"Why did you bring me here Raymond?" I asked as crystal coated ponies ran away from the jousting stadium.
"So the power of Helios will be ours," Raymond replied, "And please, call me Shadow. Now pick up your bey and battle!"
I didn't know who Helios was and didn't really care at the moment, so I put Sagittario on my launcher and launched, saying, "I'm going to end this quickly."
I spun Sagittario in a large circle around the mysterious bey, picking up speed until my move was charged.
"Special move! Nova Burst!"
My bey hit his and the shockwave made me stumble back. Shadow's bey didn't even budge. I hit it with rapid fire attacks until I began to pant. Whatever knocked be out left me weak.
"Your puny attacks cannot affect Nemesis!" Shadow laughed, "Now Special Move! Dark Shockwave!"
A wave of dark energy swept over the stadium, sending Sagittario flying behind me. I brought it in front of me and began to launch attack after attack at Nemesis.
"After I beat you, your friends are next!" Shadow laughed, "Maybe I shall destroy Fluttershy and that Phantom Orion of hers. You never use your true strength because she uses your father's bey."
It was true that I never used my full force on Fluttershy. But it was not because she used my father's bey, though she did. It was becayse she was so frail I didn't want to hurt her.
I heard a voice behind me yell, "I won't let you hurt my friends!"
I turned to see Rainbow Dash, launcher at the ready.
"No Dash," I said, "This my battle." She looked a bit upset by that so I added, "If I lose, feel free to end him."
"Or maybe I should start with that little pegasus orphan you're friends with," Shadow continued, "What's her name, Scootaloo?"
Something in me snapped and I turned towards Shadow. I felt like raw power was flowing through my veins. My
entire body caught fire and my bey began to glow and I growled, "You will not touch her!
Two forms appeared beside me, a centaur and an alicorn. Both nodded and I said, "Special move!
Wrath of Helios!"
A ball of fire consumed both beys. Then it imploded and released a flaming shockwave that sent Nemesis flying.
Shadow picked his bey up off the ground and said, "We will meet again," before dissolving into darkness.
I collapsed onto my knees and stared at the ground, my power spent. I had Sagittario come to me and I stood up.
Rainbow Dash flew over and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," I replied, "I used alot of power. Are the others alright."
She nodded, "Is what that guy said true? Is Scootaloo an orphan?"
"Yes, but Pinkie Promise that you won't tell anypony or let Scootaloo know that you know."
"Uh, alright. Cross my heart, hope fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Thank you, now where are the others?"
Rainbow gave me a quick explanation about Sombra and the Crystal Heart. After she was done I started walking towards the castle. I kept moving until the arm that the dagger hit began to throb in pain. Rainbow gasped and I turned to see a cloud of smoke with the head of a unicorn. I fell to the ground and blacked out.
------------------------------------------------
I was back in Ponyville. Scootaloo was standing beside me. She was looking forward, mouth hanging open. I looked in the same direction and saw a writhing mass of darkness speeding towards us. I picked Scootaloo up and threw her just as the darkness consumed me.
I was surrounded by suffacating darkness, unable to move or breath. I was trying with all my might to grab my bey and launcher so I could break out, but I was unable. I could hear a voice in my head, telling me that my struggling was pointless. As I struggled to get oxygen to my brain, I whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough."
As I closed my eyes, a bright light appeared in front of me and I watched as it took the form of an alicorn stallion. He stuck his horn into my chest and I felt rejuvenated. As he turned to go he spoke a single sentence, "Awake my child.
-----------------------------------------------
My eyes opened and I was lying on the ground, my friends staring at me. I stood up and saw that my body was unscathed, not even the knife wound was remaining.
"What just happened?" I asked, wondering if Rainbow bucked my head again (first time was the first time I beat her at a bey battle).
"SpikejumpedoffahugecrystalandShiningthrewCadenceandthecrystalheartmadeSombraexplode!" Pinkie explained in her strange way.
Twilight then explained everything slower and I understood. I turned to Shining Armor and asked him to levitate Sagittario. He did so and I grasped it, forming two beys. Death Quetzacoatl went to Cadence and Variares went to Shining Armor.
"What are these?" Shining Armor asked.
"Beyblades," I began to explain.
When I was done, Shining Armor asked, "Do you think we'll need these?"
"If Shadow comes back, maybe. His bey took all my strength to beat and he still had the power to teleport."
"Well thanks."
Before we started our way to the train station, Twilight gave her family a hug. The whole way there Applejack kept staring at me. When we were on the train I asked, "Why are you staring at me?"
"You had a secret on your chest when you came here," she replied," It's gone now. So what was a secret so great that you held it for a month?"
I contemplated on how to answer. It was obvious that she could tell if I was lieing. Also, I trusted these ponies and they would probably understand.
I took a deep breath and said, "I've been holding it for three years actually."
On the train ride I explained my past to the girls. They understood why I kept my secret and did't judge me. The only thing I didn't tell them was the conversation I had with Scootaloo.
As I watched the scenery pass by I thought about Raymond, or Shadow now.
"Where are you?"
------------------------------------------------------------
Shadow stepped through a vortex into a snow filled cave. He looked around until he found a red horn. The horn glowed and Sombra's head regenerated.
"We failed," Sombra whispered.
"No," Shadow smiled, "You failed to take the empire while I absorbed the power of Helios Archer channeled through his special move."
"Help me, please."
"Master doesn't like failure. So he needs what power you have left."
Shadow held out Nemesis and Sombra screamed as he was absorbed into the bey. A portal opened behind him and Shadow laughed as he stepped backwards into it.