Flash woke from his cryptic dream with a gasp. Looking around the room he was kept. He saw two ponies hung over him, Applewood and another he didn't recognize. His short light orange mane kept attached to his head, while his deep golden coat reflected light from the dying flame of a candle in the corner of the room. The same light reflected from his large gray eyes staring at wonder at this half awake pony. It was only a few minutes later until he realized that Apple was yelling at him.
"Flash! Flash!" she yelled. The other pony looked at Apple which calmed her down. Flash saw a horseshoe appear over apple and a candle over the other. They faded as quickly as they appeared. Flash slowly got out of the bed of straw that he slept in. A sharp pain ran through his leg which made him wince.
"Who's this?" He asked Apple. "Gadget." The pony beside Apple said. "I know Star, the one who sent the letter." The name put Flash into deep thought. There was something comforting about the name. After exiting thought, he knew a question that haunted him.
"Do ether of you know somepony named ... Sombra?" Just the sound of the name made the air seam colder. Gadget's expression turned sour and he looked down.
"What do you want with that spawn of Hell." Flash and Apple where surprised at Gadget's sudden change of color. Gadget stormed out with Flash and Apple following close behind. Eventually, they made their way to a small cottage near the center of town. Gadget swung the door open as hard as he could, keeping it open. The duo behind him followed. What they found within was incredible. Sheet music and blueprints of various inventions hung the walls and scattered across the floor. gears and metal piles were scattered everywhere on the floor and every table. It was amazing that Gadget, in his blind rage was able to navigate the room. Flash and Apple caught a small light at the far end of the room with Gadget hung over a map that was stretched across a small table. Flash flew over to Gadget and Apple made her way slowly to the opposite end of Flash.
The map they looked at was a map of the Crystal mountains, with a big "X" in the center.
"This is where that vile creature Sombra lives." Gadget said with anger in his tone. Another map lay under the map Gadget hung over. Flash took it without Gadget caring. Flash then carefully made his way to an empty table with a quill and various stamps strewn about it. He put the map on the table and stared at it. Locations flashed through his head. He picker up the stamps and stamped six different stamps about the map of Equestria. He place a Horseshoe stamp right outside Ponyville. A candle stamp right in the middle of Ponyville. An eye stamp in the Everfree Forest. A quill in the Badlands. A heart on Canterlot. Finally a bolt in Cloudsdale. The trio looked at each other and to the map.
"What's this for?" Apple asked surprised at the location of the stamps. Without thinking Flash picked up the quill and put an "X" on the bolt, horseshoe and candle.
"Wait, I know those symbols." Gadget started, searching the room. "If I can just find the book ... Ha, got it." Rolling up the map, Gadget then place a book on the table. He quickly flipped through the many bookmarked pages until he got to a page depicting six amulets around a pedestal. The book read, "No one knows who put these here, but a small journal located near the location the objects says that the are the remains of a log lost Hero from before Equestria."
The three ponies looked at each other, while an outsider watches from the shadows. "The candle is found, my queen." A pony-like creature. "Shall we make our move." "Not yet, my eager solider." A creaked voice replied. "We wait in the Badlands, this is where they will travel next. If not and you are wrong, well ..." A small glow grew from her horn, choking the smaller creature. "Don't worry ... I will make sure this ... is there next ... location." The glow stopped making the small creature gasp for air on the ground. "I will lead them to you."
A knock was heard at the door of the trio. Flash flew over and opened the door. A small colt, bruised and sad stood there with tears in his eyes.
"Who have to help." He began "My family. They're trapped in the caves of the Badlands." Flash looked at the other two and they silently agreed to go, for they knew that one of the others lay in the Badlands. "Okay." Flash said to the colt. "We'll go help your family." With these words, a giant grin came across the colt's face. From these words, the trio, accompanied by this colt set off for the Badlands, in search for the quill and this colt's family. Little did they know, that the watcher's plan was going accordingly.