Starting Over 3: Return Of Spectra

Rainbow watched as her husband fell over onto the ground with blood pouring out of his shoulder. Shadow ran up to him and held him, putting a hoof to his neck. He looked up at the group.

"He's alive. But he won't be for much longer if he stays here. We need to take him to the hospital."

Rainbow shook her head. "How do we get him there quick enough?"

Discord cleared his throat and gestured to his body.

"Um, hello?"

Discord snapped his fingers and a bright light filled everyponies vision. When the light cleared, they all found themselves in Ponyville Hospital. Discord wore a smug look on his face.

"It helps to be a god, sometimes."

Rainbow ignored him and ran up to the front desk and pointed to Spectra, who was lying on the floor with a pool of blood under his shoulder.

"My husband has lost a lot of his blood! Please help him!"

The nurse at the desk nodded and pushed a button and spoke into the microphone in front of her.

"We have an emergency at the front desk!"

Rainbow walked up to her husband and kissed him on the forehead.

"Don't worry. You're gunna be alright."

Two unicorns went over to Spectra and picked his body up with their magic. They floated him down a hallway and into a room. A few doctors ran past Rainbow and the group into the same room. There was a coughing noise and everypony looked to the source. Star Burst was back in his body, but it was still damaged. He wouldn't last long. Luna held him and rested her head on his.

All Rainbow could do was sit and wait. Eventually after a while, Shadow and Aeb went to each of their friends places to collect them. The whole time Rainbow was glaring at Luna holding Star Burst.

"You did this."

Luna looked up at Rainbow with a sad look. She nodded.

"Yes. Yes I did. Believe me when I say I am truly sorry."

Rainbow huffed. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't cost my husband to get bitten. But that remind's me..."

She looked up to Discord. "Why would he bite Spectra?"

Discord sighed. "The Darkane are disgusting, Rainbow. They are bred from chaos and are designed for war. They feed on the blood of those they defeat in combat, gaining their abilities and therefore making them stronger."

Rainbow looked at Discord with a shocked look. Discord threw his arms up in the air.

"It wasn't my fault they exist! It was Celestia and Luna's fault!"

As he said that he pointed a finger at Luna. She looked down in shame.

"Yes, it was mine and my sisters fault. Star Burst nearly died from the battle."

Rainbow looked at Star. "You okay?"

Star looked weakly in her direction. "This body won't last me long."

"Oh, don't be so down!"

Everypony looked to the new voice. The same brown pony from before was standing there, as well as Derpy right behind him. Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?"

The stallion walked towards Star and held a strange device in his hoof.

"I'm the Doctor."

The device lit up and shone a dark blue light and he waved it all around Star Burst's body. He stopped his action and looked to the device. He frowned and turned to Derpy.

"He doesn't have long, but this is puzzling. According to this, his body is over 1,000 years old!"

Star nodded. "That's because it is. How long I got?"

The Doctor turned back to him and smiled.

"Who cares? Live whatever time you have with someone special!"

Rainbow giggled. "What's that weird word you just used?"

The Doctor turned to Rainbow. "Oh, right. Forgot everyon-everypony here is a pony."

Rainbow cocked her head to the left in confusion.

"You're acting like your not a pony."

The Doctor straightened up and started sweating slightly. "Uhhh...Anyway, how is Spectra doing?"

Rainbow waved a hoof around. "We haven't heard anything. What are you doing here?"

The Doctor walked up to Rainbow and stared her in the face.

"Spectra must live. You don't understand but trust me when I say he must live. Where is he?"

Rainbow pointed down the hallway and towards the door. The Doctor nodded and ran for the room. Rainbow got up and chased after him with Discord behind. Luna was still holding Star in the embrace. Inside the room, a few doctors were still in the room. Spectra was lying on a bed with a crimson bandage wrapped around his shoulder. The Doctor was pointing his device at his shoulder and lighting it up. Rainbow walked around to the opposite side The Doctor was. She pointed to the device.

"What in the hay is that?"

"Sonic Screwdriver."

"What's it do?"

"All sorts of things. Leave me alone, I'm trying to be brilliant."

Discord walked up next to Rainbow and looked down at Spectra. Discord sighed and put a claw to Rainbow's shoulder.

"He'll be alright. He hasn't come close to dying yet and that won't happen any time soon. I know he'll live."

The Doctor raised the Screwdriver to his head and nodded in agreement.

"He sure will. He'll be alright."

He jumps down and turns for the door. He stops halfway there and spins on the spot and points at Rainbow.

"Don't make me come back. Remember, he must live."

He spins and faces the door and exits. Rainbow rests her head on Spectra's bed and sighs.

"Just like 7 years ago when that Manticore got you, huh?"

She looked up to Spectra expecting him to respond, but nothing happened. She sighed and rested her head back on the bed. Discord patted her back and took a seat near the bed. After a few minutes, Shadow and Aeb walked into the room with Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Nitro. Rainbow smiled at the newcomers. They all huddled around Spectra's bed. Shadow walked up to Rainbow.

"Twilight has to study, Pinkie has to run the bakery and Spike says hi."

Rainbow giggled and gave Shadow a hug.

"Thanks for trying."

Fluttershy flew up to Spectra's head and held a hoof to it.

"What happened to him? Shadow and Aeb couldn't explain it to us."

Rainbow sighed. "Luna took Spectra out of his body and put Star Burst inside his body. Spectra woke up inside Star Burst. Some Darkane offered help for a taste of Spectra's blood, and Spectra accepted the help."

Everypony gasped and Applejack shook her head.

"What'n tha hay is a Darkane?"

Rainbow shrugged and pointed to Discord.

"Ask him, not me."

Discord sighed and dropped the upside down magazine he was holding.

"The Darkane are basically a race of very old vampire ponies."

Nitro laughed. "That's impossible. The Darkane's died out, didn't they?"

Discord looked at Nitro weirdly. "Oh really? Because I saw King Cruor of The Darkane walk up to my best friend and bite his shoulder. Saying he had an army, no less."

There was a groan and a scream. Everypony looked at Spectra. He was flailing around with his eyelids faintly glowing dark red. Aeb tried holding him down, but a burst of magic jolted him, throwing him to the ground. Shadow got up and ran over to his friend. Spectra stopped flailing around and shot up. He was awake. Rainbow sighed in relief and grappled him in a tight hug.

"Glad to see you in the world of the living."

"CAN'T. BREATHE!"

Rainbow released her grip and smiled. Spectra looked around to all of his friends around him then back to Rainbow.

"AAAH!"

Everypony looked to Aeb. Spectra gasped, he was in his Changeling form with Shadow looking at him with shock.

"Y-You're a Changeling? Why didn't you tell me?"

Aeb looked down in shame. "Spectra said not to tell you. He thought you mightn't like me if you knew I was a Changeling."

Shadow laughed. "Maybe if I found out 7 years ago, yeah. But now? No way man. Friends for life, under the new moon. We survive the strife, until the day of doom."

Aeb laughed. "Stop using that. Makes us sound like we're part of a club."

Shadow chuckled. "Maybe we are, buddy."

Shadow held out a hoof and Aeb grabbed it and got up. Spectra smiled but quickly frowned and looked around.

"Where's Rose?"

"DADDY!"

Rose ran into the room and jumped, crashing into Spectra in the bed. Spectra chuckled and rubbed her mane.

"There you are."

"Spectra..."

Everypony looked to the door. Luna was standing there smiling.

"I went to your home and got her. Spectra, I am so sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it."

Everypony gasped and Rainbow shook Spectra.

"WHAT!? She stole your body!"

When she stopped shaking him, Spectra nodded.

"She missed her coltfriend. I would've done the same if I found a way to bring you back to life. Wouldn't you try the same thing if I died?"

Rainbow was about to respond, but stopped herself. She nodded.

"I guess I would..."

Spectra smiled and lifted her onto the bed with him and Rose. He gave his family a big hug.

"Friends forgive each other for doing stupid things."

Rose giggled and Rainbow smiled. Spectra released his grip and looked to Luna.

"So, how's ol' Starry?"

Luna chuckled but frowned. "He wanted to speak with you before he..."

Luna looked down then back up to Spectra.

"Any way, he wishes to talk alone."

Spectra nodded and looked to the ponies surrounding his bed.

"Alright,I'll be out in a bit."

They nodded and exited. Rose jumped off Spectra and exited with them. Star Burst entered the room as Luna left and closed the door. He was still damaged but he was accepting his fate. Star walks up to Spectra with a smile.

"Glad to finally meet my reincarnation."

Spectra laughed. "Don't start that with me again. It took some therapy from my friends to get through that insane thought."

Star nodded and sat next to Spectra. "I have to tell you something. King Derg, the king before Cruor, wanted my blood to. But the thing is, if a Darkane drains you of every drop of blood, they gain your special talent and other abilities. Derg almost gained Dark-Star. He got my talent though, star gazing. A fat lot of luck that did him."

Spectra laughed at the small joke. "So you're saying that Cruor is after my talent and Dark-Red? What happens then?"

Star frowned and sighed. "Think about it. The power of the Dark Alicorn Power. Virtually unlimited power at ones hoof. What do you think he'll do with that? He'll take Equestria for his armies."

Spectra stared at the ceiling and breathed out heavily.

"Okay. Avoid Cruor when he sends his army, kill all other Darkane?"

Star coughed and shook his head. "No. I couldn't take them all on my own. Even if Discord, Kaor and Aeb join the fight it wouldn't be enough. Hell, if Nitro came up with a weird bomb that would be useful. But even that would only slow them down."

Spectra stared at Star weirdly and jumped off his bed and landed on his hooves.

"So, what do we do?"

Star placed a hoof on Spectra's shoulder. "Find their base, destroy it."

Spectra nodded and headed for the door. He turned to see Star hanging out the window with a smile.

"Take care, friend. I'm going back to sleep."

He flew out the window and headed for the Everfree. Spectra smiled and walked out the room and found Rainbow and the others. He grinned at the large group.

"Let's go. I feel fine. Shadow, Aeb, Discord. We need to talk."

The 3 mentioned nodded and exited the hospital with Spectra.

"Okay, guys. We need to find the Darkane base and destroy it. Star said we can't stand a chance against them if they attack."

Discord nodded. 'I'll get to work finding it. I'll check Ghastly Gorge first."

He snapped his fingers and disappeared. Shadow laughed.

"I'll keep an eye out in the Everfree."

He winked at Spectra before disappearing into thin air. Aeb coughed and Spectra looked to him.

"What do I do?"

Spectra laughed and held a hoof to his shoulder.

"You're a Changeling. Go into the Everfree and talk with any surviving Changelings. Ask some things."

Aeb nodded and flew towards the Everfree. Spectra looked at him and saw Shadow appear next to him and grapple him in a bro hug. Spectra laughed and rushed forward to where Rose was. He picked her up and put her on his back. His shoulder was screaming in protest, but Spectra didn't care. The group disbanded and the Speeds headed home.

-----Darkane Base, Unknown Location-----

In the throne room, a Darkane drone walked up to the throne and bowed.

"My King Cruor, we have discovered somepony that may be of use to us."

The king nodded. "Show me."

The drone got up and charged his horn. In front of him, appeared a projection of Shadow Nova. The king smiled wickedly.

"Yeees. This one may help us a great deal. You are excused."

The drone cancelled the spell and bowed. "My lord, I wish to ask something."

The king raised an eyebrow. "Speak."

The drone was sweating, afraid what he says may be rude. "Why don't we just obtain Twilight Sparkle, my lord? The Element Of Magic would be of a greater asset then-"

"Insolent fool!"

The drone cowered as the king got up and walked up to his face.

"We do not obtain her for two reasons. She is far too powerful for us to handle, and she isn't as close to my prize as this 'Shadow' is."

The drone stood tall and cleared his throat.

"P-Prize, sire?"

The king smiled and charged his horn. Behind him appeared a projection of Spectra Speed.

"Unlimited power. I shall rule with an iron hoof."

The drone nodded and turned to the door and left. The king sat back in his throne and summoned a projection in front of him. It was Nitro Pressure.

"This one possesses great intellect....he could be useful. Too bad we can't make him a Darkane like us. We must use...extreme measures."

The king smiled evilly and turned to the Darkane to his left.

"Gather the Umbra Triad, Requiem. We must have this scientist."

Requiem bowed. "Yes, my liege."

Requiem ran out of the throne room, looking for the Umbra Triad. The three deadliest assassins in all of Equestria.

Or so the Darkane were lead to believe.

-----Everfree Forest-----

Shadow and Aeb were walking through the forest talking to each other about random things.

"Can you change any part of your body? Seriously?"

Aeb nodded. "Yep. As long as the form is proportional to my size I can change it."

Shadow chuckled. "Crazy idea. But can you change the size of your....you know?"

Aeb laughed. "Well, I can but-"

"Excuse us. We're lost. Mind helping us out?"

Shadow and Aeb turned to the new voices. Six ponies stood before them. They wore strange clothing and Shadow swore he saw some blood stains.

"Who are you?"

The one who spoke stepped forward.

"My name is Spetsnaz. We are the Blood Hunters."