Back in Ponyville, we find Twilight, Spike and Scootaloo in the library.
Twilight and Spike had just finished preparing dinner and Twilight was going up to Scootaloo's room, now opening the door. "Scootaloo? Dinner's ready." She peeked her head inside, only to see the pegasus filly staring out the new bedroom window. "You okay?"
Scootaloo turned to Twilight with a big frown, her eyes filled with sadness as she stared at her for a few seconds before turning back to the window. "I'll come down. Just give me a minute."
Twilight did a small shake of the head, soon trotting up and placing a hoof around her. "You're worried about your big brother, aren't you?"
"Aren't you?" Scootaloo asked as she looked back, her lip slightly quivering. "We have no clue where they are, what they're doing, or when they're coming back...if they are."
Twilight let out a sigh at this, soon tightening her hoof's grip, "Don't say that. Of course they're coming back."
"How can you be sure?" Scootaloo replied as her eyes started to shake, "This is like when you all went to the Crystal Empire. I'm sick of being left behind while my brother goes to do who knows what." Tears began to fill her eyes. "When you all came back and I saw that scar and-"
Twilight quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. "I know. I felt the same way. When I saw Ruby carrying him into the empire, I felt my heart stop. Even now, I can't help but fear I won't get to see him again." She did a slow release of the hug, leaning slightly back as she shined a big smile at the filly. "But you need to know that that's just what he's meant to be."
"But...but that's not fair!" Scootaloo barked back, a tear now going down her cheek. "Why does he always have to be the one to be put in danger?!"
Twilight's smile began to grow. "Because he's the only one with enough dumb luck to survive."
Scootaloo let out a hearty laugh, a smile starting to form on her face. "Pfft-HA!" She then wiped her eye as she continued, "Yeah, probably. I just hope he doesn't do something too stupid."
Twilight rested her head on Scootaloo. "Your brother is a lot of things. Headstrong, rash, reckless, has no education, has an annoying level of determination...and he's way too sarcastic." Scootaloo kept giggling at this. "But the one thing he's not, is stupid. Well, he is stupid in terms of education, but not in life. Everything he does is done knowing exactly what the consequences will be. He just doesn't care about them."
"So he doesn't care about getting himself killed?" Scootaloo asked as she tried to tilt her head.
"Oh, he does care about that," Twilight assured her. "Another thing about Flash: When he makes a promise, he always keeps it. You remember what he promised you right?"
Scootaloo wiped the last bit of tears from her eyes. "He promised he'd come back safely."
"Exactly. And he made that same promise to me. That's twice the promise he has to keep, and he'll keep them."
Scootaloo's smile tried to grow at this, only for a frown to appear as she looked back down. "But...but what if he doesn't come back? What if he doesn't and I'm alone again?"
"Oh Scootaloo..." Twilight once again hugged her. "Even if something does happen to Flash, I promise you that you won't be alone. You're not just a part of Flash's family, you're part of mine as well. Me, Spike, Shining and Cadance, even our parents. We'll be there for you. I promise."
Scootaloo smiled back at her, a fresh wave of tears now spilling out of her eyes. "Thank you."
"No problem," Twilight told her as she pulled back again and helped wipe away the tears. "Now come on. Dinners ready and Spike's probably getting impatient."
"Okay..." Scootaloo replied, nodding.
She then got up and headed towards the door, Twilight on her tail. As she watched the filly leave the room, Twilight looked back out the window she had been staring at. A long sigh blasted out of her mouth as she glared at the horizon beyond the glass. "Don't you dare break your promise."
Back to the orange pegasi they were talking about...
Flash let out a long moan, sweat pouring down his face as he stared at where Toxic had been blasted to. There was a gigantic grin on his face as he watched Toxic pull himself out of the building, spoke some words he was too far away to hear, and finally fell to the ground. The defender then weakly chuckled at the sight, only to let out another groan. "Aaahhh...heh. I won. I told you not to underestimate me."
But as he said this, his body decided to tell him that his fight was not over. The adrenaline that had dulled the pain was now wearing off, causing him to feel a twist in his stomach. "Hnnnggghhh...I don't feel so..." Flash did another moan, some tears of pain appearing as he clutched the hoof that had been gripping Toxic's. The hoof was still steaming, the orange color completely replaced with purple fur, showing him how much poison had been absorbed in the final attack. "Oh...that's not good."
It was here that Flash felt his wings slow down. Or, more to the point, stop. "Aw crude." It was here that his body let out, his eyes blurring as he fell to the earth like a rock. And as he landed, the monster smile was still on his face as he let out one last groan, "Sorry guys. Looks like I'm down for the count."
"Flash!" Heather cried as they watched the battle end.
"He needs medical attention," First added.
"But we can't leave the prisoners," Tidal replied as he pointed to the ponies.
"Got it!" They all turned to Iron, who was smiling at the lock he had been working on. "Finally got this damn thing unlocked." He pulled the lock apart, causing the chains around the prisoners to all fall to the floor. The now freed ponies began to cheer, their cuffs falling to the dirt as smiles shined on their faces.
"Alright, good job Iron." Sky complimented as he gestured to the knights, "Iron, Tidal and I will get these ponies out of the crater. First, Heather and Ruby, you lot find Flash and make sure he survives long enough for a lecture about impatience and rushing in."
"What about Grand and Springer?" Ruby asked him.
"If the mutt's as loyal as you say he is, I'd wager he's on his way to find Flash as we speak. As for Grand," he let out a sigh, knowing that Grand was probably going to do this when they first started the mission. "I'm not sure where he is, but he can look after himself. Let's just get these ponies out of here, alright?"
"RIGHT!" They all agreed before First, Heather and Ruby rushed off.
The others all began to direct the freed ponies back the way they came. As they did, Tidal gave Sky a cheeky smile, "So, what do you think of Flash now?"
Skybreaker let out a guttural growl, "The kid's got guts, I'll give him that. He's also got a will of steel and a heart of gold, which will serve him well. But he still needs to learn not to rush in. He got lucky this time, but I know first hoof how that can backfire."
Tidal let out a hearty laugh. "I know all about that. He reminds me a lot of the stories Grand told me about you when you were younger."
"Exactly," Skybreaker replied, more groans following. "But like I said, that kind of attitude can backfire."
Tidal nodded as they continued to direct the prisoners, running into a fresh wave of cloaks as they did. The three knights pulled out their Celestic Gear and began to dispatch them. "How many of these things does Doom have?"
"No idea, but there's way too many of these things." Iron commented as he cut one of the cloaks to pieces. "Of all the times for Grand to go awol."
"Where'd he go anyways?" Tidal added.
Meanwhile...
Grand was rushing through the city, having lost sight of Doom after defeating a group of cloaks that were defending him. He let out a low growl as he went down another alley of the broken city. "Blast it....where are you? Just where..."
His mouth stopped as he looked back up at the sky, seeing there were no longer clashes happening. He had also seen Flash's battle end, concern still in his mind over his student. But he knew he had to trust his safety in the others. Right now, he needed to find and stop his son.
This was his responsibility, as a knight and as a father. And as he did this, he looked back down, soon seeing another group of cloaks stand in front of him. The sight made him shake his head, his hoof gripping his weapon, "Doom...I'm coming for you."
Meanwhile....again.
Doom watched as the knights began to divide their numbers.
"That helps me a lot," he commented as he changed the viewing globe's image to Toxic, the bat pony still knocked out. "Such a pity. I had hoped you'd be able to kill at least one of them before failing. Oh well," he changed the image again. This time it showed in unconscious Flash, laying on the ground succumbing to the effects of the poison. "At least you managed to incapacitate one of them."
In that moment, he opened the doors of the throne room, a pair of cloaks following him with the Omni Sphere's glass container while the others were carrying large metal bands of differing sizes. "Place the bands in the corner." The cloaks nodded and did as told while the container was placed next to him.
The pieces of the Omni Sphere flew into it. "There, safe. Just like my back-up plan." He turned back to the cloaks before pointing to viewing globe, still showing Flash. "Find this pony and end him. He'll be no trouble in his condition."
The cloaks nodded before rushing out the door. Once that was done, Doom changed the image on the globe to show a certain changeling. "Hiveena, several of the knights are on their way to save their comrade. Make sure the don't get there in time."
Hiveena nodded. "Yes master."
"Do not let what happened to Toxic happen to you. I have no time for weaklings who cannot get the job done."
"I will not fail you," Hiveena assured him, bowing in the image. "I will stop them, no matter what."
"Be sure that you do," Doom replied before cutting the image.
Hiveena sighed as she continued to stare at the miniature viewing globe, then looked away and down at the city. Like Toxic, she had been surveying the city from on of the high towers.
"I can't fail. Doom is the key to getting me the power I need." she told herself. "I must have my revenge on that wretch, and take what truly belongs to me."
The Past...
"Ever since the beginning, I've always been different."
The first thing Hiveena remembered was waking up, instantly feeling her body covering in a disgusting liquid. She also felt the space she was in to be confining, as if she was being squeezed inward. Not liking the cramped feeling, she began to push against the walls of her confinement. As she did, her head began to feel a layer of goo above her, soon breaking it with her noggin. She then shot her face out of the goop, taking a deep breath before looking around.
What she saw was a room filled with many strange green rocks, all of them having odd yet familiar patterns on them. She then looked down at what she had been trapped in, only to see it was the same as the rocks. Her ears then stood up, causing her to look up and see an entirely new sight. It was Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings.
Queen Chrysalis stared down at the changeling maggot, raising an eyebrow as she did. "Someling's early," she commented as her horn glowed, an aura soon picking up the baby changeling. Levitating it up to her face, she scanned it over as a look of surprise slowly appeared on her face, "Interesting. A week early and so different from the others. I wonder what other surprises you have in store." With that, she turned around and walked out of the chamber, levitating the baby changeling with her.
"I soon discovered that I was different from the other changelings. Not only in appearance, but in raw natural ability."
Chrysalis and Hiveena were both in the queen's throne room, Chrysalis sitting on her dark stone throne. Hiveena had now grown to the twice the size she was after hatching, while having also developed features that made her look more like Chrysalis, though she had a small tuft of red hair growing out of the top of her head.
"Alright Hiveena," Chrysalis told her daughter. "Try it again."
The young changeling nodded before closing her eyes and concentrating, a cocoon of red fire soon encasing her. The fire quickly disappeared, revealing a newly molted jet black dragon with red spikes and wings.
Chrysalis smiled at this, nodding. "Not bad. A full transformation after a single week of training. You're progressing faster than the others."
Hiveena shined a big grin before opening her mouth to cheer, only for a burst of flames to fly out. Surprise quickly covered both of their faces, only for Hiveena to slam her mouth shut soon after. Red fire followed, soon reverting back to her normal form. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."
"Neither do I," Chrysalis replied as she stepped over to her daughter. "You shouldn't have been able to do that."
Hiveena gave her mother a nervous smile. "Well, you did say I'm progressing faster than others my age, right?"
Chrysalis shook her head at this, "But you shouldn't be able to create flames. No changeling can mimic dragon fire. Despite looking like them, we cannot synthesize the methane needed to do so. The fact that you can..." she then muttered off, looking away as she started to pace around the room.
"Mother?" Hiveena asked, blinking at look of worry appearing on her mother's face.
Chrysalis came to a halt, turning back to her. "This requires further experimentation."
"We travelled everywhere. I studied all kind of creatures, learning their abilities before transforming into them, soon discovering that I could use their powers with little to no difficulty. Eventually, it was confirmed that I could mimic both the form and abilities of anything I copied, even magic and the knowledge of how to use it."
"Impressive. So impressive..." Chrysalis commented as they returned to the throne room after their journey. Hiveena had now grown to the size of most changeling drones, while her hair had grown all the way down to her back.
"What does this mean mother?" Hiveena asked. She had asked this over and over in the journey, unable to get any answers.
That is, till Chrysalis sat back down on her throne. "It means that you have much potential, and we will need to explore them and all their capabilities." Hiveena just blinked at this, still not fully satisfied with the answer. But before she could answer, Chrysalis got off the throne and began to head out of the room, "I'm going to check on the newest batch of hatchlings. I want you to study up on more creatures, okay?"
"Yes mother," Hiveena replied, nodding.
"Hiveena," the young changeling blinked at Chrysalis, only to see a smile on the queen's face. "I'm proud of you."
Hearing those words caused Hiveena's heart to almost stop in amazement. Chrysalis never told any changeling this, causing a huge smile to appear on her face as she replied, "Thank you."
"I truly thought my mother cared about me. I loved her and would do anything for her and the hive. I truly loved them all.
But now as I look back, I can't believe how much of a fool I was."
Hiveena was now walking through the hive. She was slightly taller than the other changelings her age, with a longer horn and a mane that now reached down to her hips. Her wings were now sparkly and her hunger for love had lessened recently.
But as she passed the grub training room, a trio of changeling infants rushed out, screaming in fear. She raised an eyebrow at this and moved over to the chamber, only to hear a familiar voice.
"Why are you hitting yourself?! Stop hitting yourself! Why are you hitting yourself?!"
She peeked into the room, spotting a pair of young changelings. The two were well known in the hive, thought for very different reasons. The first was Pharynx, the most aggressive hatchling of his generation, a true born warrior through and through. His transformation skills were second only to her. The other was Thorax, who was known for his timid un-warrior like nature. The two were truly an unusual pair, made even stranger by the fact that they were brothers.
"They're right you know," Pharynx yelled at Thorax as he turned to walk out of the room. "You need to have tougher skin."
Hiveena frowned the sight, Pharynx soon passing her and leaving the room. She feared this situation might lead to him losing his confidence, and one lacking warrior could endanger the whole hive. She let out a low breath, calming herself as she stepped up to Thorax, who turned and gasped at the incoming changeling, "Hiveena?"
Hiveena graced him a big smile. "Do not worry Thorax. You will one day find your place, but you cannot allow them to make you lose confidence in yourself."
"Really?" Thorax replied, his eyes growing wider and wider at her words.
She nodded at this. "Don't try and force yourself to be something you're not. Instead, simply do what comes naturally."
"I...can do that?" Thorax asked, getting another nod in response. "Ooohh...okay, I will. Thank you Hiveena."
"You're welcome." Hiveena replied as she turned to leave the room, only to hear Thorax's voice again.
"Hiveena?"
"Yes?" She turned back to the changeling.
"You're the best. Thank you."
"I was happy. My life was great, something I cherished so much. I believed I had a true future with the hive, one that would continue to lead me to even greater heights. I believed that like Thorax, I would bond with all my changeling brothers and sisters, soon making a greater hive than before.
But I was wrong. Soon, I would learn that everything I knew was nothing more than a lie."
Hiveena was walking through the chambers of the changeling hive, looking for her mother as she had wanted to show a new transformation she had learned. She arrived outside her mother's chamber, but as she raised her hoof to knock, she heard her mother's voice.
"I have to act now. Hiveena is growing too fast."
Hiveena stopped her hoof and raised an eyebrow. Why would her mother think that was a bad thing? Slowly, she cracked the door open and leaned in, her ears listening to every word.
"Your highness," the now grown up Pharynx spoke up. "Is that not a good thing? She's growing stronger, meaning she can protect the swarm better."
Chrysalis turned to him with a hiss, anger covering her face. "You fool, her growth is the worst thing for the swarm. Don't you know what she is?!"
Pharynx backpedaled, soon looking down. "No your majesty. I don't."
"Then I'll tell you," Chrysalis growled. "She's a Royal Changeling, like me. That's why she looks different from other changelings." She then looked away, fear now mixing with the anger on her face. "I knew her coming was inevitable. She's just like me."
"Your majesty?" Pharynx asked in confusion.
"I was like her. I hatched early and developed at a faster rate than the others in my brood all because I was meant to take over after my mother." Chrysalis turned back to her changeling guard. "But she would not go easily. That's why I had to overthrow my mother, and now Hiveena will do the same to me. Once she starts to lay her eggs, she'll work to usurp me. Not only that, but when her eggs hatch, the changelings born will be stronger and more powerful than the ones I birth. It'll be the end of my era."
"Then why didn't you simply destroy her as a grub if you knew she would be such a danger?"
"Because I thought I could use her for my own needs. I've been magically suppressing her abilities, but all I've been able to do is slow her growth. She would probably have taken over by now if I hadn't. That's why I've been keeping her so close, so I'd know when she became a threat." Chrysalis chuckled at her next words. "The silly thing thinks I actually love her, the fool." Her expression turned back to one of anger, "As if I would love something that could take my place. Not only that, she loves the other changelings in the hive rather than strength like myself. To think, a queen that would love their subjects more than power? What nonsense. I have to get rid of her."
Hiveena's eyes widened at this, a tear soon falling down her face.
"I couldn't believe what I had just heard. But before I could react, things were already destined to fall apart."
Hiveena felt sick. She wanted to throw up as she put her hooves over her mouth, her ears still listening in as she kept thinking about what Chrysalis had just said. But as she did this, she didn't notice the sparks disappear from her wings. She did however, notice the growing hunger beginning to rise.
"If she reaches full maturity and sits on the Dark Stone Throne, she'll become a full Changeling Queen and my time will be over." Chrysalis continued, crossing her hooves in frustration. "It seems I have no choice now. I'll have to make sure she never reaches full maturity."
Hearing this made Hiveena let out a gasp, only for her hoof to hit the door, causing it to swing and creak. Both Chrysalis and Pharynx turned towards the sound, instantly seeing Hiveena with a small tear down her cheek.
"Hiveena..." Chrysalis spoke up, her eyes wide as she realized what this meant. But before she could say anything else, Hiveena turned around, immediately running away. The sight made Chrysalis's eyes narrow, "Stop her! Stop her now!"
Pharynx quickly rushed out of the room, soon calling upon the other changeling guards as they all began to give chase.
"I knew I couldn't escape. I ran down corridor after corridor, my heart still hurting as I ran. But as I ran, I knew the others would catch me.
That is, till I ran down that one corridor..."
Hiveena was still in a full-on sprint, dodging every ling she could. And as she took another turn, she felt a hoof tap her shoulder, causing her turn in fright. But as she did, her eyes went wide as she saw who it was, "Thorax?"
"Hey Hiveena. Come on, I'll help you get out of here." Thorax answered, gesturing her to follow him. He then pointed to a tunnel entrance behind himself, "This leads to the edge of the territory. You can use it to get out." Hiveena nodded and began to climb in, only to hear the guards getting closer. "I'll hold them off."
"Thank you Thorax," Hiveena replied before pulling Thorax into a tight hug. Seconds passed before she let go and ducked into the tunnel, crawling her way as her ears soon heard Pharynx's voice.
"Thorax, did Hiveena come through here?"
"Yeah," Thorax replied, making Hiveena freeze for a second. "I've been guarding this escape tunnel since the warning went up. She came by trying to escape through it, but she saw me and rushed off in the other direction. Guess she felt taking me down would take too long."
"Alright," Pharynx replied as he patted his brother's shoulder, "good job for once."
Hiveena sighed in relief before continuing to crawl. Eventually, she arrived out of the tunnel at the edge of the changeling territory. Once out, she ran into the horizon, tears falling from her face as she did.
"I spent months hiding myself away, taking whatever form I could while sneaking through towns and cities. While this happened, I continued to dwell on what my mother had said. It ate away at my heart, rotting it away until nothing remained. All I cared about was my revenge, destroying my mother and the changelings she ruled over. But I knew I could not do it alone.
But then, he found me."
A hooded figure stepped into a rundown tavern, the place filled with grumbling figures and ponies drinking hard cider. The figure looked around and saw who he had been searching for, stepping over to a booth at the back of the building. There, he found the biggest, buffest earth pony in the place.
"You're not an easy pony to find. Or...should I say ling to find?" the figure said as he removed his hood, soon revealing the face of Doom Raizer. He then flashed his horn, creating an invisible bubble around them. "You don't have to hide your true form anymore. This spell will make anypony outside see you as you are now."
The pony glared at Doom before being enveloped by flames, which faded to reveal Hiveena. "What do you want?"
Doom shined a devilish grin. "I need your assistance."
Hiveena raised an eyebrow. "And why would I help you?"
"Because if you do, I can help you with getting what you want. Revenge."
Hiveena, impressed that he knew who she was, was intrigued. "Go on."
The Present...
"Once he has the Omni Sphere, he'll help me get my revenge." Hiveena spread her wings and flew into the sky after Ruby, First and Heather. "I will sit on the Dark Stone Throne. I will become the next Changeling Queen."
Meanwhile...one more time!
A long moan was followed by a flickering of eyes for one orange pegasi. It was Flash, who was now trying to raise his head, only for the first inch up made his neck give out. "Damn...I'm a sitting duck like this." Flash whispered to himself, his whole body still aching. "How long have I been out?"
It was here that his ears perked up, the sound of hoofsteps in the distance now tapping the ground. He tried to do a gulp, his eyes darting around as he kept hearing the hoofsteps. "Lightbringer….I need my blade." he groaned, his eyes soon seeing the sword just a few feet away. "There....I gotta….shoot."
Flash let out a small growl. "I can't move. Blast it." He then heard the hoofsteps again, his smile faltering, "Please be an ally, please Celestia let this be an ally." Finally, the owners of the hoofsteps came into view, "Damn it!" Flash almost yelled as he saw the cloaks come into view. He tried to push himself up to defend, but his body still refused to work. And he struggled, her felt himself black out again, "No....Twi...light..."
Then, his eyes closed, the defender now completely helpless. One by one, the cloaks pulled out weapons, ready to skewer the solider. But as they began to gather around the pegasus, new hoofsteps caught their attention.
Back to the knights...
First, Ruby and Heather continued to rush through the city, "Where is he?! Just how far did his fight go?!" Heather asked as they passed down another street.
"He's here," Ruby replied as he stared straight ahead. "We just have to keep looking."
"But we have to be fast," First added. "One bite from that bat pony was enough to render you unconscious. Flash was infected with who knows how much venom. I do not want to think about what that could do to him without treatment."
"And I don't want to think about what happens if something else finds him before us."
"You're right," Ruby stated as she took a deep breath. "But we're no help to him if we're in a frantic state. We must remain calm, or-"
"THERE!" Heather interrupted as she pointed down a street, the sight before them being Flash surrounded by a bunch of cloaks. This alone made her gasp as she pulled out her Celestic Gear, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" She whipped her chain mace at the cloaks, flicking them into a nearby wall in a second motion.
"Aid Bolts!" First added as he fired his magic arrows at several more while Ruby rushed forwards.
"Ruby Hammer!" She created a giant mallet in her magic, flattening a whole group with one mighty swing. With this, they continued to fight until the cloaks were all destroyed, the three of them panting once done.
"Is that all of them?" First asked as he fixed his glasses.
"I think so," Ruby replied, nodding.
Heather turned to her fallen comrade before whispering, "Flash? You okay?" She then stepped up to him, but as she got close-
"AURA BLAST!" A sphere of blue energy hit the ground between them, forcing Heather to leap back. They then turned and saw Springer running up to them, a look of pure anger on his face.
"Springer!" Ruby yelled, "What in the wide world of Equestria are you doing?!"
The jakhowl didn't reply, instead creating a Bone Breaker as he rushed towards Flash. He then leapt into the air, ready to strike his partner, "RRRAAAHHH!"
"SPRINGER!" The three knights cried as they watched, only to go wide eyed as they saw the unconscious Flash leap into the air to avoid the strike.
"What the heck?!" Heather gasped as she stared at Flash, his form now looking like he was at perfect shape along with a smirk on his face.
But before they could say anything else, Springer pointed his weapon at him. "Drop the act. You can't fool me."
Flash's smirk increased. "Not bad," he said before being consumed by red flames, soon revealing a certain changeling.
"Hiveena," the knights growled in unison.
"What gave me away?" Hiveena asked with a glare at the jakhowl.
Springer put his Bone Breaker over his shoulder, "You can copy appearance and abilities, but not aura. I can see right through you."
"So she was gonna sneak attack us," Ruby concluded.
"Looks like it," Heather added. "Good thing Springer was close."
"And I know where Flash is," the jakhowl replied as he desummoned the Bone Breaker. "I can sense his aura close by."
"Then you and First need to get to him," Ruby told him. "We'll handle the bug."
"Right!" The two agreed before First began to follow Springer.
"You're not going anywhere!" Hiveena yelled as her horn began to shine, only to feel a sudden pain in her wing, "AUGH!" She cried as she fell to the ground from the blow, barely managing to land on her hooves. She then stared at her wing and saw a crystal arrow stuck into it.
"Your fight's with us," Ruby hissed as she created a pair of crystal swords.
"We won't let you hurt anymore of our friends," Heather told her as she retracted her mace head. She then pointed at the changeling, "now...count up your sins."
Both Hiveena and Ruby glared at her. "Seriously?" Ruby asked deadpan.
"What?" Heather asked with a shrug. "I wanted to try it out."
Hiveena smiled as she pulled the arrow out and crushed it with her front hoof. "As entertaining as this is, did you forget who you're fighting against?" In that moment, she was consumed by red flames, only to be replaced with a large jet black dragon with red spikes. "RRRRRAAAAAOOOOORRRRR!" She screamed, unleashing a burst of fire at the two knights.
Ruby quickly leapt in front of Heather, creating a giant shield of crystal which the bounced off of. "Try all you want, but heat and pressure only makes crystals stronger."
The dragon stopped and glared at them before being covered in flames, which soon faded to reveal an exact copy of Ruby. "Then I'll fight using crystals as well," she said as she created a pair of crystal swords. The crystal shield vanished a second later as Ruby recreated her pair of blades from earlier. The two then clashed, locking swords before a slashfest began.
As they did, both of them hopped around, cuts and swipes happening everywhere. Heather watched as the two continued to fight one another, waiting for an opening to hit the fake one. But as she did, she began to blink at the sight, her eyes starting to have problems following the fight. And as it when on...she soon realized she had no idea which one was the fake. The two had been moving around so much that she had lost sight of who was who.
And after three minutes of clashing, the two Rubys leapt away from one another, panting following from the fight. They stared at their opponent before turning to Heather, "get her!"
Heather's head turned from right to left to right and so on, completely confused as her weapon shook in her hoof. "Um...which one is her?!"
"She is!" They both yelled as they pointed at the other with their sword. "Don't listen to her, I'm the real one. No you're not, I'm the real Ruby!"
"Aaaahhhh! Its too confusing!" Heather cried as she put her hooves on the sides of her head. She looked back at the two, knowing she had no idea which one was who. As she did this, she thought about yesterday, trying to rack her brain about the pony she had just recently met. That is, till a bulb went off in her brain, "Wait...I got it!"
The two glared back at her. "Huh?! What are you talking about?!"
"Who does Springer remind you of?"
The two both blinked at this, until the Ruby on the left smiled. "Sharp Paw!"
Heather smirked at this before turning to the other Ruby, her mace instantly lashing at the imposter. The Ruby tired to block with her swords, only for them to shatter as she felt herself be struck in the chest. "AAAHHH!" She screamed as she fell back, reverting to her true form as she did.
The real Ruby, rushed over to Heather and the two smacked hooves. "Well done. Good idea asking that."
"Thanks," Heather replied.
Hiveena picked herself up and glared at the two. "Don't think you've won," She hissed as she was consumed by red flames again, only to reveal something Heather wished she would never have to see again. The giant Scorpentine. "I heard my mother used one of these."
"Oh no...I really hate those things," Heather whined as she and Ruby leapt back, the giant pincers already trying to strike her. But as she did, a giant poisonous tail swung down, only for the Floral Knight to sidestep at the last second. "Watch the tail! Its poisonous!"
"Understood," Ruby replied as she started swinging her swords around, only for Hiveena to counter with her pincers before shooting her stinger at her. As the tail thrusted toward the knight, it soon collided with a crystal shield, "None of that please. One poisoning is enough for me, thank you very much."
Hiveena retracted her tail and tried to swipe at her with her pincer, but in that moment Heather's Flower Chain wrapped around it. "Got ya!" She cried as she tried to pull her pincer down.
Hiveena smirked. "Do you now?" She flicked her pincer around, pulling Heather along for the ride. The knight cried out as she was thrown through the air. "Because I think I'm the one who has you!" She swung the pincer, causing Heather to go flying.
"Aaahhh!" She cried as she was forced to unwrap her chain, only to swing the chain at the ground pulling her down to the earth, stopping her airborne adventure. She winced at the pain in the landing, but was otherwise unharmed.
"Heather!" Ruby yelled as she struck at the pincers again. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine," Heather replied as she picked herself up. "It'll take more than that to take me down."
"We'll see about that," Hiveena replied as her body ignited again, soon revealing Grand Hoof with his Celestic Gear in hoof. Hiveena then raised the weapon above her head. "Grand Impact!" She smashed it into the ground, a barrage of rocks flying out of the earth at the knights.
Seeing this, Ruby dashed towards Heather with another crystal shield, "Hang on!" she yelled as she protected them both, blocking the entire attack. But as the attack ended, Ruby and Heather heard something new.
"Tidal Surge!" A tidal wave suddenly struck them, knocking them off their hooves and sweeping them away.
The two mares were then slammed into a wall, crying out as they fell to the ground. They then started to pick themselves up, only to look up and see Tidal stepping towards them. He then reverted back to Hiveena, who shined a huge grin, "Face it, you can't beat me."
The two mares let out a series of heavy breathes. "Don't...underestimate us," Ruby gasped as she tapped her necklace.
"Yeah..." Heather panted as she gripped her mace, "We're full of surprises."
Hiveena simply shook her head. "Excuse me for not believing that. I think I'll destroy you both now. Then...I'll rip the rest of your team apart." She then changed into each of the members, her grin increasing over each change before turning back to her changeling form. "It'll be so easy..."
"That won't happen," Ruby told her as she created a single sword and held it up, shaky but firm. "No matter what, we will protect our comrades."
"Agreed. You're going down, here and now!"
The knights both took stances, only to rush towards the bug as she took Iron's form, the bug now holding Piecemaker.
"Then bring it!"
Meanwhile...
First and Springer were still trying to get to Flash. Springer was now sitting on First's back as he raced through the streets, his focus on keeping a lock on Flash's aura. "Left...then a right. Then another left."
"How much further?" First asked.
"Not far. One more left turn and it'll be straight to Flash. Now!" First turned the corner, only to find a group of cloaks blocking their path. "Aww nuts..."
"We do not have time to fight them all," First replied.
"I'm on it! Aura Blast!" Springer yelled as he hopped off the pony's back before unleashing the attack. The cloaks all backpedaled from the attack, making a straight path as they did. This allowed First to rush past them as they picked themselves up, Springer landing in between them. The jakhowl glanced back at First. "Keep going, I'll hold them off!"
"Understood. Good luck Springer."
Springer turned back to the cloaks and smiled while cracking his knuckles. "Alright," he created a pair of Steel Paws, "lets do this thing!"
At the same time....
"Damn it!" Grand yelled as he cut down another group of cloaks. "Where'd he run off too?"
He had lost sight of Doom after two cloak group attacks, now finishing that second group. As he did this, he yelled into the distance, "Doom! I know you're out there! Please, give up this pointless quest for vengeance!"
However, there was not response.
Grand just shook his head, his tone slightly lowering as he continued to yell, "I know Daisy's death was heard on you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you or Lightning...but please, you must know that this isn't what she would want."
But as these words left his mouth, Grand heard a new sound. It was somepony walking towards, causing him to spin around and say, "Doom, is that you?"
He got no answer, only a new sight that caused Grand's eyes to go wide.
Back to First...
First was continuing to rush down the street towards Flash's location, hoping Springer did not forget to mention an extra turn or something. "Come on," he panted through his steps. "Where are you Flash?" It was in that moment that he spotted something floating up above the roofs of some of the smaller buildings. Smoke. "That can not be good." He redoubled his efforts as he continued to run towards the smoke, only to see his destination ahead, "Flash!"
Flash was still unconscious, his body limp on the ground.
But as First arrived in the area and looked it over, what he saw surprised him. Cloaks, or at least what remained of them, were all destroyed, turned to piles of goop that were now creating the smoke.
"What happened here? Did he...No, that is impossible in his current state. But then who?"
As First investigated the scene, the cloaked figure Salt had met earlier stood a bit aways, soon turning as it said, "You'd better not let my efforts go to waste."
First then pulled out Crossbolt and used it to magically scan his body. But as he did, he realized something. "The venom...it has been neutralised? But how? There...there is not even close to the amount Ruby had." First they looked over his body, soon seeing the injuries were nowhere near what they should be considering the fall and battlefield around them. "What is going on?" Soon choosing to look into this later, First got to work on healing the remaining poison and injuries Flash had.
"Flash Sentry, you are truly an oddity in this world. What will you do next to excite and amaze?"
Back to the battle...
"Iron Lance Fury!" A barrage of metal projectiles shot at the mares, only for Heather to whip her chain mace around, deflecting the attack.
"Crystal Shot!" Ruby swung a crystal blade, the form unleashing a barrage of crystal arrows.
Hiveena cried out as the arrows struck the area around her, kicking up a dust cloud that shielded her from view. The two knights then took an offensive position, ready for whatever might come out of the dust. They saw a flash of light within the smoke, only to hear a familiar voice cry out. "Bloom Coil!" From out of the dust shot a particular chain mace, aimed squarely at Ruby.
The Crystal Knight grunted as the weapon wrapped around her neck, just as the cloud faded to reveal Heather. "Gotcha now!" The fake yelled before using all her mimicked strength to flick her captive into the air.
"Ruby!" Heather cried as she watched her comrade be tossed towards another building, the chain releasing her as she slammed into the wall.
"Your turn!" Heather heard before turning back to her double, the two of them both tossing their chains at one another. The flower shaped mace heads locked and the two began to pull at the other, trying to out muscle the other.
Heather glared at Hiveena while the changeling simply smirked. "Give it up!" Heather hissed through gritted teeth. "A fake won't ever be able to stand up to the original!"
Hiveena smile faltered at this, her head tilting as she replied, "You might be right..." Once again, she was surrounded by fire, only to reveal the form of Grand Hoof. "Much better!" The now far stronger pony grinned before pulling Heather right off her hooves.
Seeing this, Heather let go of her weapon before being flung into close quarters with the bug. After this, Hiveena happily tossed the mace away, soon transforming back into the giant Scorpentine, which began to snap at Heather with its pincers. "Not so high and mighty now, are we?"
Heather just smiled as she dodged the pincers. "Just because I don't have my weapon doesn't mean I'm helpless!" As if to prove her point, she hopped onto one of the pincers, quickly leaping and kicking Hiveena straight in the face.
"Augh!" Hiveena cried as she staggered back, "you little-AAAHHH!" A piecing pain shot through her back, causing her to look back and see Ruby now stabbing her backside.
"Forget about me?" She asked before jumping off her back, landing next to Heather. "Nice work. You okay?"
"I'm fine," Heather replied instantly.
Hiveena reverted back to her true form, the crystal sword on her back now falling and clattering to the ground. She let out a moan, now feeling the blood stream down her back. Pain surged through her body as Ruby and Heather both glared at her, Ruby speaking up next, "This has gone on long enough. Give up."
Hiveena continued to pant as she looked up at them. "Never...I'll never..." she whispered before her body ignited, this time changing to Flash with Lightbringer in hoof. "FLASH FORCE!"
Ruby and Heather hopped back as a crystal shield formed to block the laser, which began to push them back. "This won't hold long," Ruby said as she felt cracks forming along the shield. "Flash's magic is too strong, especially if its not held back."
"So what do we do?" Heather asked as she felt her hooves drag along the ground.
Ruby glared straight ahead, only to see something, "I've got an idea. Jump up on my back! Now!"
"What?!"
"Trust me! Just do it!"
Heather blinked at her companion, only shrug as she hopped on, soon leaping into the air. As she did this, Ruby slammed the ground with her hooves, a barrage of crystals quickly rising from the earth. Seeing this attack, Hiveena cancelled the laser as she hopped back, dodging the sudden spikes. At the same time, Heather saw what the plan was and grabbed it with a big smile, "I got it Ruby!"
Hiveena turned to Heather, only to see that she was once again in possession of her Celestic Gear, "Bloom Lash!"
The mace head flew at the fake pegasi's head, forcing Hiveena to block with her blade. But as she did, she pointed at Heather and said, "Flash-"
"Crystal Saber!" She looked back at Ruby, only to see two crystal blades coming towards her. Knowing she couldn't defend herself in her current form, flames consumed her body again, soon revealing her new form as a cragadile. She then curled up as Ruby's blades slashed at her body, the swords shattering on impact. But before she could gloat, she suddenly felt something wrap around her body.
Looking down, she saw that Heather had wrapped her Flower Chain around her body. "Gotcha!" She then heard the earth pony yell, only to look up and see Ruby hop over to Heather.
"Oh no..."
"Oh yes!" The two mares replied in unison, both grabbing hold of the chain as they flung the changeling with all their might. Hiveena cried out in pain as she went flying, her transformation failing as she soon felt dirt in her face. As she hit the earth, she tried to get free, only to feel the chain unwrap. She then looked back at the knights, only to see them both aiming their weapons at her. "Crystal/Bloom...FORCE!" The two of them unleashed a pair of tornadoes, the attack combining into a blast laced with gems and leaves.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" The changeling cried out as she was struck, the two types of razor sharp projectiles slicing at her skin. The attack knocked her airborne, her body soon crashing as rolled through the dirt in pure pain.
Heather and Ruby both panted at sight, Heather asking, "Is it over?"
"I hope so," Ruby replied. "I think that was the best attack we're gonna get off on her."
However, in that moment they saw Hiveena's body move once again. She slowly picked herself up, staggering at first as she wobbled back and forth, "I won't...let it end...like this."
The mares readied their weapons. "Don't try anything."
"Yeah!" Heather added, "Sides, can you honestly say you can keep going with the injuries you have?"
Hiveena continued to breathe heavily. "I...will not...be...DEFEATED!" She shot her head up, showing her eyes were blood shot and deranged. In that second, she transformed into Flash and raised the fake Lightbringer in the air. Doing so unleashed a burst of light, which formed into a large ball. She then transformed again, becoming Grand and unleashing a similar burst of energy from a fake Grand Slammer.
"What in the world?" Ruby asked as they watched some rubble summoned by the hammer be absorbed into the light, the two elements mixing.
Hiveena then changed into Iron, a fake Piecemaker unleashing a burst of metal that flew into the ball. She did this again and again, transforming into the different knights and unleashing a magic burst that mixed with the others. Tidal and water, Skybreaker and wind, Ruby and crystals, Heather and leaves. She then took First's form and used Crossbolt to unleash a burst of energy, one that made the now massive sphere twice the size.
"What is she doing?" Heather asked.
"She's pooling all the different magics she's copied into a single point!" Ruby replied as she summoned another crystal shield. "But with that much power, how is she hoping to control it?!"
Hiveena laughed as she reverted back to her normal form. "I am Hiveena, rightful heir to the changeling throne! I can copy anypony and their magic! I...AM THE STRONGEST BEING IN EQUESTRIA!" With that, she used the rest of her magic to levitate both the sphere and herself up into the air.
"If that thing hits, it'll wipe out the whole city."
"And everypony in it," Heather finished.
Hiveena began to let out an insanity-filled laugh. "With this, its over!"
"But what about your team?" Heather yelled at the bug. "Toxic, Grimhorn...Doom! If you unleash it, you'll kill them too!"
"So what?! It just means they weren't strong enough! I don't need them, not if I can do this!" The death ball stopped moving, now a good distance up. Despite Celestia's sun setting a little while ago, the sky remained brightened by the orb.
Hiveena looked down at her targets. "YOUR TIME HAS COME!"
Heather and Ruby could only stare in horror, knowing there was no way they could stop this.
But in that second, something strange happened. Instead of tossing the sphere at them, Hiveena seemed to let it go as both she and it began to fall to the ground. "What the-" They heard Hiveena ask herself before the sphere fell onto her body.
KABOOM!
The explosion could be felt across the island, all its residents feeling the impact. The first was Springer, he yelped out, "Whoa!" as a huge dust cloud blasted into him. He soon leapt around the corner of a building to protect himself, only to then see that the cloaks he had been fighting were not so lucky, the lot of them being swept away.
A ways off, First had managed to pull Flash into another of the buildings. Doing so protected the two of them from the dust wave, only for First to yell out, "What the heck?!"
Further to the edge of the city, Skybreaker saw the dust cloud coming and cried out. "Everypony take cover!" They soon did, all hiding behind cover and debris. As they did this, they watched as the cloaks they were just fighting be blown away, causing Skybreaker to scream, "What the devil is going on?!"
Meanwhile...
Over in the castle, Doom had been watching the fight with pure intrigue on his face. "So they beat Hiveena too, huh? How disappointing."
When Hiveena had unleashed that attack, he had grown worried. He knew he would be able to survive, but the damage done to the castle from the attack's shockwave could have buried the tomb forever. Luckily, the castle had only been mildly shaken by the shockwave.
"Hmm....eh, oh well. Its not like I really cared about her little 'I will be queen' crusade." Doom muttered to himself as he magically changed the viewing globe to show a different image. "After all, I'm not worried in the slightest. I already got rid of their most powerful member."
On the viewing globe, the new image was one Grand Hoof. But this Grand Hoof did not look well, in fact, he was covered in bruises, his body battered and beaten, complete with the pony losing consciousness. A big smile shined on Doom's face as he watched the sight, soon seeing another blow appear on Grand's body, a small stream of blood now dropping from Grand's mouth.
"With that, I've already won."