All over Canterlot, news had spread about Sombra's Mimic status. And whilst this shocked many people, more were shocked that they hadn't detected him using their Mimic Detectors.

The police had not released a statement, about how he had been able to slip under the radar. They were keeping their cards close to their chest on this one, unsure how the people would react to the discovery that humans and Mimics could become hybrids like Sombra and Timber. For the moment, they chose to keep that info secret.

At Canterlot hospital, Flash and Fleur were talking with two individuals they hoped would have info on the Mimics. Fizzlepop Berrytwist and Neighsay, the two Mimics hosts laying in beds sharing the same room. "So you really don't remember anything about your time trapped as Mimics?" Flash asked, as Fizzlepop shook her head.

"I remember walking home one night," she explained. "I felt like someone was watching me and...I can't remember anything else. It just feels like I was in some kind of deep sleep. I'm still feeling fuzzy about it."

"Same here," Neighsay groaned. "I remember going back to my car and the next thing I remember, I'm falling onto the floor of a hospital." He turned to them, "what happened to us?"

Flash nodded. "You were captured by beings who wanna take over the world. They transformed into perfect copies of you and took your place, infiltrating the city."

"You can't be serious," Fizzlepop frowned.

"It's true," Fleur nodded. "If you don't believe us, ask anyone. It's all anyone's talking about these days."

"And who are you?" Neighsay asked.

"Two people who just wanna make sure you're okay," Flash assured him. "Don't worry. The police will make sure you're both okay. And eventually, they'll let you go home once you have the all clear." They nodded and the pair left, Hard Case and several officers waiting outside.

"They remember anything?" Hard asked, but they shook their heads. "So what happens now? Their Mimics are dead, so they won't have any issues going home."

"I wish it was that simple," Flash sighed as the three of them headed out. "We thought Gule was gone for good and he found a way to come back. It's possible those two might also be infected the way Timber was. The doctors couldn't detect Timber was becoming a Mimic hybrid and those two were cocooned for just as long, if not longer."

"So you're saying those two Mimics might come back and take those two over?"

Flash wished he could say no, but he refused to be taken by surprise again. The Mimic Hybrids were just too much of a risk. "I think you should keep a very close eye on them." As he said that, he wondered what would happen if the Mimics did take their hosts over again. Unlike with Gule, Sombra and his team didn't have the resources to create a Mimic Driver. If those two did return, they would be completely useless to the cause.

But that was only if the Mimics stayed in their current situation. There was no telling what could happen in time. They could be finding a way to reestablish themselves right now.

In Corvyn's original world, the Mimics had escaped from the city they had previously been hiding in.

Needing a large space far away to set up shop, they had gone to the one spot they were sure the humans wouldn't look. The palace Flash and Twilight had discovered the Maleficleanse Core within. Though still busted up from Flash's rampage, the place would have everything they needed to get their operations back up and running.

In one of the larger rooms, Sombra was working on the belt currently attached to his stomach.

Unlike the other Drivers, this one wasn't disappearing when it wasn't in use. And there was only one reason for this. "Still not fully charged." Timber stepped into the room, as Sombra turned to him and frowned.

"We need more energy. Enough to completely power my Driver and allow me to access my full powers."

Timber frowned, as he lent against the wall. "Well where are we gonna get that kind of power? Nothing in this world can generate that much energy. And even if it could, we'd become sitting ducks because the Rider's little friend would likely be able to detect that much power being used in one area."

"I know that," Sombra growled. "Which means, we need to gather energy from my world."

The other three Mimics arrived and heard this, all frowning at the announcement. "Master," Lorem spoke up, "how do we get energy? We don't have the power-packs to store the energy within. The only way to charge that device up-"

"Is to plug it into a power source," Sombra nodded. "And that's what we're gonna do."

"That'll put you at a great risk," Greye stated. "If the Riders show up-"

"I won't be able to defend myself," Sombra nodded. "I know. And that's why I'm gonna need you three to keep them busy. Since they can't detect me and Gule, you three will draw their attention. And once you have it, we'll take the energy we need. And hopefully, it'll be without any distractions."

The Mimics shared a look, all wondering if they could keep the Riders busy for that long. With the Riders getting stronger every day, facing them was becoming more and more dangerous. And none of them wanted to suffer the same fate as Frill and High.

But they would do as their leader commanded. Because if they succeeded, it could be the turning point in this whole war. "What must we do?" Maya asked, making Sombra smile as he explained the plan.

In Corvyn's new lab, everyone was busy doing their own thing.

Most of the Rainbooms were there, watching as Corvyn was working on something. "Is that a new Mimic Driver?" Sunset asked, seeing the device that Flash and the other Riders wore to battle the Mimics.

"It is," Corvyn nodded. "Been working on it on the side whenever I have time. With this new lab and extra materials, I've been able to finish it sooner than I expected."

"But why are you making a new one?" Rainbow frowned. "You expecting us to have a new Rider?"

"Nope," Corvyn replied. "It's very likely those four will be the only Riders we have on our team. But it's possible the Mimics try to turn someone else into a Mimic and that person is able to fight against their Mimic, just like those four. If that happens, I wanna help give them a fighting chance. And maybe add to our Rider ranks."

The girls frowned, unsure how they felt about that. As much as they all wanted more Riders, since that would help their fight against the Mimics go smoother, they all knew there was too much of a risk to let that happen.

They all turned to the room where the cocoons were being held. Each person in there had friends and family and whilst most of them were still free, in a way, the others weren't so lucky. If someone did become a Mimic, there was a chance they could break free of the Mimic's control. But they might also succumb to the Mimic and be lost. And that could break the hearts of all those that love them.

Inside the room, Shining, Twilight, Pharynx and Thorax were staring at the cocoons of their loved ones.

Chrysalis and Fancy Pants had been moved there as well, allowing Corvyn to keep an eye on those within the cocoons. Now that they were all in one place, there was little chance for the Mimics to try and take them back again. And it also made it easier for Thorax and Pharynx to visit their mother, whilst Thorax kept up his Rider duties.

The Mantis Rider placed a hand on the cocoon, as she stared at the serene face of his mother.

Shining and Twilight were also watching Cadance's cocoon, the pair both having a hope in their hearts that she might awaken out of nowhere. But they all knew that there was little chance of that happening. Not until the Mimics that had captured them were destroyed.

"I can only imagine what she's going through," Twilight whimpered. She turned to Shining, "does More know if she's conscious inside her mind?"

Shining blinked, allowing More to take over. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I have no idea. I pray that she's not awake, but a part of me also hopes she might be."

"What?" Twilight asked, as Shining took back control.

"He's right to hope that," he told her. "If Cadance is awake in her mind, there's a chance she might be able to turn Lorem the way Flash was able to turn Sheave. If that happens, we might not have to destroy her to help Cadance."

"I hope that's possible," Thorax nodded. "Though I doubt my mom is conscious. If she were, Maya would have shown some signs by now. She definitely hasn't changed and it doesn't look like she's communicating with my mom."

Pharynx placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to save her. When she's free, we'll be there for her." Thorax smiled, the four taking one last look at the cocoons before leaving. As they stepped out of the room, they found Flash and Fleur entering.

They all noticed Corvyn working on the new Driver. Each of them had their own thoughts about the device being made. Some prayed they wouldn't need it, whilst others were imagining what would happen if they did need to give it to someone. They were all unsure how to feel about the device. But they knew Corvyn was right to make one. It was better to have it and not need it, instead of needing it and not having it.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded and everyone leapt into action. Corvyn left the Driver and rushed over to the computer, working to locate the signal as the Riders prepared themselves. "Is it Sombra?" Flash asked, but Corvyn frowned.

"Considering I wasn't able to detect Hybrid Mimics before, I doubt him suddenly revealing himself as one will allow me to find him again." His computer finally beeped and showed not one, but three spots where a Mimic was being detected. "Got em. They're attacking three different areas of the city."

Everyone turned to the main viewer, as Corvyn tapped into the CCTV footage and brought up images of three Mimics attacking the city. Lorem was at one of the locations, Greye another and Maya the last. From the looks of things, they weren't attacking with any actual plan in mind.

"What are they doing?" Thorax asked.

"Probably acting out," Rainbow stated. "Now that they're on the run, they can't do any big scheme. So they must be trying to do as much damage as they can."

"Maybe," Shining frowned. "But we can't be sure. For now, one of us will stay behind in case anything happens. But I'm going after Lorem."

"I got Maya," Thorax announced.

"And Katar and I will deal with Greye," Fleur agreed. Flash nodded, knowing he was the one best suited to handle Gule if he showed up.

"Let's do this thing." They all stepped out of the lab into a large open space, as Corvyn prepared portals to send them there. The three quickly took out their Mimicores and activated them, their Drivers appearing around their waists.

STAMPEDE!/SLASH!/FLUTTER!"

"HENSHIN!" They cried, slotting their cores into place before slamming the Drivers shut. Everyone watched, as the three got into position and crossed their arms.

"MIMIC!MENAGERIE!/MANTIS!/BUTTERFLY!" The slime flew out and covered them, the cocoons forming as the portal appeared. And as the breaches moved towards them, the cocoons began to crack.

At the three locations, the Mimic Generals were causing as much havoc as they could.

They all laughed, each of them launching an attack that destroyed part of a building or a vehicle. But as they did this, a light made each one look around and see a portal form. And from out of those portals, a cocoon appeared before it shattered to reveal the Rider within. Each one stood there, the armor forming on their body.

"Rampage! The unstoppable might of the animal kingdom, raging forth and crushing all that stands before it!"

"Bladed arms that slice through anything, cutting down the evils of the world!"

"A graceful wing beat, creates a hurricane of power!"

Lorem glared at Morphic, as he detached three of the screens from his Mimicore and slotted them into the compartment. And soon, the owl wings, coyote claws and croc head grew out of his armor. "Let's do this!" He cried, launching the energy construct towards her.

Lorem gasped and barely managed to leap up, avoiding it as she spread her wings.

But Morphic flew up after her, slashing at her with his claws only for her to block with her double ended spear. They pushed against each other, trying to overpower the other. And eventually, Morphic proved stronger and forced Lorem backwards. He then beat his wings and unleashed a powerful gust that slammed into her.

"Gyah!" She lost control and smashed into the ground, as Morphic launched the energy construct at her again. And this time, he managed to nab her between the fangs. "Augh!" The jaws dug into her, as Morphic flew down.

But before he could run her through with his claws, she spread her wings and launched several darts that exploded against the Rider. This made him grunt and stagger back, his construct's grip loosening enough for Lorem to pry it open and pull herself free.

Once she was a safe distance away, she summoned her spear again and stood defensively. Morphic recovered and glared at her, as he prepared to keep fighting.

Changeling was also attacking Maya, having run up to her as he swung his blades in her direction.

Maya leapt away, launching webs at her spawn with Changeling doing a backwards cartwheel to avoid it. She landed and Changeling charged again, performing a spin kick that Maya leapt to the side in order to avoid. And as Changeling landed, she shot another web shot towards him but he dodged.

He leapt away, as his blades began to glow. And as he swung them at her, the energy flowed off and threatened to blow up when they struck her. But Maya did her own cartwheel to avoid them. Once that was done, she held something up and threw them before firing her webs at them.

The webs struck whatever it was and propelled them towards Changeling, who managed to shift his body to avoid them as they flew past and hit a wall behind him.

But as soon as they did, they started beeping and Changeling looked around to the pill-shaped objects inside the web were pulsing with light. Realising what they were, he leapt out of the way before they exploded and sent out a shockwave that almost knocked him over.

He rolled out of the way, as Maya took a few steps back.

Changeling got up, but she leapt into the air and landed on the side of a building. Her spider powers allowed her to stick to the wall, as Changeling looked up and frowned. And as she stood on the wall, she fired webs down at him with the Rider dodging and slashing them away.

In another part of the city, Hudie had taken to the air and was flying at Greye.

She whipped her Grace Grazer at him, but Greye managed to dodge each and every attack. "Is that the best you've got?" Greye asked, egging her on. "You know, Shifter and Morphic have been a problem because they always changed up how they fought. But you and Changeling..."

"So what if we always use the same powers?" Hudie asked, as she flew low and whipped her weapon around. It wrapped around and coiled around his leg. "Just means we're getting better and better at using them." She yanked on the leg and Greye was pulled off his feet, Hudie retracting the ribbon once he was on the ground and gripping the bladed end.

She leapt up and tried to stab him in the chest, but Greye managed to dodge the attack and roll away

Once he was back on his feet, he called upon his fan blades and swung them around. The energy crescents flew towards her, but Hudie extended the ribbon and spun it around like a rope dart. The blade on the end deflected the attacks, making them blow up as she leapt into the air.

She then beat her wings as they grew three times the size, unleashing a burst of wind that slammed into the Mimic and blew him backwards. But he braced himself was able to keep himself from getting pushed too far back.

Hudie then stopped the gale and dived, Greye staggering when the wind stopped. This stopped him from being able to negate Hudie's next attack and she slammed a foot into him, knocking the Mimic backwards until he hit the ground. He grunted, but managed to roll back to his feet and charge again.

He slashed at her, but Hudie was able to dance and weave out of the way. She then leapt up and held her leg upwards before falling and swinging it down, using her heel to ram into his chest and knock him back. Greye roared as he was thrown back, but kept his balance as Hudie landed. The two glared at one another and kept fighting.

Back at the lab, everyone watched as the battles waged on.

Flash and Sheave frowned, wishing they could be there to help. But they knew if Gule showed up, he had to be ready to jump into action. However, Twilight had noticed something. The way the Mimics were fighting.

"They're not trying to win." The others turned to her, confused. "They're fighting way too defensively. It's like they're just trying not to lose, instead of trying to win."

"Why would they do that?" Rainbow asked, as everyone tried to come up with an idea. But Sheave was the one who realised it and took control.

"They're a distraction." They turned to him. "They're just meant to keep us busy. Keep us from getting in the way of something."

"Like what?" Sunset asked, as Corvyn thought about it.

"Those three are the only ones we can detect. So Gule and Sombra must be doing something else. Probably something they think will turn the tables in their favour. But what?"

On the edge of the city, a power plant stood.

It was the same plant that Frill and Maya had attacked a while ago, which was currently empty due to it being the weekend. There was nobody there except a single guard, who was currently sleeping inside the plant's parking gate house.

He was sleeping in his chair, feet up on the console, hat over his head as he snoozed. He was dead to the world, even as a bright light appeared with Sombra and Timber stepping out of it. The two spotted him and decided not to do anything, the man being asleep making him no threat.

As they walked forward, they spotted the building entrance and saw the doors were locked. But Timber was easily able to bust it down by kicking it in, the noise doing nothing to wake the guard.

They headed inside, Sombra chuckling as he looked around and eventually reached a large room that was behind another easily bustable door.

Inside were a pair of large machines, which were currently holding all the excess energy that had been generated and not used. "Perfect," Sombra chuckled. "These will be just what I need to power the Driver up, once and for all."

"I just hope the Riders have all been dealt with," Timber replied. "This place doesn't look like it could take much punishment. If I have to fight in here, I don't think I'll be able to keep from damaging it. And who knows what that'll do to the machines you're using."

"True. But if they do show up and you have to fight, you'll be on your own. Once I'm plugged in, I won't be able to move."

Timber nodded, ready to fight and protect his master. Said master stepped up to the machines and took out a pair of small cables, connected to one another by a single plug with a flash drive adaptor. He quickly found a slot on the side of each machine and plugged the wires in, stepping between them as the wires connected the machine.

He then opened the slot on the top of the Driver and after taking a deep breath, pushed the adaptor into the top.

The energy from the machines flew into the Driver, whilst also shocking him in the process. He roared in pain, but endured it as Timber rushed towards him. "Stay back!" He stopped, Sombra using all his strength to keep himself from being overwhelmed by the energy. "I can do this. Just keep me safe."

Timber took a few steps back and nodded, as Sombra stood there. With each passing second, he could feel more and more energy flowing into the Driver. But it would take a while before it was completely charged. He had to be patient and hope the Riders didn't find him.

Back at the lab, Flash and Sheave hated not being able to do anything.

Despite knowing that Sombra and Gule were out there, somewhere, they had no idea where and what they were doing. "Come on," Flash growled. "There has to be some way we can find them."

"Maybe," Sheave nodded. "We're able to sense Mimics. Maybe we can sense hybrids too. We just need to focus more and combine our strength." Flash frowned, unsure how they could combine their strength more than they already have. "Go somewhere quiet. But don't tell the others where you're going. They might try and help and I think this is something only we can do."

"Okay." Flash nodded, as he headed out. "Bathroom," he told them when they asked. "If those two show up, I need to be ready." They nodded and he left the room, heading down a corridor until he reached a spot that wasn't being used.

Once there, he sat down and closed his eyes.

He entered his mindscape and Sheave was waiting for him there, the pair sitting down and letting themselves become completely free. "Now what?"

"Now," Sheave sighed, "we have to focus. We were close to Sombra before. Able to sense him when he stopped hiding his Mimic self." He held out his hands and Flash took them, the twins closing their eyes and focusing on Sombra and Gule.

All they did was take deep breaths, letting their Mimic instincts take old. They could already feel the three Mimics that they knew were attacking, but they needed more. "Where are you?" Flash asked, as he felt himself beginning to drift off.

It was like they had fallen asleep and were now dreaming, as a hazy image appeared within their minds. A strange unclear feeling washed over them, as they felt the image slowly becoming more vivid. And eventually, a single glimpse of a place appeared in their head.

That glimpse was of a building they both recognised. And as they stared at it, they felt something drawing them closer and closer to it. But before they could really understand what was happening, the image faded and the pair were pulled out of their daydream.

"What..." Flash asked, as Sheave clutched his head. Flash also did that, as he was feeling a serious headache. "What now?"

"That's up to you," Sheave replied. "Do you wanna go to that place and see if they're there?" Flash frowned, unsure. He thought about the image he had seen and when he pictured the place, he felt a sense in his gut that was like a rope pulling him in its direction.

"Yeah. Let's go. But let's not tell the others. They might not believe us, if we told them we closed our eyes and imagined where Sombra or Gule is." Sheave nodded and the pair left the mindscape, Flash getting up and running for the exit. Hopefully, he could get there before Sombra or Gule did whatever they had planned.

Morphic charged at Lorem, having swapped his owl wings for the triceratops lasers and firing at her.

Lorem spun the spear around and deflected the lasers before launching her feather darts, only for Morphic to cut them out of the air with his claws. He then fired his croc head at her, but she managed to dodge it and perform several back flips before leaping into the air.

"Get down here!" He yelled, firing more lasers at her. She did several flips and spins through the air, avoiding all the lasers until Morphic finally stopped to recharge. And that was when she flew down with her spear pointed forwards, attempting to stab Morphic in the chest. But he blocked it with his croc head before attempting to slash at her.

She ducked beneath the claws before leaping back again. And as she did, he body began to melt and change.

Morphic was about to attack, but stopped when he saw Cadance standing in front of him. "Do you really wanna attack me? Even when I look like this?" Morphic growled, Shining's anger spiking within his mind.

But More spoke to him. "Don't. She's trying to rile you up. Get you angry so you'll make a mistake."

"Well it's working," Shining stated. "How dare she use her face like that. She has to pay."

"Don't let vengeance cloud your judgement," More replied. "That's not what Cadance would want. This is about Justice, not revenge." But as he said that, Lorem let out a laugh using Cadance's voice.

"What's the matter, Shiny? Aren't you happy to see me?" She tried to move in a seductive manner. "I remember the first time we were together. Such a romantic evening. Do you really want to ruin our relationship by attacking?"

"Enough!" Morphic fired at her and she leapt back, her swan wings growing out of Cadance's back as she smiled at him.

"Aw, did I hit a nerve?" Morphic growled, leaping forward in an attempt to slash at her. But she jumped up and spread her wings, sending darts flying at him.

He deflected them all and fired more lasers, the Mimic staying in her human form to try and mess with him. And the sight of his love did make Morphic have doubts about doing this. But he refused to let that stop him.

He brought both triceratops heads together and began to charge up power, a single energy ball forming between them. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared, firing the ball towards her. Lorem managed to avoid this as it flew past her, laughing as she did, but suddenly the ball exploded and slammed into her back.

"GYAH!" She was thrown towards the ground and crashed into it, moaning as her wings were burned in places.

Morphic tried to use this, his blaster arms retracting to give him more speed as he ran forward. He leapt into the air and with all his strength, flew down towards her with his claws at the ready. But at the last possible moments, Lorem rolled onto her back and summoned her spear.

She held it up and stopped the claws inches from her body, as she retook her full monster form and pushed him away. She then got up and leapt back, as Morphic summoned his blaster arms again. The pair glared at one another, wanting to and this here and now.

Changeling ran towards the building and leapt up, swinging his swords towards Maya hoping to slash at her.

But the spider Mimic leapt away, keeping her hands or feet on the wall to stop from falling. When she landed, she fired her webs at the Rider as he fell down. Changeling barely avoided them, as he landed and rolled along the ground whilst blades glowed.

He slashed them, the energy flying off, over and over again attempting to hit Maya.

She dodged them all and leapt off the building, firing a web up to swing down and slam into Changeling's chest. He grunted at the impact and was thrown backwards, hitting the ground as his sword fell from his hands. And as they slid out of reach, Maya threw a few more bombs in his direction.

They landed all around him and Changeling gasped, as he rolled away as quickly as he could.

The bombs exploded and the shockwave knocked him flying, the Rider crashing into the ground and grunting in pain as he spotted a sword nearby. He quickly scrambled to get it and as Maya leapt forward, he grabbed it and spun around to slash at her.

She grunted, the sword hitting her chest and forcing her back.

She clutched her chest, as Changeling leapt over and grabbed his other sword. Holding them both in a reverse grip, he glared at the Mimic as Maya chuckled. "Not bad. You have grown stronger."

"I have to be strong," Changeling replied. "Because I'm gonna save my mother. No matter what!" He leapt at her, slashing as she defended herself. She could tell he was determined to save his mother. Which meant he was determined to destroy her.

Hudie kept swinging her whip around, swiping at Greye as she danced in a circle and forced Greye to move backwards to avoid the bladed tip.

At one point, Hudie did a high speed spin before stopping and thrusting the whip forward. The tip shot towards him and as he tried to block it with his fan, the blade stabbed into the weapons and went right through it. He grunted, as the very tip hit him. It didn't do any serious damage, but it still stung.

And as Hudie pulled it back, the fans were pulled out of his grasp and she leapt forward to slam her foot into his chest. "GYAH!" He was knocked back and Hudie flew after him, as he hit the ground and she stomped her foot onto his chest. "Get off me."

"I don't think so." She readied her whip. "Call this payback for the damage you did to my real body. Luckily, Katar and Corvyn were able to save me."

"What happened wasn't my fault. You got in the way of the attack." He grabbed her leg and threw her off, Hudie taking to the air as Greye pushed himself up. "All I was doing was dealing with an inferior product." Hudie chuckled, as she held her whip at the ready.

"I'll show you who's the inferior one!" She rushed forward and whipped at him.

At the power plant, Flash arrived outside on his bike and found the place deserted.

Racing around the outside of the building, he couldn't find anything. As such, he headed for the entrance. And when he got there, he found the doors wide open and the lock busted. "They're here."

"Be careful," Sheave fold him. Flash nodded and headed in, being ready for anything that might leap out at him. But as he went further in, he found no signs of life. No signs of the Mimics being there. At least, that was until the lights started flickering.

Moving forward, he arrived at what he assumed was the main power room. And when he pushed his way through the doors, he frowned at the sight.

There was Sombra, standing next to two large generators with his Mimic Driver plugged in. The man didn't seem to notice him, too focused on enduring the energy flowing through him into his belt.

"STOP!" Flash cried, rushing forward. But before he could reach Sombra, someone stepped out from behind some machines. Timber. "Out of my way."

"I don't think so," he told him. "You want to get to him, you gotta go through me." He took out his Mimicore, his Driver appearing. Flash followed suit, taking out both the Maleficore and Maleficleanse.

"PURIFY!/DARK STRIKE!"

The two slotted their Mimicores into place and both struck a pose, the pair staring one another down as they prepared to transform. Flash and Sheave focused, uniting their thoughts and intentions. Then the two called out. "HENSHIN!" Flash slapped the Driver closed.

"MALEFICLEANSE!" It cried as the screens flipped over one another. "MIMIC!LIGHTNINGBUG!"

"Henshin!" Timber announced, slamming his Driver closed.

"MIMIC!LIGHTNINGBUG!" The two crossed their arms, as the slime flew out and rained down upon them. The cocoons soon formed and quickly broke apart, the pieces forming the armor as the two Lightning Bug Riders appeared.

"Unlimitedpower, cleansedofevil.Lightandshadow,unifiedtocreatetrueharmony!"

"Darklight,engulfingtheworldaroundit.Letallwhoseeit,trembleinfear!"

Shifter and Gule charged up their power before racing forward, the two roaring as they launched a punch at the other. Their fists collided and unleashed a burst of energy, which flew around the room and threatened to do some serious damage.

Shifter saw this and realised he had to be careful, even as he overpowered Gule and blew him backwards.

The Dark Rider back-flipped and landed, glaring at Shifter as he did before getting up and running forward. He dealt several quick kicks to Shifter, only for the other Rider to block and avoid every single one of them. As he did, he took out his Shift Striker and Mimicore.

"STRIKE!"

The weapon quickly transformed and he swapped it to sword mode before thrusting it towards Gule, who managed to avoid it. But with every forward thrust, Shifter picked up more and more speed until he eventually managed to hit Gule in the chest.

"GYAH!" He was thrown backwards, crashing into the ground in front of Sombra.

Shifter then changed his weapon to gun form and aimed at Sombra's Driver, hoping to destroy it before he had a chance to fully charge. But as he shot the laser, Gule forced himself up and unleashed a burst of energy to stop the attack cold.

The laser was deflected and Shifter growled, whilst Gule stood tall and prepared for another fight.

Back at the lab, Corvyn's systems suddenly beeped and he rushed over to it.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked, as he brought up the city map and showed a dot blinking on it. "What's that?"

"I recently installed a tracking system into the Drivers. Just in case we ever needed to find one of the Riders. And it's showing that Flash's Driver has been activated." That raised everyone eyebrow, as Corvyn narrowed in on the Driver's location. "He's...at a power plant."

"Why would he be there?" Pinkie asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sunset asked. "That must be where Sombra and Gule are."

Corvyn frowned, as he worked to tap into the CCTV footage of the power plant. But as he did, he found the system was offline. "Something's drawing a lot of power from it. I can't get anything up online." They frowned, knowing Flash was there and in serious trouble.

Back with the Riders, they and the Mimics they were fighting remained in a stalemate.

But as Morphic slashed at Lorem again, he suddenly got a call coming through. "A little busy right now!" He fired at the swan and she leapt away, as Corvyn spoke up.

"I'm making a portal that I need you to go through." This was told to all the Riders, shocking them.

"You want us to leave?" Hudie asked, as she tried to pull Greye off his feet.

"They're just a distraction. Shifter's dealing with whatever plan they're working on and without your help, he might not be able to stop them in time. You need to help him."

"But what about these guys?" Changeling dodged a web blast and struck Maya in the side with his foot.

"All the people there have already evacuated. And honestly, I doubt they would stay behind. They'll probably go after you, to try and stop you from getting in the way of their plan. Now hurry." The Riders frowned, but did as they were told.

Each one broke off from their fight, as a portal formed besides them. The Mimics saw this and frowned. "Where are you going?" Greye asked, as Hudie moved towards the portal.

"No idea," she told him. "But it's probably wherever your boss is." Greye's eyes widened as she jumped through the portal.

"Get back here!" But she was gone and so were the other two, as the portals closed. "NO!" Greye began to panic, as he realised what was happening. The Riders had uncovered their plan and if they didn't get there soon, they might do serious damage to it and their master. "NOOOOO!"

Back at the power planet, Shifter launched several thrusts into Gule's body.

He cried out in pain, staggering back but staying on his feet. And as Shifter tried to stab him again, he managed to grab the weapon's blade and held it tight. "RAAAAAH!" He unleashed a burst of energy, which shocked Shifter and made him pull back. Gule then leapt forward and dealt a kick right to Shifter's chest, knocking him back and the Shift Striker fell from his hand.

Gule then began to generate energy and prepared to fire, only for a trio of portals to form in front of the Rider.

Morphic, Changeling and Hudie all leapt out, Morphic firing at Gule before he could unleash his attack. And as the lasers hit the ground, Gule was blown backwards whilst the other two Riders helped Shifter stand up. "You okay?" Changeling asked.

"I'm good," Shifter nodded. "But we need to stop Sombra." They all looked over and saw the hybrid, as more and more energy flowed into his Driver.

Hudie took out her Grace Grazer and whipped it at Sombra, trying to pull him away. But before it could hit, Gule unleashed a bolt of energy that struck the end and knocked it away. Gule then pushed himself up and summoned as much energy as he could, whilst Morphic jumped forward and fired a barrage of lasers at him.

Gule used the energy to create a shield, the lasers slamming into it and exploding within. Gule managed to hold his ground, as Changeling charged in and slashed at him. He managed to get past the shield and Gule was formed to block the blades with the armor on his arms and legs, Changeling pushing him back in the process.

Shifter had taken this time to grab his Shift Striker and attempt to attack Sombra, only for Gule to launch another energy blast that Shifter was forced to block.

Morphic rushed in and slashed at Gule, the Dark Rider dodging it, whilst Hudie whipped her ribbon around and managed to grab his foot. She pulled and Gule was dragged off his feet, grunting as he hit the ground and Changeling tried to stab him.

But Gule rolled out of the way and jumped back to his feet, stopping on the ribbon around his foot before kicking it with his other. This caused Hudie to lose her grip on the weapon, as Gule fired a laser that slammed into her and knocked her backwards.

Back at the lab, Corvyn had finally managed to get one of the systems online and activate the CCTV.

"Here we go!" Everyone turned to the screen, as a fuzzy image showing the inside of the power plant appeared. Within it, they saw the Riders battling Gule whilst Sombra just stood there. "Looks like we were right. Sombra was trying to distract us from his true goal."

"But what's he doing?" Pharynx asked.

"He's trying to charge up his Driver," Twilight nodded. "If he gets it to full charge..." Nobody wanted to think what would happen if he succeeded. But before they could think of something, Corvyn got an alert.

"The plant's systems are going into the danger zones. Sombra's drawing too much energy through the system. If this keep up, that whole place will blow."

Sunset connected to the Rider's comms. "You guys need to stop him, now! Stop him or get out of them before it blows."

The Riders heard this and Shifter decided no more holding back. He swapped the Mimicore in his Shift Striker and charged forward, as it took the Hyper Strike Buster Sword form.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He leapt into the air, sword raised high, ready to cut Sombra out of there. At the same time, Morphic unleashed all the energy he could from his laser cannons.

Gule saw this and gasped, charging himself up and leaping towards them. "NOOOOO!" He created an energy bubble around himself, which their attacks collided with.

This caused bolts of energy to start flying everywhere, slamming into the machines all around the place. This included the generators, which started humming loudly before sparking. And soon enough, they exploded and everyone was blown away.

The Riders all cried out, as they slammed into the walls and pieces of machinery. And as they grunted, more and more areas of the room exploded. "We have to get out of here!" Hudie cried, pushing herself up.

"But what about them?" Shifter pointed towards Gule and Sombra, but part of the ceiling suddenly collapsed and slammed down between them.

Morphic reached out and grabbed Shifter, pulling him away before he could try and get to them. "Come on!" They all ran for the door, as more and more of the area exploded. Shifter glanced back at Gule and Sombra, Gule continuing to use his energy field to protect them as best he could.

They left the room and made their way through the building, as the main power station finally exploded and was completely full of flames. Those flames began to race through the corridors and into any room that wasn't closed off, the Riders running at full speed.

Outside, Maya, Greye and Lorem had arrived.

But as they approached the power station, the doors flew open and the Riders leapt out. They all jumped, trying to get as far as possible before a burst of flames exploded out with them. They all hit the ground, as the fire died out and smoke filled the air.

The Mimics stared at them, then looked up at the museum. They could hardly believe it.

"Master," Greye whispered. "Is he..." The Riders began to pick themselves up, each turning towards the building and seeing the state it was in. And remembering how much damage had been done to the interior, they all thought the same thing.

"There's no way they could have survived that." Shifter turned to the others, "right?"

They were about to reply, thinking Sombra and Gule must have been gone. However, before they did, they all sensed something and turned back to the door they had just escaped through.

Something was walking towards them. A figure, carrying something else over their shoulder. And as they left the smoke, it revealed Sombra looking completely unharmed.

Timber was over his shoulder, unconscious but alive. And once they were out of the building, Sombra dropped him to the floor. "Excellent work, Gule. You might have almost destroyed us, but you gave me just enough time." The Riders all looked down and saw that his Driver was completely operational. They had failed to stop him.

Shifter pushed himself to his feet and raised his Shift Striker, firing the laser at him. But before it could reach him, Sombra held up a Mimicore and activated it.

"SHADOW!"

Black and red energy flew out the device and blocked the laser, as Sombra hit the leaver on the side and opened the Driver up. He then slotted the Core into it and once it was in place, he struck a pose and smirked before yelling at the top of his lungs. "HENSHIN!" The Driver was slammed shut, the light on the side glowing red.

"MIMIC! RHINO!" Once Sombra crossed his arms, the slime exploded out the sides and started raining down on him. But this wasn't like the slime Flash and the others were usually bombarded with. This slime was pitch black, looking more like oil than anything else. It covered him and soon solidified, remaining like that for several long moments.

Then, the whole thing started vibrating. Weakly, at first, but growing more and more violent with each passing moment. And finally, cracks began to appear upon it. After that, the whole thing exploded to reveal Sombra's new form.

His suit was dark gray with white stripes, a pair of bright red eyes glowing on his helmet.

The black amber pieces remained floating around, as they appeared to melt. But instead of turning back into a slime, they changed into a bunch of black clouds. And those clouds began to fly towards him and swirled around the different areas of his body. The clouds then faded away, revealing the armor that had been forming.

That armor was a transparent black, with red on certain parts. His shoulders, knee-pads, hands and boots were bright red, whilst the armor on his arms, chest, side and legs was black.

His mask was black, but a large red horn grew out of his forehead and curved up. Behind the horn, around his forehead, the mask morphed into a crown-like structure that wrapped around his entire head. Finally, the lines turned black before another cloud of shadow grew out the back of his shoulders and neck, flowing downwards until it reached just under the back of his knees. When the cloud vanished, it revealed a red cape now flowing behind him.

Transformation complete, the new Rider stood tall as his Driver called out. "The ruler of darkness, imposing his will upon all who stand before him. KNEEL, BEFORE YOUR KING!"

He raised his head and when his red eyes landed on them, everyone suddenly felt an intense urge to give up. It was like their will to fight had simply vanished, with Maya, Greye and Lorem falling to their knees and bowing. He then pointed at the other Riders. "You heard it. Kneel."

Author's Note

Well, that was a bit of a worrying ending. Sombra's suited up and I get the feeling this fight's gonna be a tough one. Let's hope Flash and the others manage to hold their own.

Next time, something a little different. You'll see what I mean.