Canterlot was in a state of panic, as the entire city had been surrounded by a dome of energy.

Said dome had been created by the Doom Pillars, which had all been placed in the needed locations. Now, all that was needed was for them to activate and Canterlot would be cleansed of anything that wasn't a Mimic.

The people were running through the city, trying to find someway out of the town. But there was no way.

Several people tried to go through the sewers, only to find the dome went underground further than any tunnel. Everyone was trapped and at risk of being killed when the Doom Pillars activated completely.

This included Misty and Scootaloo, the pair having abandoned their car with everyone else as the dome appeared. They were trying to make it somewhere safe, though they had no idea where that was, whilst Misty tried to get in contact with her son. "Flash! I don't know what's going on. But please, call me. Tell me that you're safe." But as she said that, something appeared right in front of them.

It was a portal and from out of it, several creatures leapt out. A trio of Mimics.

Two of them were ones they had seen before. A hawk and a wasp Mimic. But another one wasn't. Its body resembled a humanoid butterfly, having a feminine body that was a mix of pink and blue. Its under-body was pink along with its face, whilst its chest, legs, four upper forearms were covered in cyan armor. On its back were a pair of butterfly wings, which were a mix of blue, black and pink.

The Butterfly took to the air, whilst the other two glared at the pair and looked ready to attack. But the humans began to run in the other direction, with the Mimics appearing to be staying in one location.

Other portals began to appear all over a section of the city, encircling a section of it as Mimics jumped through them and appeared to be standing guard.

In the areas where the last two Doom Pillars had been placed, Kamen Rider Morphic and Changeling sensed the Mimics appearance. "Seriously?" Morphic growled, as he summoned his bite. Meanwhile, Pinkie was trying to help Rainbow as her hand was still burned.

"What's going on?" Rainbow asked, but Morphic didn't answer and jumped onto his bike. He then raced off and he wasn't the only one, as Changeling also summoned his ride.

"More Mimics are showing up," he told Applejack and Rarity. The cowgirl was still suffering from her head injury, as the Rider climbed on. "They must be able to launch the Control Pillar. We've gotta stop them." With that, he raced off and the girls were forced to follow on foot.

In the lab, Corvyn glared at the footage he was seeing.

Sunset, Fluttershy and Pharynx were also watching, all worried as they saw the Mimics appearing in the city. "This is bad. If that Control Pillar is set and activates, everyone in the city won't last five minutes."

"What do we do?" Fluttershy asked, Pharynx growling.

"What can we do? That dome is keeping everyone trapped in the city." His eyes suddenly went wide. "What if we brought everyone in the city here? This place is safe!"

"Maybe," Corvyn frowned. "But I don't have enough energy to open as many portals as the Mimics can. I doubt we could get even ten percent of the populace here before the Control Pillar activated. And even if we could, that many people in one place would certainly alert the Mimics to this location. They'd be on us before we could get everyone back to your world."

The three frowned at this, as they kept watching the situation at hand. Things weren't going well for them.

"Flash," Sunset gulped, "Twilight. I hope you guys get here soon. We really need your help."

Within the old castle of Corvyn's world, a scream could be heard.

That scream came from Twilight, the girl running around a corner and barely avoiding a black projectile that almost struck her. She kept running, taking out a tablet and using it to tell her where to go. And moments later, Kamen Rider Shifter stepped around the corner whilst still in his Malefic Pierce form.

She panted, looking over her shoulder and seeing him firing another spine towards her.

She ducked down, as the spine slammed into a torch pole and knocked it over. Luckily, it wasn't lit and Twilight was able to jump over it. "Flash, I know you're in there!" She stopped, trying to figure out which way to go. "You need to fight it!" Shifter launched two spines and she ran left, the two barely missing her as she kept going. "Please, Flash. You're stronger than that thing."

Inside his head, Sheave watched as Flash's mind was glowing with a black aura.

He could see what was happening and smirked, as Flash let out a growl and was unable to think rationally. "Go on. Destroy her. Stab her with your spines and do what this body was meant to do. Destroy humans!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Flash roared, as his body fired another spine at Twilight. But she barely managed to avoid it again, as she leapt around another corner. Sheave smirked, as he looked down at the amber holding him. He smiled, seeing tiny little cracks within it.

"Come on. Just a little more."

Twilight followed the map and eventually found herself outside a room, using her magic to open the doors and running into a large study.

The room was huge, with a destroyed desk in two different corners and several torn up pictures. Twilight saw that the people in the pictures were the same as Corvyn, though they were dressed in fancy clothes Twilight would expect in a victorian painting.

But as she looked around, she saw no sign of a vault anywhere. "Come on. Corvyn said it would be here." She checked behind all the pictures, but found nothing. "Where is it?" But then, she heard footsteps and gasped.

Spinning around, she saw Shifter step into the room. And as soon as he did, he fired several spines right at her.

She screamed and barely managed to dodge them, the spines slamming into the wall behind her as she ran around the room. And as Shifter stepped to let his armor regrow the spines, she reached out with her magic and grabbed the Maleficore.

"Come off!" But no matter how hard she pulled with it, the Maleficore refused to detach.

Shifter forgot about waiting for his spines and moved towards her, clearly preparing to beat her to death. And seeing no other way to escape, Twilight decided to do something crazy.

She rushed forward and tackled, the Rider, grabbing the Maleficore in her hand. But in doing so, she was suddenly zapped by the device and screamed out in pain. But she didn't let go and kept pulling, as Shifter raised his fist to try and break her back.

But before he could, the Maleficore finally came out and Twilight screamed as she was thrown away from him.

Shifter screamed as well, as the dark energy of the Maleficore left his body. As it did, his armor returned to its usual green colour and he fell to the ground. The pair laid there, exhausted with Twilight's body sparking. The Maleficore quickly left her hand and flew back over to the Rider, landing in his hand as he came back to his senses.

"What?" He sat up and clutched his head, moaning as he did so. He then saw Twilight and gasped, rushing over to her. "Twilight! Twilight, talk to me!" Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Twilight sat up, "I'm okay." Flash knew she was lying, as he looked around and wondered where they were.

"What happened?"

"You lost control again. You managed to destroy all the Mimics, but..." Flash didn't need to be told anything else, understanding the rest.

"I'm sorry." As he said that, he heard Sheave begin to chuckle.

"Oh. You were so close to crossing that line. I'm sure if you had done it, there would have been no going back for you." Flash growled, but Twilight moved up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. At least now we can search for the vault without any Mimics getting in the way." As she said that, a cracking sound caught their attention. They both looked over towards the wall, as the damage Shifter did with his spines began to spread before the wall collapsed.

The two shielded themselves, as the dust from it washed over them. And when it slowly died down, the wall revealed a space behind it with a large metal vault.

"Nevermind," Twilight smiled as she stepped up to the vault. Shifter did the same, transforming back to normal as she took out the tablet. "Let's hope this thing has what Corvyn's looking for." She placed the tablet onto the vault and activated the beacon, she and Flash holding onto the vault as the beacon sent out the signal.

After a minute or so, a portal opened up and the pair held on tight as it flew towards them.

Once it washed over them, they found they were in the large room Flash first met Corvyn in. The room was no longer bathed in shadows, Corvyn running out and seeing them. "You got it!" He smiled, but then frowned. "But we've got problems." The pair looked worried. "The Mimics managed to plant the last two Doom Pillars."

"What?" Flash gasped, as Corvyn led them back into the lab. Sunset, Fluttershy and Pharynx were still there, watching as the Mimic invasion continued.

On the streets of Canterlot, Morphic and Changeling were doing their best to take out the Mimics that were standing guard over the area the Doom Pillar was meant to go.

As they rode through the streets, they did their best to cut down the monsters. Morphic fired his Tri-Horn arm blasters as he rode by, whilst Changeling slashed at any he passed. One by one, the Mimics were being dealt with. Even the ones in the air.

"Take this!" Morphic yelled, as he fired a laser up at the Hawk and Butterfly Mimics. But the Hawk happened to shield the Butterfly and as it was destroyed, the insect looked terrified and actually flew off.

Morphic tried to blast it, managing to clip its leg, side and wing, but a Cheetah Mimic attacked and he was forced to deal with that.

Not too far away, Changeling found himself up against a new Mimic that looked like a red human with a head that looked like a legless dragonfly that had its back section sticking out the back of his head. It tried to attack him, but he leapt off his bike and sailed over it. He then slashed at its back and destroyed it, only for more Mimics to attack.

As this was happening, a large portal suddenly appeared in the sky. And from it, an extra large Doom Pillar suddenly appeared.

Being dropped down from the portal, it slammed into the ground with enough force to make it impale the ground and stay up right. And standing atop it were the four Mimic Generals.

"Ready?" Frill asked, the others nodding as they all grabbed one of the four levers. "Activate!" They pulled them down and the device started powering up, as a beam of light suddenly flew out of the top.

Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie had arrived on the scene, just in time to see this beam appear and hit the middle of the dome. The Riders also saw this and as they finished off the last of the Mimics, they ran towards it and met up on the way.

The girls followed but as they did, Rarity and Pinkie suddenly felt very strange. "What..." Rarity suddenly fell to the ground, Pinkie not far behind her. Rainbow and Applejack saw this and as they rushed to their side, the pair also felt weak.

"Why is it...hard to breathe!?" Rainbow fell to the ground, Applejack as well.

In the lab, everyone else was watching in shock.

"What's going on?" Flash asked, as the images on the screen started changing to show different parts of the city. There, they saw people suddenly collapsing and looking ill. "No!" The others were just as scared, especially when they saw people they knew.

"Trixie!" Sunset yelled, seeing one of her school friends with a bunch of other CHS students. Celestia and Luna were also there, trying to stay strong but not being able to.

"This is bad," Pharynx cried as the soldiers that had been fighting started to collapse as well. Then, the camera showed the area around Crystal Prep and Twilight gasped.

"Cadance, no!" Her brother's fiancée was trying to get her students to safety, but she had also succumbed to what was happening. "How do we stop this?"

"Destroying the Control Pillar," Corvyn stated. "That's the only way to save them. But if it activates its defence shield before we can, everyone in the city will be lost forever."

Panic swept through the group, as Sunset turned to Flash. "You have to get out there. Mimics aren't affected, so you and the other two will be the only ones immune that can stop it." But Flash didn't look so sure. "Flash!"

"I can't!" He gripped his arm. "What if I lose control again?" Everyone frowned, realising he was clearly worried about the Maleficore's power. "I need that new Mimicore. The one in the vault."

"Getting into that vault will take hours," Corvyn told him. "Maybe even longer than that. And then making the new Mimicore from it, will take even longer. It'll be too late by then." Flash frowned, as he turned back to the monitor and watched what was happening.

Back in Canterlot, Morphic and Changeling found their friends and the state they were in.

They both realised if they didn't do something quickly, things were only gonna get worse. "Come on!" Morphic ran towards the Control Pillar, Changeling following as several Ant Mimics got between them. "OUT OF THE WAY!" Morphic punched the air and sent out a bunch of lasers, which struck the Mimics and blew several up.

The ones that weren't destroyed, were soon sliced apart by Changeling as the Riders charged at the Control Pillars.

But as they got closer, four figures leapt down off the top of the Control Pillar. Frill, Greye, Maya and High smiled at them, whilst glancing over at the girls currently choking on the floor. "How painful, this must be for them." Frill summoned his swords. "It will be over shortly."

"You're right," Morphic nodded. "It will be." The Riders got into a fighting stance and charged, only for High to suddenly shoot forward and super speed. And before the Riders could react, she flew past and they were both struck by lightning. "GYAH!" They cried, staggering back as Greye swung his fans through the air.

Changeling saw this and fought through the bolts, jumping in front of Morphic and swinging his blades around.

He deflected the attack, only for Maya to hit him with a web line and pull him forward. And before he could stop himself, Frill shot towards him and kicked him upwards into the air. "Augh!" Changeling spun up, as High unleashed a bolt of lightning that slammed into him.

Morphic heard his screams and spun around, punching the air and sending three lasers towards High. But she was able to dodge them whilst Changeling fell to the ground.

The Rider crashed into the floor and groaned, whilst Greye ran towards him. "Get up!" He heard his brother's voice in his ear and Changeling managed to roll out of the way, seconds before Greye slammed his foot into the ground where he had been.

He leapt back to his feet and started slashing at Greye, only for the peacock Mimic to counter every slash with his fan before dealing a kick to his chest. "Gyah!"

As this was going on, Morphic was fighting against the other three. High was speeding around, slashing and zapping him whenever she passed. Frill flew overhead and launched his feather darts, Morphic trying to defend using his armor, whilst Maya fired her webs hoping to stick him into place.

Both Riders found themselves growing tired, having not fully recovered from their last battle and all the Mimics they had fought to get there.

Morphic leapt to the side, barely avoiding High's attack, then forced his fist into the ground and unleashed the energy from his gauntlets. The lasers flew into the ground and moved towards Maya, only for Frill to fly in and pull her up out of the way. Moments later, the ground exploded but nobody was hurt by it.

Morphic growled, only to suddenly find himself getting zapped when High stabbed her claws into his back armor. "AUGH!"

The tiger Mimic laughed, whilst Changeling was suddenly thrown through the air and crashed in front of Morphic. The Triceratops themed Rider reached back and grabbed High before throwing her around, launching her off of him and sending her flying. But Greye was there to catch her whilst Frill dropped Maya.

"Face it," Frill stated. "The two of you are no match for the four of us. Without Shifter and your little friends, you don't stand a chance." As he said that, the Control Pillar behind them suddenly started glowing. The two feared they were too late, but a shield hadn't formed around it yet. They still had time.

Deciding to ignore beating the Mimics, Morphic started punching the air in hopes that his lasers would hit the device.

But the Mimics didn't dodge, Greye and Frill instead using their weapons to deflect the energy. Changeling then charged with both swords at the ready, the Rider hitting the side of his Driver as he did so.

"CLIMATIC SLASH!"

The energy flowed into his blades and as the Mimics prepared to defend against it, he suddenly leapt several feet into the air. "RAAAAAH!" He swung his blades around and unleashed the energy, forming an X that flew towards the Control Pillar. Those watching prayed this would work, but Frill had apparently seen it coming.

He flew up and crossed his swords, the energy attack slamming into them and forcing him backwards. He flinched, but managed to hold the attack back and eventually deflect it away from the weapon.

Changeling grunted in annoyance, only to then find High unleashing a bolt of lightning right at him.

Since he was falling through the air, he couldn't dodge. All he could do was cross his swords at the last minute, the lightning slamming into him and making the Rider cry out as he was blown backwards and slammed into the ground.

Morphic charged at the Mimics, throwing several punches in their direction.

Greye used his fans to deflect the punches and send the lasers he fired away from the Control Pillar. He even managed to get a few slashes with the fan in before the Rider could get away. And as Morphic pulled his fist back to punch him, a web line hit it and he was pulled back by Maya.

She quickly released him before he overpowered her, as High shot towards Morphic and performed several passing slashes before Greye launched his energy blades at him.

These attacks slammed into Morphic and forced him to slide backwards, as Frill fired several darts his way that also exploded. The attacks were beginning to overwhelm him and as Changeling picked himself up, Maya fired her webs towards him in an attempt to pull him off his feet.

The Rider managed to slash these attacks away, but this allowed High to charge up a bunch of power before launching it towards the Riders. The attack slammed into the ground at the twos' feet and blew them both into the air, the pair screaming out as they were thrown around before slamming into the ground.

As they did, the Control Pillar powered up again.

Both Riders heard this and despite the pain they were in, they forced themselves back to their feet. But the Mimics continued their attack and no matter how hard the pair fought, they were no match for them all in the state of exhaustion they were both in. They needed help.

Flash and the others watched the two Riders getting overwhelmed. And every second they spent fighting the Mimics, brought them one second closer to losing the battle for good.

"They need help!" Pharynx yelled, seeing his brother getting blasted back. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Corvyn shook his head. "If we step into that energy field, it'll be like stepping into a field of poison gas. We won't last a second. Only a Mimic can survive in that environment." Everyone's attention slowly shifted to Flash, who watched and still looked worried.

As he watched, Sheave continued to speak up. "I knew you humans were weak." Flash tried to block him out, but the Mimic kept talking. "All those people. All of them are going to die, because you're too scared of what might happen to you. Some hero."

Flash growled, the others noticing this and realising Sheave was likely talking to him. "Flash," Twilight told him, "calm down. We're not blaming you. I know you're scared about the Maleficore."

"What are you more scared of?" Sheave asked. "What might happen if you go out there? Or what will happen if you don't?" Flash frowned. "Sure. You might lose control if you go out there. But if you don't, all those people will die."

Flash kept staring at the screen, as Morphic was blown backwards. He then glanced at another screen and as he did, he saw two people that were on the ground struggling to breathe. "Scoot! MOM!" His mother and sister were together, Misty hugging her daughter as they were being killed by the power of the Doom Pillars.

The sight of it was too much for Flash. Suddenly, all of his fears were gone.

"Open a portal!" He turned to Corvyn, who clearly wasn't sure about this. "DO IT!" Corvyn frowned, but pressed a button. And in a flash of light, the portal opened.

"Flash!" Sunset told him, "are you sure about this?"

"No," Flash replied, "but that's never stopped me before." With that, he leapt through the portal before anyone could talk him out of it.

As soon as he was through the portal, he saw both Morphic and Changeling get slammed by Greye and High's attacks. "GUYS!" He watched them get sent flying and as they crashed into the ground, their suits exploded off of them and they laid there in human form.

He rushed to their side, seeing the two were struggling to stay conscious. "And then there was one." He turned to the Mimics, as they stood between him and the Control Pillar. "Glad you could be here," Frill stated. "Just in time to see this city be wiped clean of the non-Mimic filth."

"The only thing getting cleaned away, are you guys." Flash stood up and took out his Mimicore, the Driver appearing around his hips as he activated his devices.

"FLIGHT!"

The Mimics launched their long ranged attacks at him, Flash charging forward as he placed the Mimicore into the Driver. "HENSHIN!" He slammed the Driver shut, as the attacks reached him.

"MIMIC! OWL!" Explosions appeared all around him, shielding him from view. And as the flames died down, the Rider suddenly flew out with his wings spread to help him take flight. "Flying through the sky, seeking prey with all seeing vision!"

He flew up and attempted to attack the Control Pillar. But before he could reach it, Frill got in his way and slashed at him with his swords.

"WOW!" Shifter barely managed to avoid them, as he took out his Shift Striker and activated its Blade mode. But as he fought against Frill, High unleashed a bolt of lightning and Greye launched his crescent blades towards the Rider.

This distracted him, allowing Frill to get past his weapon and slash at his chest.

"Gyah!" He was knocked back and tried to regain control, but Maya managed to hit his boot with her web and pulled him down to the ground. "Ouff!" The Rider groaned as he hit the street floor, attempting to pick himself up only to find High flying past and slashing at him several times. "AUGH!"

As he staggered around, Greye and Maya got in close with Maya kicking him in the shoulder before Greye slashed at him with his fans.

"Gyah!" Shifter was knocked away, as Frill unleashed several feather darts that slammed into him and exploded. This knocked him down and he was thrown across the battlefield, groaning as he slid to a stop.

"You can't win," Sheave told him. "Even if you went into Hyper Strike, there are just too many of them to defeat."

"Shut up," Flash told him. "I can handle this." He pushed himself up and changed his Shift Striker to the Pierce form, quickly firing at the Mimics only for Frill and Greye to deflect them all before High shot forward at super speed. Shifter tried to fly up, but she used that speed to leap up and shoot into the air.

Before he could respond, she slashed at him and he cried out at the jolt that was sent through his body.

He fell to the ground, as Maya launched several webs at the Rider's foot. This stuck him to the ground and he was unable to pull himself free, allowing Greye to launch his crescent blades whilst High unleashed a bolt of lightning.

This energy flew towards him and he was unable to move out of the way, the best he could do being to fire his weapon only for the spines to do nothing. And then the attacks landed, the ground exploded and he was blown into the air with a scream of pain.

"GYAH!" He hit the ground hard, as the Control Pillar's energy rose. He didn't have much time.

"You could end this easily," Sheave told him. "If you used the Maleficore, those four wouldn't stand a chance against you. You know that to be true."

"Maybe. But I can't afford to turn into a wild psychopath again. Even if I beat them, I'd just go looking for another opponent. Not destroy the Control Pillar."

"You don't know that," Sheave stated. "What if you can control the power?" Flash said nothing, his mind glancing back at Sheave whilst his body began to pick itself up. "I'm just saying. Maybe there's a reason you keep losing control."

"I keep losing control because of the Maleficore's negative power."

"You don't know that for sure. What if the only reason you lose control, is because you're fighting against that power. Because you resist it, the negative energy is forced to overwhelm you in order to activate its power. But if you don't resist it, the energy can flow the same way the rest of your forms do. And when that happens, maybe you'll remain in control."

"I...that can't be it."

"Why can't it? You don't know anything about this energy. And it's clear that Corvyn guy is just as clueless. At this point, what do you have to lose? You obviously can't win without the Maleficore."

Flash said nothing, as High suddenly charged at him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "GYAH!" Shifter screamed, as the energy zapped him.

High laughed, as Shifter fell to his knees. "That's right. You might be a Mimic, but that human mind of yours will always be your greatest weakness. Too afraid to do what needs to be done." Shifter groaned and tried to lift his weapon, but she slashed at him and he was sent flying again.

He hit the ground and as he did, he felt his vision beginning to go blurry for a moment.

Then, the image of his sister and mother appeared in his mind. He was suddenly reminded of the state the others were in and imagined them in a similar situation, along with all of his friends and everyone else he knew.

Sheave chuckled. "If you don't want to save them, that's fine. No skin off my back. But if it was me. If I had a chance to save my brother and the Mimics, even if it could kill me, I wouldn't hesitate. How ironic. You call us Mimics monsters, but we're more selfless than you."

Flash turned to glare at him, as the Control Pillar gained even more power.

Shifter then stood up and before the Mimics could attack, he took out the Maleficore and held it tight. They all wondered what he was doing, with Twilight and Corvyn doing the same. But they had a feeling they knew. "Flash," Twilight whispered, "you can't."

Shifter took a deep breath before placing the device into the Driver. As it did, the device flipped down over the screen.

"MALEFIC FLIGHT!"

Shifter closed his eyes and let the power flow through him. "Shape Shift!" With that, his armor began to melt and changed colour.

"MIMIC! OWL!" The Flight form reformed, only now his suit, armor and the lines on his body turned completely black. As the armor solidified, his eyes turned yellow as the Driver spoke out. "Darkness, engulfs all that stands within it. Unlimited power awakens in the shadows!"

The Mimics stared at the Rider, expecting him to be a voiceless walking disaster. But to their surprise, Shifter actually pointed at them before speaking. "I hope you're ready. Because the winds of victory have shifted."

The Mimics were shocked by this, as Shifter's pure black wings exploded to their full size and he flew forward with his Blade Shift Striker in hand.

Flash was amazed by the fact he was actually in control of his body. "See," Sheave told him, "this is what happens when you're not scared of wielding great power." Flash ignored him, as Frill flew up and tried to fight him.

Shifter swung his sword around and blocked Frill's attacks before dealing a kick to him, the Mimic crying out in pain as the Rider used this opening to deal several slashes to the Mimic. And as Frill fell back, Shifter changed the weapon to its Strike Form.

Frill launched several darts at him, but Shifter swung his rapier around with incredible speed to knock them all back before charging. He thrust the sword forward and struck one of his wings, making him scream as Shifter flew behind him and put his weapon away. He then slammed the side of his Driver, making it light up.

"MALEFIC CLIMAX!"

Shifter spread his wings and with a mighty flap, created a powerful gust of wind that slammed into Frill and sent him flying upwards. Shifter then chased after him and flew around him in a circle, moving faster and faster to make the air around him swirl into a tornado.

Frill screamed, as he was unable to regain control and spun around at high speed. And eventually, he found Shifter flying towards him before thrusting his foot forward. And eventually, the Rider slammed into him and knocked him flying out of the tornado and crashing into the ground.

"FRILL!" The others yelled, as the Mimic bounced along the ground and eventually came to a stop. His body was covered in injuries, but he would live.

Shifter landed, as High growled. "DAMN YOU!" She unleashed another bolt of lightning towards him, as he suddenly changed the Mimicore in his Driver.

"MIMIC! HEDGEHOG!" The lightning exploded and Shifter disappeared, only for a bunch of black spikes to fly out of it and slam into High.

She screamed in pain, as Shifter ran out in his black Pierce form and kept shooting her with his spines. She tried to slash them away, but they were moving too fast and several managed to hit her in the shoulders and legs.

When he reached her, he swung his leg into her side and used the spikes to stab into her. She screamed and tried to slash at him, but Shifter protected himself with a shield of spines before thrusting the other arm forward and stabbing into her. He then jumped away, flipping backwards as he unleashed a barrage of spines into her legs and almost crippled her.

He landed, as Greye charged at him and started slashing at him with his fans. But Shifter blocked with another shield whilst replacing the Mimicore again. And as he leapt back, Greye swung his fans around and unleashed the energy blades, which exploded as the Rider transformed.

"MIMIC! SWORDFISH!"

A black blur shot out of the explosion and flew past Greye, slashing at him before he could respond. And as the peacock was thrown away, the blur moved over to where he would land and slashed at him again. This happened several times, Greye being knocked flying and cut as the blur kept intercepting him.

He was then thrown straight up by a super-speed kick and Shifter followed him, finally slowing down enough to be seen as he crossed his blades. And with a single X-shaped slash, he did serious damage to Greye and knocked him down.

As the Mimic landed, Maya watched where Shifter was about to fall and fired her webs in his direction. But Shifter took out his Shift Striker and morphed it into its Flight Form, using the tornado it produced to blow him away from that spot and land safely.

As he did, he replaced the Mimicore in his Driver again and charged forward whilst slapping it shut.

"MIMIC! LIGHTNING BUG!"

Shifter thrust the Shift Striker forward and unleashed a tornado, blinding Maya and making her brace herself so she wasn't blown away. And as she webbed the ground and held on, Shifter suddenly appeared in his black Strike Armor.

He swung his leg at her and as she blocked with her leg, the light on his armor sparked and unleashed the energy into her. This made her scream as she was electrocuted, the impact forcing her back as Shifter changed the Shift Striker to his Pierce form.

He started firing at the Mimic and she couldn't defend in time, getting shot in several spots before Shifter ran forward and performed a flying kick into her chest.

"GYAH!" She was knocked back, as Shifter landed and changed his Shift Striker to its Blade Form. And in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her and slashing the sword down her chest. All the while sending the energy of his form into the blade and causing her even more damage.

Maya screamed, getting blasted back and hitting the ground with the rest of the Mimic Generals.

But as she did, the Control Pillar began to glow as its power was growing even stronger. Soon, the shield would form around it and nothing would be able to stop it. Shifter had to act quickly.

Putting his weapon away, Shifter turned towards the Control Pillar and took a deep breath before slamming the side of his Driver and pushing the Maleficore's energy into it once again.

"MALEFIC CLIMAX!"

The lights on his body glowed purple and unleashed a bunch of energy, which spiralled around the Rider as he raced forward. He moved as fast as he could and felt the energy flowing into him growing stronger and stronger. And as the Pillar's power reached its zenith, he leapt at the device as all the energy flowed into his boot.

"RAAAAAH!" He thrust the foot forward and slammed into the device seconds before it could create a shield, the Mimics all screaming as they saw him doing this.

The Rider flinched, as he felt the energy inside the Pillar fighting back against him. But eventually, he managed to overpower that energy and break through it. And the Pillar soon followed.

Shifter shattered his way through the metal device and broke through it completely, flying past and landing on the ground behind it. And as he slid to a stop, the Pillar exploded and sent a wave of energy straight up into the dome's top. When it hit the dome, the energy flowed to the rest of it and into the Doom Pillars.

Suddenly, the devices all began to shake before completely exploding. One by one, the devices were destroyed and the doom began to disappear.

Eventually, the entire city was freed from the energy. The people that had been forced to the ground suddenly found they could breathe normally and everyone started getting their breath back. Many of them were unconscious, including Flash's family and the soldiers, but others were already starting to come around.

Shifter stood there, still in his Malefic Rider Form. He stared at the spot where the Control Pillar had been and smiled under his suit. He had done it. He had used the Maleficore, stayed in control and destroyed the device. "Yes!" He cheered, as the Rainbooms, Shining and Thorax were starting to come around. "I did it!"

But then, Shifter's entire body went stiff and he suddenly started screaming as he clutched his head. At the same time, the Mimic Driver sparked as the Maleficore's energy flowed into it.

"Augh!" Flash suddenly found himself inside his own mind, the pain fading but the teen was still unsure what had happened. "Now what?"

Suddenly, he heard something that made his heart stop. A cracking sound, making him look around and see the amber around Sheave was beginning to break. His eyes widened, whilst Sheave smiled. "Finally."

"What?" Before Flash could do anything, Sheave let out a roar and broke free of his prison. Flash staggered back, as the image of his home suddenly disappeared. They were both in the white void, as Sheave stood up. "What have you done?"

"I didn't do anything," Sheave chuckled. "You did. When you used the Maleficore, you freed me from my prison." Flash's eyes slowly widened. "Yup. Every time the Maleficore was being used, it slowly eroded the safeties that kept me trapped in my own body. But now those safeties are gone."

Flash glared at him. "I won't let you control me!" Sheave's expression became one anger.

"Control you? This is my body! I've let you control me for long enough!" With that, he rushed forward and tackled Flash. The two began to struggle against one another, trying to overpower the other. "You can't win!" As he said that, Sheave's body began to glow a dark aura. "The Maleficore's power is flowing through me!"

"Ahhh!" Flash tried his best, but was exhausted after the mental drain that the fight had put on him. "I...I'm not giving up. I won't...let you...win!" The pair were suddenly pushed apart and glared at each other before letting out a yell, the two charging at one another and throwing a punch towards the other.

In the physical world, Shifter kept screaming as a portal opened up.

Twilight and Corvyn both ran out and saw what was happening, the two looking worried as Twilight turned to Corvyn. "What's going on?" But Corvyn had no idea. However, he knew there could only be one cause.

"We have to remove the Maleficore!" She nodded and they both ran at Shifter, only for the Driver to suddenly unleash a blinding light that stopped them in their tracks. "GYAH!" They both yelled, as Shifter's Rider form exploded off his body.

At this point, the Mimic Generals were beginning to come around. And when they did, they saw Flash standing there before falling to his knees and hitting the floor. The Maleficore was still attached to him, as he laid on the ground.

Shining, Thorax and the others were also starting to recover, the effects of the Doom Pillar wearing off on the girls as they all stood up and saw Flash. And slowly, the teen began to move and pushed himself up. "Flash!" Twilight rushed to his side. But as she did, Flash suddenly summoned his Shift Striker in its Blade Form.

Everyone gasped, as he tried to slash at her. But Twilight managed to leap away at the last second, the blade barely missing her. "Flash!" Shining cried, running over to shield his sister. "What are you doing?"

Flash smirked, Shining not liking the look in his eye. "Flash Sentry isn't home right now."

"What?" Shining and the others looked confused, whilst the Mimics seemed to understand. Flash jumped away from his friends and landed in front of the Mimic generals, as he did a mock bow.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced. The name's Sheave. Sheave-Far-Tar. Mimic General and the true owner of this body." Everyone's eyes widened in shock, Corvyn more than anyone.

"That's...that's not possible." But Sheave pointed at the Maleficore and Corvyn slowly realised what had happened. "It can't be. It overrode the safety."

"That's right," Sheave laughed. "Admittedly, I wish it had done so before the Doom Pillars were destroyed. But at least something good came out of this messed up situation." He turned to the Mimics, who were looking at him suspiciously. "Sorry about the problems I've caused until now. Won't happen again."

High said what everyone was thinking. "How do we know we can trust you?" Sheave shrugged before walking away, everyone seeing a portal opening up for him. One that likely led to the Mimic Lair.

"FLASH!" Twilight cried, the others looking worried as their friend turned to smirk at them.

"Your friend is gone. From now on, only I remain." With that, he stepped through the portal as the Mimics went in after him. Once the last one disappeared, the portal closed and everyone was left standing there in shock.

Twilight was the first to do anything, even though it was simply falling to her knees as tears appeared in her eyes. "Flash." The others continued to stay there, as Shining let out a roar of frustration. They had succeeded in stopping the Mimics and destroying the Doom Pillars. But in doing so, they had lost their best hero. All they could do was stand there, letting their failure wash over them.

At the Mimic Lair, Sheave stood next to the cocooned form of a firefly.

He picked it up and smiled. "I remember when I encased this creature. When I first took physical form. Even though I barely understood what was happening at the time." The other Mimics kept staring at him, clearly still untrustworthy. "I assure you. I'm on your side." With that, Sheave's clothes began to melt and slowly transform.

Soon enough, he dressed in a grey suit with a white shirt and black tie. On top of it was a black overcoat that would look impressive flowing in the wind.

"I still don't trust this," High stated. But before she could say anything else, an alarm sounded and they all moved over to the communicator. Sheave followed them and when he saw the others bowing, he followed suit as the device activated and showed the holographic version of their master.

The figure looked around and saw Sheave amongst them. "I see. So the Maleficore as finally done its job. Good. However, you failed to protect the Control Pillar. Now all of the Doom Pillars have been destroyed."

"It's my fault," Sheave told them. "I should have fought harder to break free. But I feared if I tried it too early, Sentry would figure out what was happening and Corvyn would have found a way to reverse it. We're lucky I gained control when I did. Sentry managed to obtain a Beatucore. Had they used it, the Maleficore's power would have been undone."

"Yes," the master nodded. "But now that the Doom Pillars have been destroyed, we will need to find another way to take control of this world." The Mimics nodded, as Sheave turned to Greye.

"Is there a reason he's in the shadows?"

"Huh?" Greye asked, raising an eyebrow at this. "That's just how he appears on the device."

"Really?" Sheave frowned before getting up and moving towards the hologram. "Apologies. Just need to jiggle a few wires around." He did so and the hologram sparked and flickered for a moment before reforming. And this time, the figure was no longer in the shadows. "Perfect." He stepped back and stared at the face of his master.

He was a grey skinned individual wearing a white shirt and black suit with a red tie. His eyes were red and his hair was black. As he stared at them, they saw a smirk on his lips. "The Riders may have defeated us this time. But things are about to change."

Author's Note

Well...that sucked. Flash managed to save his home, family and the world, but at a terrible cost. Now Sheave is in control of his body and there's no telling when or even if Flash will be able to free himself. What will happen now?