//------------------------------//
// Strike 50- Absolution 
// Story: When lightning strikes... 
// by FrostTheWolf 
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When Lightning Strikes- Absolution




Maretropolis (Earlier that day)

        It was a partially rainy day in Maretropolis as a few beams of sun began to peek through the clouds in the sky. But today though, it was anything short of it being peaceful. Right around now, the two heroes named Zapp and Saddle Rager were not only on the job with catching someone who was suspected for Arson, but also saving the ponies inside the home that he had recently torched. Several middle class families were crying and sobbing a little as Saddle Rager tried comforting them… all while Zapp punched the stallion who did this in his face before hurling him into the back of a Maretropolis PD carriage.

        “That’ll teach your punk ass not to do that again!” Zapp growled as the cops took the unconscious criminal away and turned to see Saddle Rager with all the ponies outside. She knew now that she had to make a call to a few other heroes in order to help the families that were affected by this arsonist’s actions. So, the pegasus trotted up to where her friend was and spoke to her. “Who in their right mind would do something like this?”

        Saddle Rager just shook her head, looking around and wondering where the rest of her team would be, but at the corner of her eye, she happened to notice something move. Turning around, the mare happened to notice that a small cardboard box in the alleyway was moving a little. She was concerned that it may had been in the fire that they just rescued anypony they could out of and now… no longer had a home. So, slowly going over, Saddle Rager nudged the box just a little bit. Just to be sure that she did see it move before making any assumptions.

        In response though, she noticed the edges of the cardboard box move a little as she peaked to have a look inside. What she saw though… made her feel very saddened and also feel bad. It was a small black cat, almost the size of a kitten. But it had no collar on and looked to be in pretty bad shape. It didn’t even look like it had eaten in days. “Aww… you poor thing… Are you okay, little guy?” She asked, trying to see if it would notice her. Which it did, but it just curled up and fell asleep.

        “Saddle, you found something?” The mare heard her friend ask as she happened to notice her friends; The Masked Matterhorn, Mistress Marevelous, Solaria, Filly-second and Radiance, show up to help some of the other families.

        “I f-found this cat here hiding in a box… Poor thing looks like it lost it’s home in the fire.” Saddle Rager spoke, looking back at the pegasus. “Are any of the ponies here missing any pets?”

        “No actually… I actually happen to know the owner from a friend of mine and this building has a strict rule against anyone having pets here,” Zapp told her, before noticing the little cat that was asleep. “Still… little Smoky there looks like he’s been through a lot.”

        That… gave Fluttershy an idea. “Smoky… that sounds like a good name to call him.”

        “Woah, wait a second… you are actually going to take care of it? Remember the last time we brought a pet home that you rescued? It chewed through one of the sandbags that we had in the training room.” She reminded her. It was a while ago, when the Power Ponies were first having the Adept that was now referred to as Gunvolt go through his training that Saddle Rager had brought home a small dog that was named Iggy. It definitely did not like Zapp at all, going as far as to bite her in the nose the moment that she suggested to her friend that she should take him to a shelter.

        “Iggy was a different case, Zapp. Now he has a home with Button Mash back at Centrail City. Besides, this little one looks to only be a couple months old.” Saddle Rager insisted. “I promise that I’ll take full responsibility if he happens to do anything mean to you or anypony else okay?” Zapp herself sighed a little in defeat as she looked back at the pegasus that was her teammate and her friend. 

       “Okay, but I’m not cleaning up after that cat if he makes a mess in my room.” Zapp told the fellow hero in response.



Power Pony HQ (Sometime later)

“So this is what your home base looks like…” Katy chimed a few moments after she and Lance had entered the compound. “It’s rather… spacious… I like it.”

“Less of a home and more of a headquarters to be precise, but you get the idea.” The adept told her as they stepped inside the main room and looked around a bit. “Hunh… I think most of the girls are out on patrol… perhaps Humdrum and Cody are here.”

“I remember you telling me about Cody, but whose Humdrum exactly?” Katy asked out of curiosity. She didn’t quite recall him mentioning anypony… or anyone with that name for that matter and she wanted to make sure that she knew who exactly she was meeting before they somehow ran into them and possibly embarrass herself in the process.

“He’s a baby dragon that helps out Twilight and the others. Humdrum’s just his hero name though. We all know him by his real name, Spike.” Ironically, it was just as he said that that he saw the dragon walk out of the back room and over to where he and Katy were standing.

“Oh hey, there you are Lance,” the dragon said at first, before turning to notice the… newcomer that was right next to him. “Um… Not to sound rude or anything, but who’s your friend?”

“Spike, this is Katy. She’s a displaced who wanted to come back here with me after I was last summoned… Speaking of which, how long has it been since I… well… left?” He was a bit nervous to ask because of how long he had exactly been gone for, but the answer that he got from Spike was one that he wasn’t really expecting at that point in time.

“Lance, you’ve only been gone for half a day. We’ve been able to cover for you while you have been gone, so don’t worry about it.” That… caught both him and Katy by surprise. When they were out helping Suicune out back home, almost a year or so had passed by in the blink of an eye. Now, they were finding out that the whole entire time… had only been hours for everypony back home. Which, to him, was rather eye opening.

“Wow… uh, that was… not what I expected honestly.” The Adept replied, scratching the back of his head for a moment as the dragon happened to notice something a bit… off about him.

“Hey, where’s Lumen? I thought she left with you to wherever you guys went.” That had Lance stop scratching the back of his head… and the look on his face now had Katy look a little uneasy as she looked at Humdrum.

“Hey, Spike right? Why don’t you come come show me around the base for a bit? I think Lance needs to get himself settled in.” That had the dragon… nod a little bit as he looked back at the Adept for a small bit, but when Spike spoke to Katy again, he sounded more concerned than normal.

“Uh… Is Lance okay? He doesn’t… well normally act like that…” All the girl could do in the moment that Spike asked that was just sigh for a moment before turning back to the dragon again.

“He’s been through a lot… and it’s a lot to explain.”



When she got back to HQ that evening, it took only a few moments for Saddle Rager… or otherwise known by her real name Fluttershy, to get the cat that she found home as the pegasus got herself a warm towel to help dry it off. She did not know how long the cat had been out in the rain for and was worried that it would catch a cold, so the mare had used the town she warmed up to help make sure that the small black feline was not freezing.

        After a little bit of time though, she then decided to place a small collar that the mare happened to have for Iggy if he had happened to stay. But the collar was too small and she happened to realize that after making the purchase and coming home that it was actually a cat’s collar. Placing it around the small cats neck, Fluttershy soon held her up and smiled. “Welcome to your new home, Smoky.”

        The cat laid around lazily, before scratching at the collar. Making the pony giggle in response as she looked back at him in response. “Stay right there, little rascal. I’m gonna go wash up for a moment and be right back.” With that, the mare turned the lights off to the room and stepped out. Closing the door for only a brief moment.

        Soon though, she heard the television turning on. Which was odd… because she didn’t normally watch TV a lot. Not to mention that the only one in her room was… Smoky. She then heard the refrigerator opening and slamming, which made the pony’s fur stand up on end as she shivered in place. Did somepony intrude into her room? What was going on? 

       Slowly, she opened the door once again and crept inside her room… but what she happened to find was something that was not the cat that was originally in the room with them.

        A human. A male one, slouched in front of the television while he ate some of her food, most likely cold noodles or something. He had blue hair in the front, but black in the back with two spikes that looked like ears. He was also fully dressed and wore white cargo pants, black boots, and a light blue trench coat that ended torn and black at the bottom. He was watching an old sitcom rerun, looking bored.

        Fluttershy almost squeaked a little in response to seeing the intruder as the door closed behind her. The sound of her squeak alerting the… intruder of her presence in the room as he slowly turned his head towards her. 

       His red eyes bore into her with an emotionless mask, and creepy dark bags under his eyes. His starring continued until he spoke in a scratchy voice. “You only have seventeen channels… You need to get better cable.” He turned back to the TV. “And something strong to wash down food. Your cupboards are baren.”

“W-who are you and what are you doing in my r-room?” She told the stranger, a little scared even though she was trying her best to be brave. “Don’t make me kick you out of here!”

        “That would imply you want me here…” The man grumbled. “I’ll tell you mine if you bother with yours, lady.”

        “What I want is for you to answer… my… question.” She told him. “You would not like me when I’m angry.”

        “Fine, but I rather not call you Saddle, it sounds dirty by pony standards. Must be why you wear latex!” He laughed at his own joke. Only making Fluttershy grit her teeth as she trotted over to him and nearby the other side of the room.

        “Wait… how do you know my-?” Just as she asked that question, the mare caught one of her front hooves on the curtains that were along the wall, knocking them over as Sunlight soon poured into the room. When Fluttershy looked back up, she looked at where the figure previously was… only to find the cat she rescued earlier and no sign of the same human that was here a few moments ago. “S-smoky? What… just happened?”

        Smoky stayed napping on the ground in the light. However, that was when Fluttershy thought of something. Taking the bar that the curtains were originally on, she hung everything back up and closed the curtains so no sunlight would come into the room. Causing Smoky to turn back into the… intruder that was just in her room as she turned on a nearby lightswitch.

        “Smoky… just what are you?” She then asked, now that the pegasus knew that the very same cat that she had rescued had now transformed into the lazy human that was eating through her food a few moments ago.

        “Alright, you caught me… I’m a vampire.” Smoky said, shrugging in defeat.

        “But… you don’t turn into a bat…” She said, tilting her head in confusion. “A vampire… cat?”

        “You think that all vampire’s are the same? I know one that turns into a porcupine. I only know of one who turns into a bat.” Smoky said.

        Fluttershy frantically shook her head. “N-no. It’s n-not like that… I just… well… I’ve only heard about Vampony’s, but never have actually seen one before.” She admitted, looking a little bit embarrassed in response. “But… can you… well… explain it to me? So I could… well, understand? I promise I won’t throw you out, Smoky.”

        Smoky shrugged. “This is a bother… I’m a subspecies of vampire, like Vamponies, called a Servamp. Let’s just say we’re the bottom of the barrel and leave it at that...”

        “Servamp?” The pegasus repeated. “I-i’m sorry, but for a moment, I thought I heard you say servant…”

        “It’s a play on words.” Smoky replied dully. 

       “Oh… uh… not t-to be rude… but it j-just sounds like y-you put two words together.” Fluttershy told him, a little nervous in her response as she looked around her for a little bit before noticing something… off. “Uh Smoky…? W-what’s that g-glowing blue r-ring around your neck?” 

        “It’s a contract leash.” Smoky replied, looking at the said ring that was around his neck before groaning again. “Very bothersome.”

        “Uh… how is it bothersome?” Fluttershy then asked. “I-I don’t know a lot of things like you, s-so please tell me w-what you m-mean… I-if you don’t m-mind, that is.” 

       “My sub species is, as you said, a combination of two words. Servant vampire. Giving me a name begins a contract that can only be sealed with the blood from the namer.” Smoky shrugged. “You named me, so until this leash is gone, I’m bound to you. Bothersome, no?”

        “Uhh…… I don’t know. A-again, I d-don’t know much about you or your kind…” Fluttershy mumbled. “D-do you… well… need to form a contract to… well… survive?”

        “It’s not a necessity. I’ve lived about ten or more years without a master’s blood since my last one was killed.” Smoky ate a bite of his noodles. “But I am weak without it. Blood isn’t my food, but it’s my adrenaline so to speak. And my power’s fuel.”

“P-powers?” She asked in confusion. “You mean like L-… I mean Gunvolt?”

        “I’m a vampire, I have powers. Super strength and… Other things I don’t know the names of, I just do them. Or did. I haven’t in years.” Smoky stated, before going back to watching television. “It was bothersome…”

        Fluttershy though, despite Smoky’s attitude, was wondering something. Was this guy… somehow like Lance and Cody? Did he originally have a home on Earth before ending up here as a Servamp? It was a question she wanted to ask, but was too nervous to say.

        “You have any Bretzels? You know, the bread kind, not those little hard things.” Smoky asked after finishing his food. The pegasus herself didn’t answer that question, but by now, she had mustered the strength to speak up.

        “Smoky…… Were you originally human before coming here?” She then asked him.

        “Yup.” Smoky replied. “My cousin wanted to bring me to a convention. Can’t remember what kind.”

        “W-well… I know a couple of people that h-had the same thing happen to them.” Fluttershy told him in response. “They’re friends of mine… but some of them here are also really powerful enemies.”

        “Alright…” He replied plainly, without adding anything.

        “M-my friend Twilight also m-met one too… I think his name was Lee… something last time s-she told me.” Fluttershy said, trying to have Smoky somehow be engaged in the conversation despite his lazy attitude.

        “So that blind bastard made it… Bet everyone did.” Smoky said, his face staying in a frowning position. “I know there are other people around here. From Gunvolt, to Stopwatch, to Copen, to…” Smoky zoned out of the conversation.

        But then there was one last thing that came on her mind for Fluttershy… and it was on a different subject. “Umm… Smoky? A-about what you said with the… c-contract?” That was followed by her extending her right forehoof up and onto the table. “I-I don’t mind if you n-need to m-make the contract with me.”

        “No offence, but I don’t want a master. You’ll only end up getting involved.” Smoky said, no change to his tone. “Powerful ponies are after me, and I’d rather not have baggage.”

        “But you can’t just be running all the time! You need your power to fight back.” Fluttershy said to him. She then thought of a line that her friend Rainbow Dash would say and then without thinking, said it aloud… before regretting it a few seconds later. “What good is having strength if you are just going to run like a coward?”

        “That’s cute and all, but you have no idea who I’m running from…” Smoky stated. “They’ll stop at nothing to capture or kill me. And anypony I come in contact with.” He stood up, stretching. “I’mma take a nap… This conversation’s been bothersome…” Fluttershy still wanted to say something to him, but that was when the sliding door to the balcony opened and the wind pushed the curtains away… and outside… she saw something different. 

       “Smoky? Who’s that outside?” She asked, knowing for a fact that the pony outside was one she had not seen before. 

       “Oh bother…” Smoky groaned, before a dark humanoid figure appeared behind him and kicked him out of the window. Unfortunately for Fluttershy, the leash appeared and dragged her with him, causing her to hit the figure as they fell to the ground below.



The figure stared at the balcony for a moment, processing what just hit them. They pulled out a cellphone and dialed up someone before speaking in a dark and distorted voice.

        “Ma’am, I’ve tracked down Locke Connors...” They said, walking to the ledge on the balcony, peering down at Smoky who held Fluttershy in his arms.

        “Excellent work, Phantasm. Remember, even without being in a contract, Locke is still difficult on his own. Proceed with caution.” came the response.

        “About that… I think he’s already started one with a yellow pegasus mare. How should I proceed?” Phantasm asked, jumping onto the railing. 

       “Wait… Phantasm, what’s your current location?” The voice then asked.

        “I’m in Maretropolis in an apartment complex next to some… building that looks to be some sort of headquarters.” The sound of some typing and some computers were heard over the mic… followed by another voice.

        “Oh boy… this could be a problem… That mare isn’t any ordinary mare. She’s Saddle Rager… and you’re by Power Pony Headquarters. Dammit, what did Locke do to get himself in this kind of situation now?” She heard the other voice speak. “Focus on Locke and the mare. If anypony else from the Power Ponies shows up, do NOT engage. Locke is top priority here.”

        “Capture or execution?” Phantasm asked, climbing down the building.

        “Capture. I want him alive.”
 
       “As you wish, ma’am.” The Phantasm replied once they hit the sidewalk. They turned around, seeing Smoky sitting up with Fluttershy next to him. The Phantasm walked over until they were close enough to be seen, while creating smoke around them. “Step away from the vampire!”

        Neither of them did, but instead, Fluttershy put herself in front of Smoky. “I’m not letting you harm him!”“I don’t plan to kill him. He’s a fugitive, and I’m taking him back home.” The Phantasm said calmly. “We’re on the same side, Rager. You are Saddle Rager, right?”

        Fluttershy said nothing, but instead glared at Phantasm. “I am… but I never told you… Smoky’s no fugitive and I am NOT letting you take him!! So either back away with him or I’m going to get angry… and you won’t like me when I am angry.”

        “So naive… I work for the government, so you either hand him over, or I’ll be forced to kill you.” Phantasm said, showing off a claw on their right hand. “I admire Gunvolt, and admired your former leader. So it would be such a shame.” 

       “I’m… Willing to drink your blood now!” Smoky shouted in pain.

        “No! Don’t let him bind himself to you, there’s no way out of it!” Phantasm shouted.

        “I… don’t… CARE!” Fluttershy shouted, smacking Phantasm in the chest with her back hooves. “I became a hero to help others… and I am NOT going to abandon Smoky!”

        “And how’s he worth protecting? You don’t know how many he’s killed.”

        “Ponies can change… and he’s reminds me of my brother! If I can’t help Smoky, then I can’t help him-.” Fluttershy’s comments were interrupted as the Phantasm lunged towards her, claw outstretched. The blade stabbed the mare in her foreleg, causing Fluttershy to stumble backwards. But it was only a few seconds later that Phantasm soon noticed an error in their actions.

        The foreleg they wounded… was right next to where Smoky was… and it was bleeding the blood needed to complete the contract. “Smoky, now!”

        Immediately, the Servamp bit into Fluttershy’s foreleg and drank her crimson liquid. He was almost instantly on his feet, and staring down the Phantasm. “Hello… Tell Lauren I said ‘hi’.” He said, before dark claws appeared in his hands with a blue aura around them. He was too close for the Phantasm to react, other than to shout in pain as he stabbed the claws into their stomach. Smoky pulled his claws out of Phantasm, before kicking her to the ground.

        Smoky licked along his claws, smiling down at the Phantasm. The Phantasm couldn’t move, as their blood was pouring out too quickly, forcing them to put all their strength into pressure.

        “D-did you… kill it?” She asked, nervously.

        “Her… Phantasm’s a woman. She’s bleeding out, but if the paramedics get here quick enough they might put her out of our misery.” Smoky said darkly as he corrected her and got back on his feet while . “Hopefully euthanize Order’s dog… If we’re not lucky, she’ll survive like always.”

        “S-smoky,” Fluttershy stammered… “L-let’s get out of here… I-I don’t want to stick around here. Let’s go back home.”

        “Home’s a little too dangerous right now. Might I suggest a friends place?” Smoky shrugged, pulling out a yellow pill that he continued to swallow, and suddenly he transformed into his cat form.

        “A f-friend? W-who?” She asked.

        “I don’t care…” The cat grumbled. “I’m stuck doing whatever you want, Mistress.”

        Fluttershy almost blushed at that. “O-okay… L-lead the way I guess.”

        “Can’t we go to that… Zapp’s place?” Smoky asked. “I don’t have any friends.”

        “My friends and I all live together at headquarters.” Fluttershy pointed out to him.

        “Then let’s go there, Mistress.” Smoky replied, hopping onto her back. “Let’s go before this smoke clears and the Polizei get here.” Fluttershy nodded, before flying with Smoky back to their home. Back to her room as she closed the door, locked it, closed the curtains and made sure that the main door was locked and the windows were closed too before anything else.

        “So, looks like I have a lot to explain… Bother…” Smoky grumbled. “Where should I begin? Who I am, who Phantasm was, why I’m on the run, etcetera.” Smoky, for some reason, didn’t change back to his human form.

        “Which ever you think is important first.” Fluttershy replied. “I have all night.”

        “Ugh, fine. So, why I’m on the run should be the start…” Smoky started. “Well, my last Eve-that’s what my master/mistress is called- was in charge of… I think a top secret group for the government. Or they are the government. She was assassinated, and I was… Most likely supposed to make the next in charge my Eve. But, I didn’t want to be forced to be with someone else… I’m not sure what they want now, though. So I just run.”

       “You ran… because you wanted to choose your next master instead of it being chosen for you?” Fluttershy asked.

        “That, and I wanted to get out.” Smoky shrugged. “The Phantasm is one of the current leader’s top assassins. A human like me and the Gunvolt, but she has no powers.”

        “No powers? But how was she on to you so quickly like that?”

        “She’s smart… What she lacks in abilities, she makes it up for with intelligence. She’s smart and cunning, and at the pique of human physique.” Smoky explained. “If she’s dead, then we’ll have less to worry about.”

        Fluttershy nodded, before then asking the first thing that came to her mind as she looked back at the cat. “Smoky…… do you have another name? Like one before I… named you?”

        “My original name was Locke Anthony Connors.” Smoky replied.

        “So… this… Lauren Order… knows you by Locke?” Fluttershy asked. “Don’t worry… we’re familiar with her though.”

        “You obviously aren’t, since you have trouble saying her name, Mistress.” Smoky stated.

        “It’s been awhile since we last heard of her… we know of her Suicide Squad and also her job records and position in government, but some of the things we have on her we’re still trying to sort out.” Fluttershy replied. “But we do happen to know she acquired villains once locked away in the Zero Zone and also McCree… who’s actually a displaced that’s-” She stopped talking the moment that she heard some knocks on the door.

        “Fluttershy, are you in there? We heard you talking to somepony and heard some scuffling. Are you okay?” Her friend Rainbow Dash asked… before presuming something. “Oh dear Celestia, she’s got a coltfriend!!” That last comment had Fluttershy’s cheeks turn red as she turned towards Smoky, partially embarrassed.

“N-no! It’s not that, Rainbow!!” She said, trying to come up with a white lie in order to tell her friend… and also hope that Applejack was not with her at the time.. “I was… just watching TV. They had an action movie on and Smoky seemed to like it, so I was watching it with him.”

        “Oh… Well, I guess that makes sense… Anyhow, strangely enough, after being gone for a while, Lance just came back… but he’s… well, not himself.” The mare said. “He looks rather depressed to be honest. Can you help him?” That came as a bit of a surprise to Fluttershy. Lance wasn’t normally the one to get easily affected by emotions. Most of the time the pony that gets affected a lot would ironically be her. Not to mention that Smoky’s comment about him possibly needing something fluffy didn’t quite help her with trying to come up with a reply for her friend.

Then a thought came across her mind as Fluttershy turned back to the door to ask the first question she could think of off the top of her head. “Wouldn’t Lumen help him out?” It was a logical question because of the fact that both the Adept and the Breezie were good partners and if one wasn’t feeling alright, the other would do what they could to back them up. Yet, now seemed rather… different. Especially with Rainbow’s answer.

“That’s the thing… Lumen’s… not there. I haven’t seen her since she and Lance left…” The mare on the other side of the door replied. “You don’t think something happened to her now… do you?” The thought of that was the last thing that Fluttershy wanted to think of in this present moment as she looked behind her to see that Smoky was trying to sleep… shortly before finally giving her friend an answer.

“I don’t know… Let me talk with him and see what’s going on. Maybe I can help cheer him up.” She replied, causing her friend to tell her thanks as she left to go back to her own room. Now… it was time for her to help another friend… once Smoky was done complaining about Rainbow Dash when she muttered about him under her breath.

“What a nagger. And you call that thing a friend’ Mistress?” Smoky asked dully, while licking one of his paws as Fluttershy sighed deeply.

“She can be very… cocky at times.” Fluttershy said, sighing a little in response. “But she’s extremely loyal with the rest of us… and also has had bad experiences with pets. Including Dogs and Cats.”

        “She’s going to be bothersome to me…” Smoky grumbled.

        “I’m sure she’ll warm up to you if you give her the chance.” The Pegasus insisted, but all that did was cause Smoky to blow her off and try to go back to sleep.

        “Might as well go see what’s up with Debby Downer…” Smoky added, only to have Fluttershy glare at him in response. She knew that Lance was a good person and that he would help her if she was in the same position he was in right now. “So, you gonna just stand there? Or are you going to go help the man?”

        “I am, but you told me about the leash, so that means I’m taking you with me,” Fluttershy told him back. “You can sleep once we get to Lance’s room. Just please don’t… well… transform on me.”

        “Whatever you say, mistress.” Smoky said, uninterested



As the moon shined upon his room and also where he was staying, Lance had a lot of thoughts running through his head. Mostly though, they weren’t good thoughts. Even though he and Katy had survived against the Elders and won… their victory came at a price. That price… was the price of his friend, Lumen. The small breezie… was very important to him. She was the first person she had met in Equestria, the first friend he had here… whatever adventure he embarked upon, she was right there with him.

But now… he wasn’t there when he needed him most… and to him, he saw this as failing her. Failing his first friend… and failing the one pony that he owed everything to. Without her, he wouldn’t be at where he was at right now. But most importantly, he wouldn’t have met Twilight and the others. Now… without her, he felt lost.

It was while he was thinking this that he heard the door to his room creak open. Surprised that he didn’t lock it, he turned his head a little and asked who was there. Turns out, it was actually Fluttershy… and she surprisingly had a cat on her picture. “Oh… Hello, Fluttershy.”

“H-hey Lance… C-can I uh… come on in?” She asked, prompting him to nod in response as she then came in and sat next to him on his bed… and the cat that was with her soon sat on the bed. Making him curious as to who the cat was or why it was there.

“Did you bring the cat just to make me feel better?” He asked, causing Fluttershy to look back at him surprised in the process.

“N-no, it’s not that… Smoky here just didn’t want me to leave him, so I decided to take him with me,” Fluttershy said, shyly. “He gets scared when on his own…” The Adept looked at the cat for a moment before looking back at Fluttershy. Smiling a small bit before sighing deeply as his smile disappeared. Fluttershy saw this as concerning as she looked back at the Adept and tried to comfort him. “Lance, what’s wrong?”

The Azure Striker sighed as he looked back at the pegasus. He only had one question for Fluttershy… and he wanted to hear her honest opinion from her. “Fluttershy…… do you think I’m a failure?”

“Wha-? No!” She immediately replied back, surprised to hear the Adept talk to himself in such a negative manner. “Why would you say something like that? You’ve been doing great things and helping lots of ponies-!”

“Yet, when it matters most, friends I care for end up in harm's way… It happened with Lee and Twilight, it happened with Octavia and Vinyl back in Sun Fransokyo and now… now it’s happened again. But this time, it hurts a little more.” The Adept replied, placing a curled up fist to his heart. Soon, Fluttershy asked one important question that was on her mind.

        “Lance, where’s Lumen? She would normally help you in these kinds of situations…” Even though her question had the best of intents… it did little to help Lance in that moment.

        “...... She’s…… gone.” The Adept’s words shocked the pegasus, but shortly afterwards… what Lance then said made her realize why this was hard for him. “L-lumen s-sacrificed herself… to protect me…” That lead to him explaining everything that had happened and for the Adept to recall the painful memories of losing a dear friend. It was personal to him because Lumen was the first person he had met upon displacement and she had been there through everything that the Adept had done. Now though, he was unsure about how he was to move on without her supporting him. It took a long while in order to try and help him, but Fluttershy was doing her best to help him however he could. Smoky hopped off of Fluttershy and sat by Lance’s feet and made a somewhat groaning noise.

        “Lance, you don’t need to be so hard on yourself… Even if Lumen isn’t here with you, she’ll always be here in spirit-.” However… what she did not expect was for her words to have a literal meaning to them.

“AAGH!! CRAZY VAMPKITTY!! GET AWAY FROM ME-!!!”

That caused Lance and Fluttershy to immediately stop talking as they looked down to see what appeared to be a small glowing orb of light nearby Smoky. Which he ignored. However, the voice of who had just said that immediately caught Lance and Fluttershy’s attention as they looked at the orb of light and saw who it was.

“L-lumen!? B-but how-?!” The Adept was at a loss for words. He was now seeing his partner, who he originally thought was dead, right in front of him as a spectral wisp. How exactly was this possible? “How are you alive?!”

“Uh… W-well, you see… I-i’m not actually alive… Like with Aurora, this is my soul… form I think she called it… but unlike her, my soul merged with yours.”

Smoky looked to Fluttershy, before twirling his paw in the direction if his small, fluffy head to indicate that Lance was losing it. Aurora continued to explain everything to him, letting him know that the only reason why he had not noticed her sooner was because he was too saddened by her loss to notice that she was still with him. It took a while to get this settled in Lance’s mind, but he then had one last question after he fully understood everything.

“L-lumen… T-thank you for telling me about this… But what was this about a vampkitty?” He then asked, finding himself recomposed.

“W-well, when I was looking at the cat down there… I felt some of his energy and… well… it really reminded me of what happened back at Sun Fransokyo with Shabris…”

Smoky ignored them, falling asleep. That was… until she said something else. “I mean it was already bad enough with Lauren Order and your father trying to kill you along with the Cult of Corrode, but… I’m just concerned… After all, she did want that dagger that got Octavia possessed at the museum-.”

The cat that was clawing at Fluttershy’s mane, who in response looked back at them while the Adept was still trying to process everything. “W-well… She’s… uh, not wrong?”

Both Lumen and Lance at this point we're beyond puzzled as they looked back at the Pegasus and the cat right next to her. “What do you mean?”

“W-well… Smoky’s… well, he’s… he’s a displaced…” Fluttershy squeaked, looking back at them before looking at the cat. “Can you show them Smoky?”

Smoky glared up at Fluttershy, disappointed that she had already told them about him. “Don’t give me that look, Smoky. I trust them and you can too.” She sternly told him.

“Trust has no factor here. I just don’t want to talk to anyone else.” Smoky said, reverting to his true form. That caught Lance by surprise as he looked back at Fluttershy. Who soon sighed as she began to explain to Lance what was going on. Everything from the contract to Smoky being a servamp, she tried recalling to the best of her ability. “This is a bother…” He said after she finished.

“Can I go now?” Smoky then asked.

Fluttershy turned to him and then spoke up. “Don’t you remember the leash? We can’t be too far apart from one another without trying to drag each other across the floor.”

“So you two are like… bound to each other by the contract that is in place. Wherever one goes, the other comes with you?” The Adept asked for clarification, looking back at Fluttershy in the process.

“Yes. If one of us gets too far from another, there’s a leash that pulls one or the other back to where within close range of each other.” Fluttershy explained, demonstrating as Smoky tried to leave the room, only for her to yank him back in.

“Well, kinda… Really, only Fluttershy can interact with it, and only when her will forces me to do something. If we’re separated for twenty four hours, Fluttershy will die. Although it’s highly unlikely since she can drag me around whenever.” Smoky added, which may had sounded amusing to Lance at the time, but it was then that Lance had a question that was on her mind.

“So why was Lauren Order interested in you in the first place? Was it because you were a displaced or because of what you were capable of?”

“If only it were that simple. I’m a rogue agent of hers.” Smoky replied.

“You mean were?” Lumen then added on. “You know, since you’re on the run and that sort of thing?”

“Rogue. Meaning ex. Meaning I quit and ran away.” Smoky grumbled, rolling his eyes. “She wanted to force me to bond to a new Eve who works for her.”

“Ouch… And just when I thought that having my father be in her suicide squad was the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her,” The Adept commented as he thought something over… before asking Smoky something. “Still… I’m curious to know about the other servamps. If we are to somehow run into them, then it may be best for us to know about them and be prepared. Would you care to tell us more about them?”

“Fine… But you aren’t going to like it…” He grumbled before looking up in thought. “There are eight Servamps in Equestria, including me. Each of us have a base personality of the seven deadly sins, except the little runt of our family… We call him the black sheep cause none of us cared enough to remember his name.” Smoky said in a dry manner.

“No wonder he’s the black sheep then…” The muse next to Lance mumbled, before the sight of Smoky glaring at her made her afraid and hide behind the Adept in fear.

“Ignore Lumen… she has a bad habit of saying things out loud before thinking it thoroughly inside her head,” He sighed before clearing his throat and looking back at him. “I’m going to take a guess though that you represent Sloth…”

“Wow, how did you know Lance?” Fluttershy then asked, curious to hear the Adept’s answer… even though it was kind of obvious.

“Well, he already said ‘this is a bother’ while he was speaking, making me think that he’s extremely bored… I think the rest speaks for itself,” The Adept replied before looking back at Smoky and then saying something. “No offense, by the way.”

“None taken… Scratch that, some taken.” Smoky said with distaste. “Anyways… The other six are mostly men, with the exception of Wrath. I know of two that work for Lauren.” That caught Lance by surprise as he looked back at him and listened to Smoky as he was explaining the two servamps in question.

“The first is Old Child of Pride. Although he’s known as Drac as far as I remember. If his Eve’s still alive, then his name’s Drac. Then there’s my little brother, Lawless Greed. His Eve and mine died around the same time, but while I ran he stayed.”

“So Pride and Greed are with Lauren… which is ironic since she has pride, but shows no signs of greed, but that’s irrelevant,” Lance spoke as he counted his fingers and was now holding up four of them in his right hand. “Which leaves us with Lust, Envy, Wrath and Gluttony… that sound right?”

“And the Black Sheep. But yeah. Gluttony lives in Prance, Lust works for royalty, and the last three I lost contact with.” For Lance, that pretty much summed things up thanks to what he was telling him. Hell, it may not be anything to do with Lauren Order right now, but at least it was a start. “Hey, turn on the TV. I’m bored.”

Lance looked back at him before looking back at Lumen and Fluttershy as he sighed for a moment. “Sure… I needed to catch myself up to speed anyways.” The Adept then opened up a drawer that had the TV remote inside as he turned it on. Fluttershy herself got down on the rug where Smoky was as he looked back at the pegasus. However, their attention was soon directed to the tv not just by the news story they were covering, but also footage of the place in question.

Lauren Order’s facility. “We have some breaking new developments this evening of a cyber attack that had occurred inside this facility here outside of Maretropolis. According to a statement released today by Lauren Order, she stated that an investigation is under way on what caused not only a bunch of classified files to be stolen from this top secret facility, but to also be on the lookout for the individual that calls themselves ‘Sombra’. The prosecutor also has said that anyone with possible details leading to a capture or arrest should contact their local police chief immediately.”

“Sombra? Fluttershy, have you or Lumen heard of somepony by that name?” The adept asked them, which caused them both to shake their heads as they looked back at him.

“No… the last time something like that was heard was back with the tyrant in the north called King Sombra… but that was several years ago. Team Arrowhead back then had to handle him in order to free the Crystal Empire, but that’s old news.” Lumen said as she looked at Fluttershy… only to see that Smoky… wasn’t exactly a cat anymore.

Smoky grumbled, “I think it’s a pony pretending to be Sombra… A copycat. Who’s a hacker, what’s up with that?”

“M-maybe… or it could be somepony n-new…” Fluttershy suggested, looking back at him before noticing something off when the tv flickered a bit. “W-what was that?”

“What a bother…” Smoky groaned. The TV flickered again… only for it to go to black as something began to form from the center of it. A symbol of a digital skull… followed by a silouette of what looked like a bipedal figure as it began to speak. However, the most surprising part of this was that it wasn’t just happening for them.

As Lance looked outside and moved to the command center… he realized that it was happening across the entire city. Not just HQ… but everywhere. “What the hell-?”

“Well now, Ms. Order… you and the heroes of maretropolis here seem to enjoy playing these little games of yours…” The voice said, which caused chills to run down Lance’s spine as he turned to the main screen. “Now… how about we play a real one?”

“No… f*cking way…” Lance cursed as he looked at the screen. Fluttershy and Smoky (who was now a cat again) followed him out, but it was also now that Cody, Katy and Humdrum stormed out of the labratory from the bottom floor.

“Lance, what the hell is going on? First thing I know is that I’m working on Humdrum with Lola, then she’s gone.” He said, before turning to see the screen… and as the city darkened, a hand on screen stuck out… and showed both Lola and Aurora trapped in tiny purple cubes.

“Oh my… Look who we have here… I never thought there would be advanced AI such as you in a place like this.”

“Help!” Aurora screamed.

“Mommy, I’m scared!!”

“Lola!! Give her back!” Cody snarled, furious at whoever was doing it.

“If you want them back… come and find me…” She said, before the screen switched to a skull as it was diminished. “Adios~” It was then that light returned back to the city and everything else was functioning normally as Lance was trying to think on what to do next. However, it was Cody himself that stormed out of the room to grab his gear as he was wanting to get out and find them.

“Cody, stop! Without Lola running your equipment, you’ll-” Humdrum tried to talk some sense into him as the hunter loaded his weapon.

“I don’t care! She took Lola and I promised to keep her safe, I’m going after her.” He said, before Lance tried to calm him down.

“Cody, Spike’s right. Without Lola monitoring your equipment, you can barely be able to engage in combat, let alone go after her,” The Adept told her before looking at both him and Humdrum. “We don’t even know where she is…”

“You two don’t…” Another voice spoke up, surprising both of them as they turned to see Katy leaning against one of the dashboards for the main computer. “But I do… whoever they were, unlike most of the stuff in the city, they can’t hack into Teal. Plus… she can track anything that produces energy, whether it’s biological, technological, or magical.” It was then that she happened to notice Smoky as she looked at him and giggled. “Aww, cute kitty~”

Other then the last statement, Cody and Lance looked back at the two of them as the Adept asked a question. “Wait… are you saying that Teal may know their location?”

“It’s not a matter of may, Lance. She can be able to detect things from a few miles away.” She said, while pulling up a holoscreen of a top down map of the location for them to see. “In fact, we already got a location… however, I’m not sure why I think she would choose an old factory to be a hiding place.”

That had Lance look at it closer… and with it, made him groan a bit in response. “Oh boy…”

“What, you know that place?” Cody then asked, which in turn caused the Adept to nod his head for a moment as he formed the words to speak. Lumen herself was just as surprised as he was, but she decided to let Lance do the talking instead.

“Cody… that’s where I first ended up when I was displaced.”

“Are you guys gonna at least figure out where the signal came from…?” Smoky asked. Shortly before hearing a squealing sound as Katy proceeded to hug him.

“Eeee! It talks!! Can I keep him? Can I?”

“Uh… That’s not how exactly adopting a pet works-” Lance replied.

“Not with that attitude!” Katy boasted, which caused Lance to facepalm himself while Cody was trying to process what just happened. Which, in turn lead to one dragon actually deciding to speak up.

“So are you guys just going to be standing around talking about cats or are you going to go save Aurora and Lola?” Humdrum asked, which lead both of them looking at one another as they came up with a plan.

“Okay, I may not have Lola on me, but I still need to watch your back,” Cody said before Lance waved him off.

“Let’s let Humdrum worry about the details. I know where I’m going.” Lance assured him, before using his instant transmission to disappear seconds later… all while Katy was still cuddling Smoky and petting his ears as Fluttershy looked on in amusement.

“Get off of me, crazy lady…” Smoky grumbled, but made no attempt to escape. “Such a bother…”

“And just when I thought you were going to ask me to not stop~” Katy snickered, which in turn caused Cody to facepalm himself as he looked back at her.

“Oh dear lord, we have another Max.”



It only took Lance a few seconds to reach the abandoned facility, but he was already aware of the general surroundings since this was a place that he had been there before a long long time ago. But now was when things were different. “Teal, I’m here… do you and Cody have anything for me?”

“Well… that’s the thing… you’re in the clear, but something here doesn’t add up…” His friend told him over his intercom as he scanned his surroundings. Everything seemed quiet… some would say too quiet, but others would think it’s a trap. However, Lance didn’t think it was like that at all. In fact, most of the clues for the… game she was suggesting involved two things… one, trying to figure out where she was. Check. Two, trying to figure out who she was.

He had a theory on the second one, but needed confirmation on it first. However, as he got closer… Something stood out to him as he went farther in.

In the center of the abandoned factory, where there was a major hole in the roof… were two floating cubes. Something that originally made him think that rescuing Aurora and Lola seemed far too easy. Yet, just as he was about to reach out for them… That was when he heard Aurora speak.

Not out of relief… but out of panic.

“Lance! She’s behind you!” Hearing that single voice caused Lance to whip around as he drew his weapons, while Sombra aimed her SMG directly at him as her cloaking was diminished. They glared at one another, while the woman named Sombra herself smirked a few seconds later and did something that surprised the Adept.

She drew her weapon back and chuckled. “Oh you have no idea what it took to make this meeting happen…” Lance just stood there, dumbfounded a bit as he lowered his weapon hesitantly and looked at her.

“Meeting? You went out of your way to kidnap Aurora and Lola, just to meet me?” Lance questioned, looking back at her.

“Why yes… it took pulling a few strings and having to acquire some information from the perra Order, but I believe that it has been all the more successful…” She smiled, using her fingers to pull up a few pieces of information she had… which, caused old memories to surface inside his head as he looked back at her. “But it’s good to see you again… Amigo.”

Now was when it clicked… and his thoughts on it blew his mind. “Holy sh*t…”

“Lance, you okay? What’s going on-?” Cody said for a moment. Aurora and a few others were confused too… until Lance finished the other half of his sentence.

“Sonya? Is that you?” The only thing that Sombra did in that moment was smile to herself…

And slap him across the face. “Oww! What the hell was that for-?”

“THAT was for all the sh*t that happened after you, Cody and Noah disappeared,” She snarled. “After you three went missing, everything else in the group began to break apart! Now I came here trying to find everyone and get them back together, only to find out that Noah is some Digimon Emperor knockoff and that Aster has gone mad… At least you haven’t changed.”

Well, that was the understatement of the century. “What about Romeo? Wasn’t he still with you two-?”

“I haven’t found anything on him. I looked at the records I took from Lauren Order’s personal prison, only to find you four and no signs of him… Wait… Is Cody listening to this right now?”

“Don’t tell her I’m here-!”

“He is.”

“DAMMIT! WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?!” He snapped, while causing the Adept to roll his eyes. Sombra took this as a sign to continue talking as she then pulled up what looked to be a familiar face. Jinx.

“Have you seen this one before?” She then asked, causing Lance to nod his head in approval before she continued. “Well, you are going to be surprised to hear this… that’s Aster.”

“Woah woah woah, back up… That’s Aster? The shy, rational and smart girl that was part of the group?” He then asked.

“Yeah, the most innocent… who is now the most insane… to make matters worse, she’s on Lauren Order’s Suicide Squad,” Sombra grumbled, before asking her something. “So… apart from all the Equines, what other people I should know of that are here?”

“Well, if you met my father, then that’s one. My mother Bayonetta, who’s an Umbra Witch, is second. My aunt Aya is third and always keeps a gun on her at all times and lastly, other than Copen, I have a cousin who’s Sun Wukong from RWBY.” That, to Sombra… was a lot to take in… and also a massive headache.

“Aye aye aye, seriously? Does your family like have a gun fetish or something?” Sombra said, and in response, Lance could hear Katy laughing on the other end of the comline.

“What made you say that out of the blue?” The azure striker asked as Sombra facepalmed herself in the process

“Think of it… You just described each one of your family members carrying a particular firearm. One in which sounds like she had innuendos for days, Amigo.” She sighed, looking back at him. “Well… now that we have that out of the way… I want to talk serious for a moment… After all, we can still be friends, right amigo?”

“We can… but what are you trying to imply?” The adept asked cautiously.

“Simple,” She said, moving the cubes containing Aurora and Lola over to him. “I let you have your little companions back… and you… help out your old friend every once in awhile… What do you say, Amigo?”

“Whoop her ass, Lance!” Aurora shouted. “If this is a friendly reunion, then she’s not a friend worth reuniting with!” However, Lance just sighed in response to that.

“Don’t mind Aurora… she’s… well, it’s complicated…” He sighed before looking back at Sombra before hearing another voice speak up.

“Yeah, what momma said! F*ck her up!” Lola then blurted out of nowhere.

“Sweety! What have we said about language!?” Aurora hissed. “Lance, I’m serious! If this lady foalnapped us and is trying to bargain for our freedom, she’s not good news!”

“I was still going to give them back anyways…” Sombra sighed. “I’m a hacker, not a kidnapper… You two just happened to get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time… Come on Lance…”

It was then that Lance made his decision. “Aurora, Twilight originally thought that Chrysalis and her group were bad news, but look what we found out about them over time… Don’t judge a book by it’s cover…” He sighed, before the cubes returned to him. “However… Since you said you were going to give them back anyways…”

“Oh now? Getting frisky aren’t we?” Sombra chuckled… only to get the most strangest of responses from Lola.

“That’s what she said!!”

“Lola, what did I say about taking after mommy?” Aurora groaned, her voice sounding bitter.

Ignoring that last statement, the Adept then began to speak. “Can I think on this?”

“Take all the time you need,” Sombra told him, before walking back to the back of the hall. “No seriously, I mean it… I added something for you to drop a line by when you want to talk…” Just as the hacker was about to leave though… was when Sonya then said one last thing. “But I have been doing some reading into your friend… and I believe there may be something that she would like to know.”

“What?” Aurora asked with venom in her voice.

“How to bring you back to life… and get you a body again.” Before Lance could say anything or stop her, Sombra walked away, leaving the Adept just as shocked as Aurora was.

“H-how would you know...?” Aurora asked, her voice faltering. “How would you know something that Lance has been try-...” She stopped in her tracks, going absolutely quiet. “Why am I just now hearing this…? And from some hacker…?”

“Mommy? Are you okay?” Lola then spoke up, noticing how her ‘mom’ was feeling down on herself.

Aurora didn’t respond, though there was a dark aura around her. Lance didn’t know what to say… matter of fact, he was just as worried for her as Lola was. Yet, neither of them were the ones who spoke up.

It was actually Teal. “Heh…… That was too easy…”

That had the Adept flinch for a moment before getting on the comline as he spoke to the scarab. “Teal, what are you talking about?”

“Well, let’s just say that while you and your friend were having your conversation and Katy is still snuggling with the team mascot, I was able to actually take something from her without having her find out…” she replied, submitting her findings to the adepts bracer for him and Aurora to see in person. “Turns out, she got this most recently from the Canterlot Library about four hours ago… It’s a chapter from a book on dark magic, most specifically… Soul Restoration.”

“That won’t help with my lack of body.” Aurora grumbled.

“There’s also something here too…… Hey, Lance… Are you familiar with something by the name up Sumeragi?” That question had immediately gotten Lance’s attention as he looked up at Aurora and Lumen before responding.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“There’s a side note here on this saying about a…… stratacombs underneath Manehattan and the fact that there had been a series of ponies going missing in the area… I’m not sure what it is, but if this is about souls and necromancy, then something tells me that it’s not good.” Teal added. “They even have a codename for it… Project Nyx.”

“Then shouldn’t the government investigate? Or, hay, even us?” Aurora asked.

“Well, I would think that they would have MIST investigate it since they’re in the area, but with the Mitochondria incidents over there, things are already tight as it is…” Lance told her before looking at her and Lola. “I already have half a mind to go over there right now and get to the bottom of this.”

“Yeah… about that, the calendar on the bases computer here says something about a ‘Grand Galloping Gala’ that you and the rest of the power ponies were invited too…” Teal commented, which surprised the Adept in that moment… but not as much as when he heard her say this. “Also, I’m not sure if I’m reading my scans correctly here, but it says here that Twilight’s pregnant.”

Aurora and Lance were quiet for a moment. Although, the filly ghost did finally speak. And her reaction… was almost the same reaction that Lance had… to an extent.

“What!?”

“Teal, how could you possibly know about that?” The Adept questioned.

“Hey, whenever Katy and I see new people now, I not only scan them for memory, but the scan reveals any major physical conditions… I myself am still trying to figure out how this whole thing works… In any case though, you should come back… Cody’s been in the shooting gallery for the last twenty minutes taking out his frustrations on other targets. He’ll be glad to see Lola and Aurora are okay.” Teal informed them… only to hear someone else speak in the background… that being someone both Lance and Aurora were familiar with and prompted them to come back to base rather quickly.

When they got back, the Adept noticed Reaper trotting over to them as Aurora reconfigured herself with the equipment, “Is Aurora safe?”

“Yeah, she is… though, who decided to take her left us with more questions than answers.” Lance replied, showing Reaper the information that Teal sent a few moments earlier. “A new hacker in town named Sombra somehow acquired some information regarding Soul Restoration… and claims that there’s a way to get Aurora a body again…”

“I helped too!” Teal then spoke up, before looking at Reaper and saying one more thing as she flew to where katy was. “Also, congratulations. You’re a father now!” Which in turn wanted Lance to smack his forehead really hard against something for the abrupt interruption just now.

Reaper stared at Teal for a moment, his face growing darker and darker as he glared daggers at her. Lance himself sighed as he looked back at the undead pony for a minute. “Just… don’t mind Teal. She’s new around here and whenever she meets anyone, any physical conditions of that person come to notice… also, Teal has the habit that Lumen does about saying things without thinking them properly. It’s almost like I’m seeing a reflection of Lumen in a mirror.”

“This better not be permanent…” Reaper sighed.

“Well, Lumen herself has been going through some… changes as well.” He said, looking back at him, just as he saw Katy and Lumen trying to face each other in… what looked to be some kind of foal’s card game.

“That’s some OP bullsh*t right there!!!” They heard Lumen abruptly shout out when Katy caught her by surprise.

“Uh… what are you two doing?” Lance then asked before they saw Spike walk over to them.

“Both Katy and Lumen are trying to win a card game I introduced them to called Po-Ni-Oh.”

“...... I’m sorry, but did you just say Ponyo?” Lance asked, puzzled by what the dragon was trying to tell him.

“Yu-Gi-Oh pun…” Smoky grumbled miserably… all while he was still being petted by Katy.

“Well… that clears that up… God, my brain hurts after everything that happened today.” The Adept Groaned for a moment before looking at the clock and seeing that it was a couple of hours before midnight. “I’m not sure how much longer I would be up before crashing… I think I might need some sleep.”

“Alright. Oh, by the way, Ash and Sparkler have been looking for Adepts recently. I think they’ve found some.” Reaper added. That immediately got his attention rather quickly for a couple of seconds as Lance looked at him.

“They… did? What did they find?” Lance asked him as he folded his arms and turned himself in the same direction Reaper was.

“Ask them tomorrow.” Reaper stated. “You’ll collapse with everything that’s happened today.” His point was made clear when Lance almost lost his balance and then rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah, I guess you're right… I’m going to bed, see you in the morning.” As the Adept walked back to his room, all it did was want Katy to have the game with Lumen be finished already. That way she could go to bed as well.



The Following Morning

Ash and Sparkler were sitting at a table with Lance while the Adept was trying to have breakfast. But as he was waiting for his coffee to cool down, he was also listening to both of the mares as he looked at them.

“Alright, our searching has proved fruitful!” Sparkler said excitedly. “First off, we were able to convince Bumblesweet and Weeping Pegasi to join QUILL. They’ll be here tomorrow around noon.” The psychic mare started, grinning from ear to ear.

Hearing that had Lance almost spill his coffee as he processed the names. He knew Weeping… but Bumblesweet… “Hang on… wasn’t Bumblesweet originally with the Countess? What happened to them after Sun Fransokyo?” He asked, wondering if there was some form of ‘missing link’ that he didn’t happen to pick up on while Sparkler was talking. “The mare that had bees in her mane?”

“Don’t you remember? The Countess stuck a bomb in her head. Plus, I clearly remember you saving her and forgiving her.” Ash said with a smug smirk.

“My bad girls… It’s just… for me, when I was called upon by a displaced, you might think I was gone for 12 hours. But to me, I felt like I was gone for almost two years… I’m still trying to get my senses back in order… especially with the late night I had the other night.” He apologized, taking a drink of his coffee as he looked back at them. “So about the bomb you mentioned… Did that get removed?”

“I think you short circuited it, and it was removed later. She was in Solace Asylum until about a week ago when she was cleared.” Now Lance’s memory was coming back to him. The coffee was helping out rather well and he then remembered what happened.

“Yeah, it was removed… However, I drained the battery supply for the bomb’s detonator so it wouldn’t go off. If it short circuited, it would have blown her to bits…” He said with another drink of his coffee as he looked back at them. “So besides Weeping and Bumble, did you two find anypony else? Like something new?”

“I said it was fruitful.” Added Sparkler. “We found several potential Adepts, as well as five confirmed ones. Three of those are hesitant, and we hope to get a call from them in the future. The other two are willing and able.”

“Have you gotten an idea on some of their powers or what they are capable of?” Lance then asked both of them, which, in response caused Ash in order to speak up.

“We have. One looks really rad and promising…” She said.

“Though concerning…” Sparkler added.

The last part got Lance’s attention rather quickly. Not just by how it was positively described by Ash, but by the tone in Sparkler’s voice. “Would you care to describe ‘concerning’? I know that we may all have different abilities, but we’re not using them to just show off what we can do.”

“From my knowledge, she basically can makes bombs. Anything could be a bomb.” Hearing that caused Lance to cough and almost drop his coffee cup on the floor as he cleared his throat. But it was then that Lumen came into the picture… which surprised both ponies since she looked a lot different this time around than before.

“So let me see if I heard that right… Her powers transmute anything into an explosive?” Lumen asked, even though Sparkler was still surprised by her newfound appearance. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Uh… Who’s that…?” Sparkler asked, eyes wide.

“Oh… right…” Lance said, almost forgetting what was important. “That’s Lumen… however, like Aurora, she lost her physical body and is a spirit… Only difference being that certain ponies can see her, her soul is fused with mine and she… well, a lot more mature for her age.” Turning to Ash, the Adept sighed a little before groaning a bit. 

“Damn…” Ash just commented.

Sparkler groaned. “Figures… You’re just a magnet for the undead…”

“Don’t remind me…” Lance groaned, looking back at her as she sighed. “And just when I thought last night was the tip of the iceberg… Still, we’re talking about this pony being able to conjure living bombs?”

“Why do I have the feeling that she is completely scared of her new abilities?” Lumen then asked, which only frustrated the unicorn a bit more.

“Alright, can we get off of this?” Sparkler grumbled. “There are five candidates, not one.” The Adept apologized, allowing for the unicorn to continue what she was trying to say while he placed his dishes from breakfast in the sink. “The other one’s actually here. Tenderheart, the Power Ponies former nurse. She even treated Comet Tail after he was placed here.”

“Hunh… I think I remember meeting her once, but briefly… What did you find out about her?” He then asked, curious as to the kind of powers she now had.

“She has the ability to heal almost any flesh wound. She’s actually training her powers on Coloratura and heading her throat.” That came as news to Lance. He wasn’t aware of the fact that the Countess being treated for anything, let alone what happened at Sun Fransokyo. But nevertheless, he then redirected his thought to something else… “So I guess that Tenderheart is willing to help while the first pony isn’t?”

“Yes. She’s one of the two who are ready.” Sparkler mentioned. Which, prompted the Adept to ask who was the other one that was going to help them out.

“A mare named Yuma Spurs. She’s a country mare that’s been saving her small town from petty crooks for a while now. Ever since the lifewave happened.” Sparkler said. “She’s really devoted to the ‘hero code’.” The unicorn even gave Lance a picture for him to look at as he examined the photograph… which lead to him asking something shortly afterwards.

“Well, she looks to have a lot of determination… does she have any known powers or abilities?” He then asked as he gave Sparkler her photograph back.

“Super Strength, Persuasion, and Shock Absorption.” Sparkler listed. “She’s good against single targets, but when there are multiple threats, she’s easily overpowered.” That was good to know… and again, seemed all the more reason to have her join QUILL. However, before the Adept could ask anymore questions, it was when they all heard some commotion going on from where the center of the command center would be. And it sounded like Twilight was talking to someponies.

“Hey, was Twilight having somepony over this morning?” He asked both of them to see if they happened to know about what was going on.

“No… Why do you ask?” Ash questioned.

“Well, I’m hearing Twilight talking to two ponies… One sounds like Detective Whooves while the other is somepony I can’t recognize.” The Adept sighed as he finished up his coffee and set it in the sink. “I’ll be back in a moment. I want to see what’s going on first. Mind waiting for me?”

“Sure.” Ash waved him off. With that, the Azure Striker got up from the table and walked over to see who the Masked Matterhorn was talking too… Yet, what surprised him was the site of a new pony. One that had a cream colored coat and a mane and Tail that reminded him of candy and sweets… which was ironic since a piece of wrapped candy also happened to be her Cutie Mark.

It was only after this though that Twilight happened to notice he was actually there. “Oh hello, Lance… didn’t think you would be up this early after your late night last night.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think so either…” He mumbled before looking back at Detective Whooves and the new pony that was in the room.

“Well, Lance. I would like for you to meet Bon Bon.” The Alicorn introduced her. “She’s from the organization known as SMILE.”

For a moment, the Adept blinked in response… confused by what she meant, before having to ask. “Uh… just out of curiosity, what does SMILE stand for?”

“SMILE, or Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria, are an organization that provides intelligence on potential monster attacks and on some cases, deals with them firsthoof. They’ve been providing information for the Heroes association and police departments across Equestria for a while now.”

Yet, it was in that moment that Bon Bon happened to address his presence. “So, you’re the Azure Striker…”




End Strike 50