It was three weeks since Chase Young was banished to the moon when another Shen Gong Wu revealed itself and with the boost of encouragement that came from the new Xiaolin Dragon, Spike. He discovered that his Xiaolin element was Unity and it was his existence that brought the ponies and monks together. He felt much more important now that he was the one providing transport and support for the other Dragons.
Off he and Dojo took to the skies, with Twilight levitating the Shen Gong Wu scroll in front of her with a purple aura of magic. She then read the text it was showing her.
"The Frigid Field. It's a staff that, when slammed on the ground, the surface below turns to the slippiest of solid ice, but the one who holds it will be able to traverse it with no trouble." she explained.
The picture showed a man stabbing the ground with a staff-shape and another man tripping over. Twilight folded the scroll up, Applejack lifted up her hat and Twilight moved the scroll underneath it. Applejack returned her hat to the back of her head.
Fluttershy wiped her forehead, "is it getting hotter up here?"
The others began to sweat, then noticed an awful smell rising from the ground below. Their vision was suddenly blinded by a thick black smog as they coughed and spluttered, trying to hold their breath and their eyes closed. They flew through the lingering cloud of smoke directly into another. Everyone was almost sick with the strength of the smell.
"Looks like we're flying over a few volcanoes," Spike said, not realising what an understatement he had just made.
Before the two dragons and the monks was an entire valley of holes in the ground, all spewing an almost deadly and opaque smoke. Dojo and Spike's magical Shen Gong Wu senses had brought them here for the location of the Frigid Field. The dragons hung in midair, trying to find the precise location of the staff, but a nearby volcano fiercely expelled a geyser of lava and with it, a covered black vehicle.
"The Black Beetle!" Kimiko exclaimed.
"But who's in it?" Pinkie Pie asked.
The top of the Black Beetle opened up and Wuya revealed herself, standing up tall and holding a crooked brown stick with an ice-blue pointed crystal sat on top.
"The Frigid Field is mine!" she hissed.
Then, Jack Spicer quickly flew in on his jetpack, grabbing the staff as he flew past, "not if I can help it!"
Raimundo jumped down from Dojo and landed sat on Jack's shoulders. Jack let off a loud 'oof' as the monk's heavy body collided with him. Raimundo quickly held the Frigid Field also.
"Jack, Wuya, I challenge you both to a three-way Xiaolin Showdown," he announced.
"Fine! The game is to avoid the black smoke the volcanic holes belch," Wuya replied.
"I wager my Dizzy Top for Wuya's Reversing Mirror and Raimundo's Sword of the Storm," Jack declared.
"That's fine with me," Raimundo agreed.
"LET'S GO! XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" the three shouted.
As Raimundo gained his Shoku Warrior outfit in a flash, the human monks wore their Showdown armor and the ponies, and Spike, wore their belts. The hollow crater in which the small holes dwelled expanded, revealing more of the magma-filled mini-craters which widely covered the area.
"GONG YI TENPAI!" the Showdowners yelled, carefully studying the area to see what would happen.
A few of the small volcanoes erupted with the onyx smoke and the trio knew what they were going to be up against. They each stood at different ends of the large crater, but Jack instantly ran towards Wuya using his Dizzy Top. He spun quickly and rose to the air, then stopped and unleashed an after-image towards Wuya, who held out her Reversing Mirror and activated it, sending the see-through Jack right back at him. The 'genius' didn't anticipate this move and collided with the spinning ghost, which knocked him clean off his feet and sent his brain spinning.
Raimundo, using his tiger instinct, predicted a nearby spurt of smoke.
"SWORD OF THE STORM!" he called, blowing the smoke with a twirl of his blade.
The effect was not as he imagined. The smoke simply cleared. Raimundo noticed the two other contenders completely focused on each other, he was in the clear and saw his chance to strike. He turned to Omi, who was stood outside of the crater.
"Hey, Omi, wanna see some Shoku Warrior skills?" he asked, braggingly.
"Oh, yes please! This will be most exciting!" Omi replied, suddenly grabbing a bag of popcorn from nowhere.
Raimundo turned back to the Showdown and meditated on the spot. He gained a white aura and his eyes flashed the same colour.
"SHOKU MERGE, WIND!" he called and slowly disappeared to nothing, his Sword hit the floor with a loud clang.
"Where did he go?" Fluttershy gasped.
Suddenly, another volcano erupted with smoke, which quickly bunched up in a ball and just as swiftly moved of its own accord. Omi was in complete amazement and he explained to the others that the 'Shoku Merge' move allowed one to join his element, in this case, Raimundo became the wind. The smoke he controlled struck through Jack, eliminating him from the competition. Wuya tried to run, but Raimundo was too fast and quickly won the Showdown.
As the field returned to normal and the monks boarded their dragons to return home, two beings covered with brown hooded capes onlooked from the distance.
"Looks like we were a little late to the party, my dear," one of them said sinisterly.
"You told Trixie that she would win this time. If you are smart, you will not lie to Trixie again," the other scolded.
"Oh, no worries, Trixie. Your time will come!" the first spoke, the wind blowing away his cape. Hannibal laughed evilly.
***
Everyone was merrily skating in the temple courtyard, happily leaping around and gliding on the slippery surface below. Rainbow Dash had the bright idea to use the new Shen Gong Wu to make a skating rink so that they could have some fun before they trained. The Frigid Field stood at the center of the ice, firmly placed upright as the crystal atop reflected the bright sunlight to create a beautiful blue effect on the walls around the monks. Fluttershy was having troubles skating for the first time, she kept falling over and nearly went to sit out, but Kimiko kindly used the Tangle Web Comb to create a strong and gentle rope for the both of them to hold on to so that the pegasus wouldn't fall.
Omi leapt towards the Frigid Field, "who wants snowcreams?" he asked.
"It's snowcones, Omi," Raimundo corrected, "but pass one over here!"
All the others asked for one too and Omi acquired paper cones for each of them, then held onto the new Shen Gong Wu.
"Frigid Field, WATER!" he called.
The crystal began to glow a white hue and Omi quickly threw the cones to everyone, then the staff unleashed several balls of snow which all landed perfectly in each cone. Just before any of the team could take their first bite, however, Master Fung peacefully walked over the ice with no trouble and held the staff.
"Frigid Field," he called calmly.
"Awww," everyone cried.
"Training has been canceled today," he began.
"Hooray!" the monks all cheered.
"Because a new Shen Gong Wu has just revealed itself,"
"Do we ever get a break?" Rarity whined.
Master Fung revealed the Shen Gong Wu scroll from his sleeve and opened it out, reading what it said to the group. He explained that the new Wu was called 'The Needle of Life'.
"The one who manages to master this delicate Shen Gong Wu will be able to bring to life and control any inanimate object," he finished.
"Looks like we won't be havin' any more Heart o' Jong incidents," Applejack sniggered, looking towards a blushing Twilight.
Dojo and Spike approached the monks with worried looks on their faces as their tails both wagged furiously; but it wasn't the Shen Gong Wu that was getting to them, it was its location. After they explained where it was to the monks, nobody was sure if it was right to do.
"It's located in a museum, and we would have to steal it to get it,"
"Why is a sewing needle in a museum?" Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Sewing needles are intricate specimens, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity sighed.
"I've really had enough snooping around places to steal things..." Fluttershy said.
The monks decided that Fluttershy could stay behind (if she did all their chores) and set off to find the museum where the golden needle was kept.
***
Dojo and Spike landed at the front of the museum, located in a city in Switzerland, and looked at the night-shrouded building before them. Everyone was dressed in their sneaking outfits, then looked to Raimundo to begin their plan. The Xiaolin leader stood and relaxed, then gained a white aura.
"Shoku Merge, Wind!" he whispered and quickly disappeared, quite literally, to thin air.
One of the lowest windows tilted upright and opened, which was Raimundo going through the wall as air and using a gale to push it open from the other side. Everyone else moved in but the dragons, who were staying hidden in some shrubs nearby. The monks stayed bunched up together and Raimundo appeared from the air, then, Omi held out two cloaks which everyone held onto and called, "Shroud of Shadows! Shroud of Silence!"
Then they all disappeared, but could still feel each other and stay bunched up as a group, they then held on to a third Shen Gong Wu, the Falcons Eye, and silently used its power. What they all saw before them was red lines dotted around the corridor they had entered. It would have been easier to navigate separately, but they might have been seen by the CCTV cameras or heard by some sensor; the Shrouds provided the perfect cover.
Swiftly, they avoided all the lasers and reached the end of the corridor, then slowly opened a door to see before them a glass case with a brightly shining golden object encased within, but it was heavily surrounded by red lasers. It was the Needle of Life. From under the Shrouds, Raimundo used the Eye of Dashi and his wind element to short circuit and shut off the lasers and security systems, but then they heard a voice.
"Thank you for making Trixie's job easier," the raspy, feminine voice spoke.
Twilight ran out from under the Shrouds, "Trixie?! How did you...what are you..."
"Oh, please, there will be time for catching up in due time, my dear Twilight, but for now I need to get this Shen Gong Wu," she cackled.
She used her magic to levitate the case and bring out the Needle. it was tiny, literally the size of a baby's smallest fingernail, but shone a magnificent golden light, but then Twilight's magic conflicted Trixie's and the golden light became brighter.
"Trixie, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown,"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie accepts. This will be the perfect revenge for upstaging Trixie those many months ago," Trixie giggled.
"You're still not over that?" Twilight said in a way to make the blue unicorn feel pathetic.
"Oh, please, after that fiasco everyone knew of Trixie's bluffs. From town to town Trixie went, but she only got laughed at! Then, one day, from seemingly nowhere came quite a little fellow who offered the Great and Powerful Trixie a chance for vengeance and equally, a chance to rule another world. Yes, Hannibal Roy Bean is quite the charmer,"
"Hannibal Bean?!" Applejack gasped.
"Someone had to be behind this," Omi commented, "but how did you get here?"
Trixie laughed, "you see, after the whole Chase Young incident, the portal to Equestria was not closed properly. There was a gap, and Hannibal got in and found Trixie. He also snuck in to the forbidden section of the Canterlot Archives and found a way to bring anyone, anypony back and not break the event horizon! You can probably guess where he is now..."
"You mean," Rarity whimpered in a similar style to the absent Fluttershy.
Trixie laughed again, more menacingly this time, "he's building a team of your opposites! Those you have upstaged or angered in the past and want revenge! With him, we will rule this world and Equestria!"
Twilight screamed and shoved herself in Trixie's face, "the game! Get to the outside of the museum without being detected! I wager my Tangle Web Comb!"
"Hasty pony, aren't we, Twilight Sparkle? Very well, Trixie accepts your Showdown yet again and she wagers her Serpent's Tail, which was kindly left behind at Chase Young's palace when he was sent to the moon,"
"LET'S GO! XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" the two shouted.
As the monks were dressed with their Showdown uniforms, the corridor outside extended and many new obstacles were created. Suddenly, a siren wailed loudly and red lights faded in and out.
"GONG YI TENPAI!" the unicorns began.
"SERPENT'S TAIL!" Trixie immediately called, flying at high-speed towards the exit. Twilight could only gallop, so she did so as fast as she could.
Trixie thought she had the easiest win, but the Showdown wouldn't let this go so easily. She approached a laser filled square and was instantly shocked through her ghostly figure as she collapsed to the ground. Twilight laughed, but suddenly slipped past a 'wet floor' sign and lost control of her direction. There was a gap ahead of her and she couldn't stop herself. She then looked to her mane to see the Tangle Web Comb placed nicely within and she levitated it, then called on it and held on to a locked door handle. Thankfully, seeing Kimiko and Fluttershy on the ice earlier had helped her to devise the quick strategy. The rope quickly tugged on the handle and stopped Twilight just before the deep pit. She then retracted the comb's rope and leapt over the hole, racing on ahead. By this time, Trixie had escaped her electrical torture and was already neck and neck with Twilight, seeing that her Shen Gong Wu may not be all she thought she would need.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie will not allow you to upstage her again!" she screamed, then bumped her side into Twilight's.
The purple unicorn grunted and bashed Trixie back, the two were crashing into each other furiously and repeatedly, but neither noticed squares in the ceiling opening up. A white glue-like ball crashed onto Trixie's mane, then expended, sticking it to her neck. She screamed and cried about her fashion disaster, but didn't notice a second glue-ball falling ahead of her. She stepped right into it and it expanded, her left hoof getting stuck to the ground. Then another dropped, causing her to lose her grip on the Serpent's Tail, which was now stuck to the floor away from her. She tried to pull the glue off but it was too tightly stuck. She couldn't move, but would not accept her imminent loss.Twilight took caution and watched the ceiling intently and saw several squares in front of her open up. She gasped, not this many had been set on Trixie. The balls fell, but Twilight couldn't control her hoofing and kept galloping. She then desperately called,
"TANGLE WEB COMB! MAGIC!" and several roped reached out and shone with a pink aura and just kept expanding. They wrapped themselves round the glue balls and covered them completely.
The balls fell to the floor and bounced as Twilight finally reached the exit and cheered. Trixie grunted and everything returned to normal. The dragons quickly grew and the monks ran out as alarms went crazy inside the museum. They quickly got on the dragons and flew home unseen. Trixie managed to escape before hundreds of guards entered the museum, all armed, only to find nothing as Trixie fled into the shadows.
***
The monks, all very tired, finally reached the Xiaolin temple at sunrise and walked slowly and exhaustedly to their bedrooms, not paying attention to their surroundings. Raimundo, at the front, suddenly slipped over and hurt his back.
"ARGH!" he cried, "is this really gonna become a thing with me?"
Fluttershy, who was skating on ice created by the Frigid Field, quickly slid up to him, "oh my gosh! Raimundo! Are you okay?"
He slowly got up and said he was fine, rubbing his back. Everyone looked at Fluttershy in confusion, then Clay spoke.
"Are y'all skatin' on yer own?" he asked.
"Yep! I managed to teach myself and now I'm confident! I haven't fallen over for three hours!"
Everyone gasped, "three hours?!"
"Do you wanna join me? It's so much fun," Fluttershy exclaimed with a huge smile.
The others shook their heads and yawned. They really wanted to sleep.
"Are you sure, guys? An early morning skate won't hurt anyone," then they all collapsed into sleep, "oh, sorry..." Fluttershy giggled.