//------------------------------//
// The Misadventures of Springer 2: Dreams of a Jakhowl 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S2 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

"Well well well...what do we have here boys?" says the green-coated unicorn with a brown mane, tail, and beard in front of me. It was Big Score, the manic that kidnapped me a while back. Beside him was his idiot partner Boulder, a big gray stallion, complete with a tongue sticking out of his mouth and his eyes constantly looking cross-eyed. Big just laughed at me as he says, "Looks like we won, see? Not bad, eh Boulder?"

"Yeah boss, we won! We won!" responds Boulder, his tongue flapping now. "We're gonna rule the town boss! Rule the town!"

"Aw shaddap Boulder, ya moron!" Big Score barks as he slapped Boulder across the face. "Be quiet, see?"

"Sorry boss. I'll be quiet."

"Yeah yeah...idiot." Big then turned to his other companion, a silver coated pegasus. "Rickashay! Get the goods, see? We're gonna tear this town apart, see?"

"Yeah boss. You got it boss." he replies, nodding his head up and down in a cartoonish fashion before saluting.

Big Score walks up to me, his face right in front of mine. "So, you thought you could win? Ha!" He begins cackling as he leans his head back. "We own this town now, see? We won, see?"

I just let out a long, gravely growl. They're gonna pay for what they've done here.

My name is Springer. I was given that name from my partner, Flash Sentry. His friend Twilight Sparkle says I'm something called a jakhowl, which is something I still don't understand, but I don't mind. Right now, I'm tied to a chair while these three punks laugh in front of me. Behind them are everyone I care about, all of them tied up and knocked out. They beat us all, and I still can't believe it happened. There's Flash, Twilight, Spike...everyone, all tied up and beaten. I can't stand the sight in front of me, my mouth snarling as I keep letting out several growls.

As my mouth continued to make the noise, Big Score let out a low, filthy chuckle. "So...you still think you can beat me?"

I click my tongue, a small breath escaping my mouth. "Yeah, I do."

"And how are ya gonna do that? You're tied up, see?"

I know I can't see my face, but I know I'm giving him a death stare. "I'll start by escaping these ropes." I say as I lift my paws up, the ropes now falling to the ground.

"What the-" Big tries to say in disbelief. That is, till I slam my paw into his face with as much force as I can muster. "AUGH!"

I quickly ascend from the chair, knocking it away with my foot as I focus my aura into my paws. I assume a battle stance, my right paw higher than my left one while both pouring out a bunch of aura. As they do, Big stumbles back before yelling and pointing at me, "He's free! Get him, see?!"

"I got him boss! I got him!" Boulder yells, quickly bum-rushing me. Seeing the tankish stallion charge at me, I put my paws together, summoning a sphere of aura.

"Aura Blast!" I yell, firing the attack. The sphere immediately struck him, knocking him away like he was made of nothing. I crick my neck, quickly turning to the third pony, Rickashay. The pegasus just stares me down, his wings flared. As I see this, my paws begin to glow as aura covers them. He's going to attack, and I'm ready.

"You'll pay for this." Rickashay hisses, clawing the ground. I motion my paws, saying 'Bring it on', causing him to snort. "Grrr...die!"

Rickashay lets out a roar, dashing toward me. As he charges, I quickly summon a Bone Breaker, ready to strike back. And as he continues to bum-rush at me, I spin my weapon once, putting myself in a battle stance. He's just a few steps away-

"ENOUGH!" yells a sudden voice. Rickashay and me both come to a screeching halt, only to see a rain of magic beams strike the ground around me. As they do, the beams hit Rickashay, causing him to let out a scream before vanishing. I quickly put my paw over my eyes, the light still shining over the sky. As I did, the beams hit the others, making them all vanish.

A few seconds later, the light stops. And inside the light, was a familiar looking pony. I just stood there, blinking at the sight. The pony was of a dark-looking nature, with her black mane, long horn and wings all showing the same colors. It was Princess Luna. What is she doing here?

"Greetings young jakhowl." she says as she lands right by me, a small smirk on her face. "It seems you like quite the adventurous dreams, just like your partner."

"Dreams?" I ask, still trying to process what she just said. Is she saying this is a dream? Was that why Score and the other ponies had weird accents and-

"Indeed." she nods, interrupting my thoughts. "This is a dream young jakhowl. Surely Sentry told you about how I entered his to help him some time back?"

Did he do that? I mean......yeah, I guess he did. I kinda forgot about that. It was when he kept having nightmares, wasn't it? Right. Well, I better ask why she's here. "Um...Princess Luna?"

"You want to know why I'm here, yes?" she quickly answers, causing me to nod. "Indeed. It was not my intention to interrupt your dream, but I had to speak with you."

"With me?" I point to myself, surprised at her declaration.

"Yes. You see, I have recently discovered something that I believe will interest you." Luna explains, circling her hoof in the air. "I believe I have found another-"

THOOM!

The ground suddenly let out a shake, causing me to almost lose balance. As it did, I yelp, "Whoa! What was that?!"

Luna replies with a grimace on her face. "Blast! Your dream is ending! Sentry must be trying to wake you in the real world!"

"Huh? Flash is waking me up?"

Luna nods. "Yes. I can't stop him, my real body is in Canterlot after all." She then leans down and stares at me again. "We're out of time. If that is the case, we will meet in reality instead in order to go over what I have learned." She puts her hooves on my shoulders. "Listen Springer, we will discuss more in reality. But just know this-"

The next words send a chill down my spine.

"I believe I have found another one of your kind."

Then, I felt nothing. Nothing but a bright light.





"AAAAAHHHHH!" I yell, my head flying out of my bed.

"Whoa!" says a familiar voice as it's owner hops away from me. Its my partner, Flash Sentry, who is currently wearing a face full of worry. He walks back up to me, patting my head. "You okay bud? You were whimpering in your sleep."

"I...I..." I try to reply, but words fail me. I'm not sure what to say. I blink a few times before squinting my eyes, quickly glancing around until I see the clock on the wall. I see the hour and minutes hands and instantly realize why he woke me up. Its time for morning training. I turn back to Flash with a small frown on my face. "I'm fine Flash. It was just uh...just a crazy dream."

"You sure bud? You look a bit shaken up." Flash tries to inquire, only for me to give him a deadpan stare.

"I'm pretty sure I'm fine." I grumble as I take off my blanket. "So, we doing morning training or what?"

"You know it." he says with a smirk. He motions for me to get on his back, which I do without a second thought. We then proceed into the kitchen, where Flash quickly grabs our usual water bottles before we quietly leave the building, making sure we wake nopony up. Though to be fair, the only one we would probably wake up is Twilight since Scootaloo and Spike sleep like literal rocks.

A few minutes later, we're flying over Ponyville, making our way to our usual training ground. As we fly over, I let out a long, tiring sigh. I'm still a bit asleep, yet I feel more awake than ever as well. Despite this, only one thought is going through my head.

Another one of my kind.

That's what Princess Luna told me in my dream. That is, till Flash woke me up. Though...what does that mean? Did she really find another jakhowl? I thought I was the only one around...

"Springer!" yells a voice, knocking me back into reality. I then see we've already landed, and Flash is motioning to the ground. "Hop off buddy, we need to start training."

"Err...yeah." I reply, hopping off as well. "Sorry about that."

"You sure you're okay bud?" he asks again, putting his wing around me. "Look, if something's wrong, you don't have to hide it from me. We're partners."

"I uh..." I try to say, only for nothing else to come out of mouth. How do I even word this? I mean, I have nothing to hide...I'm just not sure how to tell him. I try to speak again, only for my mouth to close a second later. Darn. How do I word this? I then just turn to him, staring at him in the eyes. "Flash, I...uh..."

"Morning you two." suddenly says a new voice. Me and Flash turn around to see Iron Core walking up to us, his weapon Piecemaker resting on his shoulder. "You sure got here early. I usually have to wait on you two lazy bums."

"Lazy?!" Flash barks back, a growl already in his voice.

Oh no, not again.

"You heard me. Lazy." Iron replies, a smirk on his face. It didn't take a second before Flash is up in Iron's face, yelling back at him.

Ugh...this again. Just about every other morning, these two end up bickering over who's a better soldier. That or something else. Granted, I'm used to it by now. So much so that I turned around, rummaged through my backpack, and pulled out my usual morning snack: Bon-Bon's special super sugar-free chocolate. (I can't have sugar due to the Sugar Springer Incident...which I honestly can't remember anything except something about a yellow rat) Bon-Bon gives me these chocolates all the time, mainly due to me being her best customer and saving her on my first day of being Ponyville's solo defender. So, I take out the piece and pop it into my mouth, the flavors already filling my senses. Mmmm...good stuff.

I turn around, only to still see the same two arguing as usual. Some things never change. With that, I turned around again and went over to our main tree we use for weaponless combat, the chocolate now already down my throat. I crick my paws and neck, positioning my body as I do a few stretches. Let's see...what should I do for the first exercise routine? Yesterday, I did mainly Bone Breakers and a few offensive stances with palm strikes. That would be a good start, though it would be nice to have something that could evenly...fight my attacks...like another jakhowl.

I don't know why that thought entered my mind. I mean, Princess Luna did say that, right? There's another one of my kind...and she would meet me soon to talk about it. Or...something like that. Maybe I was just dreaming...though it felt so real. Did she really find another? I mean, I know I went with Spike to find other jakhowls, only to come up empty. Heck, despite the journey, I was pretty depressed after that. I know Flash knew I depressed despite how much I tried to hide it but...

Another jakhowl.

Now that I think about it, I never really thought about what I would do if I found another jakhowl...and I still don't know. What if the other jakhowl is happy where they are? What would I do then? Would I...would I have to stay with them or something? Should I do that?

I turn back to Flash and Iron, only to still see their still ongoing argument. Ugh...these two will never truly get along, will they?

"Oh yeah?" Flash barks back, "And what makes you so good at the job that I've been doing longer than you, huh?!"

Iron stomps his hoof, pressing his face up to Flash. "Simple. I'm not a pansy like you!"

"Pansy?! Why I oughta-"

"ENOUGH!" yells another voice way above us. That's the second time I've heard that today. I look up and see the voice's owner, Princess Luna, as she descends down to us.

"Princess Luna?!" the other two exclaim, quickly bowing down as she lands in front of us. I bow as well.

"Arise you three." she commands, gesturing her hoof at us. We all look up, only to see a face showing a tinge of anger. "Tell me, why are you two arguing this early in the day?"

"Errr...well I uh-that is um..." Flash stutters while Iron just scratches the ground with his hoof. I couldn't help but giggle at this.

"Enough." Luna repeats before pointing at me. "I have come young jakhowl, just like I told you earlier."

"Told Springer?" Flash asks, looking at me now. "What's she talking about buddy?"

"She uh...er..." I now stutter before looking back at Luna.

Luna raises her left eyebrow. "You did not tell him?"

"I...didn't know what to say...or how to explain it."

"Ah. Tis understandable. Such news is...alarming for somepony like you."

"Uh, what news?" Flash asks, now nudging me with a glare on his face. "What's she talking about buddy?"

"Do not fret young Sentry, he means you no harm in not telling you." Luna replies, placing a hoof between us. "The news is...alarming for the young jakhowl."

Flash crosses his hooves. "Okay, I get that. What is this news about my partner?"

"I have found evidence of another jakhowl." she bluntly states.

Flash freezes up at this. Even his aura is still, as if he has no reaction to this. I'm not sure how long it was till he replied, but he soon did. "Wha-what? You found another jakhowl? Really?!"

"It is true." Luna replies, closing her eyes for a second as she did. She reopened them and gave us a look of...I'm not sure. Uncertainty? But, she kept talking anyways. "I believe I have found evidence of another jakhowl."

"Wow..." Flash gasps, almost backpedaling.

Luna nods. "Indeed. Tell me Sentry, do you remember when I tried to help you with your nightmares?"

"Yeah. You uh...went into my dreams, right?"

"Exactly." Luna's expression didn't change as she continued. "Since then, I've been practicing my dreamwalking magic. As such, I have restarted my duty of protecting foals from nightmares, and have been preventing bad dreams around Equestria." We all shared a glance, surprised at the statement.

"Wow. That's cool." Flash compliments, a small grin showing up on his face. "But uh...what's that got to do with Springer and another jakhowl?"

"I'm getting to that." Luna replies, gesturing us to stay silent as she continued to explain. "Now, a few days ago, I found a nightmare a filly from Appleloosa was having. As usual, I went to help the filly...only to see the most unexpected sight." I could feel a tinge of confusion in Luna's aura as she said these next words. "The filly's nightmare was her being attacked by a large, dark shadow. Now, that's a simple nightmare that I have seen many times. After all, the darkness is something many young ponies fear. But when I tried to interfere, I was...interrupted."

"Interrupted?"

"Yes." Luna nods again. "As soon as the shadow tried to attack the filly...I saw it. A jakhowl. It appeared in front of the filly in her dream."

I went wide-eyed at this. Flash was probably wide-eyed too, though I wasn't looking at him.

I'm also guessing that Luna saw our expressions and knew she had to continue. "Yes. You see, when the jakhowl appeared in the dream...it attacked the shadow and destroyed it. Then, the dream ended, and I got kicked out of the filly's dream. At first, I thought I was seeing things...but then I went to the filly's dream the next day."

Flash crosses his hooves, "Let me guess. It was just like me, wasn't it? She had the same dream over and over again?"

"Indeed. The jakhowl appeared again in the dream, saving the filly from the darkness." Luna's aura showed a bit of frustration now. "No matter what I did or when I went to the filly's dream, it always did the same thing. I couldn't prevent it." A small snort flew out of her nostrils. "It was yesterday that I realized what the dreams meant."

"What they meant?" I ask.

"Yes. Dreams can be many things. Visions, memories, fates...they can be seen as real or fiction. As such, I believe this dream is close to reality for this filly. In fact, I believe that the recurring nature of this dream means that she knows a jakhowl."

"What makes you say that?"

"Simple. The filly is always saved. It means the filly knows about the jakhowls and knows it will save her. That means there is some 'belief' in this dream." Luna then points at me. "Young jakhowl, have you ever gone to Appleloosa?"

I shake my head. "No. I've heard about it, but I've never been there."

"Yeah. I've been there and I've told him about it, but he's never gone there before." Flash adds.

"I see. If that's the case," Luna pats my shoulder with her hoof. "Young jakhowl-no. Young Springer, you must accompany me to Appleloosa! We must meet this other jakhowl!"

I open my mouth...only for nothing to come out. I'm not sure what to say. I mean, another jakhowl?

Thankfully, Flash decided to speak for me. "Hold on Princess Luna. Why are you-"

Luna interrupts him with a flash of her hoof. "Silence young Sentry!" Flash's mouth quickly shuts as she continues. "I believe that a jakhowl is in this town. Because of this, myself and Springer will go to Appleloosa and verify it. After all, he can see the aura of others. This ability will be needed to verify the jakhowl's identity!"

"I...okay." Flash stutters before glancing at me. I'm not sure what my face is showing right now, but I can see a little worry on his. He turns back to Luna, "Alright. If that's the case, I'm coming too. I'm his partner, so-"

"No." Luna interrupts, letting out a snort from her nostrils.

"Huh? But why-"

Luna flashes her hoof again. "Silence young Sentry. You are needed here." She then points her hoof at Iron. "And do not say that young Iron is here so that you can just leave Ponyville. You are both needed here right now."

Flash and Iron glance at each other while I stare at them. Flash then asks, "We...are?"

Luna nods. "Yes. Besides..." Luna looks like she's biting her lip as she crosses her hooves. "I...believe my sister may soon ask for you Sentry. Don't ask me why."

"Oh...okay." Never heard Flash sound so defeated. Then again, he can't say no to royalty...at least, that's what he's told me before. He turns to me, blinking slightly before asking, "Well, what about you buddy? You've been really quiet."

"I..." I open my mouth again...only to close it. I still don't know what to say. I glance between Flash and Luna, both giving me expectant looks.

"Is something wrong young jakhowl?" Luna asks me, leaning down. "Do you not want to know if there is another jakhowl out there?"

"I...um..." I stutter. I feel myself backpedaling, a gulp going down my throat. What do I say? What do I-

"Just go." says a new voice. We all turn to its owner. Its Iron Core, who's shaking his head.

"Iron?" Flash asks, only to get a raised hoof in response.

Instead, Iron walks up to me, growling. "Just go already. You have a chance to find some answers and you got nothing to lose, right? Then get going."

He's not wrong. I blink at this before turning back to Luna as Flash now speaks up. "He's right Springer. Go ahead."

Luna nods at me. "Yes. We will find the truth together young jakhowl."

I blink again before looking at my paws. Why was I doubting myself? I don't know...guess I'm just being dumb. I look back up at Luna and nod again. "Okay. I'll go with you Princess Luna. Let's find another jakhowl!"

"Excellent!" Luna cheers before her horn suddenly lights up. I shield my eyes as a bright light covers her. A second later, I lower my paws and see a new sight. Luna no longer has her wings, and now has a green cloak over her back. Her hair is also light blue...and no longer wavy. I open my mouth to ask why, only for her to flash her hoof again. "Don't ask, I shall explain." She pats her chest before giving us all a smirk. "We shall be taking the train to Appleloosa. I am royalty, so I shall be using this illusion to be able go through the town in an...easier manner."

"Makes sense." Flash admits before leaning down and hugging me. I embrace him back as I feel a smile appearing on my face. A second later, he leans back and gives me a big cheeky grin. "Go find the truth buddy. I'll tell everypony what's happening with the picnic we're having later, so go ahead and leave with Princess Luna, okay?"

"Okay!" I nod. I forgot about that picnic...eh, whatever. I mean, this is kinda more important.

Iron walks up and pats my head. "I hope you find something good mutt."

"Thanks Iron."

And so, I joined Luna onto the next train to Appleloosa. Next stop, hopefully another jakhowl!





I let out a small sigh as I looked out the window of the train. It wasn't the first time I've ridden one of these things and...honestly? I have no idea why I was impressed with riding one of these things. I guess its just like Flash said. 'Its just a hunk of metal. I honestly rather be flying.' Makes sense. I mean, I like riding on Flash's back while he's flying a lot more than this boring piece of steel.

"Is something wrong, young Springer?" asks a certain voice.

I turn to its owner, Princess Luna. She told me earlier to refer to her as 'Light Moon' as long as her disguise is on. I shake my head at her. "No. I'm just...I don't know. I don't know what I'm feeling."

Luna gives me a nod. "Tis understandable. After all, what we're doing is very important for you."

"I...I know." I let out another sigh. I'm still not sure about this. I mean, another jakhowl? What does that really mean? My mind feels like mush as I keep thinking like this.

Then, I felt a small nudge on my shoulder. Its Luna's hoof.

"Cheer up young one. There is nothing to worry about." Luna says as she leans down, patting my head. "Here, let me tell you about a jakhowl I once knew."

"You once knew?" I ask back, gasping.

"Yes." Luna nods and creases a smile. "He was my friend centuries ago. His name was...Sharp Paw." The pause made me slightly shiver. Her tone sounds...nostalgic.

Despite that, she continued. "Centuries ago, he was the leader of the jakhowls. Back then, the jakhowls didn't exactly roam Equestria. Rather, they mainly stayed in certain groups, all huddling together just like us ponies do in towns and cities. In fact, he was the one who had them do this. Though, there were certain times of the year that he would have the jakhowls all meet together." She chuckles at this. "They loved Sharp Paw. He was kind, courageous...a true leader."

Luna started looking out the window, a wistful look on her face. "My my, it still feels...different thinking about him. Him and the jakhowls." She rubs her chin before staring back at me. "You know, you're just like him."

"I...am? I don't think I'm like a leader."

"Oh, but you are like him in some ways, young jakhowl. I can see the drive in your eyes Springer." Luna leans down, smirking. "You and Sharp Paw have the same drive. I'm sure you can meet this other jakhowl and get along with them."

I blink at this. "Oh...thanks."

"Don't worry Springer, we'll figure this out." Luna says as she leans back up.

We didn't talk much after that. Rather, we just sat there in those leather seats. My mind still raced, unsure about what I had to do. I mean, if there is another jakhowl, what do I do? Do I just...meet them and figure out from there?





A few hours later...

We had arrived. I had heard about Appleloosa before, and it was exactly how Flash had described it. That was, 'dusty, hot, and kinda boring.' Yup. That's what it looked like to me. Nothing but a bunch of wooden buildings...in the desert. Complete with ponies wearing clothes similar to Applejack's and...I think those are buffalo? They're weird giant furry brown beings, just like Flash described. Their aura is big...yet it feels rough and soft at the same time.

As we hopped off the train, I could feel the desert heat in the air. My fur tinged as I felt the temperature rise from the AC in the train to the desert town. As my feet tapped the ground, I felt something new. I felt...sand. I had never felt something like that.

And I already don't like it. That was quick.

Anyways, I turned to Luna who gave me a quick glance before saying, "We have arrived my friend. Come, we need to check in at the inn here. Then we can begin our search."

I give her a nod, the two of us soon moving towards the middle of the town. As we began our trek in, my eyes soon saw the words 'inn' on a sign, causing me to point it out to the princess. She gave me a nod and we both ventured inside the building. There, Luna made her way to the counter, where she gave the guy at the desk a bag of bits.

As she got our room key, the clerk spoke up as he looked down at me. "Well I'll be! Its another one of them blue doggies!"

I almost backpedal at this while Luna gives him wide eyes. I point at my chest. "You...know another jakhowl?"

"WHOA!" The clerk exclaims, leaning back as his eyes now go wide. "You can talk?!"

Me and Luna exchange a glance before I reply. "Yes. Does the one you know not know how to talk?"

The clerk shakes his head. "No. We had no idea you doggies can talk...or that you're called a...what did ya call it again?"

Luna places her hoof on the counter. "A jakhowl. Tell me, where is this other one? It is the reason why we are here."

The clerk tilts his head. "You're here for Tricky?"

Tricky? That's the other jakhowl's name? I rub my chin at that. Strange...but then again, I don't know if Springer is a strange name among the jakhowl. I then feel a hoof on my shoulder. I must have blanked out there for a minute.

"Come Springer. The clerk told me that Tricky usually hangs out at this town's square." Luna says as she gestures me to follow her. "I shall put our belongings in our room and then make our way into town."

"Uh...yeah. Got it." I say with slight hesitation. I follow her upstairs to our room where we do what she said. A few minutes later, we leave the hotel, thanking the clerk for the info. Then, we made our way to the town square.

Turns out, the square was packed. I mean, really packed. Nothing but ponies and buffalo everywhere, all of them buzzing around. So many auras to pick up here, it almost makes me feel nauseous. However, before I can feel anything, Luna puts her hoof on my shoulder again. As soon as she does this, its like my nerves calm down a little.

Huh. She must be telling the truth. She really is used to jakhowls.

I'm glad she is. It makes me feel...good. I mean, I wish Flash was here to help, but Luna's aura still helps. I can feel true warmth and love from it.

With that, I turn back to the crowd, only for my ears to pick up something new. Laughter. A whole lot of it. Heck, the auras are showing nothing happiness right now. I glance at Luna, who gives me a nod before we start walking into the laughing crowd in front of us. As we make our way through the ponies and buffalo, I feel the auras around me. All of them happy, all of them so...like, happy beyond happy. It feels strange...so much so that I turn off my senses for a minute. There's too many here, I can't stand that much aura.

As we go through, I notice something else. Everything is ignoring me and Luna. They just stand there, like nothing is going on in terms of two individuals pushing through the crowd. Strange. Despite this, we kept pushing forward, my ears picking up more and more cheers.

Then, me and Luna made it to the center. There, my eyes went wide.

In the middle of the crowd, in front of all these happy auras, was a jakhowl.

He looked just like me, black ears, yellow collar, blue tail...except he was wearing a hat similar to Applejack's and a small brown coat, similar to other Appleloosa ponies. Not only that, he was standing on a ball, yipping as he was...juggling? Yeah, he was juggling what looked like four plastic balls.

He looks so...happy.

Then, I felt Luna's hoof again. I look at her for a second, only to notice that she's leaning down to my level. She points at a nearby filly, who's clapping at the other jakhowl. She whispers to me, "There, do you see that filly?"

I look at the filly. She's light brown all over, her mane and fur are all light brown, and her cutie mark is a flower covered in sand. Luna then says, "That's the filly from the dreams. She must be connected to the-"

"Holy moley!" yells a new voice, causing the two of us to hop in place. We both look up and see the filly suddenly in front of us, with wide eyes. "You're another Tricky!"

"Wha-"

I feel two hooves grabbing my face, feeling a sharp tug. "Ack!"

"No way! Its another Tricky!" the filly exclaims, shaking me up and down. I grab her hooves and pull away. I look back at the filly and she just stands there, smiling at me. "Hiya doggie! I'm Dusty Flower!"

"Dusty Flower?" I say, not meaning to speak up.

"WHOA!" Dusty exclaims as she backpedals, the others around us also backpedaling. "You can talk?!"

"Yeah...I can talk." I grumble, rubbing my face. "And don't do that again."

"Wow...that's so cool!" she exclaims, turning to another pony standing nearby. This one has a light orangish-yellowish coat and bright orange hair. He has a brown vest and hat on. "Hey Braeburn, look at this! Its a talking one of those doggies!"

"It is?!" Braeburn replies as he walks up to me. "You can talk?"

"Yeah, I can talk." I repeat, only for him to lean down and put his face right in front of me. "Whoa! Not so close!"

"Sweet apples, you can talk! That's amazing!" he yells, leaning back. "I thought you blue doggies just barked."

"Yes, I can talk." I repeat again, a growl under my breath.

"Oh, sorry little fellah. I didn't mean any harm." He says, an honest aura around him.

"Its cool." I reply, only for Dusty to walk in front of him.

"Say, what's your name?" she asks while Braeburn nods in agreement, obviously wanting to know as well.

"Springer."

"Oooohhhh...neat!" she points to the other jakhowl, who still hasn't looked at me. Why hasn't he looked at me? She then says, "So, where'd you come from? I really really wanna know! I mean, I found Tricky over there a few days ago and he can't talk like you. So, what's-wait a minute!"

She turns to other jakhowl and waves at him. "Hey Tricky! Come over here!"

"Huh? What is it Dusty?" I hear him say. Wait, I can understand him? Though he is a jakhowl...guess I should be able to understand him. He looks at Dusty and hops off the ball, asking, "What do you need Dusty? Is there-whoa!"

He stops as he glances at me. As he does, I stop as well. Time feels like it freezes as I stared at him for a second, only for my ears to pick up Dusty's voice. "Isn't that neat Tricky?! He looks just like you! You know, except without the hat and vest I gave ya..."

"WOW! You really are like me!" Tricky says as he zips up to my face, making me almost instantly backpedal. He has a huge grin on his face as stands there, wagging his tail like crazy. "Nice to meetcha! I'm Tricky, what's your name?"

"I'm uh...Springer." I reply, only for him to look up at Luna.

"Hiya! Who's your pal?!" the jakhowl asks, causing me to look at Luna.

"What did he just say?" Luna asks.

"He's says he wants to meet you." I reply.

She turns to him and bends down, presenting her hoof. "Greetings young jakhowl, I am Light Moon. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?"

"Okay!" he replies back, though I know Luna can't understand him. He turns back to me and points at Luna. "She's weird."

"I..." I try to reply, only to blink. Not sure what to do here. However, Tricky instead decides for me as he walks up and grabs my paw, shaking it.

"Welp, it was nice to meet ya but I wanna go entertain everyone else now!" he says as he stops shaking my paw. He then turns around, quickly hopping back on the ball he was on earlier. As soon as he does, the crowd begins to cheer again, as if on cue.

Then, I felt a familiar hoof. I look up at Luna. "Seems this jakhowl gets distracted easily." she says as she gives me a calm yet serious look. "Do you think he will answer any of your questions?"

"I...don't know." I honestly say, looking back at Tricky as he walks on the ball. He sure is carefree. Its like nothing can faze him.

Luna nudges me again. "And his aura. What did you think of it?" she asks me.

I freeze. That's right...I should have checked his aura the first time I laid eyes on him.

But I didn't.

Was I that distracted? Was I really not paying any attention? I slowly close my eyes, ready to scan him over.

But then I feel it. I feel...off. Like my balance is gone. I feel...strange. I feel like I'm on a tightrope that's constantly moving, tilting me back and forth. I open my eyes, only for them to widen in amazement.

I see a flood of auras around me, all of them....lowered. Weren't they happy before? I know I tried to stop scanning since there were so many around me, but...their auras shouldn't be this small. They're all...so tiny for ponies. And buffalos. Its like all the auras have been compressed. And...they're not happy. I can't feel real joy from them.

But then I look at Tricky.

My eyes shrink. My stomach ties up in a knot. I feel...I feel almost sick. I can't believe what I'm seeing. How is this possible? I take a step back, my fur feeling Luna's cloak.

Tricky...doesn't have an aura.

There's nothing there. Its as if there's no life in his body. Its like he's just a...lifeless body in front of me.

I put my paws over my mouth. I feel nauseated. I feel like there's a stir in my throat, burning within my stomach. Why do I feel this way? What's happening to me? I feel another nudge from Luna.

"What's wrong Springer? What happened?" she asks, only for me to stare up at her.

"Something's wrong...really really wrong. I feel sick. I...I need to leave." I reply to her, to which her eyes widen for just a second. Then, her horn shines as her magic levitates me onto her back.

"Come. Let us return to the inn."





You know, I've never rode on Flash while he's wearing something. Turns out, its not that comfortable. I guess the cloak Luna made wasn't really made for passengers. Though to be fair, I don't think any cloaks were really made for that. Anyways, as I rode Luna's back, I continued to rub my forehead, still feeling nauseated. Ugh. I feel so...wrong.

"Are you okay young jakhowl?" Luna asks, looking back at me as she continued to walk to the inn. "Check your aura. It will tell you how you're feeling."

I look down at myself, especially my paws. I blink as I flex my paws, my eyes feel like they're swimming...my aura feels kind of off. My aura has been reduced, just like that crowd. Was it when he touched me?

"Well? How is your aura?" Luna asks again, snapping me back into reality. I look at her, only to see that her aura is fine. Its not compressed or shrunk or anything. What's going on? Why am I like the others?

"I...don't know." I respond, shaking me head. "My aura feels...small."

"Small?"

"Yeah...small." I shrug, flexing my paws again. "It feels like I have less aura right now. I don't know why."

"Hmm..." Luna turns back, staring ahead as she rubs her chin with her hoof. "That is not good. Less aura is bad for a jakhowl." She looks at me with a fierce stare. "Come, we will start by making you get some rest."

I don't think I can refuse that. "Okay."

A few minutes later, we reached our hotel room. It didn't take much for Luna to put me on one of the beds, my breathing going a little shallow. My aura feels...it already feels like its getting better but still. As I lay there, Luna levitates a small blanket to me, blinking as she looks at me.

"Are you alright? Is your aura coming back?"

"I...I think so." I turn to her. "How did you know my aura was low?"

"Its common knowledge when working with jakhowls." she replies as she opens her bag and levitates a bottle of water to me. "Jakhowls in most situations, can not get sick. Their aura allows them to negate things like viruses or parasites. The only problem that happens is that they have less aura to use for a while."

"I...I see." I stutter, grabbing the bottle she gives me. As I take a swig of water, I ask, "What do you think made me suddenly lose my aura like that?"

She closes the bag as she replies, "I don't know. I would say its the desert heat, but that would have affected you as soon as we got here." She turns back to me, her stare now...kinda glaring at me. "Tell me, what did Tricky's aura look like?"

Wow. She looked right through me. I open my mouth, only to stop. I can't seem to talk to for a second. As I do this, her glare turns into a soft smile, her aura softening as well. Then, she walks over to me and pats my head. "I apologize Springer, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." She looks down, sighing, "Its just...it feels like I'm talking to Sharp Paw at times."

"Oh...sorry."

She shakes her head, quickly hugging me. "Do not apologize to me. I am sorry that I keep thinking you are an older jakhowl."

"Oh...yeah." I hug back, feeling a small smile on my face. "Well, thank you for helping me."

"Of course." She ends the hug and leans back, "However, I still must know, what did you-"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Both of us hop in place, turning our heads to the door. Luna gives me a small glance before walking up to the door, slowly opening it. "Hello?"

"HIYA!" yells a certain voice as the door fully opens. Its Tricky, though he's not wearing the hat and vest from earlier. He gives us a small bow before staring at me. Staring at me with a big smirk. "Hi again Springer! How ya doing?"

"I'm...okay?" I respond, not realizing that I'm actually lying. I look back at Luna, who gives me a few blinks before back to Tricky. "Um...why are you here Tricky?"

"Simple." His smirk turns into a huge grin, his teeth shining. "I want to talk to you."

I point to myself. "Talk to me?"

"Is that what he said?" Luna asks.

He nods before crossing his paws. "Yup. After all, you're probably wondering why another jakhowl is here, right?" He points to Luna. "If you'll leave her and follow me, I'll tell you everything."

"What did he say now?" Luna asks again, staring at me with an expectant look.

"He said he wants me to follow him and you can't come."

"WHAT?!" Luna shrieks, glaring back at Tricky. "You can not be serious! He just got here and Springer is not feeling well."

Tricky glances at me. "Tell her that I'll tell you everything. That and-" he raises his paws, closing his eyes as he makes a...well, a peaceful expression. "I mean no harm. Honest."

Both me and Luna stare at him for a second. Our eyes must be going a mile a minute with our blinking. Still not sure what I'm looking at here. However, I don't translate to Luna. She figured out what he meant with just that expression. That's impressive, I'll give him that.





Me and Luna talked for a bit after that. I told her about how the auras of the crowd were off and how I still didn't understand what was going on with me. I think the both of us weren't sure what to really do, but she reluctantly agreed in the end. We need answers. With that, I walked out the room, Tricky motioning me to follow him as quickly as possible.

I followed Tricky outside. I could feel a series of shivers down my side, my nerves couldn't stand it. Why? Why does this jakhowl have no aura? And why do I feel so...I don't know. It feels like all the warning signs keep blaring in my head as we both leave the hotel. My feet feel like they're going to fall apart as I keep following him.

We soon left the hotel, taking a quick left as we walked down on the dusty main road of Appleloosa. Luna's moon is shining over us as I follow him past two buildings, only to take another turn. There, he walks just a bit more...only to stop. I stop as well, seeing that we're now stuck between two buildings, just like an alleyway. I can still feel the tingling.

"Hey." I say, a bit of air coming out of my nose. "Why'd you stop?"

"Simple." Tricky replies, turning around with a small smile on his face. "We're here."

"Here?" I look around. "This is just some dumpy alley."

Tricky shrugs. "Eh, location doesn't matter too much to me." He then crosses his paws. "After all, I accomplished what I wanted to do."

Accomplished? What does he mean? "What are you-"

"What am I doing?" he interrupts, his smile slightly getting bigger. "Simple. I wanted to get away from Princess Luna."

I freeze. How did he know about her? Did he see through her disguise? I mean, he doesn't have an aura, how did he know? Just...what is this guy?

"Don't play dumb." Tricky says next, pretty much shutting me down to retort. He just shrugs again, pointing back to the direction of the hotel. "I know your roommate is her. Don't deny it."

This time, I cross my hooves. "Okay, you made your point. So...what do you want Tricky?"

Tricky snaps his paw. "Ah! Before we continue, I need you to stop calling me that. My name is Shade, not Tricky. Tricky is a...name Dusty Flower made up since she can't understand me. That and she named me Tricky because of the tricks I do for the crowd, like you saw before."

"Ooookay." I reply, not sure how to respond to that. Okay, his name is Shade. Shade...the jakhowl. Maybe jakhowl. I'm not sure what I should be thinking now. Guess I'll just have to get used to that. "So Shade, what do you want?"

"Ah! The million-bit question! You finally asked it!" Shade claps his paws, giving me a cocky fake bow afterword. "Good work Springer."

I let out a low growl. "Don't mock me Shade." I uncross my paws, aura burning in them. "Answer me. What do you want?"

Shade casually puts his paws behind his head. "My my, already angry? You got a quick temper there jakhowl. You should get that checked out."

"I'm serious."

"I know." he puts his paws down again. "But, before I answer your question," His smirk gets a tiny bit bigger. "Isn't there something else you should be asking about? Maybe something about my aura?"

I blink, my aura in my paws lessening. He knows about that too. I shouldn't be surprised, I mean...I don't even know if he's a jakhowl. He's so...different. I tense up as I then ask, "Yeah...why don't you have an aura?"

"Simple. I'm not a jakhowl."

"Not...a jakhowl?" Why did I pause?

He gives me a nod. "Yes. I'm not a jakhowl, though I do know about them. After all, why would I be taking this form right now if I didn't know?"

"Form?" So he looks like something else?

His eyes light up as he claps again. "Ah! That's right! I never showed you!"

"Showed me?"

He nods vigorously. "Yes! I never showed you!" He then crosses his paws again, that smirk still on his face. "After all, we've met before and I didn't show you back then."

"Huh?" That was all I could say. I've met him before? WHAT?! How?! I know I would have remembered another jakhowl...wait a minute. Did I meet him before I met Flash? I mean, I know I barely remember anything before that but...

"Oh come now, don't tell me you've already forgotten about little old me?" he asks, his tone dripping with cheekiness.

"I've never met you before today Shade." I reply, a snort leaving my nose.

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Even if I do...this?" he says before taking one step back. Then, he does what I could only describe as a tiny hop, only for his body to suddenly envelop in a ball of multi-colored lights. Yet...it doesn't shine. The colors just flow through the ball as it stays in the air for a little bit. Then, it stops. The ball disappears, only for a new figure to appear. A new...yet very familiar figure. He gives me a grin. A very familiar, very large grin.

Its the dragon from when I went with Spike to meet other dragons. The one that was black all over except the red tips on it's scales. The one that kept appearing behind Garble, staring at me with it's huge sinister grin. He now towers over me, giggling.

"Hee hee hee...hee hee hee..."

A second later, he hops in the air again, turning back into a jakhowl.

"Ahhh....never get tired of that." he says as he cricks his neck. "Remember me now Springer?"

"What....is this?" I barely say, blinking. "You...you're that dragon from back then?!"

He nods. "That's right." He put his paws behind his head again. "Ah yes, that was fun. Messing with those dumb, idiotic dragons that is. Tell me, how's your pal....uh, what was his name again? Spark?"

"Its Spike." I flatly reply.

Shade just gives me a shrug. "Eh, whatever. That's not important right now Springer." His smirk returns. Ugh, why does that smirk make me so angry? He then says, "What's important right now is..." He points at me and himself. "You and me."

I pause for a second. "What do you mean?"

"Simple." His smirk turns into a grin. A really big, vicious grin. It makes feel a chill down my spine just looking at it. I know I saw it before when he was a dragon but....ugh. Why do I feel so...disgusted at what's in front of me? Is it because he doesn't have an aura?

Despite this, I didn't tune him out. He kept talking.

"You see Springer, you and I are connected." He points back to himself again.

"Connected?"

He nods. "That's right. You see, I'm something called...a Trickster."

"Trickster? What's that?"

He wags one of his paw's fingers at me. "A Trickster is....how do you say this?" He rubs his chin, looking above me. "A Trickster is a being that is...destined to fight the jakhowls."

"Destined?" I can't seem to say more than one word right now.

Shade crosses his hooves, smirking again. "I see you're confused, so I'm make it simple. I'm here to fight you. Or more specifically...to play a game with you." I try to respond, only for him to flash his paw. "Let me finish. I know you have questions, so I'll just explain everything now. Sound good?"

I can feel my eyes narrow. "Okay."

"Good. Now, let me explain." He taps his chest. "I am a Trickster, and Tricksters love to do one thing, and that's play games. Specifically with jakhowls. Its what we Tricksters are destined to do with jakhowls."

I blink at this. They're destined to play games with jakhowls? That sounds...dumb. I then respond, "You...have to play a game with me? That's it?"

He nods. "Yes. We have to play a game. In fact, I've been looking for you to do this."

"Looking for me?"

He nods again. "Oh yes. After I saw you with that purple scale-brain, I knew you were the jakhowl I was looking for. Heck, that's why I came back to Equestria."

"Back?"

He nods once more. "Oh yes. You see, I came back to Equestria when I first saw you back there. You're the reason why I went town to town after that, trying to figure out where you were." He hops in place again, turning into a small colt. He gives me a huge grin, "Hee hee hee..." He hops again, transforming back into the jakhowl form. "And as you can see, its quite easy for me to get around towns without suspicion."

I can feel my paws clench even more, aura slightly burning in them now. Did he literally just say that he went around causing trouble just because he met me back then?! Does that mean he's done a bunch of bad things here as well?! Just because of me?! I let out a low growl. "If that's the case, why show up here as a jakhowl?!"

"Oh that?" He looks up, his grin shining again. "Well...let's just say this town is special."

"Special?"

"Oh yes." He nods and snaps his paw. I feel a sudden chill as I sense something. I turn around and see Dusty Flower, suddenly standing behind me. Yet, she's not saying a thing. She's just standing there, a dull look in her eyes.

That is, till I sense her aura. Its...gone. Just like him.

I turn back to Shade, growling. "What did you do to her?! Why is her aura gone?!"

He doesn't respond immediately. Then, he grins. His grin...grows bigger and bigger. Why does that grin bother me?

"Simple. I'm controlling her." Shade responds as he waves at Dusty, who then walks up to him. He puts his paw on her head. "She's mine to control, just like everyone else in this dustbin of a town. Surely you noticed how...tame the auras of that crowd were. Why do you think they mainly ignored you?"

I don't respond. After all this, I think I know one thing for sure. This guy likes to talk. Flash has told me about this with the comics we read. When a villain likes to monologue, let him go overboard. Finish your thoughts later.

So, I continue to listen, "You see Springer, this town is my playground. Its filled with ponies and buffalo that I can easily control and manipulate thanks to the powers I have. That and thanks to a certain...individual I met when I left the Dragon Lands. I have to thank you for that, especially since you motivated me to leave."

I think I know what this means, especially if I think back to when me and Spike were with the other dragons. I point at Shade. "You used that power on Garble, didn't you?"

He claps again. "Ha ha! I knew there was something special about you Springer! You are correct! I used that on...what was that piece of garbage's name again?"

"Garble."

"Eh, whatever." He shrugs again and begins patting Dusty mane. "Let's stop talking about that and back to my ability. You see, my ability could only influence others until I met my...benefactor. The individual helped me realize my true potential, my true..." He waves his paw in front of me, only for what looks like a dark aura to appear, covering his paw. It looks like...like a claw now. Almost like a shadow embraced it, turning it into a claw of darkness. Yet it looks like a shadow more than anything. He grins as he finishes his sentence. "Power."

I backpedal at the sight. I...I don't sense any aura. I don't sense anything on that paw, but I feel...I feel danger from it. He just chuckles at my movement. "Hee hee hee...what's the matter Springer? Scared?"

"No." I reply, my aura burning in my paws even more.

"Hold it!" Shade says, pointing his 'claw' at Dusty's neck. "Put that aura away."

I clench my paws again, and then let the aura out. I just realized he took a hostage. I can't help it though, I'm really distracted here.

"Here's the deal jakhowl." he says as he 'turns off' the 'claw'. "As I said before, we're going to play a game."

"I refuse." I immediately say.

He shakes his head as he puts his paw on Dusty again. "And you don't want her dead? Or maybe I should ask one of the buffalos I'm controlling in this town to go on a rampage? Destroy a few buildings and...do some serious damage perhaps?" He asks me with that same grin. I just glare at him, giving him my response. He then says, "Good. Now, we'll start our game tomorrow. Though to be fair..." He taps his chin as he stops the grinning. "Its going to be more of a duel. After all, I'm on a time limit thanks to my benefactor."

"Time limit?"

"Yeah..." He scratches the back of his head, looking away. "I'm also in this town to test how many I can control and or influence with my powers. I only had a few days, but..." He looks back at me, the grin returning. "Then you appeared, the thing I was looking for! You're going to make this boring, dull town so much more exciting for my last day here! Heck, it might convince me not to destroy this dirtpile!"

"Why you little..." I growl, feeling my aura in my paws again.

"Yeah yeah, whatever..." he says as he turns around, patting Dusty's head again. "Meet me in the town square tomorrow morning. There, we'll have a good old fashioned duel to decide the fate of this town." He looks back at me, smirking. "And if you don't, I'll kill Dusty here and..." He raises his paw, that dark shadow looking aura thing encasing it again. "Well, lets just say I'll use my power to make everyone here tear each other apart. Understand me?"

Then, he turned around and walked away. He just...walked away.

And I couldn't do a thing to stop him.





I can feel pure anger in me right now. My aura feels tense, like a burning flame. I can't seem to calm down. Thankfully, Princess Luna easily sees this when I reentered the hotel room. As suspected, she immediately asked about what happened between me and Shade. I recounted everything relatively easily...that is, till I said he was Trickster. That word made her eyes light up, her aura tensing as she quickly hopped off the bed and grabbed my shoulders.

"Are you serious? He truly is a Trickster?" She asks, disbelief on her face.

"Yeah...or at least, that's what he called himself." I say.

She lets go of me and starts rubbing her chin. I can see her slightly biting her lip as she starts to speak, "This is bad...this is truly bad."

"What do you mean?"

She ignores my question and glares at me. "What else did he say? Why is he here?"

"I..." I stammer. Seems I need to tell her everything before getting some answers. I recount everything else, how he was there in the Dragon Lands, how he can control other ponies...and the duel tomorrow. This detail in particular lights a fire in her eyes.

"Grrr...as expected of a Trickster. Even after all these centuries, they're still vile." she hisses, turning away from me as her aura flares again. "I should have known. I should have guessed that if a jakhowl can come back to Equestria, so could a Trickster."

"What do you mean? Just...what is a Trickster?"

"A Trickster is..." she hesitates. I can feel myself blink as she stood there, unsure on what to say. I'm not sure how minutes passed as she stood there, looking like...like she had lost a good friend. She looked sad as she started on her next words. "A Trickster is a being tied to the jakhowls. They are...beings without aura. Without true life."

"Without...true life? What do you mean?" I ask. I mean, that doesn't make any sense.

Despite this, she continues. She looks at me with a face that her aura can show me as one thing. Regret. "The Tricksters were a set of beings that the jakhowls fought many centuries ago. They were known as...creatures of darkness and shadow. They wield no aura and life has little meaning to them. They live to create misery and mischief."

"Um...okay." I don't get all those words, but I have an idea what they mean. I tilt my head. "If they're that bad, why is this the first time I've ever heard of them?"

"That is..." She lets out a long sigh. "They disappeared around the same time the jakhowls did."

I hop in place. I didn't expect that. "What do you mean? Are you saying that they just...vanished like the jakhowls did?! And at the same time?!"

"Indeed. At least, according to my sister." Luna looks away from me for a second. "When I came back from...the nightmare, I...I had to read up on a lot of the history that I had missed." She looks back at me. "That includes the jakhowls. Remember when we first met in Canterlot, back when you were with Sentry and Cadenza?"

I nod.

"You see, after I saw you, I knew I had to do some research. I had to know if the jakhowls had returned. I...I started thinking about Strong Paw again after I first saw you. But..."

"You didn't find anything, did you?" I finish for her.

"Yes. There was nothing. No traces of jakhowls for the centuries I was gone....and no trace of Tricksters either."

A light goes on in my head. "You think they might be the reason the jakhowls are gone?"

"I...don't know." Luna replies, sighing again. She then shakes her head. "Regardless, that's besides the point here. No matter how much we go over the past, we can not change it. The Tricksters are back, just like the jakhowls."

She's got a point. I better ask about this more later. After all, the duel is what's on my mind more than anything else. I cross my paws and glare at her. "You're right. We need to talk about the duel tomorrow."

"Agreed. If this 'Shade' has challenged you to this duel tomorrow and he plans to use Dusty Flower as a hostage, we'll need to stop him during the duel. That will be our best opportunity."

I'm pretty sure I'm giving her a version of Flash's cocky smirk now. "Sounds good to me. So, you got a plan?"

She rubs her chin. "No, not yet. But that doesn't mean you should go in unprepared." She stands up straight, looking at me straight in the eyes. "Allow me to go over the known abilities of Tricksters. After all, I fought plenty of them several centuries ago."

I nod again. "Alright."

"First, as you can probably guess, Tricksters are shapeshifters. This ability allows them to be cunning creatures. However, there is a flaw to this."

"Let me guess, they can't talk while shapeshifting, can they?" I guess. "At least, except if they're a jakhowl?"

She nods. "Yes. The jakhowl is the only transformation I know of that they can still talk in. That being said, the jakhowl form isn't their real body. They look much different from a jakhowl."

"Really? What do they look like?"

Luna gives me a...dispassionate look. "You'll know when you see it. Trust me." She crosses her hooves. "They'll be much smaller...and darker looking." Gee thanks Luna, that describes a lot. Unfortunately, before I can ask anything else, she continues, "Also, they also can't replicate the abilities of whatever they're copying. In other words, if they turn into a unicorn, they can't talk or perform unicorn magic."

"Huh...okay." I tap the side of my head in thought. "Sounds good to me. That and if he does shapeshift, I can tell its him. I mean, he has no aura, so I can tell he's different from others."

She shakes her head. "That's also a problem young jakhowl. You should know this."

"Yeah..." I cross my paws in slight frustration. "I can't sense him coming if he tries to sneak attack me, right?"

"Indeed." she nods again. "Secondly, you told me 'Shade' could...influence others, is that correct?"

"Yeah." I bite my lip. "He said someone he met before finding me helped him increase his power over it. Makes sense, as I'm pretty sure he only influenced Garble back then."

"Hmm...that is a troubling ability. Very few Tricksters have that power...." She claps her hooves. "Very well, we shall just have to prepare for that as well."

"Um...okay." We glazed over that really quickly.

"Hmmm...seems we have no choice. We'll just have to...'wing it' as my student says sometimes." Luna says as she gives me a bright smile. "Besides, we should get some rest. I suspect tomorrow will be a tough day for the both of us."

I nod. She's not wrong. I mean, if this guys wants a duel, I'll gladly give him one. Besides, I do technically need to pay him back for the misery he put me through with the dragons.

And with that, we both headed off to bed. I quickly hopped onto the second bed, still surprised at how big it is compared to my basket. I soon dove under the covers, curling up into a ball. As I close my eyes, my ears flicker one more time.

"Springer?" Luna says, causing me to look up and at her.

"Yes?"

"I...have one more thing to add."

"What's that?"

"I...I think I now know what Dusty Flower's dream meant."

Huh? "What? What do you mean Princess Luna?"

"The dream...I was wrong about the dream." I feel...sadness in her aura. "I was wrong. And I'm sorry I was wrong."

"Wrong? About what?"

"About there being another jakhowl. There was never another jakhowl here."

Oh. Yeah, I forgot about that. But its not her fault. I let out a little sigh. "Its fine. I...I understand. We both didn't know things would turn out this way."

Luna turns to me, a soft smile on her face. There's tears flowing down her eyes. "Thank you Springer. Thank you so much."

"Wha-why are you crying?"

"Because...you remind of Sharp Paw so much..." she says with a slight chuckle. "He would forgive me for anything."

"I...I see." I feel a fire in my aura. I decide to change subjects. "So...what do you think the dream was about?"

"Ah. The dream..." Luna turns and looks up at the ceiling. "Do you remember when I said dreams can mean many things?"

"Uh-huh."

"I believe...I believe you are the jakhowl in that dream. And I believe that dream was a dream where Dusty was crying out for someone...no, a real jakhowl to save her."

I blink at this. I'm the jakhowl in the dream? Huh? Wait a minute, does that mean.... "Um, Princess Luna? Does that mean the shadow in the dream is-"

"Yes. The shadow is...the Trickster. He must have been secretly tormenting her with his ability." She turns to me, a stone-cold glare on her face. "Tomorrow, you must face him and save Dusty Flower."





The Next Morning...

To say I had a good night sleep is...well, its actually pretty accurate this time. Despite what was about to happen today, I fell asleep almost instantly after finishing my talk with Luna. That alone was good, as I felt refreshed and ready to go. Heck, it felt good to be in this shape, especially since my usual mornings are filled with exercises and training regiments. That alone made me feel...good about what was to come.

Unfortunately, just a few minutes from waking, the inevitable came.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

That was the sound of a pair of hooves batting at the door. I scanned the wooden frame, instantly noticing the aura behind it. Its Braeburn. I glanced at Luna, who was waking up as well. She gave me a quick nod and I turned to open the door. Behind it was the earth pony, sweat covering his panic-filled face.

"Springer! You gotta come with me! Please!" he yelled, his teeth chattering.

I'm not sure what my face was showing, but I'm sure it was a cold stare. "What did he do?"

"What did-how did you know it was-nevermind!" He stuttered, shaking his head. "Listen! Tricky suddenly went crazy this morning! He has Dusty Flower tied up to the town's water tower and he's somehow controlling the buffalo! He even has Chief Thunderhooves!"

Chief Thunderhooves? Must be the leader of the buffalo. I give Braeburn a nod and say, "Got it. I'll stop him, just lead the way."

Braeburn takes a step back, his eyes somewhat widening. "You...you would do that? Why are you-"

I cross my paws, glaring at him. "The reason he's doing all that is because of me. He wants me to duel him and he's using Dusty as a hostage to make sure I do it."

Braeburn lets out a small gulp. He's already got a good idea on why this is happening. "Oh...but uh....why is he doing this? What did you do?"

"Young Springer here has done nothing." says Luna, causing me to turn to her as she continues. "The one you know as Tricky is an evil creature. That is all." She pats me on the head as she gives Braeburn a smirk. "Do not worry, we will stop him."

"I..." Braeburn tries to say something, but Luna's smirk stops him. He just gives us a small nod before gesturing to the hallway outside. Me and Luna glance and nod at each other, both of us grabbing our things as we leave the hotel room. As we left the building, we were greeted by a crowd of ponies and buffalo outside the hotel. Thankfully, Braeburn quickly explained to them what was going before a riot happened, and they let us through.

Then, we made our way to the square.





I could feel my aura tingle as I walked to the square. Granted, there was a huge crowd behind me and in front of me as I walked to my destination. Their auras are all lowered, as if they are either afraid, or they know they can't do anything. Though now that I think about it, maybe that's why they ignored me in that crowd yesterday. Shade's been here long enough that he must have influenced all of them at some point.

Luna walks side by side with me, patting me in that same spot on my head. However, I couldn't fully calm down this time. After all, this 'Trickster' is doing this to the town just because I'm here. What a stupid reason to cause trouble. I'll make him pay.

As my feet touched the ground of the entrance of the square, I looked straight ahead and gulped at the sight. I could feel my eyes widening at the very sight before me. In front of me was two very alarming things. One was a massive buffalo that I quickly noticed Shade riding, his body laying back in a lazy position. This buffalo paled in comparison to the others, even if I could barely feel any aura in him. He was tall, wide and filled with fur. That and he had to be the dictionary definition of dark brown, as his whole body was that color. Well, with the exception of his headband, which was blue with white feathers that had brown tips. What an odd combination.

However, it was the second sight that really got me. The second sight was the water tower Braeburn described earlier, which was a tall wooden structure held together by five poles. The top looked like a big cylinder with I can only guess is filled with water. There were four poles on the outside and one in the middle. The outside poles all had a buffalo standing by them, all of them with barely any aura inside them. He was controlling them as well. Not only that, the fifth pole had not one, but two individuals tied to it. It was Dusty Flower, who looked knocked out, and another buffalo. One that looked really young and-

"Oh no! He got Little Strongheart too?!" Braeburn yelps beside me, causing me to almost jump in place.

"Who?" Luna asks.

Braeburn pointed to the hostages. "That buffalo tied up there! She's Little Strongheart!" He put his hoof over his mouth, his teeth and aura chattering. "She must've tried to stop Tricky and lost!"

"I see." Luna says before tapping my shoulder. "Come Springer, we must-"

"Don't move another muscle!" says a new voice. Its Shade, who hops up from his place on the buffalo. He points at Luna. "Tell her Springer! Tell your princess that she isn't allowed to do a thing or the hostages get it!"

"What did he say?" Luna asks, turning to look at me.

I give her a hesitant glance. "He said you can't do anything or he'll kill his hostages."

Luna turns to glare at Shade. "Tch. Typical Trickster. Always playing dirty for their games." She points at the water tower. "Trickster! I suspect you will have those buffalo destroy the poles and drop the tower on your hostages if I act, yes?!"

Shade gives her nod, that blasted grin already plastered onto his face. He then hops down from the buffalo, patting it after landing. "That's right. Not only that, I'll use the other buffalos I'm controlling to go on a rampage through town."

I translate for Luna, only to see her glare go more intense. Steam is blaring out of her nostrils now. Then, Shade says, "Just tell her to agree Springer. In this situation, no princess is going to help you. Its just gonna be me and you."

I crick my neck before glancing at Luna. Our eyes connect for a few minutes. She lets out a long sigh before saying, "Very well. I will not interfere." She turns to me and puts both of her hooves on my shoulders. "Springer, I believe in you. You can win this."

I nod. "Got it. I'll beat him."

She gives me a smile. A true, shining smile. I...I can feel warmth in me by just looking at it. "I know. Now go out there and win!"

"Yeah!" I nod again and turn back to Shade. As I start to walk up to him, he flashes his paws, making me stop.

"Hang on there champ! I never said I was your opponent." he says, smirking at me with that grin.

I can feel my paws clenching as I ask, "Wha-what do you mean? Wasn't this a duel?!"

He shakes his head, "No no no..." He wags a digit of his paw at me. "Rule number one of Tricksters Springer, we live to play games. Also, we live to play dirty in our games. So..." He leans next to Chief Thunderhooves and smirks at me. "Here's my first dirty play. I'm gonna have you fight him."

"Wha...what?" I stammer, my eyes widening. "You want me to-"

"Fight the big bad chief himself." he finishes for me. "That's right, you're fighting this giant monster of brown fur. This walking carpet is gonna be your opponent."

Insulting your fighter? Not much of a showing of confidence here. I shake my head and point at the fake jakhowl. "That wasn't part of the deal! We were supposed to fight and-"

"And I'm altering the deal." He interrupts, patting the buffalo. "Don't worry, I won't alter it any further. So, you ready to rumble?"

"No! I'm ready to kick your-"

"I wasn't talking to you, aura freak." he says before snapping his paw. "Get him chief!"

I try to retort, only to feel the ground beneath me shake. I turn to the buffalo, only to see a mountain of steam blast out of his nostrils. That's not good. I can feel myself tensing up at that sight alone, and he looks like he could run me over with ease.

"CHARGE!!!!" Shade yells, pointing at me.

On cue, the buffalo starts charging at me. I clench my paws and quickly glance at my feet. I look back at the dark brown charger before me and start to sidestep. However, I soon noticed that that wasn't enough. As I tried to dodge the incoming bum-rush, I forgot just how big the guy was. That, and he was quicker than I thought.

As I tried to sidestep, Thunderhooves did a small leap off the ground, his left hoof about to hit me square in the face. In a literal split-second motion, I ducked beneath the swipe, spinning my legs as I tried to spin around his charging body. His attack had missed, but as soon as I completed my dodge, I saw that he had already turned around. He started another bum-rush at me, making me put my paws together.

"AURA BLAST!" I yell, quickly firing off a sphere of aura at my attacker. However, as the attack hit him...it did nothing. The aura collided with his body, making him let out a grunt of pain...but not stopping him. It didn't even slow him down as I stood there in his line of fire.

"Darn it..." I say to myself, only to feel the full brunt of his charge the next second later. It felt like three hundred trains slammed into me, pain blaring through my body. He had hit me with his head, fully headbutting me and lifting me with just his noggin. He let out a might roar before flinging me over him, my whole body screaming in pain as I hit the ground behind him.

"AUGH!!!" I yell as I hit the dirt, my limbs shivering. I really hope I didn't break anything. That or I'm already dead. Considering what just hit me, I wouldn't put it past me...

"Springer! You must get up!" I hear a voice say. Its probably Luna...though my ears could be picking up something else. I put my paws into the ground, picking myself up as I slowly stand up. I rub my forehead as I shake my head, turning around back to my opponent. As I look back, I see that he's just standing there, steam blasting out of his nostrils again. I clench my paws once more, taking a fighting stance.

"Get him chief! Run him down!" Shade yells as the buffalo lets out another roar. I guess if you're under Shade's control, you can't say regular words.

I lower my paws before doing a slight flick of the wrist. "Bone Breaker!" I yell, instantly forming my bone-like aura weapon, wielding it like what Flash calls from his comics: 'A Stallionurai'. I feel my teeth grit as I see the charging buffalo in front of me. As he charges me, I quickly sidehop.

"Hiyah!" I scream, smacking his side with my Bone Breaker, only to see the end fall apart as it hits him. How hard skinned is this guy?

As I slow down from the dodge, the chief has already spun around, ready to charge again. I spin the weapon again, pulling my paw like throwing a javelin. "Take this!" I yell, flinging the bone at him.

"RRRRAAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!" the chief yells, running through my thrown weapon, smashing it into pieces. I can feel my eyes widening as I see this...only to forget to start dodging. He slams into me, knocking me flying over him again.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" I scream, the world spinning around me. I can feel the dirt hit my face, my whole body skidding through the ground. As the ride stops, I try to move, only to feel nothing.

That is, except another voice for my ears.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Well done Chief!" says a nasty voice. That's Shade for sure. My ears keep hearing his voice. "Now, finish him off!"

That made me go wide-eyed. I've got to move! I've got too! I tense up my aura, pushing my body as I slowly turn over. I try to raise my head, only to see the buffalo slowly walk up to me. I stare at the buffalo's eyes, noticing that there's nothing there. His eyes are blank, dull and lifeless.

Then, he stands over me. He raises his hoof. It feels like time is slowing down as I see his hoof raise. But...its raising so slowly. Hesitation. He's hesitating. He's fighting Shade.

I can feel it. I can feel his aura. Its so bare...but its there. I can feel him hesitating. I stare at the raised hoof over my face. Seeing it, I start to get up. I can feel my body slowly rising as my body surges in pain. As I do, I close my eyes for just a second.

Then, everything went white.





White.

Nothing but an endless white void was in front of me. I blink at the sight. What happened to me? I know I was fighting Chief Thunderhooves and-

"Hello young one." says a voice. I hop in place, quickly turning around from the voice. As I do, I can feel my eyes shrink at the new sight before me.

Its...its that older looking jakhowl I saw a while back. Back when I first learned Bone Breaker. Its tall, blue and black and stands on two legs like me. It has a white spike on its chest and on the top of its paws. There's a small cut above its left eye, like a tiny scar. But that wasn't what surprised. As I looked this...older jakhowl over, I saw that it was smiling. And the smile was so...soft looking.

That and one other thing. This one's voice and how it looked...it looked like it was...a female.

I don't know how I knew the one if front of me was a girl, but I did. I could feel it. And I could hear it in her voice.

"Hello young one. Welcome to where you belong." she says to me, that soft smile still staring at me.

"Where...I belong?" I stutter as I take one step back. "What...what's going on? Where am I? Who are you?!"

But she doesn't answer. She just stands there, staring at me with that kind face. Then, she raises her paw and says, "I am a helper in your journey."

"Helper?"

She nods. "Yes. I am here to help you reach the next step." I open my mouth, only for her to flash her paw, making me instantly close it. I don't think she's going to give me the answers I seek. Guess I gotta listen to her. "You see young one, I am here to teach you one last thing before you move to the next stage."

"Next stage? What do you mean?"

She does a light chuckle as she replies, "That is something for your future to answer for you. In the meantime, I will show you something new. Something...you will need on your journey."

"What I need? Wha...what do you mean?" I tilt my head. "I don't get it."

"You don't have too. You just need to understand one thing."

"What's that?"

Her smile disappears. Instead, she stares at me with cold, glaring eyes. Then, she lifts her right paw, only for three shining white dagger-like things to appear over her paw. Pure white...yet it shines like steel. She walks up to me and leans down, putting herself on one knee. Her voice is clear and pure as she says, "You must defeat the Trickster."





"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" screams a voice as I open my eyes. I then notice I'm standing. I blink as I look around, trying to figure out how I got back on the ground.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" yells the voice behind me. I don't recognize it. I turn around, only to see Chief Thunderhooves rolling around, screaming.

Then, I notice why he's screaming. His left horn is gone. Its been cut clean off.

"Holy horned toads! Did you see that?!" yells another voice. That one I recognize. Its Braeburn, who I turn and stare at in the crowd. He points at me and says, "Springer just took out the chief's horn!"

Huh? I did what?! But how did I-

"Chief! Stop yelling like a baby and take down the jakhowl!" I hear another voice say. I turn to its owner, only to see Shade throwing a tantrum. "Stop whining about your stupid horn! Do you hear me?! Stop whining and-"

He says something else, but I tune it out. I don't hear a thing. That is, till i look down at my right paw. There, my eyes must have shrunk at the sight.

My right paw, the top of it...was shining, with three dagger-like things on the top it. It was shining just like that female older-looking jakhowl showed me. Shining like pure steel. I flexed my paw, only to feel nothing. I then touch it with my other paw, only to feel...cold. It feels chilled, like it was made of metal. In fact, it reminds me of Flash's sword. It feels so...metallic. And the shape it gives my paw, its like a claw of some kind. I look back at the buffalo, whose still wriggling in pain and look back at my paw. I see. I cut his horn with this, didn't I?

I flex the paw once more. I can feel a smirk on my face as I say to myself, "Nice. You're a new move, aren't you? Just like Bone Breaker. If that's the case, I think I'll call you...Steel Paw. That's got a good ring to it." I look at my left paw now and flick it. Nothing happens. I flick it a few more times, only for...nothing. Hmm...guess I can only summon it on my right paw for now. "Looks likes I'll have to do some training like I did with Bone Breaker."

"Stop doing that!" I hear Shade yell, putting me back into reality. I look back at the buffalo again, flexing my right paw as I do. That is, till I check his aura. Here, I hop slightly in place. His aura...its back. Granted, there's not much, but its back.

I instantly get it. When I cut off his horn, the pain must have knocked Shade's control off of him. Nice. I turn back to Shade, feeling a huge smirk on my face. "Hey Shade!"

"WHAT?!" Shade barks at me, glaring and pointing at me. "Listen you jakhowl, don't think this duel is over! Once the chief stops rolling around like a baby, he's gonna run you over or I'll-"

"Do nothing." I interrupt, pointing my Steel Paw at him. "You just lost control of your fighter."

"What?" Shade gasps, turning back to the buffalo. "Chief! Listen to me right now! Do it!" He yells a few more time, only to turn back to me with a look of pure fury. "You....you broke my control over him! How dare you!"

I cock my right paw back, smirking. "Give it up Shade, you lose."

"Why you stinking-fine!" He stomps down, only to lift his paws up. "Dark Claws!" he yells as both of them become engulfed in that dark shadow aura from earlier. He let outs a loud, vicious bark. "Let's go jakhowl! I'll tear you apart myself!"

I swipe my paw, lowering after that. "Oh no you don't, I won the duel Shade. I'm not fighting you." I point my right paw at him again. "Let Dusty Flower and Little Strongheart go."

"Don't mock me you stinking jakhowl!" he barks back, the dark stuff around his 'claws' growing even bigger. Just what is that? Its not an aura, but it looks like...a shadow? He keeps yelling at me. "If you don't fight me right now, I'll kill those two! Do you hear me?! I'll gladly-"

"Shut up." I interrupt, putting my right paw back into a fighting position. I should have known he was gonna be stubborn. I let out a small sigh as I say, "Let them go Shade. We can have our duel without-"

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" he screams, charging at me.

I quickly put myself into a defensive stance, staring at the rushing figure towards me. That is, till I see that my right paw isn't shining anymore. Shoot. Already lost control huh? That's...not good. I look back up and see the two Dark Claws coming at me. Blinking once, I hop back a step, avoiding Shade's first swipe of his claws. He throws three more swipes, all of them barely missing me as I keep hopping back.

"STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT-" his mouth stops moving as I quickly swing a jab into his face with my right paw. I follow up with my left, only for him to block it with his right. As he does, I cock my right paw back, only for him to hit me with his left claw, slamming my stomach.

Pain. It feels like getting hit by Flash's hoof, if we weren't training that is. I take one step back before hitting his face again. I continue with three more blows, each of them jabs into his face. I cock back for another hit, only for him to stagger back. Then, he gives me a glare, showing that annoying grin again.

"That all you got?" he says, charging me again. I throw another punch, only for him to dodge and hit my shoulder with his claw. I let out a yelp before trying to counter, only for another claw to hit my stomach. I feel a bit of spit fly out of my mouth, only for another blow to my face. I close my eyes as the blow strains my face. Then another blow. And another. And another. I...I can't move. I just feel him hitting me over and over again.

That, and my ears hear him. Just barely though.

"HA! TAKE IT JAKHOWL!" he roars as I feel another blow. "Not so tough now, huh? I guess fighting that walking carpet slowed you down!"

I feel another two or three blows, this time straining my face. As I feel myself take one step back, Shade stops for a second. My eyes had been closed for most of this, but the pause helps. I squint my eyes, only to see Shade cocking his claw back. He's readying for a final blow.

"SAY GOOD NIGHT JAKHOWL!" he yells, his left claw now not showing any of that...darkness? Shadow? I guess that's what it is. Now, his right is fully encased in that 'shadow'. Seeing this, I clench my right paw.

I can feel it. I can feel the metallic feeling from before. I suck in my breath before yelling, "STEEL PAW!" I jolt forward, just as he was about to charge at me. Then, I feel it. He swings his right claw at me, ready to strike. We both swing our attacks.

Then, it hits.

My Steel Paw slams his jaw as his claw hits my shoulder. I turn the blow into an uppercut, swinging as high as I can. "PWAUGH!" he yells as I see him flip into the air, my blow knocking him off his feet. Was he really that light? I know I'm not that light, and I'm a jakhowl.

That is, till I see the next sight. As I see him flip in the air, only to see a ball of light engulf him. Its the same as back in that alley. A second later, the ball fades as a new figure hits the ground. Then, I froze.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The figure that hit the ground is something I had never seen before. It was...a fox? It kinda looks like one of those I've seen Fluttershy take care of but, this one is colored...differently. Its fur is slate gray with a tuft of red on the top along with a bunch of black fur on its neck. That and it has...red eyebrows? That and red tips to his paws. Was that why when he turned into a dragon, he looked like a black dragon with red-tipped scales?

"Whoa! What is that?!" yells a voice, followed by several others. Oh yeah, I forgot what was going on. Guess the fight was really...distracting.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was still standing still and the 'fox' shook it's head and hopped up. He looked up at me before looking down at himself and saying, "What the heck?!" He glares back at me. "How dare you! How dare you destroy my disguise!"

"Disguise?"

"Yes, you stupid aura loving monster! This is the true form of a Trickster!" he screams, narrowing his eyes. "You'll pay for that!" He turns around and yells, "Buffalo! Destroy the tower!"

My brain, which I'm pretty sure is still hurting, clicks. "NO!" I yell, turning my head to the tower...only for nothing to happen. Instead, I see four buffalo, stumbling around with looks of confusion on their faces. I blink a few times, only to feel another click in my brain.

"Looks like you lost your control on everyone." I say, not thinking about what I just said.

He turns around, staring daggers at me. "WHAT?!" he turns back and yells again, only to get no reaction. "NOO!! WHY IS....RAAUGH!!!!" Shade turns back and lets out a low hiss. "You'll pay for this jakhowl! You'll pay right now!"

I on the other paw, just summon a Bone Breaker. "Give it up Shade. You've lost."

"Think again." He says before turning back to the tower. "Say goodbye to those two. DARK BLAST!"

My eyes shrink at the next sight. Granted, my eyes really hurt right now, but still. Shade opens his mouth, only to see what looks like my Aura Blast, except its colored in a combination of black and purple. Before I can react, the sphere flies out of his mouth, instantly hitting the bottom of the water tower. The poles underneath instantly turn to dust from the blast, causing the tower to fall. I yell out "NO!" while a volley of voices follow in the crowd around us.

Shade lets out a cackle. "AHAHAHA! Say goodbye to-"

"ENOUGH!" yells a familiar voice. As my ears hear this, I see an even more familiar magic aura covering the entire tower, instantly stopping the tower's fall. I turn around, seeing Luna with her horn shining. That and she's taken off her cloak, destroying the illusion she had on her and exposing her wings.

"WHAT?! NOOOOO!!!" Shade yells, turning back around. "HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU SAVE THEM!" Shade opens his mouth again, summoning another one of the dark spheres. "DARK BLAST!"

I quickly get in front of him, clapping my paws. "AURA BLAST!" I roar, firing an aura sphere.

Our two attacks collide, both hitting each other with full force. As the two strike, both vibrate in the air, causing both of us to just stare at the collision. Then...

BOOM!

I try to shield my eyes with my paws, only for a dust cloud to kick up from our actions. I let out a series of coughs as the dust blasts past me, my ears picking up several more coughs around me. I can feel the cloud expanding, only for my ears to pick up one more voice.

"I'm done." I hear the voice say as I squint my eyes open. I can't see anything, even with my aura. It feels like back when me and Flash were in on that mountain. Then, the voice continues. "You win this round of the game jakhowl. I guess this town is no longer my playground."

"What?! What are you-"

"We'll meet again. Count on it."

I fully open my eyes this time, summoning a Bone Breaker. I began swinging it around, trying to get rid of the dust. As I do this, I keep yelling out Shade's name, only to get no response. That is, till the cloud fades around me.

Then, I see...nothing. Nothing but the buildings, ponies and buffalo of the town.

He got away.

"SPRINGER!" a new voice yells. I turn around, only to feel my legs give out. A second later, my face hits the dirt with a groan. Was I that tired? I had been fighting all day. That or-

"SPRINGER! SPRINGER!!!" yells the voice again, getting closer now. Then, I feel an aura lean down to my head. Its Luna. "Are you alright?!" Luna yells in my ear, quickly lifting me up from the ground. I let out a groan of pain as my eyes begin to adjust back to reality.

I let out a cough before saying, "No. I'm not."

"Oh Springer...I'm sorry I didn't help you. I should have helped you." she replies, putting her hoof around me.

I look back at her and shake my head. "Its okay. You had to keep the citizens safe. I understand." I then look back to the where the Trickster was, the space still vacant. "He just...he got away." I lower my head, admitting the truth. "I lost."

I feel her fully embrace me now, her hooves wrapping around me as she hugged me. "Its okay young jakhowl. You need not worry. It is okay to fail and you did your best." She then ends the hug and looks at me straight in the eyes. "Do you hear me? Its okay."

"I..."

I don't how to respond. I just lay stand there. I can't seem to move. So, she hugs me again and I feel...warm. I sink into her fur, feeling the calm, cool warmth. A few seconds later, she ends the hug and puts me on her back. "Come young jakhowl, you have done well today."

"But I-"

I feel a hoof over my mouth. "No more talking. Get some rest."

"....okay."





It wasn't long till I drifted into a nap. My whole body felt like a broken rag, battered and beaten. While I slept, Luna went through town, checking to see if everyone was okay. She helped repair the water tower with her magic and explained to the citizens why this had happened. Unfortunately, I soon found out that the mayor of the town was not happy with the explanation, saying I should be banned from stepping foot in Appleloosa ever again. His reasoning was that Shade was technically looking for me and innocents got caught in the crossfire, which was true. He also apparently yelled back at Luna, which she did not like. Gotta say, the guy apparently had some real guts to stand up to Princess Luna like that, especially since she had revealed who she was during that fight.

Despite this, I'm not banned from the town. At least as long as Luna is here with me. Good thing I don't have an urge to come back here. With that, Luna brought me to the train station as I waking up from my nap. Here, she told me all that happened while I was out. As she did, we said good bye to Dusty Flower, Braeburn, and Chief Thunderhooves.

It started with Dusty hugging me.

"Thank you so much Springer!" she says as I returned the hug. "Thank you for saving me from Shade!"

"Hey, I was just doing my job. I'm a Defender of the Peace after all." I reply, ending the hug.

Braeburn walks up and tips his hat. "Ah need to thank ya'll as well. You saved our town from that mischief maker. Thank ya."

Me and Luna nod back. Then, Thunderhooves takes a step forward. "I must thank you as well. Thank you for saving me and all my buffalo brothers and sisters."

"Its no problem. Though uh..." I twiddle my paws at the my next words. "Sorry about your...horn."

"Ha ha, don't worry about it." he guffaws. "My horn is the least of my worries if it means my buffalo are safe."

I give him a small bow. "Thank you."

He shakes his head. "Nonsense. It is I who should be thanking you." He turns his stare to Luna and bows, "And thank you as well Princess Luna. Thank you for saving our town."

"Tis nothing. It is my duty as a princess." Luna nudges me. "Come Springer. I wish to leave for Canterlot and inform my sister of the return of the Tricksters. Then, I shall drop you off at Ponyville, agreed?"

I nod. "Sounds good to me." I turn back and give them a wave. "See ya'll later."

"See ya later pardner."

"Bye!"

"May the fates be with you."

A few minutes later, I'm in sky with Luna. I gotta say, I prefer flying compared to the train. I won't deny that. But as we continued our path to the city, Luna speaks up, "Are you alright Springer? How do you feel?"

"I'm..." I need to be honest. "I'm a bit shaken up, but I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

I nod. "Yeah. And uh...Luna?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Thank you for taking me here so I could help save them from Shade."

Luna turns her head around and gives me a huge smile. "Of course."

And with that, everything is settled. At least, for today that is. But as I continued to sit on her back, I crossed my hooves as I thought about the past two days. Shade, the dreams that led me there, and...he was the dragon back then. He came to Equestria and put real lives in danger...just to get to me.

I lift my right paw, flexing it for a bit. A second later, my Steel Paw appears, shining like the new move that it is. I feel a breath of air fly out of my nostrils as I stare at it. Shade...Tricksters...dreams...I was the jakhowl in the dream, there to stop an evil shadow.

I cancel the Steel Paw and look ahead, staring above Luna's horn and head. I feel both paws clench as I say to myself one thing: "We'll meet again, huh? Alright Shade, I'm fine with that." I raise my right paw, a burning blue aura flame encasing it. "And next time, I'll bring you in. Count on it."