Pack's Loyalty (V2)

Chapters

Chapter 1 - A Frozen Friendship
Chapter 2 - Saviour in an Elderly Form
Chapter 3 - Meeting the Pack
Chapter 4 - Glimpse of the Pack
Chapter 5 - Homeward Bound
Chapter 6 - First day Memories
Chapter 7 - Training Memories
Song Chapter 1: I'll Make a Fighter out of You
Chapter 8 - Invasion of Darkness
Chapter 9 - Lumen's Inner Beast
Prologue - A Look Back on How It All Began for Us
Chapter 10 - Elemental

Chapter 1 - A Frozen Friendship

Chapter 1: A Frozen Friendship

“Every hero always has a tragic beginning and for me, it’s not far from the truth. I’m Sunset Shimmer and well after wondering in the cold, thinking how Anon-a-Miss ruined my life, the last thing I expected was to meet an old man”

It was a dark and cold night. Snow was falling and landing on any surface the flakes could get a chance to land, making it look like a white blanket. The night sky was a perfect blend of black and white. The temperature was a solid -3°C, so it was perfect for freezing. Today was 9th December. Only a few more weeks until the happiest day of the year: Christmas. Unfortunately, there was one teenage girl that wasn’t feeling any holiday cheer. Her name was Sunset Shimmer: former unicorn, ex-bully, redeeming anti-hero, Canterlot High defender...and now a backstabbed young lass.

Sunset was trudging through the snow, with a look on her face that resembled someone who just realized that her loved one just died and she came back from the funeral. These past few days were nothing more than a living hell for her, with her new reputation gone down the toilet, the sole fact that her friends had severed ties with her and nearly the whole school had turned against her. And it was all because of Anon-a-Miss

Anon-a-Miss. Those three words that were a big plague onto her well-being. That cyber demon had caused the whole school to be in disarray and as a result, everyone began to turn on her again, the only difference was that her friends were the first to turn on her.

The reason being was that The Rainbooms had invited her to celebrate the holidays after finding out she had no one to celebrate Christmas with. They just had fun. Mucking around, wearing costumes and just having a good time. That was when the secrets began to pop-up. First was an old family nickname of Applejack which was “piggy-wiggly”, then it was Rainbow’s failed test and last of all was the pictures from the sleepovers. With all these secrets, there was one thing they could conclude: It was Sunset Shimmer. And they certainly let her know of their anger, especially as she was sobbing in the corridors

“Why...after all I had done for them?” she whimpered. She still remembered what they said:

“We thought you our friend and you do this?! How could you?!” Fluttershy screamed with angry tears
“Consider yourself out of the Rainbooms, you big meanie! I am never throwing you another party again!” Pinkie screeched
“Why we took you in, I’ll never know! Get out of our sights Sunset!” Rarity hollered
“We should’ve ended you then an’ there and our lives would’ve been better!” Applejack snarled
“Now we ain’t making that mistake! You’re dead, you hear me?! We’re gonna ruin your life like you ruined the whole School’s!” Rainbow growled.

A fresh stream of tears fell from her cheeks. Guess whoever said that Friendship is the greatest treasure must've been drinking or something. Then secrets began to be spilled from the other students in the school and they were pissed off. With assaulting and insulting happening on her left and right. What was worse? Her friends began rallying the students to make her life a misery.

Rainbow had worked with Gilda to set an ambush with some of the bullies.

Applejack had called on the school wrestling team and they laid a beatdown on her. She even dislocated her arm

Rarity managed to convince the sushi place to fire her after making ridiculous complaints

Fluttershy had pretty much taken away her pet lizard, stating he needs a better home then ‘The old she-demon'

And Pinkie Pie had convinced the Cakes to ban her from the Shoppe...for life.

However, as she was walking she remembered that six students had backed her up. Sure, it made them outcasts but the fact they were there for her slightly warmed her up.

‘Flash, Vinyl, Derpy…’ she thought as she remembered those three who helped her when she was assaulted. She never expected her ex-boyfriend, the party girl and the clumsiest girl of CHS to help her out but If it wasn’t for them, then she would have been dead as a doornail.

‘Snips, Snails’ those thoughts continued as she remembered her old henchmen taking her to a local hospital to get treated. She never thought that they would still be there for her, especially after the Fall Formal.

But the last person that helped her really shocked her like a sudden jolt of lightning.

‘Scootaloo…’ that one was a complete turn for the books. Rainbow’s “number one fan” was also one of the students that helped her. Actually, she couldn’t call the young girl Rainbow’s number one fan, especially with the latest post on Anon-a-Miss’s webpage.

“Aw great, another new post?” said one burly student

“Another Anon-a-Miss Post? Sunset is on a roll” Said a jock

“Just goes to show you: the more people change, the more they stay the same” lamented Octavia.

“Hah, Trixie always knew she was still a sleaze!” said Trixie in a smug voice

The Rainbooms noticed and immediately groaned. After their secrets were posted, they thought that Sunset had reverted back to her old ways. They thought that they were in the right. However, their thought trains had broken when they heard what was said.

“No way! Is this for real?”

“What the hell?! Isn’t she Rainbow’s number one fan?!”

“Those two are like sisters! Aren’t they?!”

“Looks like Rainbow Trash lost some of her fans!”

“I think Scootaloo may be a better liar than I thought”

Confused, The Rainbooms looked at their phones and they got shown a video. Rainbow pressed play and immediately regretted it.

It showed a shrine of Rainbow Dash completely trashed...And Scootaloo was the one who destroyed it, standing over a bust of Rainbow’s head with a metal bar. With a roar, she slammed it, shattering it to pieces.

When Scootaloo entered the lunch room. She quietly grabbed her lunch and went to find a place to eat all the while maintaining a cold look.

Rainbow was shaking in denial.

Sunset saw the thing with wide eyes and decided to leave this alone. Gut instinct getting involved may not be a good idea.

Out of all the days, that day had been a complete shocker. Everyone had gotten used to the orange-skinned girl’s praises of the athlete, but the fact that she was launching darts at her picture meant that everyone needed to have a complete overhaul of Scootaloo’s being. Nobody must’ve told Rainbow that because after catching up with her and trying to convince herself that it was a cruel joke by demanding Scootaloo to say it. The freshman’s response?

“Rainbow. If you don’t let go of my shoulder, I’m gonna break your hand at the wrist.”

The athlete just held tighter, but Scootaloo grabbed it and slammed her elbow onto it, snapping the limb. She walked off with a scowl, leaving Rainbow in tears

Poor Rainbow. The pain in her stomach was nothing compared to her pain in her heart. Naturally, she blamed Sunset for turning Scoots against her.

But the day turned into the usual assault for Sunset when three more secrets were spilled and three boys had ambushed her outside of the school and began to wail on her like a pack of wild dogs.

“You’re dead Sunset!” Said an athletic student as he gave a swift punch to her stomach. “How’d you find out about my stuffed bear?!”

“You told everyone about my family hell?! You are going to die for this!” growled one of the art students as he back-handed Sunset. “I’ll bury you alive in front of the fucking statue!”

“Oh, I’m gonna enjoy ripping your lips off, you fucking prick!” snarled Score. He was especially pissed over the fact that everyone found out he was juicing. Now he was banned from football until further notice. So he began kicking Sunset right in the stomach. She then began to crouch down, holding her stomach, coughing up blood.

“It’s not me…” She wheezed out. They were about to continue until three voices rung out.

“HEY!”

They turned around to see three pissed students. They recognized the face as Flash Sentry, Vinyl Scratch, and Derpy Hooves

“Hitting a woman, now that’s just low!”, Said Flash in an outraged manner.
“Stay outta this, Brad! This bitch needs to pay!” Yelled out Score.

“For some pieces of trash on the web?! Are you deluded or something?! IT. AIN’T. HER!” yelled out Vinyl

“She’s messing with you! This she-demon went back to her old ways! Now we’ll bury her right now!”

“Seriously?! Do you bastards still believe that gossip rag?!” Snarled Derpy. Flash and Vinyl could’ve sworn that they saw Derpy’s lazy eye align with her good one.

Not wanting to leave any witnesses, the three boys ran up to the three students with their fists raised. Whilst the fight was happening, three smaller kids walked up to Sunset and helped her move to the Nurse’s office.

“This...is...going crazy!” Wheezed a young, pudgy boy named Snips. Sunset sure weighed a lot.

“You’re... telling me! Can’t believe they still think it’s her!” grunted a lanky boy named Snails, as he held Sunset another arm over his shoulder

“Hurry up! Those three will smell a rat if we don’t get out of here!” said Scootaloo, checking to make sure any more vengeful students were coming. She was more concerned about Sunset than the fact that she had many people whispering about that video.

Flash, Vinyl, and Derpy: With a few bruises but the attackers under their boots looked on with hopeful smiles… too bad they didn’t notice a group of students noticing the whole thing

Sunset looked to see the three young juniors helping her up before she blacked out.

As grateful as she was, she couldn’t help but feel a slight bit of remorse. By helping her they ended up being the school outcasts but they didn’t mind. They cared for her wellbeing more than their reputations.

Sunset let out an empty sigh. “What’s the use of even living?” she lamented as she continued to trudge through the snow.

If they weren’t going to think she changed, why bother even living?

She put her back to the wall and crouched down, allowing the frozen temperature to seep into her skin.

If she dies from frostbite, at least her ex-friends would get their Christmas wish… however, she heard a gentle voice before it was lights out for her.

“I would’ve frozen to death if he hadn’t met me.” Sunset sighed in nostalgia.

“Yeah. Then he took you to our place.” Flora added.

Sunset smiled gently. She remembered that meeting well

Author's Note

As you can see, I removed the quote and took some inspiration from TMNT 2003 where they had those monologues for each focused character

I also added better disowning statements and changed Scootaloo's little secret and attack on Rainbow.

For these chapters, they'll be flashbacks on how they got here

Chapter 2 - Saviour in an Elderly Form

Chapter 2: Saviour in an Elderly Form

“Sunset again. As you can expect, I never thought I would have ran into someone during my time in the cold. Never knew that a chance meeting would pave me a new way in my life. Guess third chances do exist after all”

“Why are you out here in the cold, young one?”

Sunset looked up, with tears frozen down her cheeks and saw the sight of the person who asked her.

He was clearly an elderly male, who was in his 50’s or 60’s with tan orange skin, grey eyes that sparked of youth despite his age and had ebony white hair and an ebony white beard. He was standing upright with a lean build. He wore a bright red gi with black sleeves and buttons and on the left top of the torso area was an insignia of a yin-yang symbol in a dragon’s jaw with the tail spiralling around and on his face seemed to be a look of concern and worry.

“Just leave me alone” Sunset choked and she buried her her face into her knees and once again began to sob softly.

The old man, rather than leave, simply just said: “Why don’t you come with me to my house, unless you want to die from frostbite.” Sunset simply turned her head: a sign that she was refusing his help. The old man just sighed: this girl was difficult. He then whispered something and Sunset realised that her feet weren’t touching the ground. She looked up and to her shock…

The old man had sprouted Dragon-shaped wings and was flying in a direction to the north!

Either Sunset was suffering from hallucinations from haven’t eaten a snack in a few hours or she must have been dreaming or something. A quick pinch on her cheek and the sudden recoil quickly told her that this was real. So she decided on the most appropriate response.

"WHAT THE HHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL?!

"Hey, what would your reaction be to be carried by a guy that can turn part dragon?!" Sunset said with a scowl at the chuckling teens.

"We're not judging.' Falco said hands raised. Then he snickered 'Though that was a scream for you!"

Sunset just smacked him

“What? Never been flying before?” he asked with a cheeky grin. When he looked up, Sunset saw his face was more reptilian with scales and his eyes shifted to slits. Sunset processed her thoughts: This man. Summoned dragon wings. Like a Pony-up. But he did it on his own free will. Her train of thought was broken when the old man landed in front of a house located near a forest.

“I assume that you have a question?”

“Oh, just a couple.” Droned Sunset, still recovering from the surprise flight.

“For example…. HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO...THAT?!!” she exclaimed. She was certain that there was no Equestrian magic in this world. And here this guy was sprouting Dragon wings. He simply gave an amused chuckle.

“I believe introductions are in order, before I explain my little trick, or did you not get taught that in your youth??” the man questioned. Sunset immediately blushed in embarrassment due to her forgetfulness. “Oh right. Sorry. Anyways, I’m Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you” she replied with a hand outstretched.

The old man took her hand and shook it. “Lumen Draco” he answered. “So anyways, care to explain why you are not in your home and in this weather no doubt?”

She told him everything...except the Equestria parts. He may be able to grow dragon wings but in all honesty, he wouldn’t believe her being a pony from another dimension. As she was spilling her guts out, the expression on Lumen’s face was of silent fury.

“A few secrets told and they leave her out to rot?! Also, what is wrong with that school of hers? Attacking an innocent girl out of ‘revenge’?” He thought

“...And you know what’s worse?!’, She yelled in anguish. ‘...I proved to them all I changed! And after the showcase I thought they accepted it! They were my first family, and they do this to me?! I wonder if I was their friend at all!”

She broke down even further, tears flowing like a raging river in Canada. She would’ve broke down even more, if Lumen hadn’t hugged her, rubbing her back and soothing her emotions. After a while, she calmed down, but her eyes were still puffy from the crying.

“Come with me. You need to warm up and get some food.” And with that, the two made their way to his home.

“That was when we first met.” Sunset said.

“YEp. To be honest, none of us expected a rando bambina to be rollin’ up to our home.” Squalo said with a smirk.

Sunset and Lumen made to the house. It was styled like a cross between a Japanese Dojo and a normal two-story house with Grey granite walls and a brown roof. The wood was a dark brown mahogany. When they entered, the layout was fairly simple, with all the necessary rooms of a normal house, with the living room having a fireplace and television, as well as a...ya, know what, basically the house had all the necessary rooms alright?

Anyways, Sunset made her way to the floor cushions and parked her rear on one of them in front of the fire. Sticking her hands out to warm her fingers. Soon Lumen came in with a cup of hot cocoa that Sunset eagerly accepted because the weather outside was kind of like the Arctic

“You know, Sunset. You aren’t the only person I ran into that had suffered from a case of betrayal” He said to which Sunset looked on in confusion. Before she could ask a voice rang out.

“YO, OLD MAN! WE’RE BACK AND WE HAVE DEM MARSHMALLOWS YA WANTED!”

"One way to make an entrance." Shade said with a smirk to Squalo, who shrugged.

Sunset turned around and noticed five other teens coming in.

The first one was Squalo, wearing a snow jacket over a Navy-blue t-shirt with a picture of a twisting shark in the middle, dark blue jeans and blue trainers.

Next to come in was a Falco. He had on a black beanie and a snow jacket over a White tank-top, grey sleeveless vest, white trousers with a picture of a tornado with a pair of falcon wings sprouting from the tornado and white trainers.

The third was Sandy, who was currently shaking at the knees from the cold and Sunset couldn't blame her. Currently, she had on a puffy jacket over a white tank-top, blue short-shorts and brown boots. The shorts have an insignia with an obelisk being wrapped by a snake. On her head was a Stetson hat. She could be like Applejack, but she had an aura of subdued irritation now.

Next was Shade. He looked like a biker from the '60s and the attire reflected it with a Black t-shirt under a black leather biker jacket with an insignia of a white crescent moon and a wolf’s eye in black with three scratches over it in the under the moon located on the back of the jacket along with black jeans, black fingerless gloves and black and white biker boots.

Finally, there was Flora. She was wearing a green t-shirt with a paw print in a wooden tree trunk in the middle under a White hoodie, a green skirt and light green sandals. How she was not cold was a mystery to her.

Suddenly the tallest male spoke in a deep voice.

"Hey, who's she?" he said pointing at Sunset in confusion. Lumen only said this:

“You’re new housemate.”

"Naturally we were all curious." Flora said.

"I also remember Squalo getting hostile" Sunset added with a look to the pompadour teen.

"'Ey yo! What youse expect?! Some stranger comes here and is suddenly our new roommate?! 'Course I would be suspicious!"

Author's Note

For Voice Actors...
Lumen Draco - Randall Duk Kim
Sunset - Rebecca Shoichet
Squalo - Micheal Korvach
Falco - Taron Egarton
Sandy - Tara Strong
Shade - Dwayne Johnson
Flora - Isabella Alvarez

Chapter 3 - Meeting the Pack

Chapter 3 - Pack's Meeting

“Ey yo, Squalo here. Now as youse expect none of expected another roommate. At foist, we thought she was some random bum. When she revealed her origins...Guess kindred spirits are real.

The five teens looked surprised at this. New roommate?

Sandy had a response for that.

“Wait, hold up! You sayin…?!” her southern accent bleeding through her lips as she spoke.

Lumen just nodded.

A few minutes of silence until Flora opened her mouth, with a Mexican accent shown slightly in her speech.

“Well damn, who are the slimeballs that left her out in the cold weather.”

“You know, I still don’t get how you figured it out that fast.” Sunset questioned.

“It’s all in the eyes, amiga.” Flora answered

Lumen was about to make his way up the stairs but paused and only had this to say.

“That is her story to tell. Not mine. If you want to know, you need to ask her yourself.”

And with that Lumen left the room with the teens looking at each other wondering where to go from here. Sunset was busy cosying up to the fire and was glancing at the five strangers that were also residents in the house. In a way, it felt like she was in a new habitat, and she was out of place in this den of predators. She even felt the gaze of the five looking at her in curiosity.

“Uhhh...can I help you guys”?

Squalo simply strode up to her with a suspicious gaze in his eyes.

“Yeah, ya can start by sayin’ who da hell are you and why da hell did de geezer invite youse in our home,” he asked in a rough tone.

“Don’t blame me! He just brought you in with no warnin’!” Squalo barked as they all stared at him with knowing looks.

Sunset immediately squirmed a bit. Squalo asked had this aura of a wild shark ready to pounce. The shark-like male was then bonked on the head by Shade.

“Hey, cool it.’ He then turned to Sunset. ‘Don’t mind Squalo, he is never that trusting with anyone he just met.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Sunset replied. There was a bit of awkward silence until Falco decided to talk.’

“Alright mates. As much as the silence is lovely, should we start giving the names of us cause we ain’t mind readers.”

“Just like Falco to ease the tension.” Shade said as Falco smirked with his hands behind his head

“I might be a pick axe because I’m an icebreaker.” Falco joked, getting a few chuckles from the rest.

Sunset noticed the East London accent in his speech. But he had a point.

“Well, I’m Sunset Shimmer, Nice to meet you” Sunset replied in a polite tone.

Flora was first to reply.

“Hola! Me Llamo Flora Sprint! Nice to meet you!” She said in an upbeat tone.

Next was Falco.

“Pleasure to meet ya, Sunshine! Name’s Falco Highwind! Speed demon, prankster and all-around good looking guy!”
That made Sunset giggle a bit. What a character this guy was

“How dare you!” Falco said in a dramatic tone.

“Tell me I’m wrong.” Sunset countered

Sandy was up next.

“Howdy, partner. Name’s Sandy Toxic! Hope we get along fine!”

Sunset looked at her with a wary look. She reminded her of...that farmer...way too much.

“Remind me to shove ma boot up that Applejack-ass's ass when I meet her.” Sandy said with a snarl.

“Hey, I won’t stop you.” Sunset said

Squalo was silent for a few minutes. He then let out a small sigh and spoke.

“Squalo Demone. Dat’s all youse gonna get from me…” he grumbled, crossing his arms

The final voice was Shade.

“And I’m Shade Lycan. Welcome to our abode”

Sunset replied back with her name

Now intros are out of the way. Tell us where that old geezer found you?”

Sunset looked confused.

“Uhhh...what do you mean by that?”

Falco immediately got in her face

“You know...are you a runaway? An accused scapegoat?”

Sunset froze up. Memories of what happened in the past few days flowed through her head like a raging river of depression and fear. All the insults. All the beatings. Them.

“In my defence, I did not know.” Falco said, hands up.

Sandy saw this and quickly smacked Falco’s head.

“Smooth move, speed freak...ya scared the chick!”

“HEY! I was just asking!” Falco snarked holding his head.

Shade looked on and just shook his head at the two.

“Sorry about them. They fight like they are married or something.”

“WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!” Falco and Sandy yelled.

Squalo decided to get on the action.

“Ya sure? Youse sure act like one!” he said with a smirk.

“GO TO HELL, FISH FOR BRAINS!” The two squawked flipping him off.

Squalo seemed to take offence and dived on top of them, all three getting into a battle royale. Sunset immediately forgot about what Falco said and looked on with a perplexed expression while Flora and Shade looked at them with a deadpanned look.

“And soon I got caught in the madness,” Sunset said with a resigned chuckle.

“Hey. That princess friend of yours never taught you one thing of friendship.” Shade said with a grin

“You aren’t true friends until you punch each other in the face,” They all said at the same time before giggling

“Wow. Not even a minute…” Flora muttered.

“Anyways, like Falco said...where did Lumen find you anyways? It’s ok if you don’t wanna ask, we won’t rush you but…” Shade began to speak however Sunset put her hand up to stop him from talking.

“N-no. It’s alright. Probably best I get it out of the way…” Sunset stuttered a bit.

“Man, that was a backstory.” Shade said with an uneasy look.

“True dat. Dunno why you didn’t tell us youse were from another dimension.” Squalo added.

Sunset just looked incredulous.

“And how would that sound?’ She said before going into a fake happy face ‘Hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer and I ran away from another dimension because I wanted to prove that I could stand next to a Princess that could control the sun. Wanna be friends?’” She dropped the look.

“Yeah. Dat does sound over the top...” Squalo replied, rubbing the back of his head

And so Sunset told her story. When telling them about her time as queen bee of CHS and all of the stuff she did to maintain her reign at the top from blackmail to threats. When telling some examples, they had the following reactions

Squalo looked at her with a wide-eyed stare and a dropped jaw. “Wow. Youse was ruthless, ain’t ya?”
Falco had a nervous grin on him and said “Remind me to never piss you off.

Sandy had an incredulous look on her face when hearing her action. “Damn. Ya had issues. Reminds me of my family.”

Shade still had a stoic look and said nothing but inside he was shocked. This girl was simply starved for attention...which became a lust for power.

Flora’s attitude went from upbeat to shellshocked at what she did. “OK, quick question. You are seeing a psychologist, right? It feels like you have abandonment issues.”

Sunset just replied. “Don’t worry. A special someone brought me back down to Earth”

“Blasted you with a rainbow laser, more like.” Falco snickered.

She then told them about the Fall Formal and what she did to repent for what she did.

Falco remarked, “Well, they do say that the road to redemption is a hard path to walk”.

Sunset and the other teens nodded at that.

Next came the Battle of the Bands and how the Dazzlings were causing havoc in the school, which lead to her reputation being restored and renewed.

They all wanted to have a listen to her singing.

“There is a reason why you sing the most of our tracks, Hotshot.” Shade said. Sunset blushed. She still couldn’t believe that her singing could make boys go crazy.

Then came Anon-a-Miss.

She first explained how it began with Applejack’s nickname. Then came the Photos from the sleepover she had with her former pals and the wacky costumes they wore as well as Rainbow’s disaster of a test to more secrets being spilt. Her friends blamed her, thinking she went back to her old ways.

Soon, it spread through the whole school. She became the scapegoat all over again. Soon the yells became violent and her ‘friends’ were leading the mob. Rainbow sold her out to Gilda who ambushed and battered her. Applejack had gotten the wrestling team on her ass. Rarity got her kicked out of her job. Fluttershy made sure to take her pet back and Pinkie got the Cakes to bar her from the Sweet Shoppe.

“We are still gonna make them pay for that. You know that.” Shade said with a furrowed brow. Everybody else nodded their heads at Sunset.
“You are better friends then the Rainbooms. Just don’t make it messy.” Sunset said with a smile.

“No promises.” Squalo said.

“I was just wandering the streets thinking how my life went down Shit Central when I met that old man. He found me and took me in.” She concluded her tale in a mournful tone.

There were a few minutes of silence as Squalo, Falco, Sandy, Shade and Flora looked at her with shocked looks. Soon they began to show an ever-growing feeling of rage…

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THEM?!"

They all yelled in rage.

“That was NOT what I was expecting.” Sunset said.

“What did ya expect?” Sandy asked.

“A hug. Saying don’t worry. All that cheesy stuff.” Sunset answered.

“You think this is a girl’s show where a hug makes things better? We ain’t Disney princesses.” Falco replied.

Squalo was cracking his knuckles with an angry scowl on his face.

“YOUSE TELLIN ME THEY TURNED YOU INTO A PUNCHING BAG JUST TO HOLD ONTO THEIR PRIDE?! QUANDO LE METTERÒ LE MANI SU DI LORO, IL FIUME TIBER AVRÀ CINQUE NUOVI CORPI BATTUTI CHE GALLEGGIANO IN ESSO!
(Translation: WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THEM, THE RIVER TIBER WILL HAVE FIVE NEW BEATEN BODIES FLOATING IN IT!)

Falco was shaking with rage as he was looking at a large Kitchen knife

“GET IN LINE! THAT RAINBOW BIRD IS GOING TO HAVE HER FEATHERS RIPPED WITH A KNIFE!”

Sandy was crushing a soda can in her hand, causing the soda to spill, but she was too mad to give a damn.

“Y'ALL CAN WAIT! I’M GONNA BREAK OUT THE NOOSE! A CERTAIN GROUP IS GETTIN’ HANGED TONIGHT!

Shade was snarling lowly, like an angry dog

“YOU CAN WAIT YOUR TURN! THEY JUST EARNED A TICKET ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL!”

Flora's foot began tapping at an increased pace. Her brow furrowed in rage

“SAYS YOU! I HAVE HALF THE MIND TO BURY SOMEONE!”

Sunset recoiled at the sudden rage. She wasn’t sure whether to feel touched or scared.

“Why not both?” Falco asked.

Shade managed to cool down enough to reassure Sunset.

“Don’t worry. We ain’t mad at you. Your story hits too close to home for us.”

Sunset tilted her head in confusion. “I’m sorry, but what?”

Sandy looked at her, wiping her hands with a towel.

“Ya ain’t the’ only one who suffered a betrayal. We ain’t here ‘cause the old man sought us out. He found us after our friends and family left us out to rot.”

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Seriously?”

Falco nodded.

“Yep. Cocks we thought would help us turned tail faster than the Road Runner. You wanna hear some of our tales of woe?”

“Well, it would help me understand what you mean.”

So the five sat around Sunset. Each one began to tell a story about how they met with Lumen Draco.

”Yeah. After your tales, I thought I had it bad. Didn’t think there were some people out there worse off than me.” Sunset said as she remembered the tales.

Author's Note

OK I'm changing Shade's Voice actor to Jonothan Young

Chapter 4 - Glimpse of the Pack

“Yo, it’s me! Squalo! Now while we’s were reminiscing of our foist meetin’ we forgot about the concert we were hostin for the people on da ship! But that don’t matter when some pirates decide to crash the party! I tell ya, they are gonna wish they leapt out of the deep end when they had the chance!

“Excuse me, Pack’s Loyalty?”

All six teens turned to see one of the ship hands approach them.

“Aren’t you going to serve the people to their concert? They are waiting for the show.” he said with a raised eyebrow.

All of them were silent before their eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh SHIT!” They exclaimed before rushing to the where the concert was.

“Thanks for the reminder!” Flora exclaimed.

As soon as they reached the stage, they all got ready with Sandy standing behind a keyboard, Flora sitting by the drum, both Shade and Falco holding both a bass and an electric guitar. Sunset and Squalo were on the front with a headset on Sunset’s head, mic ready while Squalo held a microphone in his hands.

“And for your eyes only, the one and only...PACK’S LOYALTY!”

The crowd cheered as the lights turned on and saw the group on stage with smirks and wide smiles.

“WHAT’S UP, PARTY ANIMALS?!” Sunset said with a wave as everyone cheered.

“I hope ya’ll are enjoying the ride so far, form the motion of the ocean to the surfing beasts in the sea!”

They continued to cheer.

“So, why don’t we enjoy it and end it with a bang, guys. Hit it!” Sunset pointed to Falco

(Strike Back Eng Cover – AmaLee ft. NateWantsToBattle)

Soon, Sunset began to form a beat as Falco began to play a riff. Soon she said the two words to begin.

Sunset: (Strike Back)

Falco, Shade and Flora soon played their instruments with Sandy providing backing track from her keyboard.

Sunset: Your odds are slim
The walls are thin, cavin' in
But there is still a way, you see -
In just one mere percent of chance there's possibility

I won't sit back, and accept the hand we are dealt
A fate that's thrown out by someone else
There is still a future I can see
One I hope you'll share with me

Squalo soon began to rap as he and Sunset began to bop to the music.

Squalo: Bring it on 'cause I'm just gonna grow up in the battle EY
Pushin' past the limit - I'm still burnin' with fire
For our future, I am fightin'
I gotta drown this nightmare

And ain't nobody gonna stop me
Forget the past - 'cause we're livin' in the present
I ain't scared of my past - and now in fact
Forever I'm screaming out for my pride!

Soon Sunset went in and began to sway her hips as she sung her chords.

Sunset: Now I never wanna see you cry
I will be screaming till you find the way
Squalo went in and began to rap
Squalo: I'm never falling down
I'll keep on soaring straight on through my destiny!

But before Sunset could continue, the doors burst in with several men coming inside, all wielding blades and guns while wearing black suits.

“Don’t move! This is a robbery!” The leader with the large shotgun yelled out as all of the passengers began to panic and gather as the pirates began to guard the passengers.

“Alright! Now unless you want to lose your lives, I suggest you start filling the bags with your belongings if you don’t want to get shanked!” The leader said as everyone began to get all of their belongings as one of the pirates began going around to grab everyone’s money and belongings.

Meanwhile, the teens on the stage looked irritated at their concert being interrupted.

“All that, and we end up getting turned into a high sea robbery! Not cool!” Shade growled.

“We’s ain’t gonna let them ruin our concert are we?!” Squalo snarled as he slam a fist into his palm.

“Yeah. Time ta show these bandits what happens when ya mess with the pack!” Sandy said with a smirk

They were then interrupted by one of the pirates.

“Hey! What are you talking about?! You get with everyone and hand everything you--” he was suddenly kicked off the stage by Sunset via a left boot. She left a boot print on his stomach which caught the attention of everyone.

“Oh, tough punks huh? Boys? Make an example out of them.” The leader said as they approached the teens.

Too bad they didn’t see the smirks on their faces.

Cutting to the deck all of the pirates were sent tumbling onto the stage.

Soon all of the pack rushed to them as the pirates began to fight back.

Shade was blocking punches from a pirate before smashing a fist into his stomach then slamming a fist down on his cheek, sending him to the deck.

“Call that a hit?! C’mon!” He taunted as the pirate tried to rush him but Shade just picked him up and hurled him to a pirate approaching from behind, knocking them into each other. They tried to get up but found that they couldn’t move.

“What the?!” One of them said as they were stuck in position. Shade smirked as his shadow connected to his.

“Now for a wrestling special.” He said as he rushed towards him and drop-kicked the two off the boat into the water.

Flora was dancing around one pirate who was slashing with his knife before flipping onto her hands in a handstand. She then spun around, smacking him with her feet before flipping onto his shoulders then slammed her elbows on her cranium, causing him to be dizzy. She leapt off him and flicked a seed into the air. Holding it, she then formed a vine rope which wrapped around his ankle. With one tug, he threw the man off the ship.

“Adios, peredora!” She said with a mocking salute.

Falco was surrounded by three pirates, who were grinning in sadistic pleasure.

“Alright, little boy. Stay still and you won’t get hurt.” One said, playing with a blade.

“Sorry, can you speak louder? I think I went deaf from that nail like voice of yours.” Falco said with a V formed on his fingers.

“WHY YOU!” one said as they rushed towards him. Falco leapt into the air as they crashed into each other.

When he landed, Falco snickered.

“Aww, I never thought you wanted to be this close to each other. Well, let’s go for a spin!” Falco said as he began to run around them, forming a large tornado. This had the effect of sending them flying. With a blast of wind to his leg, Falco spun around and did a high roundhouse and sent the three flying into the ocean.

Sandy had one in a pretzel lock before going into a frankensteiner. She then grabbed his legs and swung him into another rushing pirate which sent them into the ship wall knocking them out. With a stomp on the deck, she caused a tremor which flipped them over the side.

Squalo had gotten into a boxing position and punched a pirate with a series of jabs into his face before knocking him backwards to the side. The pirate try to rush him but Squalo held him in place and began kneeing him in the gut, before uppercutting him into the air then he did a powerful right hook into the man’s gut. This sent him straight off the ship into the water. Another tried to stab him in the back but Squalo just smacked his face with the back of his fist, stunning him. He then summoned a whip of water and used it to grab the pirate then send it into the drink.

Sunset meanwhile was walking in a circle with the lead pirate who had a shotgun ready.

“You...You!” he said

“V, W, X, Y, Z! Now you know your ABCs, why are you even gonna try?”

“Shut up! This ship is going to be in my bank account. And I won’t lose to six brats!” he roared.

Sunset smirked as she took off her jacket.

“Here. Have a free shot.” She taunted as she spread her arms. The man smiled and soon aimed the gun at her chest.

“Bang!”

He fired which the blast impacted her chest, her body now missing bits of meat.

“Ha Ha! How do you like that?!” He yelled in victory but his eyes widened as they reformed, but her tank was shredded badly, revealing a bit of her breast.

“Ow(!)” She snarked out.

“But...how?!” he said in a frightened manner.

“I’m magical. And you are gonna fly!” She said as she rushed forward and slammed a fist into his gut, which sent the man flying into the air. Suddenly, she ignited her sole then leapt into the air.

“Inferno Talon!” She declared as she did a powerful bicycle kick to the leader, sending him into the ocean.
Soon they all hi fived in victory.

“Even when we reached the big time, we still got it.” Shade said with a smirk.

“Damn straight!” Sandy said with a cackle.

Soon they heard cheering from the passengers. Turns out, they watched the battle and were in awe at their skill.

“Looks like we had put on quite a show.” Sunset said with a smirk.

“And don’t we have a concert to continue?” Falco said with a snicker.

Soon all six smirked as they went back to the stage, everyone cheering as they did.

They all heard them cheer the same thing:

“LOY-AL-TY! LOY-AL-TY!”

As soon as they went on stage, Sunset started to speak.

“Sorry about the interruption. Let’s continue with the show!”

As soon as the concert restarted, everyone began dancing to the beat.

“Thank you for the concert.’ The captain said with a smile. ‘We have already deposited the money into your account. Thank you for the show and for taking care of those pirates.”

“No problem.” Sunset said with a grin as they gathered their gear and luggage.

“The concert was what youse requested. Beatin chumps like dem was just for fun.” Squalo added.

“But still, if there is anything we can do to repay you, just say. We are in your debt.” the captain said.

“It’s cool, partner.” Sandy replied.

The ship then stopped moving.

“Looks like we’ve arrived. Thanks for the ride.” Shade spoke as they got off the ship.

“No problem. It’s an honour to have the legendary Pack’s Loyalty perform for us.” The captain said.

Soon, all of the pack got off at the docks and took in the sight of the place they arrived.

Canterlot City

Author's Note

Man has it been a while.

Sorry for the wait guys.

Chapter 5 - Homeward Bound

“Home is where the heart is. And for us, going back to the place we first met is igniting some memories in us. I’m Flora Sprint, and all I can say is it’s good to be home. Just hope no one calls the cops for what happened as soon as we got back though.”

The six teenagers stood at the docks where the city of Canterlot was. For Sunset, it triggered some unpleasant memories but also some new happier ones as well. As soon as the ship sailed away all six went to get checked out.

Now they were near the edge of the city, packs over their shoulders as they looked over the place.

“Well, here we are. Canterlot.” Sunset said with an uneasy look.

“Yeah. The place where we all met up.” Falco added as he smelt the air.

“You alright?” Shade asked Sunset, noticing her look.

“I’ll be fine. I just wanna get to our old training grounds. It’ll be good to go back to the place we called home.” Sunset replied.

Falco just looked at her with a raised brow. “Mate, home is when we placed our arses in a field after a hard day of sparring during a training trip.”

Sunset chuckled. “True.’ Suddenly, her eyes widened as a thought came to her. ‘Hey, I know how we can get back.”

“How?” They all asked. When she turned they all saw it: her aqua eyes shifted to slits as she smiled to reveal her fanged teeth.

“You all know what I mean.” She said as a red aura surrounded her. They all smirked as they knew what she meant and soon all of their eyes turned to slits as different coloured auras surrounded them.

“It’s time to get wild.” Shade said and soon they all yelled out the same line.

“ANIMODE! POWER-UP!”

The town of Canterlot was busy as people were getting to their destinations. Teens going to school, adults going to work and the occasional bum every now and then.

Things were quiet. Then someone saw some bright lights in the distance.

“Hey, what’s that?” Someone said.

Suddenly, with a sonic boom, six beams of light rushed across the street: One a fiery red, another an aquatic blue, a silvery grey to a yellow ochre. A pitch black and a forest green all blasted past them as they soon split into different directions.

Landing on the roof, Sunset overlooked the road with a different look. A pair of fiery wings and tail feathers sprouted from her back while her hair was standing up, moving like a flame.

“Man, it feels good to do this again. Hey, Falco! How are you doing?!” She yelled to Falco, who now had a pair of falcon wings and grey tailfeathers sprouting from behind him. His hair was longer and covered one of his eyes and his fingers became claws.

“Awesome! I feel the wind at my back! Come on!” Falco said as he sprinted across the rooftops, leaping from each one to rolling along the top. He continued his freerun with Sunset smiling while shaking her head. She also sprinted, blazing a train with each footstep as she did.

Leaping over tables and chairs was Squalo, with a large fin on his back, gills on each side of his neck and his hands were now webbed.

“HAHA! YO, IT’S FEELS GOOD TO LET LOOSE!” He yelled as he rushed to a wall and leapt off it. Around the corner of his eye, he saw Sandy, her canines now longer and her skin a lot more scaly with diamonds littered all over and a rattle-like tail sticking from behind. She was surfing along the ground as the concrete rippled as she surfed.

“YA DAMN STRAIGHT!” Sandy agreed as she leapt up and flipped above a group of boys, winking at them as she did before rushing along the side of a group of buildings. Squalo also followed her, bouncing off anything he could find from walls to tables.

Flora and Shade were running side by side along the top of buildings. Both of their eyes were slits and their teeth sharp. Shade had a pair of wolf ears on the side of his head and a large bushy tail behind him while his fingers were clawed. Flora had a pair of cat ears on top of her head and a long, spotty tail behind her while her nails became thin claws and her canines were thin and sharp. Both were racing, neither letting the other take the lead.

“What’s the matter, Lobo Nino? Too slow?” Flora cackled as she front flipped across the roof.

“I’m not that slow to leave your ass in the dust!” Shade said with a smirk as he jumped and rolled as he chased after her. Flora grabbed a pylon and spun around, propelling herself forward while Shade jumped off a ventilation shaft. Soon, they saw Sunset and Falco fly and Squalo and Sandy run along the street.

“Looks like we aren’t the only ones having fun.” Flora spoke with a smirk.

“Yeah. Just hope we don’t have the cops called on us. We don’t need the attention right now.” Shade countered as they made their way to their old home.

Meanwhile, several civilians were recording the performance in awe at the spectacle.

Soon, all six of the pack had reached the front door of their home, plants and vines covering it from their time away.

“Man, this place has seen better days.” Falco said, eyeing the vines surrounding the place.

“Allow me.” Flora said as she moved her hands down to bring the plant life away from the house walls.

“Shall we go in?” Sunset said and soon they entered the house.

“Man, things have been picking up dust,” Sandy spoke as she dragged a finger across the top of the TV screen.

“Well, we better see what needs to be done, then get the place cleaned up.” Sunset spoke and they agreed, all going their separate ways to look at what needs to be done.

Sunset stayed as she looked around the living room and smiled in nostalgia. This was the same place she met her new friends. They laughed, played and trained till their bodies collapsed from exhaustion. Grabbing a duster, she began to dust away, removing the grime off the shelve above the fireplace and bending down to clean around the fireplace area.

“Man...can’t believe it’s been a few months. This place was where the flames of my new memories began for me as well.”
As she was dusting, she caught sight of something near the fireplace.

Squalo was in the training hall, moving and picking up the equipment back into its rightful place.

“Damn. We sometimes go all out more den necessary.” He muttered to himself. That was when he came across a wooden post with indents all over it. Squalo was silent and just put a fist inside one, sighing in nostalgia.

“Had a lotta fun punchin’ this thing. Man, I had a lot of anger issues.” He said with a smirk and resumed tidying up.

Falco was busy doing a check up on a machine with a lot of moving parts and bits of wood.

“Let’s see, this needs oiling...that needs a good clean...What the?! OK, When did we get mice?!” Falco muttered to himself as he exited the machine.

“Man...you have been in hiatus for a long time, old friend? Don’t worry. Papa Falco will make feel better.’ He said with a smile before adding ‘And now I realise that just sounded creepy. Hope no one heard me.”

“I did!”

“Screw you, Sandy!” He yelled as he went back to work.

Sandy was outside, brushing leaves away from the side of the house, chuckling as she heard Falco yell.

“Man, that guy is so fun t’ annoy sometahmes.” She chuckled. She stopped sweeping as she breathed in the air.

“Still. Good t’ be home. Missed this place.” She said with a smile as she continued to sweep, showing the dark granite pavement.

Shade was in the garage, cleaning the area and doing some maintenance on his bike.

“Man, this old chopper has been holding out for a long time.” He said as he emptied out the oil and doing an exchange.

“As soon as I am done. I am gonna go for a ride.” He said with a smile, as he turned it on, coughing sounds coming out, before a roar from the engine came out.

“Oh, yeah.” He said with a smile.

Finally, Flora was busy using her plant control to remove all the weeds and roots that had sprouted around the garden.

“Man, this is good control training for my powers.” She said as she made a gesture, causing a stray weed to drag itself away.

Grabbing a rake, she began to turn and drag it through the soil, giving it more life from the time it was neglected.

She then sniffed the air.

“Nothing like a fresh garden to reinvigorate yourself.” She said as she continued to garden.

All of the teens soon went to the living room and saw Sunset smiling happily while looking at a book.

“What youse lookin’ at?” Squalo asked her, which caused the fiery redhead to look up.

“Just a photo of us.” She said as they crowded around. Soon, they also smiled as they saw it.

It was a photo album, filled with pictures of their memories. On the front said this:

“LIVE LIFE ON THE WILDSIDE!”

Author's Note

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!

Things just caught behind me!

But hope you enjoy the chapter.

Also, try to guess which song I based the last line on.

Hint: You watch Disney Channel movies when you were younger then a certain song will definetly have you living on the Wildside

Chapter 6 - First day Memories

Memories are made of bliss. Whoever said that had a point. I’m Sunset Shimmer and after making our way back to our home, me and rest of the pack had found our old photo album. Man, I still can’t believe it’s only been a few months since I first met my new friends. I still remember the first night.

The sun had peeked through the window of the house, causing a young Sunset to stir from the light over her eyes. Taking it as a sign, she woke up letting a yawn out as she ran her hand through her hair.

“Huh? Where am I?” She said before remembering why.

“Oh yeah. The shittiest day of my life happened…” She muttered, thinking about the events that led to her being here.

Anon-a-Miss.

CHS attacking her

And her backstabbing ex-friends who made it their mission to make her life a misery.

“Friends my toned ass…” She muttered to herself as she went to freshen up. As she did, she noticed that the people she was staying weren’t around.

“Wonder where everyone went?” She asked herself as she went out to look for them.

When she found them, she noticed what they were doing.

Squalo was attacking a large, wooden pillar with wooden rods sticking out of them, punching and kicking at fast speeds, as well as making sure to avoid the pillars. With one roar, he punched hard to leave an indent in the wood.

Falco was blindfolded in the middle of an arena. With a jolt, he dodged a kunai coming his way before flipping sideways to avoid the next one coming from the left, then leaning back to avoid another coming his way. He then did a break dance as he avoided a stream of kunai flying his way simultaneously and he finally grabbed one coming his way, just centimetres away from his face.

Sandy was on a log, her left leg out as she held two bowls filled to the brim with water. Sweat poured as she tried to maintain her balance and not drop them. She was in a state of focus as she gritted her teeth

Shade’s exercise was simple as he began to pull a large bungee cord, wrapped around a log, clenching his teeth as he took a step and the pressure increased and he had to dig his feet into the earth.

Flora was on a platform with thinner logs in front of him. She then began to leap on each one, maintaining her balance as she did when she danced on them, making sure to keep an eye on her footing.

Each one wearing a white gi with a black hemline

All the while, Lumen was watching them with a critical eye.

Sunset slowly approached them, wondering what was going on.

She then heard Lumen speak.

“Squalo! Good power but your strikes are too slow! Try and increase your speed a bit. Falco! Good reactions but your instincts need work! Sandy! Good form of maintaining your balance but loosen up a bit! Shade! I can see your strength increase but your balance is off course! Flora! Good agility but try not to make it a dance! This isn’t some high school prom!”

“Um…what’s going on?” Sunset asked as she approached the old man.

“I see you enjoyed your beauty sleep.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah. Best sleep I had in a while.” She said before going back to what she saw.

“So, what is going on?”

“It’s training.” Lumen answered but that just added more questions for the bacon-haired bombshell.

“Training?”

“Yes. These five are training their fighting prowess.” He said.

“Why?”

“Helps improve their health, builds their confidence and allows them to defend themselves. They agreed as they thought they owed me.”

“Did they?” she asked.

“No. I did what anyone with a heart would do. Besides, I was initially reluctant to.”

“How come?”

Lumen just remained silent.

“It’s rather personal.” He said cryptically.

‘Could it have to do with that dragon transformation?’ She thought to herself.

“So, I believe you are hungry.” He said, wanting to change the subject.

“Yeah. I need some breakfast.” She said as her stomach grumbled, making her blush.

Lumen just laughed.

“Come on. let's have some breakfast’ he said before yelling: “Everyone! Training is over! Time for breakfast!” He said as everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed over.

“Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake!” Falco snickered.

“Hey, I was comfortable and I didn’t want to leave my bed.” She said with a sheepish grin.

“Ahh, fugeddaboutit. Let’s get some grub!” Squalo said as he made his way to the kitchen.

“You heard the guy! Ah’m done with training and ah’m hungry!” Sandy bellowed as they all entered the kitchen.

Everyone soon began to get everything they need from ingredients to cutlery. Sunset watched as they began to get everything ready, unsure on if she should help or not. Flora saw it and spoke.

“Ay, amiga! You wanna help?” She said as she laid the different plates.

“Can I?” She asked.

“Why not? Sensei found you so come on and help out.”

Sunset smiled a bit and began to get the glasses, laying them around the table, while the boys got the tabletop ready
“So what’s for breakfast?” Sunset asked.

“Looks like we are doing a signature breakfast draw.” Flora said, confusing Sunset.

“Every once in a while, we cook our own food. Helps build our skill set for future issues.” Sandy clarified.

“Ahh…” Sunset said.

“And since we only have one stove, we draw lots to see what we are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Squalo said, grabbing a bottle of full fat milk.

“Understandable.” She said as she saw the many ingredients around the counter

“So, what are you choosing today, my students?” Lumen asked

“Dunno yet. We were about to do the randomiser for our meal.” Shade answered.

“OK, I will also take part. Just make sure you clean up. We are not savages.” Lumen said as he walked off.

“Where is he going?” Sunset asked.

“Dunno. We do see him going to some shrine but that’s it. We are not allowed to enter unless we say so.” Shade said.

“Really?” Sunset spoke, a little surprised.

“Yeah. We saw the shrine but for some reason, we keep on getting this feeling of a savage animal watching us so we turn back.”

With everything prepared, Sandy got a glass bowl with five names and dishes in them.

“Hey Sunset, wanna take part?” The cowgirl asked with a smile.

“You want me to take part?” Sunset asked in a shocked tone.

“Yeah. You’re staying here, now. Won’t be fair if you were left out now, won’t it?”

Sunset smiled a bit, taken aback by their generosity.

“Get me a paper and pen please. I got some food to try.” She said as they were handed a pad and black pen.
Writing it down she placed it in the bowl with the other suggestions.

“OK! The choices are…!” Sandy announced as she read the names of the breakfast dishes:

Sunset: Three egg and mozzarella omelette with two buttered pieces of brown toast, grilled mackerel with orange juice
Squalo: Two cream cheese and tuna brioche toasted sandwiches, chocolate muffin and a dark coffee
Falco: Two waffles, three rashers of bacon, two sausages, two fried eggs, baked beans and a cup of Earl Grey Tea.
Sandy: Grilled Shredded beef, three scrambled eggs, two bread rolls and a pitcher of cold milk
Shade: Three extra large pancakes covered in honey, two plums, three hash browns and cold apple juice
Flora: Three poached eggs, melted cheddar, tuna and mayonnaise on a baguette, apple slices and a glass of mango juice.
Lumen: Grilled salmon steak on a bed of white sticky rice, sweet yoghurt and a cup of green tea.

Sandy then shook the bowl and placed back on the table, reaching her hand inside, she picked out a name.

Sunset’s

“Looks like we are having your idea.” Sandy said.

“YES!” Sunset cheered.

“That means you are making it.” Falco said with a cheeky smile.

Sunset froze in place.

“What.” She said flatly.

“Your idea. You’re cooking.” Shade spoke.
“You’re kidding.” Sunset said as she began to deflate.

“No. You may be a guest but that don’t mean you can slack off.” Lumen said in a serious tone, but the smirk on his face meant he was enjoying her reaction.

“AW! COME ON!” She whines childishly. Everyone chuckled as she pouted like a child.

An hour later, while the others were chilling in the living room, the kitchen door opened as the scent of cooked omelettes and fresh oranges filled their noses.

“Alright guys!’ An exhausted Sunset, in an apron plus a towel over her shoulder announced, her hair in a messy ponytail as she panted. ‘Breakfast is up!”

All of the others cheered a bit as they entered the kitchen, drooling at the sight of the freshly cooked omelettes, grilled fish and glasses of orange juice. Quickly, the teens grabbed their plates as they rushed to the table, eager to dig in after training for a while. Sunset and Lumen grabbed their plates, going at a more reasonable pace.

Especially when they saw them eat their food at an extremely savage pace, filling their mouths full of egg and fish while chugging their juice.

Lumen had let his presence be known by clearing his throat, to which all the teens saw him with shocked looks.

“So, manners are not something important anymore?” He asked with a raised brow.

All of them gulped in slight fear.

“Just for that, you five can clean the dishes after you are done.”

“Yessir…” They said as they shrunk in themselves and continued to eat at a more reasonable pace.

They had a bit of pleasant conversation, with Lumen giving advice on how to improve their skills. They also had a few moments of pleasant conversation. Sunset watched this happen while eating her own omelette with a smile on her face. It felt nostalgic, watching them talk like a family of misfits.

“You know, you guys are like a family from here.” Sunset commented. Everyone looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, kinda does, don’t it?” Squalo spoke

“I mean, Sensei is our father. Shade and Sandy are the elder siblings while Flora is the smack talking sister and yours truly is the younger cheeky brother.” He said as he pointed at everyone.

“And what about me?” Squalo had to demand.

“The delinquent middle child.” Falco said as he snickered, along with everyone else.

Squalo didn’t find it amusing.

“I’LL SHOW YOU DELINQUENT YOU OVERGROWN---!” He didn’t get to finish as Lumen went over and struck a pressure point by the base of his neck.

“ACK! ACK!” He groaned in pain

“No fighting during breakfast!” He demanded.

“Yeah, we’re not your ordinary family, Sunset. But we are as close as close can be.” Shade said with a smirk.

Sunset looked at him and everyone else and he had a point.

“You know…If you don’t have a place to go, why don’t you stay with us?” Flora asked.

This caught everyone’s attention.

Sunset also looked shocked.

“You sure?” She asked.

“Hey, you can cook an amazing meal and you are a betrayed soul. Lumen wouldn’t have brought you here if he didn’t trust you.” Shade spoke.

“You sure you wouldn’t mind a she-demon being amongst you?” Sunset spoke with hesitation.

Squalo shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, we’ve all done awful shit in our lives. But we don’t let that hold us back.’ He then looked at Lumen. ‘What about you, boss?”

Lumen closed his eyes in thought. “She does need a place to stay. I will allow it.”

Sunset’s eyes widened at the thought.

“BUT!” He added as everyone listened carefully.

“She will be training with us. She’ll do the same exercises and lessons and find her own style and will earn her keep by doing the chores in the house. Is that OK, young girl?” He asked.

Sunset’s eyes moistened but she let a smile show.

“Yes! I’ll glad to be here!” She answered in happiness.

Lumen smiled along with everyone.

“Well, welcome to the madhouse, Sunset! Hope you are able to ride into hell!” Falco said as all raised their glasses.
“Here’s to our latest member of our small family!” Shade said.

“CHEERS!” They said, clinking their glasses.

After a while, Sunset decided to collect her stuff at her apartment. When she got there, she saw the various amounts of graffiti and words “GO TO HELL, SHE-DEMON!” or “DROP DEAD LIKE THE BITCH YOU ARE!” along with the various eggs, broken windows and paint splotches all over the area.

She sighed when she entered and saw her home trashed.

“I don’t believe it...They wrecked my home!” She yelled in despair before grabbing what wasn’t damage from some clothes to her guitar. She wanted to find her journal but found a note instead. Reading it, she gritted her teeth.

“You don’t deserve this journal, so don’t even think about lying to Princess Twilight, you demonic hellspawn!” RD, AJ, R, PP, F”

“Can’t believe they did this...” She growled before leaving, her eyes clenched such to try and hold the tears

The pack were looking through the photo album with nostalgic smiles on their faces.

“Sure came a long way from that day, huh?” Sunset said.

“Yeah. I mean, remember your foist day at training?” Squalo asked.

Sunset scowled.

“Remembered? I seem to remember getting my ass kicked by you.” She said.

Author's Note

Ahhh...has it been this long...
Well, here is a flashback arc of Sunset's first day of training. Hope you enjoy.
Also, guess the Easter Egg

Chapter 7 - Training Memories

To build something you need a base. And with Sunset, it felt as though I am starting from the beginning. I’m Lumen Draco, sensei to the Pack and right now, I think I have a lot of work to have my latest student be up to fighting progress with the rest of them. Though, no one said that I won’t enjoy it though.

“Well, to be fair, it was Sensei’s idea to see what he will be working with.” Squalo said in defense.

“I think it’s more of the fact you went in hard mate.” Falco said with a raised brow.

Squalo just grumbled as they shifted to a picture of Squalo and Sunset getting ready to spar.

“Well, I never had been in a proper fight before. Only ones were me being attacked by those assholes who thought I was spreading their secrets.’ Sunset said, repressing bad memories. ‘Though it was interesting after you guys helped me moved my stuff in.”

“Yep, that’s all of it.” Sunset said as she and the rest helped her place her clothes in the wardrobe.

Shade was confused though.

“Though, I thought that you would have a lot more stuff. Not some clothes and a guitar.” He commented.

Sunset’s face fell and she clenched her fist.

“I lost most of it.” She muttered.

“What?” Falco asked in a confused tone.

“I LOST MOST OF IT! THOSE ASSHOLES FROM MY SCHOOL WRECKED MY APARTMENT!!!” She yelled as tears built up in her eyes, falling to her knees

The five were silent.

“Yer kidding.” Sandy said.

Sunset didn’t say anything. Instead, she handed her the letter as the five read it. When they were finished, Sandy scrunched it in her hands.

“Question. Who’s Princess Twilight?” Falco had to ask.

“A...friend not from here. She came here when I was going through my bitch days. She was essentially royalty.” Sunset confessed.

“And a journal is how you talk with her?” Flora asked.

“It makes me feel closer to her.” She said but she had one thought in the back of her mind.

‘Plus it is how I can communicate with Twilight back in Equestria but they shouldn’t know that.”

She didn’t know how to tell them that truth. Otherwise, they would think she was a nutter.

Soon Lumen came in.

“Everyone. Come to the training grounds. We need to see how well Sunset can do in a fight.” he demanded as they all followed the elderly man.

Shade hung back and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We see those punks and they will be getting a knuckle sandwich, special delivery.” He reassured her as Sunset let a small smile show.

It was a bit brutal and she didn’t want them to cause trouble...but she was touched.

“And we still maintain that promise. Those five punks try to come close; they are going to face my fist.’

“And my foot’ Falco added.

‘Right to their backstabbing, snake-like faces.” he said before turning to Sandy. ‘No offense.”

“None taken.” She reassured, arms crossed.

“Look, you really didn’t have to say that. But I’m not gonna stop you when you do it.” she said.

Was it wrong? Yes.

Was it like her older days as Queen HBIC? Yes.

Did she care? No.

She had new friends and a successful life now.

She won’t get her hands dirty but they weren’t her.

These guys were seriously overprotective of her.

She then shook her head as she remembered the first day of her training.

Sunset was in her tank top and a fresh pair of sweatpants, stretching her body as she warmed up, ready to begin her test. With each stretch, her breasts swayed.

Meanwhile, the five were watching her.

“OK, I’ll just say it. No way those things are real.” Falco commented as he saw Sunset’s breasts sway with each stretch.

“Ah know. They should exist only in anime or summin.” Sandy said, feeling slightly envious.

“Forget that, hermano. Those hips are fricking wide! How?!” Flora exclaimed as she showed her hands at the sight

“She MUST have some good genes or summin.” Squalo spoke.

“Guys. Can we not talk about how Sunset is strangely got a body of a model despite being around our age?” Shade said to snap them out of it.

Sunset finshed her warm up and faced them.

“Hey. Can we get started?” She asked but saw them looking puzzled and...envious?

“Uhhhh...what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Nothing!” Falco said with a wide grin.

Sunset raised a brow but shook her head.

“So...Who will I be facing?” She asked.

Squalo smirked as he cracked his neck.

“You and me, Sunshine! Let’s see what you got!” he said as he got into a stance. Lumen had arrived to see the fight.

Sunset also got into a basic stance, sweat dripping from her head.

“Ready?” Lumen asked.

Both nodded.

“HAJIME!”

Sunset let out a battle cry as she rushed forward with a fist that she let loose, which Squalo leaned back and slammed a fist into her face with an uppercut, sending her back.

“Dat’s it? Next!” He taunted as she got up, spitting out some blood.

“Why you!” She growled as she rushed him again, throwing punches as she could but Squalo just dodged them with ease, looking bored.

“C’mon! Youse were a queen bee and ya never had ta rag doll a fool?!” He said as he caught a fist and drove a knee into her gut, making her eyes bulge out before he fly kicked her back.

Sunset stood again, albeit shakily as she raised her fists.

“OK, tenacity is alright. But this is embarrassing. You give up yet or?” Squalo asked.

“No way!” She said as she rushed forward.

“Insanity. Thine living definition.” Falco remarked with a snicker.

Squalo shook his head before grabbing her fists then tackling her into an arm lock, giving a tight twist.

“C’MON! I DON’T WANNA BREAK YA ARM!” He said as he applied pressure, making her scream.

“OK! OK! I GIVE!” She yelled. Squalo got off as he helped her up, placing an arm around his shoulder.

“Ya got spunk, I can give you that.” He said, to which Sunset let a dry chuckle loose.

“Well, didn’t help me getting the shit kicked out of me.” she replied as she was carried back inside.

“So Sensei. What do you think?” Shade asked. Lumen had his eyes closed as he let a hum loose.

“I’m afraid there is a lot of work to do with the young one.” he said.

“Understatement of the century.” Squalo said.

“Yeah. I mean, I never had to fight back before...It was kinda a ‘no duh’ moment for me to get my clock cleaned.” She said.

“Though after you healed, he got started on the first lesson.” Flora said.

Sunset now had bandages covering her face, touching one as she winced in pain from the bruises.

“That was humiliating.” She muttered.

“Well it ain’t much of a shock.” Sandy said as she followed her to the training area.

“How come?” Sunset asked the cowgirl.

“Squalo is a pro in MMA, a former gang leader AND has a temper. A skinny girl like you stood no chance.” She said, making Sunset gasp in offence.

“SKINNY?!” She shouted.

“Sunset, when was the last time you had to fight someone?” Sandy asked her.

Sunset opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn’t speak as the more she thought about it...She realised the last time she had a bare-knuckle brawl was never.

She had relied on tricks and threats to get what she needed back in her Queen Bee days and never had to punch anyone out.

Seeing her face, Sandy nodded with a smirk.

“Didn’t think so. But that is why you are here. To learn how to fight.”

Soon they arrived at their destination. A large stone slab buried deep in the dirt. Lumen was there.

“See that slab?” He said.

“Yeah?”

“Use your fists to break it.” he said, making her eyes widen.

“WHAT?!”

“You want to learn how to fight, then you will learn the first lesson by punching the stone.”

“OK?” She said as she approached the stone. With a look of determination, she threw a punch.

And let out a scream of pain as she did, holding her hand.

“You want to stop?”

Sunset caught her breath and shook her hand, shaking her head in refusal.

She then continued to punch the stone, gritting her teeth as she shook off the pain.

The five just looked on with impressed looks.

“Aye Caramba, she’s going for it.” Flora remarked.

“How long until she realises the lesson?” Shade said.

“I give until sundown.” Falco said.

“Make that the next three hours.” Shade countered.

Soon it was the late afternoon and Sunset was still at the slab, knuckles bloody and her arms slowing as she was exhausted.

She then let her arms drop, blood dripping onto the grass.

“I’ve been punching...for the last seven hours! What the hell is the lesson?! I will never break this thing!” She yelled.

“You weren’t supposed to.”

She looked behind her to see Shade and Lumen with medical supplies.

“Hands.” Shade said as he took out some bandages and began to wrap them around her bloody knuckles.

“LEt me guess. You gave up?” Lumen asked with a serious look.

“Yeah...My arms are on fire and my knuckles are cracked. How am I supposed to break that?” She asked.

“You weren’t. That is the first lesson.” Lumen said.

Sunset looked confused.

“The lesson is know when to walk away from a fight. You can’t expect to win everything, especially near impossible tasks. The stone slab is meant to teach you it’s ok to walk away from something difficult. It’s like facing a top opponent while you are a beginner. There is no shame in admitting you are out of your league but continuing out of stubbornness is not a good thing, otherwise, you’ll get broken knuckles.”

Sunset listed carefully and realised he had a point. Much like the fight against Squalo, she was wrecked by him but still got badly injured because she refused to forfeit. She ended up getting a beatdown for her trouble. And here she got broken knuckles because of her refusing to stop punching the slab.

“So, why is learning to walk away the first lesson?” She asked.

“Pride comes before the fall. Too many people go down because they refuse to bite back their pride and admit they are out of their league. It ends up with them getting damaged and not in a good way.’ Shade said before smirking. ‘I figured you would learn that, Ms. Former HBIC.”

Sunset blushed in embarrassment.

“Yeah....totally forgot that.”

After finishing bandaging her hands, they went back to the home.

“Come on. Squalo is getting dinner ready. We will resume once your hands are healed.” Lumen said, shocking Sunset slightly.

“What? You expect me to continue training with broken hands? The body needs to be in proper order before we begin.” Lumen said as the two followed him.

“Wow. Never expect the lesson to be right there.” Sunset said.

“Hey, the best lessons are the ones you have to learn yourself. Still want to train with us?” Shade asked.

Sunset smirked.

“I already agreed to it. Would be stupid to back out now.” She said as they made their way back to the house.

“Come a month and a half, I was catching up to you in fighting prowess.” Sunset smiled.

“YEah. Then came THAT day.” Falco muttered.

The others also frowned as they remembered that day,

The day their lives changed forever.

The day they became living elementals

And the day they learnt the secret of the shrine.

Author's Note

Man is it good to be back! Christmas is coming and I figured why not?
Next time is another time skip where Sunset and the crew learn about the shrine

Hope you don't mind the wait
Stay Wild

Song Chapter 1: I'll Make a Fighter out of You

Sunset, Squalo, Falco, Sandy, Shade and Flora are now in their gi’s, standing in a line like soldiers and Lumen comes across them.

“I have taught you the basics of combat.’ He then looked at Sunset ‘Some needing a lot of catching up.” He added as she smiled a bit.

“But now let’s go for a higher level.” He said as he grabbed a staff, flipping two pots into the air.

He then began to sing

Lumen: Let's get down to business
To become strong ones

He then shatters the pots as the come down, the six teens looking in awe

Will you brave the coming pain?
Or drop and say ‘I’m done’?
Betrayal left you broken and bent
But you can bet before we're through
Child, I'll make a fighter out of you
It moves to a scene by a lake with wooden poles
Tranquil as a forest
But on fire within

The six are balancing on poles as Lumen looks on with a glare before he began to throw rocks at them, making them stumble

Once you find your center
You are sure to win

They all lose their balance and fall into the water, Lumen walking away as they cough.

You're a bunch of fragile, little cubs
And you haven't got a clue
Somehow I'll make a fighter out of you
Sandy: Ah'm never gonna catch my breath

Sandy ends up losing balance with a giant, ceramic bowl on her back, the water spilling over her as she fell

Squalo: Say goodbye to those who knew me

Squalo is punching a large, metal post but runs screaming, holding his damaged fist

Falco: Why did I decide to avoid continuing track?

Falco is running to dodge bolts, but pants for a bit only to get his by a lot of bolts

Flora: This guy's got us scared to death!

Flora is leaping out of a swinging pendulum only to shriek as she is hit

Sunset: Is this guy trying to kill me?

Lumen is fighting Sunset, but Lumen knocks her back onto her butt. He then shakes his head.

Shade: Now I really wish that I took swimming way back
Shade is on a rickety plank bridge, which gives way and causes him to fall into the river.

We must be swift as the coursing river
(Prepare to fight)

The six are soon following the stances of Lumen, with satisfactory skill.

With all the force of a great typhoon
(Prepare to fight)
With all the strength of a raging fire

Sunset is soon running alongside the others, who all struggle to move from being weighed down

Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
It then cuts to night, looking over a hill
Time is racing toward us
'Til the new day comes

All of them are panting in exhaustion

Heed my every order
And you might survive

Lumen then walks away from them, silent

On this day, you’ve not found your way
But rest up, go back to your rooms

Seeing this, the six shake off the pain as they stand up

I will make a fighter out of you?

Soon all of them are on the training apparatus, mastering them

We must be swift as the coursing river

Sandy is maintaining balance with the many bowls, even shifting positions as she holds onto her hat

(Prepare to fight)
With all the force of a great typhoon

Squalo is punching the post at high speed, adding kicks before doing a spin kick to the center, leaving an indent to it as he smirks.

(Prepare to fight)
With all the strength of a raging fire

Falco is smiling as he is racing down the field, weaving out of every bolt he sees.

Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

Flora is dancing and flipping out of every single swinging pendulum, giggling as she did

We must be swift as the coursing river
(Prepare to fight)

Sunset is matching blows with Lumen, reverse roundhousing Lumen who slides back. Sunset smirks as she stays in her stance but Lumen smiles, impressed.

With all the force of a great typhoon
(Prepare to fight)

Shade is balancing on the bridge as he races across it, maintaining his balance

With all the strength of a raging fire

Soon they are all matching Lumen’s moves with ease, doing an upperhand block to a back hand strike

Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
HYA!
Finally, all of them leap up to do a high-flying kick into the air, the screen pauses as the moon shines in the background.

Author's Note

One of the few song chapters for Pack's Loyalty.
Here is a parody of the song I'll Make a Man out of You from Mulan.

Chapter 8 - Invasion of Darkness

Hey guys, Shade here. You know, when I joined Lumen, I was expecting a lot of things like a new home, learning martial arts, getting my GED. Hell, I even expected the five others that joined us. But, when you find yourself attacked by weird shadow demons and some weird creature, you have questions. Like, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

The group soon made their way to an area a few walk away from the house and training grounds. Passing through the small forest, they came across a new area.

A large temple with a stone gate.

The pack had serious looks on their faces as they looked at the temple.

This was the area where their journey truly began.

Late in the evening, Sunset was currently trading blows with Squalo, batting away fists and blocking his kicks with her arms before ducking a right hook then bucking her legs to slam her soles into his chest knocking him back, before standing up into a karate stance.

Squalo stood up and got into a southpaw stance as the two soon rushed forward and slammed their fists into each others as they continued to brawl, with Sunset grabbing his wrist to put him into an armlock before fly kicking him in the nose, making him tumble.

Squalo quickly spun around, sweeping her off her feet, laying her on her back as well with a thud.

Both glared as they stood up, before smirking.

“Now we even!” Squalo said as they chuckled.

“Hey, considering I knocked you onto your ass twice during our spar, I would say I am getting better than you.” Sunset shot back with a grin.

Squalo raised an eyebrow before letting a punch fly, with Sunset instinctively blocking but soon she felt two hands grabbing her knees before she was flipped back on her back.

“As I said. Even!” He said as he helped her up.

“But Sunset does have a point, Squalo.’ They turned to see Lumen approach them with a smile on his face. ‘She has made leaps and bounds compared to when she first started out.”

“What can I say? I’m a fast learner.” Sunset spoke with pride and a bit of arrogance. Lumen raised a brow before squeezing a nerve on her neck.

“OW! OW! OW!”

“But you still show signs of overconfidence.” He said as he then let go, making her rub the area which was squeezed.

“Hai, Sensei.” She muttered in pain.

“Go and freshen up. it is time for dinner.” He said as they two drank some water and headed back inside.

Back at the house, all six were currently eating their meal of a simple rice and grilled fish combo with some water. But while they were enjoying the meal, Sunset couldn’t help but make a comment about something.

Mainly, someone not being around.

“Question.’ She asked as they all looked at her. ‘Isn’t Sensei meant to be here?”

The five just looked at each other.

“Trust us, dat’s a million dollar question we’ve been asking for a while.” Squalo said.

That confused the bacon haired girl.

“Most nights, he usually finds himself going to that patch of woods in the forest. Every night, for at least an hour. We have no clue why he’s always doing that and we usually get the feeling, he doesn’t want anyone to know why?” Falco added.

“How come?” Sunset asked.

“Hell if we know. Whenever I asked about his past, he just goes silent and just looks away with sadness. I get the feeling he doesn’t really want to talk about it, so I decided to never push it.” Shade said.

“All we know is that when he feels it is right, he’ll speak. In the meantime, don’t try to pry the words out of his mouth. It’ll get yer hurt.” Sandy said as they returned to their meals.

But the thoughts still went through her head.

It was late at night and Sunset just couldn’t sleep. The whole mystery behind the wandering sensei was filling her head with thoughts that a brainiac like her would be driven crazy if not sorted out.

“Grrr...fuck it. I need to know what is in that forest or I’ll go bloody mental!” She said as she got out of bed and checked to see everyone still asleep. Tiptoeing, she exited the house to her destination, unaware of a few people watching her movements.

Sunset was trekking through the forest, batting away branches and leaves as she saw her destination.

“Now, let’s see what you are hiding.” She said, calling on her old bad girl skills to find out the secrets of her new carer.

She was about peer behind the tree, when someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her squeal in fright.

“Relax, hotshot. It’s just us.” Shade said in a deadpanned tone, the rest of them looking at her with withering glares and crossed arms, made more pronounced by the bags under their eyes.

“Hey, guys. Why are you here?” She said nervously.

“Lookin’ for you.” Sandy drawled.

“Well, I couldn’t sleep and...” Sunset began but was cut off by Shade.

“You just wanted to find out what was going on with Lumen, didn’t you?” He said.

“Yeah...’ She sagged in defeat. ‘How did you know?”

“All of us had the same idea. We just couldn’t with Lumen hanging around.” Falco replied.

“Ah. Well, now that you’re here...you want me to turn back?” She asked.

The five looked at each other before they decided.

“Well, we are still here. What kind of secrets is our host hiding?” Falco said with a grin.

“Youse have a point, Falco. Wonder what is so special about this joint?” Squalo spoke.

“Yeah. We don’t get this sorted, we’ll go nuts.” Flora added.

“It’s been bothering me for a while, but we may as well nip it in the bud.” Shade said.

Sandy however remained silent.

“Fine. But if shit goes sideways, I’ll claim ignorance!” She said as they ventured on.

When they got there, they saw what was hidden. It was a giant Shaolin temple, made of granite from the door to the stairs.

“WOAH!!!” They all spoke in awe.

“What in the name of Sam Hill is this doing here?!” Sandy had exclaimed.

“Guess that explains why he was around here all the time.” Shade muttered.

Sunset meanwhile was in silent awe. For some reason, she felt something from the temple.

Something sort of magical but it wasn’t from Equestria.

Her experiences with Equestrian magic had ingrained one thing. It felt more like soft clouds and flowers, brushing past her in an easy breeze, considering it was a rather peaceful place.

This felt wilder and more untamed, like she was in the jungle or savannah where there were a lot of animals ready to kill, hunt or eat.

It felt rather overwhelming.

The six soon got closer but soon all of them felt their breath shorten and sweat cover their faces, the feeling from the temple starting to overwhelm them the closer they got to the temple steps.

“Guys...What’s happening?” Sunset rasped as her legs buckled a bit.

“No...clue. Ain’t feel anythin’ like dis before.” Squalo spoke, his muscles tightening.

“I’m not the only one that has the feeling of ‘Get the hell outta here!’ from this place, right?!” Falco spoke in a panicked tone, his legs shaking as he needed to run.

“Guys, we need ta leave! NOW!” Sandy shouted.

Shade was silent but he was clearly sweating buckets at the feeling.

Flora was nearly on her knees but she had something to say: “¡Oh, mierda, esto es una locura!” (Oh shit, this is insane!)
Suddenly, all of them were granted by an image in each of their heads.

Sunset was in a ring of fire, with a pitch black sky.

“What the hell?” She said before she felt a breath down her neck. Slowly turning her head, she saw a shadowy bird looking down at her before it spread its wings, bathing her in flame.

Squalo was in a large ocean, floating in place as he looked around.

“Da fuck? And how can I breathe?!” Squalo exclaimed. Looking around, he saw a shadowy shark swim towards him, jaws wide open.

Falco was falling at high speeds.

“OK, THIS IS NOT HOW I WANT TO GO OUT!” He yelled as he fell when he saw a bird-like figure dive down at him.

Sandy was in a desert, looking at the wasteland.

“Th’ hell am ah?!” She asked herself, when she heard hissing. She turned around to see a serpent encased in shadow, slithering towards her as it slithered its tongue to her. It then lunged with its fangs.

Shade was on a mountain with the full moon glaring down at him. He was looking around when he heard a howl. Looking up was a wolf, encased in darkness looking down at him from above.

Flora was in an area that looked like a mix of a jungle and savannah. She was looking around in confusion.

“¿Dónde... Dónde estoy?” (Where...where am I?) she asked before a screech sounded as she saw a feline bound its way towards her with a large pounce.

Soon all of them managed to shake it off before looking at each other and deciding on one thing.

Run.

All of them quickly made their way back to the house, slamming the door shut.

“We all agree to never tell Lumen about this. Right?” Falco asked.

“Right.” They all said as they tried to get some sleep.

And failing.

Meanwhile, Lumen was looking out of the window, a frown on his face.

“I sense they are coming. I just hope they don’t get caught in the crossfire.” He said as several red eyes were spying on the house.

“Soon...” A voice snarled as more growls were heard.

Next morning, all six were eating slowly and sluggishly while Lumen was eating at a regular pace.

“OK, everyone. I want you by the balance beams. We are going to work on your balance and stances. So finish up and head to the grounds.”

All of them muttered small ‘ok’s.

Lumen rose an eyebrow before leaving to get the lesson prepared but the six didn’t move.

“So...are we gonna discuss what had happened last night?” Sunset asked.

“Oh, you mean the fact we were in some random areas about to be eaten in our heads? Sure, let’s discuss that (!)” Falco spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“OK, no need to give attitude...” Sunset muttered.

“Sorry, Sunset. I think we all are suffering from a lack of sleep.” Falco apologised.

“True dat. All I could think was being in a fuckin’ ocean with a big ass shark comin’ my way.” Squalo spoke in an exhausted tone.

“Yeah. Never thought that I would be attacked by a damn snake.” Sandy added.

“What was that temple?! Why did it feel like...?” Flora said.

“Like we were about to be attacked? A wave of violence and savagery rolling all over us?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah. How did you guess?” Shade asked.

Sunset just shot him a look.

“I’m pretty sure we all felt that.” She said.

“Yeah. We need answers.” Shade said.

“Yeah. But first, we have training so...” Sunset said and soon everyone finished off their breakfast before heading to the training grounds.

Lumen was looking rather irritated. Here he was observing his students as they were maintaining their balance but it looked more like they were about to keel over from exhaustion.

AND IT WASN’T EVEN 10 O’CLOCK!!

“Sunset! Back straight! Squalo! Move position! You call that a proper stance, Falco?! Sandy, you’re about to tip! Shade, be more alert! Flora! Even your distribution!”

Trouble was, all of them were so out of it that they didn’t hear his words. Soon, they began to sway and tip until too late.

“WOOOOAAAH!”

All of them fell off the poles as they landed in a heap.

Lumen approached them, a stern frown on his face.

“So? I believe you had a rough night?” He asked.

All of them just groaned in exhaustion.

“Well, since you are eager to rest, how about we work it out of you with some hard chores? Like, cleaning the house?!” He ordered as they stood up.

They tried to protest, but a glare from them shut them down.

“Fine...” They groaned as they went back inside, slouched.

All of them were busy cleaning the house, still feeling tired but they were managing. Each one was in silence before they decided to make conversation.

“We need to tell Lumen.” Sunset started as they all looked at her incredulously.

“Are yer mental?! He’ll cane our asses if we tell him!” Squalo yelled.

“Well, hiding it isn’t helping us! We have to be honest with him and tell him why we are tired! Otherwise, we will be doing this for a long time!” Sunset snapped back.

Squalo had to concede to that. He really didn’t want to be doing chores all the time.

“But how will we do it? We can’t just say ‘Hey, Lumen. Nice day. Oh, guess what? We found that temple in the forest and felt like we were about to be eaten. So, what’s for lunch?’” Falco snarked.

“We’ll figure that part out later. Let’s just get these done.” Shade said and soon they resumed their work.

Suddenly, they heard growls from outside the house.

“Pardon me. That wasn’t our stomachs, was it?” Flora asked her roommates, who also looked confused.

“Nah, that sounded like it came from outside.” Shade spoke in a concerned tone. Falco looked out and his eyes widened.

“Uhhh...guys? Do the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts exist in this world?” He asked.

“Now’s not the time for jokes, Falco.” Sandy drawled unamused.

“Well, you may wish I was joking because LOOK!” He yelled as he pointed outside. All of them looked and the sight shocked them all.

Shadowy figures with skinny bodies and arms, looking like imps with large claws were rushing across the field, tearing the ground up, like they were looking for something.

“Tell me I’m not seeing this!” Shade spoke with wide eyes.

“Trust me, I’m still wondering if I'm still exhausted! This is some freaky shit!” Falco exclaimed.

Sunset was silent. She felt a similar feeling like last night. But this felt more feral and corrupted. But then her eyes widened.

“Guys...isn’t Lumen out there?” She asked in a scared tone. Everyone was silent before their eyes widened.

“SENSEI!”

As soon as they came out, all of the shadowy creatures turned to look at them.

“Guys...what do we do?” Sunset had asked.

They were all silent, fear filling their veins before Shade made the conclusion.

“We fight.”

They all look at him like he was crazy.

“We may not have much training, but right now, that doesn’t matter. We need to beat these guys back and find sensei. What do you say?” He asked.

They were silent before their gazes narrowed with determination.

“Let’s do it!” Sunset spoke.

“We’ll show ‘em how we do things back home!” Sandy added.

“If it means finding Sensei, let’s rock!” Flora spoke.

“Time for a party to get started!” Falco spoke with a grin.

“What the hell? I’ve been wanting to punch something anyways.” Squalo spoke with a smile.

Shade smirked as they saw the creatures rush to them. Soon, they yelled out a battle cry and rushed ahead.

Sunset dodged a swipe before doing a reverse-roundhouse to one, knocking it back then punched another on the jaw before sending the same one flying with an uppercut. She then cartwheeled out of the way from one jumping onto her before punching it in the gut three times before uppercutting its jaw.

“Come on!” She made a gesture as one of them rushed forward. She responded by kicking it in the jaw with a high kick before she rushed forward with a fly kick to another sending it back.

Squalo had gotten into a boxing stance and began to unleash a flurry of jabs and hooks at a group, knocking them back before he rushed forward with a powerful haymaker, sending one back into the group. He then grabbed another by the neck and punched its face twice before throwing it away just as one tried to grapple with him but he held his ground.

“Youse think you are hard?! I faced punks like you back in New Jersey!” He boasted before kneeing it in the gut, then sweeping it off its feet before delivering a solid kick to the midsection, sending it flying back to an incoming group.

He then leapt over one to deliver an epic drop kick to another in his way before grabbing the one he vaulted over for a powerful roundhouse.

Falco had rushed forward with all of his speed for a powerful clothesline on one before he spun around for a spin kick. He then went below to deliver a leg sweep on two more before he flipped backwards with a flip kick, knocking it back. Getting into a running stance, he rushed forward with a flying kick to which he used his momentum to turn it into an axle kick.

“Got a real kick out of that!” He joked before dodging a group swiping at him before he slammed his fist into the left of its jaw, laying it out before kicking another in the jaw with a reverse roundhouse with his right leg. He then batted another batch of claws before knocking its knee away then spinning around with an elbow to its nose to lay it out before he stomped on its face.

Sandy stood patiently as one of them came rushing forward, to which she went down and slammed her elbow into one of the creatures gut before headbutting it with all her might. She then picked it up and threw it at a charging horde before she tackled one to the ground then slammed her fist into it.

“Hah. All talk and no gas.” She said as she stood up, glaring from the rim of her hat. She then rushed with a double clothesline before slamming her fists into their guts once they went spinning in the air.

Shade had picked up one and did a powerbomb before spinning it around and letting it fly. Another tried a swipe with its claws but Shade batted it away then lifted it up by the throat then he threw it to the other side. He then grabbed one by the arm and backhanded it before storming ahead. One of the creatures growled as it tried to stab him with his claws but Shade manoeuvred the hand so the claws stabbed it’s own chest.

“Try again, bitch.” He said, pushing it back. He roared as he rushed forward and grabbed two by the throats and slammed them into the ground.

Flora began to block hits with her arms before she responded with knee strikes to the five she was facing. She then spun around with an elbow to the nose bridge then grabbed one by the back of its head to force it to meet the inside of her right foot to kick it back. She then went to her hands to spin in a breakdance, sweeping one off its feet before slamming her fist into its gut.

“Adios, enemigos!” She said.

Soon all six were grouped together, getting into stances as the strange shadow creatures looked on menacingly, eager to strike. Before one can, they were blasted by a ray of light, incinerating most of them.

Shocked, the six looked up to see Lumen glaring at the army, a ball of light in his hands.

“SENSEI!” They yelled in unison.

He leapt down before he assumed a stance.

He just had one thing to yell.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY STUDENTS!”

Author's Note

What's this? An early chapter?!
But seriously, I figured I should begin the part where the Shadow Beasts come to play and they get their elemental powers. So enjoy!

Chapter 9 - Lumen's Inner Beast

“My name is Lumen Draco. A wanderer. I have kept my past from everyone else, especially my students. But you know what they say about the past: It’ll always come back...”

The six teens all looked shocked and relived at the sight of their sensei arriving to their rescue.

Shocked because they didn’t realise that he was hidden in the shadows. And relieved because they were about to become mince meat.

“I never thought you would be released. Oh well, I was hoping to let the rust loose from these old bones.” Lumen said as he gestured for them to come at him.

One shrieked and rushed with a swipe but was blocked by Lumen’s arm who responded with a palm strike, sending it back. He then rushed forward and spun around, legs extended to do a spin kick on two more before he lowered himself and swept another off its feet before kicking it back.

Flipping back up, he struck one twice in the chest with chops before spin kicking another. He then rushed forward to give one an uppercut before he leapt up and punched it several times in the chest before knocking it back down.

Once he landed, he resumed his stance.

With the rest of the teens, they had let out one word:

“WOOOOOAAAAAHHHH!”

“Anyone else?!” He taunted.

Three jumped to dive onto them, but suddenly, Lumen did a surprise attack, pointing his finger at the three and said one thing.

“LASER BEAM!”

Soon a beam of light shot out of his finger as he then cleaved through them like a knife through butter.

He then raised his fists as they glowed before he sprinted.

“HEAVEN’S FIST!”

He then rushed forward and punched the group coming towards him before he leapt up and held an orb of light in the air.

“HEAVEN’S RAY!” The orb exploded as it rained spears of light onto the group of shadows, all of them shrieking as they pierced their bodies, turning them into nothing.

The group witnessed it and their jaws dropped. Sunset had to rub her eyes to check if it was real.

“Um...I’m not the only one that saw the light shooting from his hands, right?” She asked her new friends.

“No, I’m seeing it to.” Falco spoke, slightly gobsmacked.

“Shade, youse know about this?” Squalo asked.

“This is the first I saw of this.” The boy in question responded, also shocked.

With Lumen, he was surrounded by the shadows. Furrowing his brow, he got into position. Moving his hands, he then spoke.

“Light of Bushido: GI!” He spoke as his legs glowed.

“LIGHT SPEED RUSH!” He then sprinted and rushed through the hoard of shadows, battering each one before he reached his students.

“You alright?” He asked in concern.

“YEah...But we have a lot of questions.” Sunset stammered out in shock.

“I promise to answer them, but first we need to get to the temple.” He instructed.

“What temple?” Flora asked, trying to feign cluelessness.

Lumen rolled his eyes.

“I’m not stupid, Flora. I know you six were at the temple in the woods. I saw the footprints.” He said.

“Ah...’ Flora looked sheepish as did everyone else. ‘...well, we were curious...” She muttered.

Lumen sighed.

“MAybe keeping it away from you was a dumb idea. But first, we need to get there. If we have to face these beasts, you need an increase in power.” Lumen explained.

“OK...so how are we going to avoid the hoard of shadows coming towards us?” Sunset exclaimed, pointing at the large group of shadows coming their way.

Lumen saw this and narrowed his eyes, the pupils turning into slits.

“You know...’ He began as he growled lowly, fangs forming in his mouth. ‘Ever heard of the phrase, bullying a dragon?”

“Uh....what?” Falco asked.

“Let me show you another trick.’ He said before he started to glow white. Crossing his arms, he then extended them to the side, yelling out a phrase that would be burned into their memory.

‘ANIMODE! POWER-UP!”

Lumen spun his arms around in a counter-clockwise formation before going down to slap the ground, causing cracks. He then stood up with his left arm behind his back and his right extended with two fingers curled into claws. Suddenly, a gold serpent like dragon appeared behind him.

He then leapt up as the dragon flew around him as he then spread his limbs. His eyes shifted to slits and his teeth turned to fangs. His hair grew longer as red markings appeared around his eyes. Scales appeared around his body before his fingers and toes turned into claws. Spines appeared over his back as a long tail also appeared behind him.

Lumen then palm struck the air twice before performing a reverse roundhouse then placing a fist into his palm.

When the light died down, Sunset, Squalo, Flaco, Sandy, Shade and Flora all looked with shock and awe.

There stood Lumen, half-dragon.

“No way...It’s the same form...” Sunset whispered.

“HOLY SHIT! WE GOT A DRAGON KIN IN DA HOUSE!” Squalo yelled.

“Bloody hell! When did cross breeding magic mumbo jumbo come into the mix?!” Falco exclaimed.

“Ah didn’ take a bad hit to th’ head, did I? ‘Cause I think ah’m seein’ things...” Sandy muttered.

“I...never knew...this...” Shade was lost for words.

“Aye caramba...” That was all Flora could let out.

“You want a clear route, allow me.” Lumen spoke as his arms glowed in certain areas as light glowed all around him, more building in his fanged maw.

“WILD STRIKE LEVEL 1! DRAGON’S HEAVEN! HEAVEN DRAGON’S ROAR!”

A large beam of light soon shot out of his mouth, incinerating the hoard of shadows coming their way. When it died down, there were less shadows but they were still forming.

“We have time, now we need to move!” Lumen said.

The six looked at each other, unsure but with the shadow beasts forming, they had only one choice.

Run.

All of them tore through the hoard of shadows as they tried to attack but were knocked back.

Squalo punched one in the jaw, before flipping them off as they ran away, Falco kicked another while they all ran for the temple.

“Sunset! You said you saw this before, right?!” Shade asked.

“YEah, it was how he brought me to you guys! I thought I was dreaming!” Sunset replied.

As soon as they reached the temple, Lumen hit a code on the door, gears turning as they unlocked the door.

“Come in.” Lumen ordered.

Soon all of them were led inside.

The shadows that followed all looked around in confusion.

“SPREAD OUT! FIND THEM!” One yelled as they all dispersed.

Meanwhile, with the group, Lumen had led them to the destination. Through the dimly lit temple walls.

“Woah...This is so mysterious...” Sunset spoke in awe.

“Yo, we in some Darin’ Do story or somethin’?” Squalo had to ask.

“No. It’s where you’ll be granted the source of your power.” Lumen spoke as he then showed them a lake. It was fairly deep but it shone a brilliant blue.

“You brought us in here...for a BATH?!” Falco exclaimed.

“No. This lake is how I can do what I showed you. I was hoping that I could show this later when you were ready but with the Shadow Walkers about, now is the time. YOu all need to dive into the Lake of Elements. The mystic properties will help awaken a power like you have never seen.” Lumen explained.

Sunset felt nervous. The last time that something like this happened...

Memories of her turning into a demon and being blasted by rainbow light came into mind.

“Are...are you sure...?” Sunset spoke in a hesitant voice.

Suddenly, the growls of the Shadow Walkers grew louder.

“Now’s not the time to hesitate. I know you’re scared but you can’t let fear make your decisions. You need to trust your instincts.” Lumen spoke.

They all looked at each other but then banging against the temple doors grew.

“THEY ARE AT THE GATES! I’ll buy some time, you go and dive in!” He exclaimed.

With that Lumen went to fend them off.

“Guys...what should we do?” Sunset asked.

They were silent before Shade spoke.

“We want to live right? And we need to help Sensei. And we can’t do it the way we are now. We need to do this. Take a leap of faith. Together.”

They all looked at each other before nodding their heads.

Standing at the edge, they joined hands and jumped.

A loud splash echoed through the temple walls.

Author's Note

My apologies for the wait but here is the next chapter of Pack's Loyalty.
And you see the animode in proper detail!

Next up is an elemental boost for our six teens!

Prologue - A Look Back on How It All Began for Us

"When you look back, sometimes they can be full of either memories you want to forget or memories you want to keep in your mind.

The sound of a ship’s horned reverbed in the air as the cruise ship made its way through the waters, plowing through it with slow but powerful movements. Most of the residence were inside the ship or out on the deck partying. But there was one individual that wasn't doing any of that. She was just looking at the view over the ships rail guard.

The figure was a beautiful 17-year-old female with wavy red hair with yellow streaks, giving the impression of a sun. She had yellow skin and beautiful aquamarine eyes. Her body was toned and curvy, which garnered a lot of envy from many females as she was leaning out, giving a few of the riders a pleasant view of her toned rear. Her outfit consisted of a crimson tank-top under a low-cut leather jacket plus tight red jeans which were tucked into a pair of combat boots with metal plates. On her hands were red fingerless gloves. The back of her jacket had the words ‘Pack’s Loyalty’ in red with a white outline with a picture of a phoenix and the kanji for fire in the middle .

“Huh. Been a long time since I came back to Canterlot. Don’t know whether I should be happy I’m home or grimace at the thought of meeting...them...” She said to herself. She then began thinking back to her time in the city. All of them were not pleasant memories.

“I figured I found you here.”

A deep voice soon caught her ears. Turning around, she saw the speaker. A 17-year-old male that was easily taller than her at 6ft with dark grey skin and dark red eyes plus jet black hair which was all messy and reaching the top of his spine, giving a wild look. He was wearing a black leather duster over a grey T-shirt plus black leather trousers and motorcycle boots with a white rim. The duster jacket also had ‘Pack’s Loyalty’ with a white wolf skull and the kanji for shadow in black on the center of the skull.

“Oh, hey Shade.” She spoke

“Hey Sunset. What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing. Just...thinking about the times I was living here.” She responded.

“You still hung on those bad memories?” He said in concern.

“You mean Anon-a-Miss? Nah. Just thinking about how naïve I was. But still.’ She then turned to face him. ‘If it weren’t for that cyber-demon, I wouldn’t have met you and the rest of the pack.”

“Heh. True.”

Soon another voice rang out.

“So. This is where youse are, eh Sunshine?” a rough voice said. When Shade and Sunset turned around, they saw another figure.

The figure was a teenage boy aged 17 with dark blue skin, light blue eyes and a grey pompadour with a white tip at the end. He was wearing a Dark blue t-shirt, an indigo hoodie with white triangles around the rim of the hood, a pair of ripped blue jeans and black and blue converses. The back of the hoodie had ‘Pack’s Loyalty’ in blue with a shark symbol and the kanji for water in between the jaws

“Hey Squalo. What’s up?” Sunset said, leaning against the rail.

“Just wonderin’ where da hell you went.” He answered as he approached the two.

“Just thinking.” Shade said as the three looked out to sea.

“About the time we met?” Squalo questioned.

“Yeah. Before we were just six strangers, screwed over by people we held close.” Sunset said, memories filling her head.

“Yeah. Then we became something akin to a family...” Shade added, a nostalgic smile filling his face.

“We’s ended up goin’ through hell and soon we wound up getting fame. Dat was not what I expected.” Squalo chuckled.

“Well, what can we say? We were living it up in the hall of fame!” A cheeky voice spoke, shocking the three.

Behind them, was a snickering 16-year-old male with grey skin, red eyes and white hair done in a quiff at the back. He was rather lean, akin to a track runner wearing a dark grey fleece tracksuit jacket, sky blue sweatpants and white trainers. On his head were a pair of goggles while his hands were wrapped in white bandages. His fleece jacket had ‘Pack’s Loyalty’ in sky blue with a falcon spreading its wings and the kanji for wind in the center

“Falco, you sneaky asshole!” Sunset said in a snarling tone, which was betrayed by the smirk on her face.

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist” He said as he slumped over the railing.

“Da hell are youse doing here anyways?” Squalo asked his shorter companion.

Falco shrugged. “Got bored. Wanted to see the view” He said as he swerved around Sunset. “SO. What are you thinking about?” He asked in a cheery tone.

“Just how we met.” She replied and Falco’s attitude took a different turn. He still had the smile but it was more...nostalgic.

“Yeah. Hell of a ride that was...” He said as he thought back.

“Can’t believe it was only 11 months as well since we first met.” Shade commented with a look of knowing.

“Yeah and we---”

“FAAALLLLLLLCOOOO!!!” A Roar of feminine fury reverbed across the ship.

“What the?! Was that Sandy?!” Shade said as Falco began snickering.

“Yep!” He said with a grin

“What the hell did you do?!” Sunset said to the laughing boy.

“Gave her a make-up session!” He said, his snickering getting louder.

Stomping up was a 16-year old female with yellow ochre skin and a brown ponytail and brown eyes. Much like Sunset, she was curvy but was more built and stockier than her. Her outfit consisted of a yellow plaid shirt over a white T, dirty blue jeans and cowgirl boots with spurs which clicked as she stomped onto the ship. The shirt also had Pack’s Loyalty in brown with a snake face opening its jaws and the kanji for earth in the center.

Her face looked like a clown as she had a furious snarl on her face.

“FALCO, YA SCRAWNY BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FACE?!” She roared as she grabbed him by his jacket and shook.

“Come on! That frown will ruin the lovely job I did!” He said as he laughed. Shade, Squalo and Sunset just shook their heads as Sandy got him in a headlock screaming about hoping this stuff comes off.

“Some things never change...” Shade said.

“Mook.” Squalo added.

“Ay, putas! What are you guys doing?!” Soon another voice roared as a bewildered girl came out the cabin. She had dark brown skin with green eyes and hair done in two pigtails. She had a build to that of a parkour runner, dressed in a black crop top under a green latex jacket. She also had blue biker shorts, green socks and white trainers. Her jacket much like the rest had Pack’s Loyalty in dark green with a pair of cheetah eyes and the kanji for forest in between them.

“Oh hey Flora. Just showing this bastard my face AIN’T A PALLETE!” Sandy said.

“Well, where is Falco anyways?” Flora said, arms crossed with a raised brow.

Sandy looked down and saw Falco by the railing. Her face went red as steam shot out of her ears, especially at the mocking grin he showed. The two just went to the railing with the others.

“So, how come you guys are here? The gig starts in 15 minutes.” Flora asked.

“We just remembered the day the six of us met.” Shade said with a nostalgic smile. Flora and Sandy smiled as well. That was understandale.

“Yeah...When we met...it was just six strangers from six different dust trails. If it weren’t for Lumen...” Sandy said.

“Yeah. We would be stuck in one place, scarred from the betrayals we had and the feelings of revenge.” Sunset remarked.

“True dat. Hell, I would still be in juvie if it ain’t for him bailin’ me out.” Squalo said as he laid back.

“The man healed us in more ways than one.” Sunset said as slight memories of freezing winds filled her head slightly. But like a breeze, it came and went.

“And the feelings of vengeance were quenched.” Flora added as she rested her cheek on her palm.

“’Sometimes living well and being happy is the best form of revenge. To most, the worst thing can be you forgetting who they are’ Those were words to live by.” Sunset said with a smile.

“But are you still planning on forgiving the school?” Shade said to which Sunset just snorted

“Please. They assaulted me, made my life hell and got me canned. I ain’t forgiving them and I am NOT joining them again.”

Sunset said with a look which was shared with the rest as memories filled their heads

“I still remember the day I met Sensei...”

Author's Note

Hey guys.
So I decided for this Christmas that my first Anon-a-miss story is getting a revamp as looking back...there was some things I wanted to change. Ok a lot.

Firstly I decided to add a prologue before moving onto the main meeting.

Sorry for removing the original but I really wanted to change this thing up

Hope you don't mind and Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah or whatever you celebrate!

Chapter 10 - Elemental

You know, I was really hoping to avoid this conflict. But there are some things in the past that are bound to catch up to you. I’m Lumen and right now, I’m battling these shadows while my students are inside the mystic waters of the lake. I hope they hurry because I’m not sure how long I can hold them off. Days like this, I hate being out of practice.

Sunset’s eyes opened up as she found herself in a burning area, crimson flames dancing around her in a circle, contrasting the black sky, with nary a star in sight.

“This place...it was just like before...” She muttered to herself.

She then walked to where the flames were, reaching out. She could feel the heat but no burn marks.

“What the hell is this place?” She asked herself.

“A chance for you to be reborn.”

Looking up, Sunset saw something that made her jaw drop.

It was the same shadowy bird, hovering in the air as its red eyes glared at her.

“So, you’re the one that has entered the Elemental Waters.”

Sunset was shocked but managed to find her voice.

“Wh-wh-what are you?! What the hell is this place!?”

“The first stage of your journey, young child.’ The bird then landed on the ground, towering over the bacon haired girl.

“Journey? What are you talking about? All I did was jump into a lake!” Sunset said, confused as hell.

“Ah, but that one dive has allowed you to access a power not unlike you have ever seen.’ The bird then narrowed its eyes. ‘But you would know of wielding other worldly power, don’t you?”

Sunset’s eyes widened at the sentence.

“How do you know about Equestria?!” She asked.

The bird cocked an eyebrow.

“Never heard of it. So, you’re not from here at all, are you?”

Sunset then realised she wound up confessing where she came from.

“Oh crap...”

“I don’t care about your past. All I want to know is this. Are you willing to embrace the flames?”

Sunset was nervous. The last time she tried to use a power ended in disaster. If she accepted, who knows what would happen? She may turn into a walking fire being with charcoal black skin.

“I...I can’t...” She muttered in a fearful tone.

“You can’t? Because of what happened last time?” The bird said with a narrowed gaze.

Sunset looked in shock.

“How did you...?” She began

“Let’s just say we are connected. I know your own memories. From the rise. And the fall.”

Sunset couldn’t help but have the flashbacks on the aftermath of the Fall Formal where she went from top dog to bottom bitch. And when she climbed the ladder again only for Anon-A-Miss to knock her back down.

“Is that what you want? To show how I got burned over again?” She said in a tired voice.

“No. Like I said, I don’t care about who you were then. What matters is who you are now. Are you going to let a few bad moments diminish your inner fire? Or will you reignite the spark within? I’m sure your new friends will not let that happen to you.”

Sunset was silent as she looked down. She knew that her roommates said that they would have her back, but what if it was another Anon-A-Miss situation, where they would leave her to rot.

She then thought back to how Lumen took her in. And how it was similar to Celestia before things went sideways.

The bird sighed before conjuring up a portal of Lumen fighting them off.

“Look. Your sensei is battling these shadows as we speak. You aren’t planning on letting him die right there, are you?”

“What? No!” She exclaimed.

“Then stop worrying about what happened before and light the flame within! The past can turn to ash!”

Sunset looked at the bird, then at the vision. She decided to just bite the bullet.

“I accept the power.”

The bird smiled as he allowed the flames to consume her in a fiery orb, surrounding the girl.

“Time to unleash the flame!”

Soon a large explosion happened as it went white.

Squalo was back in the large ocean he was before. Looking down, he didn’t see the bottom and he could breathe.

“Damnit Shade! Why the hell am I in this place?!”

“For a chance of power.”

Turning around, he saw the same shadowy shark from before, his fangs wide.

“Da fuck?! Youse can talk?!”

“Yes, I can talk. And I’m wondering why a guppy like you is in a place like this?”

That seemed to annoy Squalo.

“GUPPY?! LISTEN, YA OVERGROWN SARDINE! SQUALO DEMONE IS NO GUPPY! I OUGHTA GIVE YOU A KNUCKLE SANDWICH FOR THAT!”

He yelled as he tried to throw a punch. But seeing as he was in water, it moved in slow motion, the shark swimming out of the way easily.

“You do realise you’re underwater, right? Punches move slower than a turtle in this environment.”

Squalo grumbled at the realisation.

“So, what do you want from me?

“Just wondering if you are willing to make a deal.”

Squalo raised a brow.

“And what’s the catch?”

“The catch is that you accept the power and don’t let your teacher become chum to the shadows.”

Squalo thought about it as the shark had a point. But still, no deal has no take backs.

“Right...I accept this power and I won’t have to give up my soul or some crap like that?”

“Skeptical are we? But are you going to allow this second chance of yours to wash away?”

Squalo was silent but his eyes widened. How did he know? He had to leave those old days behind when he went with Lumen. But, he had a point. He was given a second chance and like hell he is going to waste it.

The shark then conjured up a portal and Squalo watched as Lumen slashed three shadows at once before being tackled by one of them. Squalo had to make up his mind quickly.

“Fine. Deal!”

The shark let a shark like grin show as a whirlpool surrounded him in a watery orb.

“Let the waves rise!”

Falco was in his vision where he was freefalling.

“OK! THIS IS SOME GODDAMN BULLSHIT! WHY AM I FREE FALLING WITH NO PARACHUTE?!”

“Why are you fighting it?”

Turning his head, he saw the same shadowy bird diving beside him

“Embrace the wind and let it fill your wings.”

Falco looked at him like he was insane but taking a deep breath, he relaxed and soon found himself floating in the air, hovering in place.

“OK, that’s cool. But what is going on?”

“A fight against the shadow beasts and a chance to even the odds.” The bird said, hovering in place.

“OK. Nice deal. So, please explain why I should be a grade a mug and accept something I never heard of?” Falco asked as he crossed his arms.

“So, you want your teacher to become bird food?”

A portal was formed in the clouds as Falco watched his teacher fight off a large crowd, blasting heavenly light at a group.

“OK, so I accept this power. What happens next?” he asked.

“Who knows? All you have to do is keep running to the future. After all, it’s what you think you are doing?”

Falco was gobsmacked at that. How did he know about what happened? He tried to get over that traumatic experience.

“OK. Let’s do this!”

The bird smirked as a tornado surrounded him

“Oh, this is gonna blow...no pun intended!” He said as he was in a sky blue orb.

“The winds of change have begun.”

Sandy was in the desert, looking over her surroundings.

“OK...Ah’m here. So what ‘n th’ hell am ah supposed to do?” She said to herself.

“How’sssss about you turn around, for sssssstarterssss?”

The cowgirl did just that and saw the shadowy snake glare at her.

“OK...Ah’m starin’ at a big ass snake and ah have no idea on what to do next.” She deadpans, though the sweat she was producing didn’t help much.

“Ssssssimple. You accept the gift I’m going to give you...”

“And why should ah do that? Am no fool.” She said.

“You are prideful. And you should know that pride comesssss before a fall. That issss how you ending up running away from a life filled with diamondssssss.”

Sandy narrowed her eyes. There is no way this thing found out about what happened. It was something that she would never live down.

“And why should ah believe you?” She asked, arms crossed.

“Sssssstop being so prideful and sssstuborn! Your sensei isss going to be buried if you don’t help!”

A portal formed from the sand confirmed it as Lumen was fighting a large wave of them, waving his hands in a fluid motion.

Sandy growled. She may be prideful but this was one of those times where her pride had to take a back seat.

“What do ah need ta’ do?”

Suddenly she was covered in sand before it turned into a yellow orb.

“Ssssimple. Earthly pressure makesss a sssstronger ssstone.”

Shade was by the name night sky mountain, glaring at the wolf that was also glaring at him.

“I’m here. What do you want?” He asked

“You’re a blunt boy.” The wolf spoke in a deep voice.

“Look, you clearly need something from me. What is it you want?” Shade snapped.

“In a hurry huh?’ The wolf leapt from his porch and began to prowl around him. ‘You jumping from the ledge is what led you to him. Don’t you remember when you made a promise to a certain friend of yours...and he ended up dragging you into danger?”

Shade growled at the memory. That was the reason why he had to run away in the first place. His rep was in tatters thanks to his ‘friend’ stitching him up.

“Tell me. Are you going to rush again? Or will you wait for the right time?”

Shadows formed as they showed Lumen fighting for his life. He seemed to be wearing down.

“OK! I get it! Just give me the strength to stop them!” He all but begged.

“If you say so...”

Shadows formed all over his body, trapping him in a black orb.

“With shadows, patience is at its strongest.”

Flora was in the forest/savannah area, seeing the prowling feline shadow glare at her.

“Well, well. Look who it is.”

Flora then saw the same feline she saw earlier, it’s eyes narrowing at her like it was going to pounce on its prey.

“H-Hola...” She said in a meek tone.

“I see you decided to plant your roots back here.” It said with a cheshire grin.

“Well, I don’t have a choice. We are kind of under attack.” Flora spoke.

“Yeah, I can see that.’ The cat agreed. ‘What I want to know is if you can trust your sensei.”

Flora’s eyes widened before they narrowed.

“Of course I can. He took me in at my lowest!” She exclaimed.

“Even though he hid something from you? You should know that all roses have thorns. Much like a certain relative of yours.” The cat said, making Flora freeze. That was an old burn if she could ever think of. How did this cat know?

Flora shook her head of those thoughts.

“Look, that doesn’t matter.”

“Hmmmm....I’m not sure.’ Soon the reeds began to grow and curl to show a portal of Lumen being held down by the shadow creatures. ‘Are you CERTAIN you can trust him?”

Flora was now getting annoyed.

“He may have a reason for this, you know. And for now, I need to trust him. If he is hiding something sinister, then you can say ‘I told you so!” She said with a glare.

The feline was silent before nodding in respect.

“You have guts. And for that, you have my respect. You want the power?”

“Si! Give me the power!” She declared. Soon, she was wrapped in grass roots before being encased in a green orb.

“Now it’s time for the sapling to grow into something stronger.”

In a black space, all six orbs began to float together, the six animals gazing over them.

“The time has come. All six have accepted.”

“A pact has been formed and now they will be blessed with phenomenal abilities”

“They will embrace the nature of the wild, from all elements of the world.”

“And when the time is right, they’ll awaken a stronger form.

“Mental and physical balance will be needed for this journey.”

“But let’s see if they can utilise the power.”

“No more talk....”

“IT’S TIME TO RELEASE THE BEASTS!”

With that, the six orbs exploded. And the presence was sensed by a lot of other people.

In a bar, a hooded man looked up as he grinned, his red eyes shining in interest.

“Well, well. Looks like there are a bunch of new animals in the area...”

Inside an apartment, a woman with dark blue skin and dark blue hair also shot up, her eyes widened in shock.

“Impossible. Someone’s using the Lake of Elements?”

Reading a book, an old man peeked from his reading as he felt the presence.

“What on earth? The Lake of Elements is being used?”

Another man, who was checking over some rides, shot up and chuckled as he felt something.

“Oh my? Looks like things are going to be much more fun now.”

Inside a tent, a man was dusting some artifacts before he shot up and felt the presence.

“Hmmm...Something’s happening right now.”

Finally, inside a temple, a muscular yet wrinkly old man was meditating, before his eyes shot up and his eyes narrowed.

“Interesting...very interesting.”

Lumen was now held down by several Shadow Walkers as he was approached by a larger Walker. His face was covered in gashes, his left eyes was swollen and he was drooling a bit of blood from his lips

“Finally, we have found you.” It rasped.

“How did you find me?” He snarled, glaring at him.

“It wasn’t easy. We had to track your presence, however small it was. We just got lucky we sensed the temple being intruded.”

Lumen glared, but he knew what he meant.

“Now we’ll get a hold of that Lake. For the Dark Beasts!” He rasped with a chuckle.

Lumen’s eyes narrowed even further before he felt a presence and began to chuckle, which the giant walker noticed.

“And what is so funny?” He asked.

“Oh, just the fact you are in a lot of trouble.”

Before the walker could say anything else, the temple doors blasted wide open as bright light shown from them, making the walkers hiss in pain and fear.

Emerging from the doors were Lumen’s students.

And they were not happy. At all.

Author's Note

Holy crap! How long has it been since I updated this fic?! Sorry for the long wait, but a lot of things have happened and I totally forgot about this fic! But I'm back again for a new chapter of 2025! Hope you enjoy