Beyblade: Constellation of Friendship

Chapters

Chapter 1: Enter Solar Force
Chapter 2: Ring Of Fire
Chapter 3: Starlight Strikes Back
Chapter 4: The New Dark Bey

Chapter 1: Enter Solar Force

Planet Earth. From the beginning, the Earth has continued its Rotation throughout all of Mankind's History. And in time a game was created that was inspired by that Rotation. The game which came to be know as Beyblade. Throughout history, champions have risen and fallen, and the noble Bey has changed its shape and form, becoming faster and stronger. Now a bold new chapter of Beyblade history is about to be written.

In Canterlot City, there is a small Beyblade tournament taking place at the local Bey Stadium.
Cutting into the battle, the MC is giving the play by play. “If you are just joining us we have reached the final showdown between Canterlot City’s own Fluttershy, against the unstoppable Sledgehammer.”

“I'm gonna crush you, little girl!” Sledgehammer shouted.

“Not today you won’t!” Fluttershy shouted back.

In the centre of the stadium, the two opposing Beys crashed into each other, then ricocheted around the stadium. Sledgehammers Bey moved in for another attack. “I got you now, girly!” Sledgehammer shouted

Then Fluttershy shouted back, “That’s what you think!”

Fluttershy’s Bey stopped in the very centre of the stadium, as Sledgehammers Bey moved in for the attack. The enemy Bey struck hard, But Fluttershy’ Bey stood its ground.

At this point of the battle, Sledgehammer’s Bey began to wobble, then fall onto its side, grinding to a stop, indicating that Fluttershy had won the match.

The MC then made the announcement. “It’s all over, and the winner is Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy then took her winning’s, her total point count was now 1267 points. Fluttershy then cheered with glee and waved to the crowd, giggling the whole time. After the tournament, Fluttershy was walking out of the stadium with the three crusaders.

“That was so awesome, the way you controlled that battle!” Scootaloo said with excitement.

“Yeah, you were on fire out there.”Applebloom chimed in.

“Why don’t you try other types of Beys, my defence type might be more your style considering the way you have been battling lately?”Sweetie belle then asked Fluttershy.

Fluttershy replied, “Well Sweetie Belle, the thing is…” Then she was interrupted by Scootaloo.

“No way my attack type is better than…”
Apple Bloom then jumped in. “No my stamina type is the best there is!”

Then the trio glared at each other as they pulled out their launchers, pointed them at each other and before they knew it, they were in the middle of a full on battle.

Fluttershy sighed. “Honestly, they are fighting over something like this?” Then she pulled out her own launcher and launched her Bey at the girls and with one hit she ended the battle. The girls then looked at Fluttershy and she spoke in a gentle but stern voice. “Listen girls, I use a Balance Type Bey, it takes the best of all three types.”

Then Fluttershy looked at the time on her phone. “It's getting late, you three better start making your way home now.” The crusaders then started to make there way home, saying goodbye to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy then made her way own way home, thinking about today’s victory and daydreaming about her next big win. She became so lost in thought, she wasn’t looking where she was going. It was then that she bumped into someone. She finally looked up and noticed she had wandered into a narrow alleyway with high walls and a railroad bridge on one side. And then she noticed who she had bumped into, it was Starlight Glimmer. “Oh no.” She said as she shook in fear.

Starlight looked down at her with an angry glare. “Your not going to say sorry for crashing into me?” “Think your better then me?” “After winning one tournament, you think your hot stuff don't you?”

“Oh, no, I don’t think I’m better than you.” Fluttershy pleaded.

“So your calling me stupid is that it!?” Starlight yelled and then some boys appeared out of the shadows.

“You got some guts to stand up to Starlight like that.” Said one of the thugs.

“Oh, look,” said another thug, “This girl scratched up one of your shoes, Starlight.”

“Oh yes, your right, and these were my favorite pair too.” Said Starlet with a devious grin. “Maybe if you give me all your Bey points, I might forgive you for your ignorance.”

Fluttershy turned and attempted to run, but she was cornered by two more thugs, who forced her to back up towards Starlight. Fluttershy knew she had no choice, she would have to battle Starlight. The two readied their Beys, but Fluttershy’s nerves were getting the better of her, her hands were shaking, and she couldn't grip her Launcher properly.

The thugs began to count down. “3..2..1..Let It Rip!!

Fluttershy and Starlight launched their Beys, but for Fluttershy, It was the weakest and clumsiest launch she had ever done. Starlight gave Fluttershy a cruel smirk. “Is that really all you’ve got?” She said mockingly. “Could you possibly be anymore perfectic, all your points are as good as mine!” “And while I’m at it, I think i’ll go ahead and scrap that worthless Bey of yours!”

Starlight’s Bey closed in on Fluttershy’s helpless Sagittario.

Just as it seemed all hope was lost for Fluttershy, a mysterious Bey came out of nowhere, and struck Starlights Bey, stopping it in its tracks. Everyone’s eyes were instantly fixed on the mysterious Bey. The Bey then sped away, back down the path, returning to its Blader.

At the entrance to the alley, stood a teenage boy. His hood was up so no one could see his face. Needless to say, Starlight was not at all pleased to have her hunt be interrupted.

“Well, this is certainly an unpleasant surprise.” She sneered. “I don’t know how things work back in your town, but in my town you play by my rules.” She said, pointing her finger at the boy. “You got that punk?”

The boy didn’t reply.

Starlight scowled angrily at being ignored. “Hey, I’m talking to you punk!” She Yelled.

Still no reply.

“Are you death, or are you just plain stupid?” Starlight shouted.

“If your trying to help me please don’t!” Shouted Fluttershy. “You don’t want to antagonise her!”

Then Starlight snapped her fingers, and all the thugs pulled out their launchers and pointed them at the boy. “Last chance, punk!” She said.

Then the boy reached up, and pulled down his hood.

Everyone looked at the boy in shock. “He’s listening to music?!” They all shouted in unison.

Over the boys ears, was a thick set of green headphones, with what looked like a large orange bird on the side of each speaker.

Starlight had not expected this, “So this whole time you had your headphones on, listening to your music and you didn’t hear a word i said did you?” She said accusingly.

The boy then reached into the pocket of his jacket, and pulled out what looked like a small notebook and a pen. He opened the notebook and started writing in it.

“Now what’s he doing?” asked one of the thugs.

The boy then stopped writing, ripped the page from the book, folded it into a paper airplane and threw it toward Starlight.

Starlight grab the page out of the air and unfolded it. The page read, ‘I know everything you said, and I’m not a punk, punk!’

Starlight growled with fury, and tore the note to pieces. “You can lipread!?” She yelled.

The boy gave Starlight a thumbs up, indicating ‘Yes.’

By now, Starlight’s temper had reached boiling point. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. “I’m calm, I’m calm.” She kept repeating to herself.

“Alright tough guy,” Starlight said to the boy once she had cool downed a little, “How about we have a battle?”

The boy gave another thumbs up.

One of the thug’s then said, “Just to let you know this is a handicap battle, five on one.”

And the thugs all drew there launcher’s, ready to battle.

Starlight chuckled, “your not scared are you?” She said.

The boy smiled and pulled out his launcher.

Starlight and her thugs began to count down, “3..2..1!” “Let It Rip!!”

6 Beys shot toward each other.

“All right boys, form the Circle of Doom!” Commanded Starlight.

Oh, yeah, I love that one! Said one of the thugs.

“This is gonna be too sweet.” said another thug.

The five enemy Beys surrounded the orange Bey in a perfect circle and began to close in.

Just as Starlight and her minions were about to close in for the finishing blow, the orange bey suddenly disappeared.

“Huh!?” said the thugs.

“Where did it go!?” Shouted Starlight.

“How could it just disappear like that?” asked Fluttershy.

In an instant, the orange Bey reappeared, colliding with with one of the enemy Bey’s and sending it flying back towards it’s launcher, who was unable to react fast enough to catch it, sending it flying over his shoulder and onto the ground behind him.

“N-no way!” He Stuttered.

But the assault didn’t end there. The orange Bey started to zig zag, moving so fast it was almost a blur. In no time at all, three more Bey’s went flying. Now the only Bey left spinning was Starlight’s.

Starlight was now seething with rage. “YOU THINK YOU'RE REALLY A MATCH FOR ME!?” She screamed.

The orange Bey then started attacking Starlight’s Bey, but what caught both Starlight and Fluttershy’s attention was the way the Boy’s Bey was now moving, and how fast it was moving.
As it moved, it seemed to be engraving something into the ground. After several intense blows, the boys Bey returned to him, and halted, still spinning, at his side.

A moment later, Starlight’s Bey came to halt and toppled over.

“No way!” said an utterly shocked Starlight.

“Starlight lost?!” Shouted the Thugs.

“What kind of attack was that?!” Whispered Starlight. “He made a five pointed star, around my Bey!”

The Boy then showed them his Point Metre, and it read 30,157 points.

This terrified both Starlight and the thugs. “OVER THIRTY THOUSAND POINTS?!” They screamed.

“Let’s get out of here!” Shouted Starlight, “This guy’s a beast!”

They all turned and ran, leaving Fluttershy and the Boy alone in the alley.

The Boy picked up his Bey and was about to leave when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning back, he saw Fluttershy looking at him with a timid but grateful smile. “Thank you so much for saving me.” She said.

The Boy still didn’t speak, but he gave her a smile and then turned leave again. But as soon as he started to walk away, Fluttershy leapt in front of him. “Wait!” She cried.

The Boy stared at her, confused. He reached for the pen and notebook in his pocket, but once he took them out, he suddenly dropped them on to the ground, and a strange look crossed over his face. He quickly pulled off his headphones, just in time to see a small light on the Right-Side speaker fade and die. “NOOO!” He suddenly screamed as he collapsed to his knees and started to bawl.

Fluttershy was shocked. She quickly knelt down next to him and started to pat him gently on the back as he continued to wail. “Oh, no, what’s the matter?” She asked.

“My last Battery just died!” The boy shouted as he carried on whimpering.

Fluttershy was now confused and a little weirded out. “He’s this upset because the battery in his headphones died?” She thought. “Doesn’t really seem like something to get so worked up about.”

“Um, there’s an electronics store near here where we can get some batteries.” Fluttershy said a bit awkwardly.

Her only response was some depressed mumbling as the boy kept his face planted on the ground.

“Ok, I’ll take that as a yes, let’s go.” She said

With great struggle, Fluttershy managed to drag the whimpering boy to the electronics store. Once they got there, she leaned against the wall, huffing and puffing as she tried to regain breath. “Finally… here.” She said between breaths.

She turned her head to look at the boy, only to realise he was already gone. She looked around to see where he’d gone, only to see him already inside the store. She quickly made her way inside and up to the boy who was standing at the counter talking to the Cashier.

“Do you have any V9 Batteries?” He asked politely. He seemed to already be over his depression.

Fluttershy stared at him. “Was that just a phase he was going through?” She thought, confused.

The boy walked out of the store with a bag of V9 Batteries, Fluttershy tailing behind him, still looking confused.

The boy then removed the old battery from his headphones, and put in a brand new one. Once that was done, the power light came back to life, and the boy grinned happily.

He was about to place the headphones back on his head, when he was once again interrupted by Fluttershy.

“N-n-no, wait, wait!” She exclaimed, jumping in front of him once more.

“Look,” said the boy, “Thanks for showing me this place, your welcome for me saving you, but it’s time I got going, goodbye.”

He was about to place his headphones back on his head and walk away again, but froze when he heard what Fluttershy said next.

“Wait, Senpai!”

“Huh?!,” “Wh-what did you call me?!,” “Senpai?!” The boy exclaimed in shock. “Look, I’m really not into that sort of thing!”

In a panic, the boy tried to get away, only to be halted when Fluttershy lunged at him and wrapped both her arms around his waist. “Please teach me to strong Blader like you, Senpai!” She said in a desperate voice.

“Are you crazy?!” The boy yelled, trying to shake her off, “Let me go?!”

“I just want to be a strong Blader like you, Senpai!” Fluttershy cried.

“I can’t be your teacher!” The boy yelled at her. Then he remember something from earlier “Wait a second.” He thought. “Hey, can you take arms off me please, I want ask you something?” He said out loud.

Fluttershy looked up at him, then released him from her hold and took a step back. “Yes, Senpai?” She asked, giving him the most innocent look you could imagine.

The Boy grimaced slightly. “Ok, first of all, no more ‘Senpai’, please, and second, what was that business in the alley all about anyway?” He asked her.

“Oh, well, I was being attacked by the Face Hunters.” Replied Fluttershy.

“Face Hunters?” Asked the Boy. “Never heard of them.” “Who are they?”

“Well, to put it simply, the Face Hunters go after Bladers with high amounts points so they can steal them.” Fluttershy explained.

“I see,” said the boy. “So they use their Beyblades to bully other Bladers.”

“Um, yeah, you could say that.” Said Fluttershy.

By this time, it was getting late, and the Sun had already set. Fluttershy then followed the Boy as he made his way along the streets and into a nearby park. As they strolled along the quiet path, the Boy was in deep thought, after what Fluttershy had told him about the Face Hunters. “Maybe these Face Hunters have something to do with-” The silence and his thoughts were then interrupted by Fluttershy.

“Um, Senpai?” She said.

“I thought I asked you not to call me that?” The Boy said, looking back at her.

“So, anyways,” Fluttershy continued as if he’d not spoken, “About that favor I asked of you?”

The Boy then sighed heavily and sat down on a Bench at the side of the path. “Look, I can’t teach you to be a strong Blader, that’s something you're going to have to learn on your own.” He said seriously. “For example, a great Rock Climber doesn't get taught to be a great Rock Climber, he becomes a great Rock Climber, and the same law applies to Blading.” “It’s just the law of the universe.”

Fluttershy sat down on the bench next to him. “So, there’s really nothing you can teach me?” She asked, a bit disappointed.

“Well, whenever you battle, every hit your Bey takes, also hits you here.” The Boy said, placing his hand on his chest.

“In your chest?” Fluttershy asked.

“No, in your Heart.” Said the Boy

“Oh.” Fluttershy said, feeling a little confused. Then she remembered something. “Oh, right, I forget, we never introduced ourselves.” “My names Fluttershy, what’s your name?”

But when she looked over at him, She saw that his head had slumped back, and he’d already fallen asleep. She couldn’t help but giggle softly at the sight. “It has been a long day.” She thought with a smile.

She then decided it was time to make her way home. “I’m sure he’ll be fine own his own, he’s probably slept outside like this a thousand times.” So she got up and walked away from the park, leaving the Boy to his slumber beneath the stars.

In a Warehouse by the Docks, loud voices could be heard.

The loudest voice belonged to a very angry girl with flaming red and yellow hair.

“I can’t believe it!” She fumed. “I just can’t believe what I’m hearing!”

She started to advance on a trembling Starlight Glimmer.

“Your actually telling me that you had that little wimp cornered, and you were you sent packing by some headphone wearing twerp, who was listening to music the entire time?!”

“B-but Sunset,” whimpered Starlight, “You don’t understand, this guy was really strong!”

“SHUT UP!” The girl known as Sunset roared. “I don’t want your pathetic excuses, I want you to find this headphone wearing twerp and bring him to the construction site.” She ordered. “We are going to give him a proper welcome, Face Hunter style!”

The next day, back at the park, the Boy was still sleeping on the bench, when shadows loomed over him. He suddenly woke up, seeing the same group of Face Hunters that he had faced the previous day. Only this time they were grinning with sinister glee.

Starlight stepped forward. “Had a nice nap?” She asked. “I hope so, because we are having a little get together today, and your invited.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was making her way back to the park, to see if the Boy was still there. “Even if he won’t teach me, I can still ask him his name, and if we can be friends.” She said to herself.

As she entered the park and walked up to the same bench, she saw that the Boy was already gone. Fluttershy frowned. “Don’t tell me he already left town.” She said disappointedly.

Fluttershy then went to look for the Boy around the town. “He can’t have gone far.” she said. She searched at all the places a young Blader might go, the local Bey Park, the Stadium, even some of the local cafes, but no luck. She was walking past a construction site, on the verge of giving up. “Where are you?” She thought to herself.

It was then she saw some boys going into a construction site, she recognized them from them the Face Hunters. She could just about hear what they were saying.

“Aw man, it’s gonna be a massacre, let’s see if that Headphone wearing freak has a tune loud enough to block out what we’re gonna do to him.”

“Come on guys, It’s about to get started.”

After hearing this, Fluttershy swallowed her fear, and followed them into the construction site, not daring to make a sound. Amidst all the building materials and girders, stood a large group of Face Hunters. Fluttershy had never seen so many of them in one place. “The whole gang must be hear.” She thought, trying to not let her fear get the better of her.

But what really got her attention was who was standing in the middle of some kind of pit. “It’s Him!” She thought with wide eyes.

Standing on one of the girders above the boy was Starlight Glimmer. “Okay punk, you got two options, you can either surrender all your Bey points and we might let you go, or you can join us, we could always use a bit of extra muscle for footstooling.” She, along with the rest of the Face Hunters, then laughed mockingly.

However, the boy didn’t seem phased. “There’s always a third option.” He said back.

Starlight glared down at him. “What do you mean third option, there’s only two available to you.”

The boy stared back at her. “You can all just walk away right now, with your prides still intact, or did you forget how badly i beat you last time?” He asked confidently.

Starlight ground her teeth in anger. “That’s it!” She screamed. “No more Miss nice girl!” She pulled out her Bey and Launcher, and the other Face Hunters all did the same. “No more Messing around, Let’s just get him!” “All out attack!”

As one, the Face Hunters launched their Bey’s straight at the boy. The next instant, Beys were flying everywhere. Fluttershy was beside herself with worry. “With all those Beys flying around, how’s he going to get out of this.” Suddenly a Bey flew over her, inches form the top of her head. “Eek!” Fluttershy shrieked and ducked for cover.

As the Beys continued to fly and crash in all directions, Starlight smirked. “What’s wrong punk, too much for you?” She said mockingly. “Where’s that overconfidence of yours now?”

As the assault went on, Fluttershy stared at the Boy as he stood there, not moving a muscle. “Ohno, he must to scared to move.”She said. “Maybe If i launch my Bey, I can try and help him.”

With shaking hands, she reached for her own launcher and Bey, but could not keep her hands steady enough to launch properly. “Come on Fluttershy, be brave, he needs help, you can do this!” She tried telling herself.

“Put down your launcher Fluttershy”, Said the boy suddenly, “I got this.”

Fluttershy stared at him. “He knows my name?” She said “I thought he never heard it.”

The boy then readied his own Bey, and launched it with a bright orange flash. The Bey then shot up into the air, leaving a trail of fire behind it. “Fly, Phoenix!,” The Boy yelled. “Solar Flare attack!”

In a flash, the flaming Bey shot downwards, colliding with every Bey in its path before hitting the ground, the impact releasing a shockwave which sent all the other Beys flying high into the air. Then they started falling from the sky like rain.

The Boy had won.

Starlight and the other Face Hunters were completely stunned, so was Fluttershy. She then ran up to him. “So, um, you sure won’t reconsider teaching me?”

Then, from above, they heard someone slowly clapping. On the girder above Starlight, a girl with fiery red and yellow hair stepped out of the shadows. “I have to say kid, i’m impressed.” She said with a smirk.

“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked, trying hide behind the boy. “Sunset Shimmer!”

“You heard the wimp, the names Sunset Shimmer, leader of the Face Hunters.” She said arrogantly. “Now isn’t it about time you told us your name?”

The Boy stared up at her. “It’s Solar Force.” He said in a serious voice.

“Solar Force huh?” Sunset said. “Well now that we have exchanged names, we need to have a battle.”

The now named Solar Force readied his launcher, but Sunset just chuckled. “Not today, hot shot.”

“When then?” Asked Solar Force.

“I’ll let you know when i’ve decided.” Sunset said. “Bye for now.”

With that, she waved her hand and walked away.

Chapter 2: Ring Of Fire

Author's Note

Hi Solar Force here. For those following this story, sorry for the long wait for this new chapter. Me and Mad Page aka Madforceentermainment only do our writing in our free time so it takes us a while to get this stuff written. We'll have more storeys for you to enjoy soon.

Chapter 2: Ring Of Fire

It was a sunny afternoon at the Canterlot City Bey Park. A crowd of young Bladers surrounded one of the Dishes. A 3 on 1 Battle was in progress. On one side, stood the three Crusaders. On the other stood Solar Force.

“We got ya now, Solar!” Smirked Scootaloo. “C’mon girls! Let’s give em the Tri-Attack!”

“What?” Said Applebloom. “No Way! We should use the Triangle Trap!”

“Do you two want to lose?” Put in Sweetie Belle. “We should totally use the Triple Charge!”

“Attack!” Shouted Scootaloo.

“Trap!” Applebloom shouted back.

“Charge!” Put in Sweetie Belle.

As the girls descended yet again into another argument, down in the Dish, the girls Beys just spun on the spot, with what looked like little drops of sweat hanging next to each of them.

Solar Force just stood and watched the girls with a deadpan look on his face. “Phoenix. Put us all out of our misery and end this.” He said flatly.

A moment later, all three of the girls Beys flew out of the Dish and landed at their feet, with the girls too busy arguing to notice.

Solar Force then picked up his own Bey, turned and began walking away, which caused Scootaloo to look up from the girls argument. “Hey! Where ya going Solar?” She asked. “Your not just giving up are ya?”

“Sorry, girls.” Said Solar Force without looking at them. “But I’m afraid that your Crusade ends here.”

“What are ya talkin’ about?” Asked Applebloom. “The battle ain’t over yet.”

“Just look at the Dish.” Said Solar Force.

All three girls looked down at the Dish, and all three of their Jaws dropped. “No way!” They shouted in unison.

“How did this happen?!” Shouted Scootaloo.

“That’s an easy one.” Said Applejack as she walked up to them. “It happened because you three spent more time arguing with each other than you did strategizing. So you only have yourselves to blame.”

Scootaloo snorted. “Psh! Don’t blame me! We all know this is Applebloom's fault anyway.

“What!?” Exclaimed Applebloom. “Don’t look at me! I say this is Sweetie Belle’s fault!”

“Hey!” Said Sweetie Belle indignantly. “Don’t be stupid! We all know this is Scootaloo’s fault!”

Before they all knew it, the three Crusaders were arguing yet again.

Applejack slapped her hand to her forehead and groaned. “Ugh! Will these girls ever learn?” She said flatly.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Park, sat Fluttershy, seemingly oblivious to the all comotion, as she was lost in her own thoughts. She was thinking about Sunset Shimmer, and her recent challenge to Solar Force. She was then broken out of her thoughts by Solar Force, when he walked over to her.

“Penny for your thoughts Fluttershy?” He asked when he saw the thoughtful look on her face.

“Oh!” Said a startled Fluttershy. “Senpai!”

Solar Force sweatdropped. “Your still calling me that?” He asked.

“It’s just that,” Fluttershy continued. “I can’t help feeling worried. You getting challenged by Sunset Shimmer. The leader of the Face Hunters, and the strongest, meanest Blader in the whole city?! Aren’t you the least bit scared?”

“No way. I’m not scared of her.” Said Solar Force calmly. “She can take me on anytime, and any place she wants.”

“Really?” Asked Fluttershy. “But if your not scared of Sunset Shimmer, then is there anyone you are scared of?”

“Trust me Fluttershy.” Said Solar Florce. There are way scarier people out there than Sunset.” His face then took on a very serious look. “And there is one person I can think of who scares me.” In Solar Forces mind, he could suddenly see a dark figure, and could hear a loud, psychotic laugh. He Shuddered slightly at the terrible memory.

He was snapped out of his flashback, when he heard the voices of the three Crusaders in front of him. “Please teach us how to battle Senpai!” They said in unison, all with puppy dog eyes.

Solar Force was stupefied for a moment, but then slapped both hands over his face and groaned loudly. “Oh man, It’s spreading?!” He Shouted.

Fluttershy couldn’t help giggling. “Aw, there, there Senpai. Just think of them as your new fan club.”

Solar Force stood up. “You know what? I’m just gonna go.” He said. “This whole ‘Senpai’ stuff is getting out of hand.”

After Solar Force left the Beypark, he noticed he was being followed by the Crusaders, much to his annoyance. He tried to lose them, but no matter where he went, they always caught up to him, begging for him to teach them. After the girls cornered him for the tenth time, he finally decided to confront them. “Okay, girls, enough is enough already!” He said to them.

“Does this mean you’ll teach us now?” Said Scootaloo excitedly.

“No!” Said Solar Force firmly. “Trust me. You don’t want me as your teacher. I’d be really lousy at it.”

“But you don’t know unless you try.” Said Sweetie Belle sweetly.

Solar Force rolled his eyes. Then he had a smart but slightly mean idea. “Ok, girls.” He said. “I’ll make you a deal. All three of you will take me on in a battle, and if you win, I’ll teach you everything I know about Blading. But if you lose, you have to promise to leave me alone.”

The girls took a moment to think about the offer, but they eventually agreed.

With the deal made, they all raised their launchers. “3, 2, 1! LET IT RIP!” Solar Force wasted no time. All three of the Crusaders Beys were sent flying almost instantly, and they came tumbling down and landed at the girls feet once again. “NO WAY!!” Shouted the shocked girls in unison.

Scootaloo then scowled at Solar Force, and pointed an accusing finger at him. “You only took us on because you knew you’d win, didn’t you?!” She shouted.

“Sure I did.” Said Solar Force. “I only did this because i know that-” As he was talking to the girls, he reached down to pick up his Bey, but before he could grasp it, something purple snatched it up and ran off with it. “Hey!” Shouted Solar Force. He looked up and saw a small dog, with purple fur, green floppy ears, and a little tuft of green fur on its head, holding his Bey in it’s mouth.

“Give me back my Bey, you little mutt!” Shouted Solar Force.

The dog didn’t listen. It just turned and ran off down the street. “Hey, come back here!” Shouted Solar Force as he gave chase. “Wait for us!” shouted the Crusaders as they gave chase as well.

For several long minutes, the four young Bladers chased the little dog this way and that. Down long streets, around corners and across busy roads, the chase seemed to go on and on, and every time they thought they had the dog cornered, he always managed to slip away again. Eventually, the dog ran up to the front door of a small corner shop, and disappeared through a small doggy door built into it. Solar Force and the Crusaders skidded to a halt in front of the shop, trying desperately to get there breaths back. After running so much, they were all exhausted.

“Nowhere... left...to...run...now.” Said Solar Force, panting. “We...got him...cornered.”

“You think...this is...where he...lives?” Asked a panting Sweetie Belle.

“I...hope...so.” Wheezed Scootaloo. “I...can’t...run...anymore.”

“Y’all...said it.” Puffed Applebloom.

Solar Force then took a deep breath through his nose, and then let it out slowly through his mouth. He then got a serious look on his face. “Let’s go get my Bey back.” He said firmly.

With that, the 4 teens marched into the shop. But as they opened the door and stepped inside, they stopped and stared, their jaws dropped. After a moment, the Crusaders eyes went wide with wonder, while Solar Force just raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I-Is this a-” he stuttered.

“A Beyblade Shop!” The Crusaders shouted excitedly. The girls then rushed off to look at everything they could see, leaving Solar Force alone by the door. As they were lost in their own little world, Solar Force wondered up to the counter to the main counter at the back of the shop. He was about to call out to see if the owner of the shop was there, when he heard a voice coming from a door behind the counter. “There you are Spike. Where have been? Do you have something for me boy? Hey, this is a Beyblade. Where did you get this Spike?”

“Excuse me?” Solar Force called out. “Can we get some service here please?”

The door behind the counter opened and a girl with lavender coloured skin, dark purple hair with three pink streaks tied in a ponytail, and dark purple eyes walked out. She had a set of microscopic goggles on her head, and wore a workers apron over her clothes. “Sorry for the wait.” She said with a cheerful smile. “So, how can I help you?” She then placed Solar Forces Bey on the counter in front of her.

“Well for starters,” Said Solar Force. “Maybe you can explain why your dog stole my Beyblade.”

The girl gasped. “Wait, this is your Bey?!” She said in shock.

“Yeah, it is.” Said Solar Force sternly. “Like I said, your dog stole it.”

“Wait a second.” Said the girl. “Spike wouldn’t have taken your Beyblade if he didn’t have good reason to.”

Solar Force was confused. “What do you mean ‘good reason’?”

“Would you mind if i just give your Bey a quick Examination?” The Girl asked.

“Er, I guess so.” Said Solar Force, still confused.

The Girl then picked up Solar Forces Bey and walked over to a small machine at the far end of the counter.

“What’s that?” asked Solar Force.

“It’s a Bey Scanner.” Said the Girl.

She placed the Bey inside a slot on the front of the device, and pressed a button. The result of the scan appeared on the screen of the Laptop next to it. “Alright.” Said the girl. “Lets see what we have here.” After a few clicks of the mouse, the girl examined the results carefully, only for her eyes to go wide, and for her to gasp in shock. “What in the world happened?!” She exclaimed. She then turned and glared at Solar Force. “How could you let this happen?!” She yelled.

Solar Force was stunned. “L-let what happen?” He stuttered.

“Do you have any idea about the condition of your Beyblade?!” The girl continued to yell. “How could you be so irresponsible?! Your lucky your Bey is still in one piece! How many battles have you had without giving your Beyblade any proper maintenance?!”

“Er,” Solar Force seemed to shrink under the girls intimidating glare, “A-a few battles?” He continued to stutter.

“A few Battles?!” The girl carried on ranting. “With this kind of damage, it’s more like a few hundred battles!”

“What damage?” Solar Force asked. “I never noticed anything wrong.”

“That’s because this kind of damage can’t be seen with the naked eye.” Said the exasperated girl. “Let me show you.” She turned her Lap Tops’ screen toward Solar Force. On it, Solar Force could see his Beyblade. “Look carefully when we zoom in.” Said the girl. The image then zoomed in, and sure enough, the top and sides of the Bey were covered in minute scratches, some parts were even chipped.

Solar Force could only stare. “I never noticed any of this.”

“I did say it couldn’t be seen with seen the naked eye.” Said the girl. “And this could only be the beginning. If you don’t do something about this now, I predict your Bey could explode from the pressure of your next battle.”

Solar Force gulped heavily. “W-well, what do I do? I don’t know how to fix a Bey.”

The girl then smiled proudly. “Well, lucky for you, I just so happen to be the best Beyblade mechanic around!” She said proudly. “I could offer to fix it for you.” Her smile then morphed into a smirk. “If you want me to.”

“Really?! You’ll fix it for me?!” Asked a starry eyed Solar Force.

“Sure. No Problem at all.” Said the still smirking girl. “I’ll get started right away.”

She then retrieved the Bey from the scanner, and walked through the door behind the counter. “Follow me please?” she said as she went. Solar Force and the Crusaders walked around the counter and followed the girl through the door. The room beyond was a small workshop, with tables full of equipment, tools, and Bey parts. “This is where I’ll be doing all the repairs.” Said the girl. “With this level of damage, it might take me all night to get this done.”

“In that case…” Said Solar Force, “I’ll just crash here until your done.” And with that, he laid himself down on a coach by the opposite wall.

“Wait a minute!” The girl protested. “You can’t stay there all night!”

“Listen, wherever my Phoenix goes, I go, you got that?” Said Solar Force. “We’re a package deal.”

The girl couldn’t bring herself to argue. “Fine, you can stay. But just for tonight.”

Seeing where things were going, the Crusaders looked at each other with bored looks. “So, what are we gonna do now?” Muttered Scottaloo.

“I don’t know.” Muttered Sweetie Belle.

Applebloom then looked up at a clock on the workshop wall, and saw just how late it was getting. “Hey Girls.” She said, pointing up at the clock. “It’s gettin’ late. We'd better get goin’.”
“Oh, My!” Said Sweetie Belle.

“Whoa, time really does fly.” Said Scootaloo.

“Hey, Twilight.” Said Applebloom. “Were gonna head home now. We don’t want to get in trouble with our big Sisters.”

“Bye Twilight.” The girls said as they left.

“Bye girls.” Said the now named Twilight.

Solar Force sat up and gave Twilight a puzzled look. “Wait? You know those three?” He asked.

“Sure I do. There sisters happen to be my best customers.” Said Twilight with a shrug.

“But that would that mean when we chasing your dog, they knew where he was going the whole time.” Said a slightly annoyed Solar Force. “And that would mean that…” He then groaned. “Agh, forget it, I’m too tired to think about this now.”

Twilight then smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about them. Those three girls can be quite spontaneous. Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”

“It’s...Solar Force.” Solar Force Yawned.

“Nice to meet you Solar Force, my names Twilight Spar-” She then heard Solar Force snoring softly. “And he’s gone.” She said with a sigh.

Twilight then walked over to a workbench to begin repairs on Solar Force’s Bey. “Alright girl, time to earn your keep.”

It was a bright sunny day. Solar Force was running through what looked like a lush forest. From up ahead, he heard a young male voice. “You can’t catch me, Solar!” The voice said teasingly.

“Oh, yeah!” Smirked Solar Force. “Watch Me!”

The chase continued into a small village near the edge of the forest. The voice continued to tease Solar Force. “Your to slow Solar! Come on, hurry up!”

“Where are you going!?” Solar Force called. The voice lead Solar Force to the Bottom of a high mountain, and under a pair of tall, ancient looking columns, was what looked like a young boy, whose face he couldn’t properly see. “Why have you lead me here?” He asked.

The mysterious Boy suddenly turned away from Solar Force and started to run up the Mountain. “Come on!” He called back. “Your going to miss it!”

“Hey, wait!” Solar Force Shouted. “We’re not allowed to go up there!” He began to run up after the boy, but as he did so, the Sky was suddenly clouded over. But they were not ordinary clouds. They were a dark shade of purple, and looked very ominous. As Solar Force neared the Summit, he found his way into a triangular shaped cave. As he ran through the cave, he looked straight ahead, but there was no end in sight, and all around him, he could hear the boys laughter. The Deeper into the cave he went, the louder the laughter became. It also seemed to become deeper, like that of someone older. He finally reached the exit and stopped. In front of him, he saw a boy roughly his own age, who was chuckling darkly. Lying face down on the ground, was a woman, who looked like she had just been defeated in battle.

Solar Force’s face twisted in fury. “What have you done!?” He yelled.

The other Boy then looked at Solar Force with eyes filled with pure insanity. Then suddenly, in a flash of purple light, he took the form of an enormous purple dragon and lunged at Solar Force. “YOU FAILED!!” Bellowed a demonic voice, as the dragon lunged at him, it’s huge jaws opened wide.

Just as the dragon's jaws were about to snap shut on him, Solar Force woke up. He sat up with a gasp. He looked around him and realised where he was. “Stupid Dream.” He muttered.

Twilight walked in with a bowl of cereal. “Good morning.” She said cheerfully. “Got some breakfast for you. Hope you like cereal.”

“Good morning,” Said Solar Force. “Cereal sounds great.”

Twilight handed Solar Force the bowel and he eagerly started eating. “Listen,” She spoke again. “I have something I really need to ask you. Where did you get that Bey?”

Solar Force paused in his eating. “I got it back in my home village.” He answered. “Why? Is there something wrong?”

“No! No!” Twilight assured. “There's nothing wrong. It’s just that it’s obviously a unique Bey. I’ve never worked on anything like it before. Everything from the design, the metal, even the plastic, It’s just that i’ve never seen this configuration. Was the Phoenix Bey even developed by the BBA?”

Solar Force shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.” He said. “It’s a hand-me-down.”

“Oh. Well, that’s a bit unfortunate.” Twilight said with slight frown. “Well, anyway, I'm almost done with the repairs. Just one adjustment to make and-”

“SOLAR?!”

Twilight was abruptly interrupted as the three Crusaders ran into the room, all with tears in their eyes.

“What’s up with you three?” Solar Force.

Apple Bloom stepped forward. “Here,” She said, as she held out a slightly shaking hand, holding a piece of paper. “Read this.”

Solar Force took the paper and unfolded it.

Dear Solar Punk

Sunset wants to battle you at Flints Shrine.

Be there by noon, or the three little brats Beys are going to get it.

Sincerely
Starlight Glimmer

When he was finished reading, Solar Force stood up, and looked straight at Twilight. “Do you know where Flints Shrine is?” He asked.

“Yeah, I Know where that is.” Twilight replied.

“Good.” Said Solar Force. “Can you tell me how to get there? And I’m gonna need Phonix back to.”

“What?!” Said a shocked Twilight. “No! The repairs are not finished yet. If you try using it now, any number of things could happen. It could end up being permanently damaged, or broken or-”

Solar Force raised his hand to cut her off. “I cannot let this go unpunished. Sunset Shimmer targeted these three girls for no reason at all. Also, the message said be there at noon, and it’s almost noon now.” He said seriously. “Twilight, how long do you think it will take to finish the repairs?”

“I’m not sure.” Said Twilight. “An hour maybe?”

“Well then, I’m sorry Twilight.” Said Solar Force. “We don’t have time to wait. I need my Phoenix back now. Whatever happens, happens.”

Twilight hung her head and walked over to her work bench. She picked up Solar Force’s Bey, and walked back to him, holding up the Bey in her hand. “Just so you know, I am completely against this.” She said before reluctantly handing the Bey over.

“I know,” Said Solar Force. “But thank you. I promise to bring it straight back once this is over.”

“I’m coming with you.” Said Twilight. “Your new in town, so you won’t know the way to Flints Shrine.”

“Hmm,” Said Solar Force. “Fair point. Thanks.”

With that, Solar Force turned and dashed out of the Store, Twilight and the three Crusaders right behind him.

Across town, in front of a very old, but well maintained Shrine, Sunset Shimmer sat in front of her entire gang of Face Hunters, her hands joined together in front of her face, her head tilted forward so her eyes could not be seen. One of her thugs approached her from behind. “Hey, Boss?” He asked.

Sunset lifted her head to look back at him, her eyes narrow. “What?” She said irritably.

“You don’t think this guys really gonna show up do ya?” He said. “We said noon, and it’s almost noon now.”

Sunset slowly got to her feet, and turned to face her underling, looking him square in the eye. “Do you really think he’s just going to abandon those three little kids?” She asked, not expecting an answer. “That guy is obviously some wanna be hero. He’ll come. And when he gets here, that’s when I will really turn up the heat.”

Just as the time struck noon, Solar Force appeared at the top of the Shrines steps, along with Twilight Sparkle and the Crusaders.

Sunset looked back her minion. “Told you so.” She said with a satisfied smirk.

“Ok, I’m here Shimmer, just like you wanted!” Solar Force said with a glare. “Hand over those girls Beys right now!”

“Yeaah no.” Said Sunset, rolling her eyes. “That’s not how this works.”

“You got me here! What more do you want?!” Solar Force demanded.

“Simple.” Said Sunset. “I want a battle with you, here and now. If you win, you get those three twerps Beys back. But if you lose, I get to keep them, and do whatever I want with them.”

“And what if I refuse to Battle?” Solar Force asked.

Sunset pointed with her thumb. “If you don’t battle, Starlight will toss those Beys into that Flame pitt over there.” She then gave a cruel smirk. “And trust me, those flames are easily hot enough to melt a Bey.”

“Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.” Solar Force muttered to himself. “Alright Sunset! You want a Battle? You got one!”

Solar Force approached a circular sloped hole in the ground. Sunset stood facing him on the other side. “Before we start, let me tell you a bit about the history of this shrine, and why I wanted to battle you here.” Sunset said.

“Is this a battle or a lecture?” Said an annoyed Solar Force.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll get your battle.” Sunset said. “Now listen. This shrine is very important to me. It was built to honor a very powerful Fox Deity. It was known by the name Flint.” She then held up her Bey for Solar Force to see. “I named my Bey after this Deity. Behold, my partner, Flint Kitsune. This is why I wanted to battle you here. You see, I’m going to offer up your precious Phoenix as a sacrifice to the great Fox Deity.”

“And let me guess?” Said Solar Force. “If you lose this battle, you’ll just offer up the girls Beys as the Sacrifice?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Said Sunset casually.

“Alright, Enough talk! Let’s Battle!” Solar Force announced.

“Believe me, the Fox Deity will have a sacrifice.” Said Sunset, as she readied her launcher.

“3! 2! 1! LET IT RIP!!!”

The Two combatants launched their Beys at the same moment, and they flew into the stadium, circling each other before clashing several times, sending sparks flying.

Off to the side, Twilight stood with her eyes fixed on the two Beys, biting her nails, and her whole body quaking with nerves. She knew all too well just how big a risk Solar Force was taking. If the battle dragged on too long, Phoenix could become even more damaged than before, or even shatter completely.

As the battle continued, Sunset looked up at Solar Force. “I think i've toyed with you long enough. It’s time for your Phoenix to feel the heat. Special Move! Fox Flame!” She Commanded.

At Sunsets command, Her Beys Performance Tip let off a spark, then the whole Bey burst into flames, and began circling the arena faster and faster.

“Wait a minute.” Said a confused Twilight. “No Bey can ignite like that, that fast.” She then reached for her Laptop, and used it to scan Sunsets Bey. The results of the Scan confused her. “Strange. Nothing out of the ordinary there. The arena maybe?” After a quick scan, Twilight's eyes widened at the results. “No way! This arena is made of Flint Stone!” She then rechecked the results from Sunsets Bey. “And her Bey’s Performance Tip is made of Steel.” She then thought about these details carefully, and found her answer. “That’s It! Repair lube!” She thought. “She must have doused her Bey in repair lube. As soon as she launched her Bey, Sunset must have known the friction from the Steel performance Tip would cause a spark from the Flint, Igniting the lube, and setting her Bey alight. That’s why she wanted to Battle Solar here! She totally has the advantage!” “Hey!” She shouted at Sunset. “I’m onto you Sunset Shimmer! I know your cheating!”

“What?” Said Sunset, feigning ignorance. “You accuse little old me of cheating. I’m insulted.” She then gave a sinister smirk. “Can’t you see the little halo over my head?”

“But this battle can’t-” Twilight tried to proset, but Solar Force raised his hand to silence her. “It’s okay, Twilight.” He said. “Sunset can battle her way.” A determined look crossed his face. “But I will win my way.”

Sunset laughed. “You actually think you have chance of beating me?” She said with mirth.

“Yeah, I do.” Said Solar Force. “But before I do that,” He reached for his headphones, which were hanging around his neck, and placed them over his ears. “I think I’ll listen to some music.”

As the music began to play, Solar Force’s Bey began to move in a strange pattern, swerving and zig zagging as if following the music. Sunset eyed this closely. “Hm, this must be that move that Starlight warned me about. I’m not impressed.” She then smirked. “Time to end this. Destroy him Flint!” She commanded.

Following her masters command, Flint Kitsune began to attack Phoenix relentlessly, but due to it’s unpredictable movements, it missed its mark repeatedly. As her Beys futile assault went on, Sunset began to grind her teeth in frustration. “What are you doing?! Destroy Him?!” She yelled.

“Sorry Sunset.” Said Solar Force. “But it’s time for me to end this. Go Phoenix?!” Phoenix began circling the stadium. As it did so, the flames surrounding Flint seemed to be drawn toward it. Everyone watching was stunned.

Sunset broke the silence. “Chase him Kitsune! Hunt him down!” She shouted angrily.

Twilight could not believe what she was seeing. “What is he doing?!” She said, shocked.

Phoenix was moving so fast, it was almost a blur. And suddenly, it shot up into the air like a rocket. “You won’t get away!” Yelled a Furious Sunset. “Follow him Kitsune!”

Sunset’s Bey picked up speed and shot into the air as well. Both Bey’s climb higher and higher until they disappeared from sight. Twilight stared up at the sky. “W-where are they?” she asked.

Starlight pointed upwards. “Look!” She shouted. “Something's coming down!”

Everyone looked and stared as they saw something shining falling from the sky. It landed in the stadium with a spray of sparks. It was Flint Kitsune, Still spinning. “Wait!” Said Sunset. “What happened to-?”

Before she could finish speaking, something came rushing down at tremendous speed. “NOW, PHOENIX!” Yelled Solar Force. “SOLAR FLARE ATTACK!” Phoenix hit the stadium with explosive force. Everyone covered their heads with their arms from the impact. Something flew past Sunsets shoulder. As the impact died down, everyone lowered their arms. For a moment, there was silence. Sunset turned her head to look behind her in utter disbelief. There on the ground was her Bey, lying on its side. “N-no way.” She Stuttered. “I lost? How could I lose?!”

The Crusaders jumped for joy. “He did it! He Won!” They cheered.

Twilight sighed with relief. “I’m just glad it’s over.” She said.

Starlight and the other goons were shocked. “D-did Sunset just lose?!.” She stuttered, as the Crusaders Beys fell out of her hand.

Solar Force walked over and picked up the three Beys. “I’ll be taking these.” He said.

The thugs were now cowering behind Starlight, none of them wanting to deal with the person who just defeated their boss. Starlight herself was still too stunned to react.

After retrieving the Crusaders Beys, Solar Force walked over to Twilight, and held out Phoenix to her. “There you are Twilight. Still in one piece.” He said, smiling.

Twilight was not smiling. “In one piece?” She said incredulously. “Your lucky Phoenix isn’t in a million pieces after that stunt you pulled! I dread to think what kind of damage you’ve now caused!” Her eyes filled with tears. “All my hard work, wasted!” She wailed.

Their business there concluded, Solar Force, Twilight and the Crusaders left the Temple.

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer had fallen to her knees, still trying to process what had happened.

When Solar Force and Twilight returned to the shop, he returned the Beys to the Crusaders.

“Thank you Senpai!” They said happily, much to Solar’s annoyance.

“Not again.” He muttered. “Is that ever going to end?”

Twilight couldn’t help giggling.

At the Face Hunters warehouse, Sunset Shimmer was pacing back and forth, seething with Fury, as Starlight and the other thugs kept their distance. “How?!” She snarled. “How could I lose?! And to some little headphone wearing twerp! How?!”

A Shadow fell across the ground at the entrance to the warehouse.

“Would you prefer the truth?” Said a mysterious female voice. “Or the lie?”

Everyone turned toward the entrance and stared. Standing in the doorway, was a tall woman, In a black business suit, with black skin, dark green hair tied into a bun, sparkling green eyes behind a pair of thin rectangular glasses, and deep green lipstick.

The Woman strode forward, her hips swaying hypnotically as she went. Everyone in the warehouse couldn’t help but stare at the woman, as if mesmerised.

The Woman stopped in front of Sunset, and placed her finger under Sunsets chin, lifting her face so Sunset was looking directly into her eyes.

“So?” She purred. “Which is it?”

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter 3: Starlight Strikes Back

Inside the Face Hunters warehouse, Starlight Glimmer was miserable. Why was she miserable? Because Sunset Shimmer was gone. She remembered the events of the previous night all too well.

(Flashback Starts)

Before Sunset could answer, the woman removed her finger and stood up straight. “If you want to defeat Solar Force that badly, then I suggest you come with me,” She said in a silky voice.

Sunset’s face screwed up in annoyance. “What do you know about it?” She demanded.

“Oh, I know a lot about you, Sunset Shimmer,” The woman replied with a smirk. “I know what kind of Bey you wield. Your Flint Kitsune. I also know all about your recent defeat at the hands of young Solar Force and his Solar Phoenix. He defeated you with his dive bomb attacks, did he not?”

“How did you know that?!” Sunset snapped.

“Word travels fast,” Said the woman nonchalantly. “Especially word of someone’s defeat. I bet they're still talking about now. The infamous Sunset Shimmer, with a reputation for preying on the weak, finally beaten by some random unknown.”

By now, Sunset was grinding her teeth in frustration. “Are you going somewhere with this?” She asked. “What’s the deal between you and Solar Force anyway? You seem kinda obsessed with him.”

The woman chuckled. “Me? Obsessed with that little brat? Hardly,” She said in an amused tone. “It’s not I who has an obsession. Let’s just say someone I know has a grudge to settle with that boy. A deep, personal grudge.”

“OK, fine, whatever,” Sunset said with a groan. “But what’s any of that got to do with me?”

“Why, It has plenty to do with you,” Said the woman. “Because I know how you can defeat Solar Force.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow sceptically. “Really? Because if you know so much, why don’t you defeat him yourself?”

At this, the woman held up a launcher with a Bey already attached. “How about instead of simply telling you, I show you in a battle!” She challenged Sunset.

Sunset smirked. “Your're actually challenging me? Your're gonna regret those words.”

“We’ll see about that, little girl,” The woman said with a devious grin.

The two opponents took a short walk away from each other, and Sunset prepared her Bey. Starlight walked up to her and tried to reason with her. “Uh, Sunset?”

“Not now, Starlight,” Sunset said. “Let me handle this.”

“But, are sure you want to do this?” Said Starlight nervously.

“You bet I wanna do this,” Sunset said dangerously. “I want to teach this lady what happens when you disrespect a queen in her own domain.”

“You, a queen?” The woman chuckled. “You don’t have what it takes to be a true queen.”

Sunset glared at her. “Oh, I am so gonna enjoy taking you down.”

They both readied their Beys.

“3! 2! 1! LET IT RIP!!”

The two Beys flew at each other at blinding speed, colliding with each other in a fierce clash, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The woman’s smirk only grew. “Is that all you can muster, little girl? Pathetic,” She said sadistically.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “All right, that’s it!” She yelled. “I’ll show you what I’ve really got! Go, Flint Kitsune! Special Move! Fox Flame!” Her Bey ignited, and began circling the woman’s Bey at an increasing speed, creating a wall of flame around it. Sunset laughed victoriously. “Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha! Now I’ve got you!”

“Sorry, my dear,” The woman said darkly. “But I’m afraid that the wolf always beats the fox.” She gestured with her hand. “Shadow Wolf, now is the time to pounce!” With lighting fast speed, her Bey struck, and Sunset’s Bey went flying across the warehouse before smashing into the far wall, where it juddered to a stop.

For a moment, there was a stunned silence, before Sunset looked over her shoulder at her defeated Bey, and her eyes widened with shock and horror. “N-no way. I-Impossible!” She stuttered in disbelief.

Starlight was just as shocked. “She beat her! She beat Sunset’s Flint Kitsune like it was nothing!”

“Oh, I assure you, it’s very possible,” The woman said smugly.

Sunset turned back to the woman. “What did you do? How did you do that? Was that some kind of special move?” She demanded.

“If only it was,” The woman replied. “No, my dear, that was just an ordinary attack. I did it that way to demonstrate the difference in our levels of strength. And believe me, that wasn’t even close to my Shadow Wolf’s full power.” She finished with another smirk.

Sunset was now furious. “Alright, you’ve made your point!” She yelled. “But I ask you again! If you know so much about Solar Force, and if your really that strong, why don’t you take down that little brat yourself?! Why do you need me to do your dirty work?!”

“Quite simple, my dear,” The woman said. “I need you because I have no choice. As you may know, the game Beyblading is a pastime for the young. Those with plenty of youth can always improve, always become stronger as Bladers. However, once a Blader leaves their youth behind, they hit a metaphorical wall. They can no longer advance, no longer become stronger. In other words, due to my age, I cannot become any stronger. And Solar Force will always be stronger than me.”

Sunset frowned in disbelief. “Don’t make me laugh. That’s impossible. I mean yes, I admit he beat me, but that must have been a fluke. He was struggling against me for most of the match.”

“No!” The woman snapped, “Don’t be so naive! He was playing you!”

“That twerp, play me?! No way!” Denied Sunset.

“Think about it!” The woman fired back. “From the moment that battle began, Solar Force knew exactly what he was going to do. He knew exactly how the battle was going to end. And every time he battles with that Bey of his, he gains more power. Even when he battles weak opponents, he gains more strength. Soon he will become too powerful to battle.” She then gave Sunset a calculated looked. “That’s why I've come to you, Sunset Shimmer. You're still in your prime. You still have so much untapped potential, just waiting to be released. I can help you achieve this. I can make you stronger than your wildest dreams. Strong enough to utterly destroy Solar Force before he himself becomes too strong. That is, if you accept my offer.” She finished by holding out her open hand.

Sunset was silent, matching the woman’s intimidating eyes with her own. Off to the side, Starlight held her breath. She wasn’t really considering going off with this woman, was she? At last, Sunset spoke. “If I accept your offer, how strong will I be?”

“How strong do you want to be?” The woman said with a purr.

(Flashback Ends)

“And then she just left with that... that... that Temptress!” She shouted in frustration. “And all because of that kid, Solar Force! This is all his fault!”

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Tell the lucky lady what she’s won Jack! The greatest prize of all! Absolutely nothing!” Shouted a loud, very cocky, and kind of obnoxious voice.

Starlight turned to the warehouse door, where she saw a tall man, dressed in a business man's suit. He had mismatched eyes, a small pointed goatee, slimy slicked back brown hair, and was giving her the most arrogant smirk she’d ever seen. “And… you are?” She said, giving him a strange look.

“You can just call me Handsome Jack, cupcake. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think,” He said, swaggering towards her.

“EW! Cringe alert!” Starlight thought with a shudder. Everything about this man was like something her mother had warned her about when she was little. “OK, first of all, don’t call me cupcake!” She snapped. “My name is Starlight Glimmer! Remember it! And second of all, what are you going on about a prize for?”

“OK, OK, let me explain something,” Said Jack. “You don’t get the prize for identifying a problem. You get one for solving it. You follow me? Because your right. That little twerp you call Solar Force is the reason your great leader is gone. He’s also the cause of several other major problems in this town.” He then pointed at Starlight. “And so, if someone were to take care of the kid, everything would go back to normal.”

Starlight finally realised what Jack was saying. “You mean...me? Beat Solar Force?” She said.

“You, or someone else. We don’t really care who does it, as long as that brat is off our backs for good,” Jack replied.

Starlight pulled out her own Bey and simply stared at it. “But, Solar Force is so strong,” She said doubtfully. “How can I beat him with just a standard BBA Bey?”

Somehow, Jack’s smirk grew even bigger. “Oh, you won’t be able to do much with a little kiddies spinning top like that,” He said, before holding up a suitcase and opening it. Inside was a shiny new Bey.

“Whoa! What is that?” Starlight hated to admit it, but she was impressed.

“The latest model from our development team,” Said Jack. “We call it, Dark Stryker.”

“Whoa!” Starlight said again in awe.

“That’s right, take it all in, kid,” Said Jack. “And guess what. This baby is all yours. All you gotta do in exchange, is do us one little favour. Use it to destroy Solar Force!” He finished with a sinister grin.

Starlight was entranced by the shiny, powerful, brand new Bey being offered to her. She reached out to grab it, and held it up in her hand. Even just holding it, she could feel the power practically radiating from it. With a Bey like this, she’d be unstoppable! “OK, you got yourself a deal!” She said excitedly.

“That’s what we like to hear, kid!” Said Jack with his trademark smirk. “But be warned. That Bey’s a wild stallion. You’ll first need to break it in.” And with that, he turned and swaggered out of the warehouse. “Catch you later, kid!”

Once Jack was gone, Starlight looked down at the new Bey in her hand, grinning with excitement. “Time to try out this bad boy!” She said with enthusiasm, reaching for her launcher, and attaching the new Bey. She stepped into the middle of the warehouse, where she’d have plenty of room. She held her launcher out in front of her, and braced herself. “OK, here we go!” She said with determination. “In 3! 2! 1! LET IT RIP!!” She yanked the rip cord hard, and felt like she’d been hit by a tornado. She was flung off her feet, and fell flat on her back. She sat up just in time to see her new Bey shoot across the ground, and crash into a wall, grinding to a halt. She stared in disbelief. “Wow! That Jack guy really wasn’t kidding!” She exclaimed. She stood up, walked over to the Bey, and picked it up. She stared down at it, her eyes burning with determination. “I’m going to keep practising with this Bey! And I’m not gonna stop until I tame this wild stallion! And then, I’m gonna use it to destroy Solar Force!” She vowed to herself.

Meanwhile, back with Solar Force and his friends, he was currently having a battle against the cowgirl known as Applejack. “Go, Terra Taurus! Back that varmint into a corner!” She commanded, her Bey closing in on Solar Phoenix. “I gotcha now, bird boy!” She said with a smirk.

Solar Force didn’t answer. He hadn’t even heard her. He had his headphones on, and he was too busy bobbing his head to the beat of the music pounding away in his ears.

Applejack frowned at him. “I hope ya ain’t attached to yer eardrums, partner?” she said. “Because yer gonna bust ‘em one of these days.” As her Taurus Bey closed in on his Phoenix Bey, she gave a smirk of triumph. “Like I’m gonna bust you in this battle!”

Again, Solar Force didn’t answer, he just looked up at Applejack, giving a smirk of his own. Suddenly his Bey began to accelerate, spinning around the edge of the dish faster and faster, before jumping out of the dish, and landing on top of it, literally riding it.

“What in tarnation!” Applejack exclaimed in shock.

Then Solar finally spoke. “Aw, yeah! Go, Phoenix! Ride that Bull!”

Applejack growled in annoyance. “Oh, you are so gonna get the horns now, you little varmint!”

“Oh, yeah? Good luck trying to give them to me!” Solar replied with a cheeky smirk, which only annoyed Applejack even more.

“Oh, you think you can tame this bull, do ya? Well, your Phoenix better hold on tight! Let’s take ‘em for a ride, Taurus!” Applejack commanded, as her Bey started shaking violently, trying to throw the other Bey off, just like a bucking bull. This went on and on, but no matter how hard Taurus shook, it couldn’t seem to get rid of Phoenix, much to Applejack’s chagrin. Her Bey’s movements seemed to become slower and slower, until it made its way into the centre of the arena, where it ground to halt, still standing on it’s tip, with Phoenix still spinning on top. Applejack could only watch, her jaw dropped, as her Bey toppled over, and Solar’s own Bey leaped out of the stadium and into its master’s outstretched hand. “N-no way!” She stuttered.

Solar finally took off his Headphones, before giving the cowgirl a victorious smirk. “Sorry, Applejack. Looks like I beat ya again!”

“Not Again!” Applejack growled in frustration, before grabbing her hat, tossing it on the ground, and stamping on it. “I can’t believe it! That’s five times in a row!”

“Eh, don’t it take too hard, AJ,” Said Rainbow Dash. “You win some, you lose some. No big deal. Not everyone can be as awesome as yours truly.” She finished with a confident smirk.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “If you're so awesome, then how come you lost to Solar 10 times in a row?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It was an off day!” Rainbow said indignantly.

“It’s always an off day,” Applejack muttered.

Solar chuckled to himself. “He he he, I love being over powered.”

Just then, Twilight walked up to him. “Hey, Solar, can I borrow your Phoenix for a bit please?” She asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Said Solar, handing over his Bey. “I’ve had enough battles for one day. What’cha you want it for?”

“Oh, nothing much, just a little data gathering,” Twilight replied. “I want to do a comparison between Phoenix’s stats before and after it’s recent repairs and improvements. Then I’ll have a much clearer picture of just how much stronger you and Phoenix really have become.”

“You don’t need to do all that complicated stuff. I know how strong my Phoenix is,” Said Solar with a casual shrug.

“Judging your Bey’s strength purely on your gut instinct is not what I call scientifically sound,” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow. “Besides, you should count yourself lucky that you have a Bey mechanic who’s willing to repair, maintain and upgrade your Bey when required for free. So I’d say it’s a fair trade, wouldn’t you?” She finished with a smirk.

“Yeah, OK, you got me there,” Said Solar. “You just do whatever you need to do.”

“Great, thanks!” Smiled Twilight.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am simply exhausted from watching the rest of you go at each other with your Beys all day,” Said Rarity with a stretch. “I believe it’s time for me to take my leave. Sweetie Belle! We're heading home now! Come along!” She called to her sister.

“Aw, Rarity,” Said Sweetie Belle with a groan. “Can’t I stay five more minutes?”

“Oh, very well, Sweetie Belle, we can stay,” Said Rarity, before giving her sister a knowing smile. “But if we do, you’ll miss your favourite TV programme.”

“Wait, what?” Said Sweetie Belle, quickly pulling out her phone to look at the time. “Oh, my gosh, it’s that time already?!” She exclaimed, before turning to her two friends. “Sorry girls, looks like we’re gonna have to pick this up tomorrow,” She said apologetically.

“What?!” Said Scootaloo. “But what about the tie breaker?

“Tomorrow!” Repeated Sweetie Belle.

“The tie breaker?!” Exclaimed Scootaloo again, but Rarity and Sweetie Belle were already making their way out of the Beypark to head for home. She pouted in annoyance. “Oh, great. I hate waiting.”

“Well, any who,” Said Applejack with a stretch. “I say it’s time I was heading home to hit the hey too. Come on, Applebloom. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

“Aw, we’ve always got an early start tomorrow,” Applebloom groaned, but reluctantly followed behind her sister. After that, everyone else agreed it was time to go home, and said their goodbyes as they slowly filed out one by one, leaving only Twilight and Solar Force.

“Well, I’d better be getting home too,” Said a tired looking Twilight. “I’ve got a lot of Bey data to analyse.” She left the Beypark and made her way back to the Beyshop. Once she got inside, she placed Solar’s Bey on her work table, and was about to start work, but she just felt too tired. “I can analyse the Data tomorrow.” She took off her back pack, and was about to toss it on to her coach.

“Your laptops still in your bag, Twilight,” Said a voice.

“Oh, thanks Solar,” Said Twilight as she was about to leave the room… only to turn on her heel to look at the coach. “Solar?!”

“Hi,” Solar said with a wave as he lounged on the coach.

“W-w… What are you doing here?!” Twilight stuttered.

“You said we were going home,” Solar said casually.

“I said I was going home!” Twilight said in annoyance. “Don’t tell me you're gonna freeload off me again!”

“Yup,” Solar said simply.

“On my coach?!”

“You have a spare bed?”

“No!”

“Then it has to be the coach.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned heavily. “My mother was right. The moment a stray comes into your house, you never get rid of them,” She muttered. “Spike, make sure he doesn’t raid the fridge!” She called to her dog as she headed upstairs.

Once she was gone, Solar stared down at the little dog. “I’m still raiding that fridge,” He stated.

Back at the warehouse, Starlight’s hand grasped the top of a wooden crate, as she dragged herself back to her feet, gasping and panting in exhaustion, her whole body dripping with sweat. She took a moment to regain her breath, before her lips turned up in a triumphant smirk. “Finally. I did it,” She said in a satisfied tone, looking down at the powerful Dark Striker, spinning innocently on the ground in front of her. “I tamed you.” She walked up to her new Bey and picked it up, looking at it with a sinister grin. “I take back what I said about you Jack. When it comes down to it, you know how to build one Powerful Bey.” She gripped it tightly in her hand. “And tomorrow, I’m going to use it to destroy your Phoenix, Solar Force.” With those words, she threw back her head, and let out a long, maniacal laugh.

Next day, around noon, Twilight walked into her kitchen, headed toward her fridge and opened it, looking for leftovers, only to not find what she was looking for. “Huh? Hey! Where's my leftover Omelette Rice?” She then frowned, before heading into the living room, only to see Solar Force lounging on the couch like usual. “Solar Force,” She said in an interrogating tone. “Did you raid my fridge last night?”

“Nooo,” Said Solar Force innocently.

“Did you eat my leftover Omelette Rice?” Twilight asked.

“Nooo,” Repeated Solar Force.

Twilight then looked closely at Solar’s face, before narrowing her eyes at him. “Is that a piece of rice stuck to your cheek?” She said, reaching out and pinching the tiny morsel away with two fingers. “Well, look at that, it is rice. And from the texture, I’d say it’s recently been reheated.”

“Oh, that,” Solar said, still trying to sound innocent. “How did that get there?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you how it got there,” Said Twilight accusingly. “It got there after you ate my Omelette Rice, because one, your a sloppy eater, and two, unlike most people, who wash their faces early in the morning, you always wait to wash your face in the afternoon, and since it’s not even noon yet, there’s no way you’ve washed your face.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “So, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Solar looked sheepish for a moment, but then he stared back at her with a devilish smirk. “It was delicious!” He said in triumph.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!” Twilight yelled in anger, and gave chase as Solar tried to flee from her vengeful wrath. However, as the furious, bespectacled girl chased him in circles around the room, something fell out of the young boy’s pocket. Twilight stopped, then knelt down to pick up the dropped item, before looking up Solar with a vengeful smirk. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

Solar stopped in his tracks, turning around to look at her, only for his eyes to go wide in shock. “Hey, that's my wallet!” He exclaimed in worry. “Give that back!”

“Oh, ho, ho, no way,” Said the smirking Twilight. “I’ve got plans for this wallet. I think I’ll go treat myself to a nice, big lunch,” She narrowed her eyes, and her smirk grew in triumph. “All at your expense.”

“NOOO!!” Solar cried in horror. “NOT AT MY EXPENSE!!”

(30 minutes later)

“Mmm, that was so good,” Twilight said with a satisfied smile, patting her belly. She was sitting at a table outside a cafe, and she had just finished a three course meal. “And thank you so much for paying the bill, Solar,” She said with a devious smirk as she looked over at the miserable, distraught boy sitting across from her, laying his head on his arms, tears streaming down his face. “Very generous of you.”

At that moment, the three Crusaders popped their heads around the corner, watching Twilight and Solar closely.

“You see,” Said Sweetie Belle. “I told you they were on a date.

“I dunno,” Said Applebloom sceptically. “Doesn’t look like a date to me. I mean, look, Solar’s just sittin’ there, crying his eyes out.”

“All my money,” Solar said mournfully, staring into the bottom of his empty wallet. “You even spent the moths.”

“Wait, Moths?” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow.

“Trust me, this is a classic romance scene,” Said Sweetie Belle. “Once he’s done crying, they’ll head back to either of their apartments, most likely Twilight’s, and then he’ll take her in his arms and then-” Her speech was cut off when a blushing Applebloom quickly placed her hand over her mouth.

“W-where are ya gettin’ this information?” She asked timidly, before removing her hand.

“Uhh,” Sweetie Belle blushed. “From my sister’s romance novels.”

Scootaloo scrunched up her face in disgust. “Blehh! You actually read that garbage?!” She exclaimed.

“Uh, y’know what, girls,” Said Applebloom in a bored voice. “I’ve lost interest in this. I’m out.”

“Wait, what?” Said a bewildered Sweetie Belle.

“I agree with Appleboom,” said a just as bored Scootaloo. “This is getting weird. I’m out too.”

“But girls, wait!” Said Sweetie Belle. “The sparks between the lovebirds are about to ignite!”

“We’re out!” Shouted Applebloom and Scootaloo in unison as they walked away.

In the old warehouse district, Starlight was giving instructions to her face hunter goons, sitting on a makeshift throne, made of boxes and crates. “All right, listen up! I want you to get out there, find Solar Force, and bring him here!” Instead of obeying her, they all looked at each other uneasily, like they were reluctant to follow her orders. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!”

“Uh,” Said one of the goons nervously. “You see Starlight, we… don’t really want to do this.”

“What?!” Starlight snapped, her eye twitching with barely suppressed fury. “May I ask why?!”

“Well, it’s just that,” Said another goon. “None of us want to face this guy again. We tried beating him twice, the first time was five on one, including you, and we lost. The second time was 100 on 1, and we still lost! He even took down Sunset!”

“Yeah, that kid is just way too strong for any of us!” Called out a third goon.

“Oh, I get it,” Said Starlight in a low, dangerous voice. “You are all just a bunch of cowards!”

“U-uh, no, Starlight, it’s not-”

Before the goon could finish, Starlight raised her launcher, and with a scream of rage, launched her new Bey with incredible force. It shot across the warehouse like a bullet, ricocheting off the far wall, leaving a large hole in its wake. It flew across to the opposite wall, impacting hard, leaving a hole in that wall, before bouncing off in another direction, crashing through a stack of crates, reducing them to splinters. This went on and on, with the wild Bey zig zagging in all directions, destroying everything in its path, with the FaceHunters ducking, covering their faces, or diving to the ground in fright. Finally, a smirking Starlight raised her hand, and caught the Bey out of the air.

“You see this?” She said in a low voice. “This is my new Bey. Dark Stryker, the first of its kind.” Her smirk grew slightly. “And believe me, it is by far the most powerful Bey that I have ever seen, and you have all just had a small taste of its power.” Her eyes narrowed in a furious scowl. “Now, get off your sorry, worthless behinds, AND BRING ME SOLAR FORCE!!”

The goons, utterly terrified, ran out of the warehouse faster than any of them had run before, both to carry out Starlight’s orders, and to not have to face her wrath.

Meanwhile, the CMC’s were still arguing with each other.

“I’m telling you,” Said Sweetie Belle. “The fireworks of passion were starting to ignite between the two of them!”

“Ugh, give it a rest, Sweetie Belle!” Snapped a scowling Scootaloo. “Before you make me lose my breakfast!”

“Yeah, and y’all seriously need ta lay off those stupid books of your sister’s,” Agreed an equally agitated Applebloom. “Do you even understand half the gunk you’ve been sayin’? And besides, ain’t y’all kinda young to be readin’ that kind of stuff?”

Before Sweetie Belle could answer, they were confronted by the FaceHunter goons. “Hey, kids! Tell us where that punk, Solar Force is, now!” The lead goon demanded.

The CMCs glanced up at them, but otherwise simply ignored them, before going straight back to arguing. The lead goon glared at them. “Hey, you little brats, I said-”

“Yeah, yeah, we heard you,” Scootaloo interrupted, sounding bored. “Why should we listen to you losers?”

“What’d you say?!”

“You heard her,” Said Sweetie Belle, sounding just as nonchalant as Scootaloo. “Why should we even listen to a bunch of washed up has bins?”

“Also, wasn’t it Solar Force who took down your entire gang, all by himself, even your precious leader?” Added Applebloom. “And you're still lookin’ for a fight with him?” She rolled her eyes. “You guys really are gluttons for punishment, ain't ya?”

Twilight and Solar had just left the restaurant and were on their way back to the shop, when they spotted the CMCs confronting the face hunters. “Hey, Solar, look. Aren’t they the FaceHunters?” Twilight said, pointing ahead.

“Ugh, what do they want now?” Solar groaned, before they dashed over to them. “Hey, girls, what’s going on?” He then glared at the FaceHunters. “Are these losers giving you trouble again?”

“It’s him!” One of the goons shouted.

“We’re not here for these pipsqueaks!” Shouted the lead goon. “We’re here for you, punk!” He pointed at Solar.

“Oh, really,” Said Solar with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry, not interested. I already kicked all your sorry butts.”

At this, the FaceHunters walked a short distance away and huddled together, whispering to each other. They couldn’t fully make out what they were saying, but they could tell from the tone that they were nervous.

“What are we gonna do…?”

“If we don’t get him to go, Starlight’s gonna…!”

“Hey, why don’t we…?”

The goons broke the huddle and headed back over to Solar and the others, and much to their shock, they got down on their knees and bowed, with the lead goon holding up his hands, presenting a coin purse. “Please accept this and come and see Starlight,” He said in a begging voice.

For a moment, there was a stunned silence, until…

“And there’s the payoff!” Shouted Scootaloo.

“You're paying him to go and battle Starlight?” Asked Twilight in disbelief.

“That’s just sad,” said Sweetie Belle, with a disappointed frown.

“Real sad,” agreed Applebloom.

Solar reached down and took the purse, opening it to look inside. “Wow, there's a lot in here,” He stated.

“Solar, you're not actually thinking of accepting their offer are you?” Twilight said.

“I can’t pass up free money,” Solar said with a shrug. “Not after you totally cleaned me out.”

“You had it coming for eating my Omelette Rice!” Twilight said indignantly.

“Well, the point is I’m broke,” Solar continued. “Besides, it’ll be a piece of cake. I already beat Starlight once before.” He tucked the purse in his pocket, and turns back to the FaceHunters. “Alright, let's go see what your second in command wants.”

“My purse,” said the lead goon.

“You mean my purse,” Solar smirked.

“Aw,” the lead goon groaned. He and the rest of the FaceHunters got back to their feet, and they led Solar, Twilight and the CMCs toward the old warehouse district.

As they approached the lair of the FaceHunters, Twilight leaned over to whisper to Solar. “Solar, are you seriously going along with this? This could very easily be a trap.”

“Of course it’s a trap, what else would it be?” Solar smirked back at her.

“And you're just going to walk right into it?!”

“You won’t get anyway by playing it safe all the time,” Solar shrugged. “Besides, I want my money.”

“You already have the money!”

“Yeah, but that doesn't mean I shouldn’t keep my end of the deal.”

“You’re impossible!”

They finally entered the warehouse, seeing Starlight sitting on the makeshift throne. Her eyes narrowed dangerously the moment she saw Solar. “Well, well, look who finally showed up,” she said coldly.

“Alright, Starlight, I’m here,” Said Solar nonchalantly. “Let's get this over with. I need to earn my pay.”

At this, Starlight raised both eyebrows. “Wait. Pay?” She said in confusion, before looking over at the FaceHunters and glaring at them. “Did you pay him to come and battle me?”

“Uh, well…” Said one of the goons sheepishly. “He wouldn’t come otherwise.”

Starlight slapped both hands to her forehead, and dragged down her face, breathing in deeply through her nose, before letting it out through gritted teeth. “Well, that completely kills the mood,” She groaned.

“Look, Starlight,” Solar said. “The deal was I come here and battle you, so let’s just skip the melodramatic stuff and get to it.”

“You know, I kind of had this whole thing planned out,” Starlight said as she stood up from her throne. “You would show up, I would give you a nice little villainous speech, you’d get mad at me and then we’d battle.” She rolled her eyes. “But the mood’s gone now, so I think I’ll just get to the part where I destroy Phoenix.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Solar asked.

Starlight reached into the holster on her hip, and held her new Bey for all to see. “Easy. With this,” She said with a sinister smirk. Everyone stared at it.

“I’ve never seen a Bey like that before,” Twilight said, as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her laptop. She booted it up and gave the Bey a scan. The results confused her. “What? No data? How’s that possible?”

Solar then gave an amused smirk. “Alright, Starlight, what serial box did you get that out of? Come on, I’m not gonna laugh, I promise.”

“Oh, I didn’t get this from no serial box,” Starlight said smugly, before raising her launcher and locking her new Bey into place. “But I’m gonna be the one laughing when I destroy Phoenix with my Dark Stryker.”

At this, Solar’s smile vanished. “What did she call it? Dark Stryker?” He said in an almost nervous voice.

“Uh, Solar, are you alright?” Twilight asked, noticing the sudden change in his demeanour. “Have you heard of this Dark Stryker?”

“There’s only one Bey I know with the word Dark in its name,” Solar thought, as a long, loud laugh, the laugh of a madman, echoed through his mind as he remembered his distant past. “Tell me, Starlight,” He demanded. “Where did you get that Bey?”

“Wouldn't you like to know,” Starlight said in snarky tone.

“Uh, yeah, that’s why he asked,” Said Sweetie Belle with a raised eyebrow.

“Fine. We’ll play it your way, Starlight,” Solar said with a determined look as he stepped forward, readied his own launcher, brought out Phoenix, and attached it to the launcher, ready for battle.

“3! 2! 1! LET IT RIP!”

With a flourish, both Bladers yanked on their ripcords, sending both their Beys rocketing towards each other. They collided with a clash, filling the air around them with sparks. They circled each other, like they were sizing the other up before moving in for a strike. Everyone watched intently, until Starlight declared, “Alright, enough of this tip toeing around. Dark Stryker, destroy his Phoenix!” With seemingly lightning fast speed, her Bey struck Solar’s, sending it flying across the warehouse, as Solar stared in shock.

“Whoa! I almost felt that! That Bey is fast, and really strong!” He said. “This might be tougher than I thought.”

“So much force,” Twilight said as she used her laptop to analyse the battle. “The amount of power behind that attack was off the charts! Where did Starlight get that Bey?”

“Alright, I shouldn't let this drag on,” Solar thought. “I’d better finish this fast. The sooner I end this, the sooner I get some answers.” He reached up and placed his head phones over his ears, before starting his music at max volume. As he lost himself in the beat, Phoenix began to zip back and forth in time with the rhythm. This was the technique that he had spent many hours perfecting, which he dubbed ‘The Dancing Phoenix’. Dark Stryker moved in for another attack, with Phoenix zipping out of the way. However, this proved fruitless, as Stryker suddenly did a Zig Zag manoeuvre, closing in for another hit. The attack struck home, sending Phoenix skidding away across the ground. Solar stared in disbelief. “What?! I wasn’t able to dodge her attack? How?!”

“You didn't seriously think it would be that easy did you?” Starlight said in a condescending tone.
“I've seen your battle style more than once, and trust me, it's useless against My Stryker!”

“We’ll see about that!” Solar shouted. “Go Phoenix!” His Bey moved in on hers, ready to hit back, but at the last second, Dark Stryker zig zagged away again, before reversing course, and speeding back for a counter attack, sending Phoenix flying again.

Off to the side, the three Crusaders watched the seemingly one sided battle with worry as Twilight finished a scan of Dark Stryker. She was shocked by the results. “No way!”

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Asked Applebloom nervously as she and the other Crusaders looked over her shoulder at the screen.

“I’ve figured out how Starlight’s Bey is able to manoeuvre so well,” Twilight Explained. “It has a completely rounded performance tip called The Eternal Smooth! I thought It was just an urban myth!”

“The Eternal Smooth?” Sweetie Belle asked. “What’s so special about it?”

“Well, normally, a Bey has a pointed performance tip,” Twilight explained. “It’s good for helping Beys keep their balance, but it does cause a small amount of drag while the Bey is spinning. However, The Eternal Smooth is a completely rounded performance tip, making it smooth enough to reduce air resistance to practically nothing.”

“In other words,” Scootaloo said nervously.

“No drag,” Twilight finished ominously. “That’s how it can change direction so fast, and why Phoenix can’t land a hit, as well as not being able to dodge it.”

“But that means Starlight has an unfair advantage!” Exclaimed Applebloom.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Starlight tutted snidely. “Don’t you know, all’s fair in love and war.”

Solar knew he was in real trouble. He had heavily underestimated the situation, and now he was backed into a corner. What could he do? “If what Twilight said is true, the secret of Dark Stryker’s power is in it’s completely smooth performance tip. What if… What if it wasn't smooth?! “That’s it!” He finished out loud. He then looked up at Starlight with a renewed sense of confidence and hope. “Sorry, Starlight, but it’s time to really heat this battle up, literally! Go Phoenix!” Solar’s Bey suddenly ignited into flames, charging toward Stryker, before circling it, going faster and faster, as the air began to get hotter and hotter. But Starlight was not intimidated.

“Try whatever tricks you like, It won’t change a thing. I’m still gonna destroy your Bey! Dark Stryker! Let’s end this! Special Move! Dark Lance!” At Starlight's command, Her Bey glowed a deep black, before speeding right into Phoenix’s path. It seemed like it would hit home, but a split second before impact, Phoenix sped away in the other direction, missing by inches. However, it continued to speed on across the warehouse, one of the metal support beams of the warehouse directly in its path. It hit the pillar with a juddering crash, before bouncing away. Everyone looked and stared in shock. Right where the Bey had struck, there was a large, perfectly round hole, right the way through the pillar. If that had hit Phoenix…? Solar shuddered at the thought. Starlight just smirked at the looks on everyone’s faces. “You scared? I would be If I was in your shoes!” She gloated.

At this point, Solar pulled his headphones off his ears. “Er, Starlight? Wasn’t that the support beam for this place?”

Starlight’s smirk vanished. “What?” She looked over at the pillar, and the damage she’d caused, as the pillar suddenly buckled and broke, as the whole warehouse was filled with the screeching of rending metal. Her eyes became pinpricks. “Uh oh.”

“The whole place is coming down!” Shouted Twilight.

“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!” Screamed the Crusaders.

Solar held out his hand as Phoenix leapt up and he caught it. “We’ll finish this later,” He said to the stunned Starlight, before turning and running toward Twilight and the Crusaders. “Let’s get out of here!” The girls didn’t need telling twice. They turned and ran as fast as they could out the warehouse. They made it out the door just in time, as the whole roof of the warehouse caved in, before the walls crumbled and collapsed, kicking up a huge plume of dust. They came to stop, coughing and spluttering, before looking back. The warehouse was now just a pile of rubble. “Well, that could have gone better,” Solar muttered.

“I think we should just go,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Agreed,” Chimed the Crusaders.

So they all turned and left.

Meanwhile, Starlight and the FaceHunters looked over the damage she had caused.

“Sunset’s not gonna be happy about this,” Muttered one of the goons.

At this, Starlight's face scrunched up in rage, as she grabbed her beanie hat off her head, throwing it to the ground, and stomping on it furiously, as she let out a furious scream. “DANG IT!!”

After seeing the Crusaders back home, Solar and Twilight were now back at the shop. Twilight was carefully examining Phoenix. “Wow! Look at this damage! Even though that battle was short, that Bey Starlight used was really powerful. Where did she get it?” She looked over at Solar, who was lying on the couch. He was unusually quiet. From his face, she could tell he was troubled. “Solar?”

Solar didn’t answer. He was lost in his own thoughts. “That Bey she used. How is it possible that she had another Dark Bey? Could this have something to do with…?” His thoughts trailed off as he let out a yawn. “I’m too tired to think about this now.” He looked over at Twilight. “Goodnight.” He then closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep.

“Uh, goodnight,” Twilight said. “He must be really tired.” She thought, before turning back to her work on Phoenix.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location, the man known as Jack was studying the data from Starlight and Solar’s battle.

“Hmm, it has power, just not the kind of power we’re looking for,” Analysed Jack with a disappointed frown.

At that moment, the clacking sound of high heels could be heard approaching him. It was Chrysalis. “So, what does the data show?” She asked.

“Dark Stryker was a success to an extent. The Bey fed off young Starlight’s negativity, making it that much stronger, but unfortunately, it’s not what you're looking for,” He explained.

“Well, then, we will just have to keep manufacturing more Dark Beys,” Chrysalis said while rubbing her chin. “Oh, and one more thing. How is our little friend doing?” She asked.

Jack changed the display on the screen to show Sunset Shimmer training with all of her might. She was panting heavily, and her body was dripping with sweat, but she powered on furiously, not letting up for a second.

“Her training is going well, but she still has a long way to go,” Jack stated neutrally.

“Hmm, well, in that case, I think it’s time for me and Miss Shimmer to go on a little field trip,” Chrysalis said with a conniving smirk. “Jack, continue your research into Project Darkness. I want to know any and all progress as it happens,” She ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Said Jack with his own smirk.

Chrysalis then left Jack to his work, making her through the facility, and entering another room. In this room was a large metal and glass cylinder, surrounded by monitoring equipment. She stepped up to the cylinder, placing her hand on the glass, as she gazed at the figure inside.

“Soon, you will awaken once again, my young friend. And when that time comes, you and I will finally have our revenge.” She gave a sinister smirk, before letting out a villainous cackle.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 4: The New Dark Bey

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