to charge at Salix, only for Wingill to fly up to him.

"Surprise!" The hippogriff cheered as he tackled the pegasi, both going down the street.

"SOARIN!" Trixie yelped as she tried to teleport, only for a card to land and explode in front of her, making an anti-teleportation bubble around her. She turned to the source, glaring at a smiling Salix.

"Don't think we forgot about your ice magic. It might not be as good as that ice knight, but it could still cause problems for Wingill." Some flames began to form around his mane, "But not me."

Trixie tilted her hat, her horn shining as she replied, "Fine...but I won't lose to you."

Meanwhile...

Shadow could not stop growling as he glared at Springer. The jakhowl's shield had transformed, now being shaped like Springer's head. Appearing to start at the neck, the blue shield now had a snout and ears that were just like Springer's except it didn't have any of the appendages coming off the back. Some of the shield was black instead of blue, giving the head the same markings Springer had on his face.

"What is this?!" Shadow hissed as he fired a dark fireball again, only for it to bounce off the shield. "What?!"

"Wow," Springer gasped as he stared at the aura shield, "Cold was right. Mega Mode is letting me reshape my shield." A smirk appeared on his face as he clenched his paws, "Hmm...let's try this." He put his arms into a T formation, the parts around the neck of his shield rippling before a stream of aura shot out either side, forming a pair of arms.

"What in the name of-" Shadow tried to say before one of the arms suddenly lunged out at him, the unicorn flapping his wings to avoid it, only for the other arm to hit him. "GRAH!" He yelped as he was punched by the solid aura, flaring his wings to keep himself from flying back.

But as he came to a stop, Springer let out a long pant as he moaned, "Whoa...that took...a lot out of me." The aura began to vanish as he wiped his forehead, "Might need some more practice before using that."

"RAAAAAH!" Springer looked up to see Shadow swing his sword, firing a wave of decay at him.

"WHOA!" the jakhowl yelped as he created a Bone Breaker and spun it, pushing the decay back.

"Are you kidding me?! You wont decay either?!"

"Can't decay aura, its pure life." Springer barked back, "It's immortal as long as I'm alive."

"Then allow me to relive you of your precious life!" Shadow yelled as he zipped up to the jakhowl, swinging the blade right down at him. Springer quickly blocked with a Bone Breaker, feeling his feet grind into the street as Shadow pushed his sword down on him. The jakhowl then side-stepped back as he split the Bone Breaker, spinning both in paws as he tried to swing them at Shadow, only for the unicorn to flap his wings, taking back to the air while firing a barrage of black flames. Springer countered by swatting the flames away, only to desummon both bone weapons.

"Aura Force!" He thrust a single paw forward, firing a beam of aura as Shadow wrapped his wings around him. Forming a sphere, the attack struck the orb...and did no damage.

"Pointless." Shadow spat as he respreads his wings, a small beam flying out of his horn. Springer summoned another Bone Breaker to block it, only for the beam to hit the ground below him. The jakhowl yelped as a portal opened under him, making him fall straight down as Shadow made another vortex above the unicorn.

But as Springer fell, the iron spikes on the back of his paws glowed before morphing into claws. "Steel Paw!" He spun around as he went through the portal, Shadow slashing his blade at the jakhowl. A clang of attacks happened next, Springer's side feeling a nasty gash hit his side while Shadow's right cheek now had three thin slices running through it.

And as this happened, Springer formed two Aura Blasts and slammed them together, "Aura Clap!" a push of Aura came out in front of him, stopping his descent so he could land safely. His feet hit the street just a second later, only to vanish as he side-stepped, dodging a bolt of purple lightning as he landed a yard away. The jakhowl looked up at the unicorn, seeing him chuckling as his horn began to spark again.

In another section of the city...

Soarin and Wingill were now flying, the hippogriff unleashing a whip of water as Soarin spun around the attack. And as he dodged the liquid weapon, he zipped up and punched Wingill's face. But the blow barely made him flinch, his claws countering as he grabbed Soarin's hoof. "Pathetic!" He slammed a hoof into Soarin's stomach, knocking the wind out of him before tossing him downward.

Soarin cried out as he hit the ground, rolling several feet before stopping with a groan. And as he tried to get up, Wingill just laughed, "Geez, Storm wasn't kidding when he said you were the weakest of your group. Must be humiliating to constantly get your flank given to you, huh?"

Soarin growled as he picked himself up, flapping his wings as Wingill raised his claws and summoned a giant cloud of water. He thrust his claws forward next, sending a barrage of water bombs. The Wonderbolt began to zip across the street, only to get hit by one of the projectiles. "GYAH!"

Wingill laughed as he saw Soarin crash again, only to spot a certain canal down the street. "Ah! Perfect!" he cheered as he swooped down and grabbed Soarin by the tail. "Let's take a trip to my world!"

Soarin gasped as he felt himself dragged along the ground, unable to react as Wingill get to the edge and throw him into the water. He gargled as he hit the liquid, only for Wingill to hit him with a current of water. Gasping for air, Soarin flapped his wings to push himself up to the canal's surface. But as he got a gulp of air, Wingill leapt at him while changing into his sea-pony form.

"Don't leave yet! We're just getting started!" He yelled before tackling Soarin, pushing him down to the bottom of the canal. "HA!" Wingill cackled as he clenched his fins and started punching at Soarin's face, pounding into him again and again in quick succession.

Soarin wanted to cry out in pain, barely able to keep his air as he began to brace himself. And as he felt Wingill continue to hit him, he felt a sudden bit of hesitation. Squinting his eyes open, he saw Wingill pulling his fin back to smack the Wonderbolt, only to thrust his hooves and grab the fin. "Huh?!" Wingill yelped as Soarin suddenly pulled his tail, only to feel Soarin's shoulder slam into his stomach, "GYAH!"

Soarin then slammed both backhooves into Wingill's face, pushing himself upward as he swam upward. He took a huge gasp of air as he hit the surface, taking to the skies as he tried to get away from the canal. But as he did this, Wingill shot out of the water, the athlete turning back to see Wingill in his winged form, "Not bad loser...but you still can't beat me. Maybe if I hadn't received my enhancements from Master Shadow, you could have stood a chance...but you will lose."

"I'll decide that for myself," Soarin replied as he flared his wings. "Let's go!"

At the same time...

Trixie was behind a magic shield, feeling the full brunt of Salix's ongoing flamethrower attacks. But unlike Shadow's fire, these flames weren't even cracking her defenses. "Stop hiding already!" She heard Salix yell as he pumped more power into the fire. "Come out here and fight like a nirik!"

"I don't suppose I could convince you to come in here and fight like a unicorn?" Trixie barked back, only to feel a wave of heat now hit shield. "Thought so." She muttered before a bulb went off in her head. She then reshaped her shield from a dome into a wall, continuing to block the flames as she jumped back. "Bye-bye!" With that, her horn sparked before a puff of smoke appeared.

The wall instantly vanished along with the smoke, making Salix blink, "What the-where'd she go?!" he yelled as he tilted his head, only to see a unicorn-shaped shadow now cast on the side of a nearby building. "THERE!" He fired at the shadow's area, hitting the ground near it and causing an explosion.

"GYAH!" Trixie's voice cried out as her illusion broke, making her visible again. She let out a moan before turning to Salix, the kirin now charging at her.

The mare quickly fired an ice spell at the floor, Salix's hooves touching the ice a split-second later, "Whoa-whoa-whoa!" he yelped as he slid towards Trixie, the showmare side-stepping as he shot past her, "You jerk!"

Trixie giggled at the sight, now seeing the kirin slide right out of the anti-teleportation barrier. The mare got on the ice as well, sliding over as he turned around and saw her coming. "Now I've got you!" he yelled as he summoned some flames, only for her vanish as she left the barrier. "HEY!" He slammed his hooves down next, melting the ice as he came to a stop before barking out, "Come back here and fight me!"

"Are you sure?" a voice called out.

"You bet I am! I'll burn you to a crisp!"

"Okay!" With that, an explosion of confetti and fireworks appeared to his left, Trixie within the party favors. Salix let out a hiss as he spat a fireball at her, only for her vanish in a puff of smoke. She then appeared behind the kirin, the cultist trying to counter with another flame attack. But once again Trixie disappeared, teleporting behind him as Salix had to keep spinning to keep up with her. And as he spun around a tenth time, he screamed, "STOP IT!"

His mane exploded in rage, sending out a burst of fire that struck the entire place. And as Trixie reappeared, the flames went right through her, making him growl before a voice called out, "Step right up! Step right up!" Several puffs of smoke exploded around him before fading to reveal a bunch of Trixies. "Find the pony, win a prize."

"I love prizes! Especially when they're deep-fried!" Salix barked as he kept shooting fireballs at the Trixies, turning them all into piles of smoke.

"Nope!" They all said after one was dissolved. "Not that one! Or that one! Too bad! So sad!"

"SHUT UP!" the kirin screamed as he started to tackling the endless appearing copies.

And as he did this, the real Trixie watched from a rooftop as she giggled at the sight, "I could watch this all day," she laughed as Salix rammed another clone into dust, "That's right. Keep tiring yourself out and heating yourself up. When you're all worn out, then Trixie's gonna bring the hurt."

Meanwhile again...

"Wow..." Heart whistled as he watched, "And I thought I made him mad."

"Salix is not one to think during battle. Its obvious he's a more reflexive warrior." Cold commented, "That'll give Trixie more than an edge in this fight." He turned to Heart, "You should continue to watch as best you can. You might pick up a few tips on how to better control your fire." Heart nodded as he continued to watch, only for a loud explosion to catch their attention.

"That's gotta be Springer," Flash added as he tapped on his dot, the screen changing to show Springer jumping from one rooftop to another, evading all of Shadow's attacks. "Come on bud, you got this."

Down at the battle...

Springer landed on another rooftop before spinning around, a white orb appearing in his paw, "AURA FORCE!" An aura laser fired through the sky, Shadow countering with a giant dark flame. A giant explosion happened next, Shadow zipping through the black fog.

"You won't get away!" He roared as he went through the smoke, only to see nothing, "What?! Where are you?!"

"Right here!" Shadow looked up to see Springer with his head and arm aura form. He threw two punches down, Shadow blocking both with his wings.

"You can't beat me worm!"

"Oh yeah?!" Springer barked back, "Cause it looks like I have a pretty good chance."

Shadow growled as he unleashed a blast from his horn, the beam striking the snout of Springer's shield face. Seeing this, he cut the shield, only to thrust a hoof as he yelled, "Aura Force!"

A white beam came straight for Shadow, but the unicorn blocked it with his wings. And as the attack struck his guard, Springer tired to stomp kick the unicorn, only for Shadow to block it as well, "Nice try, but I don't fall for such petty tricks." He laughed as he summoned his sword, swinging it upward at the jakhowl.

Springer countered with a Bone Breaker, both weapons locking. And as this happened, Springer made a second bone weapon, swinging it down before Shadow blocked it with a wing. Seeing this, he leapt back, landing on another rooftop as Shadow fired a dark fireball at him. The jakhowl hopped back at this, throwing a Bone Breaker at the flame that destroyed it in one strike.

But as this happened, Springer spun around and threw the other bone like a kunai, Shadow deflecting it with a wing. And as he did this, Springer leapt at him, getting past both wings as he summoned a Steel Paw and slammed it into the stallion's stomach.

"GRAH!" the cultist yelped as he felt the blow, only for both of Springer's thrown Bone Breakers to return like boomerangs, both bonking off of Shadow's head. "Gack!" he groaned before feeling Springer do an upward kick into his face, making him release a glob of spit from his mouth, "Blugh!"

The jakhowl then pushed off of the unicorn, landing again as he yelled, "Still think I can't beat you?!"

However, Shadow then cricked his neck before replying with a low chuckle, "I'll admit, you've grown stronger...but you're still no match for me!" He roared as his horn glowed, a barrage of spells now hitting the area around them both. A multitude of dark portals appeared next, Shadow then shooting dark fireballs into the portals around him, Springer's eyes going wide at the sight.

No time to bring up his shield, Springer began jumping from side to side while using his Bone Breakers to deflect the attacks. The flames began to graze him at this, the jakhowl grimacing as he kept trying to swat all the flames away. But as he did this, a magic chain came out of one of the portals and wrapped around his leg. "WHOA!" Springer yelped as the chain yanked him, dragging him through the vortex.

Shadow chuckled as he pulled Springer along, quickly whipping the chain as he tried to throw him. The jakhowl then formed a Steel Paw, cutting the chain just as Shadow swung the chain down. "Not good!" he yelped as he was sent plummeting into a building, then forming an Aura Guard as he crashed into the structure.

"HA!" Shadow laughed as he saw the hole in the building, only for a giant aura paw to suddenly fly out and punch the unsuspecting unicorn. "Blaugh!" he spat, flapping his wings to get his balance, only to see Springer reappear above him.

"Hi-ya!" he yelled as he axe-kicked Shadow's head, the blow smacking him straight down.

THOOM!

"Urgh!" Shadow grunted as he crashed into the dirt, only to push himself back onto his hooves. "Stinking little..." he growled before looking up to see Springer land right in front of him. His horn flared as he glared at the jakhowl, "DIE!"

A dark fireball came next, Springer just standing still as the flame was about to hit him. But as it was about to strike, the jakhowl whispered, "Velocity Strike."

Shadow stared at his opponent, seeing the flames consume him. A giant grin was about to appear on his face, only to see Springer reappear in front of him. The jakhowl's body was shifting, glitch-like as he pulled his paws back. And before he could react, thirty punches struck the unicorn, the jakhowl pulling back his right paw after this as he then slammed Shadow in the chest with a corkscrew punch.

"BLAUGH!" the unicorn spat as he was sent flying back, quickly pushing his hooves down as he tried to stop himself from going back. A small bit of blood splattered the ground, all of the liquid coming from his mouth. He let out a low hiss as he glared at Springer, "How dare you..."

But his words fell on deaf ears as Springer looked down at his body, clenching his paws. "No pain. Yeah...I think I finally figured out your ultimate technique dad. Nice." He glanced back up at Shadow, holding up as a paw as he summoned an Aura Blast. "Let's finish this."

"No...you will die." Shadow hissed as his horn flared, a sphere of dark light now appearing on the tip of his horn. He then took it in his hoof, charging as he roared while flying right at the jakhowl. Springer did the same, his Aura Blast growing as he sprinted and leapt up. Shadow's wings beat like crazy as he took to air.

Time seemed to slow down as they reached one another, both their attacks growing as they thrust them. And as the aura orb and dark bolt struck each other, both collided in a surge of power. But as they pushed against each other, the energy did only one thing.

KABOOM!

An explosion followed as this sound rocked the city, sending a shockwave across the whole area.

"WHOA!" Trixie cried as the shockwave almost knocked her off the rooftop, the mare grabbing the edge as her outcry hit the ears of a certain kirin.

"There you are!" he yelled, Trixie shooting him a nervous smile as the nirik glared at her. He then shot a fireball at her, the unicorn teleporting down while firing a beam of magic at him. But as she did this, he turned and breathed a stream of fire, the flames colliding with the beam, both negating each other.

"Burn!" he roared as his mane scattered some flames around, Trixie quickly summoning a pillar of smoke before ten Trixies flew out of the fog. "Oh, come on!" he barked as he started attacking the illusions.

And as he tried to get rid of the fakes, the real unicorn hopped into an alleyway, her brain trying to run a mile a minute to make a new plan against the kirin.

Meanwhile again...

"What happened?" Heart asked as the screen was covered in smoke, "Is Springer okay?"

"I don't know," Flash added, "But I hope so."

"There!" Ruby called out as the fog cleared, showing Springer crash into a building while Shadow did the same thing, both structures collapsing from the blow.

Cold sighed as he glanced between Springer and Shadow, "I'm not sure if Springer's gonna win this one." he commented as the others frowned at him, "His Mega Mode is powerful, but it's also new. I doubt he'll be able to hold it much longer if he even managed to survive that crash."

"He'll be fine." Flash responded, Cold turning to the defender, "We have to have faith in Springer. That's what it means to be friends."

Cold blinked at his words, turning back to the battle as they saw nothing was happening yet.

At the same time....

Soarin and Wingill were still trading blows, Soarin charging at the hippogriff as the beast kept pushing the pegasi back. "Such a shame!" Wingill yelled as he launched a pair of aqua saw-blades at Soarin, forcing him to stop his most recent dive bomb attempt, "All that speed and no chance to use it!"

Soarin let out a growl as he landed against the side of a tall building, the pegasus then shooting off with a roar of determination. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Wingill laughed as he thrust his claws, unleashing bullets of water at the pegasi. The liquid instantly hit the Wonderbolt, making him hiss in pain as he kept powering through the attack. "Grr..." he hissed as he was about to tackle Wingill, the hippogriff's eyes going wide before forming a massive stream of water.

However, as he did this, Soaring spun like a top, creating a veil of wind around him as he started to mimic Flash's driver attack. The pegasi created a drill of air, cutting through the water before flying out of the liquid, slamming a punch into Wingill's face.

"BLAUGH!" Wingill screamed as he was thrown back, hitting and bouncing along the ground.

Soarin panted as he touched down on the ground, looking at his body as he saw the multiple cuts covering it. Some were shallow, but others were deep and even his wings had a few holes.

A moan then made him look back at Wingill, the hippogriff getting back up as he growled, "Not bad, but you should have focused more on protecting yourself than beating me." He took to the air, pointing at the pegasus with a claw, "One strong punch isn't gonna earn you a win."

Springer groaned as he laid in the remains of the building he had crashed into, the jakhowl slowly picking himself up. He let another moan as he then felt his body explode into a rainbow of light. And when it exploded off of him, he saw he was reverted back to his standard battle form. "No...not now!" He said as he felt his aura spark, pain surging in his body. "Can't...give up...yet."

But as he said this, his ears spiked as he felt a sudden burst of emotion. And it was nothing but pure anger.

"RAAAAAH!" He heard Shadow's voice cry out, several explosions following this as a row of buildings were destroyed. The armored unicorn was flying over him, firing a barrage of dark fireballs that destroyed everything they touched, "WHERE ARE YOU?! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BLASTED MUTT?!"

"Aw crap." Springer muttered as he saw Shadow about to look down. "What do I-" he was about to say, only to feel something under him. He looked down, now seeing he wasn't on ground level. "What?"

"There you are!" Shadow yelled as Springer glanced back up and saw the unicorn summoning his decaying blade.

Springer let out a yelp before summoning an Aura Blast and slammed it into the floor. The whole place collapsed, Springer vanishing into the bottom floor as Shadow charged downward. But as he did this, Springer landed on his feet, feeling a spark of pain in his legs. And as he tried to recover, he saw a certain orb floating in the room.

"Yes!" the jakhowl cheered as he leapt at the sphere.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Shadow roared as he swooped down and swung his blade at Springer. But as the sword was about to hit the jakhowl's neck, the paw touched the orb. A bright light instantly exploded off the sphere, Shadow vanishing first as a pillar of light consumed the building. A wave of light flew across the city next, Springer now holding the orb with a giant smile on his face...only to notice something as he disappeared.

"WINNERS, TEAM FLASH!"

"YES!" Heart cheered as he flew around the room, "ONLY ONE MORE TO GO!"

"That was a close one, but they did it." Ruby sighed. "That's what counts." As she said this, a flash of light made them see the three appear.

The trio fell to their flanks in exhaustion, Flash coming over first as he asked, "You all alright?"

The defender now saw Springer's slashed side close up, though it looked like it wasn't fully healed. "Yeah," Springer groaned, "I'm okay."

"I'm fine," Trixie moaned.

"Same here," Soarin finished with a nod. He slumped over next, Wingill's words repeating in his head. 'Dang it...'

"You all did well," Cold added before pointing at the six orbs floating above the table. "You should be proud. Now we're just one victory away from ending this."

Heart shined a big grin as he landed next to the jakhowl, "And with Springer now able to go mega, that victory's gonna be even better." He then turned to him, "You can go mega again, right? You said last time it was just a one time thing. What about now?"

Springer looked down at his spiked paws, nodding. "Yeah...I think this time it's here to stay." His lips curved into a smile as he thought about the next time he could go mega, only for that grin to vanish as he looked back down at his paws. "Wait..." he stared at the spike on the back of his paw, then down at the rest of his body. "Why am I still in battle mode?"

The others blinked at his comment, Springer now clenching his eyes as he tried to tense up his body. And as he did this, Flash spoke up, "Uh...bud? You okay?"

"No! I am not okay!" Springer yelped as he pointed at himself, "Flash...I can't turn back to normal!"

"What?! Why?!" Flash asked as he and everypony else looked at him with wide eyes.

"I don't know!" Springer screamed, "Why can't I go back to normal?!"

And as this words left his mouth, a chuckle made everypony turn to Ruby. The Crystal Knight giggling as she walked up and patted the jakhowl's shoulder. "Congratulations Springer."

"Congratulations?!" He replied with a raised eyebrow, "For what?!"

"Do you remember what I told you the first time you entered battle mode?"

"The first time? Uh..." Springer tilted his head at this, only to go wide-eyed as the memory went through his head. "You...you said I would one day be able to maintain this form permanently."

"And it appears that day has come. You've finally reached your full potential." Ruby responded while nodding, "I'll admit, you are very young for getting to this step, but you are now so strong that your younger form could no longer maintain the power and amount of aura you have."

"So Springer's stuck like this forever?" Trixie asked, Ruby nodding again.

"Indeed. It's all part of the jakhowl's natural life cycle. They start in the smaller form you saw, representing their foalhood. They then gain the power to temporarily enter their older form for a short time, that's their teenage state, and when they reach full adulthood, they remain in their older form twenty-four seven. Today, Springer has matured into a fully adult jakhowl, which I say calls for a celebration."

Springer went wide-eyed as he stared down at himself. But as he did this, he felt Flash tap his shoulder, turning to his best friend. There was a huge grin on the defender's face, a smile appearing on the jakhowl's face a second later. "Yeah...let's celebrate."

Everypony but Cold cheered as they headed into the dining room, planning on ordering any and all party food they could stomach. They had won today's battle, but Springer had won something even greater. He had gained the right to call himself an adult, and now with his mega form in tow, he felt like there was nothing in the world he couldn't do.

Author's Note

Springer's got mega form back. Hey. Speaking of which, what do you guys think to the name of the mega form. Do you think it's a perfect name or do you think it should be called something else. I'm open to ideas.

A Thief's Tale

Eight years ago, under the sea...

The dark and damp world of Seaquestria was a place of great wonder, illuminated by the luminous plants and rocks that made up the houses they lived in. The hippogriffs turned seaponies lived their lives underwater here, most adapted to the sea life while others found themselves longing for the gentle breezes of Mount Aris.

One such pony was a teenage Wingill.

When the seapony woke up that morning, he found himself covered in seaweed, groaning as he pushed the water grass away. He let out a low grumble as he left his room, another voice speaking up as he got to the dining room, "Morning sweetheart."

"Is it?" Wingill asked as he turned to glare at his mother, "How can you tell? It could be the middle of the night for all we know." His mother rolled her eyes at this, pushing a bowl of green leaves in front of him. "Ugh..." he retracted from it, "Lemnoideae again?"

"The guards found a whole valley of it several caves over. Enough to feed the kingdom for months, completely untouched."

"That's because anything with common sense knows that stuff's worse than starvation," Wingill gagged before pushing the bowl away and swimming for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

A door slam happened next as he began his trek through the undersea kingdom. He sighed as he swam around, seeing the many other seaponies around him all hiding away. There was no music, no dancing, no...nothing. Nothing that might draw attention to their location. All they could do was lay around, sleeping, talking in hush whispers and doing what little they could to not die of utter boredom.

"Wingill!" He turned to see his closest friend, Princess Skystar, swimming up to him. The eight year old shined a huge smile as she reached him. She swam around him fast enough to cause a mini whirlpool as she asked, "Hey, what'cha doin?! Oh, wanna help me make a new shell picture frame? Or maybe you wanna come to my cousin's house? We can play with my cousins! Silverstream's learning to swim and we can help her!"

"I bet she would love to learn to fly more," Wingill mumbled to himself.

"What'd ya say?" Skystar responded, "I couldn't hear you."

"It's nothing," Wingill sighed as he looked away, "Sorry Skystar, I'm not in the mood to hang out right now."

"Oh..." she showed a small frown before forcing a smile, "That's alright. You do you. I'll just...see if anypony else wants to hang."

"You do that," he said before swimming away. He then swam down into one of the rarely used caves, feeling himself descend into the darkness as he travelled through the system. The seapony was completely unphased, his eyes showing a dull expression as he continued downward. Many in the kingdom called him one of the best swimmers the seaponies had, able to swim faster than anypony else and navigate in the purest darkness of the ocean.

"But it's not me," he whispered to himself as he left the tunnel, now finding himself in a chamber he had never seen before. "Why...why do we have to hide down here?"

But when this question left his mouth, his eyes grew as he looked down at the floor bed below him. His eyes went wide as he saw a glowing ring of light, making him glance up and see a hole in the ceiling of the chamber. He gasped as he now saw a kind of pool that the sun was shining down into. Wingill's breath clutched itself at the sight, the sight hypnotizing him as slowly made his way up.

"HALT!" yelled a sudden voice, making him freeze up. He then spun around to see a pair of seapony guards that had just swam into the chamber. "Wingill, do not go any further!" Wingill glared at them before looking back at the hole, his tail snapping as he continued to swim up. "STOP!" They both commanded as they got in front of him, blocking the seapony.

"No!" He cried as they grabbed and pushed him back, "Please!" He reached out for the hole, feeling the warmth of the light touch his skin. "I just...I just wanna feel it."

"No. You know the rules." The guards replied as they pulled him down, soon escorting him back to the city before leading him to the royal palace. Other seaponies saw them go through the town, most following the sight as Wingill was taken in.

Soon enough, Wingill found himself staring up at Queen Novo, his eyes seeing the cause of his troubles laying on a cushioned pedestal besides her. The pearl.

One of the guards then swam up to her and gently tapped her awake. "What is it now?" She groaned as she sat up, soon seeing Wingill as the guards both bowed.

"Your majesty, we caught this young one attempting to escape to the surface." This caused a gasp to echo through the palace as Novo glared down at Wingil.

"Wingill!" The teen turned to see his mother swimming up to him, "What were you thinking?!"

"I'd like to know that too," Novo added as she pushed herself out of her throne. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you could have caused us?!"

"I just wanted to remember what it was like!" Wingill barked back, "To be out of the water...just for a little bit."

"And did you think what might have happened if you had been seen?!" Novo countered, "What would happen if you had been followed back here? You could have put our entire kingdom in danger!"

"Who's gonna be up there to see me?!" Wingill yelled, "It's been ten years! You really think the Storm King's still there?! He's probably off somewhere else, terrifying a bunch of other ponies into abandoning everything they know and loved."

"He could have left some of his troops behind to the guard the place. He attacked us for a reason." All eyes turned to the pearl next to her throne. "If he manages to get his greedy little claws on this, he'll use it turn his army into an even more unstoppable force than they already are."

"Then destroy it!" Wingill screamed back, his mother trying to shush him, "Turn us all back to normal and then smash that thing!"

"The pearl's power would exist even if it was in a million pieces. A single shard could transform a dozen creatures into whatever the wielder wants!" Novo instantly responded as she swam back onto her throne. "The pearl must remain hidden. And even if we hid it someplace, that would make us the next target. Our only option is to hide and live our lives the best we can."

"And how is this living?!" Wingill cried. "We hide down here, making as little commotion as possible. If we all died tomorrow, none of us would have done anything worth remembering because we were too scared to live our lives. Heck, you have no idea what's going on up on the surface world. The Storm King could have already been beaten for all we know. If you just sent somepony up there to find out-"

"I said no!" Novo almost yelled. "I will not allow anypony from this kingdom to leave, and that's that. Talk over. No more conversation. Understand?"

Wingill opened his mouth, only for his mother to shove a hoof in it. "He understands." she replied, "I promise you, this won't happen again."

"Well make sure it doesn't," Novo folded her front fins as a small orange octopus swam up and whispered something into her ear. "Now, if you excuse me, this exhausting conversation has left me in need of a relaxing seaweed wrap and a massage."

She swam off into another room as Wingill was ushered out of the room by his mother. And as he swam away, he couldn't help but glance over at the pearl. The sight made one though appear in his head. 'Cowards. They're all cowards. I won't stay down here...not anymore.'

The Present...

The first thing Wingill heard as he woke up was Salix's snores. A long sigh escaped his breath next as he got up and the pinched Salix's nose. Seconds later, the kirin seemed to choke before his eyes shot open, gasping as he glared at Wingill, "How many times have I told you not to do that?!"

"Don't know. Stop snoring and maybe I wouldn't have to do it." Wingill barely replied as he walked out of the room.

And as he got to the dining room, his ears were assaulted by pained screams coming from Armalum. Once again, Shadow was suppressing Sombra's consciousness while the others watched. Shadow then took his hoof away from the armored pony's face, Armalum slumping over while gasping for air. And as he slowly looked up as the pain began to go away, he muttered out, "Thank you, master."

"I'm getting really sick of this," Shadow growled as he turned away, "Wasting my magic on you is probably what prevented me from taking down that mutt yesterday. Thanks to you, those fools are one step closer to winning this whole thing."

"I'm sorry master."

"I don't want your apology!" Shadow roared as he spun around and glared at Armalum, spit flying out of his mouth, "I want you to get yourself under control, because if you get called down again and can't do your job, that's it for you!"

"I swear, I will defeat anypony I stand against."

"Be sure that you do," Shadow hissed as he then stomped out of the room, everypony sighing in relief as he left.

"He's not happy," Terror gulped.

"Of course he isn't happy," Tempera growled, "That wolf-thing completely humiliated him. He just got his powers back and in his first battle, he loses."

"So what do we do?" Salix asked as he walked into the room.

"We can't let him down," Storm replied with crossed hooves, "We have to make sure we win the next match no matter what."

"Agreed," Armalum added with a small nod. "And I need to show him he can still trust me. There's only one way I can prove my worth to him."

"Get your host under control?" Wingill responded.

"More than that," He turned to the window, glaring at the other castle. "I have to defeat the only pony master sees as a legitimate threat. Flash Sentry."

"Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as he swung one of his Sacred Light blades, Springer countering with a Bone Breaker in his mega form.

"Nice try!" Springer replied as he swatted the attack away before throwing the bone. But as he did this, Flash quickly cut the aura weapon in half as Springer charged at him next. The jakhowl's body began to glitch, his whole form shifting as he yelled, "Velocity Strike!"

Hearing these words, Flash tensed up as he activated his Theta Mode while still in Sacred Light mode. His blank eyes saw his partner sprint up to him, the first lightning fast punch about to make contact. Though none were watching, they wouldn't have been able to see the next exchange. Within the next two seconds, a barrage of thirty punches came from the jakhowl, only for Flash's hooves to move almost as fast, blocking almost twenty of the blows thanks to his combo of Theta and Sacred Light.

And as Springer swung the last punch, Flash caught it with his hoof just as he felt the other punches affect his body. Despite this, he countered with a quick thrusting jab to Springer's face, knocking him back. But as he did this, Springer's aura shifted around his other paw, thrusting it as well as a giant aura paw appeared and hit Flash. The pegasi felt the pressure from the blow but stood his ground, not moving an inch as he punched the aura paw, dismissing it in one blow.

"Not bad. Let's try this next." Flash said as he took both swords off his back and smacked them together, making an orb of light. "Flash Force!" A laser shot out of the sphere, Springer countering with his own Aura Guard, the aura barrier morphing into the head and paws again. But as it took the blow, he let out a yelp of pain, the laser destroying the structure instantly.

"Augh!" Springer spat as his mega mode vanished, his body falling backward.

"Springer!" Flash yelped as he dismissed his Sacred Light and ran over to his partner, "You okay?!"

"Ugh...that hurt." he moaned as Flash helped him up, "That new thing is really draining...I can barely use it."

"That's okay. Remember how Velocity Strike was at the start?"

"Oh yeah...I would be stuck in rest mode for like, half a day." Springer coughed while shaking his head. He then stared at his paws, blue embers just showing themselves at the moment, "Darn it. Everytime I figure out a technique, I get something else that makes me feel like I'm still behind."

Flash chuckled while patting his partner's shoulder, "Springer, don't think that way. You just gotta keep working at it until your body adjusts....mister 'now an adult jakhowl'."

Springer glared back at him, "Oh har har." he mocked before swinging his paw around Flash's shoulder, "But uh...thanks buddy. Thanks for always encouraging me."

"No prob. Besides, it looks like all your other skills get a boost from this new mode, so it shouldn't be too bad you need to learn something new. By the way, think Velocity Strike is good out of mega mode?"

"I...think so." Springer replied as he stared at his paws again, closing his eyes before a blue aura covered his body. His body began to glitch again, Flash's eyes barely keeping up as he quickly ran from one end of the room to the other in just a split second. He let out a small pant as his body went back to normal, breathing just a little heavy as he said, "Yeah. Looks I can do it with no aura feedback, though Mega Mode is probably the better bet right now."

"That's good. The feedback was the worst part after all, so its good to have that as a trump card if Mega Mode isn't working." Springer nodded in agreement before the two turned to the rest of the room, seeing the others now train. Heart and Cold were together, the knight trying to help Heart control his flames to little success. Trixie and Ruby were also sparring, Trixie creating illusions of herself while Ruby sliced them down. "We're only one orb away from winning this whole thing."

"But Shadow's team is not gonna make it easy. Right now, me and you are probably the only ones that stand a chance against him."

Flash sighed at the statement, only to turn and see Soarin sitting off to the side, watching eveypony train with a frown on his face. Seeing this, Flash walked over and asked, "Hey bro, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be training?"

Soarin turned to him, only to shake his head, "Eh, I'm starting to wonder if there's any point in me training." This caught not only the two's attention, but the attention of everypony in the room. "I mean, what training could help me keep up with the powers Shadow's team have? They can shoot fire, lightning, water and Celestia knows what else Shadow can do. How am I supposed to stand up to something like that? I don't have magic, or aura, or fire and light powers bestowed upon them. I'm just a normal pegasus."

"You're a Wonderbolt," Flash instantly responded.

"Being a Wonderbolt hasn't helped me much in these last few fights, has it?"

"That's because you're not using your natural advantages," Cold replied next as he and the others gathered around him. "What allowed you to take down Tempera, Storm and Terror Card?"

"My natural ability to get others to help me?"

"Your speed, dummy." Trixie chimed in while lightly bonking him on the head, "You managed to hit Tempera so hard she was shot into a building. The force you were packing back there could have killed her if this game's rules weren't going on."

"And your speed allowed us to escape the blast that took out Terror and Storm." Ruby reminded him.

"Fine, but that doesn't help me when I'm on my own. Storm and Wingill managed to keep up with me when I was fighting them one on one."

"That's because you weren't using your speed in the right way," Ruby replied, Soarin raising an eyebrow at this. The sight made the knight chuckle as she continued, "In your previous battles, your strategy has been building up speed and using it to unleash a single powerful strike. And while that works for a finishing attack, it isn't the best weapon against somepony that can easy defend themselves."

"So what do I do?"

"Change your tactics. Instead of focusing on big fast attacks, use your speed to unleash a barrage of attacks. Dodge their attacks as you get in close, then strike them. If one hit isn't enough, hit them ten times. And if that isn't enough, hit him a hundred times. Keep at it until your opponent is completely pulverized."

"You really think that could work?" Ruby nodded back. "But I can't move that fast."

"I've seen you move faster." Flash chimed in.

"Yeah, in a straight line! What you all are suggesting is I would need to move around, not slowing down even when I'm changing direction."

"So? Aren't you a racer?" Trixie asked while tilting her head, "Shifting positions in the air should come naturally to you."

"That's only when I know when and where I need to move, and after I study the race course. Reacting to something right after I see it, especially at those speeds, is impossible for me."

"Except it isn't," he turned to Flash. "You've done it before, remember? The first time you came to Ponyville and raced Rainbow. The cave you were in collapsed and you managed to get through it by dodging the falling rocks. That's when you taught me about the Theta State, leading me to learning Theta Mode....which now that I think about, you haven't used since this whole thing started. What happened with your training?"

Soarin sighed and shook his head, "I tried, but I couldn't get past the point you saw. Other things got in the way of my training and eventually, I uh...I guess I just decided to stop trying."

"Well then maybe you should start again," Flash replied as he placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Soarin, you're just as amazing as the rest of us. Don't let what those punks said get to you. You're a million times better than any of them. Heck, you got with the fastest pegasi mare I know, and she's no slouch."

Soarin looked back up at him, seeing a big smile on his best friend's face. A small grin began to form on his face as he said, "Yeah...I guess. Thanks."

"No problem bro," Flash responded as he took his hoof off his shoulder. But as he did this, a small golden glow now shined on the Wonderbolt's shoulder despite none noticing the tiny exchange. As for why, it was the alarm going off as Soul's voice echoed through the castle.

"Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."

Everypony quickly ran out the room, the glow on Soarin's shoulder absorbing into his skin as they headed up into the map room. And when they arrived, the map outlined a section of the city before the bingo machine appeared. They all watched as the machine spat out the first sphere, this one having Ruby's cutie mark on it. The second was Flash's cutie mark while the final, much to its owners chagrin, had Soarin's cutie mark.

"The competitors have been selected. Flash Sentry, Soarin Skies and Ruby Scarlet. Proceed to the battlefield."

The Wonderbolt sighed until he heard Trixie's voice. "Hey, fly-boy." He turned to the showmare, "You got this. Just remember what we told you."

Soarin nodded as the trio were teleported, soon appearing in the city in a flash of light. The three quickly got into a battle stance, standing back to back as Flash spoke up, "Springer, who are we up against?"

"You're up against-"

"Whoa!" Soarin gasped, hopping in place, "Did you hear that?! That sounded like Springer!"

Flash turned to him with wide eyes, "You heard Springer?!"

"So did I," Ruby added with a nod, "It was weak, but I could hear it. Strange...jakhowls usually can't connect to more than one pony. Seems going mega improved his abilities more than we thought."

"So you two can hear me?" Springer asked, Soarin and Ruby nodding.

"What about me?" asked another voice, Flash gasping as he now heard Heart's voice in his head. It wasn't as clear as Springer's, the voice barely able to be made out.

"Yeah...I hear you."

"Awesome!"

"Let's focus on this revelation later," Cold mentally told them next, his voice almost cutting out as his reception seemed the weakest. "Your opponents have just split up. They're heading in your direction from different angles."

"Got it. Who's our enemies this time? It better not be Shadow."

Trixie was the one to mentally reply. "Its not. First is Terror Card, who is approaching from the east. From the north-east is Wingill and from the south-east is Armalum."

But as those words came out of Trixie's mouth, Ruby spun around to south-east and ran off. "Ruby!" Flash yelled, about to follow before looking back at Soarin.

"Go." the pegasus instantly replied, "She's gonna need your help. I'll see if I can find the orb before she finds him." Flash nodded back before taking to the air, Soarin doing the same as he spun around and zipped down another street. He started to go through a few buildings, growling as he saw nothing inside any of them.

And as he took a corner, Springer's voice rang out in his mind, "ON YOUR LEFT!"

Soarin blinked at the call, only to now see a bolt of purple magic as he barely managed to barrel roll to dodge the sudden attack. He quickly spun like a top from this, putting himself back on his hooves as he saw the lightning's owner, Terror Card.

"Let me guess," he deadpanned, "You saw me coming?"

Terror nodded with a chuckle, "I was looking ahead to see if I could narrow down my search, but then you came barreling around the corner."

"Well that's the last time you're gonna take me by surprise," Soarin replied while crouching down, "Trixie already figured out how to beat your little game."

He charged at her next, dealing a horizontal kick to her head as she quickly ducked down, loosing a few mane hairs as she evaded his attack. As she did this, her horn sparked as she fired a few bolts at the Wonderbolt, making him take to the air to dodge them.

"Just because you know how to beat my magic doesn't mean you can." Terror responded as Soarin swooped down for another kick, the mare teleporting a few feet away before pulling a card from her cloak. "Your friend Trixie might have been able to defy fate, but I know your future. Your destiny is set in stone." She threw the card as a dome appeared around them both, the card soon landing right side up, "Arcana of the Lover!"

The dome shrank around Soarin before exploding, the pegasus's entire body suddenly feeling very heavy. "Augh!" he yelped as he crashed into the street, "What the heck?!" The pegasi tried to push himself up, only to duck under another bolt of lightning. But as he did this, he flared his wings and charged at Terror, "RAAAH!" he yelled, swinging a punch at the unicorn, only for the mare to vanish again. "Damn it!"

"So weak," she sighed as she appeared behind him, "It's almost cruel that whatever power summoned us here chose you to come. Everypony else has some incredible skill or magic, but you're just a showpony." Soarin growled as turned around, now seeing the huge smirk on her face, "And that other showpony is a princess's student. What excuse do you have?"

Soarin his teeth at her question, the memory of what his friends had told him went through his head. "Speed." was all he said before his body suddenly went from zero to a hundred in less than a second.

Terror gasped as she looked to the future, now seeing what Soarin was about to do...only to still feel a hoof slam into her face, "AAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed as she sent rolled down the street.

The Wonderbolt cricked his neck at the sight while Terror got back onto her hooves, commenting as he felt the Lover Card wear off. "Who cares if you can see the future. As long as I get you before you can react, it doesn't matter."

"I see..." She hissed as she put her hoof into her cloak, her eyes glowing before giggling, "Well, that's a surprise." The unicorn threw a card upward at this, then jumping backward just in time to avoid an axe kick from Soarin.

She then teleported to the other end of the street before he could throw another punch, Soarin spinning around as he tried to dash right at her while the card finished spinning. "Arcana of the Hierophant!" She called out as Soarin got close.

And as he was about to hit her, a giant burst of water slammed into his side, knocking him across the street. "GYAH!" He cried as he crashed into a building, slumping over as the source of the water landed right by Terror.

"Good card." he commented as he dusted himself off with his wings.

"I was wondering when I'd get to use it here," she replied as she took out several cards, both smiling at them as she asked, "So...what would you like to use to beat this loser?"

"I thought you would never ask." Wingill chuckled as Soarin got back up.

Meanwhile...

Flash was still chasing Ruby through the city, now flying in front of her as he yelled, "Ruby! Just wait!"

"Out of my way Flash!"

"Would you just listen to me for a moment?!" he barked back, "You know you're no match for Armalum! Remember what happened the last time you fought?"

Ruby growled at this, "I don't care! I can't just sit back and let Sombra walk around, even if he's trapped in that suit of armor."

"But you can't take him alone." he replied as he walked up and tapped her chest, "Face it, I'm the one with the best chance of beating him."

"But will you actually do what needs to be done?" Ruby instantly responded, swatting his hoof away. "With your power, you should be able to easily beat him and shatter that armor off of him. But what then? Will you let Armalum reform over Sombra, or will you stop and let Sombra crumble?" The question made Flash almost backpedal, making Ruby sigh, "That's what I thought. You know this has to be done."

"I know," Flash muttered out before glaring back at Ruby, "But that doesn't stop me from wanting to find another way! Killing Sombra should only be the last resort, and-"

"LOOK OUT!" Springer suddenly yelled, both flinching at the voice before a massive burst of energy shot out of the ground, the following explosion knocking both flying.

"GYAH/AUGH!" They cried as they were thrown, the two rolling along the street next as a certain armored pony walked into the scene. The knights got onto their hooves as they then saw the living weapon trot up with his scythe.

"Face me, Sentry!" he roared as he pointed his blade at the defender.

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "What? You wanna take me on alone?"

"Defeating you is the only way to show master Shadow I'm still useful." Armalum spun the scythe around next, resting the handle on his shoulders, "Come! I will remove your head from your shoulders!"

"Alright, I-"

"Your opponent will be me!" Ruby interrupted as she charged at the armored pony, swinging a crystal blade in hoof. But as she did this, Armalum just blocked the attack with his handle, his horn then firing a beam. The knight gasped at the sight, leaping back as she dodged the magic attack.

"Out of my way. I've already beaten you, so defeating you again will prove nothing."

"Then try me on!" He spun around to see a charging Flash, Armalum spinning his blade as Flash's sword swung downward. The two sharp edges clashed at this moment, the sound of metal on metal filling the air as Flash spun around and landed a few feet away. But as he did this, he started to feel a mild burning in his chest, making him clutch his body, "Not again..."

Armalum just laughed as he spun the scythe around his neck, "Hmph. Seems this will be easier than I thought. Beating the both of you will surely show master Shadow my value."

"Don't bet on it." Ruby hissed as she summoned a crystal hammer.

"Oh, I plan too." Armaulm replied as he did a 'come on' gesture with his hoof. And as both saw this, all three unleashed roars of adrenaline as they ran towards the same point from three different directions.

In another section of the city...

Soarin leapt into the air to avoid a fist made of water, barrel rolling next as he dodged a water buzzsaw before spinning like a top. As he did this, he body suddenly shot like a rocket, body-checking Wingill in a split second. "GYAH!" Wingill yelped as he was sent flying back.

But before Soarin could follow-up, a bolt of lightning shot out in front of him. He then saw Wingill flare his wings, coming to a stop as he fired a few more saw blades. The Wonderbolt quickly zipped down, evading the blades before swooping back up and punching Wingill with an uppercut.

"Blaugh!" Wingill spat before Soarin spun around and kicked him in the stomach. A glob of spit flew out of his mouth as the pegasi then karate chopped his shoulders with both wings before thrusting his back hooves into Wingill's face, smacking him downward. "AUGH!" Wingill yelped as he crashed right beside Terror Card as the unicorn threw a card up.

"This should even the odds!" She yelled as the dome appeared around her and Wingill. Soarin growled as he charged down at them as the card came to a stop, now upside down. "Arcana of the Chariot!" The dome shrank around Wingill before exploding, the hippogriff looking back up at Soarin.

"Oh yeah," he whispered before he suddenly shot up at the pegasi.

Soarin's eyes went wide as Wingill was about to slash him with his claws, the Wonderbolt flapping his wings to fly back just in time. But as he did this, Wingill kept swiping his claws, Soarin feeling a gash now hit his cheek. "Blugh!" he spat before countering with a punch to Wingill's stomach, knocking him back. And as this happened, a magic beam shot out between the two.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he then dodged two more lasers, only for a third to hit his wing, "AAAAHHH!" he curled his wing at the blow, slowing him down as Wingill recovered from the punch.

"Play time's over!" He squawked as he charged up to Soarin and summoned a water whip, cracking it once before slamming it into the pegasi's head.

"GYAH!" He yelled out as the liquid hit his head like a hammer, smacking the Wonderbolt into the concrete.

Wingill laughed at the sight, hovering just above him as the Chariot's effects ran out. "HA! Time to try something I've been wanting to try out for a while. You can thank your friend Cold for giving me this idea."

A bunch of water shot up behind him before spiraling into a long tube like structure, Soarin looking up to now see a giant serpent-like creature, making him mutter out, "Seriously?"

"Say hello to my Water Dragon!" Wingill cheered as the dragon charged at Soarin with its mouth fully open.

"WHOA!" Was all he could say as the dragon swallowed him, the pegasus rolling through the water body while doing his best to hold his breath. And as he sent through the whole creature, the beast flicked it tails, propelling Soarin out. He let out a gasp, trying to get some air before a beam of magic struck his chest, knocking him flying down the street as he screamed, "AUGH!"

Wingill and Terror laughed as they saw Soarin roll on the ground, soon coming to a stop as Terror commented, "Don't get up."

"What she said." Wingill added with a chuckle as Soarin flipped himself over and tried to push himself up with his hooves. The sight made the hippogriff shake his head as he continued, "Face it, you barely stood a chance against one of us. Against us both, you can't hope to ever defeat us."

And as water dripped off of Soarin's body, he let out a groan before slumping over, his mind now telling him he really wished he had some backup.

"Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as an energy blade flew across the field, Armalam swinging his scythe down to deflect the attack. As he did his, Ruby teleported beside him, blade in hoof. But as she tried to strike him, he ducked under her first swipe, the knight quickly teleporting away as she saw he was about to swing the scythe back at her. And as this happened, Armalum's scythe hit the ground, creating a red energy crack heading straight for Flash.

The defender took to the air, dodging the incoming explosion as Ruby reappeared and fired a barrage of crystal arrows. Armalum then started spinning his scythe like a fan, cutting the projectiles down as Flash swooped behind him and fired a Flash Cutter. But as he did this, Armalum just side-stepped, dodging the last of the arrows along with the energy blade.

And as the three readjusted themselves for battle, Armalum spoke up, "You're holding back. That's a dangerous mistake to make against me."

"Who says I'm holding back?!" Flash barked back, "Unlike your boss, I'm not dependent on my special abilities. I'll use it only when I feel I need to use it, and right now, I'm not seeing anything that needs the Sacred Light."

Armalum growled at this statement. "You insult not only me, but my master as well. You're strong, but it's clear you lack wisdom."

"I'm wise enough to not let the power I have consume me. I'm not like Shadow, I couldn't care less about how much power I have." Flash rested his blade on his shoulder as he finished his reply, "All I need is the power to protect my friends and family. That's enough for me."

"You don't desire more? Then that makes you weak." Armalum hissed, "I will not lose to weaklings."

Flash shook his head at this, "I don't think you're listening. If I need more power to protect those I care about, I'll get that power." Flash then pointed his sword right at Armalum, "That's what true power is."

"You really do disgust me." Armalum growled as he lifted his scythe upward, "And I will not lose to those who don't understand power!" With that, he slammed the scythe down, unleashing a red energy wave. Flash took to the air as Ruby teleported to Armalum's side. She swung her sword at his head, only to be met with the scythe's handle. Armalum then spun around to punch her in the gut, Ruby quickly hopping back to avoid the jab.

"Flash Grinder!" Flash roared as he morphed into a wheel of light, Armalum turning to take the attack head-on. And as the defender reached him, Armalum raised his weapon sideways, blocking the blow as Flash began to push him back. Flash could hear Armalum's metal hooves grinding on the ground as he tried to push Flash back, only for the wheel to suddenly vanish. Armalum wasn't able to react to the immediate drop of an attack, Flash then spinning and punching the armored pony in the face. A loud clang followed as Armalum was sent staggering back as Flash pointed the crossguard of his weapon at him, "FLASH FORCE!"

Armalum gasped, his horn sparking as he summoned a makeshift magic shield. The beam pushed the barrier, making it crack as Armalum began to grind down the street again. And as the laser came to an end, a volley of crystal arrows struck the shield next, breaking it as the projectiles began to hit his armor. Flash then appeared right in his face, unleashing a Flash Cutter right into his chest.

"AUGH!" Armalum screamed as he was sent flying back, quickly stomping his hooves to stop himself from tumbling. And as he did this, the cracks in his armor shift, showing bits of slime as they began to repair themselves. "Heh...not bad, but you still can't beat me." He raised a hoof as all the cracks began to disappear, "Don't you see...I'm immortal."

"Maybe...but your host isn't." Ruby countered while pointing her sword at him, "With a strong enough hit, you'll be broken off of him and then you'll be done."

Armalum shook his head at this, "You can try."

Meanwhile again...

Soarin continued to try to pick himself up, Wingill and Terror just laughing at him as the hippogriff commented, "Just give up! You're an idiot to try and keep fighting."

Terror nodded in agreement, "Your future is set is stone. You'll lose to us and we'll get the orb. Just accept this truth and give up before you have to suffer anymore."

Soarin let out a long groan as he pushed himself up completely. His hooves were shaking as he glared up at them, "No way. I won't give up. My friends are counting on me, and I refuse to let them down."

The statement got a chuckle from Wingill, causing memories from long ago to surface. "I respect that you're willing to put yourself through so much pain for those you care about. I was the same way, so long ago..." Soarin's eyebrow raised at this, "Even though they likely consider me a thief, I'll do anything to bring my people back into the light. Even if it means stealing."

Years ago...

As the lights coming off their houses faded, the seaponies tucked themselves in for another 'night' of sleep. And as they began to sleep, one young seapony snuck out of his house, his fin silent as he made his way to the palace. Silence filled the area as he snuck around the nighttime patrol, plasteringn himself along the side of the palace walls as a guard swam by before breathing a sigh of relief.

And as he got to the throne room, a small grin began to appear on his face, "Yes..." he whispered as he slowly approached the orb. His mind was going a mile a minute in that moment, his brain telling him there could be some kind of security system. He then swam down and grabbed a clam off the floor before returning to the pedestal, holding the clam in one fin while the other with the large pink jewel.

His heartbeat was going a mile a minute as he stood there, a long deep breath coming next before he swapped the two objects in one swift motion. He flinched as he held the pearl to his chest, waiting to see if an alarm was going to happen. But as he did this...nothing happened. His eyes blinked open, making him almost let out a cheer before swimming for the exit.

But as he did this, the clam opened up....and fell over, rolling off the cushion. And as it tapped the floor, an alarm blared out, the sound awakening the whole palace. In mere seconds, Novo swam into the throne room with Skystar behind her. And as soon as the sea-mare saw the empty cushion, she gasped before yelling out, "WINGILL!"

Wingill swam as fast as he could, quickly arriving at the entrance to the tunnel he had been in earlier. Reaching the mouth, he turned to see Novo and Skystar with their guards close behind. And as his eyes met the queen's, she charged at him. Gasping at the sight, he snapped his tail, charging through the tunnel as he yelled, "Come on!"

His tail flapped like crazy, his body zipping through the cave as the others were just behind him. It was here he saw the ray of light from before, making him cheer, "There!" But as he began to race for it, he didn't see where he had flapped his fin, making him hit a small jagged rock, "Ow!" he yelped, the pain making him drop the pearl.

The orb dropped like a rock, hitting the rock with a small cracking sound. He zipped down the orb, now seeing a small fragment come off it, grabbing it with his hoof. The memory of what Novo said playing in his head next, he looked up and saw the hole from before. Now noticing he couldn't fit the orb in it anyways, he also saw it would be impossible for adults to fit.

"Freedom." he muttered as he swam upward, a grin appearing on his face as he got closer.

"WINGILL!" He froze at the sudden voice, recognizing it as his mother's voice. He turned to see her and the rest of the adults arriving in the chamber, Novo swimming down to the pearl while the guards swam towards him. Wingill then spun around and swam into the hole, pulling his head through as his mother yelled, "DON'T!" He couldn't help but stop at this, turning to look back into the chamber. His mother was staring up at him as the guards were all glaring as she said, "Wingill, please don't do this."

"I have to," he replied in a low tone, "I can't keep hiding. Not while there's a great wide world out there."

Novo sighed at his words, looking down at the pearl and seeing the missing piece. She then stared at the teenager, a look of sorrow on her face, "If you do this Wingill, you'll never be able to return. I can't take the risk of you leading somepony back here. You go through that hole, there's no going back."

"Why would I want to come back here?!" He spat before staring at the fragment in his hooves, "With this, I can go anywhere. Become anything. The world is my oyster."

Novo glared at him before holding the orb up, a pink light escaping it. Wingill blinked at the sight, only to notice the fragment was now emitting the same light before fading, "What...what did you just do?!"

"Locked the pearl's power," Novo replied, "The Storm King would probably be able to undo it, but you can't. Now it and all its pieces will only be able to transform anything between its true form and its aquatic counterpart. You get what that means?"

Wingill went wide-eyed at her words, "I can only transform into either a hippogriff or a seapony…"

"Exactly. That oyster's not looking so big now, is it?" Wingill didn't reply, his vision going between the queen and the fragment in his hoof. Seeing this, Novo continued, "It's not too late. We can forget this whole thing if you just give me back the pearl fragment."

Indecision was now on his face, still looking back and forth as his mother spoke up, "Sweetheart, please don't do this. You'll be all alone and you'll never be able to come back. I'll never be able to see you again."

Wingill's heart almost broke as he heard those words in her voice. But as he took one last glance at her, his heart solidified as he replied, "I will come back. You will see me again. I'll be back, after the Storm King's defeated." The whole group went wide-eyed at this, now seeing Wingill began to ascend as he continued, "There's no way he's unbeatable. There has to be somepony strong enough to defeat him. I'll find that pony and when I do, I'll help them take him down. Then we can be free to return home. Our true home."

And before he resolve could waiver, he pulled himself up through the hole. "NO!" Novo and his mother cried as the guard swam up, the soldiers trying to get through the crevice. But when the first one finally got through, Wingill was already out of reach.

As for the seapony, he got to the top of the lake while now accessing the magic of the pearl. And as he reached the surface, his body was wrapped in a cocoon of light, soon exploding into his true hippogriff form.

The young hippogriff tried to flap his wings as he broke the surface, only to flop over. He made a giant splash as he tried to fly, soon getting to the air...only to crash land into a bunch of sand. Spitting out the musty gravel, he tried to get on his hooves before flopping over. It was here he realized he hadn't walked in ages, making him spin around and stare up at the sky.

And as his eyes saw the pure black night sky, filled with stars and a shining silver moon...it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, his vision unable to tear his gaze away from it.

The Present...

"It was then I decided I would never let fear and worry stop me from living the life I wanted. And I wasn't gonna let my people live in that fear a second longer than they had too."

"So you joined up with Shadow?!" Soarin barked back, "How is that any different from this other guy you're so worried about?!"

"He's very different. He wants to rule, not destroy. He'll let you do whatever you want as long as you agree to follow him. If I have to choose between following him and living in fear, I'll choose Shadow every time."

Soarin growled as he forced his shaking body to stabilize, "I don't know what happened to you, but you're wrong. Instead of stopping the thing that made you scared, you became that thing. And if you keep it up, somepony just like you will do the same thing so he can beat you and Shadow. You're not some special hero that'll wipe out all evil, you're just part of a cycle of hatred." He raised his hooves in a boxer stance, "And I'll put an end to that cycle."

"And how you gonna do that?" Terror asked, only for Soarin to charge right at her. She quickly started firing at him as Wingill formed another water dragon, Soarin zigzagging to avoid both attacks. And as he did this, he spun like a drill, creating a wind veil that shredded through the water dragon. Gasping at the sight, Wingill then growled before charging up and swiping his claws at Soarin, the pegasi ducking under his attack before a magic beam hit his chest.

"GRAH!" he cried out before Wingill hit him with a water fist, knocking him back again.

"HA! You're a stone cold fool Wonderbolt."

Soarin grunted as he flared his wings, coming to a stop, "Coming from you, that's a compliment."

"Tell you what." Wingill replied as he raised his claws, more water appearing, "Here's another little something coming from me." He then unleashed a barrage of water bullets, Soarin trying to zigzag around them.

"GYAH!" He grunted as one his him in the chest, pushing him back before three more hit his side, making him spiral downward. A cry of pain followed this, crashing head first as he hit the dirt.

"SOARIN!" Heart cried, the others watching with grimaces on their faces.

"He's not gonna be able to take much more punishment like that," Cold commented with a blank face, "He's got to get out of there."

"How?" Trixie asked, "Even if he escapes, Terror can just look into the future and see where he's hiding."

"So what's he gonna do?" Heart added.

"The only thing he can do." They all turned to Springer, "Win this." He then looked at them, "He's not giving up." The group glanced back at the screen, now seeing Soarin picking himself up again as Springer continued,, "And we shouldn't give up on him either. He can still win. We just have to believe in him."

Back at the battle...

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Terror mocked as she and Wingill watched him take to the air.

"I'll never quit. My friends are counting on me and they believe in me. I won't let their support go unrewarded." And as he whispered this, the glow that had been on his shoulder before reappeared, slowly beginning to spread across his body. "It doesn't matter what you throw at me!" Soarin roared as he charged at them at high speed. "I won't let you take me down!"

"Let's test that theory!" Wingill laughed as he threw a blast of water, Terror firing the strongest beam she could muster at the same time. But as the attacks came, the pegasus didn't slow down.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He yelled as he took both head-on, the blows exploding and covering him in a cloud of smoke.

"SOARIN!" His friends all screamed, now seeing the black fog start to rise.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Wingill cheered, Terror clapping her hooves as well. But as they did this, the cloud began to fade, only for both to go wide-eyed as Wingill yelped, "Huh?! He's okay?!" His eyes were now staring at a hovering Soarin, a light golden aura now wrapping around the pegasi's body. The sight made him turn to Terror, "Shoot, he even looks more than okay!"

"What's going on?!" Terror asked as the light flew off Soarin, forming a small orb of light that circled Soarin several times before flying upward. The light then exploded into a beam, striking Soarin in the back.

He let out a gasp as he felt the light go directly to his brain, the mental chains in his mind breaking. The pegasi's eyes shot open, revealing they were now pure white. Everypony gasped at the sight, Cold squinting his eyes at the pegasi as he said, "That's...the Theta State."

"No...its more like Flash's Theta Mode." Springer added. "I can tell just by looking at him."

"What's this?" Soarin asked as he stared at his hooves, every sense in his body feeling like they'd been dialed up to eleven.

"Whatever it is, its not enough to save you!" Wingill yelled as Soarin looked down to see the hippogriff unleashing another barrage of water bullets. But as they came, Soarin blinked at the sight, now seeing the bullets slow move toward him. He felt as if the word had slowed down, everything moving at a snail's pace.

"That's supposed to scare me?!" He asked before completely vanishing, the first wave of bullets about to fly into the distance until Soarin reappeared within the barrage. He then vanished again before zigzagging up to Wingill in mere milliseconds.

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" Wingill screamed as he felt Soarin deal a powerful blow to his face, sending him flying down the street.

Terror gasped at the sight, only to see the pegasi charging at her as well. She quickly fired a magic beam right at the pegasi, only for him to duck right under it, not losing any speed as he continued to charge at her. And before she could fire another, Soaring appeared in front of her, dealing a quintet of high speed punches into her chest.

"Augh!" she winced, only to feel two backhooves slam into her face, knocking her back as well.

"Aw yeah! He's kicking flank!" Heart yelled into the screen.

Trixie clapped her hooves in agreement, "No kidding! Theta Mode's letting him move at continuous high speed....but how the heck did he get it?"

"Flash..." Cold replied while rubbing his chin in thought, "That golden light had to have been the Sacred Light. I had no idea other ponies could be effected by it."

The group glanced at the knight before looking back at the screen, now seeing Wingill charge at Soarin. "You'll pay for that!" He yelled as he summoned another water dragon, this one appearing behind Soarin. The pegasi just smirked at this, turning around before pulling his hoof back and then firing off a high speed punch that sent out a burst of air so strong it dispersed the dragon upon impact.

Soarin then spun around again, zipping right up to Wingill, his hoof slamming the hippogriff's chest, "Gyah!" He yelped before flaring his wings, making him come to a quick stop as he barked back, "Don't think you've won! You might be fast, but you're still no match for the two of us."

As he said this, Terror pulled a Tower card out of her cape and tossed it into the air. And as it spun around, Soarin shot up to Wingill, dealing a barrage of quick jabs and kicks to him. Wingill felt every small blow, trying to counter with a swipe of his claws, only for Soarin to easily to put both his back hooves into Wingill's face, kicking off him with a final attack.

And as he landed from dealing that blow, the Tower card stopped upright before unleashing a burst of lightning. Soarin looked up at the bolt, leaping back to avoid it and allow the electricity to hit the ground instead. But the magic would not stop there, instead shooting off the ground before spinning around and forming a ring of lightning around the Wonderbolt.

But as it did this, Soarin brought his front hooves and wings close to his body, balancing them on his back hooves. Seconds later, the ring unleashed a barrage lightning bolts from one side to the other, Soarin then ducking and weaving the top half of his body side to side like a professional boxer. Every bolt missed, all of them flying everywhere before the ring began to disperse.

"What?!" A bewildered Terror and Wingill both asked, Soarin turning to them with pure white eyes.

"Time to show you my true power!" he replied as he spread his wings wide. With that, the pegasus shot at them at blistering speeds, Wingill and Terror both firing whatever attack they could conjure. But Soarin easily dodged both, now getting closer as Wingill then pushed Terror to the side as Soarin reached him.

And just like that, time seemed to come to a stop as everything except Soarin froze. As this happened, the pegasus dealt the hippogriff a powerful punch to the lower jaw, only to spin around and deal a high speed kick to his chest. This was followed by another gut punch, then a tail slap to the face and a quick strike to the neck.

As for everypony watching, Soarin just looked like a blur of movement, his attacks constantly getting faster and stronger with each blow. And as Soarin mentally counted the blows he was making and reached the ninety-nine, he stopped his onslaught before leaping back a good fifty feet. From the moment of Soarin's first punch to now, only ten seconds had passed. And as everypony began to catch up to Soarin's movements, the pegasus exploded off the ground with a mighty sonic boom, rocketing toward the dazed and dizzy Wingill at over two hundred miles an hour.

"NOOOOO!" Terror screamed, unable to do anything as Soarin curled into a high-speed spinning ball. And once he got within range, Soarin exploded out of the ball and thrust both back legs right into Wingill.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAH!" The hippogriff screamed as a hundred strikes worth of pain finally caught up with him, causing him to go flying into a building at high-speed. Everypony watched as he went right through the structure, the whole place collapsing before hitting a second building. This blow caused the entire wall to crack, a cry of pain coming right after that.

"WINGILL!" Terror yelled before turning to Soarin, seeing him turn to her with a glare. She almost screamed before her horn sparked, the mare vanishing in a flash of light.

And as the Wonderbolt turned back to the hippogriff, he saw the pony pull himself out of a pile of rubble...only to slump over. His body began to turn to dust as he whispered, "Master Shadow...I'm sorry."

Four years ago...

Wingill was flying over a forest while on his way to a village, planning to rest there before heading off on his next adventure. Over the last four years, the hippogriff had explored every recess of the world he could find. He had met many different creatures in that time, some accepting him with open arms and some rejecting him as a strange outsider. Some had even tried to capture him for various reasons, though Wingill managed to escape every time.

But in all that time, he couldn't find anypony strong enough to defeat the Storm King.

"HELP!" Wingill was pulled from his thoughts as he looked down to see a raging river that ended in a waterfall. And in that river was a screaming silver unicorn mare being dragged down the rapids.

"HANG ON!" He yelled as he shot down and skimmed the river, trying to grab the mare in his claws. But before he could get a hold of her, she was pulled underneath the water. Wingill growled before shooting ahead and diving under the water, morphing into his seapony form and going upstream.

He reached the mare and grabbed her as the two got closer to the falls, Wingill using the momentum of the waterfall to rocket out and get back into the air. And in a flash of light, he returned to his true form and gripped her in his claws while spreading his wings.

The two flew to the top of the falls, Wingill dropping the mare while getting a better look at her. The unicorn's mane and tail were white with multicolored tips and she was slender with a painting pallet for a cutie mark. "You alright?" He asked as she coughed up some water...only to look up at him with a giant smile on her lips.

"Oh yes. I was never in any danger." Wingill raised an eyebrow at this, only for her horn to spark, making her vanish before reappearing behind him as she said, "My master just wanted to get a look at your ability."

"Master?" Wingill asked, only to suddenly wince as he felt his entire body get snagged by something. Looking down, he now saw a barrage of dark chains wrapping around his body, leaving only his head free. "Augh!" He cried as he fell over, now trying to wiggle free.

"Hello there." called out a new voice, Wingill blinking as he looked up to see a gray unicorn that was covered in scars, "I've heard a lot about you. The creature that can fly and survive underwater."

"Urgh...what about it?!" Wingill barked back as he continued to wiggle. "Let me go or you'll be sorry!"

"I doubt that. Besides, the only reason I have those chains around you is to make sure you don't run off before hearing my offer." These words made Wingill come to a stop, the sight making the pony chuckle, "Intrigued?"

"Depends. What do you want?"

"Simple. I'm interested in those types of abilities you have. They could be useful in my future I wish to create. As such, I want your abilities under my command."

"And why would I agree to that?" Wingill asked, only for the chains to tighten.

"Because if you don't, I can make things very problematic for you."

"Cute, but I don't scare easily. I don't let fear stop me from fulfilling my mission."

This made the unicorn raise an eyebrow, "Mission?"

"I'm looking for somepony. Somepony strong that can help me take somepony really powerful down. Then my people can be free."

And as he said this, a low chuckle came from the unicorn as he replied, "I think your mission is at an end, as there's nopony stronger than me. Watch this." A gray cloud appeared on the tip of his horn next, only to turn and fire it at a nearby tree. Wingill watched and gasped as he saw the pillar of lumber turn to dust, the unicorn turning back to him. "Join me and I promise I'll help you fix your little problem."

The Present...

"So disappointing," Shadow sighed as he watched Wingill disappear. "These ponies are starting to get annoying. One by one they keep getting more powerful without explanation. Its honestly making me sick just watching this."

"I'm sure that was the last one master," Tempera added.

Shadow didn't reply, instead switching the channel to show Armalum's battle. "You'd better prove yourself. I can't accept any more failures from you or anypony else. Win this battle or else Armalum."

Despite not actually hearing him say it, Armalum could feel his master's presence and the words he would use. The living armor felt a sense of worry flow through him as he stared the two down. "I will not fail you master. I will win this battle."

And with one combatant now vanished from the battlefield, the war continued as Flash and Ruby charged at Armalum, all ready to finish this fight once and for all.

Author's Note

Now I know a lot of you are probably getting sick of the power up everypony's getting and this seems like the least deserved one, but I had to. The first reason is that Theta mode is a power I really like and with Sacred Light mode Flash rarely uses it any more, part of the reason I removed it at the start of the series, and second is that if anyone should get to use it then Soarin should. Hope that clears things up.

Some of you are also probably wondering about the Hierophant card she used, which didn't appear to do anything. Well the fact is, it did work. This is the effect I have written down for that card.

The Hierophant - Someone new will appear and help the user

Reversed Hierophant - Someone new will appear and help the opponent

Speaking of these cards, I never gave my thanks to my editor AandWguy. Most of the effects you see of these cards were made up by him. So thanks man.

The Crystal Rose

Within the dark void of his own mind, Sombra floated inside the darkness.

His body was wrapped up in dark chains, his mind blank while still being conscious. Every thought that began to form simply fizzled away before it could become whole, leaving him completely brain-dead despite being very much alive. He couldn't do anything. Not move, not open his eyes, not able to ask where he was or why he was there.

He was just...there.

And as he floated in infinite nothingness, the only thing stopping him from succumbing to madness was a single image that kept appearing in his head. It was a picture of a mare he could barely remember, but that seemed to mean the world to him.

"Ruby..."

The mare in question was now charging at the entity controlling Sombra, Flash right beside her. She and Armalum were the first to meet, the unicorn's sword being blocked by the armored pony's scythe's handle, Ruby leaping back from the guard. As she did this, Armalum spun around, swinging his weapon with a horizontal swipe, Flash ducking under it while sliding along the ground.

"Flash Cutter!" He struck the armor's chest with his glowing sword, cracking it before flaring his wings. Armalum slammed his scythe down at this, Flash spinning on the ground to dodge the blade. As this happened, Ruby reappeared as she swung her blade down on Armalum's head, only for the handle to block it.

This continued to happen as Flash got back onto his hooves. Flash thrusted his blade first, Armalum meeting it with his scythe before spinning it and bonking Ruby's head with the end of the handle. He then followed this with swinging the handle at Flash, the defender ducking under it before Ruby tried to slash him again, the blade end blocking her sword. Armalum spun around again, two clangs coming out next as his scythe hit both blades.

And as this sound rang out, Armalum slammed his weapon into the ground. A red energy crack came next, Flash taking to the air while Ruby began backflipping as an explosion followed this. Armalum chuckled at this, a cloud of smoke coming from the explosion while he sat within the fog. But as he did this, Flash yelled out, "Flash Driver!" He morphed into a drill of light that shot right through the smoke, Armalum countering with a blast of magic from his horn. The beam hit the drill, the magic slowing down he attack as Armalum side-stepped away from the drill.

And as Flash flew past him, Ruby appeared in a flash of light, "Raaah!" she roared as she slammed a crystal-covered hoof into Armalum's face, cracking his mask.

"Augh!" he yelped as he staggered back just as Flash landed by Ruby.

"Let's hit him with a force attack!" He said while pointing his blade.

"No, that's too powerful. He might be dusted away."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"If he's dusted, we won't be able to get the armor off of him." She magically broke the crystal spike off her hoof and reshaped it into her sword. "I'm ending this."

"Ruby-" Flash tried to say before hearing a roar of laughter. They both turned to see Armalum with the cracks in his armor now being fading as slime soaked into the pieces.

"Shouldn't you be more focused on me?!" He laughed before swinging his scythe, unleashing a wave of dark red energy. The knights brought up their weapons at this, blocking the attack. But as they felt the blow hit them, they were knocked off their hooves, both going flying back and crashing into a nearby building.

"Ouch," Heart, Springer and Trixie flinched at the sight.

Cold shook his head at this, his face completely blank as he stared at the screen, "Ruby, you have to pull yourself together." He watched as Flash and Ruby pushed themselves back up, Armalum now trying to cut both down as Ruby summoned a crystal shield to stop the blade. As she did this, Flash hopped out of the rubble, now looking for his sword that he had dropped from the previous blow.

His vision then turned to the table, now seeing Soarin's dot flying through the city, searching for Terror after defeating Wingill. He then turned to Springer, "Springer, can you still communicate with ponies other than Flash?"

"I think so."

"Try and contact Soarin and direct him towards Terror."

Springer nodded and closed his eyes.

Back in the city...

Soarin zipped by some buildings, the wind from him sweeping up tons of rubble around him. "Soarin!" He pulled himself to a stop and twitched his ears, looking around as more words entered his head. "Can you hear me?"

He did a quick nod. "Yeah, I hear ya. Barely though."

"That's fine. Terror Card is to your left, about six streets over. You'll need to be fast in case she sees you coming, if you know what I mean."

"Got it," Soarin replied before zipping up high. Flying above the buildings, he smirked as he saw Terror come out of an alleyway. "Gotcha!" Entering Theta Mode, he shot forward so fast that he made a sonic boom. This would prove to be his downfall as Terror's ears spiked at the sudden noise, causing her to teleport before Soarin could reach her.

"To your left!" Soarin spun around next, Terror firing a beam at him. The Wonderbolt easily ducked under the attack, watching it fly over him in slow motion before charging at the unicorn by as he did this, she summoned a magic shield over her whole body.

"Hey! Come out of there!" He yelled as he tackled the shield, soon punching it with a series of rapid blows.

"And let you pummel me into the ground like you did Wingill?" She asked, "No thanks."

"Aah!" Ruby cried as the bottom of Armalum's scythe bonked her head, Armalum spinning his blade next to hit with the top. But as he tried to do this, Flash fired a Flash Cutter, making him leap away to dodge the energy attack. He then fired a beam from his horn, Flash going into Theta Mode to side-step the blast.

As this happened, Ruby fired a crystal arrow into Armalum's side, making him cry out, "Augh!" he began to stagger from the blow, only to turn swing his blade at Ruby, firing an energy wave from the scythe.

"Flash Driver!" Armalum turned to see a light drill coming, the armored pony leaping to side to dodge the attack. But as he did this, Ruby slammed her hooves into the ground, summoning a wave of crystal spikes at him. He countered by thrusting his scythe into the dirt, unleashing a red crack that hit the crystals head-on. An explosion followed this, only for Flash to yell, "Flash Grinder!"

A wheel of light came next, Armalum pumping every bit of Sombra's magic into his horn. Darkness fired out of his horn, a black beam coming next as it hit the wheel. And as it struck, the beam cut through the wheel, knocking Flash out of the attack as he tried to block the beam with his sword. But as he did this, the attack pushed him down the street, his hooves now grinding as it carved a small trench in the floor.

And when the beam came to a stop, Flash fell over with a smoking sword in his hooves. Armalum chuckled at the sight before turning to Ruby. "Raaaaaaaaaah!" She roared with a crystal sword in her hoof, Armalum still chuckling as he spun around. With one swing his scythe hit the side of her blade, shattering it to pieces before the bottom handle smacked Ruby's face. "Augh!" she yelped before Armalum spun around again, this time smacking her face with the bladed portion of the scythe, "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed, now falling over with a shallow cut opening up on her face.

Armalum laughed at this, shaking his head while raising his scythe upward, "You fought admirably, but you will no long distract me from my true goal."

Flash let out a low groan as he opened his eyes at this moment, now seeing Ruby about to be eliminated. He gasped at the sight as a golden aura began to shine off of him. Armalum's scythe began to make its way down when an explosion of light made him turn to see Flash shooting at him like a meteor. His horn sparked at this, trying to summon a shield before a hoof slammed into his face.

The blow sent him flying into a building, a gasp of pain coming out of his mouth as Flash came to a stop above Ruby. The Sacred Light was now on his body as he stared at the knight, Ruby barely breathing as he hoisted her onto his back.

And as Armalum pulled himself out of a wall, he saw Flash stare at him before his whole body exploded into a burst of light. Armalum cried out in pain at this, guarding his eyes with his hoof before seeing Flash and Ruby were now gone.

A moment of silence followed this as he now saw his prey gone, making him yell, "NO!"

Meanwhile...

"Arcana of the Empress!" Terror yelled as the dome around her and Soarin shrank around her before exploding, the light now restoring her magical power.

Despite this, Soarin just smirked at the sight before charging at her at intense speed. The seer saw his punch coming, her how sparking as she tried fire a spell, only for a hoof to slam into her face, "AAAAHH!" She yelped as she stagger back, now clutching her likely broken nose. But as she did this, she threw another card upward.

Seeing the card, he tried to punch her again, only for his hoof to bounce off a shield. Feeling the barrier, he started a flurry of punches, the unicorn seeing her shield shake. "Get out of there and face me!"

"Not a chance!" Terror barked back as she kept switching her vision from Soarin and the card. And as the card stopped, she yelled out, "Arcana of the Moon!"

Soarin gasped at those words, flaring his wings to fly away. But before he could even react, a black fog covered his face. "No!" he said as he started to swing his hooves at the smoke.

"HA!" Terror laughed, "Your new abilities are impressive, but they're useless if you can't see what's coming!" She then flinched as her broken nose flared in pain, the unicorn reaching into her cape and pulling out another card. Her eyes glowed as she looked over the results, only to nod to herself before throwing the card up. And as she did this, she turned to Soarin with a big grin and lit her horn.

But when she fired a beam right at the pegasi, he turned to her and side-stepped the attack with ease.

"WHAT?! But...but you can't see!?!"

"True, but I can hear just fine," Soarin replied as he stared at her despite the fog in his face, "The Theta State isn't just about being fast, it's about processing information fast. The second you cast that spell, my ears picked it up and told my brain where you probably are and where your attack was heading."

Terror growled at this just as her card stopped spinning, the Priestess card now facing right side up. The dome shrank around Terror, healing her broken nose as she began blasting rapid fire spells at Soarin. But as she did this, the pegasi quickly flew around, going in circles at high speed, dodging each blast.

And as she finished as barrage before taking a moment to catch her breath, the darkness from the Moon card began to fade. "There you are!" He yelled, charging down right at her as she let out a yelp, teleporting away a split second later. "No! Shoot!" The Wonderbolt sighed before clenching his eyes, "Springer? I need some help."

"Got it. She's on the next street to your left."

"Thanks." Soarin replied before zipping up onto a nearby building. Having learned his previous failure of making too much sound, he crawled over to the street, looking down from the roof. There he saw Terror still panting, trying to catch her breath as he flared his wings. Her eyes glowed at this second, making her gasp as she turned to pegasi as he swooped down. "Wonderbolt Kick!"

"AUGH!" She cried as tried to make a barrier, only for Soarin to smash right through it and slamming a hoof right into her face. A small stream of blood came out of her face next, making her clutch her nose as she yelped, "Not again!"

Across the city...

Hiding in a building several streets away from their battle site, Flash placed Ruby down against the wall before taking a look at the gash she had received. "Not too deep." he commented, "You should be okay. Heck, you should count yourself lucky."

"Why?" She asked with her eyes closed.

"Well, anywhere else and this would probably leave a major scar. But if Cold can get a sword through his chest and wake up the next day without a scratch, I think you'll be fine."

"Yay me," she huffed before looking away, "You shouldn't have run. In Sacred Light mode, you would have easily beaten him."

"I thought you didn't want me to beat him? If using our Force attacks was too powerful, me going Sacred Light would definitely have been too much." Flash replied with crossed hooves, only to be met with silence. Sighing at this, Flash put a hoof on Ruby's shoulder and asked, "Ruby, what's going on?"

"I already told you, I want to weaken the other team. And to do that, we have to take Sombra out of the picture."

"Yeah...and why do I think that's a load of horseapples?!" Ruby shot a glare at him, growling as he gave her a deadpan stare, "Ruby...I wouldn't have much right to call myself the Knight of Friendship if I couldn't tell when my friend is lying to me....even if I'm not the Element of Honesty. I also wouldn't have that right if I couldn't tell if that same friend was feeling upset about something. This is about more than just weakening Shadow's team, isn't it?"

"No, it-"

"If it wasn't Sombra," Flash interrupted her. "If let's say, Doom Raizer was the one Armalum was controlling, and getting him out of the armor would lead to the exact same thing, would you care that much?!" Ruby's head leaned back at his words, looking away again as she tried to talk.

"I...I'd...I-"

"What if it was Electra, or Dark Mist, or any other villain you've ever faced?! Look me in the eye and tell me that you would do the same thing you're doing right now."

Ruby turned to him again, her eyes trying to stare at him...only to look away. "I...I...wouldn't." she let out a small sniff as she continued, "I admit it. If it wasn't Sombra under that armor, I would simply try and beat them like any other opponent."

Flash sighed, shaking his head as he responded, "Ruby, you can't let your anger at Sombra control you like this. I know he did some terrible things, but unless you let it go, you'll never be able to move on with your life."

"I...."

The defender could hear the hesitation in her voice, making him speak up, "Listen Ruby, after that first battle me and you had with Sombra, I...I had nightmares about it." She turned to him with raised eyebrows, Flash sighing as he continued, "I...couldn't move on after that fight. I felt I had lost and...I pushed everypony I cared about away from me. It wasn't till a certain friend of mine showed me that I didn't have to...well, I didn't have to sit there and frown all the time."

Ruby just stared at him, no life in her eyes or mouth. The sight made Flash sigh again as he said, "Ruby, you have to let go. I know you can't forgive him for what he did to you, but....but..." Flash's words came to a stop as he stared at her, now seeing the expression on her face. It showed only one thing, indecision. The sight made his heart stop as he asked, "Ruby...are you not angry at him?"

"No, I am," she corrected him. "At least...I think I am."

"No...I don't think you are." Flash replied as he gripped her shoulders, "I don't want to say this, but you're not thinking you still care about him but can't bring yourself to forgive him so it's better if he's just gone....right?"

The Crystal Knight shook at his words, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Um...maybe? I don't know." she muttered out before wiping her eyes, "Despite everything Sombra did to me and the empire, I...I just can't forget about the pony he used to be. The colt I spent every day playing with until I left to train as a knight. M-m-my friend."

"Ruby, Sombra is-"

"I know Flash!" She yelled, making the defender close his mouth as she continued, "I...know. I know he isn't the same pony as that colt. Heck, he's not even the same species. But every time I look at Armalum….I can't help but remember the pony under the armor. And when I remember him, I can't help but wonder what might have happened if I hadn't left him, or if I had asked to bring him with me. Maybe Luna and the other princesses could have found a way to help him. I just...I just wished I could have stayed by his side...but now it's too late. He's back to haunt me again."

Flash released his grip from Ruby, falling on his flank as he muttered out, "So that's why you want him to...crumble."

"It's better that way. Sombra could finally rest in peace and I can get on with my life." She whimpered out, those words making Flash look back up at her with a distinct glare. The other knight saw this, raising an eyebrow as she asked, "What?"

"Ruby, you know it wouldn't be better that way. Sombra can't rest in peace, and you won't be able to move on until the two of you actually talk about this. You need to tell him what you just told me. Only then can the two of you move on."

"How?!" Ruby barked back, "The second we take that armor off, Sombra will start to fall apart! And even if we managed to find a way to stabilize him, what's to stop him from attacking us?! What's to say he's any different from the monster that enslaved an entire nation?!"

Flash didn't reply at this, rubbing his forehead next as he sighed at her question. But as he did this, he felt a small pulse below him, making him look down at his scar. He felt a small surge, not pain, but nothing pleasant. Blinking at the feeling, he got up and stared down at Ruby, "Well...we won't know if he's any different until we save him from that armor."

"What?" Ruby asked with wide-eyes.

"Let's do it. Let's find a way to save him." Flash replied while leaning over and giving Ruby his hoof, "Come on, we got work to do. Heck, if we do find a way to save him, I have a feeling he'll be more than open to talk to you."

"Wh...why?"

Flash ran his other hoof along his scar, "Call it a hunch."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, only to let out a giggle, "For as long as I've known you, you've never made much sense. But I know that whenever you get a feeling like that, you have a way of making the impossible possible."

"Isn't doing the impossible the job of a Royal Knight?"

"No...but its definitely the job of the Knight of Friendship." She pushed herself back to her hooves, only to feel the floor shake. Both turned to the building's window, now seeing Armalum on a rooftop a street away, firing multiple blasts. The sight made the duo look at each other as she asked, "Alright, what's the plan?"

Several minutes later...

Armalum had teleported down off the roof, growling as he roared, "Where are you?! Answer me, you cowards!" Only silence followed this, making him screech, "Don't think hiding will get you anywhere! I will find you, and when I do, I'll crush you into the ground and show master Shadow my true worth!"

"I think you've shown him your true worth pretty well." Armalum spun around to the voice, now seeing Flash lazily step out of an alleyway, swinging his sword around like he didn't have a care in the world. "You've shown him how pathetic you really are."

"You dare try and mock me?! I've been around before your great great great grandparents pulled themselves out of the mud!" He fired a blast of magic next, the pegasus sidestepping it with ease, "I have lived longer than any creature alive, and will continue to live long after you and your descendent turn to dust."

"That's a pretty long life," Flash chuckled, "Sounds like it'll get pretty boring. But even if you do live that long, you'll only have done it by stealing the life of others. What kind of life is that?"

"Mine!"

"Not anymore," Flash pointed his sword at him. "It's time somepony stopped you from stealing lives. When I'm done with you, I'll make sure you're locked up somewhere nopony will ever be able to find you. Sure, you'll outlive me and my descendants, but you won't harm anypony anymore."

"You honestly think I'd let you do that?!"

"You won't have a choice." With that, Flash ran at Armalum as a veil of light began to hum off him. Then, he leapt into the air as he yelled, "Armorize!" With that, light exploded off of him, the unicorn firing blasts as Flash began to summon his armor.

Every beam from the unicorn bounced off the light around Flash, the pegasi then flying up and punching him in the face. "AUGH!" he yelped as he staggered back, Flash pulling his light sword off his back as began slashing at Armalum with both it and Lightbringer. Armalum growled with each strike, now summoning his scythe to block the swords, Flash and him getting inches from one another's face.

"Sombra..." the pegasus growled, "I know you can hear me."

"He hears nothing!" Armalum roared as he pushed Flash back, firing another beam from his horn. But as he did this, the knight swung his Celestic Gear, deflecting the magic with a single swipe.

"I don't believe that!" Flash yelled as he thrust his sword, this time managing to nick the mask of the helmet, "I know Sombra's in there!" Another pulse from his scar made him grunt as the Sacred Light did its job, keeping the pain down as he fought. "Come on Sombra!" Armalum unleashed a burst of red lightning that Flash held his sword up to block, "Fight it!" And as he pushed the lightning back, the pegasi then slammed a hoof into Armalum's face, knocking him back again as he said, "You're stronger than this stupid piece of tin!"

"ENOUGH!" Armalum screamed as he swung his scythe, this swipe knocking Flash back. The blow hit Flash's blade out of his hooves, Armalum then thrusting his scythe downward as he yelled, "Sombra is mine to control!" But as the blade swung down, Flash instantly vanished, the scythe then hitting the ground.

Armalum looked up next, seeing Flash appear as he took out both swords of light. He quickly appeared in front of Armalum next, slashing at with a barrage of quick thrusts, "What gives you the right to treat him like that?!" He yelled as cracks began to form in the living armor, "You're nothing but a parasite, and I won't let you do this anymore!" He brought his swords together and raised a now single shining blade above his head before bringing it crashing down upon Armalum.

The armour tried to bring up a shield at this, only for the magic dome to begin to crack at the first touch of the blade, "No..." he grunted out, "Hold!" But it was too late, as the barrier shattered, slamming down on Armalum as he screamed, "GYAAAAAAAAAH!"

Splinters of his armor began to splatter everywhere, cracks all over the body now. But as Flash saw the armor melt, the pony kneeling down to his hind legs as he kept a hold on Sombra's body, the armor spoke up, "Why should you care if I'm treating Sombra like this? I've seen his memories. I've seen what he did the Crystal Empire...how he beat you. After everything he did, you should be happy he's like this. How is what I'm doing any different from what he's done?!"

Flash sighed at the question, "Nothing. It's exactly the same."

"So why do you care?!" Armalum spat back, "He's confined and I get a body to use. It's a win-win! So why stop me?!"

"Because I'm not like Sombra," Flash replied, "If I left him like this, I'd be no better than him." He pointed his blades at him, "I'm a Royal Knight, and our duty is to save all those who need saving, even if those ponies are ones that have caused us or the ones we care about harm."

Armalum growled as a few of his cracks sealed themselves up, "Then you're a fool."

"I'm fine being a fool. If being wise means I have to be like you or Shadow..." he spread his wings and charged with a smirk, "Then I'm happy being a fool the rest of my life!" Armalum hissed as he then fired bolts of red lightning, the pegasi quickly spinning into a drill in response, "FLASH DRIVER!" The lightning struck him as he formed the attack, only to bounce off as he kept spinning.

Armalum gasped as he tried to summon a shield, only for the drill to tear right through. The drill dug right into the armor's chest, Flash then dismissing the attack before pinning Armalum with a well-timed tackle. "This worked before," Flash commented as his chest armor opened to reveal the scar. The X mark glowed like it had last time, though not as brightly, the light touching a cracked piece of Armalum, making him cry out in pain.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he tried to punch Flash, the defender dodging the first two before the metal hooves smacked his chin, "Get off of me!" Armalum roared as he then thrust his back hooves into Flash, catapulting him off as Flash flared his wings, stopping in mid-air.

Flash then pulled the swords off his back and merged them into an orb. "Flash FORCE!" The laser exploded out of the sphere, hitting the still downed armored unicorn. He screeched in pain, cracks appearing everywhere in his armor. 'That's it. Just a little more. Enough for Ruby to take the final step.' Flash stopped his Force attack and charged at the pony, Armalum summoning his scythe despite the pain and swinging it wildly. But as he did this, Flash flapped his wings to push himself backward, evading the blade's reach.

And as he did this, a light shined over the pegasi before copies of the defender began to appear, all of them now circling Armalum. The armor growled at the swarm of Flash, slashing at the first one he could. But as he did this, another Flash clone appeared at his side, slamming a fist into the armor. The blow caused yet another crack, two more clones hitting the others side. Armalum swung his scythe again, trying to push them away before three more swooped down and hit him. And as five hit him next, the armor growled as he felt a crack go across his face.

"ENOUGH!" He screeched as he unleashed a shockwave of magic, hitting the Flash army, the clones vanishing as a certain pegasi fell with a thud. "Enough games!" He then jumped onto his back hooves before thrusting his front hooves into the ground, the dirt now shaking as a quartet of crystal pillars shot out around Flash.

"Uh oh..." Flash gulped as he saw the familiar attack.

Armalum smirked beneath his mask as his horn shot out a blood red beam that that struck the top of the pyramid. "Spirit...BREAKER!" Red lightning surged around the pillars, ready to drain Flash of his energy.

But as this happened, Flash grabbed his light swords and crossed them, holding them up as the lightning shot down. The blades deflected the bolt, Flash yelling as he tried to his swords together, "RAAAAAAAAH!" The lightning splattered all over the pyramid, zapping and singing the defender. And as the bolt began to lose its energy, he swung his swords like a top, shattering the pyramid in one slice.

"WHAT?! HOW?!" Armalum yelped as he Flash turned to him and brought his swords together to form an orb.

"FLASH FORCE!" Another laser struck Armalum in the chest, making him scream in pain as cracks covered his body. And as he did this, Flash kept pushing as he thought, 'Ruby, I hope you're ready. You're not gonna get a better opening then this.'

At the same time...

Up on a high building, Ruby stood watching the battle, the knight thinking the same thing as she saw Flash hit Armalum. Floating above her was a giant crystal bow with an arrow that had a battering ram like end. And as Armalum staggered back from the ending of Flash's attack, she whispered, "Alright..." she brought the bow down and closed one eye, "Sombra….If you're in there, now's the time to come out."

With that, she fired the arrow into the chaos. Only one of the two saw the attack coming, Flash now bringing out his swords again as he yelled, "Flash Dual Cutter!" He swung them in an cross formation, unleashing an X-shaped blade of light. Armalum quickly summoned a shield, only to see the blast shatter it in one blow, but dissipate at the same time.

"You won't defeat me!" Armalum screeched as he pulled his scythe back.

"I wasn't trying to beat you," Flash replied with a smirk, "I just needed to wear you down and distract you!" Armalum gasped at his words, his eyes glancing around to see the arrow now coming. But as he tried to spark his horn, the arrow struck his chest, the impact knocking him back as all but his helmet shattered off Sombra's body.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, pieces of the armor scattering everywhere as Flash leapt back from the sight.

A flash of light appeared next, making him turn to see Ruby as she asked, "Did it work?" She got her answer as Armalum picked himself up, the knight seeing that the helmet was still on while the many shattered pieces turned into their sludge form. "I don't think so!" She grabbed Flash and teleported them both over to Armalum before slamming the ground. Before any of the slime could react, a crystal pyramid shot out the ground, surrounding the trio.

"That should keep the slime away," she grunted. "But we can't stay in here long, it's air tight."

Flash nodded and ran up to Armalum, the pony staggering back, "Stay away!" He tried to fire a blast from his horn, only for the horn to sputter out. "No!" he yelled before Flash tackled him to the ground, the scar on his chest glowing again. "NOOOOO!"

Ruby gasped as the light from the scar began to envelop them both, Armalum crying out in pain while Flash's face scrunched up, flinching in pain as well. The Crystal Knight cried out at the sight, "Flash!"

"I'm fine!" Flash grunted as kept Armalum pinned, "Come on Sombra...wake up!"

Ruby also began to call out, her voice's tone slowly growing louder, "Sombra. Sombra! SOMBRA!"

Within his mind, Sombra continued to float there thoughtlessly. He was no longer talking, just looking at the endless void with a long deep lifeless stare.

But as he did this, his eyes started to blink as he saw something in the distance. A light, tiny at first but bright enough to catch his attention. He turned to it, slowly drifting over to it as the light began to glow brighter.

Then, a voice began to echo through the darkness. A voice he recognised. "R-Ruby..." he moaned as the darkness around him started to fade. He could feel his brain swirl, his mind throbbing as he started to gain his own thoughts.

He looked down next, seeing chains wrapped around his body. He grunted as he began to pull at them, the metal rope slowly beginning to crack and break. "I...will not be controlled." The cracking of his chains echoed through the darkness, every broken chain followed by a surge of pain. And he wasn't the only one feeling it.

Meanwhile...

"Augh!" Shadow cried, falling off his throne as he gripped his head with his hooves.

"MASTER!" His followers yelled as they ran to his side, only for Shadow to push them away.

"Master, what's wrong?" Tempera asked as he stood back up.

"Sombra's fighting back against the magic I used to keep him suppressed," he growled as he clutched his head, staring up at the screen as he saw the sludge from Armalum's armor trying to push through the crystal pyramid. "I thought this might happen. Good thing I kept a slight connection."

"What do you mean?" Tempera asked before Shadow closed his eyes and flashed his horn, a brilliant light exploding from it that blinded everypony. And when the light faded, the group gasped as Tempera yelped, "MASTER!" Below her hooves was a passed out Shadow, his body resting on the floor as she leaned down, "Master, can you hear me? Oh no...what have you done?"

Back in Sombra's mind...

"Grrr...come on!" Sombra roared as he broke another chain. "I...will not..." But as he pulled against another chain, a new one suddenly whipped around his neck, making him cry out, "Augh!"

The chains tightened next, making him scream in pain as the darkness of the void began to cover his body. And as he felt the darkness seep into his body, a certain voice spoke up, "Naughty...naughty."

Sombra felt the chains spin him around, now turning to see Shadow materialize. The unicorn laughed at the sight before floating over and putting his hoof on Sombra's chin. "So...you thought you could break free? You, the little horn I found in a frozen wasteland that was destined to serve me...you don't get freedom."

He then turned to the source of the light before his body became consumed by shadows, morphing into his Corrupted Shadow form. "BEGONE!" he roared as his horn unleashed a beam of magic at the light.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Armalum screamed as his body suddenly burst with dark energy, Flash's eyes going wide as he felt the magic.

He only had a second to think it over when he found himself blasted off of Armalum, the power causing the pyramid to explode and send the two flying backward. "WHOA!" They both yelped, hitting the ground while the sludge began to make its way toward Sombra.

"What just happened?!" Ruby asked as they picked themselves up.

"Its Shadow!" Flash growled, "I could feel him. His Corrupted Shadow's inside Armalum. Almost like..." He stopped as they now saw the sludge begin to move up to Sombra's body, slowly forming the armor around him. He then looked back at his light swords, "If he can do it..." He let out a low breath before glancing at Ruby. "I have no idea what this is gonna do, but back me up."

"Alright," Ruby replied, knowing not to question it. Flash nodded before leaping at the armor, pulling his swords off his back and forming them into a sphere. He once again undid the armor around his chest, revealing his scar and placing the orb onto it. A flinch of pain pulsed from it, making him flinch as he got closer to Armalum.

The amour was so focused on repairing itself that it didn't notice Flash approaching, only for Shadow inside to yell, "Oh no you don't!" Another burst of magic came out next, creating a shockwave that exploded out of Sombra/Armalum. Flash raised the orb to block the wave, the pegasus feeling himself be pushed back from the attack. Shadow began to send wave after wave at this, Ruby getting knocked back as Flash kept getting closer.

The armor was almost completely formed around him at this point, only a hole in his chest un-repaired. And it was this hole that Flash thrust the orb into, causing the light to explode around them. The defender didn't know what he was doing, only to feel the Sacred Light to start forming a sphere of light around the two.

"Oookay. I hope this-" Flash tried to commented before being blinded by the light, only to blink as he then found himself floating in a void, "Works....huh? What is this place?" But as those words left his mouth, a beam of magic struck his chest, "AUGH!"

And as he was knocked back, he saw a certain unicorn in the darkness, "Shadow..."

"Hello. Figures you would find a way to worm yourself in here." Shadow chuckled as Sombra floated behind him, the chains rattling as they tightened, making the unicorn scream out in pain. The sight made Flash stare Shadow down, Shadow's wings flexing while Flash pulled his light swords off his back. Both charged at each other next, Flash swinging the blades in a X formation as Shadow blocked both with his wings.

The two began to push against each other as Shadow growled, "Welcome to the mindscape."

"We're in Sombra's mind?" Flash asked, Shadow nodding.

"Indeed. Me through the spell I placed on him, and you through the soul fragment he embedded within you."

"Soul fragment?" Flash yelped as they pushed themselves a part, both flying back before floating place, "Let Sombra go!"

"No. He's mine to use as I see fit."

"We'll see about that," Flash added as he threw his blades at Shadow, "Flash Cutter!" The swords morphed into crescent shapes, both flying around Shadow as he summoned a shield, blocking both. His wings then wrapped around his whole body as he charged at Flash, morphing into a dark bullet. Flash did the same, his light swords going back to his hooves as he began spinning like a drill. "Flash Driver!"

And as the two drills clashed, an explosion of light and darkness flew out in all directions.

Twenty seconds ago...

"FLASH!" Ruby shook her friend as he was laid out on the ground, still in his armored state. "Wake up!" A groan then caught her ear, making her turn to Armalum as his armor fully restored itself. The mare growled at the sight and formed a crystal sword, standing over Flash.

But before they could do anything, Flash and Shadow's attacks struck one another. Their strike resonated in the real Flash and Shadow, Flash's body unleashing a shockwave that slammed into both Ruby and Armalum. "GYAH/AUGH!" They cried as they were sent flying away from him, several buildings also being ripped apart by the energy wave.

At the same time...

"AAAAHHH!" Shadow's minions cried out as they were thrown back by the energy wave, their castle shaking from the attack.

"What's happening?!" Salix screamed.

"I don't know!" Tempera cried as she turned to laying stallion, seeing him twitch on the floor, "Oh, beloved..."

"This clearly has something to do with what Sentry just did," Storm growled as he turned to the screen, now seeing Flash laid out on the ground like Shadow. "Have they...connected?" The other two just blinked at his question, only for another shockwave to fly out of Flash and Shadow, shaking both the castle and city.

"They're gonna bring this whole place down!" Salix yelled as the wave slammed them into the wall.

"Master!" Tempera cried, only for another wave to hit her. "Master!"

Back on the battlefield...

Ruby staggered to her hooves as she saw Flash's body shake, the pegasi continuing to unleash constant pulses of energy. "What is...going on?" she muttered as she shook her head. "Flash..."

"Argh!" yelled another voice, making her turn to see Armalum pull himself out of a rubble pile, "Enough of this!" He summoned his scythe, "I'll end that freak right now!" He charged at the defender next, only for a flash of light to appear in front of him.

"RAAAH!" Ruby yelled as she appeared, her crystal sword blocking the scythe as she tried to push him back,"You're not getting anywhere near him!"

Armalum growled as he pushed her back, "Out of my way! I will kill him and you will do nothing!"

"You won't touch him!" Ruby screeched as she saw the sparks fly off their blades, "Flash and everypony else has pushed themselves to the limit during our time here, growing stronger because they had something worth pushing themselves for. Now I'll do the same!" Her horn shined as she began to summon a barrage of crystal arrows, "I won't lose to you again! I'll beat you and protect my friends!"

Meanwhile...

Soarin and Terror were still in the middle of their own fight when the wave came for them. "Whoa!" yelped the Wonderbolt as he took to the air, dodging the attack as Terror summoned a barrier. And as the wave pushed her shield, her hooves grinding into the street, she pulled out a card as Soarin dove down at her.

"Raaah!" He yelled tried to punch her, only for her to teleport behind him.

"Not as fast as before, it seems." She chuckled, "What? Didn't think I would notice?" Soarin turned to her, his breath staggering as sweat poured down his face, "I figured moving that fast was likely going to tire you out."

"Maybe...but I'm still fast enough!" He charged at her at full speed, his body slamming into her shield. The blow made her gasp, making her stagger back from the force of his attack as she threw up a card.

And as the dome went up, she teleported to the every edge of it. "You're right, you are still very fast." She glanced up at her card as it began to slow down, "But I can fix that." The card stopped right side up as Soarin kicked off the ground, the dome shrinking around her and exploding before he could make it. And as he threw a punch, Terror sidestepped the attack with ease.

"What?"

"Arcana of the Chariot!" She announced, "Now I'm as fast as you!" Soarin growled as he threw another punch, Terror ducking under this one. But as he did this, another wave suddenly rang out, making them turn to see the attack. She quickly summoned another barrier as Soarin flew over it, both gasping as they saw the wave shake the buildings around them.

"What is going on?!" she whispered before taking out an Emperor card. But when she tried to view the future, Soarin suddenly slammed into the shield, shattering it before punching her again. She tried to dodge this one, only for the pegasi's hoof to knock the card out of her magic.

"NO!" she screamed as the card went up and created the dome. Her horn sparked as she tried to fire a beam at the card, only to duck below a kick in the face from Soarin. As she did this, the card stopped, its side making Terror gasp.

The dome shrunk into Soarin, the light absorbing into the Wonderbolt next as he now felt like he had just taken a six hour nap. He cricked his hooves next as he commented, "Nice...I'm feeling good."

Terror shook as she saw the losing battle before, the Chariot card wearing off as he began to charge at her. "No, wait!" she tried to say, only for Soarin's hoof to hit her in the chest before she could even react. "Augh!" she screamed, her body flying down the street before her horn sparked, teleporting her away before she could hit the ground.

"HA!" Soarin laughed before turning to see another wave, flapping back up to dodge it as well. "Springer, where's Terror? And while you're at it, mind telling me what the heck's going on?!"

"I wish I knew. Flash fell unconscious and now his body's shooting out these waves. The whole city's being shaken to pieces."

"Great..." Soarin sighed before turning around now seeing a fleeing Terror Card in the distance. "I've gotta take her out before I can try and help him. I just hope that idiot hasn't gotten in over his head."

"FLASH GRINDER!" Flash spun into a wheel as he hit Shadow, the unicorn blocking the attack with his wings.

"Dark Lightning!" Shadow unleashed a burst of red lightning out of his horn at the wheel, Flash breaking out of the attack before blocking it with his swords. The two attacks collided, causing another explosion to fly through the mindscape, all the while another pulse of magic exploded out of them.

Neither knew this was happening as they continued, Shadow speaking up next, "Tell me, what makes you think you can defeat me? You must realize the disadvantage you have against me."

"Oh yeah?!" Flash barked back, "What's that?!"

"Since the moment I first saw you and your powers, I realized they were the perfect opposite to mine." His right wing morphed into a claw shape. "You've seen what happens when the two connect." He threw the wing at Flash, the pegasi blocking it with his blade, the two causing a shockwave that pushed them apart. "They cancel each other out."

"So?"

"So, these two abilities can't hurt one another. It's impossible to win using them."

"And your point?"

"My point is that without my power, I still have the many other magics I've acquired over the years."

"Which you obviously stole from ponies that actually worked to get them," Flash growled as he thought about the encounter of Shadow and Soul.

Shadow just laughed at his counter, "And what do you have without your power?! Nothing! You're just another worm with no way of defeating me. This battle is mine and you know it!"

"You're wrong. I don't know it and neither do you." He pulled out his swords again. "It's not just about how much power you have, but how you use it." He then charged at Shadow, the unicorn blocking the attack with his wings again. And as light and shadow clashed, creating an explosion, Flash continued, "And I'm gonna use the power I have to take you down and free Sombra!"

"Go ahead and try it!" Shadow mocked as he fired another bolt, Flash dodging it with a quick barrel roll, "You'll fail!"

"I won't." Flash replied as he put the swords together, "And even if I do, I still have to try! For Sombra and Ruby!"

"Crystal Force!" Ruby screamed as she fired the gem lased tornado at Armalum, the unicorn forming a shield to block it. And as this happened, the two then broke off from their attacks as they had to dodge another shockwave coming off of Flash.

Ruby teleported on the spot while Armalum swung his scythe, a wave of dark energy intercepting and exploding. But as the smoke was swept away, Ruby leapt at him with a crystal axe. Both weapons clanged as he blocked it, a beam coming out of the armored pony's horn next that Ruby ducked under. She then summoned a crystal boomerang from her horn, throwing it right at Armalum's face. He ducked under it as well as, only for Ruby to spin her axe around, locking it in the hook of Armalum's scythe. She pulled it down next, both sharp ends hitting the ground as Armalum grunted in frustration as his horn began to charge up, only to yelp, "AUGH!" He felt something clang his head, the boomerang now flying past them both.

"You little-"

"Crystal Sabers!" she yelled as her axe morphed into two blades, thrusting both into the armor before slashing them downward. Cracks slit themselves through the armor, making Armalum leap back as he then slammed his scythe down, unleashing a red energy crack at Ruby.

KABOOM!

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" She cried as she was blasted into the air, Armalum taking this opening to run over to Flash. But before he could try anything, another wave shot out of him, knocking him back. He grinded his hooves in the ground as he tried to not be pushed back too far, only to raise his scythe above the defender.

"Die!" he yelled as he swung the blade down, only for a flash of light to appear in front of him.

"Augh!" Ruby cried as she felt the blade pierce her chest, her horn shining as she grabbed the handle of the scythe.

Armalum chuckled as he saw the blood begin to drip out of her chest, "You're a fool."

"Thanks for the compliment." Ruby wheezed out as she kept pushing the scythe back with her magic, "Like Flash said, if being wise means I'd end up like you or Shadow, I'll happily be a fool!" With that, she pushed the blade completely back, Armalum's horn sparking as he took control of the scythe again. But as he did this, a hoof encased in crystal spikes slammed into his face, making him cry out.

"YEAH!" Heart cheered as he saw Ruby block Armalum's scythe with just her hoof, grabbing the handle before punching the armored pony in the face again. "Go Ruby! Beat that creep!"

"She's really going at it!" Trixie added before her gaze fell on Flash, "Though I hope he's alright. What is he doing?!"

"No idea." Cold commented before turning to Springer. "Anything?"

The jakhowl shook his head. He had gone into Mega Mode in hopes of increasing his power to connect to Flash, only to sigh. "Nothing! I can't contact him. Its like he's not fully there." He hissed before looking up at the screen, "What is happening to him?!"

His question went unanswered as the pegasus unleashed another energy wave, causing the city and castle to shake. Trixie gripped the table to get her balance, making her eep out, "Whatever it is, if it keeps up, it's gonna bring the whole city crashing down!"

"Agreed." Cold added, "They need to find a way to end this now before the damage is too much. Whatever you're doing in there Sentry, hurry up and do it faster."

"FLASH FORCE!" Flash yelled as he unleashed a beam of light at Shadow, the unicorn replying with his own powerful beam spell. The two blasts connected and caused an explosion bigger than any other, shockwaves now rocking the city even more.

"WHOA!" Soarin yelped as he and Terror were both knocked by a wave, Soarin getting thrown halfway down a street while Terror was sent crashing into a nearby building. Armalum and Ruby were also struck by the wave, both sent flying in different directions. Ruby slid into a pile of debris from a previously destroyed building while Armalum crashed through a still standing building, the roof then collapsing on him.

In the castle, everypony grabbed hold of each other while the unicorns put up shields to protect themselves. "This has to stop!" Cold yelled as Trixie clutched a cowering Heart. "Springer, you have to contact Flash now!"

"I'm trying!" Springer barked back as he put both paws to his head, "Come on Flash! Speak to me!"

As this happened, Ruby picked herself out of the rubble, a loud explosion now making her turn to see Armalum walk out of the destroyed building. His armor was covered in cracks, his form staggering as he tried to walk over to Flash. But as he started to get there, Ruby appeared with a sword in her hoof.

"Move."

Ruby shook her head, "Never." Armalum let out a growl as he summoned his scythe, swinging it down. And as the blade came from Ruby, she blocked it with her sword, metal grinding against each other as she said, "This...ends...now!" She pushed the scythe back, the blade bouncing up as Ruby then thrust her sword at Armalum's chest. He let out a cry of pain at this, only for Ruby to thrust at it again and again.

And as the fourth thrust was about to hit, Armalum yelled out, "ENOUGH!" He swung his weapon down again, the blade this time shattering Ruby's blocking sword.

Time seemed to slow down as the two saw what happened, only for Ruby to grab the largest shard of her sword in her hoof. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as she leapt at him, Armalum doing a horizontal swipe at the knight. But as he did this, she ducked under the blade at the last second, time around them speeding up as she put everything into a single thrust of her hoof.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Armalum screamed as the shard pressed into his chest, even digging into Sombra's flesh. The pain was felt by not only Armalum, but the dark king and all those in his mind. The two armored ponies clutched their chests while Sombra's eyes filled with tears.

"SOMBRA!" His eyes shot open at the sound of his friend's voice, "You have to wake up! If you don't, this entire city's gonna be destroyed!"

"What?!"

"Whatever Flash is doing in there, it's sending out shockwaves that's ripping this whole city apart! You have to free yourself! It's the only way!" Ruby screamed as she pushed every last bit energy into her voice, "Please..." he heard her say, knowing sorrow was in her voice, "Come back to me."

The words seemed to light a fire in Sombra, making him struggle and squirm in the chains. But as he did this, Shadow turned to him and yelled, "NO! You belong to me!"

"No he doesn't!" Flash roared as he tackled Shadow, "He belongs to nopony!" He then punched the unicorn in the face as he added, "It's time you realised that!"

"Get off me, you worm!" Shadow screeched as he flared his wings, knocking Flash back before forming an orb of darkness out of his horn, "His life is mine! You need to realise you're outclassed!" He fired the sphere, Flash taking off his light swords as he put them together, making an orb as well as he fired a beam from the ball.

And as the light and darkness began to touch, time seemed to stop.

At the same time in the real world, a brilliant burst of light exploded out of the ground and formed a pillar. The sight caught everypony's attention, all turning to see the light begin to curve around before flying over the battlefield. It went right through the battlefield's shield, the light going straight for Ruby and Armalum. The Crystal Knight gasped before leaping away from Armalum, seconds before the light struck him.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his voice, Ruby going wide-eyed as she saw the armor's cracks grow large and connect to one another. She could only sit there and watch as the light consumed the armored pony.

And as this happened, Flash and Shadow were inches from having their attacks connect when the light exploded through the darkness, both ponies suddenly feeling themselves freeze in place. Their minds went back to the day they had met, now feeling the same thing as before as they froze in place.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Their gaze turned to Sombra, both gasping when they saw the light touch the chains around him. Cracks covered the chains next, Sombra screaming in pain as he then felt the metal ropes shatter and fall off his body.

A series of long pants happened next, Sombra gasping before looking up at the two ponies that had been fighting inside his mind. "Get...OUT!" His outcry echoed through the void, suddenly pushing both ponies out into the light.

"WHOA!" Flash gasped as his eyes shot open and sat up, coughing next as his eyes rapidly blinked before glancing around. Here he saw Ruby, the knight staring at a giant pillar of light that was still keeping Armalum trapped.

Pushing himself back up, he ran over to her as a mighty scream came out of the pillar next. The sounds of armor shattering came next, the two quickly leaping away from a sudden rain of pieces. And when the last piece hit the ground, both gasped as they saw a new sight. It was Sombra, his body completely free of any armor.

His form started to stagger, weaving side to side as Ruby teleported over and grabbed him before he fell. He let out a low sigh as he then looked up, seeing the mare, "Ruby?"

There was a mix of emotions on her face, but a small smile was trying to form as she replied, "Hello Sombra." They continued to stare at one another for a few seconds, only for Flash to break the silence.

"Hey you two!" they turned to him and saw he was pointing to the ground. Slime was now creeping everywhere they looked, several pieces of sludge putting themselves together to form a certain mask. And as they started to fuse, Flash fired a Flash Cutter at them, only for the attack to do nothing but make the slime jiggle. "Aw crab-apples." He turned to the duo as he yelled, "Get him out of here!"

"I wouldn't do that. You know this is pointless," parts of the slime said as Flash turned to see the mask start to appear, "You have no choice but to put me back on him. If you don't-"

"AAAAAHHHHH!" They turned to see Sombra fall over, clutching his chest as cracks began to appear all over his body.

"Sombra!" Ruby cried, her body shaking as she saw his body start to fall apart, "No...I still need to talk to you! There has to be something we can do!"

"There's nothing." Armalum instantly responded. "Put me on him or-"

"Shut up!" Flash yelled as he stabbed a light sword into the sludge, making the mask disperse for a second. And as the defender turned back to Sombra, his mind started to race, 'Come on...think Flash! If Armalum gets back on Sombra, then this is pointless!' He rubbed his hooves into his head, 'Darn it! I can't think! Where's Twilight when I need her? I gotta be able to do something with the Sacred Light...but what?!'

But as those thoughts went through his head, he suddenly felt his body freeze in place, 'Huh?!'

Ruby saw him freeze up, making her ask, "Flash?" Memories of his first battle against Cold came next, making her yell, "FLASH!"

Flash wanted to respond, but no movement came from his body. And as this happened, Armalum's mask fully formed and hovered over to Ruby, floating past her until she swung her sword at him and yelled, "Stay back!"

"Give it up!" He told her while dodging the blade, "You know you'll let me take him back. Why put him through more pain?"

"I...I won't give up!" she cried as she swung at him again, this one hitting the mask. But as it did this, she found her blade now stuck in the mask as slime began to form around it.

"Stupid mare. You won't stop me."

"I will stop you! I don't know how, but I'll-"

Her words came to a stop as a light suddenly shined behind them, making both turn back to Flash. The armor around the pegasus glowed before exploding off him into light...but instead of vanishing, the light flew into Flash's scar.

"RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Flash screamed in pain as the light felt like it pierced his skin, only for the light to fly back out of him. He fell over next, his eyes barely open as he looked up to see a golden orb now appear in the light. It was both golden and black, the orb then shooting over to Ruby.

The mare gasped and formed a shield to try and block it, only for the light to completely circumvent her and go straight for Sombra. And before she could say or do anything, the light struck him, enveloping his whole body in its golden glow.

"Sombra..." she whispered as the black speck of light entered his body. As soon as it did, the cracks on his body began to seal up, the last one soon vanishing before his entire body exploded with light that blinded them all.

Meanwhile...

Terror moaned as she picked herself up, pushing a pile of rubble off of her. Her head was splitting and she had a feeling she had at least three broken bones.

As this happened, Soarin was flying over her, his eyes scanning some other buildings for her. Almost everything was in ruins, making it impossible for him to tell where she had fallen.

And as he did this, Terror turned around to run away from the pegasi, only to gasp as she saw something just a building over. Getting onto her hooves, she dragged her body across the floor as she said to herself, "Victory...have to...win for master."

The light that had consumed Sombra had finally receded, allowing everypony to open their eyes. But the sight before them made both knights gasp.

Sombra stood there with a golden glow wrapped around him, his body now different. His coat was still grey but it wasn't as dark, his formerly red eyes were now green with the purple mist gone. And the biggest surprise was that his formerly curved red horn was now straight and the same color as his fur. He was a unicorn.

The golden aura shot off him and flew back to Flash, hitting and sinking back into his skin. But Flash was still focused on Sombra to really notice, the pegasus picking himself up without breaking his gaze.

"Sombra?" Ruby asked while looking him over. Memories from long ago flew through her mind, showing her images of the colt she had been friends with. The unicorn in front of her now looked exactly like what that colt would look like grown up. "You're...a pony?"

Sombra didn't reply, his eyes staring at his new body.

But before anypony could say anything else, a bright light exploded in the distance. At first they thought it was the pillar from before, but soon noticed the wave coming at them. Somepony had found the orb....and that somepony was Terror, the unicorn grasping the orb as Soarin flew into the building.

"WINNERS, TEAM SHADOW!"

"NO!" Soarin yelled as he was teleported back to the castle, crashing on top of the other combatants. He let out a groan as he hopped off the pile and turned to the others. The Wonderbolt blinked as he saw long stares coming from Cold, Heart, Springer and Trixie, making him sigh, "I'm sorry. I failed."

But as he said that, they just continued to stare, making him raise an eyebrow, "Uh...you all okay? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"That's not what we're staring at," Trixie replied as Springer pointed behind the pegasus. Soarin turned around, only to go wide-eyed.

"Whoa!" he yelped as he leapt back to Cold and the others, the group getting into a battle stance, "What the heck is he doing here?!"

Flash and Ruby had now gotten back onto their hooves, the duo also turning to a fourth pony now in the room. It was Sombra, the fallen dark king of the Crystal Empire was now standing in the castle with the rest of them

Author's Note

Well that was an interesting chapter. How you enjoyed it.

The Fallen King

Silence filled the castle as the heroes stared at the newest inhabitant.

And as no sound kept clinging to the area, it was broken by the sound of a jail cell door clanking shut, trapping Sombra in a small cell. The prison had been created using the illusion room, which despite being an illusion, was still as solid as a normal prison. As this happened, Sombra simply sat on a plain bed the cell had while continuing to look over his new body. He then looked up and saw the seven members of Team Flash staring at him, making him comment, "Okay...that's getting a little uncomfortable now."

"Oh, sorry." Soarin replied, "Of course only you deserve the finest of comforts."

Sombra blinked at his reply, only to sigh, " Very well. I suppose I deserve that."

Growling, Soarin turned to the others, "Why is he even here? And why isn't he turning to dust?"

"Not sure," Flash responded while crossing his hooves, "Something happened to him in the battle....and I think it was the Sacred Light? Not sure, but he was somehow transformed into a unicorn."

"And it repaired his body." Trixie added before pointing at Flash, "Whatever it was, it seemed to come from you."

"From my scar," Flash corrected while his hoof moved over it before glaring at Sombra, "What did you do to me? Shadow told me something about a...soul fragment." Sombra was about to reply, only to look away with a frown. The sight made Flash want to gulp, "You...do know what you did to me, right?"

"Some of my memories are a little hazy," Sombra replied before glancing back at the defender, "You try coming back to life while completely shifting species, and see how well you remember every little detail." He then turned to Ruby, "But I do remember the important things. Like what I did to you and our home." Ruby just looked away, her eyes trying to look anywhere else. That is, till Sombra said, "I'm sorry Ruby."

That made Ruby yank her face back to Sombra, her eyes trying to go wide as she whispered, "What?"

"I said I'm sorry," he repeated. "Ever since I was freed from Armalum's control, every fiber of my being has been filled with anger and hatred for myself because of what I did."

Soarin rolled his eyes at this, "Yeah...like we believe that."

"Except that he's telling the truth." Flash instantly said, making everyone turn to him, Sombra blinking at him with wide eyes. "Which is really weird..."

"But how do you know?" Cold asked, Flash doing a small shrug in response.

"I don't know. It's just a...feeling I have."

This made everyone raise eyebrows, Ruby now remembering him having a similar feeling when he said they would find a way to free Sombra and keep him from dying.

Springer then spoke up, stepping up to the cage. "He's not lying. Take it from someone who can actually detect lies. His aura is flowing with...sorrow and remorse."

"What?!" Ruby squeaked out, "You...you sense that?"

"Yeah..." Springer replied while crossing his paws, "Its weird."

"But its true." Sombra chimed in before sighing, then looking down at his hooves. "I know I've done some terrible things. Beyond terrible, and I have no right to ask for any kind of forgiveness. I can only hope that one day I'll be able to make up for it all, even if it means giving my own life in the process."

The words made everyone blink, frowns and confusion on every face. Even Cold was raising an eyebrow, unsure what to say as Trixie then spoke up, "Anypony else feeling queasy from all this hamminess?" Soarin, Heart and Springer raised a hoof/paw in response.

"We should leave," Cold responded, his face returning to normal. "We've got a big day tomorrow."

Heart nodded, "Yeah. Both teams have six orbs, so whoever takes this one takes the whole game."

"Exactly. We need to be well rested for then. Come on." Cold added as he turned to leave, everypony following with the exception of Ruby. The mare watched them leave before turning to Sombra, staring at him for a few second before walking away.

And as soon as they were outside the room, they all sighed as Heart spoke up, "Um...question." everypony turned to the colt, seeing him raise a hoof, "What's to stop him from just breaking out of there? You saw what Armalum was able to do, can't Sombra do the same?"

"A reasonable question." Cold replied, "I asked the room to put up an anti-magic field. It should stop any kind of magic from being able to work on his side of the cell."

"And you think that'll work?" Soarin asked.

Trixie nodded at this, "If whatever magic is doing all this was able to stop Flash's Sacred Light, it should also be able to stop Sombra's magic too."

"Besides, I doubt Sombra is as strong as he was before." Ruby added, "He's literally not the same pony he was before. I might not know how strong umbrum usually are, but I'm betting it's not the same level as the unicorn he is now."

"Ugh..." Flash groaned, "As if this whole experience wasn't weird enough, we got Sombra in our castle now. I really hope I don't get flashbacks from this..."

"Yeah," Springer nodded, "And I thought what happened to Soarin was weird."

This made Flash and Ruby turn to the jakhowl before glancing at Soarin, only for the Wonderbolt to turn on his now pure white eyes. "No way..." Flash gasped, "Is that-"

"Theta Mode," Soarin chuckled, "I don't know how, but I can use it now."

"We think it was the Sacred Light," Cold spoke up.

"What?! Really?!" Flash replied before looking down at his hooves, "I don't remember doing anything..."

Cold nodded. "Before it happened, Soarin became surrounded by a golden light just like yours. Then he entered Theta Mode." Flash just blinked at his statement, now staring at Soarin as Cold continued, "Tell me, was there a point before the match that you wished you could do something that would help Soarin grow stronger?"

Flash put his hoof to his chin, remembering the earlier part of the day where he placed his hoof on Soarin's shoulder, "Hmm...yeah, I think I did."

Cold nodded again. "Looks like you accidently transferred a bit of your power to him."

"Really? Wow..." Flash commented while looking back down at his hooves. "I had no idea my Sacred Light could do that."

"There's still much we don't know about your abilities," Ruby added, "It's possible you could give similar power boosts to others, though now isn't probably the best time to practice it."

"Why not?" Heart asked as the group started up the stairs. "If he can supercharge the rest of us, there's no way Shadow's group could beat us! It could make us unstoppable!"

"Only if it's done right," Trixie chimed in, "If it's done wrong, who knows what negative effects it could have." She turned to the pegasus in question, "Flash has had the Sacred Light since the day he was born. His body's built up a tolerance for it. A tolerance we don't have."

Cold nodded yet again as they reached the top of the stairs, "Soarin's power up was effective, but it could have easily backfired and destroyed him." The pegasus in question went wide eyed, doing a small gulp as they entered the dining room, "Besides, we only have one orb to win before this game is over. Let's not risk losing by trying to rely on some possible power-up that could just as easily destroy us as it could make us stronger."

"You're right," Flash added as they started getting something to eat, all sitting down as Flash stared at the group, "And even if I can do that, there's no point. We've all grown stronger in one form or another since getting here. The skills and power we have are more than a match for Shadow and his flunkies. Tomorrow, no matter who's picked to go out there, they're gonna win and we can finally end this game."

They all nodded in agreement before digging into their meals. And as they ate, they couldn't help but look out at the city as it worked to repair itself. This last battle had been one of the most destructive, even more than the one between Springer and Shadow. However, as this happened, Flash explained what had happened when he had fallen unconscious while Ruby and Soarin told him what happened to them.

And as the defender heard all this information, his gaze turned to the dark castle from across the city. He couldn't help but wonder how Shadow was taking all this, knowing they were now down a fighter.

On the other side of the city...

Shadow sighed as he sat on his throne, staring at the six orbs he had acquired. He then looked down at his hoof, right at the dark mask he was holding. "Armalum..." He grumbled before turning to the rest of his team, all but Wingill present. Tempera, Salix, Storm and Terror all stood to attention, all shivering as they suspected what would happen when he spoke up. A long glare came from his eyes as he stared at certain pony and spoke up, "Tempera."

The artist mare gasped but stepped forward, "Y-yes...my love?"

"I require a volunteer."

Tempera's eyes filled with tears, "Yes my love. I understand." She closed her eyes, waiting for her inevitable fate. But as the seconds passed, she didn't feel the touch of the mask on her face. And when she opened her eyes, she saw the mask still in Shadow's hold while the dark unicorn growled at her.

"Well?! Get on with it!" Tempera blinked at him, confusion on her face, "What are you waiting for?! Make a scribeast!" The four all stood frozen, gears in their brains turning as Tempera muttered out, "Oh...oooooh," She pulled out her sketchpad. "Right away master. Any particular preference?"

Shadow sighed while fiddling with the mask, "There's no way whatever you make will be as strong as Sombra. Try and give it something that can make up for that." Tempera nodded back, chewing the end of her pencil before clapping her hooves.

"Oh yes," she started drawing before throwing up the piece of paper, her horn glowing. "Here goes!"

Everypony except Shadow went wide-eyed at the sight of the scribeast, seeing it was an alicorn. It was around the same height as a normal pony and had a simple gray color, lacking a mane or tail. However, the most disturbing thing was its head, which lacked a mouth, nose or eyes.

"That's really creepy," Terror told her as Shadow stood up.

"Looks like something out of an old horror book," Storm added, "I swear I've seen something like it before. What was that book called? Slim Pony? Thin Pony? What was it?"

"Who cares what it looks like," Shadow growled as he walked up to the scribeast. "As long as it does what I need it to do." He levitated the mask up in his magic and placed it onto the scribeast's face, causing the mask to unleash a dark light as the slime flew out the ends and began to form the armor around it. Within seconds, Armalum was back, though this time equipped with black metal pony wings that had some red feathers.

The armored alicorn looked himself over before nodding, "I'm back."

"But not better than ever," Shadow hissed, "Can you actually fly?" Armalum tested his wings, managing to lift himself into the air, "Well, that's something." When Armalum landed, Shadow grabbed him by the horn. "Here." His own horn glowed with a light travelling through his body before transferring into Armalum. This lasted about a minute before he let go. "There. I've transferred some of my magic into you. You won't be able to do anything flashy, but you'll be able to fight at least."

"Thank you, my master," Armalum bowed.

"Be thankful that I still need you. If it wasn't for the fact I don't want to be one pony down for the rest of this game, I'd lock you up in a chest and throw away the key." A yawn suddenly escaped his lips before he turned to the door, "I'm going to bed. Its been a very long day." He then glanced at the damage of the room from earlier, making him growl as he yelled, "And clean this place up!"

"Yes master!" They all exclaimed as he left, Salix then turning to the others. "So...was he more happy or more sad? I couldn't tell."

"Be thankful Terror managed to get the orb," Tempera replied while shaking her head, "If she hadn't, I doubt cleaning would have been the worst thing happening to us right now."

Storm huffed as he started picking up some pieces of the castle. "Every day Sentry's team keeps growing stronger while we remain static." He then turned to Armalum, "Even growing weaker."

"Bite me," Armalum growled as he used his new wings to make a gust that blew some dust away.

"Just be careful," Tempera added, "I made that scribeast as strong as I could, but it has its limits. Take to much damage and it'll burst. And try to stay clear of heat and water. Your armor may be able to shield it from them, but it's better to stay safe than sorry."

Armalum didn't reply, instead cleaning until the sun set. After that, the entire castle went to sleep as Armalum stayed up, the living suit of armor simply standing there, stewing in his own failure. "Sombra," he growled into the darkness.

Meanwhile...

Within the light blue crystal castle, Ruby lay in her bed. She shifted and turned, unable to get comfortable…and she knew why. The newest inhabitant of their home, currently sitting downstairs twiddling his hooves. And despite her body being exhausted after the day's events, especially given the quick healing cut on her face, she just couldn't fall asleep, Flash's earlier words echoing in her head.

"Why?" she muttered to herself, "Why is he right?"

Sighing next, she slowly got out of her bed, making sure not to wake Trixie. Sneaking into the hallway, she went down the stairs and into the makeshift jail, now seeing Sombra just sitting there like last time. It was here he looked up from the floor and went wide-eyed. "Didn't expect to see me?" She asked while walking up to the cage.

"No, I didn't. After everything that happened, I thought you would want to leave me locked up down here and never see me again."

"I'll admit, that interesting thought had crossed my mind." Ruby sighed, grumbling as she sat down on her flank and crossed her hooves, "But...I can't just leave what I need to say unsaid."

"I see. And what do you need to say?" Sombra asked, seeing the long glare on Ruby's face.

But as she glared at him, no words came out. A full minute passed, the knight just staring at him. The sight made the stallion chuckle as he then said, "It seems you can leave what you need to say unsaid." Her eyes narrowed, horn sparking as he waved his hooves at her, "Sorry...just trying to lighten mood. If you wanna shut me up, then say what you have to say."

"That's just the thing." Ruby growled, "I'm...not sure what I want to say." She looked away next as she continued, "And I hate it. I hate it so much." She turned back at him, "You know, ever since I found out it was you under that armor, my head has been swimming with the things I've wanted to say to you...but now that you're actually here, it's like my mind's gone completely blank. I can't decide what needs to be said first."

The two stared at each other after this, only for Sombra to ask, "What does your heart tell you?" Those words made Ruby go fully silent, unable to respond. "I see...I get it." He looked away for a second, a small smile appearing on his face as he said, "Say...do you remember the notes we used to pass to one another in class? You know, the ones written in our own secret language?"

Ruby's eyes went wide at this, only to start giggling as she responded, "How could I forget? Just put the last letter of the word at the front and add an i between it and the second letter if its two consonants."

Sombra chuckled back, "That way, even if we were caught passing the notes, the teacher would never be able to tell what we were talking about. Remember the time we were making fun of the funny looking mane-style she had just gotten."

"And she caught us passing a note saying it looked like a hedgehog," Ruby finished, now not being able to do nothing but let out a laugh at the memory while Sombra did the same thing.

"She spent the next two weeks trying to decipher our code so she could find out what we had been saying."

Ruby shook her head, "Every day when we arrived at class, she would be staring at the note until she eventually lost it."

"You had to be a dog to hear her scream as she ripped the note into a million pieces." Sombra sat back and let out a sigh, "I'd forgotten how much fun life was back when we were young. Before..."

"Before you ruined everything?!" Ruby hissed, making the room fill with silence in that moment.

The two remained this way for a full minute, only for Sombra to speak up again, "Ruby?" The tone of his voice made the crystal unicorn's heart stop, hearing nothing but apology and remorse in his words. Her ears told her to look away as he continued, "Ruby, do you think...do you think it'll ever be possible for the two of us to be...to be...friends again?"

Ruby turned back to him, her eyes burning with anger as she began to yell, "What did you just say?!" She then marched up to the bars, grabbing hold of them while growling, "How could you even think of asking that?! After everything you did, do you really think I'd want to ever be your friend again?!"

"Well I-"

"Shut up! You're a monster!" Ruby screamed, her hooves grinding on the bars as she gripped them, "You...you ruined my life."

"Then why did you work so hard to free me?!" Sombra barked back at her, a small glare now in his eyes, "If you wanted nothing more to do with me, then why not leave me trapped in that suit of armor?! As far as you knew, I was still the ego-maniacal overlord that enslaved your home. Any fool would have told you to leave me where I was since Armalum kept me confined and out of trouble, but you almost killed yourself saving me!" Ruby didn't reply as he pointed his hoof at her, "I heard you, you know. I heard you asking me to come back to you. The way you said it, it was pretty obvious you wanted me back. Why?! Why did you want to save me?!"

Ruby's teeth gritted themselves, her form turning away before she leaned her back against the bars, "I...I had too. I'm a royal knight. We try to save everypony, even monsters like you." She slightly turned her head next, the corner of her eye glaring at him as she continued, "But we'll never be friends again. Not after what you did. Being friends requires a level of trust, and I'll never trust you after what you did!" She fully turned around this time, banging her hooves on the bars, "You enslaved my home and forced my friends into becoming mindless slaves. They were bookers, bakers, candle stick makers, and you turned them into solders and made them fight and even kill. Some of the children of the empire still have nightmares about what you did!"

Sombra just looked away, unable to respond as she kept talking while hitting the bars.

"And it that wasn't bad enough, when you lost, you decided to torment everypony in the empire further by sending them into the future! Your lucky many of the citizens never travelled out of the city before then, or it might have been impossible for them to acclimate to the present. But thanks to you, I lost all my friends!" She could feel tears begin to appear in her eyes as she continued, "I...I might have been able to stop the jakhowls from going all but extinct. I...I could have been there to help Princess Luna, but because me and the jakhowls were gone...she lost all love in her heart and erased her own memories, leading to her becoming Nightmare Moon and getting banished for a thousand years! I...I could have helped stop that and...and you made me responsible for failing!"

Sombra blinked at this information, having clearly not been privy to that nugget of information.

"And the thing worst than anything else, something I will never be able to forgive, is what you did to Princess Amore." Ruby finished, tears now going down her face. She closed her eyes next, her hooves no longer tapping the bars. But if she had opened her eyes, she would have seen Sombra now sporting a certain frown on his face at the mention of the princess's name. Despite this, Ruby continued, "Princess Amore…she was like a mother to me, and you...you...you..."

"What about what she did to me?!" Sombra asked, his body robotically pushing itself up and moving over to stare at Ruby through the bars. "Don't forget about all the pain and agony I suffered, year in year out. The Crystal Fair was created to destroy me, to keep me from becoming who I truly was. She knew this and she kept it from me. She knew what I was the moment she saw me, and instead of telling me, she kept that info to herself and was happy to let me suffer in silence."

"She was trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what?! My true heritage?!" Sombra yelled, leaning up to the bars, "If she was so worried about me, then why didn't she do anything about?! Why didn't she make me a true unicorn instead of just the disguise my people had to put me in so the Crystal Heart wouldn't destroy me?! She had the power! She knew what was I was and did nothing!"

"I'm sure she had a reason." Ruby replied, her tone completely firm as she continued, "And I am sorry for everything you went through, but it didn't give you the right to do what you did to her and her people."

"How is what I did any different from what you and your people did to mine?!" Sombra spat, Ruby leaning slightly back as she saw spit fly out of his mouth. He then hit the bars with his hooves, growling at her, "Long ago, you sealed the umbrum away and threatened to destroy them with the Crystal Heart if they ever tried to escape. You call yourselves the victims, but you're just a guilty. If you hadn't sealed them away, they never would have created me and I wouldn't have caused all those problems!"

"The umbrum were sealed away because they tried to destroy not only the Crystal Ponies, but all of Equestria."

"Oh, so when you seal ponies away because they're threatening to destroy you, it's alright, but when I do the exact same thing, I'm considered a heartless monster."

"There's a difference."

"You're right," Sombra nodded. "At least you and your people weren't conscious when I sealed you away. Meanwhile, the umbrum are trapped underground suffering. If anything, I was kinder in my subjugation."

Ruby let out a cry of frustration, turning away as she yelled, "So much for you feeling sorry for what you did! I knew it was all an act. Clearly Springer's evolution has thrown his senses out of whack!"

"I am sorry for what I did," Sombra instantly replied, making her glare back at him.

"You're not sorry. You-"

"I am Ruby, and you know I'm telling the truth." He interrupted while crossing his hooves with a low glare, "I hate myself for what I did to the empire, I won't deny it. However, that doesn't change the fact that you and your people are just as guilty as me. The only difference is that I'm honest with myself."

"But we didn't do anything to you!" Ruby barked back, "We didn't know about the umbrum! They were sealed away long before anypony in the empire was even born!"

"Amore knew." Sombra hissed, "And she kept it a secret." Ruby opened her mouth, only for Sombra to flash a hoof, "And don't go saying it was to protect me. If she had explained to me what I was, what I could have become, I would have done something about it." He leaned back up to the bars, "Tell me, if she had told you what I was, what would you have done?"

Ruby glared at him, her hooves clenching up as she took a deep breath. But as she did this, the information went through her brain, making him sigh as one conclusion came to mind. "I...I would have tried to find a way to turn you into a real unicorn."

"Exactly," Sombra replied as he sat back down on the cell's mattress, "And I would have been up for that. I admit, I should have tried more back when you left, but the Crystal Fair frightened me. In fact, I believed I was destined to be alone in my suffering." He looked away as he said these next words, "I...I was lonely."

"Sombra…"

He turned back to her, his face now showing a low glare as it began to grow darker, "It could have worked out Ruby. I would have left the Crystal Empire with you in search for a solution, and I'm sure we would have found a way. I would have been a true unicorn, and never have become an umbrum and enslaved the empire, meaning the war would have never happened. You would have been there to help the jakhowls and prevent your princess's fall into this Nightmare Moon." And for the first time since he had become a unicorn, Ruby saw the horn on his head spark. It was sparks of anger as he said, "Everything bad that has ever happened to you or the ponies you love is all Princess Amore's fault. Everything."

"You're wrong." Ruby instantly responded, "And even if you were right, that still didn't give you the right to do what you did. She might have been wrong to keep you in the dark, but she didn't deserve to die like that."

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, only to put a hoof to his chin, "Oh, that's right. You don't know."

Ruby raised an eyebrow now, "Don't know what?"

"Princess Amore...is alive."

Ruby's eyes went full wide at this, making her gasp, "What?!"

"The spell I placed on her didn't kill her. I merely trapped her essence within the stone. Shattering it didn't kill her either. If the pieces are all brought together, she can be restored."

Ruby remained silent, the information sinking into her brain. Her eyes twitched, making her stumble backward as she muttered out, "That's...that's impossible. You're lying. You...you have to be lying. You're just trying to get me to forgive you."

"I don't want you to forgive me," Sombra replied while looking at his hooves, "I...just want you to know the truth. Must be part of this whole rebirth thing." He sighed while sitting back, leaning against the wall and looking up at the ceiling. "I've done many terrible things. Some of them justified, some of them...not so much. I know I could never make up for all of it, probably not even half of it, but at least this way there's a chance one of my crimes can be fixed....even if I hate her." He glanced back at the knight, "Believing me or not is up to you. If you chose to believe me and tell the princesses about this fact, maybe they'll find a way to locate Amore's pieces and restore her. But if you don't believe me, the fact Amore remains the way she is on you. I did everything I could."

The Crystal Knight stayed silent for a few more seconds, only to walk up to the bars again, "She's...she's really out there somewhere?"

Sombra nodded back, "Not only that, I know where her pieces are." Ruby's eyes went wide. "Maybe it's because I'm the one that cast the spell, I don't know. All I know is that I can sense where every piece of her is located. Like a smell. I could lead her to you."

"And how do I know this isn't just a trick and you're just trying to lead me somewhere far away so you can jump me and escape?!"

Sombra shrugged his shoulders in response, "Again, that's up to you to decide. If you think it's too big of a risk, leave me locked up and let the princess remain as she is. I'm telling you the truth and offering to help. Call it retribution for my past misdeeds." Ruby just glared at him, making him sigh and shake his head, "Though...if you're so worried about me escaping, you could easily have me caged while we travel and even have Sentry or the others princesses there to blast me if you even suspect I'm trying to pull something. It's your choice."

The two of them stared at one another for another minute before Ruby looked away, "I...have to go."

"I'm telling you the truth," Sombra said as she began to make her way to the door. "You have to believe me."

Ruby stopped right before she reached the door, her magic gripping the handle as she stood there. "Whether I believe you or not is irrelevant. It won't be up to me to decide if you can be trusted." She glanced over her shoulder next, "When this game is over, we're returning to Equestria, and you're coming with us. There, you'll stand trial for your crimes...and I'll bring up your story to the princesses. Then they'll decide if its worth beliving in."

"And then I'll be thrown in some jail cell with the key lost forever, right? Heck, you'll probably throw me into Tartarus." Sombra replied while crossing his hooves, "That won't help things Ruby."

"It will." She hissed back, "I don't know why you're a unicorn now or being 'remorseful', but you know I can't trust you. I'll let the princesses decide, and I know they won't take the risk of you deciding this is just some phase before trying to conquer Equestria again. I mean, we already have enough lunatics trying to do it." She pulled the door open as she said these last words, "And I don't want it to happen again."

With that, the door closed, Sombra sighting as he sat back down on his bed. His mind went over the conversation, only to turn to the door and say, "Anypony ever teach you it's not polite to eavesdrop?"

Seconds later, the door opened to reveal a certain orange pegasi as he asked an obvious question. "How'd you know I was there?"

"The same reason you're able to sense I wasn't lying about anything I told Ruby."

"Wha...what are you talking about?" Sombra replied by pointing at his chest, Flash looking down at his scar, "You know about the soul fragment? But you said-"

"I didn't at the time. But over the last few hours, my mind has been growing clearer. More of my memories are beginning to resurface, including what I did to you."

"What did you do to me?" Flash asked as he moved right up to the bars. "When you gave me this scar, what happened?"

"I would have thought it was obvious. The name pretty much says it all. I put a soul fragment within you."

Flash blinked at his words, his brain slowly shifting its gears, "You...put your soul into me?"

"A fragment of it. If my soul was a glass of water, it placed merely a drop of it within you." Flash clutched his chest, feeling a sudden bit of being violated now.

"Why?"

Sombra chuckled at his reaction, "I had every intention of defeating you, wiping out your little friends and reclaiming the Crystal Empire. But only a fool attempts something without a backup plan in place, and I pride myself on not being a fool. So when I saw my opportunity, I placed a soul fragment within you in case I lost. And low and behold, I did lose. But even though I was destroyed, I still existed within you." He got up and walked over to the bars. "Every moment of my life. Every memory and thought I ever had. It was safely preserved," he reached through the bars and touched Flash's scar. "Within you."

"So...you planned this?" Flash backpedaled at this, "You planned on being resurrected and using me to protect your memories until then?"

"Oh, I planned on getting resurrected..." Sombra then pointed to his cell, letting out a long groan, "But all this had nothing to do with my plan. My plan was actually a complete and utter failure." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, now seeing Sombra look back at him, "You see, my soul fragment wasn't just a way of preserving my memories. It was also meant to corrupt you."

"What?!" Flash yelped, his eyes going wide.

"Once embedded into you, my soul fragment was meant to take root into your soul and slowly change you. It would feed off your negative emotions and grow stronger, slowly overtaking you until you became just like me. It's a common umbrum practice, as its our way of immortality. Eventually, your soul was meant to decay and allow mine to take over and give me a new body to inhabit...and it worked."

"But I'm nothing like you."

"You're definitely right about that." Sombra chuckled again, "But not quite. Don't forget, I was a part of you during my time inside you." He tapped his forehead, "Every memory you made after the implant is right up here." Flash started to growl at him as he continued, "Tell me, do you remember the time right after our fight? You were acting...different. Most of the time, you were moody, always super serious and basically a giant...what did you call it later on? A total bummer?"

Flash blinked at those words, his brain slowly getting at what he meant, "That was you?! You made me act that way?!"

"No." Sombra instantly replied in a deadpan tone, "I didn't make you act that way. That was all you, through my presence may have intensified it a tiny bit. But during that time, you acting like that allowed me to burrow deeply into your soul. If you had kept up, I would have corrupted you around the time you went off to face that Doom pony."

Flash glared at him, growling before suddenly stopping, "Wait...but you didn't corrupt me."

"Yes. I'm not sure why, but I...seemed to just fail." Sombra responded while rubbing his chin in thought, "I'm not sure how, but for a while, I was steadily growing stronger within you...only for it to stop. One day, you were no longer gloomy or depressed. The reverse suddenly started happening, your positive emotions increasing in power as they pushed my darkness out of your soul. I'm lucky you didn't somehow destroy my soul fragment."

Flash thought back at this, remembering that time in his life. How angry and scared he had been after almost dying by Sombra's hoof, knowing he didn't want that to happen again. But as he did this, a certain pony appeared in his head, making him smile.

While this happened, Sombra let out a long sigh, "Unfortunately for me, my best guess as to why my plan failed is your Sacred Light. It must have kicked in and protected you from my corruption." It was here he heard a low chuckle, turning to Flash and seeing him laugh. "What?"

Flash shook his head, "It wasn't the Sacred Light. Something else saved me from you, and it's something so much simpler."

"Oh?" Sombra replied while raising an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"My friends." Flash responded, the statement instantly washing over the room. Sombra could hear the strength in his voice as he continued, "They helped me push past my fear and return to the real me. Twilight, Pinkie and all of the others stood by me and supported me, giving me the strength I needed to fight your darkness off."

Sombra felt an urge to yell back...only to smile. He couldn't feel any anger from himself, making him then say, "I must say, you've certainly come a long way since we last fought. You've grown into not just an incredible fighter, but a stronger pony overall. And you say your friends are what allowed you to grow into this?"

"My friends are the best thing about me. I help them and they help me. We stand by each other when times are tough, and together we're able to overcome anything, even when that includes the impossible."

"I...I see." Sombra tried to reply, "Interesting."

The two then stared at one another, both smiling the same smile as Flash pointed at his scar, "So this...soul fragment. That's why I can feel if you're tell me the truth or not?"

Sombra nodded back. "The fragment may no longer be within you, but there's still a link between us. And there always will be until the day one of us ceases to truly exist. You'll always know whether or not you can trust me because if at any point I choose the dark path, you'll feel it. And I will feel the same for you."

"And that's why I know you're telling the truth about being resentful for your actions and the stuff about Amore?"

"Exactly," Sombra replied, nodding again, "And I also got the benefit of having all the memories you had since the implant. Everything you ever did and felt, I pretty much know and felt." Flash's smile turned to a frown at this, making Sombra chuckle, "Relax kid, that doesn't mean I have the same feelings as you. That Twilight girl's interesting, I'll admit that, but she's not really my type."

"Shut up," Flash growled as he looked away with a slight blush. "Still doesn't explain why you're so resentful. I mean, you weren't exactly all rainbow and pity parties the last time we met. Heck, the first time you were freed from Armalum, you didn't seem at all sorry for what you did. If you did, you probably would have preferred to crumble to dust or something."

"I feel guilty for what I did, not suicidal. I don't want to die for my crimes, I want to try and make up for them. I'm...what's that phrase you love using so much? Counting up my sins?" Flash chuckled at those words as he continued, "I hate myself for what I did....but the fact is, I don't want to hate myself. This horrible guilty feeling is making my stomach twist and me want to vomit. I hate this feeling."

"Well get used to it," Flash instantly responded, "That feeling's gonna stick around until you make up for everything you ever did, and I'm sure you've figured out that'll never happen. It can take a minute to make a big mistake, but years to make up for it."

Sombra raised both eyebrows at this, "That's...very profound."

Flash shrugged. "Hey, if living with Twilight doesn't help me learn a few smart things, then I really am the idiot of the relationship."

The two let out a laugh, Sombra shaking his head before saying, "Strange. This'll probably be one of the last intelligent conversations I'll get to enjoy. Once we get back to Equestria, I'll be locked up and the only things I'll get to talk to are the dangerous monsters in Tartarus."

"I hear bugbears can be very talkative when they're in the right mood."

The two laughed again, Sombra wondering why he thought that was funny. Flash was doing the same thing, only for a bulb to go off in his head. All the information from this conversation went through his head, making him realize why Sombra was like this now, making him laugh even more.

"What" Sombra asked, "What's so funny?"

Flash wiped away a tear of laughter with his wing as he replied, "I just...I just realised why you're so different. Why you feel guilty and want to make up for everything you've done."

"Really? What's your theory?"

Flash pointed to himself, "It's obvious. It's me."

"Huh?"

"You said it yourself that your soul was attempting to burrow into my soul and corrupt it. But that didn't happen. Instead, the reverse happened. My soul started to affect yours." Sombra's eyes went wide at this, making Flash shine a big smile, "Don't you see? You tried to infect me with your soul, but instead I infected you with mine. Instead of making me like you, I made you like me."

"I...I can't believe I didn't realize this," Sombra gasped, staring down at his hooves, "That's...why didn't I notice? Why didn't I see that your soul would be strong enough to effect mine?"

"That part could have been because of the Sacred Light."

"No, it didn't." Sombra shook his head, "I'm sure of it. The Sacred Light had nothing to do with it." He looked back up at Flash, "This was all you. You...you just can't help yourself, can you?"

"What do you mean?"

"No matter who they are or what they've done, you can't help be make those around you better ponies."

"Oh." Flash blushed while waving his hoof, "Eh, that wasn't just me."

"Don't lie to me, I've seen your memories. You were the one that defeated Lightning Blitz and convince him to join you in Ponyville. You helped Discord discover how to use his powers for good. You gave Thorax the chance to show his good side and now both he and Hiveena are living much better lives. You helped Iron Core, Cold Steel and even Ruby overcome their pasts, and even here, during this game, the connections you've made with the ponies have allowed the others push past their limits and grow stronger than Shadow's goons could ever hope to match."

"I...didn't do that much." Flash stuttered out.

"Maybe not, but even the smallest of interactions can lead to something great. I've seen it a lot after following you." Sombra added as he crossed his hooves, "Who knows how different the ponies in your life would be if you weren't there with them. They might be exactly the same or completely different. It hard to tell, but I get the feeling you've affected them more than you think."

"You really think so?"

Sombra nodded back, only to frown, "But...you're nothing like him."

"Him?"

"Shadow."

"Oh." Flash replied, doing a slight gulp, "Well, I don't want to be like him."

"I know." Sombra responded while nodding again, "You know, some of my memories from when I was under Armalum's sway's have started to resurface. And I also got a few of his memories, like how he was able to learn my magic from my memories....which a bunch of those memories involve Shadow being almost as bad as I once was."

"Really?"

"Yes. But that's not all." He stared up at Flash, a low calm stare on his face, "You have no idea how different you two are. You're total opposites, two sides of the same coin. You try to connect others and help them grow to become the best versions of themselves, but Shadow only finds those who are at their lowest and keeps them that way so they see no other options but to join him." Sombra let out a low chuckle at this, "And now that I think about it...I would have supported something like that back then."

"But not now?"

Sombra shook his head, "No. In fact, I'm sure of it now. Thanks to being linked with you, I think I understand..." He showed the defender a big smile, "You're team will win. And its not because you have more power or you're better...its because unlike his team, yours has something worth fighting for."

Flash smiled back, nodding as well as he showed he agreed wholeheartedly. "Thanks Sombra." he said before letting out a long yawn.

"You should get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." Flash nodded and after giving him one final thank you, the pegasus headed for the door. "Hey Sentry," Flash turned back to him, "Give 'em hell." Flash nodded back and left the room, allowing Sombra to lay back in his bed.

The next morning...

When Shadow woke up and walked out of his room, he found the place looked as immaculate as possible. Smiling at the sight, he headed to the dining room, finding it was just as clean as the hallway. He also checked the map room and found it was back to normal as well, the dust and broken bits of the castle having been cleaned up. "Good. At least I won't have to live in a dump for who knows how long."

He returned to the dining room and summoned his breakfast from the cupboard, sitting down and enjoying the small feast he had prepared himself. And halfway through the meal, the doors opened to a certain unicorn named Tempera.

She was rubbing her eyes and yawning when she spotted Shadow, gasping in horror before jumping down to the floor. "Oh, master! I'm so sorry my love. We were up late cleaning up, so I must have overslept. Please forgive me for not being here to make you breakfast."

Shadow rolled his eyes, "Get up. Just be thankful this castle gives us food already prepared."

"Thank you, master." She stood up, "I won't fail you again." As she said that, she couldn't help but let out another yawn.

"How late were you up last night?"

"Not that late. I'll be fine once-"

"Go back to bed," he interrupted, "I need my fighters fully rested and ready for whatever might happen."

"But master-"

"BED!" Tempera flinched before nodding, turning and heading out as she left Shadow to finish his breakfast in peace. "This game better not go on much longer," he told the castle in a low vicious growl, "It's beginning to grow tedious, and I do not enjoying being forced to do something that makes me bored." He took another bite, "You've been warned."

Several hours later...

Both Flash and Ruby were up last after sleeping in due to their chats with Sombra. As such, they met in the hallway as Ruby asked, "You talked to him?"

"Yeah," Flash replied while nodding, "And there's something you all are gonna want to know." They walked through the dining room doors, now finding everypony except Trixie around the table, Heart talking loudly to Springer.

"Zenith Mode," the colt announced.

"Nah," Springer shook his head.

"Ace Form," Soarin went on.

"I don't think so."

"Apotheosis," Cold randomly said without looking up from the table. He took a bite from his meal before looking up, now seeing three 'are you serious' looks, "What?"

"Everypony," Springer spoke up, "I appreciate the suggestions, but I'm sticking with Mega Mode. Don't know what your problem with it is."

"It just sounds a little...tacky," Heart chimed in.

"Maybe to you, but I like it. And since I'm the first jakhowl to reach this form-"

"Allegedly," Ruby stated as she and Flash got their food.

"Alright. As the first recorded jakhowl to reach this form, I think I should get the right to name it."

"I think Mega Mode sounds awesome," Flash added as he sat down. "And he's right." He turned to Heart, "What if I decided to start calling your fire form 'fluffy bunny mode'?" The colt's face scrunched up at this, making Flash smirk, "Exactly. It's Springer's form, so he decides what it's called."

"Thank you," Springer added, only to tilt his head at the duo, "So...what were you two doing up so late?"

"Yes, about that. It wouldn't have anything to do with our new housemate, would it?" Cold asked, making both blush as he continued, "Thought so."

"Speaking of him, where's Trixie?" Flash responded while looking around, "There's something I need to tell all of you and-"

"I'm here," the mare interrupted as she walked into the room. "I was just giving our guest his breakfast." She turned to Ruby, "Figured you wouldn't want to have to see him." Ruby gave a weak smile back, thanking her before everypony turned to Flash, "Alright, what's this all about? Please don't let it be another mystery. We've had enough."

"Its not. Trust me on that."

One chapter long explanation later...

"And that's why he's so...different."

"So...he's you?" Trixie asked with raised eyebrows.

"Pretty much," Flash replied while shrugging, "My soul's infected him now, so his beliefs are infused with mine."

"That's just weird," Soarin added, "I mean, it's almost like you've brainwashed him."

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Flash barked back, "He put the fragment in me while he was trying to kill me!"

"Flash is right. It's Sombra's fault," Cold chimed in, "He tried to force his beliefs onto Flash, but Flash was too powerful. Now Sombra has to live with the consequences. It's clear this whole soul fragment thing is a double edged sword."

Flash turned to Ruby, "What do you think?"

The mare looked away, grumbling as she continued to eat. "I'm...not sure. At least I now know that Sombra's...transformation isn't an act. But if he was going to feel bad for what he did, I'd prefer it had been because he actually feels bad and not because he had been infected by you."

Cold shook his head at this, "Whatever means that caused his change of heart doesn't change the fact he wants to make up for his crimes. That means he'll most likely be willing to help us if we end up in an all out fight against Shadow."

"Hey, you're right!" Soarin gasped, "Maybe he'll want payback on Armalum!"

"Maybe...but we shouldn't jump to that conclusion." Ruby responded, "Until further notice, he should remain locked up where he can't do any harm."

The others nodded at this, only for the alarm above their heads to go off.

"Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."

"This is it," Flash got up and stared at all his friends. "The final battle. I know I can trust you all to do your best, but this time there's no room for error. We have to win this battle, no matter what!"

Heart smirked while pumping his hooves, "I won't let you down."

"You can count on me," Soarin added.

"Me too," Trixie nodded. "Those goons won't know what hit'em."

Springer cracked his knuckles. "Me and my Mega Mode will show them a thing or too."

"We will win," Cold continued, "For all we know, the fate of all Equestria could be on the line."

Ruby nodded as well, "Whatever happens, Shadow won't win. I can promise you that."

"Then let's do this thing," Flash finished as they entered the map room. There, the selected area had been outlined and they noted one of the lakes was within the battlefield. He then turned to Heart, "Remember, if you're picked, try and stay as far away from the water." Heart nodded back as the bingo machine appeared and unleashed the first orb, this one showing Springer's head.

"It's go time," Springer cheered.

"Be careful," Ruby told him. "We still don't know how long you'll be able to stay in Mega Mode. Only use it if you absolutely have too." Springer nodded back as the second orb flew out and showed Heart's cutie mark. The colt kept repeating what Flash had told him before in his head, promising himself he wouldn't let a drop of water touch him.

Finally, the last orb hit the table, showing Flash's cutie mark.

"The competitors have been selected. Flash Sentry, Fire Heart and Springer. Proceed to the battlefield."

"This war ends today," Flash announced as he and his teammates glowed. "Get ready Shadow, we will win!"

With that, the three vanished and the others turned to the table.

Down in a sector city, three flashes of light glowed before fading to reveal the cultists that had been picked.

Armalum sighed as he spread his new wings. "Time to make those fools pay for stealing my body."

Tempera rolled her eyes at this, "Just don't get overconfident. Don't forget, you're not as unstoppable as you were before." She then turned to the final member of their team, a dreamy smile now on her face, "What are your orders, my love?" The figure turned around, revealing Shadow Corrupter with a dark smile on his face.

"My orders are simple. Win."

Author's Note

Well, now we know what happened between Flash and Sombra. You probably think it's a cop out, but I like the idea of a dark soul trying to corrupt a good soul only for it itself to be corrupted.

While I'm here, I need to ask an important question that may impact the future of this series. Pony Life. What would you think if I added a few elements from that series into this series. The elements I'm talking about are things like Pinkie's sudden exploding ability and Fluttershy's size shifting. If you think that's a bad idea, I understand. But if you want me to try and use some of those elements, I'm open to that too.

A Picture of One's Life

Canterlot, seventeen years ago.

In one of the more expansive mansions in the city, one almost as large as the castle itself, there was a silver coated young unicorn filly with a white mane and tail that had multi-colored tips. The filly was running through the mansion, laughing as she headed down a staircase.

And as the bottom of the stairs was two other ponies. One was a red unicorn stallion with a blue mane, tail and mutton chops beard. The other was a green unicorn mare with a mane and tail that was a mess of red, yellow and blue. "Momma, papa!" The two turned to her, "You're here! Let's play! Let's play!"

"I'm afraid we can't Tempera," the mare replied, "Your father and I have a very important meeting to get to."

"Oh..." Tempera moaned as her ears folded, looking down at the floor before glancing back up, "Well, can we play when you get back?"

Her father shook his head, "No, we're not coming back until very late tonight. There's a function with a lot of high rolling ponies that we would benefit a lot from this meeting."

With that, the couple walked out the door, the frame slamming without so much as a goodbye. The filly sighed at the sight, now seeing it as the third time this week. She slowly spun around before walking back to her room, walking past the many servants that worked for the household as they all nodded their head in respect. But as she did this, everypony including her remained silent, not one servant asking if something was wrong or if they could help. And as she got to her room, she leapt onto her bed before bursting into tears.

"Its always like this! Its always some stupid business thingy or...or something! Why...why'd they even bother having me?!" She asked nopony through her tears. "Why don't they love me?!"

She continued to cry for several long hours, tears soon shriveling up as time passed. The filly had done this over and over, no pony coming to comfort her. And as the tears came to a stop, she turned to one of the few things her parents had ever given her: A sketchpad and several colored pencils.

The five year old tried to use her magic to levitate it over, but could barely get a spark. Seeing this, she simply grabbed the pad and brought it over to her bed, soon drawing the first thing that came to the forefront of her mind: Her parents.

But these were not like the ones that never spent any time with her. In her imagination, they did nothing but spend time with her, playing all kinds of games, family picnics, and the three laughing and smiling all the time.

And as she finished the foal drawings of her parents, Tempera stared long and hard at the painting. Tears began to well up again as she did this, sniffing as well as she whispered, "Why can't you be real?! Then I could have parents that really love me..." She put her hooves to her face, trying to block the tears. But as she did this, her horn began to glow without her realizing. And as a lone tear rolled down her cheek and dripped off, it began to glow the same color before landing on the paper.

Seconds later, the light spread around the rest of the page, the glow now catching Tempera's attention. She turned to the pad, gasping as the light continued to grow stronger. The filly shut her eyes next as the light exploded, only to reopen them and gasp again.

Standing on her bed were her parents, or at least something that looked like her parents. Parts of their body were white instead of their normal color and they didn't seem as...active as her real parents. But the weirdest part was that they were both smiling big cheesy smiles, just like-

"My drawings?!" Tempera yelped, "My...my drawings came to life?!" The drawings nodded back, Tempera shaking in place as she saw them smile at her. The sight made the constant frown on her face fade, a grin replacing it as she asked, "You...do you love me?" They nodded again, "YAY!" She leapt into their drawn hooves, hugging them both. "Now I have parents that really love me!"

And as they embraced her back, the filly didn't notice a flash of light appear on her flank before vanishing to reveal a paint pallet.

The Present...

"My orders are simple. Win."

Tempera nodded, "And it will be done, my master."

"Hold on, we still don't know who we're facing," Armalum added, "If one of them is Sentry or the wolf, I'm guessing you want us to handle the other two while you deal with them."

"Good to know losing your host hasn't dulled your brain," Shadow hissed with a nod, "Yes. Unlike last time, this time I want to know who I'm facing before I go all out. And while that's happening," he turned to Tempera. "You know what to do."

"Of course," Tempera replied before pulling out her notebook. Within seconds she had completed her creations and threw the page into the air before hitting it with her magic. As soon as it made contact, the page exploded in a burst of light that revealed a horde of uni-troopers. "Go, locate the orb. If you're able to find it, bring it back to us." The creations all nodded before turning in multiple directions, all rolling down the streets.

"Good, that will give us the edge." Shadow commented, "Now, let's distract the other three."

"Hold on master, my scribeasts touching the orb won't cause us to win. It's possible it could find the orb, but have it fall into enemy hooves."

"Then we need to beat them and quick," Armalum added.

"Let's not waste any time," Shadow finished as he teleported the trio up to a roof. He glanced around, judging their location as before pointing to the opposite end of the area. "There. We always appear on opposite ends, so they have to be there."

And as they teleported again, Flash, Springer and Heart stared at the city before them. "This is it," Flash told them. "The final battle."

"This one's for all the marbles," Springer quoted before closing his eyes. "Everypony, can you hear me?"

He waited for a second as all the voices came in, still not very clear but a little better than yesterday. "Yes, we hear you." Cold replied first.

"Shadow's there!" Trixie almost screamed, making all three go wide-eyed.

"That's not good," Heart gulped. "So much for my theory."

"What theory?" Flash asked.

"That whoever was doing this was intentionally keeping you apart. I mean, you two have never had a match."

Flash opened his mouth to respond, only to blink as he realized what Heart was saying. "Huh. You're right. I've never fought him since the start of this. Are we about to fight because its the final match?"

"Maybe?"

"Hang on, as he's not the only one you need to worry about," Ruby chimed in, "I don't know how, but...but Armalum is there with them."

"Seriously?!" Flash yelped, "I thought he was just a mask now! How is he back?!"

But before an answer could come, Springer yelled, "Look out!" He leapt in front of them and raised an Aura Guard, just in time to block a black beam of magic. The jakhowl grunted at the impact, the power of the blast making the shield wobble.

And as the attack began to fade, they all looked up to see their opponents standing atop a nearby building. "Aw crap."

Shadow chuckled, "Surprised to see me here?"

"Not really," Flash replied as he pulled out his sword, "Let's just say I have an...inside track on who I'm facing."

The unicorn raised an eyebrow at this, only to shake his head, "Whatever. I've been wanting a chance to take you down once and for all anyways." He pulled out his sword before glancing at his cohorts. "Tempera, Armalum, deal with the other two."

"Yes master!" They responded before Armalum spread his new wings and Tempera took out a notebook. She quickly drew something before tossing it up, a flash of her magic signaling a large black dragon.

Flash and Springer prepared to engage it, only for Heart to leap in front of them. "I don't think so!" he yelled as his body began to steam up. "Get ready to feel the heat!" With that, his body exploded with fire as he transformed, unleashing a burst of fire into the scribeast dragon, making it dry out and crumble into dust. "Oh yeah!"

Tempera growled at the colt before turning to Armalum. "Deal with him."

"Fine," Armalum leapt off the roof and flew down at the colt. Heart gulped at the sight, about to backpedal until Flash and Springer tried to leap in front of him. But before either could launch an attack, Shadow and Tempera appeared in a flash of light. Shadow grabbed Flash while Tempera did the same with Springer, the four vanishing as the armored alicorn charged at Heart.

"WHOA!" he yelped as he leapt to the side, barely avoiding a metal coated hoof. Armalum then slid across the ground, grinding the dirt as he summoned a scythe.

"You're going down kid!" Armalum yelled as he charged, swinging the blade right at Heart's neck. But as he did this, Heart let out a burst of flames, pushing him upward.

"I don't think so!" Heart replied as he swung his tail, firing several fireballs just as he had seen Salix do. But Armalum just swung his scythe at the flames, deflecting them all before spreading his wings.

"Flight is no longer your team's advantage against me!" he roared as he took to the air, swinging his scythe like a top as Heart started rapidly flapping his wings.

"This is bad," Trixie gulped as they watched Heart continue to be chased by Armalum.

"I don't get it. How the heck is he even here?" Soarin chimed in next, turning to Ruby, "You and Flash took him down, right?"

"He must be possessing something else," the crystal knight replied with crossed hooves, "What, is anypony's guess."

"He can fly and use magic," Cold added while rubbing his chin in thought, "There's only one species that can do those things."

"Changelings," Trixie pointed out.

"Okay...two species, but changelings don't have those kinds of wings. He's possessing an alicorn."

"What?! How?!" Soarin yelped, "Where did they get an alicorn from?!"

"It would have to be...Tempera," Trixie replied while pointing at the names appearing on the table, "She must have made a scribeast in the shape of an alicorn."

"And they somehow charged it with magic," Ruby added, "If that's true, Armalum won't be as powerful as he was before."

"But still not something to be taken likely," Cold finished, "Let's just hope Heart can find a way to beat him."

The others nodded as they looked back down at the map, Ruby continuing to speak. "If anything, Armalum's the least of our worries. Especially considering what Tempera is doing."

A minute or so ago...

In another section of the cornered off city, a flash of light announced the arrival of Springer and Tempera. The unicorn quickly leapt away, pulling out her notebook. "I think it's time we finished our little game." Springer picked himself up as she threw a drawing into the air, the jakhowl soon finding himself staring down an army of uni-troopers.

He was reminded of when he had first met Tempera and the match when they had discovered the truth behind Sombra. She had gotten the drop on him both times, making him growl as he created a Bone Breaker, "Let's go."

The uni-troopers charged, the first wave swinging their swords at him. However, Springer just did a quick horizontal swipe, smacking five away before spinning and doing it again. The attack, knocked the rest away, only for a second wave to appear. And as he saw this, the aura bone vanished as he summoned two Steel Paws Wolverine style.

"Raaah!" He roared as he began cutting through the scribeasts, dodging every blade as he sliced through them. And as he destroyed a third wave, he spun around and unleashed an Aura Force attack that cut them down like they were nothing.

Tempera growled as the smoke from his attack started to fade, sighing next as the jakhowl stood alone in the area where her army had once been. She readied her sketchbook and began drawing as Springer charged at her, only to teleport right behind him. The jakhowl quickly spun around, only to find himself staring at a trio of ten meter tall minotaurs. The closest threw a punch down, Springer blocking it with an Aura Guard. The punch bounced off the shield, making the minotaur stagger backward. And as this happened, the other two charged at Springer, only for his barrier to vanish...along with the jakhowl.

If Tempera could see at super speed, she would have seen Springer run between one of the minotaur's legs before jumping up and slamming his foot into its back. This was followed with the jakhowl hopping off the monster and quickly doing ten strikes to the second minotaur's chest. After that, he kicked the minotaur's chest, spring-boarding off it while spinning around before axe-kicking the third beast's head.

This all happened in the blink of an eye, Tempera only seeing Springer appear as he took down the last one, ink splattering everywhere next. She gasped as the jakhowl landed, seeing the ink cover the blue parts of his fur as he turned to glare at her. And as he began to move his feet forward, she let out a yelp as she quickly tossed a page at him.

Springer watched it turn into a lindworm, the beast snarling at him as it prepared to bite down on the jakhowl. But as it tried to do this, Springer created a Bone Breaker and held it samurai sword style as he leapt into the air. "HI-YAH!" With one powerful swing, the beast was cut in half, turning into two giant splatters of ink.

Tempera gasped as she summoned a painting of a scorpentine and a manticore, Springer spinning his Bone Breaker at the beasts. He blocked the manticore's tail before slashing the beast's stomach, cutting it in half sideways. This was followed with him rolling on the ground, dodging the scorpentine's claws before thrusting his weapon forward, impaling the beast.

As this happened, Tempera drew three more opponents, now creating a roc, a quetzalcoatl and a bladed mantis. The jakhowl simply swung its Bone Breaker around, slashing through the trio with ease. And as the last turned into a pile of ink, Tempera threw up another piece of paper, only for Springer to slash it in half.

"No!" She cried as Springer suddenly warped over to her and thrust an Aura Blast into her chest. "AUGH!" She screamed as she was sent flying back, rolling on the ground next as her notebook and pencil fell to the wayside.

She let out a long groan after this, trying to get up as Springer marched over. "Give it up Tempera. Your scribeasts are no match for me now."

"Never!" The unicorn screeched while pushing herself back to her hooves, Springer taking this moment to charge at her. But before he could reach her, the unicorn teleported over to her art equipment, picking them up as Springer just stared at her. She growled at him, her pencil starting to scribble up a drawing, "My art will beat you!"

"No it won't." Springer replied in a deadpan tone, "No offense, but why bother? You know whatever you make is just gonna end up a pile of goop on the floor."

"I don't care!" Tempera screamed, "I won't fail my master! I will defeat you, and he will reward me!"

"No he won't," Springer responded while shaking his head, "From what I've seen of him, all he cares about is himself."

"You're wrong..." she hissed, "He loves me and when I win, he'll shower me in that love!"

Springer just shook his head again, "You're deluded."

"No, I'm not!" she screeched, "He's the only one that loves me!" Springer raised an eyebrow at this. "I know he loves me, because I know what it means to not be loved!"

Seven years ago...

A decade had passed since Tempera's discovery of her incredible power to bring drawings to life. Now the fifteen year old unicorn was in Canterlot Park, where many fillies and colts were waiting as she pulled her cart of arts supplies behind her. "Alright, where's the birthday girl?" One of the unicorn fillies raised her hoof, "Hello!" She placed her easel on the ground before locking several pieces of paper onto it. "So, what do you want to play with?"

"Uh...a cheetah!" the filly yelled as that was the first thing that came to her mind. "A pink one with...rainbow spots!"

Tempera giggled and nodded before getting to work. Over the years, her drawing skills had become so good that she could create anything in seconds what most painters spent months working to create. As such, it didn't take long for her to draw the outline of the big cat before using her magic to pick up the paint and place it onto the needed sections.

"Alright," she picked up the finished painting, "Who's ready to meet Mr. Cheetah?" The young ponies all cheered as she threw the paper into the air before firing at it, a flash of light exploding out before the pink feline appeared.

The children cheered as the cheetah began to run around and do tricks, others turning back to Tempera as they began requesting their own creations. Within an hour, the park was filled with flying pigs, cat sized elephants and giant chickens that they could sit on the back of to race.

And as the children enjoyed their new playmates, Tempera sat under a tree while doing a new drawing. But this painting was different, as she was taking her time and enjoying every second of it. The image she was creating showed her along with another pony that was stallion-like in appearance, though it lacked any defining features.

"Who's that?" asked a voice, making Tempera gasp before looking down and seeing the voice came from the birthday filly, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No," Tempera sighed while shaking her head, "I don't have a boyfriend. I'd like one though."

"Why? Colts are icky!"

Tempera laughed at this. "Maybe...but they're worth it as long as they love you. Because love is one of the most amazing things in the whole world." She looked down at her drawing before hugging it to her chest. "That's why I can't wait to find that special somepony I can love, who I know will love me back."

The filly smiled at her as the party continued, right up until it was time for everypony to go home. And once the children were gone, Tempera turned to her many creations and sparked her horn. Within seconds, the paint creatures melted, all the different color pains separating and returning to their individual paint pots. Once the last drop was back, Tempera closed the containers and returned them and her easel to her cart before heading off home.

And when she arrived at the giant mansion, she gasped at a certain sight. "Mother? Father?" she asked as she saw her parents, knowing it was rare for her parents to be home at all nowadays, "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Tempera." her father turned to her in a low tone, "At last you're back. We have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?"

Her mother stepped up close to her, a small smile on her face, "You're getting married."

"WHAT?!" Tempera screamed as her jaw dropped to the floor, "MARRIED?! What do you mean, I'm getting married?"

Her father just gave her a flat stare, "A business associate of mine has a son who's a real high roller. It won't be long before he becomes a member of the royal court, and having a strong connection to him will do amazing things for us."

"Wha-but that's..." Tempera tried to say, shaking her head next before saying, "So...you're just using me to get close to this random pony?! Don't I have a say in this?!"

"Of course not," her father instantly replied, no hesitation in his voice. "Trust us, this is what's best for everypony."

"But I can't get married!" she barked back, "I'm only fifteen!"

"That's alright," her mother added, "It will be a betrothal for now, but once you are both of age, then you'll be married."

"That...you can't...this...this can't be happening," she told herself, gripping her head as she muttered out, "This is just a dream, it has to be! Any moment I'm gonna wake up and everything will be back to normal."

"This is real," her father chimed in. "You are to be married to this lad, and then you can finally do something useful with your life instead of those silly drawings."

And as those words entered Tempera's ears, she turned to glare at her father. However, his face showing no emotion just like his mother, blank faces on both as she started to argue with them. But as she did this, they ignored every attempt, soon getting tired of her rejection of the idea and coming to a new agreement. Tempera would give it a shot, but demanded to at least meet her future husband. Her parents agreed to this and made arrangements, Tempera's fiancé announcing he was free for lunch two weeks from then.

And so, Tempera found herself at a very fancy restaurant two weeks later. She sat at a lone table, grumbling into her hooves while wearing an extravagant dress, complete with jewelry on every part possible. Half an hour passed as she sat there, only to see a pony matching the description she had been given walk into the restaurant. He was a brown earth pony with a curly mane and tail wearing a simple suit and a cutie mark of a scroll. By the looks of him, he was about two or three years older than her.

He marched up to her table and sat down, looking her over and smirking. "Greetings. I'm Haut Monde."

"Nice to meet you," she replied while nodding, "I'm Tempera."

"Yes, yes." The earth pony grabbed the menu and looked it through. "So I understand you wanted to meet with me."

"Well, yes. If we're gonna be married, we should at least get to know one another."

"I don't see why since we'll have the rest of our lives to learn about one another."

Tempera rolled her eyes at this. "I'd prefer to get to know you before the wedding. So, please tell me about yourself."

Haut shined a huge smile at this, starting to talk over his own past. He came from an old money family and had inherited much of his wealth from his parents, using it to invest in many business ventures that had increased his wealth considerably. He went on to tell her about some of his best ventures, making sure to tell her just how much it earned him in every endeavor.

"That's very...interesting," Tempera lied as she snacked on her salad. She held back a sigh, boredom consuming her as she tried to stop his long ranting. "Well, I suppose it's only right that you know something about me."

"I guess," Haut shrugged while taking a bite of his food.

"Well, I'm a former student of Celestia's school of unicorns-"

"Oh? That's top billing! No wonder our parents came to the conclusion of an engagement between us." Haut interrupted, "What did you study there?"

"Art." Tempera replied, resisting another sigh. "I actually have a special type of magic that let's me-"

"Art?" Haut spat before rolling his eyes, "What a waste of time."

"Excuse me?!" Tempera almost hissed, raising an eyebrow at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Art is a complete waste of time. I've met tons of rich ponies who were ruined because they bought a silly doodle that they thought would one day earn them a fortune, only for it to be worth nothing in the end."

"Art is about more than just buying and selling." Tempera instantly replied, fully glaring at him now. "Art is about expressing one's individual emotions, and capturing them for all eternity."

"Oh please, what a load of rubbish," Haut huffed while waving his hoof at her, "Don't expect to continue that silly hobby once we're married. You'll be way too busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"What mares like you are meant to do. Stay at home, raise my children, make sure I have everything I need to keep working and bring in more bits. Oh, and occasionally throwing big lavish parties for my business associates. No more worthless drawings." And as he kept listing reasons, Tempera's face started to turning red in anger. Her hooves clenched themselves as the stallion called her art worthless again, making her snap as she grabbed a drink from a passing waiter's tray before tossing it at the earth pony. "Augh!" He cried as the expensive cider flew into his face, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Something I'm surprised doesn't happen more often," Tempera hissed as she got up, "Consider the wedding off!"

With that, she ran out of the restaurant, disappearing into the city. It would be several hours later that Tempera returned home, having taken the time to calm herself before she faced her parents. But all that time would go to waste when she walked up to the mansion, now finding her parents standing at the foot of the stairs.

"What is wrong with you?!" Her mother screamed.

"Do you have any idea what your actions have cost us!" Her father yelled next as she marched up to her, "Haut is refusing to accept our apology and continue with the wedding!"

"Good!" Tempera barked back, "I never ever want to see that pompous jerk again, let alone marry him!"

"Are you insane?!" Her mother screeched, "You would have been set for life!"

"I don't need to be set! I want to be loved!" Tempera huffed as she pushed past them, "I'd rather spend the rest of my life poor and alone instead of in a loveless marriage, no matter how rich that pony is."

"Love?" Her father made an unintelligible sound, "What purpose is love in life?!" Tempera came to a halt and spun around, glaring at him as he continued, "All that matters is money and power. I don't know why you care about something as pointless as love, but its nothing but a distraction in achieving greatness."

"So you two don't love each other?" Tempera asked while pointing at the two, both glancing at one another. And for the first time in her life, Tempera noticed the lifelessness in their eyes for each other, something she had believed the two had to least have as a couple. However, there was nothing, making her speak up, "Do you even love me?" Her parents didn't respond as they turned back to her, the mare shaking as she continued, "Is that all I am to you? The only reason you had me was to be a bargaining chip in a business transaction?!"

"You have nothing to complain about," her mother instantly replied, her expression unchanging. "You've had everything any pony could ever ask for while growing up."

"Except parents that love me!" She cried out before continuing her march upstairs. But as she reached her room, she gasped as she saw the place was completely devoid of all her art supplies. "What is...where are my tools?!"

"We had them thrown out." her father chimed in as they walked up to the door, "When we had heard what you did, we got rid of them instantly." She slowly turned to him, tears welling in her eyes as he just stared at her, "It's time you focused on what really mattered in life. There's no time for this nonsense."

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed, "I hate you! I hate you so much!" She then slammed the door in their faces and leapt onto her bed, crying into the pillow just like she had done when she first discovered her special power.

As she did this, her parents didn't demand the door be opened. Instead, they left, now discussing their plans for her as she continued to wallow away in her own misery. And as the hours passed, a thought went through Tempera's head: Her parents never loved her. Nopony ever loved her. She was nothing but a pawn to be used in other ponies game of life.

And as the sun and moon began to switch places, she pushed herself up from her pillow. "I can't do this anymore. I...I can't stay here. If I do...my life will never be mine." She hopped off her bed, going to a drawer as she began moving some clothes around. "Come on, where is-here!" She pulled out a bag of bits, one she would use for extra supplies. The mare counted them up, nodding to herself, "This should be just enough. All I need is bits for the train and my art supplies..." She did a long gulp as she closed the bag, "I'll...I'll just figure out the rest later."

She went to her closest, pulling out some bags and began packing everything she could. And as she fully prepared herself, she began to sneak out of the mansion, evading the servants as they did the night cleaning. The mare had never been into sneaking out, but she was glad she got to the front gates without being seen.

And after this, she headed for the train station, planning to take the first train to anywhere that wasn't Canterlot. This would be the start of her new life.

Present day...

"My parents never loved me, but then I found master Shadow and I learned what true love meant."

Springer shook his head. "I don't know what your parents did to you, but I do know letting Shadow use you can't be much better."

"He's not using me," Tempera barked back, "I lend him my support, and in return he rewards me."

"That's not love," Springer instantly replied, "That's, if anything, just employment. If he really loved you, you wouldn't need to jump through hoops for his attention."

"Be quiet!" Tempera screamed as she ripped another page out of her notebook and threw it upward, hitting it with her magic as it created a swarm of eyebats. "You don't know anything!" The eyeballs unleashed several magic blasts, Springer leaping side to side while putting up an Aura Guard. "Master loves me and when I take you down, he'll finally show me his love and affection." And as she said this, Springer began swatting the bats away with a Bone Breaker, the mare drawing on another page, "All for you, my master."

Meanwhile...

Several minutes ago, the two team leaders appeared in a flash of light on a random street, Shadow leaping away from Flash before the pegasus could react. "Perfect." The unicorn chuckles while raising his sword, "Now we won't be interrupted."

Flash shifted into a battle stance, Lightbringer in hoof. "Now hang on Shadow, really think about this."

"Oh, I've thought about this long and hard. Mainly about the amount of pain I was gonna inflict on you when this moment finally arrived."

"Not that," Flash growled. "Don't forget what happened before. Your Corrupted Shadow and my Sacred Light clashing almost ripped this entire city apart, and that was just when we were in the mindscape! If we battle for real, who knows what damage we could do!"

"Well then, you know what you have to do then." With that, Shadow teleported right in front of Flash, both swords clashing in the next split-second as he continued, "Let me beat you and I won't need to use my Corrupted Shadow."

"Yeah, right." The defender spat as he pushed the mad pony back, quickly countering with a slash. However, Shadow hopped back next, only to block Flash's next attack. The two blades clashed, the sound of metal on metal echoing through the streets before Flash flared his wings. He took to the air and spun around, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Several rapid swings came next, unleashing a horde of light blades.

Shadow just shook his head at this, a shield forming from a spark of his horn. The light blades bounced off the barrier, Shadow smirking as a gray cloud appeared next on the tip of his horn. "Now, let's turn you to dust!" He yelled as the cloud shot off, Flash quickly side-stepping as the cloud flew past the pegasi and struck a building.

"Not if you can't hit me!" He roared while the building began to fall apart. He fired another Flash Cutter, only for the unicorn to summon two portals, one in front of him while the other above the street. The blade went through the first wormhole, only to come out above Flash, making him gasp as he dodged the attack.

And as he did this, a third portal appeared right beside Flash, firing a metal chain. Flash raised his blade to block the sudden rope, the chain clanging against his sword. The impact pushed Flash back down, his form soon landing on the street as he felt his hooves grind on the dirt.

"How pitiful. I knew you were weak, but this is disappointing." Shadow chuckled, "Then again, without your Sacred Light, you're nothing compared to me."

"We'll see about that," Flash replied as he charged, their blades about to lock again. And as their clash happened, the defender let out a low growl, "I'm just getting started!"

In another part of the city...

"Fire Force!" Heart roared as he unleashed a fire blast behind him, aiming right at the armored pony chasing after him.

Armalum quickly countered with a swing of his scythe, cutting the flames down, "You'll need more than that, colt." he commented before firing a beam out of his horn. Heart threw another fireball at the attack, only for the laser to cut right through it and struck his wing.

"Augh!" He cried, his body flailing downward. He quickly pushed his hooves at the ground, launching a burst of fire out of them. The fire pushed him upward, slowing him down so he didn't crash, instead rolling on the street. And as he tried to pick himself up, Armalum landed and swung his scythe downward. But as he did this, Heart ignited his back hooves, "HI-YA!" he yelled, his body rocketing into Armalum's chest. The body check made the armored pony go flying, slamming into a building as his scythe left his hooves.

Heart gasped at the next sight as a crack appeared on the armored pony, leaving a small hole on the side, "What the-" he tried to say, only for his brain to put a few pieces together, "You...you're a scribeast!"

"I'm not a scribeast," Armalum growled as he picked himself up. "I'm merely possessing a scribeast." As he said that, the armor that had fallen to the floor turned into the dark slime that returned to the main body, fixing the cracks and hole.

"If you're just a scribeast in there, then I can take you out!" Heart cheered before firing a ball of flames at Armalum, the armored pony leaping to the side. But as he did this, he leapt to get his scythe, only for a fireball hit him. He looked up to see another attack coming from Heart, forcing him to take to the skies. As he did this, Heart just laughed, "Yeah, take that you parasite!"

"You little twerp!" Armalum spat as he swooped down at Heart, the colt firing another fireball from his tail. However, Armalum's horn shined and created a barrier, blocking every blow as he tried to tackle the colt.

"Whoa!" Heart yelped as he took to the air, Armalum smirking as he quickly grabbed his scythe while the colt fled.

"I've already used up way too much magic," he whispered as he glared up at Heart. "Tempera was right, this form can't take much. I've gotta finish this kid quick." With that, he took flight while swinging the scythe, firing a wave of dark energy. Heart responded with a swipe of his tail, launching another fireball as the two attacks collided, causing a large explosion.

Meanwhile...

"Aura Blast!" Springer unleashed a sphere of aura into a lindworm, making it explode into ink as he then used an Aura Guard as an umbrella.

Tempera growled at the sight, looking down at her sketchpad before going wide-eyed. She was low on paper. Her mind went back to earlier in the morning, when master Shadow had ordered her back to bed. Because of that, she had been awakened by the alarm and hadn't had time to restock her sketchpad with paper. Now she only had four pages left.

"Oh no..."

"Problem?" Springer asked, the jakhowl walking over to her. "Looks like you're running out of pages."

Tempera glared at him before firing a magic beam at her, Springer smacking it away with a Bone Breaker. "Get away from me!" She cried, firing blast after blast at the jakhowl. However, Springer simply spun his weapon around, knocking every beam away.

In response, she drew something and threw the page at the jakhowl while firing her magic at it. A brick wall appeared in front of Springer after this, making him show a deadpan stare, "Seriously?" He created a small Aura Blast on the tip of his paw and flicked it at the wall, the sphere exploding and turning the wall into a pile of ink...and no Tempera on the other side. "Hey!" he yelled, "Come back here, you coward!"

Several streets away, Tempera was now inside one of the houses. She stared at her notebook, the dwindling number of pages filling her with fear. "Without my scribeasts, I don't stand a chance." Her mind went over how Springer took out her creations, not seeming tired at all. That thought went to the battle between Springer and her beloved, remembering that he could hold his own against the most powerful pony she knew. "I...I don't stand a chance against something like that."

Tears began to fill her eyes as the fear crept into her heart. The mare hated that feeling, as she had only felt this kind of fear once before: When she had found the pony she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Seven years ago...

Two weeks had passed since Tempera had left home, and things had been going well. She had escaped Canterlot with ease, getting the last train of the night when she had run away. After that, she had managed to resupply her art equipment in a small town, now using her skills as a street performer that earned her more than enough money.

She felt...happiness from this. It was not everything she wanted, but she knew this was the only beginning. And now she was on another train, trying to find a place to make a new life in. The train speakers called out at this moment, catching the mare's attention. "Now arriving at Andalusire Station." Tempera quickly got up and left the train, only to blink at the sight out of the station.

The sight before her was supposed to be a quaint little town with beautiful meadows and a pretty lake fed by a river, but all she saw were trees. She turned to the ticket booth, "Hello? I have a question." The stallion inside pulled up from his book as she spoke to him. "Is this really Andalusire?"

"Well, yes and no." Tempera raised an eyebrow at this. "This is just the station. The actual town is right through there." He pointed to the large assortment of trees, which were so thick that it completely blocked out the sun. "There's a path that'll lead you to town. But be careful not to stray from it, or you'll end up lost."

"Thank you," she replied before walking into the forest. As soon as she was under the canopy, a sense of foreboding filled her whole body. The mare took a breath, gaining some courage as she stared at the path in front of her. "Its okay Tempera...its just a scary forest."

Her movement slowed as she kept walking, only to hear the sound of a snapping of a twig. The sound made her shiver, her eyes darting around as she kept moving...not realizing she was walking off the path. Before she looked back down at the dirt, her eyes went wide as she saw she was now lost.

"No..." she whimpered, only to hear another snapping twig. She let out a last gasp, glancing around before trying to retrace her steps. But fear kept control of her brain, making her gulp as she went the wrong way again.

Then, her heart stopped at the sound of a low growl.

Slowly she turned to the sound, her eyes blinking as she stared at the darkness of the forest. But soon that black void was filled by a pair of large, bright, yellow eyes. "AAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as she leapt back, now seeing the eye's owner leap out of the darkness and reveal itself as a manticore.

Tempera felt herself trip backward next, her art supplies scattering everywhere as she fell over. As she did this, the manticore bared its teeth and unfurled its claws. She started scrambling backward on the ground, only for eyes to go down to her stuff. Her brain shined a quick bulb, an idea forming as her magic took her pencil and notebook. And as the manticore raised its scorpion tail, she sketched something out on a piece of paper before throwing it and blasting it with her magic.

The drawing appeared, showing a second manticore as both started to roar at each other. And as she grabbed her things while the manticores started to fight, the real one stabbed the doppelganger, turning it into a pile of goop. Tempera went wide-eyed at this, causing her to quickly draw and throw a ton of paper at the monster. A barrage of creations came out next, the manticore slashing through them all with ease. And as she prepared another scribeast, she tripped over a tree root, making her stumble as her pencil and paper flew everywhere.

And as she tried to get up, she turned to see the manticore staring at her. She gripped herself, closing her eyes and curling herself up, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"GRAAAAAH!" She then heard the manticore cry in pain, making her eyes flash open.

She let out a gasp next as she saw a giant fist, composed of a black cloud=like substance, slamming into the manticore's face with enough force that it sent the beast flying. It crashed through several trees before hitting to the ground, breathing but unconscious.

Tempera then watched as the fist fly backward, the mare following it to see her savior. It was a gray unicorn stallion around her age, covered in scars and wearing a black armor and mask that was standing on a rock. The fist returned to him, reshaping into a wing-like shape that matched its twin.

The mare went wide-eyed at the sight, felling a deep heat appear on her face. She could feel something flutter in her heart, something she had not felt in so long. Was this...love at first sight?

The Present...

"Master," She whimpered while wiping her tears away. The mare took a deep breath next, reopening her eyes as a look of determination replaced the fear. "I won't let you down." She picked herself up. "Even if it kills me, I'll find a way to defeat that fleabag." She stared down at her sketchpad again. "Even if it means doing something crazy, I'll win for you, my love."

Another part of the city...

Her love was currently in the heat of battle against Flash, the gray unicorn teleporting all around the pegasus. Flash was now in Theta Mode, instantly blocking every blow from Shadow. "You're not bad with the blade Shadow." Flash commented as Shadow thrusted his sword at Flash's head, the defender easily ducking and slashing back at Shadow's head. The unicorn turned into a cloud of black smoke next, dodging the blow before solidifying above Flash, only for Flash to block his next sword attack as well. "I'm guessing Storm taught you the way of the blade, right? Your movements are like his, though more adjusted to a unicorn."

"Indeed." Shadow replied as spun around, trying to swipe his blade into Flash's neck, only for the defender to lean back. The blade went over his face, the pegasi spinning around to counter with his blade as Shadow prepared to block it, the sounds of metal clanging next, "And your blade is weaker."

"Don't count my Celestic Gear out just yet." Flash countered as he thrust his sword right at Shadow's nose, only for the unicorn to turn into smoke again. That black fog quickly backpedaled, solidifying a second later as he fired a blast from his horn. "Flash Force!" The defender yelled as he unleashed a laser, striking Shadow's magic as an explosion happened next.

And as the street began to fill with smoke, Shadow's sword flew through the dust cloud, Flash having to block it with his blade. The sword clanged off his blade, flying into the wall of a nearby building. The defender turned to the blade, blinking at the sight, "He threw his blade?"

But before he could look back at the battle, Shadow teleported right up to Flash, unable to react as a spell flared from his horn. "AUGH!" he screamed as a beam of magic struck his chest, his sword flying out of his hooves.

"Hahahahaha!" Shadow laughed as his horn sparked with red lightning, which flew down his body and into his front hooves. And as Flash tried to recover, the unicorn teleported over and socked him right in the jaw. "Now do you see how truly outclassed you are!?" Shadow asked as he began to unleash a barrage of punches into the pegasus, each one charged with dark lightning.

"Raaahhh!" Flash cried as he kept getting hit, unable to block the blows as the lighting surged through his body. All he could do was stand there as Shadow wailed away at him.

"Since the day we met, I've been looking forward to crushing you underhoof! You deserve to be beaten by me! And now-" He stopped his barrage before throwing one super powered punch right into Flash's gut, "IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!"

"AUGH!" Flash screamed, his squinting eyes noticing a small spark of light occurring between his skin and Shadow's hoof. A second later, he was sent flying back, rolling along the street in pure pain.

"Flash!" Trixie cried as she saw Flash slid across the ground.

"Oh no..." Soarin flinched as he saw Flash begin to pick himself up. "This is not looking good."

"I know. At this rate, we might lose." Trixie added as her ears folded down, "Oh...if only Springer was there to back him up."

And as they commented on this, Ruby and Cold kept staring at Shadow on the screen. "Its not just that. Something was up with that punch," the Crystal Knight commented, "It was different from the others he used."

Trixie and Soarin turned to her. "Different? What do you mean?" Soarin's question was answered when Flash let out another cry of pain, making them look back at the screen to see Flash frozen in place. "Rune magic?"

"Just like he used on me," Cold responded, "This isn't good."

"Hey!" They heard Flash cry out, "What the heck?! What'd you do to me?!"

"Did you forget about my runes?" Shadow replied as he moved over and pulled out his sword, "Now you won't be able to move an inch until I let you. And I don't intend to let you go at all." He pointed his sword at Flash as decaying magic encased the blade, "I'm going to enjoy every second of this. You will pay for making me go through this ridiculous game with your life."

"I won't die here." Flash grunted as his whole shook, the runes surging through him as he did this, "I will beat you."

Shadow just shook his head before adjusting his body, getting into a position to charge at him with a single sword thrust as he replied, "No. You will only die, just like the rest of your friends."

At the same time...

In another part of the city, Heart and Armalum were still in their aerial battle. Heart was now on the defensive, evading a barrage of magic beams from Armalum. All of them were small, half the size of when he had control over Sombra. However, the colt knew he couldn't take as much punishment like the others, so he continued to dodge them.

And as he evaded two beams at once, he swung his tail, sending a fireball straight at Armalum. The flames struck, exploding right on the armored pony. However, the smoke cloud that formed next didn't matter, as Armalum charged out of the fog with a shield around his body.

"Whoa!" Heart yelped as Armalum swooped up to him, swinging his scythe right at the colt's neck. He leaned back as he tried to dodge the blade, barely managing to pull himself backward as the blade swung centimeters above his nose. As this happened, Armalum swung the scythe back to his should before slamming a back hoof into Heart, knocking the wind out of him as he was then thrown into the roof of a building. "AUGH!"

Armalum spun his scythe in his hooves as he began to charge at the colt, just as Heart started to pick himself up. And as he did this, he saw something in the corner of his eye. It was a lake, just a few streets away. A bulb went off in his head next, the idea inside it making him grimace.

"RAAAAAH!" Armalum yelled as he flew down, pulling his scythe back to attack. Heart quickly spun around and blasted a wave of fire out of his back hooves, making Armalum stop to summon a magic barrier. As he did this, Heart flapped his wings and took the air, now heading to the lake.

"You brat!" Armalum roared as his horn flared. "Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can!" He called out as Armalum started to chase after him.

Meanwhile...

Flash could only stand there as he watched Shadow direct his sword at his chest right above the rune, the decay magic completely surrounding it. "This is it..." he cackled as he charged, "GOODBYE!"

Time seemed to slow down at Shadow and the sword got within range of Flash, the unicorn shining the biggest grin as he saw the fear now appearing on Flash's face. But when the sword was about to pierce his flesh, Flash's face changed into a knowing smirk, making Shadow whisper, "What?!"

It was in that moment that Flash leaned back, Shadow's sword going right over him as the pegasi's right hoof glowed with Sacred Light. Before Shadow could respond, the pegasus planted an uppercut into his lower jaw.

"AUGH!" He screamed as he was thrown back, the blow making him go a good ten feet away. His body rolled down the street before spinning onto his hooves, grinding the ground with a growl, "Impossible! You shouldn't be able to move!" he yelled as he glared up at Flash, only to see the rune on Flash was now gone, smoking coming off the spot, "You burnt off the stigmata?!"

"Surprise!" Flash laughed.

"And here I thought we weren't going to use our abilities."

"You didn't really give me much of a choice," Flash replied as he got into a battle stance. "I don't wanna use this power, but I will if it stops you from winning this thing."

"Then you leave me no choice," Shadow hissed as a black aura began to shroud around him, Flash's body shining like gold as well.

In the castle, all those watching leaned in as Ruby commented, "This is it. The real battle starts now."

"ARMORIZE!" Both ponies yelled as the black and gold light exploded off of them, forming tornadoes that cocooned them. The tornadoes disappeared as it morphed into the swords and wings adorning their backs, Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow now entering the battle.

The two stared at one another for barely a second before they charged, Shadow swinging his sword downward as Flash pulled his light swords off his back before crossing them to block it. The two clashed, both pushing as Shadow spread his wings and reshaped them into claws. He lunged both at the defender, only for Flash to vanish.

"Hmm?" Shadow growled, blinking at the disappearing knight before seeing him about to grab his Celestic Gear. But before he could nab it, Shadow flapped his wings and unleashed a wave of dark magic. Flash countered with one of his light blades, slashing the waves as a shockwave exploded out of the combined magics.

They hit both Flash and Shadow without injury, but when the shockwave touched the houses, they caused them to shake and crack. The two saw this, now understanding what their teammates meant about yesterday's battle. However, the sight made Shadow shine a grin, turning to Flash as he fired a dark chain out of glowing horn, Flash quickly grabbing his sword off the ground before using a Flash Cutter to destroy it.

"Flash Force!" He roared while pointing the crossguard at Shadow, the unicorn firing a laser as well. The two beams collided, another shockwave instantly happening at this. The building around them crumbled at the magic of their super forms. Shadow spread his wings next, taking to the sky while firing a barrage of magical blasts. Flash quickly backflipped away from the attacks, only to suddenly see a trio of uni-troopers roll into the street.

"Flash Cutter!" He yelled as he fired an energy blade at the three, Shadow wrapping his wings around him while the defender was distracted. He turned into a drill-like construct that flew right at Flash, but the pegasus leapt over them, the drill then carving a trench as Flash took to the air.

Shadow quickly pulled out of the drill and leapt after Flash, raising his sword while red lightning shot out of the tip of his horn and charged up the blade. Flash responded by placing the tip of his sword on his back, the light from his light blades getting absorbed into it. The two swung their weapons next, both clashing as the most powerful shockwave of the bunch came out of the collision, the following shockwave destroying several buildings around them in their wake.

In another section of the city, a uni-trooper rolled into another street and began its search into a building.

Many of its fellow scribeasts had been destroyed by the shockwaves Flash and Shadow had been unleashing, this one being one of the few to survive as it searched the houses. And as it got to the fourth house of the street, it saw it: The orb.

The uni-trooper grabbed the metallic sphere and ran out the door, hoping to find its creator or any of her teammates.

Far away from Flash and Shadow's battle, and safely out of reach of the shockwaves, Heart continued to allow Armalum to chase after him. The colt saw the lake now getting closer, only for Armalum to fire a dark wave out of his scythe. Heart spun around and shot a stream of fire at the attack, only for it to cut through and hit the colt.

"Augh!" He cried as the explosion slammed him into the street, his body rolling a bit before coming to a stop. And as he tried to get up, he saw that he had landed just a few feet from the water.

"Hahahaha!" Armalum laughed, landing as well, "Of all the directions to try and escape from me, you chose the one leading to your greatest weakness."

Heart growled as he got into a battle stance, "Don't count me out yet! Bring it on!"

Armalum shook his head, "Your confidence is admirable." He raised his weapon, "But your cockiness isn't."

With that, he charged with scythe spinning in hoof. But as he did this, Heart retook to the sky, flying over the lake as Armalum followed him. He flicked his tail, firing a barrage of flames as Armalum sliced through every fireball. The armored pony then got up to him, swinging his scythe at Heart's neck. The colt ducked under the blade, using his flames to push himself downward, only to blast flames under himself, propelling him above Armalum.

Armalum prepared to chase, only for his horn to shine as he summoned a shield as a few more fireballs came for him. And as the attack ceased, Heart divebombed right at the armored scribeast. "Bad move," Armalum chuckled as he pulled his weapon back.

Both hooves on the bottom end of the scythe, he did a single swing as Heart got into range. But seconds before it could make contact, Heart thrust his front hooves forward, fire exploding out of them. This pushed him back, out of the scythe's range as Armalum's own swing kept going, causing him to spin around, "Gotcha!" Heart cheered as he did a midair back-flip before rocketing at him again, slamming into Armalum.

"NO!" Armalum yelled as he went tumbling toward the water, flaring his wings to keep himself just a few feet from the lake. It was here he realized he had lost grip of his scythe, looking down in the lake to see...nothing. "NOOOO!" he roared, his horn sparking as he tried to grab anything under him, only to feel no response. A long growl escaped his mouth next as he looked back up, "You little twerp!"

Heart just thrust his hooves forward, "Fire..." Armalum gasped as he quickly put up a shield around him, "FORCE!" The super hot stream out of his front hooves, the pegasus unleashing another blast of fire out of his back hooves in order to keep himself balanced.

The flames blasted down upon Armalum's shield, burning away some of it. However, the armored cultist didn't feel a thing, his horn still glowing strong. And as Heart began to run out of energy, Armalum saw his shield flicker, breaking at the last bit of flames. "Impossible..." he gasped, only for another sound to ring out.

"RAAAAAAHHHH!" Heart suddenly roared, his back hooves still on fire as he charged at Armalum. The attack was instant, slamming into Armalum's side as cracks and splinters spread through the armor.

"AUGH!" Armalum screamed as Heart pushed him down into the water, the living armor only having enough time to wrap his own hooves around him. "You brat! I'll take you with me!"

And as a giant splash consumed them both, the duo fell into the water. Heart felt his flames go out as he began to squirm in Armalum's hooves, the cultist trying to keep his grip...only to feel himself lose control of his hooves. Before he could say anything, the water seeped into his armor, turning the scribeast inside to mush. Within seconds, the armor fell apart, dissolving until only the mask remained.

Heart shined a big grin as he saw the mask begin to sink, only to quickly swim back up. He broke the surface and gasped for air before swimming to the edge, pulling himself up as he laid back on the street.

"ARMALUM, ELIMINATED!"

"Got him." He chucked as he kept panting while staring at the sky. However, his moment of happiness was short lived when he heard the sound of a wheel rolling against the ground. Looking up, he saw a uni-trooper rolling along on the other side of the lake...and it was holding something.

"Oh no," he gasped as he got up, quickly trying to throw a fireball, only for a sputter to come out. "Dang it!" the drenched colt growled before flaring his wings, taking to air, "Come back here!"

Meanwhile...

"ARMALUM, ELIMINATED!"

"What?!" Shadow yelped as he and Flash continued to fly above the city.

"Nice one Heart," Flash added, "Looks like your little mask minion isn't that powerful without Sombra."

"Shut up! Don't think this means you've won!" Shadow growled as he coated his blade with his Corrupted Shadow and charged at Flash. "I'll still end you!"

"Not today, you're not!" Flash replied as he did the same with his sword, the two weapons clashing next as the force from the attacks caused another shockwave that destroyed the houses around them. And with that, the battlefield around them was now nothing but destroyed buildings, the two continuing to fight as light and darkness shook the area.

"ARMALUM, ELIMINATED!"

"Alright!" Springer cheered as he heard the announcement before looking back at the streets around him, "Now, where is she?" As he asked this, a wall to his left exploded, making him to turn to see a giant lindworm, "WHOA!" he yelped as he quickly put a shield to block the worm's tail.

The lindworm bounced off the Aura Guard, making Springer drop the barrier before leaping and slashing with a Steel Paw attack. And as the beast melted from the attack, a bunch of uni-troopers rolled into the street. Springer created an Bone Breaker and spun right through them, cutting them all down with ease. "Enough hiding!" he yelled into the city, "I know you're here, so come out already and face me!" A few seconds passed as he said this, only for Tempera to slowly walk out of an alleyway. "There you are." He responded as he saw that her sketchpad was down to one last piece of paper, "Just give it up."

"No," Tempera shook her head, "I won't. I won't ever give up!" She ripped the paper off the page, "I won't leave master Shadow alone to face you all." The paper floated above her head, "Even if it kills me, I'll defeat you!"

Springer just blinked at her, confusion in his eyes before she hit the page with her magic, causing it to explode with light that began to wrap around her body. "What the-" Springer tried to say as the light began to grow and take shape, soon fading to reveal a new scribeast.

The monster was a giant unicorn, standing at roughly fifteen meters in height. It's colors were the same as Tempera, though this one's mane and tail were more wild and looked like something Springer had once seen in a Power Ponies comic. The giant's eyes opened to reveal a pair of shining pink lights while the area where a mouth was supposed to be ripped itself open as it let out a roar. "RAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" it screamed, the sound of its voice echoing through the entire city, catching the attention of everypony.

"What the heck it that?!" Flash gasped as he and Shadow saw the creature from their spot in the skies.

"Tempera..." Shadow whispered, the scowl that had been on his face slightly fading as his voice showed signs of...almost worry. "Only you would go that far..."

And as this happened, Springer could only stare at the creature as it's horn began to spark. It fired a giant blast of pink magic at him, making him yelp, "Whoa!" He barely had time to leap back as the blast struck the ground, causing an explosion with an shockwave to sent him flying down the street. "Gyah!" He grumbled as he hit the street rolling, only to leap back onto his feet. "Don't think some big monster is gonna beat me! Aura Blast!"

He threw a blue sphere into the scribeast's chest, the attack blasting a giant hole into the monster. But before he could smile at the sight, the hole started to close up on its own. "What?!" He said as the scribeast let out another roar, its mane beginning to extend into tentacle like constructs that shot out at the jakhowl, "Oh, come on!" He yelled as he started leaping from side to side, dodging each whipping attack before one grabbed his leg.

"Steel paw!" He slashed at it, cutting right through the tentacle. But before he could do anything else, a barrage of tentacles charged at him, wrapping up the jakhowl instantly. Within seconds, all but his head was tied up, constricting him with a mighty bind. He tried to make an Aura Blast or a Steel Paw, but the tentacles kept pulling him, making him let out a scream of pain.

The scribeast titan then lifted the jakhowl up until he was level with its face, glaring at him as its horn began to glow. "You're not...taking me down," he groaned as the horn's glow grew bright. "MEGA MODE POWER!"

With that, his entire body exploded with light that melted the tentacles around him. The scribeast roared as it staggered back from the light, only for the now mega jakhowl appeared. With another roar, the monster fired its magical blast, but Springer created an Aura Guard that took of the form of his head. Blocking the attack, the jakhowl created a pair of aura arms. He then leapt up and thrust them, punching the scribeast in the face, causing it to stagger back again.

Springer quickly dissolved the avatar, landing while creating an Aura Blast in both paws. "Raaah!" He tossed both at the legs of the beast, both exploding on impact, causing the titan to come crashing down.

He smirked at this, only to go wide eyed when the unicorn's hooves began to repair themselves as it fired another beam from its horn. Springer leapt over the attack, hopping to a rooftop as he watched the beast get back up. 'I don't get it. Why isn't it melting?' His mind went back to when Tempera had been engulfed by the light and was now nowhere in sight. 'Wait...don't tell me she's inside that thing?! Is she using her magic to fix it?!'

Another roar happened next, making him see another magic beam coming for him, "WHOA!" He yelped, creating another Aura Guard to block the attack, "Got no choice. I've gotta find a way to get her out of there."

But as he said that, the scribeast roared as bubbles appeared on the side of its body and began to pop out. Each one began to shift and change until they took the shape of large birds, all quickly charging at Springer. "Bone Breaker!" He yelled while forming the weapon in his paws, smacking them all down as the titan's horn began to shine again. "Not again!"

Meanwhile...

"Flash Driver!" Flash yelled as his light swords wrapped around him, forming a drill as he charged at Shadow.

But as he tried to strike the unicorn, Shadow placed a shield around himself, blocking the attack with ease. However, as the drill kept trying to dig into the shield, shockwave after shockwave came out of the impact. And as Flash's attack began to slow down, Shadow lowered the shield and swung one of his wings to slap him away.

"Augh!" He cried as he was smacked away, slamming into the dirt.

"Dark Flame!" Shadow roared as he fired several balls of black fire, Flash countering his a light sword off his back, deflecting each with a series of swings.

And when the last fireball was destroyed, Flash circled around him before diving down, "Flash Vortex!" He spun around as got down to the ground, the light wrapping around him and morphing into a tornado of light that moved forward like a top.

Shadow fired a blast of dark lightning at the tornado, only for it to bounce off. "What?!" he yelped as he saw his attack fly away, only for the tornado to burst and send Flash flying right at Shadow.

"Raaaaah!" He roared as he thrust his back hoof into Shadow's chest.

"Augh!" Shadow cried as Flash's armored hoof made contact with his chest armor, causing yet another shockwave that sent both flying into opposite, already half-destroyed buildings.

And as the shockwave shook the area, Heart could be seen flying right up to where they were fighting. The uni-trooper was going at full speed, the young pegasus unable to catch up without his fire propulsion. "Come on!" He groaned while trying to ignite himself. "Come on!" He rubbed his hooves together, trying to dry off as the scribeast turned a corner. "Dang it!"

He took the corner, only to see a bunch of ruined buildings. He saw that the uni-trooper was going right for Shadow, making him yell, "FLASH!"

The two fighting ponies turned to sudden voice, Flash and Shadow now seeing the colt and scribeast running up to them. They then noticed what the living drawing was carrying, making Flash whisper, "Is that?"

Shadow quickly dove down at the scribeast, Flash yelling, "Oh, no you don't!" he flew after Shadow, firing a Flash Cutter at him. The unicorn spun around, blocking the attack with his wings as Flash turned to Heart, "HEART! You have to stop that scribeast!"

"I know!" Heart replied as he squinted his eyes, "Come on..." his focused as hard as he could, only for his body to start steaming up before bursting into flames, "YES!"

"No!" Shadow roared before turning to Flash, "Out of my way!" He fired a blast of magic, Flash blocking it with his light swords. And as the blades made contact with the laser, it caused yet another shockwave.

This one pushed both away along with the shockwave rocking the destroyed street, hitting both Heart and the uni-trooper. "Whoa!" The colt cried as he was thrown backward, the uni-trooper being cut in half by the force of the attack.

As it melted, the orb was thrown from its clutches, now bouncing along the street. At the same time, Heart hit the ground with his flames going out as both Flash and Shadow slammed into differing piles of debris. Heart moaned as he picked himself up, now seeing Flash and Shadow beginning to push the rubble off. He turned back to the orb, "Yes!" he pushed himself up, cutting into a sprint as he leapt at the orb. But as his hooves was about to touch it-

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He screamed in pain as a laser shot right through his chest, Heart just having enough time to see where it came from before the light faded. Shadow laughed from his place atop the pile, his horn smoking from the blast.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" He heard Flash scream as he watched the colt slump over, Flash then shooting a glare at Shadow before using his Sacred Light to charge right at Shadow. The unicorn did the same, firing both wings at Flash as he clashed with them with his two light blades.

And as a shockwave began to shake to the area, Heart moaned as he felt his body begin to turn to dust. "No," he groaned while dragging his body, "Not...yet..." He slowly pulled himself closer to the orb as his body began to vanish. And as he got to the orb, he slumped over and reach out for the sphere. "Just...a little...more." But as he was about to grasp the orb, his hoof vanished along with the rest of him. "I'm sorry...Flash."

"FIRE HEART, ELIMINATED!"

"What?!" Springer yelped, this distraction being everything the titan needed to hit him with one of its mane whips. "AUGH!" He cried, his body flying down a street.

And as he recovered, he looked up to see he was now under the shadow of the titan's foot. "WHOA!" He leap out of the way of the hoof, Springer's body glitching as he prepared to go into Velocity Strike. But as he did this, a new barrage of birds came for him, making him summon another Bone Breaker and swat them away.

As he took down the last few, he leap to side as the titan fired another magic blast. Quickly hopping to a rooftop, he let out a pulse of aura, scanning the whole beast. He found no sign of life...except in the back of its neck.

"There you are," he smirked.

The titan then turned to him, a magic beam hitting the building beneath his feet. "Oh come on!" he yelped as he lost his footing, quickly trying to leap away. He got to another roof with a mighty jump, spinning as he fired an Aura Force out of each paw. The two attacks struck the monster's side, causing it to start repairing two giant gaping holes. As it did this, a barrage of birds came for the jakhowl.

"Not this time!" he yelled as he summoned another Aura Guard in the shape of his head, now thinking he really needed a name for this thing, which the birds slammed into...and went splat. He turned back to the titan, its body now repaired as its horn began to glow, only for Springer to leap up and summon the two giant aura arms, punching the titan in the face next. The beast staggered back, making it crash into a building.

Springer then leapt off an opposite building, punching the creature again. He then punched it a third, forth, fifth and sixth time. That was all he could stand before his avatar vanished, Springer landing on the chest of the titan as it began to pick itself up. "Oh, no you don't." He charged an Aura Force, only for the scribeast to push its body forward, sending Springer tumbling down, "WHOA!" He yelped as he hit the ground, making him turn to see the titan staring down at him.

He launched an Aura Force, aiming at its neck, only for the scribeast to fire a beam again. The two attacks hit and cancelled each other out, Springer growling as he leapt back. "I don't get it, this thing won't stop. I mean, Tempera's magic is holding it up...there's no way she isn't getting seriously drained."

Paws clenching at this, he created another Aura Force before firing it, the scribeast firing a beam again. Springer put more into this one, the scribeast continuing to push the attack back. And as they both clashed...the scribeast's magic suddenly cut out, forcing it jump back. Springer saw this, leaping up at the neck as the titan fired one last blast of magic.

However, Springer raised an Aura Guard, the laser hitting the shield. Despite this, Springer's guard cut right through the attack, reaching the beast as he roared, "RAAAAAAH!" The Aura Guard exploded off him next as Springer summoned an Aura Blast and thrust it into the front of the neck.

The orb exploded upon impact, ripping it apart and revealing the pony within it. Tempera gasped as the force of the explosion pushed her back, yanking her out of the titan's body. And as she fell to the street, she looked up to see her beast begin to melt on the spot, "No..." she whispered while seeing Springer charged at her, "No!" He pulled his fist back, just about to hit her face as she screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

He paw slammed her face, making her scream in pain as she sent flying, her body rolling down the street while crying out in pain. Springer landed not far from her as the titan melted behind him, panting and falling to his knees in exhaustion as his body was wrapped in light and he returned to normal.

He stared at Tempera, seeing her body begin to turn to dust, the mare letting out a sniff as she began to cry. "I'm sorry master," she reached out her hoof to the sky. "I wasn't...strong enough. Please, forgive me."

Seven years ago...

Tempera couldn't stop looking at the pony that had just saved her life, the unicorn stallion focusing on the downed manticore to see if it was gonna get back up. But as it saw it was clear, he smirked before turning to her.

"You...you saved me."

"Don't make a big deal out of it," he replied as he hopped off the rock he had been standing on, using his shadow wings to glide down and land next to her. "I was just passing through." His wings suddenly wrapped around his body before exploding off, his armor also vanishing.

He turned to the art equipment scattered around her, picking up one of the notepads and holding it in his magic while flipping through it. "Not bad," he commented before looking back at her, "What was that magic back there?"

Tempera raised an eyebrow at this, only to gasp, "Oh, you saw that?"

"You appeared to bring the drawing to life. Sounds like a useful spell that might come in handy."

"Well, it really depends on the user's drawing skills." She replied while taking her notebook back. "It's my cutie mark magic." She flipped to a page with a butterfly and used her magic on it, bringing the insect to life.

"Incredible..." the unicorn responded as he watched the insect fly away, "That could be useful. You have a remarkable ability." Those words made Tempera go wide-eyed, a full blush on her face. But as she heard these words, Shadow added, "Though what you said before, what did you mean about the user's drawing skill?"

Instead of explaining, Tempera flipped to an empty page and drew another butterfly. This one she purposefully made terrible, the lines around it shaky and the wings mismatched. And when she brought this butterfly to life, the poor thing struggled to fly and its body quickly fell apart.

"I see. Wouldn't do me much good then." With that, he turned and began to walk off.

"Wait!" He stopped and glanced back at her, "Who are you?"

"My name is Shadow Corrupter. That's all you need to know." He spun back around, only to hear hoofsteps behind him. He glared back at Tempera, "What are you doing?"

"I'm following you." she replied, "You seem to know the way out of this forest. I got lost, so I figured it'd be best to follow you."

"Did I say you could do that?" he hissed, Tempera backpedaling as his tone. But before she could reply-

"Master!" They both turned to see a pony wearing black and red pegasus armor, the pony landing in front of them, "Who is this?"

"Nopony of importance," Shadow replied, "Did you find anypony?"

He shook his head, "I watched the town from above and kept out of sight, but found nopony that could be of any use to us."

"I see," Shadow sighed. "Let's go."

"Wait," Shadow stopped again and turned back to Tempera, "Are...are you looking for somepony?"

"We're trying to find those with skills that could be useful to me," the unicorn stallion responded, "Those who I could use to further my goals."

"Well, what about me?" She asked as she pointed at herself, "You were interested in my abilities."

"Maybe, but it'll take more the skills to be useful to me. You clearly can't fight, so you would just be a hindrance to me."

"I...I could learn to fight," she told him. "Please, just give me a chance."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Shadow turned away, "Go home to your parents sweetheart. You're out of your league."

"But I...I can't go home. I don't have one anymore." Her head lowered as she looked away, "I can't go back to my parents. They don't love me."

These words made Shadow stop in his tracks, "What?"

"I...I always thought my parents loved me, but it turns out they were just using me for their own ends." And as those words hit his ears, a certain memory struck Shadow's mind. It made him freeze up, only for Tempera to continue speaking, "That's why I left. I...I want to find someplace and somepony who would actually care for me."

Silence took over the forest next, Shadow then turning back to her, "One month."

"Huh?"

"You have one month to impress me. Learn some kind of powerful magic, or find a way to turn those drawings of yours into something useful, and you can stay. Don't and you're out. Understand?" Tempera smiled and nodded. "Good. Then let's go."

He turned to walk away, Armalum and Tempera following after him. And as they made their way through the forest, Tempera held her notepads close to her heart, a deep blush appearing on her face. "I'll be of worth to you, I promise."

The Present...

"Have I been of worth to you, beloved?" She asked as her body slowly disappeared. "I hope I was."

With that, she completely vanished as the dust flew into the sky. Springer sighed in relief, falling to his butt as he tried to catch his breath. He let out a long moan before pushing himself back up to his feet, "Ugh...I'm coming Flash."

The jakhowl started to stagger into the distance, trying to get to the origin of shockwaves of the battle in the distance.

"GYAH!" Flash and Shadow cried as they slammed into another yet again, the shockwave created from the attack sending them flying back. Both crashed and slid across the ruined street, the duo groaning as they tried to push themselves up.

And as they got back up, a light made them look at each other before turning to the orb sitting on the ground, an equal distance from them both. Their gaze shifted from it to their opponent, both shooting the other a glare, the two putting themselves into fighting stances.

Time stopped as they both stared at each, seconds passing before Flash roared, "RAAAAAH!" He flared this wings, charging at the orb as fast as he could. But as he did this, Shadow trusted one his wings forward, the wing grabbing the orb before him. However, he didn't win, as the wing was part of his magic, making Shadow retract the wing back.

"NO!" Flash yelled as he quickly pulled his swords off his back and slammed them together, forming a sphere that he then thrust forward while picturing something in his head. That image seemed to effect the ball, which shot out a beam of light that hit the shadow wing. The light then turned into a hand that grabbed the orb, only for Shadow's other wing to lunge out and grab the orb as well.

Both began to pull back, the two now in a literal tug of war for the orb. But as they both pulled, the orb remained stationary.

"Give...UP!"

"NEVER!" Flash barked back, the two glaring at each other as they kept pulling. And as they did this, the duo didn't notice a small crack beginning to form along the point the light and darkness met as they kept pulling the orb. That crack began to run along the circumference of the orb, only to make a single long crack all the way around. Then it happened.

CRACK!

Both Flash and Shadow fell back as the orb broke in half, unleashing a shockwave that swept over the entire city. The two pieces slammed into the ponies, making both tumble back as they yelped, "Ouf/Grah!"

The shockwave continued to sweep across the city, destroying every single building it touched.

"WHOA!" Springer cried as he put up an Aura Guard before it struck him. But upon impact, the shield shattered. "GYAH!" He screamed as he was sent flying across the city, about to hit one of the buildings that was about to collapse, only for a sudden flash of light to envelop him.

"Augh!" he yelped as he hit a wall, his form slumping down with a groan, "Ow..."

"Springer? You okay?" The jakhowl blinked his eyes open, a small moan escaping his lips as he turned to the voice. His eyes soon went wide as he saw he was back in the castle, the other staring at him.

"I think so," he muttered as he picked himself up. "What happened?"

"See for yourself," Cold pointed to the window, Springer now seeing the wave continue to go across the city. When it struck the castles, both crystal structures shook, but remained standing. The ponies inside all lost their balance and fell over, the wave now hitting the shield surrounding the city. And when it did, the barrier vibrated, cracks beginning to appear.

"No way..." Springer gasped at the sight, the shield no longer shaking. The cracks were still there as the jakhowl turned to the screens, now seeing Flash and Shadow staring each other down.

Both ponies glared one another down as they held their half of the orb in hoof, each waiting for the other to attack first. A roar followed this, Shadow charging as his horn flared. Flash was pulled out a blade, ready strike back as he put himself in a fighting stance.

But before they could clash, the orb pieces suddenly exploded into a stream of rainbow light. That light encased the two in their own bubbles, freezing them both in place. "Not again," Flash groaned as his orb piece flew out of his grip and hovered in front of him. He blinked at the piece of metal, only to see it suddenly melt into a liquid form. "What the-"

The next thing he knew, the liquid metal seemed to double in amount and began to once again solidify itself. Within seconds, the metal was again a round solid orb. Flash blinked at the floating sphere, only for his brain to tell him if this is happening, Shadow's orb piece was doing the same.

And outside the two light spheres, everypony watching just stared at the sight. But before anypony could say anything, the orbs exploded with enough light that the screens were completely blinded out. As they did this, Shining Soul's voice spoke up,

"DRAW! BOTH TEAMS WIN!"

"What?!" Springer yelped as a flash of light occurred behind him, everypony turning to see Flash appear. "Flash! What just happened?"

"I...I don't know." he replied as the orb flew over to join the rest. Everypony stared the floating spheres, Flash walking up to them as he added, "What...is going on?"

And as he asked this, the same question was asked by Shadow when he reappeared, glaring down at the seven orbs floating above the map. "Now what?"

Author's Note

Well, I bet you weren't expecting that. Hope you enjoyed Tempera's backstory and what do you think will happen next.

Seven on One: The War's End PT1

A long moan escaped Heart's mouth as he felt himself begin to wake up, the recovery chamber's door slowly opening as gas filled the room.

"Heart?" He heard Flash's voice as his eyes flickered open, vision beginning to focus as he saw the older pegasus staring down at him with a smile. "Hey there...you feeling okay?"

"Yeah..." he groaned as Flash reached out a hoof, Heart taking it while his other hoof held his head, "I think so." He suddenly gasped as his brain shined a certain memory in his head. "Oh no! The match!" He went wide-eyed as he stared up at Flash, seeing a big frown on the defender's face, "No...we lost, didn't we?! No!"

Flash shook his head, "Don't worry, we didn't lose."

Heart's frown quickly turned to a smile. "So we won?! Yes!"

"I didn't say that," Flash instantly replied, making the colt blink at him.

"Wait...so did we win or did we lose?"

"It's...complicated." Flash spun around and motioned him to follow, "Come on. I'll explain it upstairs."

In the other castle...

Tempera had just finished having the situation explained to her as she worked on a new drawing. "I see..." the mare muttered as she stared at the love of her life, the unicorn looking away as he glared at the orbs floating above the table. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use to you, my love."

Shadow didn't reply, not even looking at her. The silence made her look down at the floor, only for Shadow to speak up, "You kept the wolf busy." Her eyes went wide at this, glancing back up at him, "If he had been there, the battle wouldn't have been so even. You may have lost, but at least you kept him at bay long enough for me to do what needed to be done."

Tempera weakly smiled at the praise, only to look back down at her paper. "Its finished, beloved."

He turned back to her as she pulled the paper out of the book, the sight making him take out a particular mask. The two threw them at each other, Tempera hitting both with her magic. A flash of light came next as the drawing came to life before the mask attached itself. When it was done, Armalum stood in the center of the room. "Master, I-"

"Save it," Shadow growled, turning and staring at the orbs again, "I don't want hear your excuses. You were defeated by a mere infant. What type of weakling does that?" Armalum fought back the urge to remind him he had as Shadow continued, "I'll deal with you later."

And as he stared at the orbs, Wingill spoke up, "Is something wrong master? No offense, but you keep staring at them like they're going to do something."

"They're not...but that's not the point. It's yesterday battle that has me intrigued." Shadow hummed before glancing at the screens, the machine now showing the match they had yesterday. "Something about the way they were fighting seemed more...extreme. Like they believed they absolutely had to win this match." He looked back down at the seven orbs. "Maybe yesterday was meant to be final battle."

"But how would they now that?" Terror asked.

Storm turned to her with crossed hooves, "They've appeared to have known more about this game than us since day one. I mean, they had that alicorn with them, and now she acts like some kind of judge over this thing." The cultist turned to his leader, "Master, do you think they actually had contact with whatever's been doing this and kept it from us?"

"Its possible..." Shadow responded as he walked over to his throne, sitting down with a low hum, "Though I suspect they have limited information."

"Then what happens now master?" Salix asked next. "If the goal was to get seven orbs and both teams have the same number, what'll happen?"

"I don't know," Shadow replied as he tapped the armrest of his throne, "But the answer better come soon."

"And that's everything," Cold finished as Heart stared at the seven orbs.

"Wow...that's heavy." the colt huffed before letting out a sigh, "If only I was able to reach it before I got dusted."

"It's not your fault," Flash chimed in, "I'm amazed you were able to move at all after getting shot through the chest like that. Don't be upset with yourself."

Heart did a small nod back before asking, "I guess. Still, what's supposed to happen now?"

"No idea," Trixie grumbled with crossed hooves, "Our gracious host hasn't spoken a word since yesterday."

"But if both teams now have seven orbs, how are we supposed to decide a winner?"

"Play for an eighth?" Soarin suggested.

"I doubt it'll be that easy," Springer replied while shaking his head.

Cold nodded at this. "I agree. This whole event has been out of our hooves since the start, so I suspect all we can do now is wait and see what the one using Soul's voice decides to do." He then shook his head as well, "Though having something like that deciding your fate isn't exactly the most enjoyable prospect."

"Eh, hate to say it, but we can't do anything." Flash continued, "We already tried going against this game and it got us nowhere. We'll just have deal with whatever comes next."

Heart slumped down in a chair as he added, "Ugh...I just want this to be over and see Soul again. I hope she's still okay." Most of the others frowned at him, only for the colt to see their faces and come to notice one member wasn't there. "Hey, where's Ruby?"

"So you finally believe me," Sombra told the Crystal Knight as she stood on the other side of his cell.

"From what Flash told me, it seems you really have changed. Though the fact it was forced upon you instead of your own choice isn't exactly making me happy."

Sombra did a small shrug, "Well...maybe this was the only way I could ever change."

"Maybe it is..." Ruby grumbled with crossed hooves, "Still doesn't change what you did."

"True. But at least now you know I'm serious about being remorseful."

"Yes...I do." Ruby sighed, her eyes barely able to look at the smile on Sombra's face. It was so...peaceful, something that just disturbed her. As such, she tried to change the subject as a question entered her mind. "Say...how much do you know about Armalum?"

"Not as much as I'd like. Why?"

"He battled yesterday using a scribeast as a host."

"I see," Sombra replied while rubbing his chin in thought, "Did he use magic?"

"Nothing special. Levitation, shield magic and a few very weak magic blasts."

"So he didn't use my abilities, but you're afraid he might be able too. Is that why you're asking me?" Ruby nodded back, only to see Sombra shake his head, "No, I suspect he can't use my powers anymore. Of what I remember when he possessed me, he uses his host's magical pool for himself, so a scribeast shouldn't have anything for him. My best guess is that Shadow charged him with magic, but knowing him...he probably didn't want to give him much."

Ruby did a slight grimace at this, "I see. Armalum's power wasn't much in that last fight. Heart was able to keep up and even beat him...but he did have an addition to him he didn't have with you: Wings." Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, "The scribeast he was possessing was alicorn shaped."

"Interesting. Well, you're right about him not being as powerful as he was with me. With enough force, you could probably take him down in one hit."

"Heart was able to beat him with water. Breaking the armor and letting the water flow into it."

"Makes sense," Sombra replied, "But I wouldn't count on that tactic again. Of what time I was under his control, I know one thing more than anything else: Shadow tries to plan for everything. He'll make sure to fix that weakness."

"That's fine. We'll beat him for sure." Ruby responded, only for her ears to hear a certain alarm.

"Battle beginning. Please head to the map room."

"This is it," Ruby sighed, "Wish us luck."

"You won't need it," Sombra replied with big smile, only to slightly frown as he said, "Though if I was gonna wish for something, it'd be a way to watch the matches myself."

Ruby said nothing as she headed out the illusion room, her horn sparking as she teleported to the map room. As she appeared, Heart spoke up, "Hey! Did you hear what Soul just said?!"

"Yeah," Ruby responded, "Why do you think I'm here?"

Heart shook his head, "No, not that! She said something different from last time. Every time she's said head to the map room, she said it was 'for selection'. She didn't say that last part this time."

"Does that mean nopony's getting selected?" Terror asked after Storm pointed out the same thing.

"Who knows," Shadow replied. "I've given up trying to guess what's going to happen next in this game."

"But then how are we supposed to decide a winner?" Soarin chimed in.

"Maybe whoever's doing this is just gonna stop this whole game and let us all go," Trixie added.

"I doubt it," Storm told Tempera after she suggested the same thing as Trixie.

"I wouldn't want it that way anyways," Shadow continued.

"After everything we've been through, I wanna see this through to the end. Not cop out at the very last hurdle."

"So then what do we do Flash?" Springer asked, only for Heart to point at something above them.

"Uh...are they supposed to be doing that?" The others looked up, now seeing the orbs beginning to glow.

"What are they doing?" Salix added as their orbs began to shine as well.

"I don't know," Shadow responded as he ascended from his throne, "But I'm betting it has something to do with deciding the outcome of this whole thing." As he said that, the orbs slowly began to spin in a circle above the table.

"Now what?" Armalum grumbled as the orbs began to pick up speed.

"This looks familiar," Flash told himself as he remembered when he got his Sacred Light back. And before anypony could say anything else, the spheres shot out across the room. Each one flew off in a different direction, heading to one of the occupants in the room.

"What the-" Flash didn't get to finish as one of the orbs struck him in the chest, only to feel nothing. Instead, the ball seemed to phase into his body and completely vanish. The sight made him shiver before looking up at his friends.

Trixie and Ruby were both struck next, the orbs phasing through their bodies like liquid.

"Whoa!" Soarin yelped as he sidestepped the sphere, only for it to curve midair and strike him in the back.

Springer put up an Aura Guard to protect himself, but the orb flew through it without issue and hit him in the stomach. Cold created a bat out of ice and tried to knock it away while Heart flew around the room, only for the orbs to catch them both. One sphere dodged the bat while the other got ahead of Heart as he continued to fly. "Whoa!" the colt yelled as he tried to stop himself from hitting the orb head first, only for it to phase right through him.

And with all seven orbs now inside each of them, the group stared at one another.

"What the heck just happened?!" Wingill asked after the same thing happened to them.

"I don't know," Shadow growled as he rubbed his chest, "Maybe this is what was always meant to happen once you get all seven orbs."

"But why would-" Tempera didn't finish her question as her eyes went wide at a new sight, "Master?" Shadow blinked at her question, only to look down to see a certain light wrapping around him. He glanced back up, now seeing the rest of his minions all beginning to glow the same color.

"What now?"

"What now?" Flash asked as he and his friends began to glow.

"Wait...this is the same light that surrounds us when we teleport." Heart added, "Does that mean-"

The colt didn't get to finish his question, as in that moment he suddenly vanished in a bright flash. "HEART!" They all yelled, only for Trixie to teleport as well. This was followed by Soarin, then Cold, Ruby and finally Springer. Flash stood there in shock, almost believing he was going to be left behind...only for his world to be replaced by a white light.

And when the light faded, he felt his hooves land on the ground. Blinking at the sight, he looked up to see that the city had been completely repaired, looking brand spanking new considering the damage done to it by Flash and Shadow. The pegasus spun around at this, only to notice something else. He was alone.

"Springer?! Soarin?! Trixie?! Ruby?!" He called out, getting silence as his response. "Cold?! Heart?!" he yelled as he did a full spin, only to gasp as he saw something new in the distance. A barrier.

The entire city had been split in two, divided by a barrier with Flash trapped on one side of it. The pegasus could only assume that his friends were on the other side. "Oh no..."

"FLASH!" Heart yelled as he and the rest of the team stood in the middle of a street.

"Where is he?!" Trixie asked.

"You think he wasn't sent down with us?" Soarin added, only to see Ruby shake her head.

"No, he was glowing just like us."

"Then where is he?" Trixie asked before turning to Springer, the jakhowl now closing his eyes in meditation, "You get a lock on him?"

Springer remained silent for a few more seconds before sighing, "No. I can't even sense him. Whatever's going on, it's blocking my connection to him."

"That's new. You've never had that issue before." Cold chimed in before pointing to the barrier splitting the city in half. "That's also new. You don't suspect he's over there?"

The others turned to the barrier, all wondering the same thing. But as they did this, Springer's ears flared as he then yelled, "Look out!" He leapt in front of the group, raising his arms to form an Aura Guard, The barrier was quickly struck by a giant flaming dark fireball, the sight making everypony else get into a fighting stance.

That is, till a low chuckle followed the attack. "Well, isn't this cute." The owner of the voice added as he walked into view, the group tensing up at the sight of one Shadow Corrupter, "Almost every single annoying little obstacle in this entire game...all in one spot for me to crush."

And as he said that, Soul's voice echoed through the city.

"BATTLE...BEGIN!"

A small yawn came out of Flash's mouth as he wandered down a street with Lightbringer strapped to his side. His wings were folded as his eyes darted back and forth. And as he took one more step, his ears shot up as he turned to see a building explode to his left. Flaring his wings, he flapped himself backward, dodging a rain of rubble as he saw a giant lindworm rise from the debris.

"Flash Force!" He yelled as he fired a laser, destroying the beast in one shot. But as he did this, a dust cloud from the collapsing building flew over him, making him cough. This was followed by a sudden burst of wind, knocking him into a building. "Whoa!"

And as he started to recover, getting back onto his hooves with a cough, his ears heard something new. Looking up, he saw Tempera, Armalum, Storm, Salix, Wingill and Terror staring down at him from atop a pile of rubble. But before they could say anything, Soul's voice echoed out through the city.

"BATTLE...BEGIN!"

Meanwhile...

Sombra was staring at the blank ceiling in his cell, a bored expression on his face. He had just heard Soul's voice, making him sigh as he knew the battle had started.

"Well...guess being bored is part of what I deserve. Wish I had something-huh?" He blinked as he turned to a sudden sound, only to gasp as he saw his cell begin to fade, "What the..." he hopped off his bed, only for it vanish as the illusion room returned to its normal state.

He turned to the door, curiosity taking over as he walked up and tapped the frame, the door slowly opening. Peeking around the frame, he slowly trotted out as he said, "Hello? Anypony?" The unicorn then entered the map room as he continued, "The illusion room stopped working and-"

Eyes went wide as he saw two big screens over the map, his form robotically walking over to a chair as he sat down and stared at the two battles, "Huh." His eyes darted between both screens, "Now, this is interesting."

Flash stared up at the six ponies glaring down at him, the pegasus holding his weapon tightly. "Great...just great." he sighed, "This is just what I needed. Don't suppose you're here to surrender?" Storm was the one to reply, charging with a surging blade as he Flash blocked it with a loud clash, "I'll take that as a no then."

"It's clear what's going to happen," Storm spat as lightning swirled around his weapon, "You're going to be taken down!"

Flash pushed him back before he could strike, only for Tempera and Terror to teleport behind him. They fired a pair of magical blasts at him, making him turn and yell, "Flash Driver!" Light magic wrapped around him as he blocked the blasts as the drill formed, Tempera teleporting away while Terror put up a shield that the drill struck. It pushed against the magical barrier, cracking as Terror quickly ducked under the drill as it shattered the shield a second later.

The defender got out of his light drill next as he saw Wingill and Salix coming for him next, "Flash Cutter Barrage!" He spun like a top, firing a swarm of energy blades stopped their advance.

"Have a piece of this!" Wingill yelled as he and Salix hopped back, a water sphere appearing behind him. The bubble then split into hundreds upon the movements of his claws, thrusting them next as he shot them with another force to level a building.

Flash just replied by slashing the bubbles, not a single one touching him as Salix propelling above him, "And a slice of this!" he roared as he slammed his hooves into Flash, a stream of fire encasing him as Flash blocked his charge with his sword.

"Gyah!" Flash cried as the heat pushed him down, flapping his wings to push the flames away. And as he did this, Storm and Armalum appeared, both charging with their weapons.

"Storm Cutter/RAAAH!" Storm unleashed a wave of super sharp wind as Armalum swung his scythe at Flash's neck. The defender ducked under the armored pony's blade before firing a Flash Cutter at Storm's attack. He then locked his sword into Armalum's scythe, only to flip over him and leap into the air.

Storm, Wingill and Salix took to the air next, all launching blasts of lightning, water and wind down at Flash and Armalum that was right under him. And as Flash's eyes turned white, switching to Theta Mode, Terror took a card out and threw it upward. A dome around her and Tempera appeared as Flash dodged the trio's onslaught, quickly zipping to another part of the street as the card came to a stop. "Arcana of the Reversed Magician!" Terror yelled as the dome shrank around Tempera, exploding with the light that flew into her body.

The artist giggled at the boost. "Oh, yes!" She pulled out her sketchpad and began drawing, throwing the page into the air as he magic took effect. In a flash, a trio of minotaurs crashed into the ground, though these wore metal armor and their hands were replaced by jackhammers, drills and chainsaws.

Flash could only gulp at the sight, almost backpedaling as he pointed his blade at the beasts. "This is gonna take a while, isn't it?"

Rewind to a few moments ago...

Shadow shined a huge grin as he stared at his six opponents, "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," he chuckled as his horn shined, his sword appearing next. In response, Heart transformed into his fire form while Ruby and Cold forged swords of their respective elements, Springer forming a Bone Breaker while Soarin and Trixie got into a battle stance.

"Now..." Shadow rubbed his blade with a hoof, "Who's first? And please, try to be a challenge. I want to enjoy every minute of this."

The seven remained perfectly still, waiting for Shadow to make the first move. They stayed like this for almost thirty seconds before one finally snapped. "RAAAAAH!" Heart yelled as he propelled at Shadow, the unicorn laughing at the sight. The colt thrust his hoof next, about to shoot a stream of fire, only for Shadow's horn to spark. Before Heart could react, a chain came out of the ground, grabbing and yanking Heart's back hoof, "Whoa!" he yelped as he thrown into a nearby building. "Augh!"

This was followed with a charging Soarin, trying to send a flying kick into the unicorn's head. However, Shadow just sidestepped him before ducking under a beam of magic from Trixie. He then raised his blade, blocking Springer's Bone Breaker as he reached him, his horn firing a beam right at Springer next. As he knocked the jakhowl back, Ruby and Cold appeared, both swinging their swords at him opposite sides. Shadow smirked at this, blocking Ruby's blade with his own while putting up a shield to stop Cold's. He the pushed his blade into Cold, making the knight hop back before spinning around and firing a beam at Ruby.

She blocked the blast with her sword, the blade shattering as Trixie and Soarin ran up next. The unicorn sparked her horn, creating an illusion of seven Soarins that joined the original as they circled around Shadow, all picking up speed. Wind began to pick up as they zoomed around, only for all of them to pull their hooves back in an attempt to punch him. But as they launched their attacks, Shadow teleported away, the real Soarin just flying through the illusions, making them vanish.

"Pathetic," Shadow spat as his horn sparked before it flew into his hoof. He punched the ground next, unleashing a wave of dark lightning that struck both Trixie and Soarin, both crying out in pain before they were blasted back.

Shadow cricked his neck next, a grin on his face as he saw Heart launch a fireball. The unicorn countered with his own black fire form his horn, the two attacks meeting head-on, only for his flames to consume Heart's, making the colt take to the air to dodge the attack. But as he did, Springer appeared with a swinging Bone Breaker, Shadow's horn flaring as he teleported right before it could hit.

The unicorn reappeared on a nearby rooftop, only for Cold to teleport up there as well. He slammed his hooves down, unleashing a wave of ice spikes. But Shadow just summoned his blade and lightly swung it, a swing of decay magic hitting the ice and melting it with ease.

"How pitiful. Is that really the best you have?" He asked before launching a barrage of magical bullets. All of them hit the rooftop, shattering it to pieces as Soarin flew up and grabbed Cold.

They both looked down, now seeing Shadow teleport to another rooftop as he started firing some dark fireballs at them. "COLD FORCE!" Cold yelled as his horn flared, unleashing a tornado of freezing air that pushed back the flames. And as they dodged a few stray fireballs, Cold growled at the sight, "We need to get closer."

"We're the distraction," Soarin replied, Cold raising an eyebrow at this before seeing somepony hop into the building Shadow was on.

"Got it," his horn glowed before a bunch of ice birds appeared. They divebombed at the unicorn, Shadow swinging his blade as he unleashed a wave of decay at them. "NOW!" He yelled, making Shadow blink before he felt the building begin to shake.

Before he could do anything, the floor exploded as a giant crystal spike flew up and struck him. "AUGH!" He yelped as he was sent flying up, glaring back down as he saw Ruby, "Damn mare!" He teleported down to her, only for Springer, Heart and Trixie to appear right beside her.

"Aura Force!" Springer unleashed a beam of aura, Shadow quickly summoning a shield to block the attack. And as he did this, Heart and Trixie moved around him so that the three were in a triangle position.

"Feel the heat!" Heart yelled as he sent out a burst of fire while Trixie launched a magic blast, all three hitting Shadow's barrier from all sides.

Shadow just shook his head at this, "How disappointing," he sighed as his shield shattered, the triple attack hitting the same spot.

KABOOM!

Smoke filled the street as the three attacks collided, the attack sending a small shockwave that slightly pushed everyone back. And as the fog cleared, they saw...nothing. Nothing but a scorch mark on the floor.

"As I said, how disappointing." Shadow said as Springer's ears flared, making him lock onto an aura above them. They all looked up now, seeing a cloud of black smoke flying through the air before hitting the ground, reconstructing itself as Shadow. "I was hoping the six of you would be an actual challenge. Guess beggars can't be choosers." He commented as he dusted himself off with his hooves. "Now, where were we?"

Flash quickly leapt back as a minotaur thrust its jackhammer arm at him, quaking the ground as it missed before Flash leapt and slashed the creature in half. As he did this, a certain cultist yelled, "Storm Surge!" The pegasi turned to a bolt of lightning coming for him, quickly raising his sword to block the attack.

"Raaah!" Salix roared as he shot out a stream of fire, Flash deflecting the last bit of electricity before looking down and firing a Flash Cutter at the flames.

"Take this!" Wingill said as he swung a whip of water next, only for to Flash to spin around and fire a Flash Force at the water, evaporating it in one good. This was followed by the two minotaur scribeasts, on with the chainsaw swinging the weapon at him. Flash ducked under the slice, quickly positioning himself so that the minotaur now stood on opposite sides of him. He then shot straight up, the scribeasts trying to hit him and colliding with each other before he fired a Flash Cutter at both.

"Yes!" Flash cheered as they turned into ink, "Another one bites the-Augh!" he yelped as a magic beam struck his side.

"Don't get cocky," Armalum hissed as he flew up to Flash's level with scythe in hoof.

"Who, me?" Flash chuckled as he spun his blade, easily blocking Armalum's first swipe of his scythe. And as Flash easily locked the weapons, he leaned up to the armored pony's 'face', "You really think you're gonna beat me? You couldn't even beat a colt with no actual combat training."

"He took me by surprise."

"Sure he did," Flash laughed as he unlocked the blades and spun around, firing a Flash Cutter right at Armalum, the energy blade pushing him back, "Face it masky, you're old news. Without Sombra, you're nothing to be scared of."

Armalum growled, "Impudent fool..."

"Aw, you pouting?" Flash giggled with a giant grin, "What, don't wanna admit I'm right? Heck, I don't even know why Shadow keeps you around."

"Because I am his most loyal of servants!" Armalum roared as his horn began to spark, "I was the first to join him, and I will remain his most loyal servant long after the rest are gone!" His memories flashed back to everything he and Shadow had been through since their first meeting. "And defeating you will remind him of that!" He added as he charged, swinging his scythe right at Flash's neck, only for the pegasi to duck right under it with ease. And as he did this, Flash spun and axe-kicked Armalum's back, sending him flying down.

The armored pony let out a clang as he landed, Flash landing between him and the others as Flash charged at him, "Let me remind you of something," Flash yelled as he thrust his blade, Armalum blocking it as Flash continued to talk, "Your days of hurting ponies ends now!" He then spun around, firing a Flash Cutter that pushed Armalum back while taking a quick glance back, seeing Storm and Wingill incoming. As he did this, he glared back at the armored pony, "I won't let you steal their lives anymore! You're going down and staying down!"

"Never!" Armalum roared as he swung a horizontal scythe slice, Flash ducking under the attack before flaring his wings.

"See ya!" Flash laughed as he thrust his hooves, spring boarding himself into the air just as Storm and Wingill unleashed a surge of lightning and water. They quickly tried to stop their attacks, but it was too late. Both elements came just for Armalum, the pony's horn sparking just before the elements struck.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in pain as the water soaked his body, giving the lightning more staying power.

And as Armalum's horn tried to summon a spell within the pain, Flash raised his sword and yelled, "Flash Force!" He pointed the blade down, a laser of light striking Armalum's back and breaking through the armor, impaling the scribeast beneath.

"NO!" Armalum cried as he felt his host be destroyed, making him dissolve into nothing but a mask.

The others grimaced at the sight, only to gasp as they saw Armalum start to dust. "No!" Tempera pulled out her sketchpad, "I can make him a new body! Don't take him!"

"Master..." he spoke to nopony, "I'm sorry." With that, he vanished as Soul's voice spoke out.

"ARMALUM, ELIMINATED!"

Flash sighed in relief, wiping his brow as he prepared himself to take the other cultists. But as he did this, he went wide-eyed as he saw something appear where Armalum was: An orb. "Wait..." he tried to talk before the sphere suddenly shot up and struck him, phasing into him as the seven ponies all gasped at the sight. And as Flash patted his chest, he shined a big grin, "Huh. Cool. So that's what we're doing."

"Cold Dragon!" Cold roared as he summoned a icicle serpent as Shadow blocked Ruby's blade with his own sword. And as he was about to counter her, he saw the attack coming in the corner of his eye.

"I don't think so!" He teleported next, appearing on the dragon's neck before slicing its head off with one blow before teleporting to Cold, "Now this is fitting!" He laughed as he swung the decay magic coated sword, Cold raising a shield to block the blow, only for the ice barrier to melt, "The first pony I fought is now the first one I will take down."

"Not this time!" Cold barked as Heart, Soarin and Trixie charged at him. The knight teleported away as Heart unleashed a fire blast, Shadow countering with a black flame from his horn as Cold reappeared and said, "You won't win this. When last we fought, I was alone and fought you was the best way I knew how. But now I know that true strength comes from working as one, with those you trust and care about." The others smiled as they grouped up, "That is the Equestrian way."

"And those disgusting ways will fall when I stand as their once and future ruler!" Shadow yelled as his body began to be surrounded by a dark aura. "Surrender and bow before me now, and I promise to spare your lives in eternal servitude to my unending rule. Resist...and you will be, OBLITERATED!" As he yelled that, his body was wrapped up in a shadow tornado as his armor appeared.

The group countered by firing blasts at the tornado, only for every attack to bounce off. And as they saw their attacks do nothing, Shadow suddenly zipped right up to them, the tornado exploding off his body as the wind knocked them all back. Wings appeared next as Shadow took a deep breath, a grin gracing his face as he saw Cold recover first, "You will never win. Just give up, kneel before your superior."

"Never. And you'll never conquer Equestria." Cold grunted as he summoned an ice axe, "Even if you defeat us, the princesses will not let you hurt their land."

"You think the princesses will be able to match me after this is over?" Shadow laughed, crossing his front hooves as he began to pull himself up into the air. "Once you and your friends are taken care of, nothing will stop me from taking the power of this city." He raised a hoof, clenching it as a black aura covered his body, "The one trapping me here will rue the day they tried to play games with me. I will take the power they possess for myself, and with it, nopony will be able to stop me. Not even the princesses of Equestria."

"Then we'll stop you here before that happens!" Springer yelled as he fired an Aura Blast at the unicorn.

"You can try," Shadow chuckled before vanishing, his disappearance without light showing it was not teleportation, and reappeared in front of Cold.

"What?"

"I warned you," he said as his right hoof sparked with dark lightning. The thrust it into Cold, a surge of lightning consuming the knight's body in an instant. A scream of pain came next, Shadow laughing as he saw the electricity fly out of the pony.

"COLD!" Everypony screamed, Soarin and Springer quickly going at their top speed. But before they could reach them, Shadow burst into his smoke form, flying away as they saw Cold slump over.

"No! Stay strong!" Springer told him, now seeing Cold's body begin to turn to dust. "No..."

"Don't worry about me. Just...focus on Shadow." Cold mumbled as the others gathered around him, "Good luck...my friends." With that, he was gone as Soul's voice spoke out.

"COLD STEEL, ELIMINATED!"

And before they could react, an orb appeared right over where Cold was. "What?" Was all Springer could say before the sphere shot past them and went into the dark cloud that was beginning to reform, Shadow's body solidifying as the orb phased into his body.

"Oh? Now that's interesting." Shadow chuckled before turning to his opponents, "So that's what my objective is for this battle." He cricked his neck next as his horn began to shine, "I couldn't be happier if that's what I have to do."

The five glared at him as they stood in a line, Springer in the middle with two ponies on either side. Each of their minds were going over what Cold had just said, nodding to themselves as they yelled, "Not a chance! We will beat you!"

On the other battlefield...

"STORM TRI-FORCE!" Storm roared as Flash braced himself for the triple element attack, sucking him into its vortex and bombarding him with lightning, water and wind.

"Augh!" He cried, getting flung into a building as the storm spat him out, "GYAH!" He crashed through the wall and slid down the floor, the defender quickly pushing himself back onto his hooves, "Well, that hurt like heck."

As he said that, Salix and Wingill flew up to the hole. "I'll smoke him out!" Salix cheered as he unleashed a burst of fire from his horn.

The pony gasped before pointing his crossguard at the flames, "FLASH FORCE!" The light shot out the weapon, colliding with the flames as it made an explosion that blew the roof off the building.

Flash then leapt through the smoke, only to find Wingill yell out, "Oh no you don't!" The hippogriff fired a barrage of water bullets, the pegasi taking to the sky as he dodged the attack.

"Flash Cutter!" Flash called out as he fired the energy blade at Wingill, striking the hippogriff's shoulder as he cried out in pain. The knight then looked up to see a wave of eyebats coming for him, making him zip across the sky as the fired a volley of lasers. And as he did this, he saw Terror take out a card and threw it upward. Flash growled at this, quickly firing several energy blades through the sky, taking out the army of scribeasts with ease. But as the last one fell, the dome shrank around Wingill and the cut he had sustained vanished.

"Dang it!" He grumbled as he dodged a fireball from Salix, "This could go on forever if I don't take her out." He zipped down to the street next, glaring at his opponents as they got into formation, Tempera taking the lead with the males in line behind her and Terror Card behind them.

"I can't hold back," he told himself. "I've gotta take them all out now." A certain light appeared around him next as he continued, "Five on one is no prob, you're all going down! ARMORIZE!" With that, the light shot off his body, wrapping around him to form a tornado.

The five charged at this, Tempera throwing another piece of paper that soon became a giant rhino, its form landing on the ground being enough to shake the street. Flash stood still as the armor continued to materialize, the rhino charging with the intent to impale him on its horn. But seconds before it was about to stab him, the tornado exploded and he reached out to grabbed the horn in his hooves.

He grunted as the force pushed him back, only to come to a stop as the light formed the swords on his back as Flash yelled, "RAAAAAH!" He pulled back, throwing the rhino behind him, the scribeast hitting a building and turning into a inky pile of mush.

As this happened, Tempera tossed two more pages, creating an armored minotaur with a jackhammer hand and a giant lindworm. Flash quickly hopped back as the minotaur attacked first, grabbing his light swords next as he impaled the minotaur. The lindworm then tried to charge at him, but Flash flew up into the air before spinning around. "Flash Driver!" Morphing into a drill of light, he cut through the beast, ink splattering everywhere as Storm then charged at him next.

Flash pulled out Lightbringer and the two locked weapons, Flash's boosted strength pushing back Storm with ease. A Flash Cutter was about to come out at the blade next, only for the knight to look up and see Salix and Wingill fly up above him. They both sent out a burst of fire and water, which fused together and exploded into a cloud of hot steam that came for Flash. The pegasus flinched at the intense heat, only to duck under Storm's blade as he swung it, quickly grabbing the cultist's hoof before he could even react. He then yanked Storm over himself, slamming the pegasi into the street.

"AUGH!" He grunted in pain as he slammed into the rock, Flash about to finish him off, only to see Wingill in the corner of his eyes. He pulled his neck back as he saw Wingill try to swing his talons at him, hitting only his cheek. The strike made him flinch, only to counter with a hoof-punch to Wingill's gut.

"Blugh!" Wingill yelped as the wind was knocked out of him, Flash spinning around next before slamming both backhooves into Wingill's face. A scream of pain came next, the hippogriff going flying down the street.

And as Flash tried to turn back to Storm, a certain voice spoke up, "Surprise!" He turned to see Salix, a burst of fire coming out of the kirin as Flash pulled off his light swords to block the attack.

As this was happening, Terror was using her Reversed Empress card to replenish Tempera's energy. "Thanks," she told her after the light recharged her.

"No problem," Terror replied as they both looked back at the fight, now seeing knock Salix away, "I should be in there, helping."

"You are helping," Tempera assured her. "The only chance we're gonna have of beating him is with your constant healing and re-energizing us. Without you, we're as good as done for."

And as she said this, both Storm and Wingill charged, joining Salix by firing blasts of water and wind at Flash. But the pegasus just smiled as his light swords morphed into orbs that he slammed together. Doing so unleashed a shockwave of light, knocking back all three away. Storm's headset flew off as the slid down the street, Flash flaring his wings to take them down, only for Terror to run at him.

"Wait!" Tempera cried as Terror fired a beam at Flash, forcing him to take to air as she pulled out a Tower Card.

"I won't just sit back while I can help master Shadow achieve his goals!" She tossed the card into the air, causing it to spin around. 'Until I met him, my life was a never ending misery of impending doom. But thanks to him, I finally have a choice about my future.' The card stopped right side up, "and I choose to help him!" The card unleashed a burst of lightning at Flash, the pegasi blocking it with Lightbringer.

Terror then took this moment to use her magic to move Storm's headset back over his eyes before pulling out another card, the piece paper soon spinning as the dome formed around her and Flash, "Arcana of the Lover!" Flash turned to the card, now seeing it slow down.

"No thanks!" Flash yelled as he charged at the card and swung his sword, cutting it in half before it stopped.

"What?!" Terror screamed as the dome shattered around her, "I didn't see this!"

"Trixie's not the only one who can shape her own future!" Flash told her as he pulled out his light swords. "Anypony can, and that includes me!"

Terror gasped as she saw Flash dive down, Tempera jumping in front of her, "Get back!" She told her as she threw three pages into the air, creating a roc, manticore and quetzalcoatl. Terror growled at this before doing as she was told, jumping back as the stallions ran up to the knight.

"AERIAL ATTACK!" Salix roared as the five charged, Flash doing the same. But before any of them could reach him, the knight suddenly multiplied in a dozen copies of himself. "What the?!" The army began to zip around the group, all missing their attacks as he kept running around.

"Is Lulamoon here?!" Wingill yelped asked as one of the Flash copies flew at him, the hippogriff clawing at it, only for it to vanish.

"They're speed mirages!" Storm yelled as he unleashed a wide spread bolt of electricity, hitting several that phased right through the attack. "He's trying to distract us! We have to-" He stopped and turned to see Flash appear in front of Tempera and Terror, "TERROR!"

Terror gasped as one of the Flashs suddenly appeared in front of Tempera, the rest vanishing as he did this. The unicorn glared at him, tried to fire a beam of magic, only for time to suddenly come to a crawl around Flash. He smirked as he raised Lightbringer, deflecting her magic before spinning around and dealing a double backhoofed kick into Tempera's side. Spit flew out of her mouth as she went flying, time going back to normal as he got up to Terror and put his weapon's crossguard at her chest.

"FLASH FORCE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Terror screamed as she was blasted point black, her form burning as she slammed into a building.

"TERROR!" Her friends cried before Storm launched a lightning blast at Flash, only for the defender to dodge it by taking to the sky. And as the three males started firing attacks at him, Tempera ran over to the Terror.

"Terror! Don't leave us!" she said as the unicorn started to turn to dust.

"I'm sorry," Terror wheezed out, "You'll have to do this without me."

"I'm not sure we can," Tempera replied, holding her hoof.

"You can," Terror responded, trying to form a smile at the same time, "I know you can."

Tempera's eyes went wide at this, "Do you mean....did you see it? In the future?"

Terror weakly shook her head. "No. For the first time in my life, I truly have no idea what the future holds. I just have faith." She gave Tempera one last smile as she completely vanished, leaving the orb in her place.

"TERROR CARD, ELIMINATED!"

The orb flew over to Flash as he took down the scribeast manticore and quetzalcoatl from before, firing a Flash Force at them as the orb struck his chest and phased into him.

Tempera glared at the defender as he took down the roc next, "I promise the future you foretold will come to pass Terror. And this time, the distant future you saw will be a good one." With that, she ran in to join the battle while praying her love was doing okay.

"Let's go!" Springer roared as he and the remaining members of Team Flash charged, Shadow laughing at their futile efforts. "Aura Blast!" Springer launched a sphere of aura, Shadow easily smacking it away with his wing before firing a magic blast.

"I don't think so!" Trixie quickly raised a shield to block the attack, only for it shatter on impact. "Augh!"

"Go go go!" Heart yelled as he and Soarin charged past Trixie, "Fire Force!"

Shadow laughed again as he saw Heart's fire attack, blocking it with his wings as Soarin flew over the flames and dark wings. "Oh please, as if you really think you can beat me?!" Shadow spat as he prepared to throw an electrified punch at Soarin, but the pegasus suddenly dodged the jab, making him raise an eyebrow. A quick look in Soarin's eyes allowed him to see that they had turned completely white.

"We're not the same ponies that first showed up here!" Soarin roared as he punched Shadow next, hitting him with enough force to send him flying back, smacking the side of a building.

Heart and Trixie ran up next, before preparing a combined attack of fire and magic. "We've grown since coming here," Trixie continued, "Throughout the many battles we've fought, we've each found something inside us that has made us grow stronger!"

"And that's why you'll never beat us!" Heart finished as he and Trixie unleashed their attacks, sending fire and light to strike Shadow head-on. "All the power you have, you didn't earn! You just lucked into it or stole it from somepony who did!"

The light from their attacks then died down, letting them see Shadow had placed a barrier up to protect himself. He teleported away next, reappearing down the street before finding himself bombarded by crystal arrows. He summoned his sword and began to deflect them, seeing Ruby charging next with a crystal sword.

"The power you've stolen might get you far, but eventually you'll meet somepony you can't hope to defeat." She added as her blade met Shadow's, the unicorn firing a beam of at her next that she ducked under. But as he did this, Soarin suddenly swooped in, slamming a roundhouse kick into Shadow's face.

"You think you're invincible!" Soarin roared as he springboarded off the unicorn.

"But you're not!" Ruby screamed as she slammed her sword into the ground, sending a wave of crystal spikes out.

"Gyah!" Shadow yelped as the spikes hit him, the unicorn letting out a roar of pain before slicing the crystals with his sword. But as he did this, Springer leapt above him with an Aura Blast in paw.

"You're gonna lose and never hurt another pony, EVER AGAIN!" He thrust the Aura Blast down, Shadow countering with a magic shield.

"Enough of your foolish speeches!" Shadow barked as his barrier vanished, firing a beam right at Springer a split-second later.

"GYAH!" Springer yelped as the blast him, knocking him back as the magic singed his fur. Ruby's horn shined as she created a crystal glove to catch him.

"You okay?" She asked as she put him down.

"I'm fine," Springer grunted. "But this isn't enough. He's seen everything we have to offer, and I'm pretty sure he's still holding back." Ruby frowned at the jakhowl's words, only for a smile to form as she put a hoof on Springer's shoulder, "What?"

"Fully connect your aura with me Springer."

"Huh?"

"Just do it." Ruby replied while tapping his head with her hoof, "It'll be easier to tell you that way."

Springer nodded back, "Okay." He closed his eyes, a blue aura flaring over his body as he mentally said, "Can you hear me?"

"I can." Ruby mentally responded. But before they could start anything, Shadow fired a blast at them, only for Ruby to slam her hoof into the ground, creating a crystal wall to block the attack. And as the blow bounced off the crystal, the two could hear Trixie, Soarin and Heart all fire attacks at Shadow as Ruby continued, "Now, listen closely. You've done well learning your father's techniques, and you have his aura...but there's one thing you don't have yet."

"What's that?"

Ruby shined a big grin, "Your mother's techniques."

Springer went wide-eyed, "Mom made aura stuff too?! Did she figure out some like Aura Velocity?!"

"Not exactly." Ruby replied while shaking her head. "Your mother was more...practical. She was especially known for her team-up stuff."

The two then came to a stop as Shadow teleported to them, "There you are!" He yelled as he fired a blast of decay magic at them, only for Springer to block it with an Aura Guard. Ruby grabbed him next, teleporting away before Soarin flew in with a flying kick, Shadow blocking it with a wing.

And as Trixie and Heart joined in, Springer and Ruby appeared inside a building one street over, both panting as Springer turned to Ruby. "By team-up, do you mean combo moves?"

"Yes, like what you and Skybreaker used back in Omniara. I suspect you and Flash have made something like that, right?" Springer nodded back, then mentally telling her they only had one technique, "I thought so. Unfortunately, Flash doesn't have a horn like me or Princess Luna, so there's not many team-up stuff you can do. However, your mother was a genius on coming up with combinations of magic and aura. Let me tell you one I want to do right now. Here's how it works..."

Springer went wide-eyed as Ruby went over the move, the jakhowl gasping, "That's...we could do that?!"

Ruby nodded, "Yup. Wanna try it?"

"Heck yeah! Let's do it!"

Back at the fight...

"Fire Force!" Heart unleashed another burst of fire, the dark unicorn quickly blocking it with a shield.

"Is that seriously all you can do?" He spat before teleporting behind the colt, "So disappointing!"

Before Heart could react, Shadow swung his wing into the colt, smacking him into the side of a building. "Heart!" Soarin and Trixie both cried, glaring at Shadow next as he gave them a 'bring it' gesture. Soarin growled before charging at the unicorn and in the blink of an eye, the two ponies were at each other throats as the Wonderbolt slammed a punch into his Shadow's face.

"RAAAH!" Soarin roared as he spun around next, bringing his tail sailing down on Shadow's head, hitting him with enough force to send him crashing to the ground. But before Shadow could hit the street, he fired a beam upward, striking Soarin's wing, "Augh!"

As Soarin began to fall, Trixie was unleashed a barrage of magical blasts at where Shadow was falling. The unicorn just rolled his eyes at this, thrusting his wings down to stop his descent before firing a beam at the mare. She leapt back to dodge the attack, her horn sparking as she made several copies of herself, dividing Shadow's attention as he tried to shoot them all down.

While he did this, Heart was picking himself up, clutching his side in pain. His crash into the building had broken three of his ribs, not that he knew that, but he just ignored the pain and reignited his body. "I might be just a kid..." he grumbled as he propelled himself forward, "But don't think I'm weak!"

His outcry caught Shadow's attention, making him turn to see flying colt. The pony's entire body erupted into flames, turning him into one massive fireball aimed right at the unicorn. But before he could make contact, Shadow morphed into his smoke form, making Heart go right through him. "What?!" He yelped as the flames around him extinguished.

"I didn't say you were weak," Shadow told him as he reformed. He then shot a dark chain out of his horn, the rope instantly wrapping around Heart's neck. "But you're a million light years away from being able to beat me!"

With that, he swung Heart around and with a flick of his head, slamming him into another building. The colt squirmed as he tried to pull himself free, unable to melt the chains. But as he tried to do this, his body was flung down into the roof of a building, crashing right through two floors while screaming in pain.

"HEART!" Trixie and Soarin screamed, Shadow chuckling before another flash of light made him turn to see Springer and Ruby appear on a rooftop.

"Aura Force!" Springer launched his attack before the unicorn could react, hitting Shadow and sending him flying back.

And as this happened, Trixie and Soarin ran over to Heart, now seeing him turn to dust, "Hold on!" Trixie said as she pulled him into her lap.

Heart let out a long moan as he opened his eyes, seeing he was about to disappear. "Did I...did I do good?"

"Yeah little buddy," Soarin replied, "You did great. Rest now."

"We'll finish this," Trixie added, Heart nodding back before closing his eyes as he completely vanished, leaving nothing but the orb.

"FIRE HEART, ELIMINATED!"

The orb then shot past the two, Ruby and Springer seeing it and both trying to grab it, but the orb evaded the duo. It kept moving until it reached Shadow, the unicorn smiling as the orb phased into him.

"Ah...right where it belongs!" Shadow laughed.

"That's the last one he's getting," Ruby growled before turning to Springer. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah!" Springer nodded before the two charged at Shadow, the jakhowl forming a giant Aura Blast. Shadow quickly lifted his wings, shielding his body for the sphere. However, as he did this, Springer instead turned to the Crystal Knight as she formed an orb of crystal magic around the Aura Blast, turning it into a sphere before forming a crystal chain on the sphere. Spikes came out of the ball next, quickly turning it into a crystal mace ball.

Springer turned back to Shadow next, this time forming a white aura orb. "Aura Force!" The laser then slammed into Shadow's wings, pushing him back.

"Insolent worm! Don't think this will harm me!" Shadow yelled as he spread his wings, dissipating the laser. His horn flared next as he pointed it at the jakhowl, "DIE!"

But as he did this, Ruby spun the chain and slung the ball right up to Shadow's face. And as one of the sphere's spikes was about to touch the unicorn's face, the Aura Blast inside suddenly burst.

BOOM!

"Blaugh!" Shadow screamed as the ball exploded like a grenade, the crystal spikes flying into the unicorn.

"It worked!" Springer cheered as he watched Shadow stagger back, clutching his face.

"Don't let him recover!" Ruby roared as she started firing crystal arrows, but the unicorn lowered his hooves to show his scratched up face.

"You'll pay for that!" He yelled as his horn flared, making a barrier to block the arrows. "I'm going to-"

"Surprise!" Soarin said as he suddenly slammed a flying kick into Shadow's side, making him release a glob of spit from his mouth before being knocked flying back.

"Velocity Strike!" Springer barked as he used his speed to zip right up to Shadow, his body spinning like a top as he slammed his foot into Shadow's face, smacking him into a building. And as he crashed into the wall, the jakhowl turned around and yelled, "Girls!"

"ON IT!" Ruby and Trixie yelled before firing two magic beams, both hitting the foundations of the building, causing it to collapse and bury the unicorn.

They stood still at the sight, waiting to see if Soul's voice would announce their victory. "Did we get him?" Soarin asked, Ruby about to answer...only to stop when she felt a burst of pain explode through her chest.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed, making the others turn and gasp as they saw a black beam shoot through her chest from behind her. As it faded, they tracked the source back to the doorway of a building opposite of the one they had just demolished, seeing Shadow standing there.

"I told you that you would pay for that," Shadow laughed as Ruby slumped over, her body turning to dust.

"Augh!" She moaned, the others circling around her as she wheezed out, "I'm...sorry. You'll have to...finish this one...without me."

"Don't worry, we've got this." Springer replied, Ruby nodding back before completely vanishing, leaving the orb in her place.

"RUBY SCARLET, ELIMINATED!"

Back in the castle...

Sombra flinched at the sight of Ruby vanishing. He had been alternating between intrigue and grimacing as he had watched both battles go on. And as he saw Ruby vanish, fear truly settled inside his mind.

"She's okay...she's okay. She's resting in the recovery room." He whispered to himself, biting his lip as he tried to watch Flash's battle now.

But as he did this, his eyes darting between the screens, he could feel his stomach turn. Slowly turning his head, he stared at the door, only to sigh. "I've got to check. I've got too." He hopped off his chair, cutting into a sprint as he ran through the castle and down the staircase, jumping three steps at a time to reach the bottom.

And when he got to the recovery chamber, he took a deep breath and opened it with his magic. And as the door opened, Sombra's eyes went wide. Cold, Heart and Ruby had been eliminated, so the healing chambers should have had them inside....but they didn't. All three chambers were completely empty.

"Ruby?!" Sombra gasped as he ran up to the chambers, "Why aren't you-what is..." He placed a hoof on one of the chambers, his heart beating a hundred miles a minute. "RUBY!"

Author's Note

And so the final battle begins. Who will win? Who will lose? And who will be the last pony standing?

So, small issue with this chapter. It and the one coming next week were all supposed to be one chapter. But when I got to this point I realised how long it was so decided it would be best to split it in two. As such, the original chapter count I announced before will be upped by one. Hope you understand.

Seven on One: The War's End PT2

Sombra just stared at the empty healing chambers, his brain trying to shift gears without the clutch as he muttered out three words, "Where are they?"

He knew that Cold, Heart and Ruby had been dusted away, meaning they should have been transported into these tubes. "But they're not..." He whispered, walking up to the chambers next, rubbing his hoof on one, "If they're not here, then what happened to them?"

As this question left his mouth, his eyes went wide as a new thought entered his head, "No...Ruby....don't tell me you're...you're...." He fell back to his flank next, rubbing his head with his hoof, "No. She turned to dust like that one time...but...she vanished. Vanished...like the others." The sound of explosions echoed in his ears next, reminding him that the battle was still going on. "Be careful everypony."

Back in the city...

Springer, Trixie and Soarin stared at where Ruby had just vanished from. The jakhowl's body shook in rage as he saw the orb float up and went over to the one responsible for Ruby's dusting. As for the unicorn who had done this, he was laughing as the sphere phased through him before grinning at the trio, "Well, this looks familiar."

"It better, because its gonna end the same way as last time." Springer growled as he pumped his paws together.

"No...it won't." Shadow replied while shaking his head, "It's true that your sudden transformation took me by surprise in our last battle, but this time...you will fail."

"We'll see about that," Springer responded as his body began to glow. "The power I get from my friends is nothing you'll ever be able to understand, so don't think you've got a grasp on my abilities, because they're as limitless as the bonds I share with my friends."

"Heck yeah!" Soarin nodded as he re-entered Theta Mode, "Show him Springer!"

"We've got your back," Trixie added, "Let's teach this jerk a lesson for messing with our friends."

"MEGA MODE POWER!" The jakhowl roared, the light shining off him as he turned into the Mega Jakhowl form. "Aura Force!" A white beam of aura came out of just one paw next, Shadow flapping his wings to take to the air to dodge the blow. But as he did this, Soarin zipped right up to him.

"Die fools!" Shadow spat as his horn fired a barrage of black lightning at the Wonderbolt, only for the Theta Mode pegasi to slip right through every bolt.

"Take this!" Soarin yelled as he unleashed a flurry of jabs into the unicorn's face, only to spin around and slam his back hooves into him next.

"Augh!" Shadow yelped as he was knocked back, his horn flaring as he created a barrier around himself. He then pointed his horn at Soarin, only for the Wonderbolt to vanish in a sudden cloud of smoke. Looking down, he saw Trixie on a rooftop with her horn shining before a group of Soarins appeared. The pegasi started circling him, Shadow sighing at the sight, "Seriously?! This parlor trick?! This got old a long time ago."

"Maybe," the Soarins replied, "But you can't hit us all while keeping your shield up!"

"I don't have too!" Shadow hissed as he fired a beam of magic at the Trixie, the mare gasping as she teleported away. And when she reappeared, a horde of Trixies came with her as they all stood on different rooftops. "Pathetic!" He spat as he suddenly lowered his shield before his horn sparked out purple small bolts of magic.

"Purple?!" Soarin asked, realizing that it was new.

Seconds later, his horn unleashed a purple lightning bolt that struck one of the buildings a Trixie stood upon. When it did this, it ripped the entire top of the building, forcing the Trixie to vanish. And before anypony could react, the lightning split at the ends and wrapped around large chunks of rubble like a rope before Shadow swung his head around. Do so caused the lightning to pull the rubble around, smashing the rocks into the building and through the air. The sight made both the fake Trixies and Soarins to vanish as the rubble tore apart the area.

But as they did this, Springer fired an Aura Blast at the rocks, shattering them to dust. Shadow glared at the jakhowl, firing a bust of dark fire at him. Seeing the attack, Springer created a head shaped Aura Guard to block the flames, thrusting his arms out next. The giant aura paws then scooped up some rubble, slinging them at the flying unicorn. Shadow hissed at the sight, summoning his sword as he sliced the rubble in two with two decay magic swipes.

"Seems I'll actually have to try." Shadow growled as his horn began to shine again, "Its just a shame this battle will end so soon."

On the other side of the city...

Flash glared at the four remaining members of Team Shadow, the group doing the same as Storm whispered, "He's got to be getting tired now. I mean, even with that form, he has to have his limits."

The others nodded as Tempera spoke, "Even if there's only one of us left at the end."

"As long as we take him down," Wingill went on.

"We win!" Salix cheered before galloping forward. "I'm gonna burn you to cinders, then burn those cinders!" Using his back hooves, he propelled himself like a rocket, Flash taking the swords off his back in response as he slammed them together. They formed an orb that exploded to form a wall of light, which Salix ended up bouncing off. "Augh!"

The defender chuckled at the sight, "Who's gonna burn who?" He said before he dismissed the wall, flying up to the Salix as he punched him in the gut.

"Blaugh!" the kirin yelped as he knocked back, Tempera teleporting in to catch him while Storm charged in next. He swung his blade down on Flash's head, only for the knight to raise his head, the blade clanging on the light armored helmet. The clash rattled Flash's brain a bit, but he pushed through as he headbutted Storm's weapon, locking it in the triangular blades on his helmet. He yanked his head back next, pulling it out of Storm's hooves before Flash spun around and slammed his back hooves into Storm's face.

"Augh!" Storm cried out, the defender spinning around to attack him again, only to see a stream of papers fall in front of him. An army of uni-troopers appeared next, making him flap his wings as he leapt back.

He then pointed his light swords at the scribeasts, two leaping at him that he cut down with one slice. And as the rest charged, he crossed his blades as the light from them intensified. Heat pumped out of the light, making the ink slowly dry out as he roared, "RAAAH!" He spun the swords around, the blades extending as he cut through the army in a tornado of slices.

And as they fell, Wingill helped Salix to his hooves, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Salix grumbled as they saw Storm charge at Flash again, the defender easily blocking his attack. "I'm not going down that easily. For Master Shadow, I'll beat whoever he needs me to beat."

Wingill nodded in agreement, "He's the key to my people's freedom. I can't afford to fail him."

"And as long as I'm with him, I don't have to worry about who I am." Salix added as his body ignited again, "Let's show this guy why he shouldn't mess with us!"

"Agreed. Let's do it!" Wingill replied as he spread his wings, taking to the air as Salix galloped at the defender. And as Flash punched Storm away, Wingill unleashed a barrage of water projectiles, Flash turning to them as he began spinning his blade like a fan. The liquid was cut to pieces as he deflected them all away, only for Salix to launch a stream of fire that landed around the pegasi, turning into a circle of fire.

Flash grunted at the heat, glaring at Salix as the kirin charged at him next. "Get ready to fry!" he yelled as he spat out a stream of fire, Flash countering by crossing his light swords. The flames bounced off the blades, not even a singe getting through. Despite this, Flash could feel the heat from the flams, his breathing lowering as sweat went down his face. Salix shined a huge grin at this, only to see Flash let out a roar as he swung his blades apart, sending out a shockwave that extinguished the fire in a mighty gust of wind.

And before Salix could comprehend what happened, Flash's swords morphed into orbs of light that he slammed together before thrusting them into the ground. "Flash Vortex!"

Salix gasped as the light tornado exploded around Flash, firing several flames from his tail at the vortex, only for all the fireballs to bounce off. The kirin started backpedaling at the sight, only for Wingill to appear as he threw a giant burst of water at the tornado...only for nothing to happen.

Both went wide-eyed at the sight, only for Flash to suddenly shoot out of the tornado with his swords primed. "Flash Cutter!" Spinning like a top, he cut through both in the sides, cutting into their flesh while cauterizing the wound as well.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" They both yelled at the burning sensation, Flash turning to hit them again.

"Storm Surge!" A burst of wind came for the unsuspecting knight, pushing him back before taking to the air. And as he did this, he found himself now face to face with a scorpentine that appeared to have wings.

"You two okay?" Storm asked the two tried to keep themselves on their hooves.

"We're fine," Wingill hissed in pain, holding the injured side of his body, "I'm not letting him take us out that easily."

"Yeah, let's fry this sucker!" Salix added as he burst into flames, the others nodding as they stared up and saw Flash cut down the scribeast. They all shot up next, Salix and Storm unleashing a burst of fire and wind that combined into a flaming gust.

"Flash Force!" Flash countered with his laser, hitting and dissipating the supercharged flames. But as he did this, Wingill flew behind Flash and swung a whip of water into Flash's back, "Augh!" Flash flinched as the water smacked him down, making him start to fall down.

And as he fell, Storm charged at him, ready to thrust his blade into Flash's face. The defender looked up and yanked his head to the side, dodging the thrust before countering with a punch to Storm's face. "Grah!" the cultist yelped, Flash now flaring his wings to keep himself steady and stop as fall. And as he did this, he began to spin as light wrapped around him, morphing into a wheel-like weapon.

"Flash Grinder!" The wheel shot through the air, crashing into Wingill and Salix. Both were sent flying into different directions, Flash breaking out of the wheel before pointing his blade at Wingill, "Flash Force!"

The laser hit the hippogriff, making him scream in pain as he was sent into a building's roof. As he did this, Salix had the misfortune to crash into one of the city's canals. Flash smirked at the sight, only to then see Storm and several eyebats fly up to him, making him sigh.

Down below, Wingill groaned in pain as he picked himself up. As he did this, he heard some splashing and saw Salix struggling in the water. "Hang on!" He leapt into the water, morphing into his seapony form. He quickly yanked the kirin out, getting back on dry land.

"Thanks," Salix coughed.

"You okay?"

"I will be once I dry off," Salix shook himself like a dog before grunting, trying to ignite himself...only for no flames to come. "Oh no..."

"Hold still," Wingill replied before moving his claws over his body, now trying to pull the water off of him.

As this happened, Flash sliced up the last eyebat as Storm charged at him. He then blocked Storm's blade, the cultist spinning around next as he tried to hit Flash, only for the pegasi to zip behind him in a flash of light. He slammed his back hooves into Storm's back next, knocking him away before looking down and seeing Wingill.

Storm flared his wings, stabilizing himself before seeing what Flash was doing, "Wingill! Salix!" The two looked up to see the charging Flash, Wingill stopping his drying of Salix before raising his claws, creating a wall of water from the canal.

However, Flash just smiled at the sight as his light swords morphed into orbs of light again, Flash throwing the sphere into the water wall next. And when the ball hit the wall, it instantly dispersed the water, making Wingill flinch as Salix raised a dry hoof and unleashed a stream of fire at the orb. But as this happened, Flash flew into the sphere, thrusting a diving kick into the orb. The ball exploded, the light wrapping around him as he turned into a projectile that began to cut through the flames, "SHINING IMPACT!"

And as he cut through the fire, Salix tried to summon more flames while Wingill grabbed the kirin, trying to pull him away from the incoming attack. But it was too late, Flash's attack going through the flames and striking the duo.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed as the attack struck them, an explosion of light coming next as it consumed the trio. And as Storm and Tempera shielded their eyes from the light, Flash flew out of now appearing smoke cloud, skidding on the ground with a smirk.

The light began to die down next, making everypony now see the smoke start to fade and reveal Wingill and Salix. Their bodies were burnt to a crisp from the attack, the sight making Flash flinch before a sudden burst of water from Storm's blade hit his side, knocking him away. This was followed by five lindworm scribeasts charging at the defender, the knight starting to fight the monsters along with Storm.

As this happened, Salix and Wingill turned to one another as they saw they were fading, "We might not have beaten him, but at least we gave him a heck of a hard time."

Salix nodded back, "The others can finish him. I just hope we're awake when master Shadow finally shows them what happens when you mess with us." That was all they could say before they vanished, both hoping their efforts were enough to make the pony they called master happy.

"SEARING SALIX AND WINGILL, ELIMINATED"

Now gone, their orbs flew past Storm and Tempera, both reaching Flash together as they phased through his body. Flash smirked at the sight, the others glaring as Tempera flew a volley of pages upward. In a flash, an armored minotaur, manticore, winged scorpentine, roc and several uni-troopers appeared between them and the knight while Storm floated in front of them, "That's the last orb you're getting, I promise you."

Flash took his light blades off his back, a big grin on his face, "Don't make promises you can't keep." With that, the two forces charged, all roaring at the top of their voices.

A building exploded as Soarin crashed through it, crying out in pain as he was about to hit the ground. But before he could hit the dirt, Trixie and Springer teleported over as the mega jakhowl summoned an arm made of pure aura to catch him safely. "Owww..." Soarin moaned, "Thanks," he jumped out of the paw next, now seeing Shadow fly out of the dust caused by the building's destruction.

Springer dismissed the arm and prepared a pair of Steel Paws, Soarin charging at the unicorn as Trixie created another army of him. Shadow began firing a volley of dark fireballs, taking down all the fakes but one.

"Surprise!" Soarin cheered as he kicked Shadow right in the face, this followed by a quick three jabs. And as Shadow grunted through the blows, his wings turned to claws as he lunged them at the Wonderbolt.

"Got you!" He growled as he grabbed Soarin's sides, making him yelp in pain as his horn began to glow. But as he did this, Trixie's horn shined as she flung Springer upward, the jakhowl shooting past the midair duo while using his claws to slice through Shadow's dark wings.

"Aura Force!" Springer then spun around and fired the beam, hitting Shadow in the side.

"RRRAAAAAGGGHHH!" He roared as he was pushed down, hitting the ground with enough force to crack it. Springer and Soarin were then teleported down to the ground by Trixie, the three converging on Shadow as he tried to pick himself up.

Springer created an Aura Blast before charging, planning to shove it right in the cultist's face. "Special delivery!" He yelled as he thrust his paw, the sphere inches from connecting, only for Shadow to suddenly turn into his smoke form. "No!" Springer cried as he saw his attack fly through the mist.

"I'll save you for later!" Shadow growled as he pressed his hoof into Springer's back, the jakhowl gasping as he suddenly vanished in a flash of light.

"SPRINGER!" His friends yelled before getting into a fighting stance with Trixie asking, "What did you do to him?!"

"Teleported him to the other side of the battlefield. Should take him a few minutes to get back, which is more than enough time to wipe you fools out."

"Don't count on it!" Soarin roared as he ran forward while Trixie began firing a barrage of magical blasts. The armored unicorn summoned his sword in response, spinning the blade as he deflected every attack. And as Soarin got close, he thrust his blade at the pegasi, only for the Wonderbolt to dodge and kick him in the face.

"Blugh!" Shadow spat as he felt two jabs hit him now, making him flare his wings and send out a gust. Soarin flapped backward at this, Shadow taking to the air while he did this and began to unleash a rain of dark fireballs. Seeing the incoming attack, Soarin zipped over to Trixie as she put up a shield to block them, the unicorn grimacing as she felt the attack bang on the barrier.

Shadow then flew down, landing with a giant grin on his face. Growling at the sight, Trixie dropped the shield and unleashed the strongest magical beam she could muster...only for Shadow's horn to summon a pair of portals. Trixie's attack flew into one and out the other, the mare gasping as her own spell hit the ground in front of them, causing it to explode.

"AUGH/GYAH!" They cried as they were thrown up, Shadow laughing before his horn fired the purple lightning from before. The attack zapped them both, quickly wrapping their bodies up at the same time. Both were screaming in pain as Shadow laughed at the sight, flicking his horn as he began to slam their bodies around like ragdolls.

The lightning then swung them into a building, blood now appearing as he swung them sideways into two more buildings. Laughter filled the air as they continued to scream, Shadow shining the biggest grin before slamming them back into the ground.

And as they hit the dirt, Shadow's horn sparked with red lightning that flew down his body and to his front hooves. While this happened, Soarin and Trixie tried to pick themselves up before he jumped up onto his back hooves and slammed his front ones into the ground. Doing so unleashed the red lightning out, the bolts flying across the street and reached the two before they even knew what was happening.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed as they were electrocuted, sparking explosions flying off of them.

Springer was in full sprint, having reverted back to normal to save his energy as he followed his friends' life forces. And when he was only one street away, he heard them scream out in pain, gasping as he turned back into Mega Mode. He leaped over a building next, only to see Trixie and Soarin fall to the ground. "NOOOOO!" He roared while creating a pair of Bone Breakers that he swung at Shadow, forcing the unicorn hop back.

Soarin and Trixie moaned as they began to disappear. "Looks like this is it," Soarin told Trixie.

"Yeah..." Trixie replied with a weak nod, "But Springer will beat him. You can count on it." Soarin nodded as well as they both turned to look at the fight.

"Good luck," Soarin whispered before they both vanished, leaving their orbs behind.

"SOARIN SKIES AND TRIXIE LULAMOON, ELIMINATED!"

And as Springer and Shadow locked weapons, the jakhowl flinched at hearing those words. Shadow just chuckled, pushing Springer back as the two orbs flew into the unicorn. The pony let out a long laugh at this, "And then there was one. I must say, you all were truly disappointing. I was hoping for at least a workout, but you-"

"Shut up!" Springer barked as he tossed the Bone Breakers at the unicorn, the pony summoning a magic shield to block them. "Aura Force!" He fired twin lasers from each of his paws, Shadow flaring his wings as he took to the air to dodge the attack.

And as he flew over the jakhowl, the unicorn rained down another volley of dark fireballs, Springer creating a head-shaped Aura Guard to block it. But despite the shield, Springer felt his guard waver. "Urgh..." he grunted as his feet grinded into the ground, Shadow pulling out his sword as the last fireball hit. He began to swoop down next, only for summon an aura arm and lunge it at Shadow, "RAAAAH!" he roared, Shadow summoning a barrier as the punch hit him.

"GRAH!" He hissed, his horn flaring as he tried to push the shield through the giant aura arm, "Oh no you don't!" Shadow growled as he began firing some fireballs around the aura arm, curving to hit the Springer's aura avatar. The jakhowl let out a cry of pain as it felt the flames slam into his guard, Springer thrusting his paws trying to keep it stable.

"Just give up!" Shadow yelled as he landed next, his barrier still pushing Springer's aura arm back while firing more dark flames, "Surrender and bow before my power!" But as Shadow said these words, he saw Springer glare at him, a look of pure determination on his face. The sight made Shadow's face scrunch up in anger, "Why?! Why won't you just give up?!"

"I'll never give up! I...won't...LOSE!" Springer roared, these words suddenly making something snap in the jakhowl's head. And as this happened, his avatar exploded with light, sending out a shockwave that went right through Shadow's barrier, knocking him flying.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed, slamming through a building. A groan of pain came next, the unicorn pulling its head out of a pile a few seconds later. But as he did this, he came to a stop as he saw Springer standing there.

The aura avatar around Springer had changed, no longer showing just a head and arms. Now it had a neck, chest and shoulders. It even had the headband like appendages coming out the back of the head. It touched the ground right below the chest spike, Springer standing behind that spike while looking over his creation.

"Wow..." he gasped, only to feel a certain pain in his chest. "Urgh…its still draining to use this though." Springer glanced up next as he saw Shadow charging at him. "Let's go!" He thrust both aura arms next, Shadow catching both with his wings. The unicorn fired a beam of magic next, only for the magic blast to bounce off the avatar's body.

"What?!" Shadow yelped at the sight, Springer taking this moment to pull his fists back and spin around, swinging his legs to kick the unicorn...only to remember the avatar had no legs. Despite this, the avatar spun around and used its headband appendages to whip at Shadow, smacking the unicorn's side, "Blaugh!"

"Yes!" Springer cheered before letting out a gasp of air, "Shoot...gotta make this quick." He turned to a nearby destroyed building, quickly using his avatar's hand to grab the rubble and fling it over to Shadow. And as he did this, his avatar vanished and he fell to his knees panting.

Shadow saw the incoming rocks unleashed several blasts of magic, destroying the rubble before yelling, "That's it! This ends now!"

A barrage of black flames came next, the mega jakhowl barely managing to make a Bone Breaker to deflect them. And as he smacked them away, Shadow charged with blade in hoof. The two met in a loud clang, sword clashing with the Bone Breaker as the two grinded into the ground. Both let out grunts of pain as they pushed, not daring to make another move as their blades clashed.

And as this happened, both bodies started to sink downward, Springer feeling his Mega Mode about to fade while Shadow was started to waver from the previous fights. They then hopped back at the same time, landing on their feet/hooves as Springer created an Aura Blast in his paw. The aura sphere began to grown as Shadow's horn sparked, both set of eyes locked as they pumped power into their attacks.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" They both screamed next as they let their attacks fly, Springer thrusting the Aura Blast as it exploded into a laser while Shadow fired a black beam of magic out his horn. The blue and black beams collided next, a shockwave blasting out of the collision that hit the two. They both grunted at the force, but stood their ground as they kept pushing. And as the attacks kept colliding, the tug of war went on for almost a full minute until-

KABOOM!

Back at Flash's battle...

"AAAAAAH!" Flash screamed as he was thrown through a building, a tornado following him as he made a hole in the structure's wall. This was followed by Storm destroying the rest of the wall, a manticore, scorpentine and roc right behind him.

"Storm Cutter!" Storm roared as he swung his weapon, several blades of wind cutting through the air as Flash barely dodged them, his armor clanging as one of them hit his side. As this happened, the scorpentine thrust one of its claws, Flash spinning around to grab both pincers before pushing them away. But as he did this, the manticore got above him and swung its tail down. The knight saw this coming and leapt back, the tail piercing the claw.

"Flash Driver!" Flash yelled as he morphed into a drill, cutting right through the manticore above him before meeting the roc right by him. Breaking out of the drill, Flash swung his sword with a single swipe, beheading the giant bird before turning back to the scorpentine. The manticore's melting had freed its claw, only to get hit by a Flash Force, destroying it in one blow.

The knight spun around next, feeling the crackle of electricity fill the air as he now saw Storm charging at him. Flash quickly put his light swords away next, taking out Lightbringer as Storm swung his blade downward. The defender followed this with an upward strike, both blades clanging as they hit. And as their swords wobbled from the clash, Storm proceeded to do a thrust into Flash's head, the knight ducking the attack before spinning around and doing a horizontal swipe. Storm smirked and shifted his blade to his side, blocking the attack with a grin.

The cultist then replied with a push, shoving Flash's sword away, thrusting his blade again as Flash flapped his wings, dodging his spear-like thrusts. Flash swung his blade next to knock Storm's away, only for Storm to spin around, dodging the blade as he spun and did another thrust. The defender put his sword to his chest, blocking the thrust before they pushed each other away. Flash pulsed his blade back next, thrusting for Storm's waist this time before Storm did the same block as Flash, spinning next as he swung his blade upward, making Flash fly back to dodge the blow.

"Flash/Storm CUTTER!" The two launched blades of light and electricity at one another, both attacks meeting head-on. An explosion followed this, pushing both back before flaring their wings, stopping themselves as they safely landed.

"Oh, this'll be good." Storm chuckled, "One knight fighting against another. And in the end, only the strongest will survive."

"You're no knight," Flash barked back, "I don't care what you say, there's no way you were ever a royal knight!"

And as those words hit Storm's ears, a giant grin graced his face. "You're right. I'm not a knight." Flash's eyes slightly widened at this, eyebrows raising a Storm continued, "I'm something even better. I'm a knight who isn't restricted by some silly title or things like chivalry."

"Oh please, that doesn't make you better!" Flash replied, feeling his hooves grind in the dirt as he glared at the cultist, "You have no right to call yourself a knight!"

Storm shook his head in response, chuckling as he added, "Oh, but I do. Its true that I was almost a knight, but I hesitated and it cost me the title." The grin on his face grew as he said these words, "But you see...that one moment taught me everything! It told me that a true knight is one that must never hesitate!" He flexed his hooves as this, only to start rubbing the side of his blade with his hoof, "And when I learned that lesson, when I obtained my blade...my whole world opened up for me. Look at me now, future captain of the guard once master Shadow conquers Equestria!" He flared his wings as he finished his monologue, "I'll take over the guard and teach the next generation the true ideals of being a knight! Power with no hesitation!"

"Not happening!" Flash yelled as his Sacred Light dispersed, "I'm taking you down the way a true knight would!" He raised his sword in a ready position, Storm laughing as he did the same.

"You can try..."

"Flash Force!" Flash fired the laser at Storm, but the cultist just swung his blade, deflecting the beam with ease. He charged at Flash next, the defender doing the same as both swords began to glow. Flash took the first move, slashing at Storm's head as the pegasi ducked under the attack before swinging his blade upward. The tip clanged on Flash's making him stagger back before thrusting Lightbringer at Storm, who shifted to the side to dodge the blade.

Storm then grabbed Flash's sword holding hoof and pushed it upward before thrusting a back leg into Flash's stomach, making him cry out as he fell back. And as Flash staggered again, Storm roared as he charged at Flash, sparks flying off his blade, he swiped his blade for the defender's head. However, Flash jumped forward and rolled under the blade in response.

Rolling back to his hooves as Storm spun around, Flash ducked under his blade again before shifting to the side as Storm thrust it forward. Flash then knocked the blade with a quick swipe, making Storm stagger slightly as Flash spun around and dealt a roundhouse kick to his face.

And as Storm was pushed back, Tempera and her uni-troopers arrived on the scene as she yelled, "Storm!"

"Stay back! Let me handle this." Storm replied as he flashed a hoof at her, Tempera about to tell him that he couldn't beat him alone. But as she was about to do this, she noticed Flash wasn't wearing his Sacred Light. Despite this, Storm then said, "Don't interfere Tempera. This is a matter of pride."

"You gave up that pride a long time ago!" Flash yelled as he charged at Storm, the cultist doing the same. The defender started with three slashes, Storm blocking each, only to thrust his blade back. In turn, Flash slammed his sword down on Storm's, knocking it into the ground. Flash then jumped off Storm's blade, kicking him in the face before landing behind him.

And as Storm reeled from the attack, he tried to spin around, only for Flash to unleash a Flash Cutter right to his chest. "AUGH!"

"It's over!" Flash roared as Storm went flying back, the defender following him to do the finishing blow.

But as he got closer, Storm just let out a laugh, "Didn't Grand teach you anything?!" He swung his blade upward as Flash reached him, clanging against the knight's sword right before he could slash the cultist's head. "Landing the final blow-" Flash was knocked back by the defection, only for Storm to point his blade at Flash's stomach, "Is a step away from one's own demise! Storm Surge!"

Flash gasped as a bolt of lightning shot out of the blade and hit him at point blank, causing him to cry out in pain as he was thrown back, "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Yes!" Tempera cheered as the pegasus landed just a few feet in front of her. She began clapping, only to stop and growl as she saw Flash's body suddenly rise up. His body was burning, smoke coming off it as he raised his sword at Storm. Tempera turned to the cultist, only to see him shake his head at her. She sighed at the sight, nodding back.

"I swear..." Storm slowly said, "This time...this time I'm sending you to Tartarus!" With that, both pegasi charged, Storm first to strike as he fired a burst of water at Flash. The knight quickly slashed through the water, evaporating it before seeing Storm was now gone. Flash then looked up, seeing Storm swooping down with blade raised high.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as he swung the blade down, the sword exerting blasts of wind. But Flash leapt back to dodge the incoming blows before Storm slammed his sword into the ground. The blow caused a small quake as Storm pulled the weapon out of the ground, spinning the dial next. "Storm Force!" An explosion of electrical energy shot out of the blade after this, flying at Flash as he stood there, unflinching at the incoming attack.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Flash swung his blade at the lightning, the bolts deflecting off the sword. The attack scattered at Flash's swing, explosions covering the area. And as one of the explosions consumed Flash, Storm shined a grin at the sight...only to gasp as the smoke faded.

Flash was still standing, not a new singe on him as he pointed his blade at the cultist. Storm growled at the sight as he hissed, "This ends here."

"Agreed." Flash replied as his blade shined, light pouring out of his Celestic Gear.

"DIE!" Storm screamed as he charged, spinning the dial as all three of his elements pulsed off his blade. Both pegasi were now roaring at the top of their lungs as they drew closer, pulling their weapons back now. And as they reached each other, their blades swung, a massive explosion of light consuming the two.

"Augh!" Tempera cried as she was forced to close her eyes, looking away while squinting. And as she noticed the light was dying down, she turned around and saw Flash and Storm standing back to back several feet away, both holding their weapons outstretched.

They stayed like this for several seconds before Flash finally flinched, falling down as he used his sword like a cane to hold himself up. Long pants and groans escaped his breath as Storm let out a laugh. But as this laughter left his mouth, he fell to his knees, unable to catch himself as he crashed into the ground.

"Storm!" Tempera screamed as she ran over to him, his body turning to dust, "Don't go! I can't beat him without you!"

"Sorry..." Storm replied as he closed his eyes, "It's all on you now. But in his state, it shouldn't be impossible for you." All but his head was gone as he shined a grin, "Defeat him. Make our master proud." With that, he vanished as his orb appeared.

"STORM BLADE, ELIMINATED!"

And as Flash pushed himself back to his hooves, the orb flew over and entered his body. Once this happened, he slowly turned to Tempera as she stood up while her uni-troopers gathered around her. "So...it's just you and me."

"You and us," Tempera hissed as the scribeasts moved in front of her. "As long as I have my creations, I'm never alone. That's how's it's always been for me."

"But they're not real-"

"They're real to me!" Tempera screeched, putting her hoof on one of the uni-troopers, "They are my power, my art!"

Flash sighed at her outburst, "Is that why you're so fixated with Shadow despite how little he clearly cares for you? Because your art can only do so much?"

"Be quiet!" She screamed as the uni-troopers charged. "Once I've taken you down, we'll see how much he cares for me!"

His reply was to charge at the scribeasts, blocking one of their swords before pushing it around and cutting another one down. He then returned to the first, slashing it in half before roundhouse kicking another in the head before turning to block another sword, taking that chance to jump up and kick it in the chest.

This lead to more uni-troopers charging at him, Flash easily cutting them all down. Ink splattered everywhere as Tempera watched him roll under another sword before pointing his blade at the scribeast, forcing the uni-trooper to stop in fear of getting stabbed. Flash then spun his tail, knock the beast off its wheel, causing it to go splat as Flash backflipped into a circle of uni-troopers.

"Flash Force!" the knight yelled as he fired the laser while spinning around, cutting all the remaining scribeasts in half.

Once the last scribeast was destroyed, he turned to Tempera, the scrambling backward as she fired a beam of magic at him. He quickly swung his blade, deflecting the blast before spinning the sword as a few more beams came next. And as he blocked each one, he walked up to her, slashing down at the unicorn. She let out a yelp as she hopped away, only for Flash to spin around and sweep his tail, knocking her balance before impaling her on his sword. But as he did this, his eyes went wide as he saw her melt.

"What?! When did she-"

"RAAAH!" He spun around to the voice, now seeing Tempera charging with a sword in her magic. Flash quickly swiped his blade at her sword, knocking it away as it splattered into ink on a nearby wall.

"Flash Cutter!" Flash swung his sword again, unleashing a wave of light that struck Tempera in the chest. A cry of pain followed this, the unicorn being thrown back as Flash dashed at her. He tried to slash her, ready to end the battle, only for her horn to shine as she teleported away.

Flash's sword hit the ground with a clang as a light appeared behind him, making the pegasus spin around to see Tempera throwing a bunch of paper in the air. In a flash of light, every single type of scribeast she had used up until then appeared. The knight tensed up as a giant lindworm charged first, Flash holding up his hooves and yelling, "Armorize!" In a burst of light, he was back in his Sacred Light form seconds before the lindworm struck. The increased strength allowed him to stop the beast with his bare hooves, only to kick the beast right back.

The minotaur, manticore, scorpentine and quetzalcoatl ran around the worm after Flash's blow, the defender then talking to the air while pulling his swords off his back. "Flash Cutter Barrage!" He spun around with his blades out wide, energy blades now slicing through each beast with ease. Tempera let out a gasp as she saw this, sweat pouring down her face as she felt the energy leave her from summoning that many at once, only to see all her work be destroyed with ease.

"Flash Driver!" Flash morphed into a drill that bore its way through a roc, dragon and bladed mantis before breaking out of it and tossing his blades towards the ground. "Flash Cutter!" The blades hit the dirt in front of the rest of the scribeasts, an explosion happening next as it turned the rest into the piles of mush.

And as the pegasus landed, he saw Tempera struggling to draw something. "Getting tired, huh?"

Tempera glared him him as she pulled the paper out of her sketchpad, dropping the book to the floor. "I'm putting everything I have into this! Even if it kills me, I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!" She threw the page up, firing a continuous beam at it. The paper exploded next, forming a mass of ink above her.

But just as a smile was about to grace her face...something happened. Her entire body tensed up as her magic sparked and cut out, the mare feeling her legs giving out as well. She was out of magic. This caused the mass above her to stop taking shape and fall on her, landing atop the mare while forming a pile of inky sludge.

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, expecting this to mean he had won, but Soul's voice didn't call out. Instead, the pile began to glow Tempera's magic's color before it began to shift and reshape. Flash took out his blades next, only to see the pile remold itself into the shape of Tempera's face. The monster let out a roar next as two giant hooves flew out of the pile and slammed down on Flash. He let out a cry of pain before reflexively pulling out Lightbringer, unleashing a Flash Cutter that cut both its hooves off. And as the ink splattered everywhere, Flash saw the slime start to regrow new hooves.

Seeing this chance, Flash took to the air and swooped down at the beast, striking its cheek in a single long blow. The beast roared in pain as Flash spun around and flew past it again, moving like lightning as he cut another gash into it. This kept happening again and again, Flash zipping around the creature as he kept cutting it down. And as he sliced it across the face one last time, he flapped his wings back to land in front of the beast.

"This...ends...NOW!" He slammed his Celestic Gear into the ground before the light blades exploded off his back, both now spiraling around the sword. This formed a shining tornado that Flash reached into before pulling out his sword's handle, the blade following suit as it now had the Sacred Light wrapped around it to extend the blade Flash jumped up into the air.

The reforming beast looked up at the light, now seeing Flash lifting a fifty foot blade above his head. "Ultimate Final Move!" He yelled as he started bringing the blade crashing down, "SHINING BLADE OF THE HEAVENS!" The beast let out a roar as the giant sword crashed down into its face, evaporating the ink that made up its body.

And as Flash's attack ended, the light from his sword faded to reveal Tempera floating in the air before crashing into the dirt. The defender landed next, now seeing the mare laying there with a flood of tears in her eyes. "How?!" She asked, "How are you so strong? How could a nobody like you defeat us all on your own?! HOW?!"

Flash sighed and shook his head, "Simple. I'm not alone." Her eyes slowly shifted over to him as he continued, "Even if I can't see them, even if I can't hear them....even if they're a million miles away. My friends are still there for me. As long as I know I have their support, there's no way I could lose to you or any of your team. Because I...am the Knight of Friendship."

Tempera rolled her eyes at his words, "Hmph. You're an idiot. You may have beaten us, but you'll never defeat Master Shadow with something like that. After all, it's his destiny to stand above all others as the strongest pony alive."

"I don't believe that," Flash instantly replied, "Destiny isn't written in stone, t's what we make of it. And as long as I'm around, your master will never win." Tempera just glared back at him as she completely vanished, leaving only the orb in her place as Soul's voice called out.

"TEMPERA, ELIMINATED!"

As the last orb flew into Flash's body, he panted as he fell onto his flank while dispelling the Sacred Light. And as he tried to get his breath back, his eyes were soon shifted to see the barrier cutting the city in half in the distance now flickering. Before he could react, the wall vanished, making him slowly get up, "Guys..." He spread his wings and took to the air, crossing the barrier to now find a half destroyed city, "Oh no..."

And as he glanced around, he then saw a fresh cloud of smoke in the distance. Flash shifted direction as he flew toward the cloud, gliding down to the fog. "Guys!?" He called out as he touched down, "Anypony!?" There was no answer, Flash now flapping his wings to make the smoke clear out. And as the black mist began to fade, he saw a figure walking up.

Getting into a battle stance, he prepared for a fight just in case...only to see the figure come in view. "Springer..."

The mega jakhowl was barely walking, his form staggering all over as he smiled at the sight of the pegasus. However, his smile then dropped, along with the rest of his body.

"Springer!" Flash cried as his partner fell over, exploding with light as he turned back to normal. The defender quickly caught his partner before he hit the dirt, now seeing the burns all over the jakhowl, "Springer! You alright?!" He slowly placed him on the ground, "Where are the others?"

Springer let out a groan as he opened his eyes, "Sorry Flash...we couldn't beat him." Flash's eyes went wide as these words entered his ears, "He was just...too strong." As he said that, his body began to turn to dust.

"NO!" Flash yelled, only to hear a familiar chuckle that made him look up and see somepony else appearing out of the smoke.

Shadow stepped out into view, still wearing his Corrupted Shadow armor along with a sinister smile adorning his lips. "Nice of you to finally show up. I'm assuming you being here means you defeated the rest of my cohorts."

"So what if I did?!" Flash growled.

"Then it seems we're both in the same boat," Shadow pointed at Springer, Flash looking down to seem him about to fully vanish.

The jakhowl moaned again as he spoke up next, "Flash, it's up to you now." Flash's face scrunched up at these words, Springer chuckling at his face, "Don't worry. I don't know why, but I get the feeling this was my last fight. The others too. Now, it's just you and Shadow. You'll have to do this on your own."

Flash shook his head, "You're wrong. I won't be alone." Springer raised an eyebrow at this, "Even if you're not here, I know you'll be here for me in spirit." He then glared at Shadow, "As long as you all are there to give me your support, I know I can take this monster down."

Springer nodded back as he was almost completely gone. "You got it. Good luck...Flash." With that, Springer turned to dust that was picked up by the wind. All that remained was the orb, which floated over to Shadow as Soul's voice called out.

"SPRINGER, ELIMINATED!"

The orb reached Shadow and phased into his body, the unicorn smirking as he watched Flash continued to glare at him. Another chuckle left his breath as he began to dust off his chest, "I'll give your friends props, they were a determined lot. Almost gave me a full warm-up. But determination doesn't win battles. Power does."

"Shut up," Flash growled as he stood up. "I don't want to hear another word out of you if it's some kind of insult." As he said this, light began to cover his body. "Let me guess, you don't even care that your friends lost, do you?"

Shadow just shrugged at this, "Why would I care? They failed me. There's no point in caring for them if they fail to achieve my goals. Why should I care if they're that weak?"

"Because each of them would give their lives for you, but you wouldn't even care if they did that!" Flash then slammed his hooves in the ground, the earth shaking as he did this, "I've had it with you!" The light exploded off his body and formed a tornado, armor appearing around him. "I'm taking you down, right here and right now!"

"You can try..." Shadow laughed as the tornado exploded and formed the swords that Flash pulled off his back, "But you'll fail."

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Flash screamed as he leapt at Shadow, the unicorn getting into a battle stance with a giant smirk on his face. But before the two could get even get started, the ground beneath their hooves suddenly exploded, a pillar of light erupting around them.

The two weren't even surprised that they couldn't move, the two freezing in place as the light began to blind them.

Outside the pillar of light, Sombra could only watch as the pillar of light extended upward before splitting in two at the end. Those two lights began to curve until the tips struck the very top of the castles. Flash and Shadow both grunted as they suddenly found themselves flying up as their super forms vanished, leaving them powerless as they were pulled into separate lights streams. Flash let out a cry of surprise, feeling like he was flying down a water slide without the water.

And before he could get used to what was happening, he felt his face slam into a floor. "Augh!" he groaned from the impact as the light began to fade. He moaned as his eyes began to blink open, letting him look up and find he was back in the castle. "Huh?" He was in the map room, the seven orbs he had won now floating above the table again.

It was then he noticed he was the only one there...alone.

"Springer?" He yelled, even trying to sense his partner, only to feel no response. "Heart? Ruby? Soarin?" He began to get up, slowly moving through the castle, "Trixie? Cold? Anypony?" he reached the staircase and headed downstairs. "Please..." He pushed the door to the medical room open...only to find three empty recovery chambers. "No."

The pegasus slowly shut the door and headed back upstairs, his movements slow with his head hung low as he got to the dining room. Never before had Flash felt so alone, not even before he met Twilight, as he stood in the room that should have been filled with the voices of his friends. But the room was silent. His friends were gone.

"I'm sorry," Flash told nopony at all. "I...I lead you all to your doom. And now, who knows where you are." He felt himself slowly beginning to fill with guilt, slumping his head on the table. "I..."

"Oh, stallion up," Flash jumped at the voice and spun around, only to see Sombra standing in the corner of the room.

"Sombra?! What are you doing here?! Why are you out of your cell?!"

Sombra shrugged in response. "Well...your jail cell suddenly vanished when your big fight started, so I left and watched the whole thing from the map room." He shined a small smile at the defender, "I gotta say, it was quite impressive to see you take all six of Shadow's goons down."

"Fat lot of good it did me," Flash sighed. "My friends are all gone."

"I don't think so," Sombra shook his head. "I don't know what happened to them, but I'm sure wherever they are, they're safe."

"But where are they then?!" Flash barked back, only to see Sombra just give him a frown. "Right...sorry. I know it isn't your fault."

"Its fine." Sombra replied as he walked over to the door, "Let's go to the map room. Maybe we can figure out something there."

Flash nodded as the two walked to the room, both turning to the map while staring at the seven orbs. The defender then stared at the roof as he suddenly spoke up, "Okay...you brought us here. You made me and my friends fight over and over and now...now you've taken them and left nothing but these stupid orbs! Can you finally explain why?! Why make us do all this?!"

There was no answer, causing Flash to sigh as he slumped into a chair. "Figures."

Sombra sat down on another chair, rubbing his chin in thought as he stared at the orbs. "Strange. These orbs haven't changed their properties, even after they were absorbed into you and the others."

"So?"

"Well, you would expect something else from them. Perhaps...hmm?" Flash raised an eyebrow at this, turning to the orbs as they both now saw them starting to glow.

"What's going on?" Flash asked as Sombra didn't answer, not now seeing the orbs suddenly start to melt. Drops of liquid metal started falling off the orbs as they floated above the table, those drops landing and beginning to pool together. Bit by bit, the spheres grew smaller while the pool of liquid grew larger as Flash and Sombra watched in confusion.

And as the final drops of each orb fell into the puddle, the liquid metal decided to defy the laws of physics and began to shift and move, taking shape and lifting itself up off the table to join with the rest of the liquid. The ponies' confusion only intensified when the liquid began to take shape, slowly forging itself into a form they both recognized.

"A key?"

The liquid metal had taken the shape of a key, the metal quickly beginning to harden once it was in the right shape. Soon enough, a simple metal key lay on the table as the light the metal had been giving off faded. Both ponies just stared at the object, Flash slowly saying, "This...this is it?" He reached out and took the key, being careful in case it was hot. "A key. We went through all of this for a key?!"

"Maybe the key isn't meant to be the prize," Sombra guessed. "Perhaps it's the key-" he said in quotation marks, "to finding the answers you seek."

Flash turned to glare at him, only to come to a stop as a thought entered his head. "Wait a minute..." He got up and moved past Sombra, stepping up to the door with the keyhole in the middle of it. His gaze shifted between the key and the door, realization dawning upon him. "Could it be this?" He held the key out and slowly placed it into the keyhole, carefully pushing it in.

But when the key entered the hole, the two began to resonate and glow before the hole began to shrink.

"What's happening?" Sombra asked as the hole shrank down until it was the perfect size for the key.

Flash took this as a good omen and turned the key, the sound of many mechanisms turning and clicking filling the room. And when he made a complete three sixty, the key was suddenly pulled completely into the lock before the hole began to shrink until it vanished.

Flash and Sombra shared another confused look before a grinding sound caught their attention, making them turn back to see the door split in half and retract into the wall. When the two sides disappeared, the two stared into the darkness and found that the door had been hiding a spiral staircase that had little to no light.

"Fascinating. I wonder what kind of magic that was." Sombra commented Flash pulled out Lightbringer and ignited it.

"You sound like Twilight."

Sombra chuckled at his comment, "Well, things did just get interesting here."

Flash sighed as he began to walk down the staircase, only to look back at Sombra, "You coming?"

The unicorn raised an eyebrow at this, "You know, the old me would have stayed here and made sure there wasn't a trap before heading down myself. But now...I guess I picked up a bit of your curiosity."

"Enough to actually go down first?" The pegasus asked with a smirk, Sombra giving a deadpan stare in return.

"Don't push it." Flash rolled his eyes and began to trot down the stairs, Sombra following after him. "What do you think is down here?"

"I have a theory," Flash replied. "But I think I'll keep it to myself until I'm sure."

"That's comforting."

At the same time...

In the dark castle, Shadow watched as the key his orbs had formed was pulled into the keyhole. Seconds later, the lock vanished and the door slid apart, revealing his own spiral staircase.

"At last..." he hissed as he looked down the stairs, "Now, let's see what this is all about."

Miles below the city and within the crystal caverns, Shining Soul continued to float within the shining orb while in a sleep like state.

As she did, her lips began to move as she softly spoke words that were not her own. "They are coming."

Author's Note

And so only Flash and Shadow are left standing. But what awaits them at the bottom of that staircase? You'll have to wait and find out. Hope you liked the battles.

Genesis

Flash and Sombra had been travelling down the spiral staircase for a good five minutes, curiosity filling them up as they kept going. "How far down does this thing go?" Sombra asked as his eyes kept darting around.

"Not sure, but I do know we're not in the castle anymore," Flash replied, "I'd say we're a good few hundred meters below the city surface now."

"And it's still going," Sombra sighed, "At this rate, we're gonna find ourselves coming out of the other side of the world."

Flash chuckled at his words, "We're not going that far."

"Oh? Is that part of your theory?"

"Kind of. I'm pretty sure I know where we're going now." As he said that, the staircase stopped spiralling and straightened out. "The whole reason my friends and I came here is because I had a dream." Sombra raised an eyebrow at this as he continued, "That dream showed me how to get here and who I had to bring. Then when we arrived at the place, I saw a bunch of shadows I now know were Shadow and his group."

"Okay, but how does that tell you where we're going?"

"I'm getting to that. In the dream, me and Shadow were pulled underground until we came out at the place we're heading to now. A giant crystal chamber hidden deep beneath the city."

Sombra's expression changed to a deadpan stare, "And you're getting all this information from a dream?"

"It's not just the dream," Flash responded, his tone unchanging at Sombra's snark, "Do you remember when we first got here, during my battle with Shadow?"

"You mean the light that shot out of the ground and stopped the battle before you two could actually fight?" Sombra replied, remembering it from one of Armalum's memories, "What about it?"

"During that time, Shadow and I both got shown a vision of being pulled underground. There we saw the same crystal chamber again."

"Huh. Interesting..." Sombra added, only for the two to come to a stop, now seeing the end of staircase that lead to a long tunnel with a speck of light at the end. "What's that?"

"Well, it couldn't be a crystal chamber," Flash chuckled, "After all, that was just a dream." Sombra rolled his eyes with a growl, Flash now cutting the light from his sword as they both made their way down the passageway. And as they got closer, the light grew stronger, only for Flash to come to a stop right at the end of the tunnel.

Sombra saw him just stand there, a frown on the defender's face as he asked, "You okay?"

"Everything I've done. Everything I've been through, it all lead up to this one moment."

"And?"

"I wish my friends were here to see it with me."

Sombra could feel a frown appearing on his face before saying, "They might not be here right now, but they put everything on the line to get you here. So don't let their sacrifice be in vain." Flash nodded back before they exited the tunnel, getting blinded for several seconds until their eyes completely adjusted, now seeing the crystal chamber as Sombra gasped, "Wow...its amazing."

"Told you," Flash replied as the two began to walk into the room, their eyes squinting due to the brightness coming off all the crystals in the room. "But why were we brought down here? There has to be a reason."

Sombra nodded in agreement. "Considering how you described it, I was kinda expecting to meet the one responsible for all this. Some kind of big tough alicorn-like figure sitting on a golden throne laughing at us as you all fought one another."

"That's a disturbing thought." Flash responded while glancing back at him, the unicorn shrugging.

"Eh, I was just sharing my thoughts."

"Right..." Flash sighed before turning to the chamber, "Hey! Anypony here?! We want some answers! Why were we brought here?! What was the point of this stupid game you made us play and where are my friends?!"

"Yes..." Flash froze at the sound of a new voice, "That's something I'd like to know as well." Flash and Sombra spun around to see Shadow walk into the room, a huge grin on his face. "Hello peasants."

The two growled as they got into a battle stance, "Shadow. What are you doing here?!"

"The same thing as you, I assume." Shadow cackled, "I'm guessing this means your orbs melted into a key that unlocked the strange door in your castle as well?"

"So what if it did?!" Flash asked while pulling out his sword. "And if you think I'm gonna let you take whatever power's here, you've got another thing coming." But despite the warning, Flash's body shook, trying to hide the exhaustion from the recent fight against the other cultists. And as he stared at Shadow, the unicorn showed slow, shaky movement as well.

"You honestly think you can stop me in the state you're in?" Shadow chuckled before glaring at Sombra, "And what about you? It's almost insulting that you would show your face to me after everything I did for you. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be nothing but a horn buried under six feet of snow. I gave you a physical form and found a way to keep you alive, and this is how you repay me? Betrayal and desertion?!"

"I never betrayed or deserted you," Sombra growled back, "That would require me to actually be on your side, but I never was. You turned me into a mindless puppet as soon as you revived me. How is that betrayal when you robbed me of my own free will?!"

Shadow rolled his eyes at this, "True servants have no need for free will. You should have been happy serving a pony such as me and want nothing else."

Sombra glared at Shadow, a long stare coming from his eyes, "I am a pony, not a puppet. And now that I'm free, don't think I won't try and stop you from doing whatever the heck you plan on doing."

"HA! You really think you can stop me?!" Shadow laughed, "You're not even a tenth of what you were when I revived you, and now you think you can actually stand up to me?!"

Flash then stood by Sombra's side, pointing his blade at Shadow, "He's not alone. Together, we will find a way to beat you."

"Then bring it!" Shadow told him as he summoned his sword, right as Flash leapt with blade raised high. The two ponies let out a roar as they prepared to clash-

"ENOUGH!"

Before either could make contact, they felt themselves freeze in place with Flash even hovering in the air while their swords remained inches from one another.

'This feeling,' Flash thought to himself.

'The same as before,' Shadow continued before the two felt themselves getting pulled backward into the air. Sombra was also pulled, the three finding their wings and magic complete useless against whatever power was currently controlling them.

All they could do was float there, eyes glancing around as they were lifted higher into the air until they found themselves floating in front of something. It was a large crystal orb with multiple colored lights glowing out of it. The trio had trouble looking through it for a moment, their eyes adjusting until they all gasped at the sight inside the sphere.

"SOUL!" Flash screamed, now seeing Shining Soul floating in the middle of the orb with her eyes closed. "Soul, can you hear me?! Answer me, please!"

And at those words, Soul's eyes shot open. However, these eyes were nothing but a bright light, the same kind of light Flash had only seen when a pony was wielding great magical power, such as when Twilight used the Element of Magic. It was here that the filly spoke in the same voice they had heard her use whenever the games were starting and ending. One filled with great maturity despite being so young.

"I am not the one you call Soul."

This made all three raise eyebrows, all exchanging glances before Flash asked, "If you ain't Soul, then who are you?"

"I have had many names over the centuries. The original one. The mother life of all things. And so many more. But for the sake of simplicity, you may refer to me by the name given to me by the ancient ponies of this city. The name they gave to the city themselves, in tribute to me. You may call me Faust."

"Faust?" Flash asked as he remembered something his parents had told him, "You mean, the god of creation? The being that created the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow?"

"Ah, so you've heard of me. Good, that'll make things easier."

"Well, I don't know that much, just that. If I was told anything else, I don't remember it." He turned to Sombra and Shadow, both giving him an 'are you serious' look. "What?! I happened to die that day, so I think I'm entitled to forget a few things!"

"Let's move on. Yes, I am Faust. Though I wouldn't really call myself the god of creation. If anything, I'm the creator of the gods of creation, though I guess that doesn't really roll off the tongue like the other name."

"So we were summoned here by a god..." Shadow grumbled, the sound of his voice telling the others he was having trouble believing his own words.

"Yes, and I must now apologize for the frustration you all have been feeling since you first arrived here." The others looked at each other again as Faust continued, "You see, everything I am about to tell you, I intended to tell you when you first arrived. But complications arose that prevented that from occurring."

"Complications?" Sombra asked, "What complications?"

"Flash," The pony's ears perked up, "Shadow." The unicorn did the same, "The two of you came here because of a dream you had. By now I'm sure you've figured out that that dream was sent to you through me."

"Yeah, we figured that." Flash nodded, "No offense, but can we get a point please?"

"The point can be answered with a simple question from me. What did I tell you in that dream?" This made the two raised eyebrows, Flash putting a hoof to his chin for a second as he though back. Flash's mind went through the files in his brain, pulling out an audio clip as his mental cursor clicked the play button.

"--ash Sent--, --ur ---tiny a----- you. --me. -in- -- an- ---cover wh-"

"I could barely hear what you told me," Flash replied, "It was all fuzzy and unclear."

"It was the same for me," Shadow added with a slight now, "I couldn't make out a single word of it."

"Exactly," Faust instantly responded, "Here's the major fact kids. Only certain beings have the ability to hear my voice and make it out. Even you two with your Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow, were only able to make out a vague idea of what I was saying to you. That is why I needed somepony to act as my voice. Somepony who could naturally hear me."

"Soul?" Flash asked back.

"Yes. This girl is more important then she realizes, even before I changed her into an alicorn."

"You're the one who made her into an alicorn?" Shadow chimed in, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Yes, I had to. While she could understand me, it was only a little better than you could. To act as my voice, I needed her to become one of the few species capable of hearing me."

"So alicorns can hear you?" Sombra asked.

"They and umbrum are the only things capable of hearing me without issue and without needing to take certain measures to gain that ability. I know she has had issues with the magic I gave her, but I truly believe Soul is capable of using it for great things."

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, "What were these complications?"

"Soul fearing her magic. I expected her to slowly get accustomed to her magic and come to accept it at the time of your arrival. But alas, an accident occurred that caused her to become terrified of her magic."

"She hurt Heart," Flash instantly chimed in, "So Soul wasn't supposed to compete in any of these games?"

"Yes. I intended to teleport her here when you arrived, but fear prevented her from fully accepting her magic and prevented her from being the true alicorn I needed her to be. I regret putting her through all that turmoil, I truly do, but it was necessary for everything that will now occur."

Now it was Shadow's turn to talk. "So when you started talking through her, that was after she accepted the magic she had." The memories of the battle made shine a huge grin, "So I guess it's thanks to me that happened."

Those words made Flash glare at the unicorn, "You tried to kill her and suck out her magic! You've probably traumatized her!"

"This is war!" Shadow yelled back at him, "It's survival of the fittest!"

"She's a filly!"

"And she defied me!" Shadow spat, "For doing that, she deserves far worse!"

"Why you little-"

"ENOUGH!" The three covered their ears at Faust's outcry, all turning their attention to the god possessed filly. "I didn't bring you here just to argue. I brought you here to explain what is happening."

"You're a bit late for that, aren't you?" Shadow asked with a shrug. "Why didn't you just summon us here to explain as soon as the girl could talk for you?"

"I felt it better to wait until you calmed down after Soul's vanishing act. Admit it, if I had brought you all here right after I took her, you probably would have just ignored what I had to say and attack me to try and get Soul out. Am I wrong from either of you?"

Both frowned at the response, knowing that both would have attacked for different reasons.

"Alright, point made." Flash chimed in with crossed hooves.

"I am sorry you had to go through all this without knowing why, but now I can explain everything to you and why you and your friends had to go through all this."

"Friends?!" Flash yelped at those words, "Where are they?! Why did they disappear?!"

"I'd like to know that too," Sombra added with a nod. "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing terrible. Here." Several flashes of light caught the three's attention, making them look up to see several orbs of light floating above them. In each orb was a member of Team Flash or Team Shadow, all curled up in a sleep-like appearance except a certain mask.

"Guys!" Flash cried out.

"My apologies, but they can't hear you. I placed them in stasis while their wounds heal, and so we could talk without you worrying about them. That and I decided it was best that only you two alone learned the truth at this point." A cough made her turn to Sombra, "You I didn't expect to come down here. But now that you're here, I see no issues with you also learning the truth. After all, it does partly affect you as well."

"I'm all ears," Sombra replied with a firm nod.

"We all are," Flash continued, "It's time we got some answers. Why were we brought here? Why did you make us fight and why did you keep stopping Shadow and me from finishing our fights?"

"I'd like to know that too," Shadow hissed, "I demand answers, or else."

"Very well. I will tell you everything. But to truly understand the truth, I must start at the beginning."

"The beginning of what?"

"Of everything." As she said that, the orb unleashed a mighty light that blinded the three, all crying out as they covered their eyes. And as the light began to die down, the reopened their eyes...to nothing but a white void. The only thing there was the orb that Soul was floating in, Faust now doing a small 'ahem' before beginning her explanation.

"In the beginning, there was nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. Life and time wasn't a thing, heck the very concept hadn't been thought up yet. I do not know if there was anything before that, but at that time there was nothing. Nothing...until me."

In that moment, a sphere of light appeared in front of them. The inside of the orb reminded Flash of a lava lamp, as gold and black light swirled around each other within it. "I've seen this before," Flash whispered.

"Me too," Sombra and Shadow replied. The three shared a glance, Flash and Sombra remembering it from their fight while Shadow had seen it so it would tell him to travel to the empire to find Sombra's horn.

Flash then turned to Faust, "This is you?"

"Yes. I don't know how I came into being. Maybe I was the last surviving member of a race of beings that existed before me and were destroyed. Maybe my existence was just an accident caused by a million coincidences. Who knows. All I know is that I came into being and was all alone."

"How long were you alone for?" Flash asked, Faust pausing for a moment.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure. Could have been an hour, could have been a thousand years. Hard to tell the passage of time when it doesn't exist yet. At first I was just a mindless consciousness without thought or emotion. But slowly, I grew aware of what I was. I started to think. I started to feel. I started to understand who and what I was. And eventually, I realized I didn't like being alone."

"I can understand that," Sombra chimed in, remembering his time without Ruby that turned him into a monster. That and when he was trapped within Armalum. "So...what did you do?"

"I started to test the limits of my power. I began slowly gaining an understanding of what I could do, and soon...I was able to end my loneliness." It was then that two specks of light shot out of the sphere, one gold and one black. The lights flew around the orb for several seconds, pulsing like hearts. "My very being is composed of a mixture of light and dark energy. By taking a spark of the light energy and a spark of the dark energy, I was able to create two new life forms. At first, they were simple consciousnesses. But slowly, they became self aware and even chose to give themselves names. I'm sure you've figured out what they were."

"The Corrupted Shadow," Shadow whispered while staring at the dark speck.

"And the Sacred Light," Flash finished as he blinked at the light speck before turning to the dark one and frowning, "Why would you create such an evil energy like the Corrupted Shadow?"

"What makes you think the Corrupted Shadow is evil?"

"The name. The fact that its dark energy." Flash then pointed as Shadow, "The fact he uses it for crying out loud."

"Just because the Corrupted Shadow was used for evil, doesn't mean it itself is evil. After all, if a pony used a sword to kill another pony, does that make the sword evil?" Flash didn't reply to that. "The word corrupted only has its meaning because those who have it chose to use it for evil. It itself was neither good nor evil. In fact, between the two, the Sacred Light was almost the more aggressive one while the Corrupted Shadow was much gentler."

"Oh..." Flash replied, only to look down, "Sorry."

"Its fine. Besides, I couldn't have created the Sacred Light if I hadn't also created the Corrupted Shadow."

"Why?" Sombra asked next.

"Balance. In all things in this world, there exists a balance. For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. If something exists without an exact opposite, then the entire universe would fall out of balance and collapse in on itself. That is why I created both the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow."

"I see..." Shadow commented, rubbing his chin in thought, "Interesting. That does make sense."

"Now, where was I? Oh yes. The Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow became conscious and understood who they were. And slowly, I discovered they possessed a quality that I wouldn't develop for another millennia. Imagination."

"You couldn't imagine?" Flash asked, wondering what lacking that ability would be like.

"No, I couldn't. But they could. They had so many idea and thoughts. Where I could only create the two of them using pieces of myself, they could create things from nothingness. And create they did. Everything you've ever seen: the earth, the sky, the ocean and so much more was created by them. It was an amazing sight to behold."

"So you aren't the one who created the world?" Sombra asked.

"No, but I am the one that keeps it all alive. If the universe were a body, I would be the soul keeping it alive. Without me, the plants would wither and die. The wind would cease to blow and even the magic you ponies use would stop working. You're welcome by the way."

"Ego much?" Flash chuckled before turning back to the two specks. "So they created everything?"

"Yes. They created everything, all the while making sure to keep the balance of the universe. If one of them created something, the other had to create its exact opposite. This went on until they felt ready to take it a step further. They created...life." This made all three raise eyebrows, intrigue on every face as Faust continued, "The Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow began to create beings with true consciousness and self awareness, starting with simple single celled organisms that slowly evolved into more complex beings over time."

"Incredible," Sombra whispered before seeing the specks of light and dark separate from te original sphere and fly down. "What's happening?"

"Eventually, the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow wished to not only watch the world they created, but experience it. And so, the two chose to create physical forms for themselves, abandoning most of their power so that they could exist in the world." The lights then began to change shape, molding like clay until they took form. The gold light changed into the silhouette of a body with both wings and a horn. "The Sacred Light transformed itself into the first, original, alicorn." The black light also took form, looking like the silhouette of Sombra back before he was transformed. "Meanwhile, the Corrupted Shadow transformed itself into the original umbrum."

"Awesome..." Flash gasped as they watched the silhouettes unleash a light that began to take shape and transform into copies of the original alicorn and umbrum.

"Using the magic they had abandoned, the two created more alicorns and umbrum, giving birth to two new races that would come to rule the world created by the two. And while these creatures weren't as powerful as the original alicorn and umbrum, they could harness the power of the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow the same way the two of you can."

"That explains the images," Flash commented as he saw figures wearing the same armor him and Shadow used, now remembering the picture his parents had shown him with the pony is his armor.

"And so the two races developed, the alicorns and umbrum breeding and increasing in number." More alicorns and umbrum appeared from the originals, the void slowly filling with them. "The original alicorn and umbrum watched as the world they created became more amazing. Their races spread out across the land, creating temples and cities such as the one you're standing under right now. But alas, their time eventually came to and."

"What happened to them?" Sombra asked next.

"The same thing that happens to all mortal beings, no matter how much of a lifespan they have. They passed on and left the future or their race to the next generation." As she said this, the images of the original alicorn and umbrum vanished. "And so the world entered the second era, one without the guidance of the once outer gods. And unfortunately it wasn't one that ended in joy." The group watched as the alicorns and umbrum continued to multiply while others vanished like the originals. And as this happened, less and less of the figures wore the armor. "Over time, fewer members of the species inherited the power of the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow. With each new generation, the numbers diminished until it became a rarity that they would have the ability to summon the once legendary power. As this happened, the two races began to undergo a shift."

Flash was about to ask what she meant, only to see a new image. It was pony, one that lacked wings, making it look like a unicorn. A pegasi and earth pony came next, all three seeing them change and divide from each other.

"While some alicorns continued to be born, others were born lacking one of the key aspects that made up an alicorn. Some lacked wings but kept their magic and connection to the earth. Others lacked the earth connection but kept their wings and magic, while others lost their magic but kept their wings and earth connection. And over time, decedents of these new creatures would lose another of these aspects and only inherit the flight, magic or earthly connection. As such, a trio of new races were born. Ones that would come to call themselves earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns."

"So that's how ponies came to be," Flash commented before seeing new creatures now appearing.

"Indeed. And from these three subspecies, others came into existence. Crystal ponies, thestrals, griffons, hippogriffs, kirin and so many others. These creatures spread out across the land, claiming parts of it for themselves and creating their own cultures and myths. Meanwhile, the remaining alicorns came together and created a single city to live in alongside their descendants. And they named this city after me."

In a flash of light, they found themselves no long in the void. Now they were floating above the city they had previously been fighting in, but it wasn't in ruins anymore. Instead it looked brand new, all types of ponies filling the streets. Alicorns, pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies and even-

"Jakhowls?" Flash almost yelled, seeing many humanoid wolf creatures wandering through the city. But these jakhowls weren't like Springer or the ones he had seen during Shade's little game. These were a myriad of different colors, some having blue fur like Springer while others were red, yellow, green, pink, orange, brown. Some were even black with white in place of their black markings. "They lived back then as well?"

"Oh yes, they were one of the Sacred Light's favorite creations. They evolved into what they are all on their own, with no descent from the original alicorn or umbrum. Though these jakhowls aren't like your friend. They could wield aura, but only in order to communicate with those around them. It would be many more generations before they developed the power to wield it as a weapon."

"So there were Jakhowls out here before Equestria was founded..." Flash whispered.

"There were many tribes of jakhowl spread out across the world. This city only housed one of those tribes. But over the centuries, the outcome of those tribes became unclear even to me. The one in Equestria was likely the last tribe to exist."

Flash frowned at hearing this, a spark of hope appearing in his mind when he heard about the other tribes until she said that. But before he could ask anything, the sound of coughing rang out, making them look down at the city and see its many citizens now wheezing and vomiting. "What's happening?"

"Something that would make the alicorns an endangered species, and proof of why you should never have the entirety of a race located in one spot: A plague. It was one that was extremely deadly to any adult pony or jakhowl. I do not know what caused it, but it spread quickly and began to destroy the city. It got so bad that the leader of the city chose to quarantine the place so the plague couldn't spread."

As she said this, the many ponies and jakhowls walked through the city. They were all accompanied by young ponies and jakhowls while the older jakhowls were holding some eggs. The three could only watch as one alicorn stood out among the others, this one being a white stallion with a dark blue mane and tail. He was holding two alicorn fillies in his magic, both fast asleep. One was white with a rainbow mane while the other was dark blue with a light blue mane and tail.

He and the unicorn next to him, this one dark blue with a rainbow mane, kissed the two fillies before the alicorn cast a spell on them, causing the two to be encased in a single bubble that flew toward the ground and phased into it.

"Those two are...Princess Celestia and Luna?" Flash gasped, his eyes fully wide at the sight.

And before anything else could be said, the rest of the young ponies, jakhowls and eggs were placed in similar bubbles that floated down into the earth. There was another flash after this, the three finding themselves back in the crystal chamber, only this one was filled with bubbles containing the city's young. Flash spotted Celestia and Luna, along with Heart and Soul in another orb.

"This city was built atop one of the few access points that allow me to interact with the world. Because of this, I was able to watch over the young as the rest of the city succumb to the plague. It then stayed like this, with the king using the last of his strength to erect a barrier that wouldn't allow anything to escape. And upon the last pony's death, the plague also died out and left these ponies homeless."

"So what happened to them?" Sombra asked, only for his answer to come when one of the bubbles containing an earth pony filly vanished. This was followed by a unicorn colt and a red jakhowl. With each passing second, more and more of them vanished.

"I tried. I truly did. But their young bodies just couldn't handle the effects the stasis spell had on them. Slowly they died until only six remained." And true to her word, only four bubbles remained. The ones holding Celestia, Luna, Heart and Soul, along with two eggs.

"There were so many," Flash sighed. "But only they survived."

"I'm afraid so. Even I have my limits."

"That's...awful."

"Hold on, we've only seen the Sacred Light side. What about the umbrum?" Sombra chimed in, "What happened to them?"

"Unlike the alicorns, the umbrum were a lot more picky about who they procreated with. This lead to very few new creatures being born." The chamber around them changed again, returning them to the void where new figures appeared. As this happened, the umbrum figures remained mostly the same with only a few new creatures appearing. Despite this, a certain creature appeared, making Flash growl at the sight. It was a tiny black fox.

"Tricksters. Figured they would be part of the Corrupted Shadow."

"Indeed. The Corrupted Shadow wanted to try their own version of jakhowls. However, the Corrupted Shadow always believed it to be...well, a bit of a failure. It was supposed to be a jakhowl that could use magic, but the results were not what the Corrupted Shadow wanted."

"Figures." Flash grumbled with crossed hooves.

"Now, let me continue. You see, the umbrum reveled in the power the Corrupted Shadow gave them. With the original umbrum gone, the species slowly fell to evil. Those around them feared what they might do, causing the umbrum to get whatever they wanted and slowly come to believe that power is the key to everything that happened. So when they started losing the ability to wield the Corrupted Shadow, they feared they would lose their control over the rest of the world."

"So they started looking for more power," Sombra added.

"Yes. They did many things in an attempt to reclaim the power they were losing. They forged mighty weapons, hoping the world would continue to fear them. The being known as Armalum is one such creation, one of many that now exists alone. They attempted to conquer the world before they lost all their power, but they continued to come up against resistance. One such obstacle were the alicorns from the city, who were able to destroy all but one of the Armalum masks, sealing that one away. But their ultimate end came when they attempted to conquer one of the newer nations. The Crystal Empire."

Flash and Sombra shared a glance, both feeling they knew how this ended.

"However, the ruler of the time possessed a great relic that destroyed many of the umbrum and weakened the remaining ones enough that the crystal ponies were able to seal them away. But you already knew that, I'm sure." Flash and Sombra both nodded while Shadow remained quiet. "And so the age of the alicorns and umbrum came to an end, the alicorns succeeded by the many races they spawned. But as time went on, issues began to occur."

Another flash of light had them floating above a pony village, though this looked like something from ancient times. The earth pony of the villages were harvesting crops, which they then begrudgingly gave to the pegasi and unicorns.

"The three main tribes of ponies split apart from one another and feuded with each other of several generations. This allowed the creatures known as windigos to gain power of freeze the land." A ghostly wail made them look up and see the phantasmic ponies flying above them, causing a powerful snow storm.

"Until the three tribe leaders finally put their differences aside, creating Equestira." Flash finished. As he said that, the images beneath them changed to show Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, Private Pansy, Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie hugging before putting up the first Equestrian banner.

"Indeed. But despite the new harmony that came with this new land, issues still remained." The vision changed again, this one showing a bunch of unicorns using their magic to raise the sun. "The raising and lowering of the sun, a duty once held by the original alicorn and passed down to its descendants, fell upon the unicorns to accomplish. But such feats were not something any ordinary unicorn could accomplish, even when working together." Once the unicorns raised the sun, they all fell to the ground, some struggling to move after the exercise. "The strain was just too much and threatened to deplete the unicorns of their magic. Equestria needed an alicorn, but there were none. None except the two that had survived the stasis within this city."

"Celestia and Luna?" Sombra asked.

"Correct." The vision changed again, this time to showing a pony they all knew as the famous Starswirl the Bearded. "I knew the world needed them, but I was unsure how to orchestrate such an outcome. Simply releasing them from the spell and telling them would not work."

Flash nodded in agreement, "Yeah, no kidding. Waking up from a thousand year coma and being told the fate of the world rested on your shoulders might be a bit daunting."

"Exactly. But luckily, a great wizard had been searching for the city in which the fillies lay. A wizard I realized would clearly see their potential and teach them what they needed to know in order to save the world. And so, when he arrived at one of my access points, I used my power to teleport the whole city there and released the two alicorns from the spell."

The vision changed again, this one showing Starswirl walking through the city and finding the young Celestia and Luna as they began to wake up in one of the buildings. It was here that a question entered Flash's brain, making him look up at Faust, "Wait...why didn't you release Heart and Soul? They could have gone with Celestia and Luna and grew up with them."

"I had originally planned to do that, but before I did...a fear entered my mind over this."

"You get scared?" Sombra asked next.

"Every creature gets scared. I was scared something would happen to these young alicorns and the world would once again be plunged into chaos. Aside from me, only an alicorn can create another alicorn, and it would be almost a thousand years before Celestia learned the magic required to do so. And so I chose to keep Heart and Soul in stasis, intending to transform them into alicorns should the need arise."

"Okay," Flash said slowly as the vision changed to show Starswirl teaching the two fillies magic before showing a teenage Celestia stepping up and raising the sun without issue.

"And so the reign of Princess Celestia and Luna came to pass, the royal sisters protecting the land from dangers such as Discord, Tirek and even the pony floating next to you." Sombra looked away at this. "I was beginning to think my fear of something happening to them was unfounded, but then Luna succumbed to the evil in her heart and became Nightmare Moon. And when Celestia sealed her away, I feared she may one day be lost as well. So, I continued to keep the two sealed away in case the world needed new alicorns. Even now, I believe this was the right decision, just as I believe Celestia's decision over the two newest alicorns to be right."

Shadow rolled his eyes at this, "This is a very fascinating history lesson, but what does it have to do with us?"

"Time passed," Faust continued without acknowledging Shadow's question. "And as the pony world developed, the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow were slowly forgotten and fell into myth and legend. No ponies inherited the power to wield these magics, but that all changed over twenty years ago."

There was another flash of light, this one replacing the vision with a temple structure in a jungle, the sight making Flash ask, "What is this place?"

"Yet another one of my access points. You see, this place is one of the few locations I can interact with the world. The ancient alicorns that built the city also built this temple to preserve their culture, and it is here that you and Shadow come into the picture."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, only for Sombra to point at the vision, "Look!" The defender followed his hoof and saw two ponies walking toward the temple. Two ponies that Flash knew all too well.

"Mom?! Dad?!"

"Two young ponies who were attempting to rediscover the secret of the ancient alicorns. And in doing so, they discovered the ancient temple and began to research it....only to discover your mother was pregnant with you, Flash." The vision changed to show a heavily pregnant Misty Veil in the temple. "This was where everything clicked into place. When I chose to do something that would forever change the world."

"Which was?" Shadow grumbled, sighing at the sight. "And can we get this lecture over already?!"

"For many millennia, I wondered about the bond of mother and child. Again and again I had seen a mare birth a child and be willing to risk everything to protect it. I wanted to understand this connection, so when this opportunity arrived, I chose to experience it. And so, I linked my own consciousness to Misty's so I would experience everything she experienced during pregnancy and labor. But I wasn't expecting what happened next. Without realizing it, me being connected to her supercharged her ability to see the future."

"What?!" Shadow blurted out, raising an eyebrow before turning to Flash, "Your mother can see the future?"

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "Though not to the same extent that Terror Card can. She can't control when it happens, and she can only see a few minutes into the future."

"Except for this day." Hearing a loud scream, they looked back and saw Misty screaming as she lay on her back, now showing Flash's birth. "I too experienced the agony of childbirth and gained a new appreciation for the bond between mother and child. But then something happened that neither of us were expecting." As Misty screamed, her eyes were suddenly filled with a white light. "Your mother had a vision at that moment, supercharged by my presence within her. But instead of seeing just a few minutes into the future, she saw years ahead of her. Everything her son would go through. However, I ended up seeing more."

"More?"

"Yes. While see only saw her son's future, I saw the future of all Equestria. Everything that would happen to every pony in the world. It was like seeing a million movies at once, but one such future caught my attention more than anything, and made me focus squarely on it."

The vision changed again, Shadow's eyes going wide when it was revealed where they were. "Weeping Wood Hollow..." Flash whispered, now seeing three ponies heading to the woods.

"No..." Shadow looked away, closing his eyes, "Don't!"

"I'm afraid you must see this to understand," Faust responded as the vision changed to show the ritual with the colt, Gleaming Path, tied to a stone tomb. "The tomb was the final resting place of the original umbrum, who erected the stone to contain the power that was within him upon his death. But upon the heinous ritual's completion, the seal was undone. When I first saw this, I expected nothing to occur. Even if the Corrupted Shadow was unleashed, none of the ponies there should have been able to access its power and it would simply fade away. But I was wrong."

The vision then showed Gleaming Path's revival as Shadow Corrupter, now in his armored Corrupted Shadow form.

"But I thought you said the ability to use those magics was lost?" Sombra asked, "How can he use it?"

"That's what I asked myself," Faust replied. "But I had more pressing issues to worry about at the time, such as keeping the balance in the world. Remember, if only one of these magics existed, then the balance would be destroyed. I had to find a way to keep the balance, and since that area of the world wasn't one of my access points, I could not stop Shadow from gaining the Corrupted Shadow. But then I discovered something else. Flash."

"Me?" Flash pointed at himself, "What about me?"

"Once the visions concluded, I took a closer look at your mother and then you. It was then I realized the two of you were no ordinary ponies. The two of you were the last remaining holders of the alicorn genesis gene."

"Genesis gene?!" All three asked in unison before Flash added, "What's that?"

The world around them changed back to the void, the two figures of an alicorn and umbrum appearing again as Faust responded, "The original alicorn and original umbrum, the physical embodiment of the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow, held the genetic coding needed to access and wield those two powers. Upon creating their new races, using themselves as a genetic template, they passed on the gene required to use these magics. This was the genesis gene, and it was passed down through the generations. While certain ponies, like your friend Soarin, can gain mild boosts from the power if they can endure it, only the genesis gene allows the full power of the Sacred Light to be used. However, as time passed, less ponies inherited it and thus loss the power to wield these magics. This is also the reason both Shadow and Flash are able to wield these magics."

Flash and Shadow slowly put the pieces together in their head as Sombra said what they were all thinking. "So what you're saying is-"

"Flash Sentry holds the genesis gene of the original alicorn, passed down to him through his mother. She also holds this gene, which is what allows her to glimpse into the future. Meanwhile, Gleaming Path inherited the genesis gene of the original umbrum." Shadow growled at the mention of that name. "One of his parents was a descendant of an umbrum that held the gene, likely one of the few that chose to breed outside his race. And when Gleaming died, Shadow inherited the gene."

"Huh?!" Flash yelped before pointing at Shoadw, "Wait...you're saying he isn't Gleaming Path? I thought he was!"

"The body may be Gleaming Path, but the soul is not. When Gleaming Path died, the negative energy from the emotions he was feeling at the time became stained on the body. It's not an uncommon thing to happen to bodies that were killed in such a fashion. But unlike most bodies, this one came in contact with the Corrupted Shadow, and due to the genesis gene, was healed and restored. However, the soul that embodied it was no long Gleaming Path's, but a new soul born from the negative emotions left behind. Thus Shadow Corrupter was born."

Shadow shined a giant grin at this, Flash and Sombra staring at him in shock, "That explains...so much. No wonder you show no remorse or care for others. You literally can't."

"That's right," Shadow chuckled back, "I'm not hampered by those useless emotions. Love, friendship and joy...these things stop a pony from becoming truly powerful. I have no need for such pointless garbage. Its the very reason as to why I'm the perfect being."

Sombra shook his head at this, "Then I can't help but feel pity for you." Shadow slowly turned to glare at him as Sombra continued, "I was the same a long time ago. I cast off all my positive emotions and only let my rage and hatred fuel me. It wasn't until I got them back that I realized what a fool I was to cast them off."

"Then you're an even bigger fool." Shadow spat, "Anypony that understands power knows that in order to get things done, emotions are not needed."

The other two opened their mouths to respond, only for Faust to speak up, "That's enough. Now, in the years to come, I would realize that Gleaming held the genesis gene. As such, when the Corrupted Shadow was released, it found the perfect host waiting for it. And upon my discovery of Flash's genesis gene, I realized the solution had been presented to me."

"You placed the Sacred Light inside me," Flash finished.

"Correct. I sealed it deep within you and left a small connection between the two of us. On the day Shadow gained the Corrupted Shadow, I would unlock your Sacred Light so both magics were in the world at the same time. I had hoped that the future I saw that day would never come to pass. But alas, it did. Due to this, when the Corrupted Shadow was awakened, I unlocked your Sacred Light. And no sooner had I done so, you ended up tapping into it the very next day."

The vision changed again, this time finding the three in Canterlot, right outside of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. They then saw a young Flash eating a slice of stolen pizza, only for the roof of the building to explode and send debris everywhere. The group continued to watch as Flash flew into action, saving a young pony from the rubble as lightning shot off his body.

"It seems you two have more in common then you realize," Faust stated as Flash's flank flashed with light before a particular mark appeared on it. "You also share the day you both received your cutie marks."

Flash and Shadow turned and stared at each other, both grimacing at the fact of how intertwined their lives had been as Faust faded the images and returned them to the chamber.

"It's clear that the two of you having these powers were no coincidence. Both of you are the only ones in the world with the genetic coding needed to wield the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow. It's no coincidence that I saw Gleaming's death and contact with the Corrupted Shadow, while also having contact with a pony to grant the Sacred Light too as well. This is destiny at work. You two were destined to wield those two magics, and it's that fact that forced me to put all this into motion."

"What do you mean?" Sombra asked next. "Why did these two having those magics force you to start this game?"

"You all saw what happened whenever Flash and Shadow used their super forms on one another." Everypony exchanged glances at that, remembering the destruction caused by their combined power. "The two are perfect opposites of one another. Should they connect in any way, shape or form, the resulting force would be something akin to my own power. That is something that can not exist in this would. Even I have to be careful not to use too much power. The resulting force would be enough to wipe an entire continent off the face of the world."

"Hoo boy," Flash whispered as that mental image sparked in his brain.

"In ancient times, those wielding the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow had an inbuilt instinct to avoid one another. But that no longer exists within your species, thus why I feared the eventual meeting of you two."

"But you're the reason we met in the first place," Shadow pointed out.

"I merely sped up the process. You two meeting was inevitable." Faust caused Soul's eyes to turn into focused glares. "You planned to one day attack Equestria after amassing enough power and followers. It could have taken a year, ten years, or maybe even fifty years, but you would have attacked Equestria." She then turned to Flash. "As a Royal Knight, you would have been one of the first sent out to stop Shadow when he started his attack. This would have lead to the two of you facing off and using your powers on one another. And you saw what happened when you're at this level of power. What do you think would have happened if you met ten years from now? The powers you had might have wiped Equestria off the map if your powers mixed. I had to act before then."

Flash crossed his hooves at this, a slight frown on his face, "Okay, I get that...but why a game like this? Why not just summon us here and remove our magic once we were here?"

Faust shook her head, "I might want to stop this world from being destroyed, but not at the cost of your lives." This statement made all three raise eyebrows, "The Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow is apart of each of you. They've been a part of you since the day each of you were born. To remove them would be like removing your heart or lungs. The process would likely kill you."

The two nodded at this, only for Sombra to speak up, "Hold on a moment. Why didn't you just seal their powers away? You did it when this game first started, why not do it again?"

"That is true, but would you two be willing to do that?" She asked, "Would you be willing to give up the power of the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow for the rest of your lives?"

"If it's to keep Equestria safe, of course I'd-"

"Never!" Shadow barked, "This is my power! I'm not just gonna let you take them away from me! Take Sentry's power, then we won't have any issues."

Flash shot him a glare as Faust turned back to the defender, "Well Flash? Are you willing to do that?"

They watched as Flash closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before glancing over at Shadow, seeing a vicious grin on his face. Sighing at the sight, he turned to Faust and shook his head, "No, I can't. If I give up my power and he keeps his, that'll just give him more reason to attack Equestria." He pointed at Shadow, "I won't let you destroy my home. If having the Sacred Light means you can't risk attack Equestria, we're safe."

"Who said you having the Sacred Light will stop me?" Shadow instantly replied, "Once this farce is done, I will go to Equestria, and I will conquer it. And if you try to stop me, I'll just destroy you. Nothing will stop me from taking what is rightfully mine."

"But that means you will clash, and that clash could destroy Equestria!" Sombra barked back.

"More reason for him to stay out of my way," Shadow chuckled, "Besides, I see no issue in the destruction that will happen if we clash. It will just make things easier for me."

"And so you see the issue. I couldn't risk the two of you fighting against one another, and I can't simply seal your powers away without your agreement."

"Why not?" Sombra asked next.

"They didn't ask for these powers. They were forced upon them without their knowledge or consent. As such, I have no right to take them away in the same manner. That is why I had to enact this whole situation. When I first realized Shadow would eventually attack Equestria and meet Flash, I started making plans. I released Heart and Soul and watched them carefully, waiting to see which of them would be the best candidate to act as my voice. When Soul was chosen, I summoned you here and selected those you knew who you trusted to accompany you and fight by your side. Had Soul not grown to fear her powers and reject them, I would have explained everything to you at the start and told you why you were meant to fight."

"Then why were we fighting?" Flash responded while pointing at Shadow, "I thought you wanted us to avoid facing off against one another."

"That's why I had others come with you. So that you would have opponents to face as you competed to acquire the orbs necessary." Several flashes signaled the appearance of multiple light orbs. Within each sphere was a recording of the many battles that had taken place during this game, showing not just Flash and Shadow's fights, but also the fights their friends and comrades partook in. "Making sure the two of you were kept separate, I watched as you and your friends did battle again and again. And this wasn't just a test of strength, but also character. That's why some battles occurred without either of you taking part. I wanted to see just how far the ones who came with you would go for something they had no stake in."

Flash watched as the orbs showed Trixie's many battles with Terror, Ruby's battles with Armalum and Soarin's battles with both Storm and Wingill.

"As I watched, I was amazed by how far these ponies would go for the two of you. All showing amazing loyalty, but for completely different reasons." The images changed to show the ponies in question. "Where as Flash's team fought for him out of a sense of friendship and comradery, Shadow's team fought out of sheer unbridled loyalty forged through either fear, greed or in one such case, unequalled obsession. And as the fights continued, I saw those ponies push themselves beyond their limits and overcome adversity like nopony else."

Flash saw the images change again, showing six images of fights he remembered fondly. The one where Trixie first defeated Terror. The one where Cold and Soarin worked together to beat Storm and Terror. Heart's first fight when he gained his abilities. Where Springer went mega again, and then the one where Soarin unleashed his Theta Mode. The final one was where Ruby and him freed Sombra from Armalum, all showing major breakthroughs for him and his friends.

"While some were able to push passed psychical limits, achieving new incredible forms and abilities, others pushed passed mental barriers that kept them from becoming who they were always meant to be. Each pony on both sides held an unstoppable drive that allowed them to keep going no matter the obstacle. And upon connecting to each of them and seeing their memories, I realized the catalyst for those drives were the two of you." Flash went wide-eyed at this while Shadow just rolled his eyes. "Whether through the actions in your past of simply being there for them, the two of you have affected the ones that came with you and helped them become the beings they are today. For better or worse, your presence in their lives have effected the outcome of their very souls."

Flash and Shadow shared a quick glance at this.

"But then, issues began to occur in the game. It was supposed to be a simple process. Two teams battle it out until one team manages to get seven of the thirteen orbs, all the while you two kept away from one another to prevent doing damage to the world. And at first, things seemed to be going smoothly as both teams collected the orbs. But then complications emerged." The scene changed to show a vision of Flash and Shadow fighting in a black void. "The first being when the two of you clashed within Sombra's mind, something I had not foreseen as a possible outcome."

Sombra frowned at hearing this, knowing he was the cause of the issue that almost ended up destroying the city. But in that moment, he looked up at Faust, "Wait...if that wasn't foreseen, did you-"

"I was forced to interject before the two of them went too far, freeing you from Armalum and transforming you into a unicorn so something like that could never happen again. But as I did that, more issues started coming up." The vision changed again, this time showing Flash and Shadow fighting in the city. "Like somehow the two of you being selected for the final battle. I had prearranged things to make sure the two of you would never be selected for the same match, but somehow it happened."

Shadow let out blood-curling laugh at this, "Sounds to me like you messed up! HA!"

"Either way, I watched and hoped one of you would gain the final orb before too much damage could occur. But instead-" The vision fast-forwarded to Flash and Shadow's tug of war, resulting in the orb splitting in two. "You somehow broke the orb, forcing me to intervene once again. And thus I found myself with an issue that needed to be resolved: Both teams have seven orbs, meaning there was no way to decide who the winner was. At first, I considered having your teams compete for an eighth orb, but feared the possibility of you two being chosen once again. So, I decided on something else."

"The all out fight between us and our opponent's team?" Flash chimed in.

"Yes." The vision changed again, this time showing the two battles of Flash and Shadow facing the remaining members of their opponent's team. "I believed, despite the power you both possessed, that there was no chance the two of you could defeat six highly skilled and powerful fighters. I had hoped that when the two of you finally fell, one would have gathered more orbs than the other. But alas, the two of you exceeded my expectations."

The visions continued to show the moments when Flash and Shadow dealt the finishing blow to each of their opponents. Flash shattering Armalum. Shadow impaling Cold. Flash blasting Terror point blank. Shadow slamming Heart into a building and so on.

"Once again, a definitive winner could not be selected, and the two of you almost came to blows once again."

Sombra turned to the two, "It's almost like something is trying to force the two of you into a battle."

"That is the same conclusion I have come to." Faust added as they glanced back to her, "The simple fact is that Flash and Shadow have been endowed with the powers of an ultimate warrior, yet they exist on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Just like shadow and light. I understand now that trying to keep them separated would be fighting the inevitable, and that Flash and Shadow meeting in battle is their destiny."

Shadow's grin grew at these words, "I had a feeling something like this would happen." He turned to Flash, "Since the day I first saw you and your power, I knew one day I would have to face off against it to achieve my ultimate destiny."

"Even if it wasn't our fate to face off," Flash replied with crossed hooves. "I wouldn't be happy unless it was me finally taking you down."

"Be that as it may, I cannot allow your collective destinies endanger any more innocents. That is why I have brought you down here. Not only to tell you everything, but also to transport the two of you to a pocket dimension. It is there that you will face off, where your battle will cause no damage to the real world and nopony else can get caught in the crossfire. As such, the winner of this battle will get to keep their powers while the loser will have theirs sealed away."

"WHAT!?" Shadow yelled, "That's horseapples! You think I'm going to compete in a battle that I have nothing to gain from and everything to lose, you've clearly gone senile after all those millennia! After everything you put me through during this little game of yours, you expect me to leave here with nothing to show for it?! No! I expect more!"

"Very well. What do you want as your prize should you win this fight?"

Shadow cackled before pointing at Soul, "You were able to turn her into an alicorn. When I win, I want you to do the same thing for me." He almost looked giddy at the prospect. "Once I have the power of the Corrupted Shadow and an alicorn, I'll truly be unstoppable."

"I'm afraid that'll be impossible," Faust instantly replied, making Shadow hiss.

"And why is that?! You obviously hold the power!"

"Because despite being a unicorn, you hold the genesis gene of the original umbrum. Transforming you into an alicorn would be like transforming a dog with wolf dna into a lion. Not possible." She turned to him, "You would die if you tried to become an alicorn."

Shadow blinked at this, a low growl coming next before saying, "If that's the case..." A big grin began to shin on his face again, "Turn me into an umbrum. Combined with the Corrupted Shadow, it should give me ten times the magical power than all four alicorn princesses have combined."

This statement caused Flash and Sombra go wide-eyed, only for Faust to speak up, "Very well."

"What?!" Flash screamed.

"If he had that much power..." Sombra mumbled. "He'd be virtually-no! He would be unstoppable!" He turned to Flash, "The Royal Knights, princesses, even your element of harmony friends. None of them would be able to stand up to that much power, even if they all fought together!"

Flash let this information sink in as he turned to the smiling unicorn, "He really would become the next ruler of Equestria."

"What about you Flash?" He looked back at Faust. "Should you win, do you wish to become an alicorn and gain that power?"

"Are you nuts?!" Flash yelped before pointing at Shadow. "You think I'd agree to this fight knowing what might happen if I lose?! No way! Not happening!"

Shadow chuckled, "Sounds to me like he's forfeiting. I guess that means I win be default."

Flash and Sombra gasped with wide eyes as Faust replied. "I'm sorry Flash, but if you refuse to fight-"

"Wait! Just...wait." Flash yelled before sighing, "Alright." He shot Shadow one last glare, "I'll fight you. And no matter what happens, I'm taking you down."

"Good. I've been waiting for this moment, and I'd hate for you to chicken out." Shadow replied, a low chuckle still leaving his breath, "I want to earn my ultimate power."

"You're not getting any more power!" Flash barked back as he pulled his sword out. "As a Royal Knight, it's my duty to protect Equestria from any threat! Even if it kills me, I'll stop you."

"Then it is time for the final battle to commence, with the fate of all Equestria depending on its outcome."

With that, the crystal holding Soul unleashed a blinding light that engulfed the three, transporting them all to the pocket dimensional Faust spoke of.

Every battle. Every fight. Every hurdle they and their friends had come up against up until now had lead tot his moment. Now, Flash and Shadow's destinies were about to come to past, as the outcome of this battle has not yet been written in the stars. This outcome would only be written by the two ponies experiencing it, as only Flash and Shadow can decide the fate of this final battle.

Author's Note

And thus, we learn the truth. Every question asked throughout this entire series finally has an answer. I'm sure many of you feel this is all completely out of left field, but I tried to foreshadow as much as this as possible without giving the whole thing away.

Now that we know everything that's going on, it's time for the final battle.

A New Day Dawns

"BATTLE, OVER! WINNER, FLASH SENTRY!"

As soon as those words hit Flash's ears, he and Sombra were suddenly blinded by a bright light. The light washed over them, Flash feeling his body warm up as his injuries vanished and his energy was restored yet again. And as the light died down, they opened their eyes to see they were back in the crystal chamber. This was followed by a groan, making them to turn to see Shadow picking himself up, his injuries appearing to have not been healed as much as Flash.

He moaned as he got on his hooves, now seeing Flash and Sombra standing in the void. The sight made him go wide-eyed, a look of genuine shock and horror on his face. "No...it can't be." he whispered, "I can't have lost!" He shook his head, "It's not possible!"

"But it is," Faust instantly responded, "You have lost this battle, and you will have your powers sealed forever."

"WHAT?! This is an outrage!" Shadow screamed, "You will do nothing but-augh!" He let out a yelp as another flash of light appeared, interrupting him as he closed his eyes. And before he could react, the light died down to show all their friends now descending in bubbles. Each one floated down, touching and popping as they gently fell to the floor.

"Everypony!" Flash and Sombra exclaimed as they ran over, Flash placing a hoof on Heart and Springer while Sombra picked Ruby up. "Come on, wake up!"

"Flash?" Heart whispered as he started to open his eyes.

"What happened?" Springer asked as he let out a long yawn.

"Ruby, please wake up," Sombra said as he shook her, the knight's eyes fluttering open to see the stallion.

"Sombra?"

"I'm here. Let me help you up." Sombra replied as he slowly pulled her up, Trixie, Soarin and Cold now waking up as well.

"Where...are we?" Ruby asked as she shook her head, now seeing the void around her.

"It's a long story," Flash told her as he helped Heart to his hooves. "But right now, we've got more important things to worry about." He glanced up at Faust, Heart following his gaze before gasping at the sight.

"SOUL!" He spread his wings as he tried to fly up, only for Flash to grab his tail, pulling him back.

"Hold your horses, that's not Soul right now." Heart glanced back at him, Flash shaking his head, "Don't worry. She's not in any danger."

"He is right," Faust replied, "I've simply borrowed your sister's body in order to communicate with you all. Once our business here is concluded, I will release her and she'll be completely fine."

"What business?" Trixie asked, "And who are you?"

Faust was about to reply, only for a voice to yell out, "MASTER!" They turned to the cult, now seeing Tempera trying to help her master, "Are you okay, my love?"

"What happened to you?" Storm asked as the rest moved over, Armalum floating around the group before Storm glared at Flash's group, "Did they do this to you?"

"The war is over," everypony turned to Faust. "You all fought with everything you had, but in the end, there could only be one winner."

Everypony went wide-eyed at this, each member turning to their leader. Flash's friends saw him shine a huge smile, nodding back as they all sighed in relief. But as they did this, Shadow's minions all stared at their beaten up master.

"Impossible..." Tempera gasped.

"Master Shadow lost?!" Salix yelped.

"There has to be some mistake," Wingill added.

Terror nodded in agreement, "Master Shadow couldn't have been defeated!"

"It is true." A screen suddenly appeared in front of them, showing a sped up version of the fight. The sight made the cult go slack-jawed, unable to believe at the sight they were seeing as it concluded. "Your master put everything he had on the line, and fought with everything he had. But in the end, Flash Sentry claimed victory."

"Alright!" Soarin cheered before smacking Flash on the back, "You did it!"

"I knew you could do it!" Trixie added.

"Thanks," Flash chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "But I couldn't have done it alone. It's thanks to you all that I got this far. You gave me your support to win this game, and I couldn't have won without you all cheering me on." He then turned to Sombra, "All of you."

Sombra nodded back as Faust continued, "Now, the time has come for Flash to claim his reward and for Shadow's powers to be sealed, such is the terms they agreed to."

Flash's team blinked at the defender while Shadow's team went wide-eyed again. And as these words settled over the groups, Shadow began to scream, "NO!" The dark unicorn began to push himself up, only to slump over in pain. "Urgh…"

"Master!" His followers tried to grab him, only for Shadow's horn to spark as he pushed them away with the little magic he had left before getting to his hooves.

"Do not touch me! Only I am worthy of the power!" He glared back up at Faust, "You cannot keep this power from me! Nopony deserves it more than me!" But as he said this, his body gave out, falling to the floor again. The cultists gasped as Armalum floated in front of him.

"Hold on master," he spun around. "I will lend you strength!" With that, he slammed himself onto Shadow's face, the armor manifesting around him in the blink of an eye.

"Armalum!" Tempera cried, "What are you doing?!"

"Silence!" The armored pony roared, the voice making the others stop as they knew it was Shadow's. The mask shifted downward after this, going to the chest to reveal the unicorn's face. A sinister smile appeared on his form as he pushed himself back to his hooves. "Excellent! With this, I'll take the power for myself!"

With that, he leapt into the air, using his magic to fly toward the orb containing Faust. "Shadow!" Flash yelled as he quickly leapt into the air, his friends attempting to do the same before getting blocked by a wall of wind and fire.

"Oh no, you don't!" They turned to the rest of Team Shadow as the five got into a battle stance, the others preparing to attack as Flash chased after Shadow.

"Stop it!" The knight yelled as Shadow and Armalum reached the orb, placing their hooves on it while Faust simply glared at him through Soul's eyes.

"I'll give you one chance to stop this before it's too late. Accept your defeat with dignity."

"NEVER!" Shadow roared as he started his draining magic, "it's time I take what's rightfully mine! Become mine, goddess! Give me the power to conquer all things!" With that, the rainbow colored magic within the orb flew out of the sphere and into Shadow's mouth, the very action now unleashing shockwaves throughout the chamber. "Yes...YES!" He laughed while Flash came to a stop, now getting pushed back from the shockwaves. And as he tried to get closer, Shadow let out a cackle, "It's just like you said before. You can't fight destiny! AHAHAHA!" He laughed again as Faust let out a sigh.

"I warned you."

And as those words left her mouth, a new light began to emit from the orb. This one creeped up Shadow and Armalum's hooves like a slime. The two quickly noticed this, looking down as Shadow asked, "What?" He cut his magic draining spell as he began to tug at his hooves, only to find they wouldn't come off the orb. "What is this?! This isn't supposed to happen!" Flash could only watch the light continued to spread around Shadow's body, the unicorn crying out as it did this. "Armalum! Undo the armor!"

"I'm trying!" The mask on his chest screamed, "I...I can't! What's happening?!"

"Just undo it already!" Shadow screeched before beginning to scream out in pain. "Its hurts! IT HURTS!"

"MASTER!" Tempera cried before turning to Storm, "Get me up there!" Storm nodded, taking her to the air as Wingill grabbed Terror before the five of them leapt up, flying toward the orb while the others just stood there, staring at the sight.

"THE POWER!" They heard Shadow yell as all but his head was consumed by the light, "IT'S TOO MUCH!" All but his face was surrounded. "I CAN'T TAKE...ANYMORE!" Finally, the light completely covered him as he let out one final cry. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

With that, his body unleashed a burst of light that filled the entire chamber, everypony covering their eyes. Flash was the first to reopen his eyes as the light died down, now seeing the void return to its rainbow color. He then saw he was alone with Faust as she spoke up, "Congratulations Flash, you were victorious in your battle against Shadow Corrupter. Now as promised, I will give you what you've earned." There was a flash of light in front of him that took the shape of a golden sphere of energy. "Step into this orb and you will be transformed into an alicorn, one with power ten times that of the four alicorn princesses combined. With this power, you will stand as Equestria's new ruler."

Flash simply stared at the orb, blinking at the sight as he the thought of becoming an alicorn entered his head...only to let out a sigh. "No, I don't accept this."

Soul's head tilted at this reply, "I don't follow. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I didn't fight so I could become more powerful. All I cared about was stopping Shadow from getting that power." He turned to shine a big smile at her, "I'm a Royal Knight. It's my duty to protect Equestria, not rule it. Besides, Equestria already has four amazing rulers with a fifth on the way. They don't need me coming in and messing everything up. Trust me, I'm not the best candidate for something like that."

Faust remained silent, only to start chuckling. "I should have expected this much from you. Your decision is a noble one, and I can respect it. But even so, Shadow did have a point. It would be wrong of me to have you go through all this without something to show for it. Step into the orb. You'll like what happens, I promise."

Flash stared at the orb of a moment, blinking at it before turning back to her, "I'm trusting you." She nodded back as he walked into the orb, waiting for a few seconds. Nothing seemed to be happening, only for his Sacred Light armor to suddenly appear on his body, "Whoa!" he yelped as he saw the orb start to shrink around him.

The orb form fitted to his body, turning him into a golden figure, the armored sections starting to shift and change. His chest and hoof armor became sleeker while his armor for his wings grew bulkier as V-shaped horns on his helmet moved towards the center of his head and merged into one single shape.

"May I present, the Shining Guardian!"

With that, the light exploded off his body, revealing the full form. The light swords were gone, in their place were Flash's wings encased in golden armor that looked like they opened at the top. Flash's chest armor was thinner and had a light blue crystal gem in the center while his boots now went up to cover his knees, the knee-pads having the same blue gem on them. His helmet had more streamlines and instead of two horns, it had one horn that looked like a collection of golden triangles that were stuck one on top of the other to form something similar to Celestia or Luna's horn.

Flash gasped at the sight, feeling the power now course through his body. "Whoa..." he whispered before seeing another flash of light above him. Looking up, he now saw the broken remains of Lightbringer floating down. The shattered pieces of the blade came together and in another flash of light, were restored to normal. But as Flash reached out to grab it, the light from his armor flew into the sword and consumed it, changing the sword to have Flash's cutie mark on the front of the crossguard while the blade was slightly longer and straight until it curved at the tip.

"Amazing," Flash gasped as he held his new weapon.

"With this, your powers have grown to an even greater extent, with new abilities waiting to be discovered. But learning to control this new power will take time, and you'll find yourself needing to grow accustomed to the drain they will have on you."

"I understand."

"One more thing. From now on, I won't be foalsitting you anymore. No more saving your flank from mind control and other magics."

"Huh?!" Flash yelped, raising an eyebrow, "Wait...that was you?"

"Oh course. I had to make sure you didn't get killed and cause the Sacred Light to be lost, knocking the world out of balance. But now that won't be needed. From now on, you'll have to look after yourself. You can still nullify any magic originating from the Sacred Light, but now you'll need to consciously do so. Understand?"

"Yeah, I got it." Flash nodded before asking, "But uh...if you don't mind me asking, what did you do to Shadow? If you killed him, wouldn't his Corrupted Shadow be lost and knock the whole world balance thing off?"

"He may be dead, but I made sure the Corrupted Shadow remained in this world. I teleported him and his little mask friend far away, to another of my access points. I also removed the Corrupted Shadow from him as punishment for attempting to steal my power. The Corrupted Shadow will be sealed away, still a part of the universe until the time I undo the seal and cause it to fade. But hopefully, that won't be for a long long time....the same with you when you die."

"Huh." Flash replied, barely able to say words as he tried to respond, "So...after all this, Shadow's just...gone?"

"I said he may be dead, but I didn't confirm it. I extracted the Corrupted Shadow from him, but he may have survived. It's much too early to tell right now, but even if he did survive, the loss of that much power will leave him crippled. He shouldn't be an issue for you any more." Flash nodded back before noticing another flash of light, the pegasus now seeing five bubbles of light floating off to the side. Inside the bubbles were the five ponies that had tried to kill him plenty of times in this war. "Now, what should we do with them?"

"Well, I-"

"I'm sure they have dealt you and others a tremendous amount of pain, but I think the best thing to do is place them someplace they can start over." Faust interrupted, the defender turning to her with wide eyes. "I'm not excusing what they've done, but you of all ponies should understand the importance of giving somepony a second chance. Each have suffered in some shape of form, whether it be in certain circumstances, in anger or just life itself. Had they not crossed paths with Shadow, who knows what they may have made of their lives. I will now teleport them far away and hopefully, they'll be able to make a fresh start."

"More like they'll find a way back to Equestria and try to get revenge for what happened to Shadow."

"I've already considered that." In a flash of light, the five vanished. "There. They have been transported far away and their memories have been erased."

"What?!" Flash yelped.

"Do not worry. All they shall remember are their names, even if they are the ones they gave themselves at a later time in their life. I hope this will allow them to change, to start anew and build a better life for themselves, discovering who they were truly meant to be if Shadow had not entered their lives."

"Whoa, hang on there!" Flash yelled, "They chose the dark path before, and they're dangerous! How are you so sure they won't choose the bad side again?!"

"I'm not. I will keep an eye on them and see what they do with this second chance. If they choose to live peaceful lives, I'll leave them be. But should they choose to once again follow the path of evil, I'll step in if I can."

"And if you can't?"

"Then I know a certain pegasus that beat them all once, and will have no issue beating them again." Flash was about to reply, only chuckle at her words. A big smirk appeared on his face as the void was consumed in a flash of light, blinding the pegasus for several seconds. And when it faded, he heard a new voice.

"Flash!" He turned to see he was back in the crystal chamber, his friends staring up at him as he began to fly down.

"What happened?" Springer asked.

"Where's Shadow?" Trixie added, gulping at the thought of what the dark unicorn could have done.

"Don't worry. He's...well, he's gone," Flash replied as he landed.

"And the others?" Cold asked as his eyes darted around, "Where is the rest of the cult?!"

"They're gone too. It's a long story, and I'll tell you all about it later." Flash then turned back to Faust, his mind playing over everything that had happened since the day they had arrived. Every fight, loss, win and every hurdle they had managed to overcome. And now...it was over. The journey had come to an end. "So, it's over now? After everything that happened, you expect us to just leave?"

"Yes. My reason for bringing you here is now fulfilled. The world is safe from being destroyed, and you should all be proud of what you achieved here. You overcame many trials, and have grown both physically and mentally. It is no surprise that your team stands as the victors given how far you were willing to push yourselves. But what you should be most proud of is the teamwork you portrayed." They all smiled at this, even Cold as she continued, "Even when things got difficult, each of you rose to the occasion, supported one another to help find the strength needed to overcome the difficulties presented to you. As long as you remember what you have learned during this event, I'm sure you will all continue to grow into the ponies you have the potential of being."

"Thank you," Flash replied.

"Now, I have one last order of business."

"What's that?" Flash asked, only for another flash of light to appear in front of them. This faded to show something new, the group blinking at the sight as two objects floated over to Springer.

"Springer, I believe these should remain in your care for now on."

"Huh?" Springer yelped as he saw the orbs hovering over, now seeing the objects were eggs. The jakhowl reached out a paw, grasping both as he pulled them close to not drop them. "What is...why are you giving me these?"

Everypony else huddled around him, now seeing the eggs. Both had a downward black zigzag pattern near the top while the rest of the egg was a certain color. One was a navy blue color while the other was more golden. The blue one also had a golden ring pattern around the top while the gold one had a light blue ring.

Springer, Flash and Ruby went wide-eyed at this, Flash remembering the scene he, Sombra and Shadow had watched before while Springer's mind went over the game Shade had made him play. At the same time, Ruby gasped as her memories went over the many times she had worked with Springer's parents.

"Jakhowl eggs," Ruby whispered before looking up at Faust. "Where did you get jakhowl eggs?!"

"They, along with Heart, Soul and the princesses of Equestria, are all that survived the great plague that wiped out the citizens of this city. Flash can explain how they came into my possession. I have kept them safe until the day when they could be returned to somepony who could protect, raise and train them in the ways of their species. And Springer, that someone is you."

"Me?!" Springer replied, his eyes darting between the eggs before looking back up. "Um...wow. Thank you."

"Of course. You are a jakhowl chosen by both the Sacred Light and Princess Luna. And that reminds me...if you don't mind, I would like you to send a message to somepony for me."

"A message?"

"Yes. To Princess Luna." This made everypony go wide-eyed, Faust giggling at their expressions before continuing, her tone slowly going lower, "I wish for you to tell her...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't help her in her time of need."

Everypony exchanged glances at this, Flash speaking up next, "Sorry...but I don't think any of us understand. What couldn't you do for Princess Luna?"

A long sigh came next as Faust responded, "I failed to prevent the destruction of Equestria's jakhowls." Everypony went wide-eyed again, Ruby putting a hoof over her mouth, "I had watched from afar the day Dark Mist destroyed the jakhowls...but where she was, it was too far from one of my access points. At most...I could only guide her after the tragedy had happened."

"But that's..." Springer muttered out, his mind replaying over what Luna had told them, a certain event now entering his mind as he asked, "Wait...are you the golden being Luna met back then?"

There was hesitation in Faust's voice as she said these next words, "Yes. I am the one who told her to seal you within the Tree of Harmony. I knew I couldn't allow your species to die in such a...awful manner." A long sigh followed this, "I wanted to prevent the disaster...but I had no power. So instead, I guided her to the tree. I knew it had the power to keep you safe, ready to face the world when Equestria would need jakhowls again." One last pause came next, her words slightly shaking, "And I wish to apologize to you too, Springer. I am sorry I could not save your race."

Springer blinked at this before staring at the eggs, the jakhowl now feeling the burden of what these two meant and what Faust had held for so long. For a thousand years these eggs had been here, safely kept so they could be returned to the world. The jakhowl could feel all the eyes now staring at him, his head slowly raising up with a determined glare on his face. "I understand...and thank you for giving me this chance."

"Of course. And thank you for understanding."

Everypony looked down at the eggs as Springer held them tightly, Ruby slowly reaching out to rub the gold one. "The last two jakhowl eggs in existence..."

"From two different jakhowl families. Hopefully, these eggs can be the hope for the species restoration."

"I'm not alone any more," Springer whispered as a lone tear began to fill his eye. "But with just the three of us, restoration might not be possible."

"I wouldn't say that." Faust instantly replied, "The one thing I've learnt in my time watching this world is to never think something is impossible. You three escaped the extinction, so who's to say there aren't more out there that found a way to keep themselves alive. Another form of stasis, or even time travel...I've seen many species appear to vanish off the face of the world, only to show up again completely out of the blue. I have faith that your race will one day find a way to return. Maybe not today, maybe not in your lifetime, but someday. As long as you keep the faith, anything's possible."

The group of seven all nodded at this, Springer hugging the eggs before he let Ruby do so as well.

"Now then, I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, but I'm sure Flash and Sombra can easily answer them. So-"

"Wait!" Heart interrupted, "I have a question I think only you can answer."

"Go on."

Faust watched as Heart transformed into his fire form, making everypony backpedal for a second as he said, "You're the one who gave me these powers, aren't you?"

"Technically, it was your sister who gave them to you. But since she was manipulating my powers to do so, yes."

Heart nodded as the flames around him went out. "Do you know if they'll ever go away? Since this whole thing is done, will they just stop working after we leave this place?"

This caused Faust to start chuckling, "Your sister imbued you with this power by using Searing Salix as a blueprint. Basically, you are now a kirin in pony form, and the fire powers kirin possess are infused into their bodies the same way a unicorn's magic is fused into them. These powers will be with you until the day you die."

"YES!" Heart exclaimed before looking down at his hooves, "I so didn't wanna lose 'em. Heck, ever since I got them, these powers have just felt so natural. Like I was always meant to have them." He turned to the others, "These powers are a part of me and I won't let anypony take them away."

The others nodded, only for Faust to speak up, "You won't have to worry. I couldn't remove these powers even if I wanted to. They're fused into your very DNA. But I would suggest caution. Having these powers means it'll be your responsibility to make sure they don't go out of control. Fire can be a very dangerous tool if used without care."

Heart nodded back, only for Flash to walk up and place a wing around him, pulling him close. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep an eye on him. If he has any issues, I'll be there to help him through it."

"I know you will. Now, I believe we have finally reached the point where our time together has come to an end. As said before, Flash and Sombra should be able to answer any further questions you have. As for me, unless there is anything else you wish to discuss, it's time I was on my way."

"Just one thing," Flash replied while raising a wing. "Do you think you could teleport us back to Equestria before you leave?" He turned to his friends, "After everything we've been through, getting here and fighting for over two weeks, I don't think any of us are really in the mood to spend another two weeks going back to Equestria."

The others all nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly as Trixie pointed at the Springer. "Plus, I wouldn't feel safe travelling through such rough terrain with these eggs. The terrain we'll be passing is not safe for them."

Ruby groaned at this, "Avoiding all that dangerous terrain could add weeks, or maybe months to our travel time."

Soarin finished up by saying, "You wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you?"

Faust let out a hearty laugh, "You all drive a hard bargain. Alright, I'll help you. Considering everything I put you through, you deserve an easy return flight." There was a flash of light as a small glass ball appeared between them before floating into Flash's hooves. Inside the orb was a cloud of some sort that was glowing. "Just think about where you want to go and throw this orb to the ground. It'll create a circle of magic and transport anything within the circle to that exact spot."

Flash nodded back before giving it to Cold as Faust continued to speak, "Now before I go, I have only one more thing to ask. Please take care of Soul. I know becoming an alicorn wasn't something she wanted, but it was her destiny. The power she now holds is her's to control and decide how she wishes to wield it. And like how Heart must learn to use his flames correctly, so must she. Please guide her in learning that control."

"No worries," Flash replied, "We'll watch over her."

"Not only that, I can already think of somepony that should help her learn to control this magic without a problem." Trixie added with a wink.

"Thank you."

With that, the crystal chamber slowly began to fill with light. "What's happening?" Springer asked as they started to squint their eyes.

"It is time for me to make my exit. Hopefully one day we'll get to meet again under a less world-shattering situation. With this, I bid you all ado."

And as these words left her mouth, Soul closed her eyes before her body started to fall, phasing right through the orb. Flash quickly zipped up to her, catching her in his hooves and hugging her close. He then looked up at the crystal orb, the sphere now radiating an incredible amount of light that forced everypony to shut their eyes. Slowly, the entire room was consumed in the light, everything vanishing in an instant.

Outside, the city had finally been repaired from the damage done in the battle royale. And as the last building in the center of the city was restored, it began to glow a bright light. That light spread out onto the ground and flooded off in every direction, causing every building to glow. This spread continued until every sector was glowing, even the castles belonging to Flash and Shadow's teams. The light's brightness got so intense that it would be impossible for anypony to see the city.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the light exploded upward, forming a giant pillar of light that shot up into the sky. It was unclear how high up the pillar went, anypony who saw it would likely say it went into deep space. It stayed like this for almost a full minute before, only for the pillar...and the city to vanish.

In its place was a round sector of mud and dirt where the construct had once been, with a natural river that was being filled by the mountain stream that'd once filled the canals. But as this happened, the ground began to glow a gentle light, the dirt turning from a dark brown to a very light green. Grass then sprang from the muddy plot of land, turning into a beautiful meadow. And once the grass was lush and thick, the light vanished.

Seconds later, there was a small flash of light in the middle of the meadow, Flash and his friends appearing next. The light shot off of them, the group now landing as another light shot out of the ground behind them and took shape.

"What happened?" Soarin asked, "Where's the city?"

"It's gone," Trixie added, now seeing the mountains they had climbed before first getting to the city.

"Now what?" Heart continued before they noticed the light off to the side, now seeing it finish take shape and began to fade to reveal a familiar building. "No way..." he whispered as he now saw his and Soul's old home. It was just like it had been before the war started, the paintings Soul had drawn still on the side. Heart ran up and opened the door, gasping as he saw his and Soul's hammocks hanging from the ceiling and the boxes with all their things were in the corner.

"I guess Faust wanted to leave us someplace to rest before we go home," Flash commented.

"Aren't we heading there right now?" Soarin asked before noticing the others staring at the filly sleeping in Flash's hooves.

"Maybe it's best to wait until she's up," Ruby responded, "If we head there now and she wakes up in Equestria, she might be a little overwhelmed finding herself in a new location."

"Same," Flash replied with a long yawn, "And I could totally use a good night's sleep after what I've been through today."

The others nodded in agreement, only for Cold to step in, "Hang on there. When we arrive at Equestria, we'll likely be bombarded with hundreds of questions, and I will agree that I would rather answer those once I'm rested and relaxed. But..." He turned to Flash and Sombra, "I have my own questions I want answering. Like who that strange figure really was, and what happened to Shadow and the others." Flash and Sombra shared a look, both sighing as Flash carefully put Soul in one of the hammocks.

Hours passed as Flash and Sombra repeated the story Faust had told them. About how she created the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow, who created the world before heading down and taking the form of the original alicorn and umbrum. She then went over how those two spawned other magical species before succumbing to old age, the alicorns slowly fading from existence until they created this city and the plague wiped them out, leaving only the four ponies and two eggs behind. They then went over the umbrum and how they were sealed away and created the armors like Armalum, along with Starswirl's discovery of Celestia and Luna.

The two went over how Flash and Shadow had been imbued with the powers, and why Faust summoned them to the city. The reason for the game, the issues that kept popping up before going over the final battle that Flash had almost lost. They were surprised to hear that Sombra was the reason he found the strength to push forward, leading to his eventual victory over the dark unicorn. And finally, Flash explained what happened to Shadow, the story making them skeptical at the least.

"He's...dead?" Ruby asked. "Just like that?"

"Most likely," Flash replied with a nod. "Faust said having the Corrupted Shadow sucked out of him would be like taking out a heart or lungs. If he did survive, he won't be the same pony we fought before."

"And his minions?"

"Teleported away with their minds wiped. Hopefully, they won't be a problem for us anymore."

Cold's eyes narrowed at this, "Flash...they should have been left for us to deal with! That cult has been causing problems all over Equestria! You have no idea how many crimes they've committed! They need to pay-"

"Stop." Flash interrupted as he flashed a hoof up into Cold's face, "I know you wanted them to face charges, but it's too late now. Even if you manage to find them, they won't even remember committing those crimes. And they certainly wouldn't be able to answer any questions you have."

"So they get off scott-free?" Trixie asked next.

"It doesn't seem right," Soarin added, "Especially after everything they did to us."

"Faust felt it was the right move," Flash responded with a shrug.

"This Faust clearly doesn't understand the justice system," Cold growled while crossing his hooves.

"What do you expect?" Ruby replied, "She's an outer god. She's beyond good and evil. She was willing to grant one of the most evil ponies in the world the power to annihilate all foes and conquer it."

"All she cares about is balance," Sombra added as everypony turned to him. He had kept quiet for the most part, only speaking up when Flash forgot a part of the story they were telling. "Since they didn't upset the balance, she didn't see what they did as a crime."

The others frowned at his explanation, Soarin chiming in, "She probably just wanted to know what they would do now. See if they actually do make a better life for themselves, or if they go back to what they were doing before, just under a new boss."

Flash put his hooves behind his head, "If that happens, I'll deal with 'em, along with anypony who wants to help."

The others all nodded in agreement, only to suddenly hear a moan. They all turned to see Soul slowly walk out of the building while holding her head.

"SOUL!" Heart exclaimed as he jumped to his hooves and flew over, his sister looking up just in time to see him coming before he tackled her, "You're finally awake!"

"Heart," Soul giggled while hugging him. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Heart replied before helping her up.

The alicorn filly turned to see the others, only to stare at Flash before suddenly running over and hugging him, "Thank you." Flash blinked at the sudden embrace, only to pat her head as she continued, "Thank you for winning." She pulled back while staring up at him, tears in his eyes. "I saw it all. Your fight with Shadow....thank you so much for beating him. If you hadn't, who knows what he would have done to me after Faust vanished."

Flash chuckled before ruffling her hair. "Don't mention it. Honestly, I doubt you would have been in any danger. If Shadow had won, Faust probably would have teleported you away with her."

Soul giggled before hugging him again, "I'm still glad you won."

"We all are," Ruby added, "You didn't just stop Shadow. You saved all of Equestria from almost certain doom."

Cold sighed before nodding in agreement, "That's true. If Shadow had gained the power Faust offered, there would have been very little the protectors of Equestria would have been able to do. Even if they managed to somehow defeat him, the damage he would have done to the kingdom would have taken decades to fix. You've done a great service for the kingdom." Flash shined a big grin, surprised at the praise coming from the Frozen Wanderer.

As this happened, Heart and Soul stared at the only building that remained, Heart then speaking up, "Our home is...gone."

Soul's ears folded down, "What'll happen to us now?"

"That's easy," they turned to Flash and the others, "You're coming with us. Back to Equestria." The two young ponies blinked at the suggestion, now remembering the day they first met this group and what they offered.

Flash then walked up to the filly, "Soul, I know you didn't want to become an alicorn, but Faust believes you have what it takes to control the magic you've been granted. This is your power, and you're the only one who gets to decide how to use it. And in Equestria, you'll have lot of ponies who can teach you how to control it....and there's nopony better suited to teaching you then another alicorn, which Equestria has four. Celestia, Luna, Cadance and of course, Twilight, who've all gone through what you're about to when they became alicorns. I know they can help you find what your role as one is."

"But my role as an alicorn was to act as Faust's voice."

"And that role is done," Ruby added, "But just because one duty ends that doesn't mean your life won't have any meaning. Now you get to go out and find your next role, no matter what it is."

Trixie nodded in agreement, "Like Flash said, this is your power. Now that Faust is done with it, only you get to decide how it's used."

"So what do you say?" Flash asked, seeing Soul slightly flinch at the question. Knowing she wasn't going to answer yet, he turned to Heart, "What about you Heart?"

Heart looked up at him, "If Soul wants to go to Equestria, so do I. But...I'm not like her. I'm not an alicorn. And even though I love my fire powers, what use would I have for them in Equestria?" He turned away, staring at the ground, "I'm...just not sure if there's a place for me there." He stayed like that for a few seconds, only to hear Flash laughing, making him turn to the defender, "Hey! Don't laugh at me!"

"Hang on, let me explain." Flash replied before shaking his head as he stopped his laughter, "I'm laughing because you think you don't have a place in Equestria." He leaned down and tapped the colt's chest, "Trust me, I know the perfect place for you, and I would be offering it to you even if you didn't have those powers." Heart and Soul exchanged glances, making Flash chuckle as he continued, "Heart, you're young, fool-hardy and have a tendency to jump into a situation without thinking." Heart frowned at these words, only for Flash to pat his mane, "But you're also brave, you learn from your mistakes, and were willing to go beyond your limits to help those you care about." Heart blinked at his words, a smile appearing on his face as Flash's next statement made his heart almost explode with pride. "Basically, you're just like me when I was your age."

The others giggled at this, the knights knowing where Flash was going with this as he continued, "The perfect place for you Heart...is by my side, learning to protect Equestria and all its citizens." This made Heart's eyes go wide as he caught on, his brain barely able to comprehend what Flash was saying.

"Are...are you asking me-"

"Fire Heart," Flash interrupted as he put his hoof in front of the colt to shake it, "Will you grant me the honor of becoming your mentor and stand beside me as my squire, who will one day raise to the level of Royal Knight?"

Everypony focused on Heart to see his reaction to this statement, the colt looking like he had just been hit by a carriage. That is, till the colt started to sway, backpedaling in shock, "I gotta sit down."

Soul was quickly by his side, using her wings to help him sit, "Breath bro."

Once Heart got his breathing under control, he looked up at Flash. "Are you sure? You've only known me for a hoof-full of days? Is that really long enough to think I'm worthy of being your squire?"

Flash chuckled at this, "My mentor didn't even know me a full day before he decided to ask me to be his apprentice. I've seen what you can do, and I'm impressed. You've got the skills, you've got the power, and you've got the spirit to be not just a Royal Knight, but one of the greatest Royal Knights ever! So what do you say?"

Heart stayed quiet, turning to Soul as she smiled and nodded vigorously back. He shined a huge grin at this before turning to Flash, "I'll do it! Teach me everything you know!"

"That's what I like to hear!" He leaned down and patted Heart's head again, "But this won't be easy. I'm gonna train you hard, and you won't just be learning how to fight. Being worthy of this title isn't something that'll happen over night. It'll take years of hard work and dedication." Heart shrunk back at this as Flash continued, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk you out of this." He then tapped Heart's chest, "I just want you to understand what you'll be agreeing to. If you don't think you're up for it, there's no shame in admitting it."

Heart stayed still for a few more seconds before looking back up at Flash, the golden light of the setting sun behind him illuminating his body. A determined stare appeared on the colt's face as he pushed himself back to his hooves, "Do you believe I can do it?"

"I wouldn't be offering it to you if I didn't."

"Then I believe it too!" Heart replied, his grin growing, "I will be a Royal Knight!"

Soul stood up with him, nodding as she spoke up. "And I'll learn to control my magic." She looked back at this others, "I'll find my role as an alicorn in Equestria." Everypony nodded back, only to see her shrink back, "Though uh...I'm gonna need a lot of help. I mean, I've only had my horn for like...a few weeks."

"We'll figure something out."

Everypony gathered around the younger ponies as Ruby spoke up, "Alright you two, I think it's time we all got some sleep. By this time tomorrow, we'll be in Equestria and I doubt you want your first meeting with the princesses to be when you're sleepy and yawning." The two nodded and headed inside, the others following into the cramped building as they decided to take shifts watching out since they no longer had to protection of the castle.

But as they did this, the only pony who stayed outside was Sombra, a giant frown on his face as he looked around the area. After everything that had happened outside its borders, the ponies of Equestria could look forward to a happy life. One where Shadow Corrupter would never harm them. One where a new alicorn and a new future knight would soon be making their home there and one of their greatest heroes, Flash Sentry, was now more powerful than ever.

However, these facts made Sombra just slump over, staring at the night sky as he thought about tomorrow. He knew that once he was in Equestria, he would be locked in chains the second Celestia or Luna saw him. The former king would be dragged down into the castle dungeons, never to see the light of day. Nopony he knew or cared for would be there to support him...and he deserved it.

But as he stared at the sky, knowing it could be his last view of the stars, he knew he didn't want to be chains. He wanted to know why Faust had saved him instead of letting him fade, wondering if he was supposed to have a greater purpose now then just sit in a cell forever. And as his mind went over this, he asked himself, "What do I do? Just...why do I exist now?

Author's Note

Well, this story's almost over. I hope you enjoyed everything up until now and what you thought about Shadow's fate and his minions.

Also, I'm open to ideas you wanna give me in three aspects. The first is Flash's new abilities. Any ideas for powers you think he should have, let me know. Another is the names for the eggs when they hatch. And finally, a kind of contest.

It's a creature designing contest. If anyone has any idea for a monster on the level of a hydra or tatzlwurm, let me know and it might just show up in an episode of the next season.

Journey's End

Flash let out a long yawn, his eyes fluttering open before going wide-eyed, "Huh?!" he yelped as he started to stand up, now seeing he was in a giant white void. "Oh, come on! If I never see another white, black of even rainbow void again after this, it'll be too soon!"

"I'm sorry to have to summon you like this so soon." Flash hopped in place at the sudden voice, making him turn around to see a bubble of golden light floating beside him.

"Faust?!" Flash raised an eyebrow, "What's going on? Where are we?"

"You're still where you were when you fell asleep. I've summoned your consciousness here to discuss an issue that has come up."

Flash let out a long sigh, "Please don't tell me Shadow's friends are causing trouble already."

"Thankfully, no. This problem is more...interdimensional."

Several questions filled Flash's brain at this, a more nitpicky one coming to the surface, "Wait, how are you talking right now? Did you take Soul over again?"

"No. When I granted you your upgrade, I also gave you the ability to understand me. I won't be needing a medium to communicate with you any more."

"Huh. Alright, what's the problem?"

"It'll be easier to show you." The bubble started flying around him, causing a bright flash to occur.

"What's happening?" He asked as he tried to look through the light, only for it to fade into a figure standing in front of Flash. "What?" He asked, only to go wide-eyed as he recognised the outline. "Wait...this is-"

His words mumbled out as the Faust orb now floating beside Flash took in the image of...himself.

The defender was looking at a near perfect copy of himself, or at least what he looked like when he travelled to the human world. A teenage boy with blue hair and orange skin, the only difference being the longer hair along with a white shirt and purple pants.

He blinked at the doppelganger before turning to Faust as she spoke up, "Portals have started opening up between Equestria and the world you've visited twice before. One such portal, this version of you leapt into." Flash went wide-eyed at these words, only for his other version to speak up.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" He turned back to his counterpart, "Twilight's in danger, and its because of your world's magic!" Though he managed to show little emotion outside of a raised eyebrow, Flash gulped at his words before gesturing for the human to continue. "My friend created a device that was able to absorb magic. She used it on these girls from a school called CHS and when she did, she started opening these weird portals that caused giant killer plants to appear and try to eat us. Now she's been forced to unleash the magic and it transformed her into some kind of...madwoman that's trying to open a portal to your world. But if she does, she'll rip mine apart and....and my Twilight might be lost forever. So please...help me save her. There has to be something you can do."

Pony Flash turned to Faust, the bubble pulsing as she spoke. "If we don't do something, a serious imbalance could occur due to the destruction of this world. And if these portals grow larger, it may end up doing damage to Equestria." Flash nodded back as she continued, "You can't go with him, but I should be able to transfer a tiny bit of your power to him. Not much, but enough for him to hopefully fix this."

Flash nodded again before turning back to his human counterpart, "Okay, I'll help ya." Human Flash shined a big smile, only for his pegasus lookalike to shake his head, "But I uh...can't do much. For one, I can't come back with you. It's...complicated."

"I'm really starting to hate that word." Human Flash grumbled back, making pony Flash chuckle.

"Sorry. I'm guessing you've had a few long days with no explanations, am I right?" Human Flash did a slow nod in response, "Yeah, I know how you feel. Anyways, I can give you a little something that might help." He lifted his hoof and put it on Faust's sphere, a gold mist flying out. "I'll lend you a bit of my power."

"Really?"

"Just a little. Hopefully it'll be enough to level things with your Twilight. Oh and uh...it won't last long. You'd better make it count." Human Flash nodded as they moved closer, the bubble moving between them. "Get ready."

Human Flash blinked at his words, "What do you mean? is this a bad idea?"

Pony Flash let out a long sigh, "This power I wield...its a lot to handle. Trust me on this, and I'm you."

Human Flash was about to backpedal at his, pony Flash seeing the uncertainty in his eyes as the human replied, "Maybe this isn't such a good-"

"Stop." Pony Flash pointed at him, "You're a version of me. You can do it. I was gonna tell you that this power...well, it isn't for you, as it isn't mine either." Human Flash just tilted his head at this, the sight making the pony chuckle again. "Don't worry, I know its confusing. I'll just say this: Don't use this power selfishly, or it won't work. It only works if you want to use it to protect those you care about. If you do that, it'll never betray you."

Human Flash shined another big smile at this, "I like the sound of that. If this power let's me save her, I'll do it!"

Pony Flash let out a laugh before pointing at the sphere, "Now that's what I'm talking about. You're more than worthy of the power."

Human Flash nodded as he took a huge breath before placing his hand on the bubble. As he did this, the mist within shot into him, the bubble's light pulsing as Faust spoke. "Yes. Despite his lack of a Genesis Gene, he should be able to wield a small amount of your power. He won't be as strong as you, but it should be enough. And don't worry, I'll make sure to send him back where he came from."

Flash nodded as the bubble began to surround him again, preparing to send him back to his world. The defender turned back to the human, now hearing the teen say, "Thank you."

"Whoa!" Flash gasped as his eyes shot open, the pegasus sitting up. Rapidly blinking at this, he turned to see he was still in the meadow, having chosen to sleep outside with Soarin, Cold and Ruby since there wasn't a lot of room in the house. The others were all still asleep, though the rising sun would soon awaken them. The defender quickly got up and walked into the house, seeing Heart and Soul in their hammocks while Trixie was in her sleeping bag on the floor. He smiled at the sight, now seeing Springer sleeping with his head on the table while the eggs sat comfortably on several pillows and blankets.

Leaving the hut next, he let out a sigh, "Was that real? I know me and Twilight have never met another version of ourselves except the time spell scroll thing..." He groaned as he rubbed his forehead, "Note to self, have Twilight check her journal when we get back to Ponyville."

"You say something?" He heard Soarin ask as the sun hit the Wonderbolt's face, waking him up in time to hear Flash talking to himself.

"It's nothing," Flash replied before walking over to the Wonderbolt, "Come on. Let's get everypony up so we can get ready to head out." Soarin nodded as the sun awoke Ruby and Cold, the two waking up.

"Morning," Ruby mumbled as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning," Flash responded before heading back into the house, now seeing Trixie whispering in her sleep.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," she mumbled as she turned over. "Prepare...prepare thy selves, for the...for the great and powerful...Tricks...Trixie." Flash chuckled before gentnly shaking the mare awake, Trixie gasping as her head shot up. "Eep!" Her eyes went wide as she saw a smiling Flash right in her face, her brain quickly catching up.

"Morning."

"Uh...morning." Trixie replied as she looked away, "Ugh...this is why I'm a night pony now."

Flash chuckled again before turning to Springer, "Mind picking up the eggs?"

"Sure," Trixie sparked her horn and lifted the two into the air before Flash poked Springer in the cheek.

"Get back!" The jakhowl's head shot up, almost getting into a fighting stance before hitting his knee on the table. He then turned to the furniture, now seeing the eggs weren't there.

"Relax," Flash instantly chimed in before pointing to the eggs, "They're fine. Though you might not wanna sleep so close to them from now on."

Springer glanced over at the eggs before sighing, "Right...sorry." He began to twiddle his paws, "Maybe I'm not ready for this responsibility."

Trixie giggled as she put the eggs down. "You're just starting out. I'm sure you'll learn in time."

"But I'm still not used to being in battle form all the time! What if-"

"You'll be fine." Ruby interrupted as she walked into the house, "You should have seen your father the first time he was asked to hold an egg. He was so scared of breaking it that he always held it at an arms length. Your mother kept volunteering for babysitting duties so he could get more comfortable around them. It worked...eventually."

Everypony laughed as this as Heart and Soul began to wake up, "Morning," the colt whispered before rolling out of his hammock, flapping his wings to keep from crashing. He flew over to the cupboard and opened it, "Milk." He closed the door, letting out a yawn before opening it, "Huh?" He closed it, "Milk." He opened it again, only for nothing to appear, "What the-why isn't this working?"

"Looks like the cabinet power is gone," Flash said as Soul flew down.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" She asked, her stomach rumbling. "I haven't eaten anything in over a week."

Trixie giggled before reaching into her bag. "Luckily for you, we still have a bunch of food from our trip here." She opened it up and pulled out some candy bars, floating them over to the two.

"And the river's giving up plenty of water," Cold announced as he and Soarin walked in with canteens. "Besides, we'll be in Equestria before you know it. The princesses will likely have an all you can eat buffet prepared for you."

"And wait until you meet Pinkie Pie," Soarin added, "She'll wanna throw a party for the two of you as a welcome to Equestria. She makes the best cakes ever."

The two licked their lips at this, the group chuckling at this while Cold took out the orb Faust had given them. As he did, Springer asked him, "So, where are we gonna teleport ourselves too?" The others turned to him, "What? I know we're heading back to Equestria, but where in Equestria should we go too? Ponyville?"

"I suggest we teleport straight to Canterlot," Cold instantly replied, "We need to report to Princess Celestia, and she can easily send a message to Princess Twilight and the rest of your friends, letting them know we're back and okay."

"I'm down with that," Trixie added.

"No complaints from me," Soarin continued.

"Canterlot's the easiest city to get to the Crystal Empire from," Ruby nodded.

"Alright then," Flash responded as he took the orb. "We'll teleport to the Royal Gardens. That's probably the best place, as I don't wanna spook the castle guards. No need to making a fuss this early in the morning."

The others nodded and as they finished their breakfast, they began to pack up everything they needed. "Why do we have to wear these?" Heart asked as Ruby put a cloak over him and Soul, both being ones Rarity had made for them to travel in, though they had to be cut down for the younger ponies.

"It's to keep your identities a secret until you meet the princesses," the Crystal Knight replied, "We don't know what'll happen with that orb. We might end up getting sent to Appaloosa by mistake." She turned to Soul and made sure her wings were properly hidden. "If news gets out that there's a new alicorn in Equestria before Celestia and Luna can decide how to deal with the situation, it could cause major commotion."

"Really?" Soul asked with a long gulp, only to feel Ruby pat her head.

"Don't worry. The princesses will be sure to help you with your public image. But until then, best to keep your wings hidden."

"Besides," Trixie added as she used her magic to gather the toys and other objects Heart and Soul had obtained during their time alone in the city. "It's sure to add a little extra push to your reveal when we present you to the princesses."

"You don't really have to take those," Soul told the mare as she picked up the boxes.

"Don't be silly," she replied as she took them outside, "These items have been a part of your life for a long time. Since we're teleporting and probably not coming back here, there's no reason to leave them behind."

"But...they're not important," Heart said as Trixie put the boxes down.

The mare shook her head before taking a wooden toy train out, holding it up to Heart. "You've played with this, right?"

"Yeah."

"You enjoyed playing with it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I say it's important to you." She placed the toy back in the box. "If you really don't want them, you can donate them when we're in Equestria. But I'm sure you'll realize you don't want to part with them, at least not yet."

The young ponies shared a glance, both hiding a smile as the rest began to set everything up. "This looks good," Flash added as he wrapped up the rest of the things, the are now surrounded by everything, including the eggs that were wrapped up in blankets. "Looks like we're ready to go. Everypony ready?"

"Wait!" They turned to Ruby, a frown on her face, "Where's Sombra?" The group went wide-eyed, the group quickly glancing.

"Shoot! I forgot about him! Don't tell me he ran off," Soarin said as he flew up to look around.

"Of course he did," Cold growled. "He knew what would happen when we arrived in Equestria. I'm such an idiot for not tying him up or something."

Flash turned to Springer, seeing him close his eyes to sense his aura, "Anything?"

Springer was about to respond, only for a voice to speak out, "Looking for me?"

They spun around to see Sombra walk out from behind the house. "Sombra!" Ruby barked, "Where have you been?!"

"I wanted some alone time to think," he replied, "Sorry if I made you worry."

"Yeah we were worried," Soarin growled as he landed. "Worried you had run off!"

"You should have told us where you were going," Trixie added.

"If I had told you where I was going, you would have followed me, or even just force me to take one of you with me. Then I wouldn't really be alone."

"Can you blame us?" Cold finished, "Now if you're done with your alone time-"

"Hold on," Sombra held up a hoof. "There's something I wish to say." The others didn't respond, only for the former king to take a deep breath before saying, "I'm not going back to Equestria with you."

"WHAT!?" Most of the group screamed, their eyes going wide with several jaws dropping.

Cold then glared at him, "I don't know what you think you're playing at, but if you think we're just going to let you go, you're-"

"Let's hear him out." They turned to Flash, the defender raising a hoof at this, "We should at least hear what he has to say before dismissing it outright."

"You can't be serious. He's a criminal and-"

"Hang on Cold, I want to hear what he has to say too," Ruby chimed in, making them turn to her as she kept a glare on Sombra, "Sombra...if you're not coming back to Equestria with us, what are you planning on doing?"

"Righting a wrong I did a long time ago," Sombra replied, now turning to directly stare at Ruby, "I know I have done a lot of terrible things. And because of what happened to me, I...I can't stand myself for what I did. I can't give back the thousand years I stole from you and the rest of the Crystal Empire, and I can't undo the horrors I forced upon the Crystal Ponies." He sighed as he looked away, "And I know I can't make up for what I did while under Armalum's control." He glanced back at Ruby, "But I can undo one mistake I made: Princess Amore."

Ruby's eyes went wide, everypony except Flash all raising eyebrows at this as the knight spoke up, "You're gonna go find her, aren't you?" Sombra nodded, Ruby shaking at the gesture, "You...you really think you can locate every single piece?"

"I told you I could sense them, didn't I?" He turned to the mountains Flash and his friends had first come from so long ago. "If anypony has a chance of finding her, it's me."

"Does somepony wanna fill me in?" Soarin asked.

"Yeah...I'm lost." Trixie added.

"Princess Amore was the ruler of the Crystal Empire," Flash chimed in, "She lead it until Sombra took over the kingdom."

"I transformed her into a statue and shattered the pieces...then scattered them far and wide." Sombra admitted before sighing, "But if those pieces are gathered together, she can be restored to her former self. And as the one who cursed her, I'm connected to the pieces. I can sense where they are."

Everypony went wide-eyed at this, Cold the only one not reacting as he glared at Sombra, "So you want us to let you go so that you can start traipsing around the place looking for some rocks?"

"Yes."

Cold turned to the others, "We're not seriously considering this, are we?"

Everypony turned to Flash, making him let out a sigh, "Well...ever since Sombra was freed and made into a real unicorn, I've been able to sense his intentions. I can tell if he's lying, and...well, right now he's telling the truth. He does intend to go and search for the pieces of Amore."

"But you can't be completely sure," Trixie chimed in, "Sure, he might be planning to find the pieces right now, but it could all be a ploy to save himself from going to prison."

"I won't lie and say that isn't one of the reasons I want to do this, but I do wish to make up for what I've done." Sombra said as he took a deep breath. "I'll search for the pieces of Amore, and when I have them all, I'll come back to Equestria and then you can decide to do whatever you want to me."

Everypony shared some glances, Ruby speaking up next, "How long do you think it'll take to gather the pieces?"

Sombra shrugged back. "Could be a few months, could take decades. I'm not sure."

Cold turned to Flash, "You're sure you can trust him."

Flash nodded while Springer spoke up. "I'm not sensing any deception from him. I think he's genuinely being honest about his intentions."

Cold just glared at the jakhowl, Soarin, Trixie and Heart all showing indecisive frowns.

"I think we should give him a chance." They turned to Soul, the filly looking up at Sombra with a smile before turning to Ruby. "I know he's done some terrible things, but he's also done some good stuff." Ruby raised an eyebrow at this, "He's the reason Flash was able to push himself when it looked like he had lost against Shadow."

"That's true," Flash added with a nod, "He reminded me what I was fighting for." He turned to Sombra. "If he hadn't been there, Shadow might have won that battle. He helped save Equestria from being conquered by that tyrant."

"But does that really justify letting him go?" Cold instantly responded.

"We've forgiven others for less. Besides, we're not letting him go." Flash replied as he stared at Sombra. "Alright, you can go and search for the pieces of Amore. But remember, we're connected. If you eventually decide to change your mind and stop searching for the pieces, I'll know, and I'll hunt you down and bring you in."

Sombra nodded. "I understand...but I won't change my mind. I won't stop until Princess Amore has been restored. Only death will keep me from achieving this goal."

"Well make sure you don't end up killing yourself," Cold added, "If anything, death would be a release and not a punishment."

"I know." Sombra replied before turning to Ruby. "I hope the next time we meet, I'll have proven myself worthy of your forgiveness."

Ruby refused to meet his gaze, looking down at the ground instead. "Maybe... maybe I could come with you? Princess Amore was like a mother to me. I want to help save her in any way I can." She waited for Sombra's answer, only to get nothing but silence. The knight looked up, now seeing him shake his head.

"No, this is my task. I can't simply pawn it off to somepony else. I must complete this mission alone. Only then can I truly repent for the sins I've committed."

Ruby sighed before glaring at him, "Very well...but be warned. Flash won't be the only pony who'll come after you if you so much as consider abandoning this mission. You will complete it and return to Equestria, and whatever the princesses decide to do with you, I will support."

Sombra nodded back, "I know." He then turned back to the mountains, "Well...I should get going. I have a long journey ahead of me and so little time to do it. I can already sense a piece not too far from here. A week or so away."

"Then I guess you'd better be off," Flash replied, the pegasus starting to fumble his words, "Just...be careful, okay?"

"I will be," Sombra responded before turning to Ruby. The mare gave him a sheepish stare before pulling her eyes away, Sombra frowning as he began to walk away.

"Goodbye," he stopped before turning back to her, still seeing her look away, "I'm not going to say it again."

"You didn't have to say it the first time Ruby. This...isn't really goodbye. It's until we meet again." This made Ruby finally look at him. "And when that time comes, it'll be the day Princess Amore is restored back to normal." Ruby nodded back as he began his walk again, the group unable to look away as he reached the base of the mountain.

And as he began to climb, Trixie glanced at Ruby. "You okay?"

"I will be," Ruby barely replied, "It's strange. A piece of me wants to never see him again...but another part of me wants him to complete his mission as quickly as possible." She turned to the others, "Is that strange?"

"No," Springer shook his head, "It's normal."

"I still have reservations about this," Cold told Flash.

"Well if he does fall off the wagon, you can tell me I told you so the entire time we're hunting him down." Flash nonchalantly replied as he pulled out the orb, "Come on, let's go home." The others nodded and gathered around their things, Heart and Soul pulling their hoods up as Flash raised the sphere up, "Remember, we've all gotta think of the same place. Canterlot, the royal gardens. You ready?" They nodded again as Flash took a deep breath, "Then here...we...GO!"

With that, he threw the orb down. It struck the exact spot he was aiming for, shattering before releasing a light that formed an expanding ring. Flash landed between Heart and Springer as the ring grew large enough to fit them and all their things, soon completely forming as a pillar of light consumed them. The pillar began to grow taller, all watching it go up to the sky as Flash held out his hooves. Heart and Springer smiled as they took both before holding their own to the pony next to them. Soul took Heart's and Ruby took Springer's while Trixie took Soul's and Soarin took Ruby's, the two holding theirs out to Cold. The Frozen Wanderer sighed and shook his head before taking the hooves.

As he did, the light around them grew so bright that they had to close their eyes, the friends still clutching their hooves together. Up at the top of the mountain, Sombra had reached the peak and turned to pillar. He couldn't pull his eyes away as it got brighter, covering the entire meadow as the light made him look away before the pillar suddenly vanished.

He turned back to the where the light was, now seeing that Heart and Soul's house was also gone. The unicorn let out a sigh before turning back to the mountain, "Alright world, what have you got for me?"

With that, he began to climb down the other side of the mountain, the meadow no longer in sight. Had he stayed at the top a little bit longer, he would have noticed something pop out of the ground where the house had once been. It was a plant, one that grew exceptionally fast and eventually matured into a small thin tree...one that would eventually age into a big strong oak.

Canterlot...

The gardens that surrounded the castle were peaceful as always, the flowers being in bloom while the animals that lived there were all peacefully sleeping. Several Royal Guards were currently patrolling the grounds, knowing that nine times out of ten patrols would end with nothing happening. But this appeared to be one of those tenth times.

"WHOA!" One of the guards yelled as he was almost blinded by a bright light that had just exploded a ways off. Several other guards ran to his side, all pointing their weapons at the light.

"That's...teleportation!"

"Be ready stallions," one of the higher ranking guards announced. "If it's something dangerous, we must protect the princesses." They continued to stare at the light until it started to fade, allowing them to see a bunch of figures standing in it.

One of the guards gasped, remembering the knighting many months ago. "That's Sir Sentry!" The light then faded around the defender, the fading pillar starting to reveal the other figures.

"Go tell the princesses," one of the guards yelled as they identified the Knight of Friendship. That guard nodded and turned to run off while the rest continued to surround the group as the light completely dissolved.

Once it did, the ponies in the light opened their eyes, Flash smiling at the castle above them, "Yes! It worked!" he let out a laugh before getting a spear in his face.

"Identify yourself."

"Whoa!" the pegasi backpedaled before replying, "Flash Sentry, Knight of Friendship. Clearance code alpha, delta, four, tango seven, one. And please put the spear away."

The other knights quickly followed this, "Ruby Scarlet, Crystal Knight. Clearance code bravo, two, delta, echo nine, four."

"Cold Steel, Frozen Wanderer. Clearance code six, echo, tango four, alpha bravo."

Upon hearing these statements, the guards all lowered their weapons and appeared to be at ease before glaring at the five remaining figures, Flash flaring his wings, "Relax, they're fine. One of them is the princess's student, after all."

"Isn't that one of the Wonderbolts?" Another guard asked, Soarin smirking at the recognition as Flash and Ruby turned to Springer.

The jakhowl was looking over the eggs, "I don't think the teleport did anything...I think." They nodded as the guard from earlier returned.

"Sir Sentry," Flash turned to him. "You and your cohorts are ordered to report to the princesses at once."

"Figured as much," Flash gestured to the others. "Let's get going."

"Hold on," Trixie picked up Heart and Soul's boxes before they disappeared in a flash. "There. Just sent them to my room. Better then hauling them all over the place." The others nodded as they picked up their bags and began to trot toward the castle, Ruby helping Springer carry the eggs.

The group headed through the castle after the guard, eventually arriving in front of the doors leading to the main throne room. Flash stood at the front of the pack, staring at the doors before taking a deep breath. "Here we go."

With that, he pushed the doors open, the lights streaming in through the stain glass windows blinding him for a second. His eyes quickly adjusted, only to gasp as he locked eyes with a certain pony, "Twilight?"

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood in the middle of the room, a tear-filled smile adorning her lips as she stared at him. "Flash." She replied before the two ran up to each other, embracing the other in a tight hug that lasted almost a solid minute. "I can't believe you're back." She pulled back and looked into his eyes, smiling as she started looking him over. "Looks like you actually managed to keep your promise. Not a scratch on you."

Flash's face turned red, about to tell her it wasn't that simple...only to see somepony standing behind Twilight. Starlight Glimmer.

"Get back!" Flash yelled as he yanked Twilight behind him and reached for his sword, "What's she doing here?!"

"Wait!" Twilight screamed as she teleported between the two, spreading her wings. "Don't Flash. Starlight's changed." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, his sword shaking in his hoof, "It's a long story, but she wants to make up for what she did. I've...taken her on as a student."

"Seriously?" Flash yelped as he now saw Starlight slowly walk up.

"Hello Flash. It's uh...been a while."

"Yeah..." Flash nodded, "It has."

Starlight looked away, gripping one of her hooves, "I um...I know I've done a lot of bad things in the past, especially to you and your friends. But I do really want to make up for what I did. I understand if you don't think you can trust me, but...but I just want a chance to prove you can." She was now rubbing her leg as she glanced back up, "So...I hope we can start over."

Flash stared at her before looking at Twilight, the princess smiling and nodding. "Alright...if Twilight believes you can be trusted. But I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"I know. I understand."

"Good," Celestia chimed in as she walked up to the three, "Now that that's out of the way," she smiled down at Flash. "Welcome back Flash Sentry. I look forward to hearing the tales of your adventures."

"We all do," Luna added as she moved up to her sister, now seeing Trixie and Ruby behind Flash, her smile brightening as she calmly galloped past the knight. The two did the same, the trio quickly hugging one another. "I am pleased to see you are both alright."

"We're happy to see you too," Trixie replied while Ruby just nodded. As this was happening, the others moved further into the room, Celestia spotting the two cloaked ponies, only to gasp at Springer as she saw what he was carrying.

"Springer, are those what I think they are?" Luna turned to Springer, also gasping as her eyes grew to match her sister's.

"It can't be."

"They are," Springer nodded before holding them out. "Two jakhowl eggs. Hope for the future of my race." The three alicorns gasped as Luna took them in her magic.

"It is true," she whispered as she looked them over. "Real jakhowl eggs." Her eyes squinted at the gold one. "Strange, I've never seen an egg this color before."

"I can probably explain that," Flash spoke up. "Along with a lot of other things."

"Yes, I'm sure you all have a lot to tell us." Celestia added as she turned to the two cloaked ponies, both foals shrinking at the staring alicorn, "Starting with who your new friends are."

Everypony turned to the two as they both lowered their heads, keeping their faces hidden. Seeing this, Flash walked in front of them, "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight," he pulled down the two's hoods. "Please say hello to Fire Heart and Shining Soul."

Celestia shined a big smile and leaned down, "Hello little ones. Its nice to meet you."

Both ponies eyes shrunk as they saw the towering alicorn smiling at them. Blushes appeared on their faces as Heart replied, "H-h-hello princess."

Celestia then turned to Flash, "May I ask how you came to meet them and why you decided to bring them back with you?"

"Errr..." Flash rubbed the back of his head, "That's a tough one to explain."

"Yes," Ruby added before sighing, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to report what happened to us during our adventure."

"Maybe we should have practiced," Soarin chimed in, Trixie and Cold nodding in agreement.

"May I be of some assistance?" the group's ears perked up at the sound of that voice, making them all look up to see a creature that was an amalgamation of different creatures: Discord.

Soul screamed as she tried to hide behind Flash while Heart got into a battle ready position, the pegasus blocking him with his wing. "It's alright. This guy's...okay."

"It's nice to see you too Flash," Discord chuckled as he floated down before landing on Celestia's back. "This place as been far too boring since you left."

"How long have you been here Discord?" Celestia asked with a roll of her eyes

"Oh, I've been around since the start of your little tea party with Twilight. I must admit, her tale of alternative timelines was something I wish I could have seen." Flash shot Twilight a look, the mare shrugging. "As I was saying, I can help our friends with reporting what happened to them."

"How?" Twilight asked.

"Simple." He snapped his claw and a flash of light happened next. Before anypony could say anything, the group of eight now had a helmet on their heads. The helmets had cables coming off them that connected to a now appearing movie projector. "They just have to think of what happened and it'll all be recorded. Then you can play the events whenever you want." They all blinked at the sudden invasion of space, all asking questions as to why Discord suddenly did this. A few minutes later, they agreed to it and closed their eyes, soon thinking about their time at the city.

And before they knew it, the images of those events started flashing in front of their eyes. The entire war seemed to play out at super fast speed, showing every fight, loss, and revelation. After a minute, it came to an end, the eight blinking as the helmets disappeared.

"There we are," Discord chuckled before handing the device to Celestia. "Whenever you're ready to watch."

"And you're sure this'll capture every detail?" Celestia asked.

"If it's missing something, I'm sure our stars will be able to explain it."

"Huh. Okay." Celestia turned to the group, "You ready to see this?"

"Hang on," Flash held up a wing before turning to Discord. "Think you can do one more thing for us?"

"Which is?"

"I'm sure my mom and dad will wanna see this. And if they're here, Scootaloo will wanna be here too."

"I'd sure like to see Rainbow again," Soarin added.

"I'm sure all our friends will wanna learn about what happened," Trixie finished.

Celestia nodded in agreement before turning to Discord. "Please bring all their friends here to watch this."

"Oh alright," Discord was about to snap his claw, only for Celestia to hold up a hoof.

"Don't just bring them here. Go and tell them what you're doing."

Discord let out a long sigh, "Aww...no frights?" A series of glares was the reply, "Fine. Party poopers. Who do I go to first?"

"My sister," Flash replied, "Then my parents, then Rainbow and the others can follow in any order." Discord nodded before completely vanishing, followed ten seconds later by a flash as three ponies suddenly appeared in the throne room.

One was Flash's sister, but the others weren't his parents.

"What do you mean royal decree?" Applejack asked before she, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom realized where they were. "What in tarnation?" The farmer turned to Twilight, "What the heck is going on?! Discord just showed up and sorry, royal decree."

The others rolled their eyes as Flash let out a cough, catching his sister's attention. "FLASH!" She exclaimed before leaping into his hooves, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Flash chuckled as he patted her head just as his parents appeared in the room.

The two gasped at the sight, "You're back!" Misty began to cry as she hugged Flash, Trail following suit as another pop revealed Rainbow's arrival.

"What the-" She blinked as started blinking. "What just happened?!"

"Dash!" She turned to see her boyfriend tackling her, hugging her tightly while both started laughing.

"You're back!" Soarin laughed as they continued to embrace each other. This was followed by the rest of their friends showing up, Rarity and Sweetie Belle first before Lightning, Grand, Iron, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Wind Smile. Even Spike appeared, running over to Springer before gasping as he found out the jakhowl was now permanently in battle form.

Discord then popped up next to Celestia, "is that everypony?" Celestia did a head count before looking at him.

"We're just missing Cadance and Shining Armor, but it's probably best you leave them due to Cadance's condition."

As this was happening, the others were talking to their newly returned friends. "So what happened out there?" Grand asked the three knights that had gone off.

"Yeah!" Iron added, "What amazing adventures did you get to have while leaving us with the extra workload?!"

Flash and Ruby chuckled back, "Oh, you'll find out." The defender then gestured to the group, "But first, some introductions." Everypony turned to him, most now noticing the two little ponies. "Everypony, I'd like you to meet some very important friends of ours." He turned to the colt and removed his cloak. "First, please say hello to Fire Heart, my new apprentice."

Everypony watched the colt shrink back at those words, their brains quickly processing what he had just said before Grand walked up to him, "Flash...are you really taking on a squire?"

"You bet," Flash chuckled as he patted the colt's head, "Trust me, this kid has what it takes. With a little training, he'll be an amazing defender of the peace."

"Um...hi everypony," Heart waved with his wing, "It's nice to meet you all."

"It's nice to meet you too," Twilight nodded while Iron properly looked him over.

"Honestly, he doesn't look all that impressive."

Heart showed a growing frown before Flash patted his shoulder, "Don't count him out. Trixie, can you help me?"

"Need a shield?"

"Yup." Flash replied as he backpedalled, Trixie sparking her horn before a blue bubble appeared around Heart. The sight confused everypony as Flash crossed his front hooves, "Do it."

"Got it." Heart smirked before his entire body exploded, the shield keeping his flames at bay. Everypony gasped at the sight, the transformation completing as Trixie dropped the shield. This allowed him to take to the air, leaving a trail of fire behind him with a big smile on his face.

"How is that possible?" Celestia asked as they watched him.

"Okay...that's impressive." Iron admitted as Heart landed and transformed back to normal.

"How is something like that even possible?" Rarity asked before slowly turning to Discord, "Is this your doing?"

Discord shook his head, "Don't look at me, I'm just as amazed as you."

"All will be explained," Ruby chimed in, "We still have one pony left to introduce."

They all turned to Soul, the filly shaking at the many eyes staring at her. Her eyes shrunk as she tried to pull on her cloak's hood, Lightning speaking up first, "What, can this one turn into ice?"

"Not exactly," Cold responded.

"It probably would have been best to introduce her first," Misty told them. "After that fire show, her introduction might be a little overshadowed."

"I'd hold that thought," Flash replied before leaning down, helping Soul walk up to the group as Trixie and Ruby stood besides her. "Everypony, please say hello to Shining Soul." With that, the mares slowly pulled the cloak off her back, the filly now spreading her wings.

Once again the room was filled with gasps as they stared at the silver wings connected to the unicorn's sides. Twilight then began stuttering, "An...an...an...alicorn?!"

"Um...surprise," Soul softly said.

"How...is this possible?" Luna asked while Celestia just stood there with a raised eyebrow.

Flash then walked in front of the filly, "Soul here was a pegasus until about a month ago, where she was transformed into an alicorn in order to fulfill an important task. Now that the task is complete, the power she has is hers to do with as she sees fit. That's why we brought her here." He turned to Twilight. "I know you've already got a student, but do you think you can take another one?"

"Me?!" Twilight asked as she pointed at herself.

"I'll be teaching her brother, and they clearly want to stay together. So if they move to Ponyville, Soul will need somepony to help her learn."

Twilight showed a slight frown at this, only for Celestia to walk up and pat Twilight's shoulder, "I think it's an excellent idea," Twilight looked up at the tall mare as she moved over to Soul. The filly shrunk back again, only to stare at Celestia's warm smile. The sight made her cast away those fears as she spoke up, "Don't be frightened little one. I know the power you have seems like a lot to take in, but I'm sure you'll learn to properly control it with some help."

"Oh...uh...thank you," Soul squeaked out before turning to Twilight. She began to twiddle her hooves, "I um...I want to learn to control my power, so uh...I don't have to fear it." She then bowed, "Please help me."

The purple alicorn stared at her for a moment, only to walk up and present her hoof to the filly, "I'll do my best to help you. I don't have much teaching experience, but I'll do what I can." Soul looked up at her, taking the hoof as Celestia turned to Heart.

"And you, young one. You truly wish to be a knight?"

Heart nodded before igniting his hoof. "I have these powers, and I want to put them to good use. And when Flash offered to make me his apprentice, I realized there wasn't a better use for 'em! I wanna save as many ponies as I can and protect my new home, just like how Flash protected us in the war."

The others went wide-eyed at the word 'war', but Celestia just nodded back, "I like that mindset." She turned to Grand, "Your thoughts?"

"Still too early to tell...." the older knight replied before smiling at Heart. "But if Flash believes he's got potential, I look forward to seeing it myself."

Celestia nodded again as she looked back at the siblings. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to Equestria. I hope you come to see it as much of a home as the rest of us do." The two nodded as the CMC ran over, introducing themselves while telling the two how much fun living in Ponyville would be. The siblings were a little overwhelmed by the three, only to be distracted by a certain pony.

"Hooray!" Pinkie squealed as she bounced up and down, "I can't believe it! Our friends are back and we have new friends as well! I'M SO HAPPY!" As she said this, she leapt into the air before her entire body blew up until she was like a balloon. She remained like this for about five seconds before her entire body exploded into confetti that quickly fell to the floor with the other five females of the mane seven looking down at it.

Many ponies in the room stared at this in horror, Flash turning to Twilight as she stared at the pile. "Wait for it," Rainbow chimed in.

"Three," Twilight said.

"Two," Applejack continued.

"ONE!" Pinkie screamed as she shoot out of the confetti, which seemed to be absorbed into her body.

Flash and the others just stared in absolute shock as Wild laughed and leaned next to the Knight of Friendship. "Yeah, the two of us found out she could do that when she gets really, really excited. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Clearly I missed a few things at home," Flash sighed while Soul spoke up.

"How is that even possible?" She turned to the others, only to see normal expressions on their faces. "Um...she exploded. How are you okay with this?"

Scootaloo laughed as she nudged the alicorn filly. "If you're gonna live in Ponyville, there's a saying you gotta learn."

"IT'S PINKIE PIE, DON'T QUESTION IT!" Everypony from Ponyville exclaimed before bursting out laughing,

Heart and Soul shared a look before smiling, now seeing what they had to look forward to. "Alright then," Celestia said as the laughter began to fade. "I think it's about time we see what happened to our friends on their adventure." She turned to Discord, "If you would."

"I thought you would never ask," Discord chuckled before snapping his fingers. In a flash the throne room was transformed into a miniature movie theater with a large screen in front of some seats. Spike and the younger ponies sat down in the front row with the taller ponies in the back.

Pops of light appeared in front of them as popcorn bags and sodas appeared in their hooves, the group smiling as Discord activated the projector. The device shot out a light that covered the screen, showing numbers counting down as everypony got comfortable, Twilight placing her head on Flash's shoulder as the movie started.

It all began by showing the kingdom of Equestria before moving over the many landscapes Flash and his friends had traversed to get to the city, finally arriving at the valley just in time to see Flash sneeze. The friends gasped as they saw the giant city, quickly cutting to them meeting Heart and Soul before the Cult of Shadow appeared.

And as its many members showed itself, Celestia went wide-eyed as Tempera was the first to appear on the screen. "That mare...why does she look so familiar?"

Her words made others turn to her, Discord stopping the footage as Flash asked, "You know Tempera?"

"Tempera?! Is that her name?!" The defender nodded back, making Celestia gasp, "It can't be...so that's what happened to her."

"You know this mare sister?" Luna chimed in next.

"Yes. She was a student at my school several years ago," the princess let out a sigh at this, a look of slight hesitation on her face, "She wasn't awfully skilled when it came to magic, but she had one spell that intrigued everypony on the review board that got her in."

"This spell didn't happen to involve bringing things to life, did it?" Trixie's question came a with a nod, "Well she got a lot better since then. She can teleport and fire magic blasts."

"I see," Celestia muttered while shaking her head, "Considering how you're all acting, I suspect she went down a dark path....which if I'm honest, it might have been inevitable for her."

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked as they saw the frown grow on Celestia's face.

"Tempera was always...sad. She was known for her amazing art talent, and the art teachers believed she had the potential to take the art scene by storm with her abilities, including earning a degree in the subject. However, she had no motivation, no ambition to take her abilities to their limit at my school." The princess shook her head again, "I suspect it was her family as to why she was like this."

It was here that Springer spoke up, "Let me guess, they didn't show her any love, did they?"

Everypony turned to the jakhowl, surprised at the dark statement as Celestia nodded, "Yes. She came from a family of very...uncaring nobles. Her parents are known for their ambition, though they've lost their influence over the years...probably since Tempera disappeared."

"When did she vanish?"

"I'm...not exactly sure. She was first reported missing by some foals she would help entertain."

"Foals?" a few asked, Twilight then asking, "Wait, her parents didn't report her missing?"

"No." Celestia swiftly replied, "In fact, when I had guards investigate, the parents tried to pay them a large amount to not be investigated. We still did of course, but there was no evidence. It wasn't till we interviewed the staff of the nobles' mansion that we found out she had ran away. I sent some to see if we could find her...but she completely vanished." Celestia did a small sigh before glancing at Discord, "Let's not dwell on this. Please continue."

Discord snapped his claws, resuming the footage as the rest of the cult came into view. But as the pegasus known as Storm Blade showed itself, two ponies in the audience went fully wide-eyed. It was Grand and Celestia, the knight yelling, "Stop!"

The creature of chaos sighed as he stopped the film again, everypony turning to them as Flash stared his mentor. He had never seen the expression on Grand's face, it was if he had seen a ghost. "Grand? You okay?"

"It can't be..." the knight whispered as he and Celestia stood up.

"Grand, is that who I think it is?" Celestia added, Grand nodding back.

"It is. Its Swift Wing."

Flash and the others all exchanged glances, the defender knowing he wanted to ask questions about the cultist, he suddenly felt an extreme chill. This was followed by Discord yelling, "Oi! No freezing my theater!"

Everypony turned to Cold, his seat now covered in ice as they now saw the usual emotionless knight wearing a long dark glare in his eyes. He slowly turned around, ignoring Discord as he hissed, "What did you just say Grand?"

Grand glanced at the knight, slight hesitation in his voice, "I said...that pony is Swift Wing."

"Swift Wing is dead." Cold instantly replied. "I've read the report Grand. He died along with Noble." He then pointed at the footage, "Are you telling me that's Swift Wing?!"

The knight was about the reply, only for Celestia to interject, "He's telling the truth Cold." She glanced at the screen before sighing, "I...I honestly don't believe what I'm seeing, but...that pony is Swift Wing." The princess grimaced at her next words, "I still can't believe it. We thought he was dead."

Cold opened his mouth in response, only for Flash to speak up, "Hang on everypony!" He pointed at the screen, "Grand, you know this guy, right? Cuz when we fought him, he said he studied under you and...no offense, I really didn't want to believe him Grand."

"I know lad, and I don't blame you." He crossed his hooves next as he let out a sigh, "Let me explain, as you probably have questions." He stared at the image Storm Blade, certain memories going through his head, "Several years before I met you Flash, I was training a group of guards. They all wanted to be knights, but two of them had more potential then any of them...Noble Banner and Swift Wing." The knight chuckled as he said his next words, "You couldn't meet more polar opposites. Noble had the heart of a knight through and through...but had no skill. Swift on the other hoof, had skill in spades. He could take on a group of thugs before the first week of training, but he didn't have the mindset. He always hesitated on everything."

"That doesn't sound like him at all." Soarin chimed in, four others nodding while Cold just continued to glare at Grand.

"Well, that was how he was." Grand leaned back in his chair, now staring at the ceiling, "And the two were inseparable. Noble would always push Swift to be better, while Swift taught Noble true skills. However, that all changed when they took a test to be knights. Noble passed his, but..."

"Swift failed?"

"Yes." Grand slowly nodded, "It was a test over his hesitation, and he failed it. After that, he...changed. Swift became more violent in his work, repeatedly getting reprimanded and...I was considering discharging him for good. However, I then found out that Swift didn't want to take the test, but Noble pushed him into it." A dark expression covered Grand's face next, "Noble told me he regretted doing it, not knowing that Swift would change. He thought he could save him, and asked to bring him along to a mission."

Cold spoke up here, "Grand...that was the mission Noble died on, wasn't it?"

"It was." Grand replied, "Noble and Swift were supposed to take out a group of bandits and had been given a package that would deliver Noble's Celestic Gear crystal." The knight sighed as he stared at the weapon in Storm's hoof, "It seems things were even worse than we thought when I first investigated."

"You investigated?" Flash asked next.

"I took a team to the site, though it was a few days after the two had left for the mission. We found a massive battle in a canyon filled with bodies. It wasn't long till we found Noble, who was buried under some rubble with a burnt pegasus. We couldn't identify the pegasi, but we did find a blade by Noble that was both severely burnt and had Noble's blood on it." He shook his head, "We...we thought that was the Celestic Gear, and that worst had happened to both. Though seeing this, perhaps something even worse ended up happening."

It was here that Cold finally looked away from Grand, his body shaking as whispered out, "Noble...was that what happened to you? You always told me about your happy times with Swift..."

He began to mutter to himself, Grand noticing the unicorn looking away from everypony. The knight could only turn to Discord, "Please continue."

Discord replied before snapping his claws, the film continuing to show the battle taking place between the two forces until the moment Flash and Shadow met, leading to Faust's first intervention and the creation of the castles that sucked them inside. The sight made most of the audience confused, but they kept their questions to themselves because they didn't want to interrupt the video again.

This was followed by the team unable to escape the building and being summoned by the map room. And as the first three vs three fight began, everypony shook as they watched Flash, Soarin and Trixie clash against Storm, Salix and Terror. When they saw Soarin getting sliced in the side, Rainbow gripped his hoof before turning to see there was no scar. Raising an eyebrow at the sight, Soarin just chuckled before slinging his hoof around his lover.

While this happened, a certain thought went into Flash's head as he remembered how this fight went. This was followed by Salix disappearing, some gasping as he vanished before seeing Soarin about to meet the same fate until he grabbed the orb, confusing the group as they saw the battle suddenly end. More questions came next as they saw Soarin's injury vanish, leading to the film moving to the next day.

They kept their questions as they saw the next match, most unable to believe their eyes when saw the amount of different types of magic Shadow could use. Luna and Celestia were also curious about Armalum, the pony reminding them of somepony. It then showed Ruby fighting the armored pony, Luna growing concerned when she saw the expression on Ruby's face as his armor broke.

"What's impossible?" Spike asked the Crystal Knight as the scene cut away before showing what was under the armor.

Ruby half smiled as she looked away, "Just...wait and see."

The movie continued to show Cold's battle with Shadow, Flash suddenly yelling, "Pause it!"

The others turned to him, the defender grimacing at a few glares. "Sorry. I know we've been stopping this a bunch, but...it's probably best we don't show them this part." he stated as he pointed to the younger ponies and Spike.

"What?!" Scootaloo yelped, "Why?!"

"Yeah!" Heart added, "We haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet!"

"He may be right," Ruby responded while Soarin nodded.

"What's about to happen ain't exactly PG."

"Seeing it might cause some serious nightmares," Trixie finished. "And there's gonna be a lot more of those scenes before this thing ends."

The other older ponies grimaced at this, knowing what this meant as the younger members glared at them. But before anything could be said, Discord chimed in, "If I might be of assistance," He snapped his fingers and caused a flash of light to appear in front of team Flash. The light faded to reveal a black box with a red button in the middle of it, which had the word censor written above it.

"What's this?" Soarin asked as he pressed the button, causing another flash to appear around the younger ones' heads. When the light faded, they saw the six were now wearing blindfolds and headphones.

"Hey!" Spike yelped as Soul tried to remove her blindfold, "I can't hear anything!"

"It won't come off!" The alicorn filly cried.

Flash took this moment to press his button, causing them to vanish, allowing them to see and hear again. He then looked up at Discord as the chaos creature replied, "Now they can watch this and not be traumatized. Think this'll work?"

"I don't see a problem with it," Twilight chimed in.

"So, we can keep watching?" Scootaloo asked next.

"Only if you don't complain about this," Flash told her before pressing the button again. Once the six were shielded, the movie continued, now showing Cold get stabbed. They all gasped at this, Fluttershy's entire body shaking like a leaf as Iron hugged her.

"Um...can I get one of those censor things?" She asked Discord as Cold vanished, Flash taking the moment to press the button, letting them watch again. Everypony continued to worry at Cold's disappearance, but breathed a sigh of relief when they learned about the recovery rooms.

The movie continued to go through the battles, Luna frowning at Trixie's defeat by Terror despite Soarin and Cold managing to learn to work together. Then came the battle that shocked everypony when they saw Soul being selected to fight while Ruby started attacking Armalum in a rage.

"Flash!" Twilight yelped while turning to her boyfriend, having just seen him take a fireball to the face while protecting Soul.

"What?" He shrugged, "You'd prefer I let Soul get hit by that?"

"I'd prefer you find another way of saving her without injuring yourself," she growled before turning to see Soul unleash her alicorn power for the first time. The less restrained ponies all cheered and clapped at seeing filly blast all three enemies away, Soul looking away at the sight of her unrestrained power.

But all cheering stopped when Armalum's helmet fell apart.

"Sombra?!" Celestia gasped while Luna turned to Ruby, the princess now understanding the rage her friend had felt.

"How is that possible?!" Twilight added, only for Flash to grip her hoof.

"Just keep watching. That one will explain itself, trust me."

The others turned to him for a second as he gave them an assuring nod. This was followed by them seeing Flash's dream over the first part of Shadow's past, surprised looks on every face as they saw him be a happy-go-lucky colt. After this, they were cheering as they saw Trixie beat Terror, only to see Ruby lose to Shadow.

After this was Flash vs Armalum, Twilight clutching Flash's hoof as she watched him struggle while her eyes flickered to his scar, seeing it hurt him. This was followed by everypony gasping at Sombra's memory restoration, revealing the reality of Armalum's identity.

"Living armor?" Lightning asked.

"How ghastly," Rarity irked, "I can't imagine how many other ponies have suffered through that torture."

The movie went on, now showing Flash and Springer beat Storm and Wingill with ease. Cheers followed this, only to change to grimaces as Soul was picked again. This was followed by Shadow chasing her, the sight making some growl while Heart held his sister, Soul looking away from the screen.

"Don't you touch her, deluded one!" Rainbow suddenly yelled, the others turning to her as she saw their stares, "What?! That's this creep's new nickname! He's completely deluded in thinking he deserves whatever this place's power is!"

The others nodded or chuckled at her declaration, only to grimace as they now saw Shadow capture Soul, Fluttershy screaming as she saw what he did next.

"He...he has Tirek's magic?!" Twilight gasped.

"How?!" Celestia asked.

"I don't know," Flash responded while crossing his hooves. "But trust me, he won't be using it on anypony ever again."

This statement made many of the ponies turn to him, only to look back as Soul go super alicorn on Shadow. Their questions soon faded as Soul beat him, some cheering before seeing Soul not return to the castle. But before they could ask, Flash quickly hit the censor button as it switched to Flash's dreams.

The foals groaned at this, whining as Flash told them to be quiet as the rest saw Shadow get tied to the table. And as the dark ritual began, most had to look away as Luna whispered, "How horrible."

"Ah can't believe somepony's parents would do somethin' like that," Applejack growled.

"What'd they do?" Applebloom asked her sister.

"You don't need to know. Just know its very bad." Grand replied as Flash turned the censor off as the dream ended.

This was followed by Heart being selected for battle, the colt cheering, "Yes! This is my bit!" The younger ones blinked at this, only to then see Flash get sealed in a tomb. Twilight was horrified at the sight, but the defenders were all impressed by Heart's skill in getting him free, only to see him talk to his sister. The touching reunion made everypony smile, only to cheer as he performed his first transformation before creating his Fire Force.

This was followed by the triple attack of ice, light and fire that wiped out Storm and Salix, Flash then getting his Sacred Light. However, this enthusiasm was gone as the next battle came to a conclusion with Shadow getting his Corrupted Shadow back...followed by Flash's third dream.

"So he gained the Corrupted Shadow because of that ritual?" Twilight asked Flash as he blinded and deafened the kids again.

"What happened?" Sweetie asked when the dream part ended, turning to her sister, "What did Shadow do to those ponies?"

"Um..." Rarity twiddled her hooves at this, "They were uh..."

"Sent to the Shadow Realm," Lightning chimed in, "It's a prison that Shadow created, full of darkness that puts its captives into an endless sleep."

"Yes!" Rarity added, "Its...truly horrible."

"I'm sure they're free now though," Flash continued, "Probably waking up at this very minute to go about their daily lives."

"Really?" Scootaloo replied with a raised eyebrow, her brother telling her to just keep watching. Everypony now saw Springer, Soarin and Trixie were going up against Shadow, gulping as they saw him destroy part of the city was ease. But this all changed when Springer went Mega Mode, everypony cheering as they watched him start to turn the tables.

"Truly marvellous," Luna told the Jakhowl. "Your father would be so proud that you've become so strong."

"Thanks, but uh...I've still gotta a ways to go. And now I have to look after these too," he pointed to the two eggs that had been placed on a bunch of pillows to keep safe.

"Do not worry, as you won't be alone in this endeavour. Should you require any advice, I'll be happy to help."

Springer nodded back as the others turned to see Soarin now fighting Wingill and Terror, Rainbow frowning at the lack of confidence he showed at the beginning. The others were just as worried when they saw Ruby and Flash struggle against Armalum, only to cheer as Soarin suddenly overwhelmed his opponents.

"You've got Theta Mode?" Rainbow asked her boyfriend, the Wonderbolt smirking as he showed her his white eyes.

"You know it. I'm now twenty percent cooler." Rainbow rolled her eyes as they watched Soarin pummel the hippogriff.

The screen then changed to show the battle with Flash and Armalum, Twilight and Flash's relatives going wide-eyed when he entered Sombra's mind. Everypony blinked as they saw Shadow do the same thing, both clashing as they started sending shockwaves out into the city.

"What's going on?" Scootaloo asked, "Why is that happening when they fight?"

"Could it be..." Misty hummed before Trail turned to Flash.

"Your Sacred Light and his Corrupted Shadow are reacting to one another, aren't they?" Flash nodded, telling them to just wait for an explanation. They turned back to see the battle rage on, ending in Faust's intervention and Sombra's transformation into a unicorn.

"So he's a pony now?" Rainbow asked, "I thought it was a...what's it called again?"

"Umbrum," Ruby replied, "And he was. But he was transformed into a pony to stop from turning to dust."

This was followed by the conversation between Flash, Ruby and Sombra, Twilight turning to Flash, "He was inside of you? As in, that's why you acted like that after your fight with him?"

"A small portion of his soul was," Flash corrected her. "We should be glad it was, since it's what turned him to the side of good."

"And almost turned you to the side of evil," Twilight deadpanned.

"But I wasn't thanks to you and everypony else," Flash chuckled as Twilight let out a sigh.

"You are taking this way too casually," she replied as the movie moved on to the 'final' battle, now showing Flash and Shadow facing off. They cheered when Heart managed to take down Armalum by himself, only to cringe at the sight of Tempera becoming a giant art monster. This was followed by the orb being split in two, some asking how that was possible.

After that was the two seven on one battles, everypony constantly flinching when they saw their friends get taken down, the child censor button constantly being hit until it ended with Flash and Shadow the last ones standing. Their fears increased when it was revealed the rest of Flash's team was nowhere to be found, leading to him and Sombra discovering the key and opening the mystery door.

"Discord," Flash spoke up, "Can I get a notebook and quill?" Everypony raised an eyebrow as Discord snapped and the aforementioned items appeared, Flash giving them to Twilight, "You'll be wanting these pretty soon." Twilight blinked at the items as Flash and Sombra entered the crystal chamber, Shadow's arrival soon following before Faust revealed herself.

Flash was right about Twilight wanting to write everything down as Faust began to explain the origins of the universe, even asking Discord for subtitles so she didn't mishear anything. "Genesis gene," she whispered while turning to Flash. "Who would have thought you'd be the most pure breed pony in the world."

At the same time, both Celestia and Luna were in shock after seeing the image of the two ponies they now knew were their parents. Both felt themselves tearing up, having long since wondered what they had looked like.

"Sister..." Luna turned to Celestia as the tall mare wiped a tear from her eye.

"I know Luna," she replied before a flash of light appeared in front of them. When it faded, they saw a pair of identical pictures showing a still shot from the movie. It was an image of Celestia and Luna's parents holding them tightly as they slept. The two stared at them before looking up at Discord, who gave them a wink while the pair smiled back.

The movie went on as Faust went on to explain the final battle, everypony gasping when they heard what Shadow demanded if he won.

"He can't do that!" Spike yelled, "That would doom all of Equestria!"

"We know." Flash deadpanned as his movie version yelled at Faust about the circumstances, only to be forced to accept them. Everypony was on the edge of their seats as they watched Flash and Shadow take one another on, most gasping as they saw Lightbringer shatter before Flash was almost taken down.

The many mares began to tear up at hearing his internal monologue while the stallions growled at Shadow, these emotions getting replaced by shock when Sombra called out to him. Despite being told about this before, Ruby could barely believe how Sombra was trying to help Flash, now seeing the defender pick himself up. They all felt incredible pride when they heard his speech, leading into his final transformation and battle with Shadow. This was followed by every emotion possible on their faces, mainly shock when the ghostly images of themselves appeared before cheering as Flash finally claimed victory over the deluded unicorn.

"Well done," Celestia told him as the aftermath played out, only for everypony to grimace as they saw Shadow attempt to steal the power himself. To say they were surprised by the result of what Shadow's actions did was an understatement as they watched him vanish, Flash feeling a bit bad to censor it as well.

The group then turned to Flash after he was given the chance to become an alicorn, Rainbow even waving her hoof over his head to see if their was an invisible horn there. But when they heard Flash's decision, they smiled before seeing his new form.

"That's awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "What can you do with it bro?"

"No idea," Flash replied while shrugging, "I haven't used it yet."

Twilight hummed as she stared at the still image. "Who wants to bet you can do actual magic in that form." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "What? We'll have to test it to be sure, but I bet you could cast spells now."

"Geez," Iron huffed, "How much more overpowered are you gonna get?"

As he said this, the movie now showed the fate of Shadow's followers. Flash turned to Cold, now seeing him growling at the sight of Storm, "I know you're probably more angry now about what happened to him."

"You have no idea," he whispered before taking a deep breath. "But...I spent a long time letting my anger at the past decide my life. I'm sure if Noble was here, he wouldn't want me to give into my rage."

Celestia smiled at this. "Cold Steel, you've really changed." Her eyes shifted to the other ponies, "Each of you are so different. It's clear going on this adventure has changed the lot of you for the better."

Luna nodded in agreement, "I see it as well. These battles shown to us have helped you evolve into the ponies you were always meant to be, both physically and mentally. You should all be proud."

The others nodded as they watched the city vanish before Flash offered Heart the chance to be a knight. "Definitely deserving of it," Grand added with Iron and Lightning nodding.

The movie came to an end, everypony sighing in relief before seeing Sombra announce his intentions, making Rainbow yell out, "Seriously?! You let him go?! Are you nuts?!"

But before he could reply, Lightning chimed in, "Hey, he saved Sentry's flank in that final battle, and this whole thing showed us he's willing to be good. Is that any different from what the princesses did for me? Besides, Sentry can sense him if something goes wrong."

Flash nodded in agreement, even closing his eyes and thinking of Sombra. He could now feel what Sombra was feeling, the unicorn right now exhausted from a long day's travel. "Everything will be fine." he said as he opened his eyes, assuring his friends.

As he said this, Celestia and Luna shared a glance as the night princess asked, "What should we do if he actually manages to find all her pieces?"

"I'm...unsure. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what our own judgement tells us." Celestia replied, "I will say this, I do hope he manages to find her. Seeing Amore again will be a glorious day."

Luna nodded back as the movie ended, teleporting them to Equestria. As the screen went dead, Discord warped the throne room back to normal, everypony noticing just how much time had passed, now time for Celestia and Luna to swap their heavenly bodies.

"I can't believe you said no to becoming an alicorn," Rarity told Flash with a sigh, "I'd certainly jump at the chance if it was offered to me."

"Not to mention you gave up the chance to become Equestria's new king," Scootaloo joined in. "Why would you give that up?"

Flash chuckled and shook his head, "Like I told Faust, it's not my destiny. That and I don't think I can handle being a king."

"I don't know," Grand added, "I think you would have made an excellent ruler of Equestria if you had to. You're fair, caring and brave enough to stand up to any enemy that the kingdom would face. You would make a great ruler."

"Would he really become a king though?" Rainbow asked before turning to Celestia as she lowered the sun. "Is becoming an alicorn the only qualification you need?"

"Does that make me a princess?!" Soul squeaked out, hugging herself while shaking like a leaf.

Celestia giggled as she turned to Flash. "I admit, had Flash become an alicorn, I would have to consider making him a ruler on Twilight's level. But he's definitely a long way from being ready to become its sole leader." She then let out a sigh, "Though the idea of letting somepony take over for me isn't a terrible idea."

"But we should probably wait a few years," Luna added as she raised the moon. "I will admit though, the eight of you have done Equestria a great service."

Celestia nodded in agreement, "You've defeated a great evil and spared Equestria from both a future attack and a more recent one that we may have had no chance of winning." She then turned to one of the blank stain glass windows. "I hope you all are willing to allow us idolise this accomplishment. It certainly deserves it."

This made six of the eight go wide-eyed, Flash and Cold being the only ones not reacting due to Flash knowing it was coming as Discord floated over them, "Oh, this is too priceless." he chuckled before summoning an artist costume that was carrying what looked like a leaf blower on his back. "Allow me." He pointed the device at the window, firing out a rainbow that struck the glass.

And as the rainbow splashed over the glass, it now showed an image of Flash in the center in his old Sacred Light form with the rest of his team around him. Even Sombra appeared in the group, with smaller versions of the cult of shadow all defeated with an image of the city in the background.

"What do you think?"

Flash and his team stepped up in a line, smiling as Soarin spoke up first, "My wings are a bit small."

"And Trixie's mane is off color."

"And my nose is much too long," Ruby finished, Discord growling at them as they giggled at him, only for Flash to fly up and pat his shoulder.

"it's perfect." He then heard a cough, making him turn to see Twilight pull a camera out of Pinkie's mane.

"I think this moment needs to be idolized as well." She said as she gestured the group together, Twilight ordering Cold to smile as she positioned the camera, "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" They replied as Twilight took the picture.

After that, everything was a blur for Flash. The conversations broke out into a full-on party, Pinkie somehow managing to pull enough food out of nowhere that it was able to cover a ten foot long table Celestia had conjured up. Everypony grabbed some food, splitting into groups to talk about certain things.

"It's too bad you couldn't learn about how those healing chambers worked," Misty told Ruby from their group with Trail, Grand and Celestia. "They might have helped a lot of ponies if we could have discovered what Faust did to heal you so quickly."

"I don't think so. I think it was her magic, and the recovery chambers probably wasn't what was healing us." Ruby replied, "My guess is that they were a form of stasis that kept us from dying. The dusting only seemed to happen when we took a form of major, life threatening, damage."

"That makes sense," Grand added, "But who knows what kind of side effects you experienced from being healed like that. It may have even shortened your life."

Celestia nodded in agreement, "I doubt it would be something that bad...but you should all have medical tests done to make sure you're alright," She then turned to the two young ponies as they were now talking to the CMC. "I already plan on having them be properly examined. They haven't received any form of medical treatment in over two millennium."

Grand gulped at that, "They haven't developed any of the resistances most ponies are born with. Even getting a cold could kill them."

"They're gonna need a lot of vaccinations," Trail continued, "They ain't gonna like that."

"Seriously?" Flash yelped as Twilight finished telling him about her adventure in an alternative timeline, "An evil version of me?!"

Twilight nodded. "His powers were awfully similar to Shadow Corrupter. He was able to control shadows and morph them into weapons. It was crazy."

Flash's face shined a huge grown, "I can't believe there's a version of me out there that's...evil."

"It was only one version of you," Spike pointed out. "All the other versions we saw of you seemed to be pretty awesome."

"He even said he was the only Flash that was like that," Starlight went on. "And I don't think you have to worry about it. We might never even see him again. He fell into the time stream and could be anywhere. Either in the distant past or the far off future."

"We should still be prepared if he does show up again," Twilight huffed before turning to Flash. "But with you more powerful than ever, I'm not worried."

Flash nodded back, only to hear both Soul and Scootaloo letting out a yawn. "I think it's time we all get to bed."

Celestia giggled at this, "Yes, we've all had a long day. Filled with surprises, worry, excitement and much much more. You're probably all exhausted after it. I've already prepared rooms for you all, but if any of you wish to return home, I'm sure Discord will be happy to help."

The draconequus sighed, "I'm being much too nice today." This was followed by a thank you and hug from Fluttershy, agreeing to let her go home first to care for her animal friends. Iron, Lightning and Grand then chose to return, many fearing Ponyville might have exploded by now. Pinkie and Wild also asked, Pinkie now remembering they were meant to foalsit the Cake Twins tomorrow. And since it was a school night, Applejack and Rarity chose to take the girls back home.

"Aww," Scootaloo pouted before turning to her brother. "But I wanna stay and catch up."

Flash patted her head, "Don't worry. I'll be back home before you know it. Then you and me will hang out and spend some quality time together." Scootaloo gave him one final hug between them and their parents, Discord sending her and the others home.

"We should get going too," Misty told Flash.

Trail nodded. "We were preparing for a very important lecture before all this. But once it's done, we're heading straight for Ponyville."

"Really?" Flash asked.

"Of course," Misty nodded. "We haven't seen you in a month. Plus, we just learned how the universe began. This is every archaeologist's dream." She turned to Twilight, "Still have those notes?" Twilight nodded back, "Well, maybe we can write a book about it all using them."

"I look forward too it," Twilight replied before Misty and Trail shared one final hug with their son. They were soon warped away, leaving only Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Rainbow, the princesses and Team Flash.

The eight members of that team stepped into a circle and shared a glance, Flash speaking up first, "So....this is it."

"Feels kinda weird," Springer added, "It's only been a month...but it feels like so much longer."

The others nodded as Flash turned to those who wouldn't be returning to Ponyville with him. "So what are you all planning on doing?"

"I'm anxious to get back to the Crystal Empire," Ruby replied, "I'm glad Grand agreed to let a few extra soldiers to be there, but I need to see it's safe for myself."

"Back to the Wonderbolts for me," Soarin chimed in, "With my new Theta Mode, I'm gonna clean up in our next race."

"I'll be back to studying," Trixie announced as Luna spoke up.

"Yes, and I think you've proven you're ready for some much more advanced spells." She then turned to Ruby and Springer, "Ruby, will you help me with the jakhowl eggs before you leave? I think I can arrange some incubators for them."

"Of course."

Flash glanced at Cold next, "What about you Cold?"

Cold did a small shrug, "I'm not certain. With Shadow and the higher-ups gone, the cult will probably fall apart. There's some investigating over their smaller parts, but...I guess I'll just move on to the next mission."

"This may be a good chance to expand your horizons," Celestia chimed in, "It's clear you've learned more about working with others during this adventure. Perhaps you can use that to leading a new team. You may find it to be an interesting opportunity."

Cold glanced at her for a second, the others smiling that Cold would even show consideration.

It was here that Flash raised a hoof, making them all turn to him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to say a few things. You see, we might all be going our separate ways now, but that doesn't change what happened. We'll always be a team. We've fought together, bled together, helped pick one another up when times were hard. We formed a bond and no matter what, that bond won't go away. Even if one of us never sees another again, we'll always be friends. We'll always be...team Flash." The others chuckled at this as Flash held out his hoof, Springer bringing his paw in as Soarin followed this. The others did the same, all pumping hooves as they showed their unbreakable bond.

After this, everypony headed off to bed. Trixie showed Heart and Soul to their rooms while Rainbow and Soarin found theirs. Ruby and Cold chose to stay up a bit longer, Ruby wanting to properly catch up with Luna while Cold stayed to talk to Celestia.

As this happened, Flash and Twilight headed off to their room, side by side as Twilight spoke up, "I've missed you."

"Same." Flash responded as she rested her head on his shoulder. That is, till Flash said, "Oh yeah, you might want to check your journal when we get back. Something...weird happened when I woke up this morning." Twilight blinked at him, the defender soon explaining his dream.

"Sounds like Sunset's having trouble."

"It's probably a bit too late to really help now," Flash replied, "If Faust is right, the universe should have been ripped apart by what happened. Since it hasn't, things are likely fine."

"Still, I'll teleport us home tomorrow to check." Flash nodded at this as they reached their room. "Until then," Twilight grabbed him in her magic, pushing him through the door. "You've been gone a month. You've got a lot of making up to do." Flash shined the biggest grin as she shut the door behind them.

Several days later...

All the medical tests now done, which involved a lot of poking and prodding, team Flash had been given an all clear to return home. Now Flash, Twilight, Springer, Heart and Soul were riding a pegasus drawn chariot through the skies. Flash had suggested this to show Heart and Soul their new home the same way he and Twilight had. Plus, he had a feeling a train might be a bit overwhelming for them.

Spike had been warped ahead along with the siblings' possessions, the dragon and their friends having been getting two new rooms ready. As for Springer's eggs, they were being held in special cases Luna had made for transportation.

"It won't be long," Flash told the two as they pulled themselves through the clouds.

Cloudsdale...

Soarin was now walking onto the Wonderbolt's runway, happy to be dressed in his uniform again. And as he marched onto the turf, he was met with the smiling faces of his teammates.

"Where you been Clipper?" Spitfire asked as they ran over, a barrage of questions over his adventure coming next.

Canterlot..

Trixie was with Luna as the princess showed her student a new pile of scrolls. The unicorn unfurled the first one, her eyes almost going wide at the complex spells they showed. However, a smile graced Luna's face as she saw confidence appear on Trixie's face, the mare knowing she had the determination to learn these spells.

At the same, Cold was in the barracks, meeting his new team. The guards all saluted him as the knight nodded, a little bit of nerves entering his mind as he took a deep breath. He quietly asked Noble and his friends to watch over him as he began to ask the soldiers who they were.

The Crystal Empire...

Ruby stepped off the train, a smile on her face as she took a deep breath. She felt her being almost overwhelmed by the beautiful air she had missed for the last month.

Walking into the city, she noticed a nearby cloud, stopping to see it was in the shape of Sombra, a day star acting as his right eye. The star twinkled, making it look like Sombra was winking. This made Ruby smile and nod before heading to the castle, knowing she would need to inform the royal couple of Sombra's restoration, but she had a feeling it would be best if the rest of the city was kept out of the loop.

As the chariot descended through the clouds, the ponies riders all got a great view of the town. "Heart, Soul, welcome to Ponyville." The siblings gasped at the sight, their jaws dropping. Despite looking nothing like the city, the town gave them the same feeling. The feeling of being home.

And as they got closer to the ground, they spotted a large group of ponies in the center of town. They headed to the crowd as the ponies in it all cheered and waved, now seeing a large banner that hung between two houses.

Welcome Home Flash and Springer/Welcome to Ponyville, Heart and Soul

The chariot touched down with the occupants getting out, the five being crowded by their friends and many other ponies. Several said hello to the newest occupants of the town while others were asking where the two original defenders had been all this time. Laughter filled the air as the town almost broke into a festival level party, the ponies of the town simply happy for them to be there.

In Flash and Twilight's bedroom, a new picture hung from the wall.

It had been placed there by Spike, and was identical to the pictures that were now in Springer's room and the two rooms that would soon be Heart and Soul's. The picture showed the eight ponies that had saved all of Equestria, grouped together in front of a stained glass window.

Each were smiling, having been through something that had bound them together as eternal friends. They were the victors, in the War of the Lost City of Faust.

Author's Note

And thus, the biggest Chronicles story finally comes to an end.

It's strange to think that It's done. When I first started this series, this was as far as I planned up too in the early stages. Back then, I never thought I'd get this far. But here it is. And I couldn't have done it without you all.

To my awesome editor that's put up with my difficult demands. To the first few readers that commented on the Element of Courage and helped me find the drive to keep going. To the newer readers that joined in part-way through or only comment every now and again.

To all of you, I say thank you. You're the reason this series exists. You're the reason I kept going, though the hard times and the boring times. So, thank you.

And now, phase two of this series begins. I hope it's as awesome as phase one was. And starting that off is Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S6.

However, that'll have to wait. This story has seriously exhausted me. I'm gonna take a week off before starting the story. But don't think you won't be getting anything from me. Check out my One-Shots story next week. You might find something interesting there.

This is Banshee531, signing out.

Heart and Soul

Author's Note

Welcome, to the War of the Lost City. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Flash vs Shadow. Good vs evil. All that stuff. I said before that this was gonna be a long one, so I hope you enjoy it. Let's begin.

Heart and Soul

Equestria, the kingdom of harmony. Where ponies of all shapes and sizes live together, play together and work together to keep the kingdom happy and flourishing. It is protected by many great heroes, all who risk their lives to protect the ones they love.

The four princesses, who govern over the sun, the moon, love and friendship. The Elements of of Harmony, that help keep the kingdom in balance. And the Royal Knights, brave and noble warriors that refuse to run from any opponent. No matter the threat that attempts to take down Equestria, these great protectors are always there to save it.

But this adventure doesn't begin in Equestria, but in the far west past many great forests, a small ocean that converted into a blistering hot desert and finally over a volcano filled valley. Now a certain group was walking through a peaceful looking valley covered in flowers at the base of a small mountain.

Peace, quiet, not a single sound was ruining this graceful-

"ACHOO!" The serene grace was shattered by the sound of a certain orange pegasus sneezing. He let out a long moan as he rubbed his nose, ruffling his blue mane and tail in the process.

"You okay Flash?" A light blue unicorn asked him as she and a jakhowl walked in front of him.

"I'm fine Trixie," Flash told her as he kept rubbing his nose, "I think I might be allergic to these flowers."

"Maybe you should fly over them like Soarin," Springer suggested while pointing to the blue pegasus hovering above them.

"Or I could cast a spell the shield you from the pollen," Trixie added, "Or at the very least, it'll keep you from sneezing all over-" Flash let out a massive sneeze, his discharge almost hitting Trixie and Springer, "Eww!"

Flash smirked as he rubbed his nose, "Sorry."

The last two members of the group, Ruby Scarlet and Cold Steel, trotted up from behind them. "Enough playing around," Cold growled, "We should not be so lax now that we are so close to our goal."

"Can you blame us for being a little tired after everything we've been through getting here?" Soarin responded while floating down, "Even if we don't find this place, its been one heck of a journey getting here."

"It has indeed," Ruby finished as they thought about the past two weeks. "My back is still sore from those living vines that tried to turn me into a green mummy."

Trixie did a small shrug, "Beats having to cross the ocean on a homemade raft and almost getting sucked into a whirlpool."

Soarin let out a laugh, "Hey, remember when Springer saved that tribe of breezies from those wolves and they started treating him like their god?"

Springer chuckled at this, "I think I was a fair ruler during my brief reign." He turned to Cold, "But remember when you fell into that volcano and we had to save you?"

"Vividly..." Cold deadpanned, shaking his head next, "But that's my point. After everything we've been through, let's not drop our guard since we're so close to the finish line." He turned to Flash, "We are close to the finish line, right?"

Flash nodded back before pointing at the mountain, "The city is on the other side of that. Once we get to the top, we'll be able to see it."

"You sure?" Ruby asked.

"Trust me," Flash turned back to her. "The route is burnt into my brain. Every place we've been is the exact same place I saw in my dream."

Trixie let out a huff, "You think your dream could have given you a few more details on the dangers we'd face getting here."

Soarin did a small nod as he did a barrel roll over the group, "Yeah! Can you imagine what it would be like if somepony was watching this adventure, except they skipped from when we left Canterlot to right here, right now?"

"They would have seriously missed out," Springer laughed.

"That's enough." Cold grumbled as he trotted ahead, "Come on, let's try and get to the top of that mountain before it gets dark." The others nodded before heading to the base of the mountain. There, Ruby used her magic to create a basket like structure that her, Springer, Trixie and Cold climbed into. Trixie then used a spell to reduce the weight of an object, allowing Flash and Soarin lift the basket.

But as they started to fly up the summit, Soaring grunted out, "Couldn't you also use that spell on yourself?!"

"Sorry," Trixie shrugged, "Only works on none living things."

Flash groaned, "You'd think with all the walking we've been doing, you all would be a little lighter."

"HEY!" All but Cold yelled back, the group then seeing the top.

"Almost there." Flash commented as they keep going closer, only to hear a cracking sound. This made them all look down, now seeing the handles they were holding beginning to break. "Uh-oh."

SNAP!

"AAAAH!" The four screamed as the handles broke, the group now hitting the mountainside before sliding down. Flash and Soarin quickly raced after them, only for Trixie to yell, "ROCK!" She pointed to a large boulder coming their way, only to grab hold of the group, "Hang on!" With that, she sparked her horn, encasing the group in a veil of light.

Seconds later, the basket slammed into the rock, shattering to pieces. But as this happened, a blue flash of light appeared behind the rock, the four and their belongings hitting the ground with many groans and clattering of gear. Flash and Soarin then landed as the Knight of Friendship asked, "You all okay?"

"I feel like a rainbow," Springer quipped as his face continued to eat dirt. Trixie got off him and began to dust herself off as the other knights began to put their stuff back on.

And as Cold tried to shove a frying pan inside the bag, he turned to Trixie, "That weight reduction spell. It doesn't per chance, also weaken the structural integrity of what it's used on?"

"Um...maybe?" Trixie replied, "I'll have to double check when we get home."

Everypony but Flash gave her a frown, Cold about to go further until Flash interjected, "Well, we're fine so who cares. We're almost there, so play nice." He then turned to the rest before shining a huge grin, "Race ya!"

"You're on!" Soarin cheered as both landed and began galloping up the mountain.

The others just raised an eyebrow, Ruby turning to them, "They do know they can fly, right?"

Springer did a small shrug, "Knowing Flash, he wants to give us a fair chance of winning."

Trixie put her back on and sparked her horn, "Well, I prefer to use whatever advantage I have." She teleported away and suddenly appeared in front of Flash, spooking him as she turned and ran ahead.

"HEY!" Flash and Soarin yelled, only to look back to see the others gaining ground. The group all soon raced up the hill, each taking the lead at some point. But eventually, Flash was the first to reach the top, coming to a skidding, cheering halt, "Yes!" He hopped up and flapped his wings before looking down to see the prize of being the first one to see the city...only to go wide-eyed.

The rest of the group then arrived, all staring ahead before glaring at Flash as Cold asked, "Where is it?"

They were all now staring at where Flash said the city was supposed to be, only to see a large collection of lava pools of varying sizes. What Flash had seen in his dream as a spring that was the entrance of the city, but instead seemed to just be some boiling rocks that were pouring out a large cloud of steam.

One thing was clear, there was no city here.

"I...I don't understand," Flash whispered while scratching his head, "It's supposed to be here."

"Well, obviously it isn't."

"But everything else is the same," Flash replied as his eyes began to shift around, "Why is this part the only thing that's different?"

"Maybe the city was here once," Soarin suggested. "If it's as old as the princesses said it was, maybe something happened and it was destroyed."

"Wouldn't there be evidence of that?" Trixie asked. "Some kind of ruins or something? I doubt these lava pools could sprout up in two weeks."

"Well...then what do you suppose happened?" Soarin countered, Trixie just shrugging in response.

"I don't know. Maybe...maybe the others were right and this whole thing was a trick to get us to come here."

The others exchanged glances at that suggestion, only for Flash to turn to them, "Hey, let's not jump to conclusions here." He turned to Springer, "Can you sense anypony?"

The jakhowl hopped onto a nearby rock and put his paws together, his ear flaring up as he sent a wave of aura out. Everypony waited with baited breath, only for him to shake his head. "No...I don't feel anything. There's no living thing within ten miles of us in any direction."

"That's...I don't know." Flash responded as he looked back at the lava pits. "But what do we do now? We came all this way for nothing."

"There has to be something we're missing," Springer added as he prepared to jump down. "We'll just keep looking until we-" He didn't get to finish as he suddenly slipped, making him fall over the edge of the cliff into the pools. "Whoa!"

"SPRINGER!" They all yelled, now seeing him begin to slide down the ramp-like slope. Flash and Soarin leapt up before diving down, the others jumping over the edge with a more controlled slide down the mountain. "Hang on bud!" Flash added as he increased his speed.

"Good idea," he summoned a Steel Paw and slammed it into the rock, only for it tear right through, not making him fall any slower. "Or...not."

And as those words left his mouth, Springer now found himself at a curved ledge of the mountain. This acted like a ramp, slinging the jakhowl into the air before dropping straight into the lava. "Not good! Help!"

Flash and Soarin sped up at this sight, about to cover the distance to catch the young defender. But as they got close...Springer vanished. His body disappeared, vanishing before even getting close to the lava. "What?!" Flash and Soarin both pulled themselves to a stop midair, just staring at where Springer had been.

"Uh..." Soarin turned to him, "Can jakhowls teleport?"

"No...no they can not," Flash replied before reaching out, slowly flying down...only for the tip of his hoof to vanish. "Whoa!" He yelped as he pulled back his hoof, the tip returning to normal. The knight could only blink at the sight, Soarin now floating down and doing the same, both seeing their hooves vanish.

"What is this?"

"I'm...not sure."

"Flash!" They both looked up and saw the three unicorns standing on a ledge above them. Both flapped their wings up to their level as Ruby asked, "Where's Springer?! He didn't-"

"No," Flash shook his head before glancing back at the lava pit, "At least...I don't think so?" Before anypony could ask what he meant, he landed nearby the pit and closed his eyes as he asked, "Springer, you there?"

"Yeah," he smiled as he opened his eyes back up.

"That's good. Where are you?"

"I'm...no way."

"What?"

"You've...you've just gotta see it for yourself."

Flash knew he wasn't getting any more out of Springer, deciding to do what he asked as he walked up to the closest lava pit, "Alright...here goes."

They all saw what he was about to do, Cold yelling, "Flash, don't get to close! The heat alone could burn you to-" He didn't finish as in that moment, Flash began to disappear. First his head, then his neck, followed by the rest of his body with his tail being the last thing to vanish.

"What...just happened?" Ruby asked, Soarin laughing as he flew up to the where Flash had been.

"No idea, but it's awesome!" He quickly vanished like Flash, the three exchanging glances before shrugging. And with that, they followed suit.

Flash's eyes were closed as he stepped through the veil, a bright light flashing when his head went through. His skin felt goosebumps as he reached the other side, the defender now feeling his body full form through the portal. His eyes blinked open as the others joined him, everypony now coming to a halt at a new sight. Flash and his friends's jaws dropped, gasping at the sight of the city before them.

Hundreds of buildings stood before them, all big and small. They were made of pure white marble with golden trim around the doorways that also ran up the corners of the constructs. Some buildings stood alone, while others appeared linked together, with most being two to three stories higher while others went as high as ten. The streets were overgrown with weeds and plant life, through none seemed to be close to the actual buildings while the water originating from the nearby mountains was now flowing into a few deep canals.

"Flash..." Ruby whispered as she kept staring at the sight, "Is this..."

"Yeah," was all he could say, "It's the city in my dream."

"Flash!" They all turned to see Springer walk up with a giant grin, "Look at this place! It's awesome!"

Flash shook his head back, "Nevermind that. Are you okay? That had to be some fall you took."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Springer replied, only to tilt his head, "Not sure how though. I ended up crashing into the wall of a building but...it was weird." He turned and pointed at the building, "When I hit the wall, it was almost like I was slamming into a plate of jelly. I just bounced off and fell to the ground, which was also springy. Once I stopped bouncing, the ground went back to normal."

Everypony exchanged glances again, Trixie about to suggest that the city might have some kind of enchantment to prevent injuries. But before she could say anything, Soarin spoke up, "Uh...we got a problem." They all turned to him, the pegasi reaching out his hoof at where they had come in from...only to tap a wall. "I um...I can't get back out."

They went wide-eyed before running over, trying the same thing. "What is this?" Cold asked, "A barrier?"

"Ha!" Trixie laughed, "It'll take more than this to cage the great and powerful TRIXIE!" Her horn sparked before she was consumed by a flash of blue light, that light shooting at the barrier...only to bounce off as she fell over with a thud. "Ow," she moaned as she rubbed her head, "I can't teleport out."

"Perhaps raw power will work." Cold formed a drill out of ice before trying to dig into the ground. But no matter how hard it span, the ground wouldn't crack. "Nothing." he growled before looking up, "Flash, try and fly straight up."

Flash nodded and did so, but only got a few feet up before hitting something. It was the same glowing force-field, though this one appeared to be curved. He flew back down, his hoof holding the shield while going descending, seeing it was some kind of arch-like shield. "Huh. That's a no go there too."

"Interesting..." Ruby whispered before staring straight up. She used her magic to form a crystal bow and arrow, aiming at the central area of the city and firing. Everypony watched as it flew up, going over the highest building in the city, only to bounce off against the same barrier, shattering to pieces. "Seems we're in some kind of magic dome."

"So the whole city's encased within it?" Trixie asked next.

"It appears so," Cold added. "The dome must be some form of illusion magic, making it so that anypony outside it sees it as nothing more than a bunch of lava pits."

"No wonder nopony's ever found it," Soarin commented, "What sane pony would go near lava?"

"Dragons would," Springer pointed out, "They use them like hot tubs."

Cold hummed at that fact, only to cross his hooves in frustration, "True...but then there's the fact that the dome is a one-way entrance. Why would you make a spell like that?"

"Maybe there's something in here that somepony didn't want getting out," Trixie suggested, only for her mind to go to one place she didn't want to go. That being a mental image of a monster trapped within this place.

"But then why would they make it so others could get into the place?" Flash countered.

"Maybe it's how they fed it," Soarin gulped.

"Or maybe so somepony could come in to slay it," Cold added, "Maybe that's why we were brought here. In order to defeat whatever abomination has remained trapped within this city for Celestia knows how long. But if that's the case, why only summon three knights?" He glared back at the others, "Why not summon every knight? I mean, Skybreaker would be much more useful in a battle then a stunts performer."

"HEY! I'm military, just like you! I know how to fight!" Soarin barked back, ready to go into full argument mode.

However, before this could happen, Ruby's ears picked up the sound of a snapping twig. "What was that?" Ruby asked, spinning around like a top as she summoned a small crystal sword. "We're not alone here."

The others got into a battle ready stance, Trixie turning to Springer, "I thought you said you didn't sense anypony for a hundred miles!"

"I didn't," Springer replied before glancing back at the dome, "That shield must have been hiding them from me."

"Who cares!" Flash pulled out his Celestic Gear and took to the skies. "They might know how to get out of here!"

It was here that they now all heard a sound, making them turn to an alleyway just a bit of distance away. Flash turned to the noise, seeing some metal poles fall over by the buildings. "Hey!" He zipped down, the others following as the defender flew to ground level before going through the alleyway. There he began to chase what seemed to be a shadow, the being quickly racing through a few houses. Minutes soon passed as the group began to jump through the buildings, finding they were just barely able to keep up with the figure.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Soarin moaned as they chased the figure into another street, "How are we not able to catch this pony?"

"Whoever it is knows the terrain too well," Cold replied, "Whoever they are, they've been here a while."

"They're over there!" Springer added, pointing to another alley. He had now locked onto the aura, seeing the figure now run out of some tall grass. But as they ran after the being, Springer began to feel the individual's aura, only to find nothing...but fear.

The jakhowl was not able to tell the others though, as Flash zoomed ahead, only to come to a stop at a new house. This one looked different, as it...well kept. Vines and plants were not overtaking it, small flowers planted outside of the building like a garden. He blinked at the sight, now seeing that the walls of the house were covered in pictures, as if somepony had hoof-painted a bunch of smiles, suns and other foal images.

The six soon arrived as well, all standing at the building as Flash turned to Springer, "Is this it?"

The jakhowl did another scan before nodding, "Yeah, and they're not alone. There's somepony else in there." This made the rest grimace, Cold forming a pair of ice swords before starting to make an ice battering ram, only for Springer to jump in front of the group, "Wait! I don't think they're a threat. Their aura...it seemed like they were really scared."

"They're scared?" Flash asked, the others glancing at each other as Springer shook his head.

"I don't know why, but they are. I mean...we did come into their home suddenly after all."

"Makes sense." Flash added as he turned and gestured to Cold, "Put your weapons away. That includes the battering ram."

Cold glared back at him, only to desummon the ice weapons. Ruby did the same with a small crystal sword she had made, Flash then putting Lightbringer on the ground. As he did this, he moved up to the door and said, "Hello? Can you hear me?" There was no answer, "Listen, we just want to talk to you." He looked back at the others, the others slightly backpedaling as they appeared to be a little on edge. Flash gestured to them again, making them stop tensing up before glancing back at the door, "Please, I promise you're not in any danger. My name is Flash Sentry, I'm a Royal Knight from Equestria. My friends and I were asked to come here. Do you know anything about that?"

They waited for almost a whole minute, pure silence gracing the area. But then, the sound of a lock being undone could be heard, the door soon creaking open. The six watched the gap grow larger until the door was completely open, only to see nothing standing in there. Blinking at the sight, they looked down, now coming face to face with the one they had been chasing.

"A kid?" Cold asked.

It was a red pegasus colt that looked to be around same age as Flash's sister Scootaloo. He had a spiky yellow mane and tail with orange tips and wore an orange hoodie that his wings poked out of. His eyes were dark blue and his legs were yellow from his knees to his hooves. He had three cream dots under each of his eyes and he had a large cream colored section that made up his snout, nose and between his eyes. They were all completely taken back by the sight, unable to believe a colt had been able to out chase them.

Flash spoke up first, "Err...hi."

"Hay," the colt replied, his body shaking as he responded.

"It's nice to meet you," Flash held out his hoof. "Like I said before, I'm Flash Sentry." The colt stared at his hoof for a few seconds, only to slowly reach out and take the hoof.

"Heart. Fire Heart."

"Nice to meet you," Flash replied with a big grin, shaking it before noticing something behind Heart, "Is there somepony else in there with you?" Heart looked back over his shoulder, then stepped out of the house.

"Come on. I um...I don't think they're bad." Flash stepped back to the others as they now saw another pony walk outside with Heart. It was a silver coated unicorn filly around the same age as Heart. She was wearing a bulky bluish-purple turtle-neck jumper, her mane and tail being light blue at the top and growing darker as it got longer. Her eyes were the same blue as Heart and her legs started changing color at her knees, going from silver to light blue before being dark blue at the hoof. Unlike Heart, she had a cutie mark that showed a bunch of pink lines that made up the image of a flower.

She slowly stepped out, all but Cold getting a Fluttershy vibe with how she was hiding her face behind her mane. "Oh, isn't she precious?" Trixie giggled as she slowly walked up and leaned over, getting down to eye level, "What's your name?"

"Sh-Sh-Shining...S-S-Soul."

"Shining Soul...what a beautiful name." Trixie replied, "It's very nice to meet you."

"Both of you," Ruby added before gesturing to the others, "We should introduce ourselves as well. I'm the Crystal Knight, Ruby Scarlet."

"I'm Soarin, the best flyer in all of Equestria."

"Bullhonky!" Flash coughed into his hoof, Soarin turning to glare at him.

"I'm Springer the jakhowl. It's nice too meet you two."

"And I'm the Frozen Wanderer, Cold Steel." Cold deadpanned, the two young ponies instantly shrinking back at his demeanor.

"Cold," Trixie nudged him in chest as she saw Soul try to hide behind Heart. "Try and be a little more friendly." She turned back to the two, "Sorry about him. He comes off as mean but he's...okay...somewhat after you get to know him. Anyways, you can call me the great and powerful TRIXIE!" As she said that, she sparked her horn and sent a few fireworks into the air. The others expected this to scare the two, only for both to just go wide-eyed at the loud bangs and bright flashes.

"Wow/ooh..." Heart and Soul whispered until the effects died down, their previous anxieties slowly going away. As this happened, Flash walked back up and kneeled down in front of the two young ponies.

"Well, it was nice meeting you two. If you don't mind, could you tell us where your parents are so we can talk to them?"

A somber look appeared on both faces, Flash instantly knowing that look. But before he could ask, Heart muttered out, We don't...have any parents."

This statement made the others share glances, Cold then asking, "What do you mean you don't have any parents? Are you all alone in this city?"

"Yeah...we are." Heart turned back to the house, "Do you all wanna come in? We've got some food and drink if you're hungry." He and Soul then walked inside, the others sharing only last look before following.

The house was only one story, a small table inside with two chairs in one corner with another corner having a shelf with two books on it. The third corner had two boxes, one pink and one blue with a bunch of different toys and art stuff in the pink one and a bunch of action figures in the blue. In the last corner was a large cupboard while two hammocks hung from the ceiling. The back wall was covered in tally marks, going all the way from the ceiling to the bottom.

"This is where you live?" Ruby asked, Heart and Soul nodding. "It's...quaint."

"Why don't you live in one of the bigger houses?" Springer asked while sitting down on one of the two chairs.

"We thought about it, but um...they just felt too...empty. This place might not be big, but neither are we." She moved over to the cupboard, "Would you like something to drink?"

"What do you have?" Cold asked, only to see Soul smile before opening the cupboard and showing it was completely empty.

"Everything you could possibly want." This made them all raise an eyebrow as they saw her shut it, "Strawberry milkshake." It was then that some light seeped out from the gaps of the door, lasting several seconds before dying down. Soul opened it up after this, the cupboard now showing a glass with the drink she had asked for.

"No way..." Trixie gasped as she saw Soul grabbed the drink in her hooves and suck it up through the straw. "How...how is that possible?"

"No idea," Heart replied as he went up and shut the door. "But it doesn't just do drinks. Watch this," he chuckled as he said, "Chocolate bar." The light appeared again before dying down, Heart opening it up to reveal the treat he had asked for. "See? It makes anything you want."

"Incredible..." Ruby whispered.

Trixie hummed and shut the door, "Ice tea." The light appeared again, only for the unicorn to start pulling on the door, "Ha! Open up-" She tried to say, only to feel find that the door wouldn't open. "Huh? Hey! Come on!" She tugged at the door with all her strength, but it wouldn't budge. Instead, the light died down, only for her magic to give it one last pull before swinging open and slamming her in the face, "Ow!" she moaned as she rubbed her nose before looking inside and seeing the drink she had asked for.

"Yeah..." Heart bit into his chocolate, "We've tried that and the same thing happens. We don't get it, and I think the cupboard doesn't want us to know."

Trixie growled at this and took her drink out, everypony ordering some beverages as well before sitting down. Flash was the last to get his drink, sipping on it while looking up at the tally marked wall. "What are those?" He asked, the two young ponies grimacing at the response they had to give.

Heart was the one to answer, "That's...the number of days we've been trapped in this city."

Yet again, the older ponies gasped before looking up at the wall as Soarin asked, "How many days is that?"

"Counting that many could take hours," Cold replied, only for Flash to chuckle.

"Allow me," he shut his eyes and opened them back up to show they were completely white. The young ponies gasped at this sight, only for Ruby to pat to their heads.

"Relax, he's fine." They watched as Flash's head shifted from left to right, his mouth moving despite the face that no words were coming out.

"What's he doing?" Heart asked.

"Counting. He's using Theta Mode. It's a skill he has that let's his brain move super fast." Soarin replied, the statement making Heart's eyes go wide before looking at Flash in awe.

"That's cool! Does that mean he becomes super smart?!"

Trixie let out a laugh at that, "No, he's still as dumb as a rock. It just makes everything appear to move in slow motion for him."

It was here that Flash stopped counting, his eyes returning to normal before panting as he looked back at the two, a look of pure shock on his face. "You...you've been here for one thousand and sixteen days?!" The others went wide-eyed at the number, now turning to the tiny ones.

"That's almost three years!" Cold added, "You've really been here that whole time?"

They both nodded in unison, both squirming in their seats. Heart then muttered out, "Yeah...we've been here for a long time."

"Long is an understatement." Flash replied, "Does that mean your parents weren't here for that long?"

"We um...don't really remember much about who we are or where we come from," Heart continued, "We've just...kinda always been here."

Soul nodded in agreement, "Before then, all we remember is...dreaming. We dreamt the same dream, where we were playing together in a flower valley. It was just constantly that, jumping around and playing. Then, we woke up in the middle of this city."

"And you don't remember anything before that?" Trixie asked.

Heart shook his head, "Nothing. The only thing we remember is our names, and that we were twin brother and sister...and our age and birthday. Everything else is just a blank."

"That's some weird convenient facts." Soaring commented as Ruby motioned over to the two.

"That must have been really hard on you two," Ruby said as she kneeled down to their level, remembering how similar her foalhood was on the streets of the Crystal Empire, "So...you started living here all alone?"

They both nodded, turning to the cupboard. "Every house here had one of these," Soul went up and patted the wooden box. "When we got hungry, it glowed and we found food inside."

"Over time, we found this place and decided to live here."

"So where'd you get all this stuff?" Springer asked as he went over to a box, picking up a solider action figure.

Heart shrugged at this, "They just kinda...appear. We'd wake up and find them on the table."

"Huh. So you've been here for three years?" Flash asked as leaned back in his chair, the two nodding at his question before he asked another: "And in that time, you spent your days painting, playing with dolls and reading the same two books over and over?"

"No," Soul moved over and picked up one of the books, "This book is special." Flash took it and saw the cover was blank, opening it up to see the same was true with the pages. "Now say the title of a book."

"But its blank."

"Just do it and watch."

"Ookay." Flash replied before rubbing his chin in thought, "Um...how about Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone?" Seconds later, a light appeared on the cover, the glow etching words into it. When it was over, the title Flash had just asked for was on it, his hooves opening it to see the pages were now filled, becoming a word for word print of the story. "No way."

"It also works with comics," Heart smirked as he took the other book and opened it up. Everypony saw that a Power Ponies comic had been printed onto the pages. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"I'll say," Springer added, "If Twilight saw this, she'd be drooling."

"Who's Twilight?" Soul asked back.

"She's my girlfriend," Flash responded, "Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship."

Soul's eyes went wide hearing this, "You're dating a princess?" Flash nodded, "A real princess?" Again, Flash nodded. "Doesn't that make you...like a prince or something?"

"No, it does not," Ruby interrupted before Flash could get a big head.

Heart raised an eyebrow at this, "But if you're dating a princess, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at her big castle, getting waited on hoof and wing?"

Flash rolled his eyes at that, "Okay first off, I don't do that. Twilight doesn't have any servants or anything."

"Though most ponies would probably say Spike's one," Springer cut in.

"Secondly, we're here because...because I was summoned here." This got two looks of confusion from the two young ponies, Flash turning to look out a window into the city. "Somepony or something told me to come here."

"Who?" Soul asked.

"We don't know," Cold replied, "Flash has never met them."

"But then how did you know they wanted you to come here?"

"I had a dream," Flash responded, his words making it sound like was the simplest thing in the world. "Two weeks ago I had a dream that showed me travelling from my home to here, showing me the ponies I had to bring with me."

"And you just...trusted it?"

"This isn't the first time I've had a weird dream that turned out to be true," Flash replied while looking down at the two with a big smile, "After a while, you get used to trusting these kind of things." The look on Heart and Soul's face showed they thought he was nuts, Flash chuckling as he continued, "Just trust me on this one."

Soul then hopped in place as she went over Flash's words again, "Wait, did you say two weeks ago?"

Flash nodded back, "Yeah, that's when I had the dream. Why?" They all turned to the kids now as he asked, "That time frame mean anything to you?"

Soul's eyes shrunk as she stuttered out, "Oh, uh...no. It's just...that's a long time to be walking just because of a dream." Their eyes narrowed at her response, making her turn away before walking back to the cupboard, "So um...who wants another drink?" She shut the door, "You must be really tired and thirsty if you've been travelling for two weeks."

The others decided not to press her, except for Cold before Ruby shot him a glare. They then watched as she opened the door and pulled out an ice tea for Trixie, only to take the saucer in her mouth and clumsily try to carry it without spilling the drink. When she was about to trip, Trixie caught the cup in the magic and pulled it over, "Thank you, but why didn't you just use your magic? It's much easier than doing that."

They saw Soul look up at her horn, a look of fear almost appearing on her face. "I'm...not very good at using my magic."

This made Trixie and Ruby share a glance, only for Cold to chime in, "Makes sense. If she's never had anypony teach her how to do it, it wouldn't be easy. But even so, you should have figured out how to at least levitate things with trial and error."

Soul just shrugged, Heart hugging her as they tried to look away from Cold now staring at them. Trixie then drank half her tea before putting the rest of the table, "Well anyway, we should start searching the city. See if we can't find out why we were summoned here."

"Hate to ruin your fun, but there's nothing here." Heart chimed in. "I should know, I've spent the last three years exploring this place. The only unusual thing that's ever happened is a strange wolf creature that suddenly fell from the sky."

"Well let's go talk to that wolf creature," Springer replied, "Where do we find it?" He then saw the others all staring at him, only to facepalm, "Oh. You were talking about me."

"Like I said," Heart went on. "There's nothing here that could possibly be of interest to you all."

"Well there is you two," Flash added, Heart and Soul turning to him in confusion. "Maybe whatever called me here wanted me to come find you two and bring you both back to Equestria." This made everypony go wide-eyed, the two especially shocked before he pointed at them, "Honestly, wouldn't you rather live your life around other ponies? Ones that can teach you to control your magic and play with you when you're bored?" The two looked at each other, having a mental conversation as the rest gathered around Flash.

"You sure that's why we were brought here?" Soarin asked.

"If there's nothing else in here, it has to be them."

"But then why call the rest of us?" Trixie added.

"Maybe it's because we're the only ones that can break through that shield?" Springer suggested. "I mean, what if it requires each of us to do something only we can do to get through it?"

"That sounds like you're reading too many of those neighpanese comics Springer." Flash commented, getting a glare from the jakhowl.

"Hold on, he may have a point." Cold chimed in before pointing to the door, "However, I believe we should still take a look around this city. There must be something else here."

"Can't disagree with that." Flash finished as they all nodded in agreement before turning to the younger ponies, "Mind showing us around? It beats having to wander around aimlessly." Heart and Soul both nodded as well, but as they started to get up, Flash suddenly tensed up, "Huh?"

"What's up?" Soarin asked, all turning to him as the orange pegasi began to stare at the ground, "Flash?"

"I'm...not sure." He suddenly felt it again, a mild rumbling sound that came from the ground and vibrated through his hooves. Flash knelt down and put his ear to the ground, waiting several seconds before hearing it again. A loud banging sound was now making the ground shake, almost like something heavy was slamming into it. "What in the..."

"Flash...what's wrong?" Ruby asked as Flash stood back up before staring at Trixie's half drink tea, the others following his sight. Before anypony could ask, they began to see liquid in the cup start to move.

"Something's coming." Flash raced out the house before anypony could respond, the pegasus quickly taking to the skies and flying up to the closest high building he could find. He landed on the edge of the roof, glaring out at the city.

"What's wrong?" He turned to see Heart had flown after him, but his wings were having trouble holding him. He reached the edge of the roof before his wings gave out, though only his front hooves had caught the side. "Whoa!" He cried as he tried to push himself up, Flash acting fast and scooping him up in his tail before pulling him up, "Thanks."

"No problem," Flash added as he started looking back at the city.

"So uh...what's up?"

"There's another part to my dream," Flash said with a long sigh, "Me and my friends weren't the only ones in it."

"What do you mean?" The colt asked, only for both to turn to a new sight. In the distance was a sudden burst of light, all coming from the outside of the dome. The two stared at that area as the others were teleported onto the roof thanks to Trixie, allowing the group of eight to stare at what was coming through the shield.

It was an army, made up of many different creatures. Some they knew, like minotaurs, manticores, bugbears and many more. All of them were much larger than the ones they had seen previously, some towering as high as some of the buildings. There were also hundreds of smaller ground forces, many appearing humanoid and carrying different weapons.

Everypony gulped at the sight as Cold spoke up, "I think there's more to us coming here than just collecting these two."

"I think you might be right," Flash replied as they now saw what appeared to be a giant woolly mammoth walk through the shield. Atop it was what appeared to be a large black metal box, which was strapped to its back and had the distinct look of a castle-like structure. And as Flash stared at that box, he felt a strange uneasiness inside him.

"What do you think that is?" Trixie asked, only to get a one word response from Flash.

"Trouble."

And as the mammoth moved inside the city, the large box stayed stationary. Inside the structure were six pony-like figures standing around a throne, all bowing with their heads to the floor. And on that throne was a dark gray unicorn that had blood-red eyes that matched his mane and tail. His body was covered in bright red scars, all that looked very old and deep.

The unicorn smiled as he look through the box's window, getting up and stepping out onto a balcony to overlook the area around him. "This city." He looked back at the six others with him. "It's secrets...will be mine."

The Path to Darkness

"SOUL! SOUL!" Heart's voice echoed throughout the castle, the young pegasus frantically flying around, "Soul!" He screamed as he threw open a door, only to shut if before going to the next one, "Soul!"

And as he did this, he got down to the final room as he whispered, "Please...please be here..." He slowly opened the door to the recovery room, only to find three empty healing tubes. "No." He fell to his flank, staring at the floor as tears threatened to break free from his eyes. "Please don't leave me...you're all I have."

He then felt a hoof grab his shoulder, making him look up to see a frowning Flash, "I'm sorry Heart."

"You promised you'd look after her!" he barked back as the tears burst out, the water now flowing full force down his face, "I...I promised I'd look after her!" He got up and lightly punched Flash's chest, "I...I couldn't do anything! All I could do was watch her get hurt, and now...now she's gone!"

"We'll get her back."

"HOW?!" Heart screeched as he glared back up at him, "How are you gonna get her back?! You don't know where she is, or even if she's-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" Flash yelled, the colt flinching at the sudden outburst. He then looked away, sniffing as more tears began to flow. The knight shook his head before sighing, leaning down next as he patted the colt's shoulder again, "Heart, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have..." Heart whimpered out, his hoof rubbing his eyes.

"Listen...I know you're upset. I am too." Flash gripped the colt's shoulders and turned him around, the two now staring eye to eye, "I know I couldn't keep my promise to protect her, but I will keep this promise. I will find your sister, and bring her back, safe and sound."

"How?" Heart replied as Flash wiped away his tears.

"I don't know yet, but I will find her. And nothing, not Shadow, not the weird magic that's keeping us here, will stop me from fulfilling that goal. Now come on, I'm sure the others are just as worried as we are."

Heart shrunk back in Flash's grip, only to slowly nod. Seeing this, Flash put him on his back before going to the map room where the others were. They were all sitting rather uncomfortably as they re-watched the battle that had just occurred. "What are you just sitting around for?" He asked them, "We have to find my sister."

Everypony turned to him, Cold shaking his head, "And we want to help find her, but we can't go off half-cocked. We're trying to see if there's anything in this footage that'll give us a clue to what happened."

"It's obvious what happened," Soarin instantly countered, "Soul unleashed her alicorn magic and completely whooped that self-loving lunatic."

"There's also obviously something else at work here." Cold replied as he pointed to the scene of Soul blasting Shadow down a street. "That kind of power...its more than before."

"Not only that, why did she vanish this time?" Trixie added, "What was different about this battle compared to the last ones? I mean, she still got the orb and our team won. Even when we win or lose or somepony is mortally injured, we all return. What's different about this time?"

"Uh...she beat all those maniacs in one go?" Soarin chimed in, only for Flash to give him a deadpan stare.

"Soarin...she did that last time."

The Wonderbolt gave him a shrug back, "I was just saying bro! I mean, we barely understand anything what's happening right now! This was no different than that time!"

Ruby shook her head at this, "No...I don't think the fact that nothing different happened is the clue here. I suspect its because we still know nothing about this place or why Soul was made into an alicorn. Until we learn why this is happening, we could just get stuck guessing till the cows come home."

Springer sighed at this, the jakhowl opening his eyes. "Not only that, I can't even sense her aura."

Heart shook at this, gulping as Flash turned to the jakhowl, "That doesn't mean she's not out there. Can you sense Shadow or any of his minions right now?"

"No."

"But they are out there. They're just being protected by their castle's defences. The same thing could be happening with Soul."

"Augh!" Soarin yelled as he rubbed the sides of his head, "I'm so sick of this! Every time we learn something or something happens, it's always a 'could be' situation. When are we gonna learn something for real? The only thing we really know that's new is that Sombra's the one in that Armalum armor, and that doesn't even help us!"

"I'm with Soarin," Trixie chimed in. "This is getting old." She then pointed to the four orbs that were floating above the table, "Though if I'm honest, I would settle for just knowing how many more of these stupid things we need to find."

"No kidding." Flash added as he leaned back in his chair, "This is one sick, twisted game...and I've been stuck in like three now."

"Yeah..." Springer moaned as he slumped over on the table, his chin tapping the top, "Lightning at Canterlot, Shade and now this...too many games."

Everypony else exchanged glances at this, silence filling the room before look back at the footage of Soul when Shadow had caught her. Trixie and Ruby flinched as they saw Shadow try to steal her magic, guilt hitting their hearts as they knew they should have been there to help her. The pain on the filly's face almost made them turn away, only continuing to stare to try and find any clues.

It was here that Heart got up and headed to his room, everypony watching him go...but none saying anything to stop him. They didn't know what to do, unable to respond to the new dilemma before them.

In the other castle...

Shadow was in his throne, his hooves grinding in the arms of the chair as he saw his own humiliating defeat on the screens. As he watched, Tempera tried to dab at his scratched cheek with a cotton ball of antiseptic, only for him to flinch as he pushed her and the cotton ball away. "Stop!"

Tempera did a small bow in response, "I'm sorry master. I just didn't want to run the risk of it getting infected."

"If a hole in a pony's chest can heal without infection, I doubt I'm in danger from a tiny scratch." He growled as he looked back at the screen, his anger burning in his chest as he watched himself be thrown across a street. "How could this happen?! I've defeated ponies older, wiser and stronger than her. How could she overpower me?"

"She is an alicorn," Storm chimed in, "Very little is known about them, even when I worked for one. Its suspected that even when they're young, they could have more magic than a million unicorns combined."

"Oh please, don't exaggerate such nonsense." Shadow spat, "She was powerless before me until that singular moment. Besides, it wasn't just her magic. I was connected to it when I was attempting extract it. When she blasted me, it wasn't just her magic that struck me."

"You're saying somepony was helping her?" Salix asked.

"More like directing her," Shadow added as he rubbed his chin, his mind now blanking out any other sounds. The others saw this, knowing what it meant. Silence followed the room as he stared at the screen, re-watching the moment the filly's eyes began to glow. And as he saw this, a thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. "Impossible."

"What? What did you figure out master?"

He responded by resting his hoof on his head, his expression showing he couldn't believe what he was about to say, "Could she have tapped into the magic of this place?" The unicorn turned to the window, staring at the city as the buildings were slowly repairing themselves. "That has to be it. It's the only source of magic that has enough power to overwhelm me."

Everyone else all exchanged glances as Wingill asked, "So...you're saying she can control the magic that's keeping us here and stopping us from going all out?"

Shadow shook his head in response, "Control is a strong word. It's more like she simply...harnessed it."

Storm crossed his hooves with a growl at this statement, "Well, if she harnesses it again, there's no way we can stop her."

"Now hang on, there's gotta be some way to take her out!" Salix chimed in, "If we hit her before she uses it, maybe that'll work!"

"Its not that firehead!" Wingill barked, "You saw what she did!"

"But we gotta do something! Hey, how about I deep-fry her and then you-"

And as they both began to argue, Armalum turned to Shadow, "Master, what will you have us do?"

"Nothing. I will stop her," Shadow replied as he pulled his eyes away from the window towards them. "I admit, I may have underestimated her. I was overconfident in gaining her power. That won't happen again. Next time I see her, I'll find out how she did that and take that power for myself. Nopony but me may have it." he pointed back at them, "The rest of you, get to training. I want you all in top form for tomorrow."

They all bowed before leaving, Shadow looking back out the window as the room became empty. As he did this, his gaze fell on the opposite castle, "Enjoy this victory while you can, because in the end, I and I alone will be the one standing atop you all."

Several hours later...

The sun had just set as Flash was now looking out over the castle balcony. The city was now fully repaired, but the sight only made him sigh as the moon began to appear. Stars soon filled the sky, a certain on up there reminding him of her cutie mark.

"Wonder what you do in this situation Twilight?" He asked the star before chuckling, "Aw, who am I kidding? You would have probably already found a way out of here by now...and beat Shadow as well. That's why you're the leader and not me, ya big old bookworm." He slouched against the stone of the balcony, his head resting on his hooves as they rested on the railing. "I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Of course you can." Flash's head shot up at the voice, his brain mistaking it for his marefriend before seeing Ruby and Cold. The sight made him let out a huff before slouching over again as Ruby added, "Flash, you shouldn't be beating yourself up."

"Why not? I promised Soul I'd protect her...but I couldn't." He let out a long groan as he continued, "And now she's gone and her brother is...you know. How is he anyway? Were you able to get him to eat at least?"

"Trixie's gonna try." Cold replied as he walked up to one side of the balcony.

"Good...cuz I can't do that right now."

Ruby shook her head at this, walking up and patting his shoulder, "Flash, what happened wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do. If anypony should feel bad, it's me. I was one of the ponies there with her."

"But I'm the reason this stupid game is even happening," Flash responded as he shrugged off her hoof, "If I hadn't brought us here, Soul wouldn't have dragged into that battle."

"True," Cold immediately chimed in, "But if we hadn't come, she and Heart would have been trapped here alone with Shadow and his group. And when he found out she was an alicorn, the exact same thing would have likely happened."

"You don't know that."

"And neither do you. We can't change the past Flash. I learned that lesson a long time ago. All we can do is move forward and make sure the past doesn't happen again." Cold replied, Ruby raising both eyebrows at his statement as Flash walked over to the table, slumping over as he stared at the floating orbs.

"I promised her I'd protect her. Part of my vow is that I would never break a promise...but I failed to keep it."

"There was nothing you could do," Ruby repeated. "And you weren't the only one who made that promise. I promised her the same thing, so did Trixie and everypony else. We...we all feel bad about it."

"I know." Flash groaned as he turned back to them, "It doesn't change what's happened here."

"And what's happened here is not your fault. I know you feel bad. We might have only known them a little over a week, but I feel we've all grown to care about Heart and Soul. Seeing her like that with that monster was horrible for all of us."

"I know."

Cold then walked up and patted his shoulder, his usual blank face showing a slight frown, "This might be hard, but it's not gonna get any better with everypony mourning like this. We shouldn't be treating her like she's dead until we have proof. Until then...we have to stay strong." The knight took his hoof off the defender before pointing it at Flash's face, "However, the only way everypony will get out of this is if they have somepony to stand behind. And right now, that's you."

Flash's eyes went wide at this, pure shock as the pony before him was saying such words, "Me?"

"You're what connects us all. Each of us came together and became a team because you helped us become that team." Cold looked away as he said his next words, "I'm still...unfamiliar with these concepts, and I still question why I need them. However, I also know that if you're like this, everything will fall apart. You're the glue that keeps us together right now...and you need to realise that." He turned back and stared straight into Flash's eyes, "You're the leader right now, and sometimes a leader must put their emotions aside for the sake of the team."

Flash didn't reply, unable to say anything as Cold walked away next, Ruby following him in silence. And as they did this, Flash looked back at the balcony, his mind a mess as he stared at the open sky.

"What do I do now?"

Meanwhile...

Heart was in his room, sitting on his bed while staring at the empty bed of his sister. One that might never be used again. His tears were no more, all dried up as he kept thinking, 'Why did this happen?'

But he was then pulled from his thoughts by a knock at the door, the frame opening to show Trixie carrying a bowl and spoon. "Hey, you okay?" Heart didn't respond, instead rolling away to face nothing but the wall. The magician let out a sigh at this, walking over to put the bowl down on the bedside table before sitting on the bed. "Look...I know you're worried about your sister, but we're gonna get her back."

"How?"

"I don't know, but we're going to. Flash is here and when that stallion sets his mind on something, it gets done no matter how impossible it seems."

Heart glanced back at her, a look of fierce determination on her face. He let out a snort before rolling back over, "But what if he can't?"

"He will. Trust me on that."

"Oh yeah?" He sniffed before looking back at her again, "Why do you trust him so much then? I mean, he's cool and all, but why are you so willing to put your faith in him?"

"Because he's earned it," Trixie replied while chuckling, "Flash has helped each of us grow and become stronger. He saved Springer and took him in, he introduced Soarin to Rainbow, and those two getting together has helped them both grow. He helped Ruby let go of her anger and acclimate herself to this time. And even Cold's become better after meeting Flash. You have no idea how much of a jerk he was when they first met."

"What about you?"

Trixie let out a low sigh, "He...he helped save me from being an arrogant, self-absorbed liar. Because of him, I met Princess Luna and became her student. That's why I'm grateful to him and Twilight, just like everypony else here." She placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I know you're upset about what happened to Soul, but it wasn't Flash's fault. And no matter what, he's gonna find a way to bring her back."

"I'm not angry at Flash," Heart whimpered as he curled himself up. "I'm angry at myself." Trixie just blinked at his words, the colt's voice slowly getting louder "If I'd been the one that fell in that hole, I would have become an alicorn and Soul wouldn't have had to be put in this stupid game. It would have been me Shadow went after. It would have been me that disappeared! Soul would be safe!"

"And she'd be feeling the exact same thing you're feeling," Trixie instantly finished for him, "You shouldn't blame yourself. I doubt Soul's transformation was just first come first serve."

Heart let out another whimper, trying to curl up even more, "I just...I just wish I could have saved her."

"You will save her. She's not gone yet. We'll find her and when we do, you'll be with her again. Now..." she floated a bowl over to him, "Enjoy. I know ice cream always makes me feel better when I'm upset."

She then ruffled his mane before getting up, slowly walking away. Heart's head popped out of the curl as she left, his eyes going to the bowl before sighing. His mind was still on his missing sister as he saw the ice cream start to melt, a sight coming a few seconds later as he took the bowl in his hooves. A few minutes of eating later, he put the bowl away before getting back into bed, almost saying good night to the empty room before a small tear went down his face.

"Soul..." he whispered as he began to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

Flash was the last pony awake that night, everypony else heading off to bed while he stayed in the map room. Cold's words went through his head as he watched the battle one last time on the screen. And as the fight recording ended, he let out a long sigh, "Maybe I can sleep it off."

He slowly got up and took a quick stop to get a drink of milk before going to bed. Tip-hoofing into his and Springer's room, he made sure not to wake up the jakhowl as he got into bed. Laying back, he let the weight of the day wash over him as dreamland invited him a visit. And as he reopened his eyes, he found himself in some place very familiar: Weeping Wood Hollow.

"This place again?" Flash asked as he trotted down the town's streets, causally looking up as he saw the moon high in the air. He then found a certain house, remembering the building as he phased through it before spotting a light coming from the living room. Feeling a certain force pull him, he walked into the place as he saw two adult ponies sitting in chairs.

Deep frowns were on their faces as they pulled out a pair of dark red robes, which they began to put on. "I can't believe the day has finally come," the mare told the stallion.

"I know. It's strange...when he was born, all I cared about was this day. But now that it's here...I don't know." He let out a long sigh, "I...I can't help but feel guilty."

"It has to be done," she replied as she put a hoof on the stallion's shoulder, "I know you have doubts my love, but its not just us that this day will benefit, but all our brothers and sisters."

The stallion sighed again before nodding, both now putting their robes on. And as they did this, Flash crossed his hooves as he watched, "Brothers and sisters?"

He then saw them go upstairs, the defender following before seeing the colt Gleaming Path sleeping in his bed.

"Son," the stallion shook the colt, "Time to get up."

"Huh?" Path moaned as he squinted his eyes, "Wha...w-what time is it?"

"Midnight," the mare replied, "You know what that means. Happy birthday!"

Path tried to open his eyes as he replied, "But...why did you wake me up now? You always say it's bad to get up at this time."

"Today's a special day," the stallion replied while ruffling the colt's mane, "Now get up, there's somewhere we need to take you."

Path blinked at his father, only to hop off his bed. The trio left the room before the colt turned to the bathroom, but the mare stopped him. "You can wash up later. Come on, we need to get there quickly."

"Why?" Path asked as they gripped his hoof and pulled him downstairs, the three soon stepping into the outside darkness.

His mother gave his father a candle as she responded, "There's a special party we want to take you too, but we have to get there before ten past one."

"Why?"

"That's the time you were born," his dad replied as he lit the candle. "And there's a special birthday game that needs to happen at that time."

"Game?!" Path gasped, his tail wagging at the word. The parents shined a small smile back at him, Flash watched their expressions as they led the colt through the town.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Flash commented as he followed just a few hooves behind them.

And as they got to the woods outside of town, Path's expression changed, grimacing at the sight of the army of lumber, "You said we're not allowed in the woods."

"Little ponies aren't allowed. You're thirteen. Now come along Gleaming."

Path nodded back as they started to trot down a path into the woods, continuing to walk for almost thirty minutes until his dad spoke up. "We're almost there." Path nodded again before spotting several lights off in the distance, Flash seeing them as the same candles as the parents had. The defender flew ahead at this point, now seeing two more ponies in cloaks. But before he could say anything, Path gasped as he saw the ponies in the cloak were the dads of two of his friends.

"About time," the stallion said, "We were worried you might have chickened out."

"Of course not," his mother replied. "We've waited too long for this."

"Waited for what?" Path asked, the adults turning to stare at him.

The sight made the colt shudder, only for his father to lean down and place a hoof on his shoulder. "Son, you were born on a very special day."

"I was?"

He nodded back, "Yes. You see, there once existed a mighty god, a being with more power than almost any other in Equestria. But on this day a millennia ago, that god lost their life on this very spot. But now we can free him, with your help."

"My help?" They colt replied as Flash saw a look of realization appear on his face. "Wait...all my friends were born around this time. Daisy's birthday was last week and both Fluffy and Peaches's birthdays are in a few days. Were...were you trying to get one of us to be born today?"

"That's right," his mom replied while nodding, "You...are the chosen one."

Path opened his mouth to ask more, only for a magic aura to suddenly grab his body. He felt himself being lifted as Flash saw the magic was from the two other cloaked ponies. "There's no more time," they growled as they began to drag him toward the rest of the lights. "The ritual must begin now, or there won't be enough time."

"Wait!" Path yelped as he tried to move, but the magic kept him constrained, "What ritual?! What are you doing to me?!"

"Be quiet!" one of them hissed as they continued to walk down the path, Path going wide-eyed as he saw more ponies he knew from town, all of them in the same robes. They were standing around a square stone tomb with words on it that the colt couldn't understand.

They lifted him up before placing him face up on the tomb, more unicorns using their magic to tie thick robes around his hooves, neck and tail that were tied around holes in the tomb. "LET ME GO!" He screamed, his body trying to move to no avail. And as he did this, the ponies all lifted their hoods, turning into a crowd of cloaks.

Flash clenched his hooves at the sight, knowing he couldn't do anything as he saw one of the ponies walk up to a spot behind Path's head before turning to the group around him, "Brothers, sisters, the time draws near. The day of awakening has arrived. The ritual will now begin." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a dagger, Path gasping at the sight of it.

"MOM! DAD!" He screamed into the crowd of cloaked ponies, "PLEASE! STOP THIS!" He kept pulling at the ropes, but the bindings refused as the pony began held the dagger over him.

"We call upon the spirit of the mighty god, wielder of the Corrupted Shadow." Flash's eyes went wide at those words, his eyes darting between the colt and the dagger-wielding pony as the pony continued, "A child, born on the date of your death, filled with love and innocence. You will be granted new life in exchange for the child's, his body becoming your new host. But first, you must taste his blood." He then tipped the blade down, the end slowly piercing Path's skin.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed as the blade went through, not deep enough to kill him, but enough to leave a scar.

After a second, the pony pulled the blade free before moving it so the blood on the tip dripped off onto the rock. "Each of your followers will feed you, to show you the dedication of the Cult of Shadows." He gave the blade to another pony, who took it and dug the blade into another spot on Path's body.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP! HELP! HELP!" He screamed as the blade went just as deep as before, the pony doing what the first did as well.

Flash's eyes could only twitch at the sight, pure shock on his face as he watched the scene. It felt like ages upon eons were passing as this happened, the colt's voice echoing over the forest.

But then, the final two ponies stepped up to Path. The colt's entire body was covered in bloody cuts, his eyes filled with tears as he saw the faces under their hoods, "Mommy...daddy. Why?"

"This is what you were born for," his mother replied as they both gripped the dagger together.

"Your destiny has led you to this moment."

"But I don't want this to be my destiny!" Path screamed, "Don't I get to chose my future?!"

"Most ponies do. But not ones like you."

And before the three could say anything else, the head cultist showed them a ticking timer. "One minute until it is time." His parents nodded back as they positioned the dagger above Path's heart, the colt continuing to scream as the seconds passed.

The two then spoke in unison, "We of the Cult of Shadows, offer our child to the mighty god. Let him walk the earth again and bring about a new age of enlightenment." With that, the timer went off and they both plunged the dagger downward.

"GYAH!" Flash screamed, his body shooting out of his bed. Cold sweat poured down his face as he began to pant, turning to see Springer still asleep in his bed. Memories of the dream then hit his head, his stomach lurching at the thoughts.

The defender put his hoof over his mouth as his face turned green, instantly flying over to the bathroom. He could only hope Springer didn't hear him puke out his guts as he leaned over the toilet, the day's meals now flying out of his mouth. And as the minutes passed, his stomach now settling down, he slumped over in the bathroom while flushing the toilet a few times, gasping for air.

'That...was awful.' he thought as he slowly got up and took a big gulp of water from the sink. He then brushed his teeth to get rid of the smell after washing his hooves, looking up at the mirror as he saw bags under his semi-bloodshot eyes. 'I look awful. What...what is this place doing to me?!'

Once his stomach had settled, he slowly got back into his bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling as his brain went over what he had just saw, 'Was...was that real? It couldn't be, right? I mean...that can't be real.' he turned over, his whole body shaking as the opposite thought went through his head, But what if it is? Did Shadow really go through all that? Is that...is that why he's like that?'

And as this thought left his mind, the memory of what Armalum had said in their earlier battle entered his head, 'He's right. When he compared me and Shadow...we're almost exact opposites. His early life was great but turned to hell, while mine was the reverse. It's almost like we were born to be parallel of each other.'

But as he thought this, his mind flashed back to the words of the cultists in the dream, 'That cult...those monsters said their god was the wielder of the Corrupted Shadow. Princess Celestia said it and the Sacred Light were two sides of the same coin.' His eyes closed as his mind began to drift off, 'Could he have it?'

In the other castle...

The creaking of a door could be heard as Shadow left his room. His face showed one that was not happy or sad, but rather...exhaustion. Shadow's next hoofsteps were hollow, barely touching the ground despite going slow as he headed downstairs.

There, he entered the training room, tapping the crystal that brought the room to life. At first, it showed Canterlot, its beautiful streets adorned with cheerful citizens, all of them sporting smiles and well-designed outfits. There were straight laced guards, all being led by a smiling old pony along side a certain towering white alicorn. It then switched to Ponyville, similar happy sights there as well with even more familiar looking ponies adorning the streets of the small town. The sight made his eyes twitch, stomach twisting with his teeth gritting as veins began to pop on his head before he tapped the crystal again.

This time, the room changed into a place he hadn't been in over ten years: Weeping Wood Hollow.

The unicorn stared at the faces of ponies he once knew, all of them looking exactly as they had a decade ago. There were smiles, happiness all around, just like Ponyville and Canterlot. But as he saw this, a certain sight made his angry expression melt. It was his parents, both slowly walking over to him.

They had loving smiles on their faces, his mother trotting up before touching his cheek. Her mouth opened as she said some words, but...Shadow couldn't hear them. His mind had cancelled all sound as tears began to form in his eyes. But as the first drop began to flow down, he raised his hoof up as his horn began to spark.

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" he roared as his sword appeared in his hoof, his eyes going pure red as he cut her down in one blow. The pony turned to his father next, fear now in the stallion's eyes as Shadow immediately sliced him in half.

And as he did this, he turned to the rest of the town, the fake ponies appearing to not even notice the slaughter of their citizens. Another roar echoed out his mouth as he charged at them, cutting down a couple first before firing a chain at a filly. As his did this, images began to flash through his mind.

It was from his dreams, all of them showing Flash Sentry. He saw the defender being taken in by the Sparkle family, meeting Grand Hoof and becoming an apprentice. After that, there were images of Flash meeting the Mane Six, Springer, Trixie, Soarin. There were times of conflict and strife for the pony, but almost always...Flash had a big smile on his face.

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Shadow screamed again as he slashed down the last villager, only to turn to the houses, 'Why?!' He melted one house with his decaying sword as two others were taken down by an army of chains. "Why?!" he now yelled before slicing another house in half, "WHY?!" A surge of magic then flowed out of his horn, a barrage of beams flying out next as he blasted every structure at random, all the while slamming his hooves in the ground, causing the room to shake.

And as he did this, he smacked the room's crystal with his hoof, dispelling the illusion. "Why did I see all that?! Why was that shown to me?!" he screeched as he rubbed the sides of his head, "Why...did he get to a happily ever after while my life..." A single tear appeared in the edge of his eye, only for him to quickly wipe it away. "And why do I care?! The past...the past doesn't matter. Only the future. So why..." He stared down at his hooves, now seeing them trembling, "What is happening to me? Why am I thinking like this?! What...what is this place doing to me?!"

"Master?" Shadow's body stiffened as he spun around, now seeing Armalum at the room's doorway, "Is something wrong?"

Shadow hissed as he looked away, "Don't you have anything better to do than skulk around in the middle of the night?"

"You know I don't sleep," Armalum replied, "And being trapped in here, what else am I to do?" Shadow turned to yell at him, only to see the pony suddenly fall to his flank and start clutching his head. "Gyah!" He yelped, Shadow quickly running over to him.

Putting his hoof into the armor mask, black lightning shot out of his hoof and surrounding him as the armored pony continued to cry out. And after about a minute, the surge ended as Shadow pulled his hoof away. Armalum simply sat there, gasping before picking himself up.

"My apologies master. Thank you for...calming him down."

"Its fine." Shadow sighed while rubbing his chin in thought. "This isn't good, as its only a temporary fix. Until I can find a way to completely purge his memories again, the pony calling himself Sombra will keep trying to fight for control."

"You'd think he would be a little more appreciative," Armalum replied while shaking his head, "After all, I'm the one keeping him alive."

"But that isn't enough for many," Shadow growled, "Simply being alive is meaningless without experiencing that life. That's why ponies believe in the pathetic notions of freedom and free will."

Shadow turned to leave, only for Armalum to speak up, "What do you believe in master?" Shadow came to a silent stop before looking back at him.

"Power."

The next morning...

As the sun rose above the mountains and bathed the city in its light, the inhabitants of both castles woke up. In Flash's castle, everypony except Flash and Heart walked out of their rooms. Trixie stared at Heart's door with a sigh before Ruby spoke up, "Hey, where's Flash?" They turned to Springer, seeing him shrug before closing his eyes.

"Kitchen." They all nodded and went to the room, now finding Flash sitting there, staring at an untouched bowl of cereal.

"Morning," Trixie chimed in, "You feeling better?"

Flash didn't reply, Cold then adding, "You're not still upset, are you?"

"A little, but it's not just that." He turned to the group, noticing what members were missing, "Heart still asleep?" They nodded back, Flash biting his lip in response before staring directly at Springer, "Bud, tell me when he wakes up. I don't want him to hear what I'm gonna tell you all next. He's uh....too young to hear something like this."

This made everypony blink in confusion, Flash tapping the table as he continued, "Sit down, and I suggest you don't get breakfast till I'm done. Its...not pleasant. And close the door please."

And as they sat down, the defender began to go over his dream. The group stared at him with wide eyes as he told them about he thought he was seeing Shadow's past, about how happy the colt was before everything went horribly wrong. As he did this, horror and shock was every face, even Cold slightly flinching at the details. And as Flash got to the end of the dream, Trixie had both hooves over her mouth, looking a bit green while the rest were just staring at the table in shock.

"That's it. Next thing I knew, I was waking up." Flash finished, a small moment of silence hitting the table next.

That is, till Cold spoke up, "Flash...why didn't you tell us about this after your first dream?! This is important information we needed to know."

"I didn't think it was real." Flash replied while turning to the knight, "I...I just thought it was a weird dream I had. I mean, compare it to the second dream! There was nothing bad in it!"

"Still, you said you thought you recognized the colt to be Shadow!"

"And I wasn't sure! I thought it was just a dream!" Flash barked back, "I just...I didn't know!" He slumped back into his chair, "But then I saw last night's dream and....and there's no way that second one is just a dream. I could feel it. I wasn't in a dream...I was in a memory. A horrible, horrible memory."

Cold opened his mouth to reply, only to close it. Nothing came out, knowing there was no point. As this happened, Springer spoke up, "I can't believe Shadow's real name is Gleaming Path. It uh...just doesn't fit him."

"It did fit the colt he was," Flash replied, "Whatever happened after that, it changed him. Turned him into the monster he is now."

"I wonder what did happen?" Trixie asked next.

"You don't want to know," Cold responded, everypony turning to him, "Don't forget, I spent the last few years trailing Shadow's cult. My investigation led me to the place Flash talked about, Weeping Wood Hollow. It turns out the place wasn't just a small village, but the birth place of the cult itself. They created the cult in order to worship some great power. I thought Shadow was just their leader, but..." Cold paused as he put his hoof over his mouth in thought, "Of all the theories and evidence I found, never once was there evidence that Shadow himself is the power that they worship."

"Like Starlight and her village..." Flash whispered, "And I thought that place left a bad taste in my mouth. Just hope that unicorn still isn't up to trouble."

"So what happened when you got there?" Springer asked next, everypony still staring at Cold.

"The place had been utterly destroyed." He said in a low, angry tone, "Not a single building was left standing and I couldn't find anypony that lived there... at least not one that was alive anyway."

"You don't mean..." Ruby tried to say, only for Cold to do a slow nod.

"They're all dead. Many appeared to have been killed during a...well, I never was able to fully tell what happened. You see, after I found the village, I had a crime lab team help me investigate. This event was what lead Princess Celestia letting me go anywhere to find them. Anyways, I had the team try to determine what magic was used to destroy the place...only to find nothing. We had no records on what type of magic was used."

"That's not a good sign." Soarin commented.

"Its not." Cold slightly growled, "Not only that, the remains we found there were all exceptionally young...and the team suspected from what was left that they were around the same age, just like you described Flash." The knight turned to the defender as he slowly said his next words, "I found the remains of the older ponies in the woods around a stone altar....the same one you described. The blood was gone, dried up due to time...but I have no doubt it was blood bath."

Everyone shared glances at this, some looking at Flash's unfinished cereal as their stomachs told them a big fat no on breakfast. Silence took over the room next, only for the door to creak open, Heart slowly walking in, "Hey!" Trixie called out as she got off her seat, "You feeling any better?"

"A little..." Heart muttered out before flying over to the cupboard, pulling out his breakfast. Once at the table, he simply poked at it for a second, not responding to anything. Seeing this, Flash turned to others, seeing nothing but frowns and sadness, Cold even showing a hint of a frown. The sight made him take a deep breath, now remembering what Cold had told him yesterday.

"Everypony." They all turned to him as he spoke up, "I know things have been hard since we got here. We've been thrown into battle after battle, and we've suffered physical and emotional pain and now...now we've lost Soul." Heart flinched at those words, "But we can't give up. That's not what Soul would want us to do. I know she would want us to keep going, to push on until we find a way to end this game." He stared at each individual at the table, all slowly nodding back as he continued, "When I look around this room, I see ponies I'd trust with my life and would be willing to give my life for. And I know you all think the same thing."

He glanced over at Cold, the Frozen Wanderer raising an eyebrow at this action. "Last night, Cold told me that I was the glue that kept us all together. That without me, this team would fall apart." Everypony nodded, only to see him shake his head, "He's wrong. I'm not what's keeping us together." Everypony shared a quick glance at each other, only for Flash to sigh as he then said, "When we first started this adventure, most of you barely knew each other. But now, now we've grown into a real team. We've fought side by side, helped each other in times of need and learned from one another." A big smile began to grace his face, "I know for a fact that if whatever magic is controlling this place suddenly teleported me back to Equestria and kept you all playing this game, you would all keep up the fight and stand by one another. Because that's the one things we have over Shadow. They may know how to work together, they may even have better teamwork then us, but they don't care about each other. And as long as they don't, they won't be able to beat us."

The defender glanced at each, seeing his words sink in as he finished his speech with a question, "I know I've already asked a lot from you all, but I need to ask you one most time. Will you continue to stand with me?"

Silence filled the room, only for Springer to stand up, "You never have to ask me. I'll stand with you until the end of time."

Trixie was the next one to get up, "I'm the pony I am today because of you. If you need the great and powerful Trixie's help, she's game."

"You can always count on me," Soarin chimed in while taking to the air, "Sides, if I bailed on you now, Rainbow would probably dump me or something."

Flash laughed as Ruby stood up. "You were willing to put your life on the line for me when I went after Sombra, and you helped save my home from him. You'll always have my loyalty."

The defender's smile continued to grow, only to turn to Cold. A stoic expression was on the knight's face, only for a tiny smile to curve as he nodded back. "Nice." Flash added as he turned to Heart, "Now...Heart, I know I couldn't keep my promise to protect Soul, but now I'm making a promise I will keep. I...we, will find her, and when we do, we'll bring her back safe and sound."

Heart didn't meet his gaze, continuing to look at the table. But as his eyes began to slowly drift upward, the locked onto Flash's, the colt now seeing a fiery determination blazing in the defender's globes. The sight made him speak up, "I...I wanna help. Whatever it takes, I don't wanna just stand by the wayside while my sister might be in danger."

Flash chuckled at his response, "Now that's the kind of attitude I can respect!" He leaned over and ruffled the colt's mane, "I won't stop you if you find a way to save her, but we'll be there to help you no matter what." Flash then turned back to the others. "Shadow may think he's all powerful, but yesterday showed us he's not unbeatable. He may have beaten hundreds of ponies before him, but he's never faced a team like us. So let's show him why you don't mess with Equestrians!"

"YEAH!" Everypony cheered. And as they did this, the alarm went off, everypony about to leave the room before a sudden voice rang out.

"Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."

The voice was one they all knew despite it echoing throughout the castle.

"Soul?!" Heart gasped as he got up and stared at the ceiling, "That's Soul's voice!"

"But it didn't sound like her," Cold added, "This voice feels a lot more...confident."

"Please head to the map room for selection."

"That was definitely Soul's voice," Trixie commented. "But where is she talking from?"

"Please head to the map room for selection."

"No...I'm done with this." everypony turned to Flash as he flew out of room. They followed him as he stomped into the map room, the map now sectioning off a part of the city with a large lake.

"Hey! I'm not gonna do this anymore!" Flash yelled as he stared at the ceiling, "If you can talk now, then it's high time we got some answers! We're not just gonna keep putting our necks on the line just so whoever you are can get a kick out of watching us. So talk!"

However, the voice didn't respond, instead summoning the bingo machine. Flash growled at the sight, turning to the device before firing a Flash Force at it. Everypony gasped as a shield appeared around the machine, negating the laser with ease. As this happened, the first orb bounced onto to the table, showing Flash's cutie mark.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm not doing this anymore!" Flash roared as he fired a Flash Cutter at the machine next, the attack also doing nothing. The second ball was then thrown out, this time showing Cold's cutie mark.

The knight let out a sigh as he walked up to Flash and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Flash, we don't have a choice in this matter. If we want to find Soul, winning this game is likely the best chance we have. It's not like we can't say no. Whoever's doing this, they have more power than we can possibly hope to stand against."

"No way! I'm done with this!" Flash barked back, only for his ears to spike up as the bingo machine popped out the last sphere.

And as it rolled over, it revealed a red pony face with a yellow mane and orange tips, along with cream colored freckles and a cream snout. "ME?!" Fire Heart yelped as the others turned to the colt, pure shock on the colt's face.

"Are you kidding me?!" Flash roared as he pointed his blade at the machine, "This isn't funny anymore!"

"Yeah! Isn't it bad enough that you've taken his sister away?!" Trixie added as she went over and put her hoof around the colt. "Now you want to put him in danger?!"

"This isn't cool dude!" Soarin yelled next.

"Agreed. Stop this right now!" Ruby barked at the ceiling.

"The competitors have been selected," Soul's voice called out. "Flash Sentry, Cold Steel, and Fire Heart. Proceed to the battlefield."

"Are you not listening to us?!" Flash asked the disembodied voice, "We won't let you put-"

His words were interrupted as three lights shined in the room, teleporting them away. "No!" Trixie cried before they turned to see the three dots appear on the map. They then looked at the other side of the map, "Please not Shadow. Please not Shadow. Please not Shadow."

The dots then appeared, sighs of relief following this. As this happened, Springer closed his eyes, "Flash? You there?"

"I'm here bud."

"Any idea who we're facing?"

"Storm, Salix and Wingill. They're on the opposite side of the battlefield and they're moving quickly. They're probably airborne."

"Got it." Flash closed the connection before turning to Cold. "Alright, we're up against Storm, Salix and Wingill. They're flying towards us now."

Cold nodded back, "I can handle Wingill. His attacks will do nothing to me since I can freeze them. That just leaves Storm and Salix."

"I can handle those two until you're done with Wingill. No matter what, they do not get past us."

"What about me?" They turned to see Heart, a fierce stare coming out of his eyes. Despite this, Flash kneeled down and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"I need you to go and hide. Get as far away from the action as you can."

"What?! No way!" Heart yelped before smacking his hoof off his shoulder, "I wanna fight too! I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines! I wanna fight and get some payback for what those monsters did to Soul!"

"We don't have time to argue," Flash told him. "You need to get out of here and-"

"Flash!" He stopped at the sound of Springer's voice, "Watch out! They're right on top of you!" Flash turned around and raised his sword, Cold doing the same by making a pair of ice swords. A split second later, three figures appeared out of the sky.

"HEART!" Flash yelled as he leapt and swiped his blade, "Flash Cutter!" Storm turned to the light blade flying at him and swung his weapon.

"Storm Cutter!" A blade of wind struck the light, the two attacks exploding as the pegasi shot into the cloud. When it cleared, they two were locked in a death push with Lightbringer's blade blocked by the sheath. Salix and Wingill used this to charge at Heart and Cold, the unicorn jumping in front of the colt before summoning a pair of Cold Dragons at them.

Salix and Wingill came to a stop due to the beasts as Cold turned to Heart, "RUN!" He then teleported over to a dragon that Wingill had just beheaded with a water whip, appearing on the neck before jumping at him.

"Wha-" Wingill found himself tackled by the unicorn, only for both to vanish in a flash of blue light.

Salix then melted the other dragon, only to turn to where Heart was...and seeing nothing. "Hey, where's the kid?"

"No place you need to care about!" Flash grunted as he kicked himself away from Storm before spinning around, unleashing a Flash Cutter Barrage at both. And when he came to a stop, he pointed his blade at them, "Your fight is with me."

A few streets over, Heart was flying down a street, his body sliding down a nearby alleyway next. A long sigh came out of his mouth as he whispered to himself, "Useless...I'm so useless."

And as he did this, below him and the city in a crystal chamber, Soul was still curled up while floating in the orb. Her lips slowly began to move as she then muttered, "Heart..."

Author's Note

Well, now Heart gets into the action. Hope you enjoyed it and tell me what you thought of the flashback.

Sacred Light Vs Corrupted Shadow: The Final Battle

As the radiance of light exploded from the crystal orb, Flash could only close his eyes and wait as he, Shadow and Sombra were transported to the pocket dimension Faust had told them about. While this happened, Flash felt his body begin to warm up, his injuries from the last battle fading as he felt his energy come back.

And when the light dimmed, Flash opened his eyes to see they were now in a void, this one filled with every color he could think of spiralling around them. As they began to look around, they then saw the crystal orb containing Soul and Faust floating above them.

"So...this is the place," Sombra commented before turning to Flash, "This is where you and Shadow will finally end this war."

"Indeed," Faust announced. "In this dimension, any energy resulting from the contact between the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow will harmlessly vanish without causing harm to the rest of the world." Another flash of light caused the three to look down, seeing a white light appear below them before taking shape.

When the light faded, it revealed a structure that reminded Flash of the Crystal Empire's stadium, only this one was made of stone instead of crystal. The three felt themselves slowly floating down, Sombra being took over to the seating section as Flash and Shadow landed in the arena. "Remember gentlecolts, who should ever claim victory in this battle will not only be able to keep their powers, but also be evolved into either an alicorn or umbrum. This will be a no-holds barred challenge. I will only step in should one of you be able to receive an injury that would kill them, stopping it and proclaiming their opponent the winner. Other than that, I shall not interfere with anything that happens. This battle will continue until an fighter is either unconscious, surrenders or is about to receive the aforementioned injury. Does everypony understand what I am telling them?"

"One hundred percent!" Flash yelled back.

"Absolutely," Shadow added.

Up in the seating area, Sombra stared at the barrier that kept him from falling into the arena. Shadow had summoned his sword to inspect it, Flash stretching himself out instead to get himself ready. As he did this, Sombra whispered, "Come on Sentry, this one's for all the marbles. Lose this and Equestria is done for."

Flash and Shadow stared each other down, both gripping their weapons.

"You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this," Shadow chuckled as he pointed his sword at Flash. "Now, nothing will get in my way. I can finally end this little game and claim what's rightfully mine."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." Flash growled as he raised his blade. "You're not getting anything from this. I'll make sure you never conquer Equestria!"

Shadow cackled as he rested his weapon on his shoulder, not looking at all worried by Flash's declaration. "After I take Equestria, I'll make sure to tell the ponies that. Throughout the history of my future empire, my citizens will have you to thank for the lives they lead, all of them crying over you failing to stop me as I make them suffer." He shined a huge grin at this, "And I'll be sure to let Princess Twilight know how you failed while I slowly drain her of all her magic." A low laugh came after this, "And don't worry about her. If she survives, I'm sure I can find other uses for her. Perhaps she can be my replacement for Tempera."

This statement made Flash's face turn red, teeth gritting as he began to hiss, his grip tightening on his sword.

"Don't let him get in your head," Sombra added despite his voice not being loud enough for Flash to hear.

Faust saw Flash was on the verge of attack, taking a breath as she announced, "The winner of this battle will have more power than any other being in the world. Their strength will even surpass the power of the original alicorn and umbrum. The fate of all Equestria will be decided here, so make sure you don't hold anything back."

"Okay!" Flash's sword glowed while Shadow's horn sparked. "Let's do this!"

"Gladly!" Shadow laughed, "Just say the word!"

"Game on gentlecolts. Battle...BEGIN!"

"Flash Cutter!" Flash swung his sword, unleashing a wave of light that Shadow easily deflected with his sword. He then charged and thrust his blade at Flash, the defender sidestepping as Shadow started to slash at the knight's' head. The defender thrust his sword next, both blades locking with two clangs before Shadow's horn sparked, firing a beam right at Flash's head.

The pegasi ducked under the blast, only cutting a few stray hairs of his mane as the magic hit the wall of the stadium. An explosion followed this, kicking up some dust as Flash leapt into the air before unleashing a Flash Cutter Barrage. The unicorn raised a shield, bouncing the attacks away as he began to cover his sword in a decay cloud. And when the last Flash Cutter deflected off his barrier, he dropped it and swung the blade, a series of cloud spheres now flying at Flash.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he dodged the first orb before blocking another with a Flash Force, the first cloud hitting the stadium seating area before turning it to dust. And as it melted, Faust shined her light on it, repairing it as Flash began flying in circles around Shadow as he launched the decay around. But as this happened, the pegasus dodged each spell as one of the clouds hit where Sombra was sitting.

"Hey!" Sombra yelped as he avoided the attack, "Watch it, would ya?!"

"Flash Driver!" Flash morphed into a light drill, charging at Shadow as he fired another decay wave. However, the light of his attack dispersed the cloud, breaking out of the drill next as he tried to slash at Shadow. But as his blade swung down towards Shadow's head, a pair of portals appeared in front of him and behind the unicorn. Flash gasped as he was forced through the first and out the other, sliding across the ground before hopping back on his hooves.

He spun like a top next, charging at Shadow as the unicorn easily blocked the first slash the knight tried, the force of the two weapons colliding causing both their grips on them to slip. They were knocked back next, Shadow growling as he tried to grab his sword in his magic, only to have Flash's hoof slam into his face. "Augh!" He staggered back as Flash tried to deal him another punch, only for Shadow to dodge and jab Flash in the stomach before uppercutting him in the chin.

"Gyah!" Flash's head flicked as he fell back, Shadow taking this chance to try and slam his front hooves down on the defender. But as he did this, Flash used his tail to sweep Shadow's back legs, making him fall as Flash picked himself up.

Shadow suddenly found Flash swinging his back leg into his stomach, winding the unicorn as Flash pulled back for another kick. And as he tried this, Shadow caught the hoof and spun, slinging Flash into the dirt.

"Oof!" He cried as Shadow got up, Flash spinning to slam his hooves into Shadow. The blow pushed the unicorn back, making him stagger away before backpedaling as Flash got up and grabbed his sword.

Shadow then stumbled into a place filled with dust, now seeing it was the cloud he created while hitting the stadium wall. He then heard Flash roar, the pegasi charging as the unicorn got an idea. As Flash got close, Shadow swept his tail along the ground, kicking up dust right into Flash's face. The defender came to a stop, rubbing his eyes as Shadow charged at him.

"Look out!" Sombra yelled as Shadow reached Flash, the knight unable to react as the unicorn began dealing a series of punches to his face.

"Augh!" He cried as he felt his face get pummeled, his nose breaking as blood splattered out, covering Shadow's hoof as he continued beating into him. And after several strong hits to his body, Shadow slammed into his chest as a white flash occurred. Flash staggered back as he saw the light turn into a rune, Shadow's horn shining as the rune then exploded. A scream of pain came next as Flash was blasted across the stadium, crashing into the opposite wall.

"HA! How pathetic!" Shadow laughed as he teleported his sword to his side. As he did this, Flash got up, feeling his now brunt chest as he wiped out the dust in his eyes. And as his vision returned, the defender could now see Shadow right about to strike him with his blade.

But as the sword was about to pierce the pegasi's head, Flash ducked under the blade, folding his wings as he dodged the thrust. And as he did this, he pointed his crossguard at Shadow's chest, "Flash Force!" the beam struck the unicorn, sending him flying with a scream of pain.

"RAAAAAH!" Shadow roared as he landed, Flash preparing a Flash Cutter before a shield appeared around the unicorn. Flash's blade stopped glowing at this, now seeing Shadow get up as two stared at each other, both heavily panting.

"Just give up," Shadow told Flash as he watched the pegasus wipe his nose of blood. "You can't beat me, so just give up."

"Why would I give up?" Flash barked back, "I have just as much chance of winning as you, and I haven't even pulled out the big guns yet."

"Neither have I, and its clear what the outcome of this fight will be." Shadow replied before shaking his head, "The winner will be the one with the greater will, and there's nopony in this world with more will then me. After everything I've been through, to let it end now is unacceptable."

"Oh please," Flash rolled his eyes. "You talk like you're the only one in the world that's had a hard life. Newsflash Gleaming, the rest of us haven't had it easy easier."

"Like you would know," Shadow growled, "You forget, I've seen your past just as I assume you've seen mine. I know what happened to you. You spent what...five years on your own before you got taken in? I've spent technically my entire life fighting to get what I have while you had everything given to you."

"What are you talking about?!" Flash replied before pointing at himself, "I've worked hard to get what I have. That's why I won't let you take it away."

"Don't make me laugh," Shadow chuckled. "You wouldn't have any of it if it wasn't for me." This made Flash raise an eyebrow at this, "Don't give me that look, you heard Faust. The only reason you have the Sacred Light is because of me. She saw I was gonna get my power, so she gave you yours to counter it. If it wasn't for me, none of the things that ever happened to you would have happened. You would have never been abandoned by your parents, never met the Princess of Friendship...you wouldn't even be a Royal Knight right now."

Sombra frowned at these words, remembering his own version of his battle with Flash when he tried to get under the knight's skin.

"I made you who you are. Don't think you're anything special." Shadow spat, a low glare in his eyes, "You weren't chosen, you were lucky. That's why compared to me, you're nothing. So do yourself a favor and stand down. Surrender everything so I, who has the true right to victory, can be the victor."

A long pause followed this, Flash just showing a flat stare as Shadow glared at him. And just as Shadow was about to speak up again, his eyes started to twitch as he saw Flash shine a giant smile.

"Really?" Flash cackled as he pointed at Shadow, "You're trying the psychological crud on me? Hate to break it to you, but you're not the first baddie to use that on me. Heck, ponies I now consider close friends have used it on me to a way better degree. You know, mainly them trying to make a point to feed their ego."

Shadow hissed at these words, his horn sparking as Flash crossed his hooves with a smirk.

"Sure, in the past that might have worked on me. I spent a long time doubting whether or not I was worthy of everything I had. But those days are long gone. I know I deserve what I have, that's why I won't let you take it from me." He pointed his sword at Shadow. "You think I care about why I have my power, but I don't. Because it's not about how much power you have or how you got it, it's what you do with this power that makes you who you are. And all you've ever done with the power you have is evil, which is why I won't let you win."

Flash and Sombra both stared at Shadow as another pause happened, only for the unicorn to sigh, "Tch. It seems there's no point in trying to make a fool understand what power is."

"I just told you what it means." Flash barked back, "After everything I've been through, I know why I have my power, and I know I'd have to have a pretty strong will to still be standing here. That's why I'm here today."

"No, that's why you'll lose." Shadow replied while shaking his head, "You see, you're no different from me because of your past. You believe some nonsense about friendship and bonds to make you strong...but its meaningless. Its your past that defines you. After all, you saw what happened to make me who I am. The pain and suffering I had to endure....the betrayal and violence. Do you really expect me to be anything other than who I am because of it?"

Flash frowned at this, only to sigh this time, "Your story might not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story. Who you choose to be, that defines you." He raised his sword, "I chose to be somepony who fights to protect others. And you-"

"I choose to be the pony who will end you and emerge as Equestria's new king."

"Not if I can help it," Flash responded as he tightened his grip on his sword. [AN]

"Then let's end these pleasantries," Shadow chuckled as he raised his sword. "But I won't judge you if you decide to back out at any point." His sword began to glow as magic was channelled into it. "Well, I might judge you a little."

"Don't worry, this is one fight I refuse to back down from." He spread his wings and got into a pre-flight pose. "Because unlike you...I'VE GOT SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR!"

With that, he shot forward while Shadow remained where he was, his horn sparking as Flash found himself colliding into a magic barrier. Flash then began slashing the shield, Shadow laughing as the blows did nothing. He thrust his blade at the defender next, Flash ducking under the strike before spinning to slash at the unicorn. However, Shadow just swung his blade into Flash's, both swords locking as Shadow fired a beam from his horn. Seeing this, Flash flared his wings and flew upward, dodging the magic blast before swinging his sword down, only for it to hit the barrier again.

And as Flash's blade clanged off the shield, he flared his wings and flew back, firing a Flash Cutter that did nothing to Shadow's barrier. Growling at the sight, he landed and charged at full speed, Shadow removing his shield as he met Flash head-on. He thrust his blade right at the pegasi, Flash doing a horizontal strike in response. The swords clanged again, Flash spinning his body as he swiped his blade upward, nicking Shadow's face. A loud roar came after this, Shadow swerving his sword downward before thrusting it right at Flash's face, the pegasi ducking as the blade just nicked above his eyebrows.

Grunts of pain came next as both slashed their swords again, this time both blades bouncing off each other before they charged again. To their audience, it was a series of focused slashes that proceeded this, Flash and Shadow's swords continually slicing the area. It wasn't long till both were stitched in cuts, only for both to leap backward.

In this moment, Shadow's magic wrapped around his sword while Flash pumped every bit of strength he had into his hoof, Lightbringer's glow becoming bright than ever. And as they did this, two roars came next as they charged at each, Sombra watching intensely as he saw both collide.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both screamed as they swung their weapons, the loudest ring of metal on metal now filling the air. This was followed by another sound, the sound that sounded like glass shattering. Both ponies stared in shock as one of their swords cut through the other one, smashing it to pieces. [AN]

And as they came to a stop, the owner of the broken sword spoke up, "No...it can't be." was all Flash could say as he stared at the broken remains of Lightbringer. All that was left of it now was the handle and crossguard.

Shadow laughed as he charged at Flash again, only for Flash to block his blade in time with the crossguard. But as he felt the blow, Flash was knocked back, the remains of the blade flying out of his hooves. Shadow's horn then sparked before unleashing a bolt of purple lightning, the attack instantly hitting Flash before wrapping up his body. Another laugh came as the unicorn raised Flash up before slamming him into the ground. "AUGH!" Flash screamed through the combination of the electrocution and the impact, Shadow doing this again and again as he slammed Flash around like a ragdoll.

"Don't you see?! You are nothing!" Shadow yelled as he swung his head, Flash now being pulled around a full circle above Shadow, only to release the lightning and throw him across the battlefield.

"RAAAAAH-GYAH!" Flash screamed as he hit the wall of the colosseum, making a sizeable dent into the stone surface. Sombra could only flinch at the sound of breaking stone, and possibly bone, now filling the air. He looked away as Flash slid down the wall, falling into a heap next.

"SENTRY!" The former king cried as he turned back, now seeing Flash laying face down.

"AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Shadow cackled before looking up at Faust, "Do you see that?! I WON! You know what that means!" He raised his hooves upward, "Give it to me! Give me the power to conquer this world! Give me the right to make this world suffer as I have! AHAHAHAHAAAA!!!"

But as he said these words...nothing happened.

"HEY! What gives?! GIVE ME MY PRIZE!"

"I said this battle would only end once one of you was unconscious, close to death, or gives up." Faust casually replied, Shadow blinking at her response, "He's still conscious, thus not dead, and that doesn't look like he's giving up to me." Shadow turned back to Flash, now seeing the defender trying to move. His front legs were shaking, barely moving as Shadow sighed at the sight.

"Oh please. Just declare me the victor already. I have no time to waste on garbage like him."

"He has not lost his will. He-"

"Oh, shut up!" Shadow spat, "He's done for, so give me my power!" The unicorn pointed at Flash as he glared at Faust, "He's nothing, and will never be anything. He'll never beat me, so give me my prize! Give me my power!"

"I will not. Not till he has given up."

"Grrr...you little-" Shadow hissed before turning to Flash, now seeing him slump over as his legs gave out, only to try again. "Just give up Sentry. Don't make me have to kill you. I want you to live so you can see what your failure will create. I want you to see a world in endless suffering because you failed." Shadow let out a sigh next, now seeing Flash get up for a third time, only to fall over. "You can't defeat me. Continuing this fool's errand will only end with more pain. Just surrender so I may make Equestria suffer like I have."

But his words fell on deaf ears, Flash now crawling on the ground as he made his way to Lightbringer's handle. His entire body was screaming in pain, every movement getting closer and closer to dropping unconscious.

"Come on," Sombra whispered as he watched Flash struggle. "You can't give up yet." But as the pegasus got within a few feet of the weapon, his entire body stopped moving. "No."

'What happened?' Flash mentally asked himself as he felt his eyes closing. 'I...I can't move my body.' Tears began to leak out his eyes. 'I wanted to save Equestria, and all my friends.' The tears slipped down his face, Shadow chuckling at the sight as Sombra slumped in his seat, his eyes showing nothing but fear.

'Was...was this all I could do?' Flash thought as his eyes were about to close, one last word going into head, 'Twilight...'

And as her name came to his mind, a certain memory played in his head. A promise.

"If you're making promises you absolutely have to keep, then promise me you'll be careful. Promising to come back alive isn't gonna cut it. You need to promise me that you'll come back in the exact same state you leave in...that means no missing limbs, no new scars. Not even a black eye."

'I...I couldn't keep the promise.' he thought as the images of his friends came next in his mind, 'They were counting on me and...and...'

As these words went through his head, his mind showing him all his friends. Friends that helped him in this war that he had lost. Now, Equestria would fall to a monster, all because of him. 'Springer. Ruby. Soarin. Trixie. Heart. Cold. Even Soul.' His mind flashed back others now, more faces he knew, 'My friends in Ponyville.' It then fell on his family, making him whimper, 'Mom, dad...Scootaloo.' Finally, his mind went back to the pony that meant more to him than anything. The one that had stood by his side no matter what, and helped him become a better pony. 'Twilight.' Each of those faces appeared in front of him, their happy faces quickly vanishing as they suddenly appeared in chains. 'What?! NO!'

His mind continued to show him images of Equestria after Shadow. The skies were pitch black, not a single living plant or tree in sight. All were slaves, all were suffering as he sat upon a throne, laughing at the misery before him. 'No...I was supposed...I was supposed to save them' He tried to say as the images kept playing, now only seconds from losing consciousness. 'I can't-'

"SENTRY!" The sound of that voice halted Flash's descent into the void, the pegasus recognizing it as Sombra's. "Don't you dare give up!" Flash's eyes slowly pried themselves apart, allowing him to look up and see Sombra staring down at him from the stands. "Not yet! You are not letting him beat you this easily!"

"SILENCE!" Shadow barked, "You stay out of this, you traitor!"

"NO!" Sombra roared. "I won't just sit back and watch the place I once called home fall to ruin because of you! Not if there's something I can do to stop it." He turned back to Flash, "Are you really going to let him beat you? Even knowing what awaits Equestria if he wins?!"

"I...I don't want to let him win," Flash whispered.

"Then why are you laying down like that?! You've faced tougher challenges than this and stood back up every time. Nightmare Moon, Lightning, Discord, Doom Raizer, Tirek...even me. Every time you were knocked down and it looked like you had lost, you got back up and won! This isn't any different!"

These words sank into Flash's mind, more memories of his life going through him. He remembered the binds he had been in, the bad to worse fights that all went south before he found a way to pull through. And he knew why he won. He knew why he found a way.

"And if you lose here, it won't just be you you're letting down. Think about Ruby and the others! The ones who followed you here because they believed in you! The ones who fought for you in this game. The ones who endured so much and pushed themselves passed barriers most sane ponies would call impossible. If you lose now, then everything they did would be meaningless. Every injury they endured, every obstacle they overcame, and every limit they almost killed themselves breaking through would be for nothing." Sombra took a deep breath as he said these next words, "And I know you, Flash Sentry. You wouldn't let your friends suffer for nothing. That's why you're gonna get up. Because you are Equestria's last hope!"

Hearing these words made Flash's eyes shoot completely open, the images of his friends in chains reappearing in his mind as Sombra yelled, "You're all that stands between him and total domination. Is that a fight you're gonna let him win?!"

"ENOUGH!" Shadow screeched as he fired a beam of magic at Sombra, the former king gasping as the blast him, knocking his flying into the stairs above him. The unicorn slumped over in pain next, flinching as Shadow hissed at him, "I'll have no more pointless interruptions from you. In fact, because you decided to delay this, once this farce is over, I'm going to start my reign by carving that horn off of you and-"

"Shut up." said a voice, making Shadow turn to see a certain pegasus groaning in pain as he slowly pushed himself back to his hooves. "He's...right. This isn't a fight...I can lose."

Shadow shot Sombra one final death glare before turning back to Flash, now pointing his sword at him. "You just made a big mistake. I was really hoping to show you what I wish to do to this world...but you're too stupid to give up. Instead, I'm going to end you right here and now." He rested his blade on one of his hooves, his horn sparking as he layered the sword in magic, "Then again, you've been a thorn in my side for too long, and today I'll finally be rid of you. But I won't make it quick. I'll be sure to make this last as long as possible, reveling in the agony you feel until you're begging me for the sweet, merciful release of death. But I won't, and you'll finally understand what a big mistake challenging the one true ruler of-"

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Flash yelled as he finally pushed himself up to full height, spreading his wings. All sense of exhaustion vanished from him as he glared Shadow down. "I am so sick of hearing your overblown egomaniac speeches! It's time somepony finally set you straight and drill this fact into your head. You're nothing special!"

Shadow growled, "You dare-"

"Oh, I dare!" Flash screamed, "You think you're something special, but you're not! You think you're destined to be some great ruler, but you're the furthest thing. All you are is a criminal and a psycho, born from all the pain and rage and betrayal that Gleaming Path endured. Every dark thought he never had until his parents broke his heart, that's what you are!" Shadow's eyes turned red in rage as Flash continued, the defender seeing this and not showing a hint of hesitation. "And when this is over, you won't be any different. The only thing that your name will be known for is being on a list of idiots that underestimated me and those I hold dear."

Everypony watched as Flash took a deep breath, memories upon memories entering his brain. Every fight, every win, every loss, every single trial flew through his mind as he continued, "Time and again somepony got it into their head that they could defeat me. Time and again they would beat me down, knock me out and try to make me give up." He pointed at Shadow. "You come at me with insecurities, self-doubt and angst. You try to make me doubt who I am!" He smirked before pointing at his chest. "I am the pony who forged the Element of Courage! I am the pony that helped vanquish Nightmare Moon! I am the pony that fought off Doom Raizer and destroyed the Omni Sphere! I am the liberator of the Crystal Empire. I am an Element of Harmony! I am a Royal Knight! I'm the defender of the peace!" He kicked Lightbringer's crossguard into the air, catching it as a golden light began to outline his body. "I am Flash Sentry. And I...am never...ALONE!" With that, the light exploded off his body and wrapped around him into a tornado.

Shadow growled as black light exploded off of him and formed a tornado as well. As this happened, Sombra let out a moan as he picked himself up, now seeing the black and gold tornadoes as both tips of the storms charged at each other. The two smashed together, grinding against its opposite before bouncing off and repeating the process.

As this happened, Flash and Shadow's armor began to materialize around them, Flash placing the handle of his broken sword around his tail, wanting it there as he finished Shadow off once and for all. And as the last piece of armor appeared, their tornadoes struck one final time, both grinding at each other for almost ten full seconds before the pressure was too much. Both tornadoes exploded, the light from them flying down to form swords and wings that completed the two's transformations.

No sooner had these completed, Flash let out a roar as he charged at Shadow while drawing the light swords off his back. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He yelled as he reached Shadow in the blink of an eye, quickly slashing at him with both swords, Shadow barely able to react with his own blade.

The two attacks met and caused a shockwave, Sombra needing to duck back down behind the barrier to stop from getting blown away. It was clear that if they weren't in a pocket dimension, that attack would have done some serious damage to the world.

And as this happened, Flash and Shadow's blades locked in place, both glaring before pushing back. The charged next, the two firing off a succession of rapid slashes. What followed was around a hundred slashes in ten seconds, what could only be described as light and darkness cutting through the air at speeds that could not be seen through the naked eyes. And when this exchange finished, the two leapt back, landing on opposite sides.

"That all you got!?" Shadow cackled, "Seems I'm right, you're still nothing!"

"I'm just getting started!" Flash yelled as he flew at Shadow at maximum speed. Shadow braced his body for an attack, only to go wide-eyed as he saw Flash suddenly turn into a barrage of speed mirages. All barreled around Flash, the defender racing right at him.

But as this happened, Shadow dismissed his sword while sparking his horn, soon igniting as he unleashed a stream of fire. The blaze started at the far left side of the Flash army, Shadow quickly sweeping it right, burning every mirage with ease. However, as he did this, the real Flash zipped over the flames as he pulled his light swords off his back. "Flash Cutter!" He threw them at Shadow, the two blades morphing into buzzsaw-like weapons.

In response, Shadow pulled his wings down as their shadowy ends reshaped into claws. He swung them at the blades, both colliding as an explosion came next, kicking up a cloud of dust along with a shockwave. Shadow stared at the cloud as the shadow claws clenched up, only for Flash to dash through the fog with all four of his armored hooves glowing with Sacred Light. The sight made Shadow cross the shadow claws in front of him, Flash's hooves slamming into the wings as another shockwave came out.

Flash let out a roar next, proceeding to throw a barrage of punches at Shadow's wings, making Shadow suddenly feel his hooves grind as Flash began to push him back. As he did this, Flash slammed both hooves into the wings with a might blow, making Shadow flinch for a second, letting Flash dive under the claws and strike Shadow in the chest. A glob of spit flew out of his mouth next, only for Shadow's horn to spark. Firing a quick beam of magic, Flash ducked under the blast, only for Shadow's wing to uppercut a curled up claw into Flash's jaw.

"Augh!" Flash yelped as he was knocked flying, Sombra wincing as he saw the defender hit the dirt.

Shadow chuckled as he spread his wings, going to the air as his horn ignited to unleash a stream of black fire. And as the pegasus rolled himself over, he saw the flames as Sombra yelled at him to get out of there. But instead of flying away, he instead got up and crossed his light swords, thrusting them into fire. The attack let him cut the flames in half, the streams passing by him as Flash swung the blades apart, firing a wave of light from the motion that instantly struck the unicorn.

"Raugh!" Shadow hissed, feeling the light strike his shoulder. And as this happened, Flash slammed the swords together, making a large orb.

"Flash Force!" he yelled as the orb exploded into a laser, the beam about to strike Shadow as he swooped down to dodge the blow. And as he landed, his armored hoof sparked with red lightning before hitting the ground, a giant red energy filled crack now flowing through the ground.

The pegasus saw this coming and grabbed his swords again, slamming them together into one big sword that he then swung down. Both struck, the tip of the blade colliding with the crack as an explosion came next, smoke filling the stadium as the entire place rattled from the impact.

Sombra was surprised the place wasn't falling apart, praising Faust's design as he saw the arena be repaired in an instant as the smoke now covered everything. And inside the dust cloud, Shadow's eyes darted around as he tried to see. But as he did this, Flash suddenly appeared in front of him, unable to reach as a shining hoof slammed into the unicorn's gut. A roar of pain happened next, spit flying out of his mouth as the punch made a shockwave that blew away the smoke.

And as he recoiled in pain, Flash flew right up to Shadow and delivered a swift axe kick to Shadow's head. He cried out in pain as his entire body was slammed faced down into the ground, shaking it as Flash kicked off the unicorn. The defender began to fly over the unicorn, Shadow's body crackling with red lightning as Sombra cheered at Flash's attack, Faust just watching the battle in a stoic manner.

Shadow pushed himself back to his hooves, hissing as a trickle of blood went down his head and out of his mouth. He glared up at Flash, seeing the pegasus hiding his exhaustion, "You insolent worm."

"I told you," Flash panted, "I won't let you win. No matter what, I'm taking you down."

"You can try, but no matter what you do, you'll never be able to defeat me. I am-"

"The most powerful pony in the world. You're so great, strong and unbeatable...and full of horseapples!" Flash interrupted, "Yeah, like I haven't heard that a million times already. And not just from you. Everypony I've ever faced has spouted the same trash again and again, and yet you'll notice that I'm still here and they're all history. So forgive me if I hit the skip button on this little cutscene."

Shadow let out a low hiss as he wiped the blood off his face, "I will admit, it's true that the record of good versus evil is a little one sided, yet you've failed to notice one thing. No matter how much evil you vanquish in this world, it comes back in some other shape or form." He summoned his sword and pointed it at Flash. "Even if you defeat me, I'll simply be replaced by another villain wanting the exact same thing as me. It'll never end. Like Faust said, there can be no good without evil. That means Equestria will always be under threat from something. Yet you chose to keep fighting, knowing you'll never truly win. Why? Why do something so pointless when you can end it with my rule?"

But as these words exited the unicorn's mouth, he readied himself to see doubt appear on Flash's face...only to see a giant grin. The smile was filled with joy and nostalgic pleasure as he replied, "Seriously? That's totally obvious. I fight so others don't have to."

"What?" Shadow asked with raised eyebrows.

"You're right, I can't rid the world of evil, it's a part of the world. But even if I can't get rid of it, that doesn't mean I can't stop it from ruining the lives of those I care about."

It was here that he closed his eyes, the world around him slowly fading into darkness as his imagination took over. Images appeared around him, small windows of colour showing his friends now hovering over him. There was Twilight happily reading in the castle library while Pinkie was baking a cake meant for another great party. Applejack was tending to her orchid and working up a sweat as Rarity was busy designing a beautiful dress. Fluttershy was playing with the many animals she cared for while Rainbow was busting clouds and entertaining others with her flying ability. And as he thought of these things, more of his friends appeared around him.

"Yeah, the world's not perfect, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't stop trying to protect it." Flash opened his eyes, the visions vanishing as he continued, "Even if the world is filled with darkness, it has just as much light in it. And that light is created by ponies doing what they love, what they believe in, and what makes those they care about happy. So you're right, I can't keep villains like you from attacking. But I can keep you from stopping everypony from doing what they love. And to me, that a pretty special thing to fight for."

Shadow's teeth grinded at these words, blood oozing from the biting as he growled, "Disgusting. You truly are pathetic." He pointed his sword at Flash. "When will you realise that the only thing that matters in this world is looking out for yourself?!"

Flash chuckled back, "Maybe when I have absolutely nothing left to fight for and I've lost everything and everypony I've ever cared for. If that happened, maybe I'll be as twisted and broken as you that I'll see no more point to looking out for others. But that's not the world we live in, and I'll make sure that never comes to past."

"Then you're a fool." Shadow spat, blood splattering the ground along with his spit. "That is the world we live in! It is a world of only suffering and power! It is a world where I am destined to rule, as I have suffered most!"

"But that's not gonna happen." Flash instantly replied, "Because as long as I live, I'll fight to protect everything and everypony I love. I'll die before I let anything happen to them."

"You'll die right now!" Shadow roared as he flared his wings, sprinting through the air as he charged at Flash.

"I don't think so!" Flash yelled as he charged as well, both swords clashing before Shadow's horn sparked, only for Flash fly upward. Shadow followed him, firing two stray beams that Flash spun around, both soon coming to a stop in the sky. Sombra stared at the duo, now seeing a gold and black blur zoom through the air, beams of magic flying all around as the blurs kept colliding.

As this happened, Flash and Shadow had locked swords again. Flash then spun his body, trying to slam two backhooves into Shadow as the unicorn flared his wings, flapping backward to dodge the defender. As he did this, his horn glowed as he fired a series of beams around him, each one missing Flash...only for the blasts to turn into portals.

Flash saw this, only to dodge a beam from Shadow as it went past him and into a portal, only to come out of another one right at the pegasi. Glancing at the blast, he sent his Sacred Light into his hooves, punching the beam away. Shadow growled at the sight before firing several beams into the portals, rays of light bouncing everywhere as Flash spun like a top, punch and kicking all the attacks away.

But as Flash hit them all, he suddenly leapt into a portal. The action made Shadow come to a stop, only for Flash to appear right behind him, "Peekaboo!" He yelled as he threw a punch at Shadow's chest, the unicorn turning to block it with his sword. Shadow felt a tug from the blow, now seeing a smirking Flash as he pushed the unicorn downward.

Sombra watched as the golden blur pushed the black blur into the middle of the arena, an explosion of dust following this as both hit the ground, making the whole stadium shake. "AUGH!" Shadow screamed as he felt the stadium's stone slam into this back, not noticing a crack appearing along the breath of his sword.

He pushed past the pain and tried to grab Flash with his wings, only for the Knight of Friendship to leap back before he could get him. "It's time to make you pay for for everything you've done!" Flash started as he grabbed both his swords. As he did this, he remembered back to every time Shadow or his flunkies caused one of his friends to dust away, the look of pain and disappointment they all had when it happen flashing in his eyes. "Now say GOODBYE!"

A Flash Force came next, the unicorn gasping as he threw up a barrier. Another explosion covered the arena, Flash standing tall as he waited to see if he had won, only for a dark magic chain to shoot through the smoke, grabbing his still together hooves. "Huh?!" Flash yelped as he looked down at his hooves while the smoke cleared, revealing Shadow with the chain coming from his horn.

"HA! Try fighting me with your hooves tied!" Flash didn't respond, instead pulling at his new bindings. The sight made Shadow continue to laugh, "Don't bother! A nothing like you can never break those chains! Now, I'm going to-"

"RAAAAAH!" Flash suddenly roared, his hooves stretching out as the chains were shattered in one fell swoop.

"impossible!" Shadow yelled as he saw Flash put his swords together to form the orb of light, "Wait, no!"

"Flash..." he thrust it in Shadow's direction, "FORCE!" With that, the beam of light shot out of the sphere, Shadow grabbing his sword to block the laser.

But when the blast struck the metal weapon, the crack that had previously appeared grew in size, only for the sound of shattering to fill the air a second later. What followed as the Flash Force streaming right through the blade, hitting the unicorn, "AUGH!" He cried as he was sent flying into the wall of the stadium, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Now we're even!" Flash barked as he split apart his blades, only for Shadow to suddenly shoot out of the smoke at mach speed. Before Flash could even react, the unicorn slammed a hoof into the defender's chest, "Gyah!" he yelped as he was sent flying back, the pegasus slamming his back hooves into the ground to slide to a stop just before he hit the stadium wall.

"Such power," Sombra gasped, "He still has that much strength, even after all this?"

"You nothing! How dare you break my blade!" Shadow screeched as his reshaped his wings into claws, "I will not lose to trash like you! I'll keep fighting with every last breath I have!"

"Funny," Flash pulled his swords off his back, "I was about to say the same thing to you!"

With that, the pegasi charged in mid-air, Shadow galloping as they met while swinging a wing-claw and sword around. Their collision created another shockwave, this one actually knocking Sombra back. They then thrusted their other sword/wing, both striking as they started to circle around each other. Shockwave after shockwave continued to rock the arena as Flash kept swatting away Shadow's claws.

And as he did this, the pegasi ducked under another attack of the claws before spinning around and swinging a back hoof into Shadow's face. The unicorn grunted in pain as he staggered back before firing a magic beam, Flash ducking under it before rolling on the ground as Shadow thrust both wings at him. Red lightning sparked out of Shadow's horn next, the electricity going to his front hooves as he charged at Flash with a roar.

Flash just took his swords and put them together, forming one supercharged blade as Shadow got up to him. The unicorn threw the first punch, lightning crackling across the arena as the blow was blocked by Flash's bade. However, not even a singe hit Flash, both now glaring at each other as Shadow began to throw a barrage of punches. The sound of clanging metal rang out across the stadium, Flash's sword blocking every blow.

But as this continued, Flash watched his pattern of punches, staring at the movements before blinking, his eyes turning pure white as he entered Theta Mode. This was followed by a quick lift his blade, the upward motion of the sword catching Shadow off-guard before Flash slammed a hoof into the unicorn's stomach. A scream of pain was about to follow this, only for Flash to slash his blade into Shadow's belly, sending him flying into the ground.

The pegasus then flared his wings to dive-bomb the unicorn, only for Shadow to fire a beam right at the pegasus. Flash gasped at the sight, unable to stop his charge as he tried to pull up, only for the blast to him. The blow knocked him out of Theta Mode, making him crash into the floor, only to quickly hop back onto his hooves.

Shadow growled at the sight, Flash now morphing his blades into a ball while Shadow's wings exploded off his back and flew into his horn. Both charged up their attacks to their absolute maximum, Sombra now taking the precaution to hide everything below his eyes behind the barrier, looks of intense discomfort appearing on their faces at having to hold this much power together.

And as they let them rip, they unleashed a blast of gold and black magic at one another. The twin beams collided, the two now making the stadium shake like crazy. Shockwaves came next as they began to make cracks all over the stadium. And as the two beams continued to push against one another, Flash and Shadow grunted as they kept their attacks going, several long minutes passing. But as this happened, Sombra's eyes shrunk at the next sight.

"No," the former king whispered as he saw Flash's beam begin to shrink as Shadow's got closer to the knight.

Flash groaned as he kept trying to push the attack back, his hooves grinding as he saw Shadow's attack get just a few feet away, "No....gyah!"

The scream of pain made Shadow smile, almost laugh as he kept pushing power into horn. "At last..."

The defender kept feeling his body be shoved back, hooves about to slip as he squinted his eyes. "Come on..." he whispered as he felt his hooves about to slip. And as they began to give away, he suddenly felt something push into his back, "Huh?" He looked back for a second, only to gasp, "Springer?"

Behind him was what looked like his partner, though transparent like a ghost...and had a big smile on his face. He then felt pressure on the other side of his back, making him turn to see somepony else. "Twilight?" The Princess of Friendship nodded at him as she and Springer helped him keep steady. And they weren't alone. Cold, Ruby, Trixie, Soarin and Heart also appeared, all helping push him forward. Then, even Soul appeared beside her brother.

As this happened, more ponies came and grabbed hold of him. Scootaloo, his parents, Spike Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Grand, while behind them were Shining, Cadance, Celestia, Luna, Lightning and the rest of the Royal Knights.

Flash shined an ever-growing smile as he felt strength return to him. And as he turned back to Shadow, he saw more ghostly visions of his friends. Ponies from Ponyville, like Derpy, Lyra, Bon Bon, Mayor Mare, the Cakes, Time Turner and Zecora. Those from Canterlot like Solid Script, Wild Smile, Gorgenia and Twilight's parents. Even ponies he had only met once or twice all started appearing until the stadium was completely filled with them.

But as he saw this, Shadow saw nothing. Despite the smile on his face due to his belief of overpowering Flash, there was nothing to see in his eyes. He saw only one thing in front of him, unending darkness.

However, as the unicorn continued to pump more power into his attack, a calm sigh came to Flash as he stared at all the ponies in the arena. He knew one thing: These ponies gave him purpose. They were the reason he fought. And that reason was enough.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as Shadow's blast stopped pushing him back. The roar made Shadow's grin fade, going wide-eyed as he felt Flash's attack start to push him back.

"What?!" Shadow yelped as he tried to stream more power into his attack, only to feel it have no effect. "What is...what is going?! Where is this power coming from?!"

"From my friends!" Flash yelled, "Do you see now?! Do you see what having something other then yourself to fight for can give you?!" Shadow felt another pulse of energy from Flash's attack, now feeling his hooves grind into the dirt as he started to be pushed back as Flash continued, "Even if I stand here alone, I won't be! My friends will still be with me in my heart, and as long as they are, nothing is impossible! That includes, WIPING THE FLOOR WITH YOU!" With that last outcry, Flash's attack exploded, cutting right through Shadow's blast.

The unicorn gasped as the beam struck him, "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" He screamed as he was sent flying across the arena.

And as Shadow rolled through the dirt, Flash flicked his tail so the handle of Lightbringer flew into the defender's hooves. He then turned back to his friends, "Thank you for making me who I am." They all smiled and nodded back before their ghostly forms evaporated into a blue mist-like light. The rest of the ghosts in the stadium did the same, the light beginning to spiral around the knight as he turned back to Shadow.

The unicorn was now picking himself up, now seeing a strange blue light covering both Flash and his blade. "What?! What is this?!"

"It's over, Shadow!" Flash roared as he leapt at the unicorn, raising the hoof holding Lightbringer's handle in a punch-ready motion.

"No! Stay back!" Shadow yelled as he fired a beam of magic at him, only for it to bounce off the aura around Flash. "What?!"

"This!" He screamed as he got within punching distance, "Ends!" The blue aura flew up his body and entered the handle of Flash's weapon, causing it to glow a blinding light. "NOW!" He thrust the handle forward, striking Shadow in the chest just as the light exploded out of it. "HARMONIC LIGHT OF EQUESTRIA!"

The light flew into Shadow's body, causing him to scream in pain as sent flying into the stadium wall. A mighty crack followed this, shaking the stadium ten times more than anything the battle had done before. And as the unicorn hit the wall, pain raced through his body like nothing he had every felt.

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!

The crack from before exploded, the entire colosseum now shaking as Flash was sent flying into the seating area. "Whoa!" Sombra yelped as he leapt under some seats, covering his head with his hooves as the earthquake continued.

And when the shaking began to stop, the unicorn got up and saw a massive smoke cloud now covering the arena. Flash had also gotten up, his Sacred Light armor vanishing as he stared at the cloud.

Seconds passed with no sign of life...only for a certain pony shaped figure to appear, stepping out of the fog. It was Shadow, his body filled with bruises, blood streaming down his face and hooves as his armor appeared cracked and chipped. The left half of his X-shaped mask was gone, and there was the look pure hatred in his revealed eye while the other remained closed.

"You...dare to...think..." he stuttered out as he staggered out of the smoke, "You think...you can...win...against me?! You...you..." His horn began to spark as a glob of blood dropped from his mouth, "Now...you will...suffer the con-ugh!" That was the last thing he said before his body completely gave out, Flash and Sombra watching as the unicorn fell face first into the ground.

The two gasped as they watched his Corrupted Shadow armor vanish. They didn't move at the sight, Flash bracing his body as he saw the unicorn twitch. The glow in his horn was still there, though it was sputtering, tiny sparks falling off it. Flash grit his teeth at the sight, moving his body into a battle ready position.

But after a minute without him moving, Faust took a deep breath before making the announcement Flash and Sombra had desperately wanted to hear.

"BATTLE, OVER! WINNER, FLASH SENTRY!"

Author's Note

And so the war finally ends. While the outcome was pretty obvious, I hope you enjoyed the ride. Now, what'll happen now that the fighting's come to an end?

AN 1: For those who skipped right to this when they saw it in the chapter, cut to the 1:00 mark in the video.

AN 2: Cut the music.