//------------------------------// // Twilight's Kingdom PT2 // Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S4 // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// The outskirts of Canterlot... Tirek smirked as he trotted up to Equestria's capital city, the moon high in the air. He knew he could have had Discord teleport him there, but he had sensed a strong concentration of magic on its outskirts. After all, he would need every bit of magic he could get his hands on if he wanted to stand a chance against the princesses. And as he trotted over the hill, he found what he was sensing. The Royal Knights stood in a line between Canterlot and the mad centaur, each one gripping their Celestic Gear, ready for battle. He smirked as he looked the knights over, scanning them one at a time till his eyes landed on Ruby. "Now this is interesting. I remember you..." Tirek started as he pointed at the crystal pony, "How are you here after all these years?" "Its a long story, and its not worth telling scum like you." Ruby replied as her necklace began to shine, "You're going back to Tartarus." "HA! Is that so?!" Tirek laughed as he stroked his beard, "So tell me, what do any of you hope to accomplish by trying to stand against me?" Grand raised his hammer. "We will defeat you, return the magic you've stolen, and return you to Tartarus! That is the duty of the Royal Knights!" "Oh my!" They all turned to see Discord sitting in a movie chair, scarfing popcorn, "This is gonna be fun." Iron growled at him, "I always knew you never changed. To think that Fluttershy actually trusted you." He pointed his weapon at the draconequus, "After I'm done with Tirek, you're next!" "I'm fine with that," Discord said as his chair and popcorn disappeared. "But first you need to beat...him," he pointed at Tirek as the centaur created a ball of energy between his horns. "This is gonna be good." Grand rested his hammer on his right shoulder, "This is your last warning Tirek, surrender now or face the consequences." "Funny, I was about to offer you the same ultimatum. Either way, I will not surrender to you weaklings." "Then it's decided." The knights all got into a battle stance. "Now, count up your sins!" All this did was make Tirek growl. "Aw yeah!" Discord cheered as he morphed into a wrestling announcer costume. "Now," he pulled a microphone down from the sky, "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!" No sooner had Discord said that, (And a bell ringing out of nowhere) Skybreaker leapt into the air. "Sky Force!" He unleashed a tornado straight at Tirek. But the monster shot a blast of power from between his horns, the two attacks meeting dead center, cancelling each other out. While this happened, Ruby, Iron and Tidal ran all full charge, Ruby creating a pair of crystals swords while Iron changed his weapon to an axe, as the three of them leapt at Tirek. Despite this attempt, the centaur saw them coming and cut his attack before jumping backwards, only to slam his hands together with all of the earth pony strength he had stolen. Doing so created a powerful shockwave, the blast striking the four knights back. Tirek chuckled as he watched them stumble, only to suddenly feel something wrap around his neck and pull him back. Slightly turning his head, he spotted Heather pulling at him with her chain mace. "Little worm. You believe this will stop me?" Heather let out a dark giggle, "Am I the one you should be focusing on?" Tirek raised an eyebrow at this, only to turn and reflexively raise his arms, flinching as several energy arrows pierced them. He let out a low growl at this while Heather pulled back some more. Doing so made Tirek look up, allowing him to see Grand flying down at him with his Celestic Gear above his head. The centaur gritted his teeth before reaching around and grabbing Heather's chain mace, easily pulling it back before swinging the chain around. Heather let out a scream as she slung off her hooves, First seeing her coming and managing to brace himself right before she collided into him. This impact alone caused her grip to loosen enough for Tirek to pull himself free, allowing him to punch upwards, meeting the head of the Grand Slammer. The force created by the strikes instantly made a shockwave, knocking both back. And as Tirek staggered, he suddenly felt something in case his hooves. Looking down, he found his legs were now trapped in a pile of metal and crystal, causing him to blink before looping up to see Iron and Ruby using their magic to keep him stationary while Skybreaker and Tidal rush him. "Sky Cutter/Tidal Whip!" The air blade and water lashes struck his body, Tirek unable to dodge. But as these attacks hit, his horns fired their own blast of magic, carving the ground with ease. The explosion made the duo hop back, only for their backs to feel bolts striking them, First's weapon now restoring their energy. "Grand Impact!" Grand slammed his hammer into the ground, sending rocks flying up out of the ground before smacking them at Tirek. The centaur saw them coming and began trying to pull himself free from Iron and Ruby's hold, only to then shield his head with his arms while the rocks rained down. A low growl followed as his horns began to glow, another magic blast soon firing at his legs. The attack made the metal and crystals explode instantly, sending him up into the air. The knights saw him fly up, preparing to strike as he landed. But as they did this, Tirek suddenly thrusted down with all of his earth pony strength, smashing the ground instantly. Doing so created a small earthquake that knocked all but Skybreaker off balance. And as this happened, the pegasi rushed at the monster, "Sky Grinder!" Spinning into a wheel, he spun at the centaur, only for the centaur raise both hands and attempted to grab the wheel, only to fail out as a ton of scratches struck him. It was here that Skybreaker began to slow, only to kick off of Tirek to fly back to a safe distance. Tirek growled at this, only to feel something wrap around his hooves and pull them off the ground. "Augh!" He yelped as he tripped, giving the knights their opening. "Aid/Sky/Tidal...FORCE!" First supped up Skybreaker and Tidal as they unleashed their force attacks, which combined into an ice cold water hurricane as it struck the centaur. The force of this combo sent him sliding back across the ground, the rest of the knights chasing after him. First, Iron equipped his Celestic Gear Armor as he, Grand and Ruby continued to run. "Iron Saber!" He flew past him as he slashed Tirek with his tail sword. "Crystal Axe!" Ruby conjured her weapon and did the same as Iron. "Grand Slam!" Grand swung his hammer right into Tirek's chest. "AAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he was sent flying back, crashing into the ground and skidding to a slow stop. And as he tried to pick himself up, the knights regrouped and prepared for their next attack. "It's over," Grand told Tirek. Tirek struggled to raise his head, shooting a deadly glare at the knights "Not...yet." The second those words left his lips, all the knights suddenly found themselves to be a hundred times heavier. They cried out as one by one they were forced to the ground. A mocking laughter filled the air as Discord floated above them, "What's the matter?" He asked sarcastically, "You're looking a little...weighed down." The knights all groaned as they turned to see Tirek pick himself up, panting from the pain, "Took you...long enough." "Apologies. Didn't want to step on your toes. But, now you can enjoy your lunch without issue." He morphed into a waiter and held up a dispenser, "Pepper?" Tirek didn't reply, instead walking over and picking up First and Tidal. With one quick breath in, he drained the two before tossing them away. He then did the same with Ruby, Heather, Iron and Skybreaker. Finally, he picked up the last knight. "Looks like I won't need to count up my sins," he told Grand before draining him as well. Once filled, Tirek dropped the earth pony and stepped over him as if he was nothing. As the centaur and draconequus left, Grand dragged his weakened body over to his Celestic Gear before struggling to lift it up and point it at Tirek. "Grand...Force." But nothing happened, his gear didn't respond. "No...." He dropped Grand Slammer and slowly rolled onto his back. "Flash...it's...up to you...now." With that, he and the other knights blacked out. Ponyville... Having left Canterlot, Flash, Trixie and the newly supercharged Twilight returned home. As the train pulled up to the town, flying back being off the table with Trixie's lack of wings and Twilight's fear of losing control, they got off and began trotting through the town. Here, Flash turned to Twilight, "You okay?" Twilight was about to answer, only for her horn to suddenly spark again, forcing her to focus and subdue it. She then shook her head, "I'm...I'm okay. Don't worry about it." Trixie turned to Twilight while biting her hoof, "I can't imagine trying to control that much power. Casting a spell will probably be like trying to water a plant with a fire hose." Flash couldn't help imagining that, holding the hose over a flower and slowly turning it on, only for the image to end with him finding a large hole where the flower once was. "Don't worry about me. Let's just get to the library." And as they passed the clock tower, Twilight noticed the time and turned to Flash. "You'd better go get on patrol." Flash raised an eyebrow. "I'm supposed to stick with you." "We also can't do anything that might raise suspicion. Go on patrol, or everypony might think something's up." Flash sighed but nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later." He flapped his wings and took to the skies, flying overhead before beginning his usual travel route. As he did this, he saw Springer walking through the streets and shot down to pick him up. "What the-?" The jakhowl yelped as Flash suddenly landed, "Flash? You sure weren't gone long. Everything okay in Canterlot?" "Yeah," Flash said a little quicker then he should have, "Nothing to worry about." This alone made Springer raise an eyebrow. "Alright, what's going on? You know you can't hide anything from me. Aura powers, remember?" Flash sighed before tossing Springer onto his back and explaining what was happening. Once the story was finished, Springer glumly crossed his paws, "I can't believe that guy. I thought he'd really started changing, his aura seemed to appear so." "It's not easy to change who we are. With certain pushes, anypony can revert back to the way they used to be. Let's just hope the knights can end this before it gets worse." "I guess," Springer replied before looking up at the sky. "Hey...why isn't the sun up right now?" Flash raised an eyebrow before looking up, now noticing that the sun should have risen. It was here that the moon suddenly shot down before the sun zipped all around the sky before flying back down below the horizon. The moon then shot back up before shooting back down and being replaced by the sun, only to be replaced by the moon again. Sun, moon, sun, moon, sun, moon, then finally the sun was slowly and shakily lifted up into the air and left in its place. "That was fun to watch," Springer commented. "Could have been worse. With all the powers she now possesses, Twilight could have probably blown them up instead of moving them. Pray to Celestia she doesn't sneeze." Flash commented as they started flying along their usual patrol route, hoping to get it quickly done so they could return to Twilight. Back in Canterlot... With the knights defeated, Discord and Tirek had nothing standing in their way. They had already defeated Shining and the rest of the royal guard, Tirek allowing Discord to head off and have some fun while he got what he came for. Now stomping through the castle, draining any unfortunate pony that happened to get between him and the alicorns. And with a thunderous crash, he ripped the doors to the throne room open and saw the three sitting on their thrones. Marching up to them, he grabbed Celestia in his stolen magic and opened his mouth. But when he tried to drain her, he found her magical reverses bone dry. "What?!" He yelped before dropping her and trying to drain Luna, only to be met with the same result. He then tried Cadance, only to scream, "What is...WHERE IS YOUR MAGIC?!" The three alicorns could only smile at his frustration. Back in Ponyville, Flash and Springer were coming to the end of their patrol. And as they started their way back to the library, Springer told Flash something that made the defender growl, "You let Lightning borrow my guitar?!" "He said he wanted to make sure he could still play! He hasn't had the chance since leaving Canterlot, and he didn't wanna get rusty." Flash let out a long moan, rubbing his face in frustration, "You do realize he could have just asked Octavia or Vinyl, right? They got loads of guitars he could borrow!" "Well..." THOOM! That was sound of a mighty burst of wind, one that knocked Flash back. "WHOA!" he yelped as he started to spiral to the ground, Springer grabbing his ears to try and pull him back up. And as Flash managed to regain control, he came to halt a few inches from the ground, allowing the duo to look up and see a purple blur shooting across the sky. "Was that...Twilight?" Flash's wings flared as he shot back into the air, following the streak. But as they got up, they found the streak suddenly go down and dig a small trench before coming to a stop. Now stationary, Flash could see it was a now dirt covered purple alicorn. "Oww!" she groaned as he landed right by her. And as he was about to ask she was okay, he turned to see that they weren't the only ones who had chosen to investigate. The rest of the mane seven, Trixie, Wild, Lightning, Spike and the CMC were all trotting over to them. "Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy gasped as she covered her mouth, "Are you all right?" "Jumpin' junebugs, Twilight!" Applejack added, "When did you learn to fly that fast?" Flash was about to come up with an excuse, but noticed the electricity crackle out of Twilight's horn. It didn't go unnoticed by Lightning though, despite the others seemingly missing it. "I must have caught a particularly strong breeze-" Twilight replied as she disappeared in a flash before reappearing behind Applejack and Rarity, "Or something." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. "Must have been 'or something', because there wasn't any breeze up there." Twilight, seeing her excuse wasn't flying, began to walk away. "I don't know what happened, but I don't really have time to figure it out right now." Lightning surged around her body once again, causing her to hop in place. Spike then noticed an unusual addition to the group, "Trixie? What are you doing here?" "Oh," Trixie stuttered out before twiddling her hooves, "I uh...thought um...well..." "She came to try and help Twilight find her key," Flash interrupted. "You know, figured another magically skilled pony might be able to notice something Twilight didn't." Twilight and Trixie glanced at each other before nodding, "That's right!" Twilight motioned for Trixie to follow her. "We should get going." Rarity then spoke up. "Another visit to the Castle of the Two Sisters, I presume?" She and the rest of the Mane Seven gave her big smiles, "We'd be more than happy to accompany you!" Twilight did a small gulp, quickly shaking her head, "Not today!" Another electrical surge surrounded her body, "Tirek may still be a threat. I need you all to stay here and encourage everypony to remain inside." She spread her wings but stopped herself before she could take off, folding them back up before trotting into the forest with Trixie following. "What's up with her?" Wild asked. "What's up, what's up?" Lightning hummed while rubbing his chin. "Looked to me like she was having trouble keeping her magic in check." Spike let out a laugh. "Don't be silly. This is Twilight we're talking about. The magic of all four alicorn princesses wouldn't be enough to make her lose control." The others all nodded at this, "She's just too good." "Too good, too good." Flash and Springer both tried to hold their laughter at the irony before heading into the forest. "Where you going bro?" Scootaloo asked him. Flash turned back with a smaller grin, "Just gonna go keep an eye on those two. Twilight was right about Tirek, so it's not safe for her to be on her own. Even if Trixie is with her, better safe than sorry. You all do what she said and stay indoors. Scoots, stay at Applebloom's or Sweetie Belle's. I don't want you in the library alone." Scootaloo slumped with a long sigh. "Alright..." With that, Flash raced into the forest while the others spread out to keep the ponies of Ponyville secure. The only one still staring at the forest was Lightning, blinking at the sight as his brain kept ticking. Back in Canterlot, Tirek was now sitting on Celestia's throne. The three princesses sat before him as Discord was now working on redoing the stained windows. "Getting rid of your magic so that I cannot take it from you? That was your plan?" Tirek asked them, the three saying nothing as he stood up. "How does it feel, knowing that soon, every pegasus, unicorn and earth pony will bow to my will, and that there is nothing you can do to stop it?!" Celestia shot the centaur one final stern look. "You will not prevail, Tirek." Tirek simply stared back before raising his hand and creating a portal behind them. "Give my regards to Cerberus," he pushed the three into the portal to Tartarus, soon shutting it. "You meant our will, didn't you?" Discord asked as he turned back to him, his artist afro sagging slightly. "Of course," Tirek replied as he walked over and pulled the necklace he was wearing off his neck, "Here, I want you to have something." He tied it around Discord's neck, "This was given to me by someone very close to me. I give it to you as a sign of my gratitude and loyalty." "Oh, my!" Discord gasped as he looked the pendent over, "I do love a good accessory! I suppose that's Rarity's influence." Tirek nodded before looking over the window Discord had redone, laughing at the image in front of him. "Amusing...but we have no time for such things. With the princesses out of the way, we can now-" He then stopped at another window, gasping as it was the one depicting Twilight's coronation. "Is this meant to be humorous?!" Discord looked over the window and saw the confusion. "Oh, no, I haven't touched that one yet." Tirek looked between Discord and the window several times, then shot the draconequus a glare. "There's a fourth?! And you didn't tell me this?!" Discord did a small shrug, "I just needed some assurance that you truly considered this a team effort." He held up the pendent, "And now I have it." "Then where can we find this fourth princess?! Where is her castle?!" "Castle?!" Discord asked before bursting out in laughter. "No, Princess Twilight lives at a library in Ponyville." "Not for much longer," Tirek growled before heading to the door. Back in Ponyville, Flash watched as Twilight and Trixie worked to help her improve her control over her Alicorn magic. Currently, Twilight was trying to levitate several pine-cones. "Careful...careful." Trixie repeated, "Careful..." Twilight grunted as she tried to focus. "You telling me to be careful isn't helping me be careful!" "Sorry..." Trixie said sheepishly. "No, it's alright. But I think I-" She stopped talking as one of the pine-cones shot straight up into the air, disappearing into the stratosphere. "Home run," Flash joked. Springer nodded, Flash having told the other two about him knowing. "You ever considered a career in Hoof-ball?" Twilight shot the duo a deadly gaze, reminding them that she now had the power to literally blast them into next week. "We'll be quiet." "Thank you," Twilight turned back to the pine-cones and levitated them again. She seemed to have them floating perfectly, only for another surge to happen. "Ahh!" she yelped as the cones flew around, Trixie ducking down immediately. "Whoa!" Flash yelled as he and Springer deflected the projectiles. And once the last one was destroyed, they slumped over as Twilight let out another sigh. "I'm never gonna get this." "Come on Twilight," Trixie told her as she placed a reassuring hoof on her wing. "You can do this. The princesses believed you could control their magic, and we do too." "So that's what's going on." The four looked up at a branch of a nearby tree and spotted Lightning, who was leaning against a trunk. "How long have you been up there?" Lightning smirked. "I got here right before the dodge-pine game started. So..." he leapt down, "You all wanna tell me why Twilight has the princesses magic? I'm guessing they didn't just lend it to you because you asked nicely." They all let out a long sigh before beginning to explain. "Alright y'all," Applejack said as she stared at the deserted town. "Ah think we've warned everypony to stay inside." Rarity then turned to the CMC. "Now we'd better get these three inside," this was met with moans from the fillies before following orders. As they did this, Rarity gave everypony a questioning look, "Did anypony see where Lightning went?" Wild nodded in response, "He said he needed to check on something. I'm sure he'll be back soon." "Back soon, back soon, he'll be back soon." The group then headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, where the CMC would be staying. As they did this, Fluttershy spoke up, "I'm sure Discord will catch Tirek and this will all be over soon." "I'll bet he's gonna take his sweet time," Rainbow added. "Or perhaps these things just take time." They all came to a stop and saw Discord walking up to them, Fluttershy gasping before flying up to him. "You're back!" She pulled him into a hug before pulling away, "Did you bring the cucumber sandwiches? "I did," he summoned a plate with a snap of a finger. "I imagine they'll be your last decent meal for quite some time." Before anypony could ask what he meant, he dropped the plate before snapping his fingers again. In a flash, the ten found themselves trapped within a steel cage. They all began yelling out in confusion and annoyance as Discord turned to look down the street. "Ta-da!" The caged ponies and dragon followed his gaze, gasping when they saw Tirek step out from behind a house. "You've gathered up all of them?" "Almost all of them. It seems some are still at large...and they're the ones that could be the real trouble." Tirek rolled his eyes, "Nopony can cause me any trouble." Within the cage, Fluttershy held onto Applejack while crying. "Why are you doing this?! I thought we were friends!" Discord gave her a small, slim smile, "Oh, we were. But Tirek offered me so much more than just tea parties. Surely you saw this coming." Fluttershy's crying increased. "I didn't..." she held Applejack tighter. "I really didn't!" Tirek took this moment to start inhaling, stripping them all of their magic. They all cried out as they felt their powers being drained, Wild's eyes going wide as he watched his puppets fall to the ground. When he was done, Tirek turned to Discord. "You really think she'd do anything for them?" Discord nodded. "If Twilight has magic to give, it will be yours. The only thing you need to worry about are the ones that are still free, especially Flash Sentry." "What is so important about this Flash Sentry?! He sounds pathetic and weak." "Well, that's just the thing. I don't know. Whatever his power is, it's something even I can't regularly manipulate or affect. It's highly possible you won't be able to drain his power either." Tirek simply laughed at this, "If he is in possession of a type of new magic, then I will have it. That is my right Discord. Now, where is he?" Discord stroked his beard, "If I know Flash, he'll be here pretty soon." "And that's everything," Twilight finished. Lightning simply stared at her, going over the info in his head, "So...Discord betrayed us?" They all nodded, Flash showing a full frown, making Lightning sigh. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised given his past. But given my own, I guess I figured it wasn't so hard to change. I wonder what Tirek said to make him change back." "Why Discord betrayed us doesn't matter." Trixie barked back. "Right now, our main goal is to get Twilight's control back to its original level. If Tirek comes looking for us, and he likely will if Discord tells him about Twilight, then she needs to have the strength to fight him off." Twilight nodded at this, "You're right. I just hope I can learn to-" She didn't get to finish as another surge erupted out of her. And in a flash, she was gone. "That's not good," Flash commented. "Where'd she go?" Springer asked. "I can't sense her anywhere nearby." Trixie showed a glum frown. "With her magical power, probably Griffon Stone." "So what now?" Lightning asked. "Well, since we don't know where she went, we'll just have to wait and-" "AAAHHH!" Springer clutched his head and fell to his knees, the ponies turning to him in shock. "Bud!" Flash rushed to his side, "Are you alright? What happened?" Springer lowered his paws and cringed in fear, tears flowing from his eyes. "Fear. Tons of it. Its...its all coming from Ponyville." "Ponyville?" Trixie asked. "Look!" they all followed Lightning's hoof and saw a bunch of smoke rising above the treetops. They all went wide-eyed before Flash turned to the unicorns. "Get us back to town, now! NOW!" The unicorns immediately flashed their horns and teleported everyone. And when the light died down, they saw that they were indeed in Ponyville...or what was left of it. Many houses had been torn down, several sections of the town now littered with craters. "This is horrible," Trixie whimpered out. "Who did this?" Lightning asked, only for his question to be met by the ground shaking. Flash did a small gulp, all of them turning to see a giant centaur come into view. "I'm guessing that's your answer Lightning. You're...Tirek, I assume?" Tirek let out a low and dark chuckle. "And you must be Flash Sentry if I am not mistaken." "The one and only," Flash pulled out his sword while Springer changed to his battle form, the unicorns also taking a fighting stance. "Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll return the magic you stole and give up!" Tirek just bellowed with laughter, "Do you know how many times I've been told that today?! Now if you know what's good for you, you'll hand over your magic and tell me where I can find Princess Twilight." "Not happening!" Lightning called out. Trixie nodded. "We won't let you get anywhere near Twilight." "Just give up already!" Springer barked, Tirek staring down at the jakhowl. A long growl followed this as he felt his hands clench into fists at the sight. Then, before anypony could say anything else, another set of laughter made them look up and see Discord sitting atop a floating cage. "I told you they wouldn't simply give up. That orange one doesn't know the meaning of the word quit." Flash gritted his teeth at the monster, "Discord! How could you do this! I trusted you! I would have put my life in your claws, but then you go and do this!" Discord simply stared down at him, the two locking into a staring contest of the soul. That is, till Flash looked away when he heard somepony call his name. "Flash!" He gasped as he saw Scootaloo in the cage, along with the rest of their friends. "RELEASE THEM NOW DISCORD!" "Discord will release them once they're of no more use to me," Tirek told him as a red and black sphere began to spiral between his horns. "Now, SURRENDER!" He unleashed the blast of magic, the four quickly leaping away from the attack. "Aura Force/Static Spear!" Springer and Lightning yelled as they unleashed their attacks, both firing from opposite directions. Tirek raised both hands at this, unleashing a wave of magic force that acted like a shield to block the attacks. "Flash Cutter!" Flash fired an energy blade at the centaur, who simply leapt back, dodging the strike with ease. Trixie then charged, her horn glowing as duplicates of herself started to appear. Tirek began firing at the fakes, but kept missing the real one as she got close enough. "Time for you to chill out!" she fired a burst of light blue lightning out of her horn, striking Tirek's hooves before moving up, leaving a bunch of ice in the spots it struck. Eventually, Tirek's entire body was frozen as she leapt back. "Ice magic?" Flash asked. "Our little comic adventure got me interested in it," Trixie replied, only for her joy to be short lived as the ice cocoon suddenly shattered, Tirek now releasing a mighty roar. "ENOUGH!" He unleashed another magical blast at the two. But as this attack came, Springer leapt in front of them and formed an aura shield, blocking it with ease. While that was happening, Lightning tossed one of his knives at Tirek. The magic thief saw it coming and effortlessly ducked, the blade shooting right through his horns. "Nice try, you little-" He stopped talking when Lightning disappeared. "Gatling Spark!" He spun around to see the unicorn in the air, knife between his teeth while unleashing a barrage of electric bullets. Tirek fired his own magic blast back, destroying the electricity as Lightning teleported away. "Flash Cutter/Steel Paw!" Tirek screamed out as his back was suddenly slashed in four places, making the centaur spin around as the two pointed their sword/paws into his face. "Flash/Aura FORCE!" They unleashed a twin beam of light, the attack smashing right into the centaur's face. And as he staggered back, Trixie summoned a pair of magic chains, quickly tying Tirek's legs, "RAAUUGGHHH!" Was all Tirek could say as he fell back while the heroes landed side by side. "Alright!" Scootaloo cheered. "That's how you do it!" Spike added as the others all gave their cheers of support. "SILENCE!" yelled Tirek as he quickly shot back up, the force of his scream making the cage shake, causing them to shut up. Flash crossed his hooves with a smirk, "Hey now, don't go having a hissy fit just because you're losing." Tire's eyes narrowed at the comment, "You think I'm losing?! Silly pony, I was merely seeing what you could do. Discord told me about this strange power that you posses, so I wanted to see it for myself. But so far, I see nothing of importance...which means I was right all along. You're magic isn't even worth taking...but I think I'll take it anyways." "Oh yeah?!" Flash barked back, "Can you back up those words, ya wimp?!" "Oh, I will," A big grin shined on his face as he lifted his hand up to the cage, "Discord told me you weren't a Royal Knight, and I can see why. A weakling like you will never be accepted." His words made Flash growl, gripping his sword as his eyes started to twitch. The centaur saw this, chuckling at the sight, "But perhaps its still too early. Maybe you simply need the...proper incentive." He slowly closed his hand, causing the cage to start to shrink. The ones inside cried out as their spare room began to get smaller and smaller. Flash's grip slightly lessened as he let out a gasp, only for Springer to run in front of him. "Stop it!" He created a pair of Bone Breakers and started slamming them into the centaur, who either dodged the swings or blocked with his arms. "You jakhowls were a lot stronger back in the day. Its too bad you're all gone." Tirek commented as he swatted Springer back, the jakhowl leaping back for a second. "That was the one piece of news I loved hearing back in Tartarus. Such wonderful news about the fact that I wouldn't have to fight another army of you mutts." Springer only growled before slamming the bone shaped aura weapons into him again. The others followed suit, Flash flying into a Flash Driver while Lightning and Trixie unleashed a barrage of electric and ice attacks. Tirek saw them coming and grabbed Springers Bone Breakers before tossing him at Flash, who was forced to stop as Tirek fired another blast of magic at the unicorns' attacks. The combined forces caused an explosion, filling the area with smoke. Tirek was blinded by the smoke, but then used his stolen pegasus magic to create a burst of wind out of his mouth. This blew the fog away, allowing Tirek to see a bunch of knives flying at him. He raised his arms and used his earth pony strength to prevent the daggers cutting into the flesh, the knives bouncing off and falling to the dirt. But this was what Lightning wanted, as the unicorn suddenly disappeared before reappearing in front of Tirek and giving him an electrified sucker punch. And as the centaur tried to recover and blindly swat at the unicorn, Lightning warped to another knife and struck Tirek again before disappearing. This went on for several seconds, Lightning's hit and run tactic proving to much for Tirek. But as he did a twelfth strike, Tirek caught onto Lightning's subconscious pattern. "Gotcha!" He yelled as he spun around and struck a spot right as Lightning warped there. "Augh!" He yelped as he was sent flying back, crashing into a still standing house. He grunted as he felt dirt now touching his back. The unicorn then tried to get up, only to feel a giant hoof stomping down on his stomach. "Blaugh!" "LIGHTNING!" His friends cried, the still free ones trying to get to him, only for Discord to create a wall between them. Tirek breathed in, draining Lightning of his magic with ease before Discord warped him into the cage. "You okay bro?" Wild asked as he and Rarity held him up. "Yeah...sorry." He then motioned to them to help him look out of the cage. "Flash Vortex!" A tornado of light shot out at Tirek, who fired a magical blast that struck hit head on, sticking the two into a stalemate. This gave Springer and Trixie the chance to get close, only for Tirek to slam his front hooves into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave. The wave of power caused the ground to erupt under them, sending the two flying up in along with the rocks. Flash saw this and killed his attack before shooting at them, reaching Springer first while seeing Trixie teleport to safety. And as Flash and Springer started flying through the rain of earth, Trixie reappeared right behind Tirek, seeing her friends trying not to be crushed while her opponent turned to her. He unleashed yet another magical blast, Trixie firing her own magic back. Everypony watched as the two engaged in a magical pushing contest, neither appearing to outmatch the other. This was impressive considering Tirek had the magic of every other unicorn in Equestria, but it soon showed it wasn't enough. Trixie's head was beating in pain as she tried to keep her spell going, a trickle of blood coming out of her nose. But as she did this, her horn started to sputter out...only for her magic to completely cut out. She shut her eyes as the attack came for her, "I'm sorry Luna." BOOM! "TRIXIE!" Everypony screamed as they watched the unicorn be sent flying back, rolling on the dirt with a one last whimper. Flash and Springer had finally made it out of the rock rain and turned to Tirek, only to see him trotting over to Trixie. "No!" Tirek heard them and spun around before slamming his hands together, another shockwave now happening as it sent them flying back. With that out of the way, he turned back to Trixie and levitated her up before draining the nearly unconscious unicorn of her magic. Once done, he tossed her aside before she was teleported away to the cage. "Trixie...." Fluttershy whimpered as she tried to help her up. She was badly burnt all over, several scratches all over her body due to the ground sliding. "Please say something," Pinkie asked while devoid of her usual humor. Trixie opened her eyes, tears coming out, "I'm sorry, I wasn't...strong enough." "It's okay sugarcube," Applejack told her. "Ya'll did great." Lightning nodded before turning back to the battle. "It's up to them now." Flash and Springer had finally regained stability before flying back, Tirek calmly trotting towards them. "Is he even bigger now?" Springer asked, noticing the centaur looking slightly taller. "Must be because he drained Lightning and Trixie's magic," Flash replied as he picked Lightbringer back up and closed his eyes. "If he gets mine and Twilight's, who knows how much bigger he'll be." His eyes shot open, revealing he was now in Theta Mode. "I won't let that happen!" "Aura Force!" Springer provided cover fire, unleashing a beam as Tirek did the same. "Flash Grinder!" Tirek stopped his attack as he saw the light wheel coming at him, making him grin before trying to catch it. But as the hand grew closer to Flash, the pegasus stopped spinning and ducked under the hands before shooting past him. "Flash Cutter!" Tirek yelled as he clutched his side while Springer charged while preparing a Steel Paw. The centaur leapt up onto his back hooves before thrusting the front ones, Springer seeing this and cutting his attack while forming a shield. Tirek's hooves bounced off of it, shattering the orb while the force pushed Springer back. "Flash Cutter Barrage!" Tirek looked up and saw Flash unleash his multi-slash attack, Tirek spinning around to fire his own magic to counter. The two made contact, causing an explosion that covered the area. And when the smoke cleared, Tirek could be seen with Flash in his grasp. Springer gasped as he watched Tirek about to drain his partner, "Not this time." He tried to form another Aura Force, only to stumble. "I...don't have enough. Fine! Aura Blast!" He shot the sphere at the centaur, Tirek growling as he saw it in the corner of his eye, his horns glowing as he fired his own blast at the attack. And as another explosion occurred, Flash struck his blade into Tirek's hand, forcing him to release the pegasus as he jumped back to a safe distance. Tirek let out another growl, only to see Springer was powering up another Aura Blast. "Not this time." He fired another magic beam, this one striking the ground around Springer, knocking the jakhowl back. The Aura Blast he had been making was also sent flying as Springer crashed into a nearby house. Flash saw this and flew up to it, his hoof gripping the Celestic Gear before smashing it into the attack. "Flash Cutter!" The sphere went flying at Tirek as Flash's light wrapped around it. The centaur saw it coming and smirked before raising his hands, emitting his magic shield as it grew closer. "Pointless." "Please..." Flash whispered to himself. Everypony else simply stared at the Aura Blast, only to gasp when is disappeared a few feet from Tirek. Flash's eyes went wide while the centaur merely chuckled before lowing his arm. Boom! "Blaugh!" Tirek yelped out as something struck his side, exploding with such force that it made him stagger for a moment. "What?! What was that?!" "What just happened?" Rainbow asked. "I think..." Trixie said as she leaned on the cage's bars. "I think that Flash's light caused Springer's Aura Blast to change out of our visual spectrum. It literally became invisible." Everypony gasped at this before turning to look at Flash, the pegasus smiling as he saw their combo move finally working. "Awesome...that was awesome! It was like a...Vanishing Aura Blast!" Flash dubbed it, only for his joy to become short lived as Tirek stood up again with a mighty roar. Springer was also recovering, trying to pick himself up. "Oh, I think you're done for today." He looked up to see Discord's smiling face before he snapped his fingers. Springer then found himself enveloped by a blur light before it faded to show he was in the cage with the others. "No!" "You okay Springer?" Spike asked. "I'm fine," Springer replied while crawling over to the edge of the cage, watching as Flash flew down to the ground. The two enemies stared each other down, Flash gripping Lightbringer while Tirek charged up his magic. "So...now it's down to just you and me." Flash just continued to glare at him, "Guess so." "Fighting me is pointless. You hold no power that can overcome mine. To continue battling would be foolish." Flash just smirked, "Sorry to say, but foolish actions are my speciality!" He shot up at Tirek and began performing an onslaught of slashes, which Tirek blocked with his arms. Tirek then tried to punch Flash, but the pegasus dodged with ease. And as this happened, Flash went for Tirek's heart with his blade. However, Tirek saw this coming and grabbed the blade inches from his chest. Flash's eyes went wide before suddenly finding a fist flying at his face. Everypony flinched as they watched Flash be smacked several feet through the air before hitting the earth and rolling to a stop. Tirek tossed the Celestic Gear away before trotting over to Flash. "Give up. You're only prolonging your suffering." The others watched as Flash tried to pick himself up, but his legs and wings kept giving. "Don't give up Flash!" Scootaloo screamed to her brother. "You've beaten tougher opponents than him!" Lightning yelled. "You beat me!" "We believe in you!" Springer cheered, the others following suit, voicing their own words of encouragement. Flash heard the cries of his friends and stared at the cage, seeing the trust they had in their eyes and the conviction in their hearts. "Everypony...I...I..." "I said, give up. Your magic is nothing." Tirek added as he lifted his hand. "You've lost." "Don't listen to him! You can win!" Scootaloo screamed again. "Kick his flank Flash!" And as these words reached his ears, he glared up at the monster. "I...can't give up. I won't!" Hearing them reminded him of everything he had to fight for. To free his friends, save Equestria...to protect Twilight from this monster. "I'll beat you!" With this declaration, something within Flash began to spark, now feeling a new strength surging through him. And as Tirek was about to yell at the ponies for making noise, he raised an eyebrow as he saw Flash get back to his hooves. "Hmm...you really want to keep going? You do know its pointless, right?" "I don't care!" Flash declared, "I refuse to let you hurt the ones I care about! I...won't...LOSE!!!!!" And with that outburst, his body exploded into a tornado of light, armor appearing on his form while Tirek backpedaled in surprise. The ones in the cage awed at the sight while Discord raised a curious eyebrow. "This is new." Tirek just tilted his head at the sight, "I don't know what this is, but it won't save y-AUGH!" He yelled out as Flash suddenly warped into the centaur's face, a hoof smashing his cheek. Tirek slid back due to this, only to let out a roar as he unleashed another magical attack. Flash quickly dodged the blast by flying up and back, soaring in the air above the monster. It was here that he started spinning, the others watching Flash seemingly performing his Flash Driver attack without his Celestic Gear. But Tirek wasn't intimated, and instead fired yet another blast. Flash's drill struck the beam, instantly cutting through it like butter. And as he did this, the centaur reached out and grabbed the defender, only to feel a swirl of heat. He quickly let go as he felt the burning sensation, allowing Flash to charge right into his chest. The strike from the pegasi pushed the centaur back, the monster now astounded at the pony's strength. That is, till he lifted his hooves. There, his earth pony strength struck the dirt, smashing the earth as a barrage of rocks went flying into the air. Flash saw them coming and continued to increase his speed, only to zip through the rubble, shattering any rock that came near him with a multitude of punches. And as the rock storm came to a stop, Flash stared down at Tirek before suddenly multiplying into twenty copies of himself. Those copies the charged at Tirek, the centaur now trying to blast them all, but was unable to keep up. And once they got close, he started swinging his arms around, destroying each fake with every swing. But this was meaningless, as the real Flash would always hit him after each swing, dodging each blow after each punch. That was, until Tirek finally got a lucky shot in, smacking Flash like a fly, sending him rocketing back while his duplicates disappeared. And as Flash's hooves hit the ground, Tirek fired another blast of magic at the pegasus. Flash saw it coming and took to the sky, only for the explosion's force to knock him back. "Give up!" Tirek roared before firing again. And as Flash stabilised himself, his body having just hit the ground again, he looked up at the incoming beam. But as it came closer, he glanced over at his friends in the cage. His eyes were entranced by the sight, only to suddenly see Twilight in his mind. "No...I can't...not yet!" he yelled as he flared his wings, leaping over the blast of magic. "I won't give up! I'll never give up!" Flash screamed as the armor continued to shine around him, "Do you hear me Tirek?! I'll never give up! I'll....I'll....AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Then it happened. The tornado of light exploded off of him, allowing them all to see Flash's armor without issue for the first time. It was just like how Rarity had previously drawn it, it all being gold in color. The light that had shot off of Flash flew behind him, striking his back to form a light bubble, which morphed into what appeared to be a pair of swords that were crossed between his wings. Everypony gasped at the sight as Flash fired himself like a rocket at Tirek. The centaur just growled at the sight, firing another beam of magic. And as the attack came, as if on instinct, Flash reached back and drew his light swords before crossing them. Tirek's blast of magic struck the swords, which seemed to cut through the magic as he got closer. Then with one mighty cry, Flash reached Tirek and slashed him with the swords. "RAAAUUUGGHHH!" The magic thief screamed as he felt his flesh now burn. As this happened, Flash jumped back as the light swords in his hooves morphed into a pair of bubbles that he slammed together. Doing so caused them to merge and shift into a giant sword, which Flash swung at Tirek with a mighty battle roar. Tirek looked up and thrust his hands forward, creating a protective shield. But as Flash's sword struck, the shield quickly began to crack. "What is this?! How are you-" Tirek stammered, only for the shield to shatter, the centaur now flying back from the sword's blow. "AAAAHHHHH!" It was here that the centaur finally fell to the ground, Flash landing while the light returned to being a pair of swords on his back. Flash smirked at the victory in front of him, as he slowly trotted forwards. "And now we're done. Game over Tirek!" It was time to finally make Tirek pay for everything he'd down. Flash let out another roar as he charged at the centaur....only to suddenly freeze up. "Wha-" The defender tried to move his hooves, then his wings...but nothing. He couldn't move. "What is going on?! Why...can't I...move?!" "Something's wrong," Lightning commented. "What's he doing?" Rainbow asked next. "Move Flash!" Spike yelled, "You gotta move!" And as the others yelled at the defender, Tirek looked up and saw the frozen solider. A huge grin appeared on his face as his horns started to glow. Flash looked up and saw the incoming magic, gulping as he saw the orb of magic over Tirek get bigger and bigger. "Twilight...I'm sorry..." was all he could say at the beam came straight for him. KABOOM! "FLASH!" They all screamed as they watched their friend rocket across town, smashing through three buildings before coming to a stop on the edge of the forest. And as Flash laid there, beaten, burnt and bruised, the light consumed him again before exploding off to reveal he was back to his normal form. He tried to pick himself up, only to feel someone grab him around the neck and lift him into the air. The defender opened his eyes to see Tirek, who started breathing in to drain his magic. But as he did, something else happened. Flash, struggling to escape, felt another surge of power. His eyes suddenly shot open, revealing they were glowing gold as a magical wave went out of him. "Raaawwwrrrr!" Tirek screamed as he felt a fire in his throat, "Blaugh! What is this?!" Flash dropped like a rock, only to feel himself chained up thanks to Discord. As he realized this, Tirek started to cough, "Ugh! That was...what was that?!" the centaur glared back at the defender, "I don't know what you just did or...why I cannot drain you of your power, but it ends here!" Tirek yelled. "I will win this day, and I will look forward to finding out and eventually seizing that power for myself. Discord!" "Yellow!" Discord appeared beside him. "Cage him! And make sure its away from the others!" "Righty oh," Discord snapped his fingers as a cage appeared around Flash. And as Tirek walked away, Flash looked up at Discord. "He's using you Discord. You must know that. Once he has all the pony magic, do you really think he's gonna be satisfied? Sooner or later, he'll come for you." Discord let out a laugh. "Oh please, like that's gonna happen." He held up the pendent Tirek gave, "See this? This is a symbol of our friendship." He turned back to Tirek, "Right buddy?" And as this question entered Tirek's ears, he turned and laughed. But not a normal laugh. It was a roaring, uncontrollable laugh, one that would make your spine shiver in fear, including Discord, "Hey...er...wanna...wanna share the joke there...pal?" "The joke...is you." Then, before anypony could do anything, the centaur grabbed the draconequus in his magic. "You've helped me grow strong, you've provided the means by which I can obtain Princess Twilight's magic, and now you are no longer any use to me." With that, he opened his mouth and began absorbing Discord's chaotic magic. As he did, Tirek once again grew in size. And when Discord was drained, Tirek tossed him away like a ragdoll. But as Discord flopped onto the dirt, he waekly looked up before grabbing the pendent. "But you said this was a sign of your gratitude and loyalty. A gift from someone close to you." Tirek let out a scoff, "It was from my brother who betrayed me." He turned back to Discord, "Its as worthless as he is." With that, he once again began to walk off. "Surely you saw this comin'?" Applejack asked the weakened Discord. "I didn't," Discord replied before looking down at the pendent. "I truly didn't." Flash started trying to pull himself free from the chains, but his injures made it impossible. "Discord...you can still make this right. Get me out of here!" "How?" Discord asked as he limply looked up, "I don't have any magic." "There has to be something you can do." Discord tried to pick himself up, only to suddenly find himself trapped in his own cage. "No!" Discord yelped as he tried to rattle the cage's door, but it remained shut. "PRINCESS TWILIGHT!" They all looked up at the sound of Tirek's voice, "YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!" "Oh no..." Flash said as he tried to free himself. Up in the cage, Springer was trying to destroy the cage with his aura, but in his weakened state, he couldn't build up the power. And as he did this, they all felt a sudden force and looked up to see one of Tirek's magical blasts rocket through the sky. It's destination...the library. "NOOOOO!" KABOOM! Everypony's eyes went wide as they watched the treehouse library be consumed by flames, Flash, Springer, Spike and Scootaloo horrified at the loss of their home. Soon enough, the ground began rumbling as explosions covered the land. It seemed Twilight had seen what Tirek had done and was now using everything in her power to make Tirek pay. As this happened, Flash continued to struggle against the chains, only to feel no hope. He couldn't get free. But as he did this, his attention soon shifted when he heard everything go quiet. "What happened?" Spike asked. "Please tell me Twilight won," Rainbow pleaded. Before Flash could say anything, the word around him suddenly blinked out of existence while his chains disappeared. And when the world returned, he found he was no long trapped in his cage. Instead, he was now trapped in a bubble that floated above Tirek along with ones that were holding each of his friends. He looked down at saw Twilight gasping at the sight, Tirek now speaking, "Their release for all the Alicorn magic in Equestria." Twilight gasped again as Flash and the others starting screaming in protest for her not too. "What's it going to be, princess?!" As Twilight looked over her options, the others continued yell: "Don't do it, Twilight!" Flash nodded in agreement. "If Tirek gets your magic, he'll be unstoppable!" "We aren't worth it!" Fluttershy cried. "Oh, but you are, Fluttershy." The pegasus turned to see Discord, slumped over in his bubble. "You're the pony that taught me that friendship is magic. I had magic and friendship, and now I don't have either." He placed his hands over his eyes. "Its over, and-" "ENOUGH!" Tirek slammed his hooves into the ground. "I want an answer, and I want it now!" After one more long pause, Flash noticing Twilight's eyes going wide as if she saw something, she gave her answer. "I will give you my magic in exchange for my friends." Everypony gasped at this, Tirek now wearing a massive grin. "As you wish." He snapped his fingers, causing the bubbles to fall to the ground and pop on impact. The only one remaining was Discord, but Twilight shot another glare at Tirek. "All of my friends." Tirek raised an eyebrow at this, pointing at Discord. "After the way he has betrayed you, you still call him a 'friend'?" "Release him!" Twilight said firmly. "If that's what you want." Tirek snapped and Discord's bubble did the same, the draconequus staring at Twilight. "Thank you, Twilight." He then turned to Fluttershy and spoke in a hushed whisper, "I'm sorry." Fluttershy looked away, "I know." Tirek then turned to Twilight, an evil smile on his face. "Your turn." With that, his horns began to glow. Twilight's horn did the same, shooting at her magic as she unleashed a series of pained screams. "Twilight!" Flash slowly got up, but Twilight held up a hoof. He instantly stopped, knowing there was nothing he could do. And when Twilight was finally, completely drained, she wobbled on the spot. But before she could fall, Flash caught her, "I gotcha," he said as he held her up. "That was reckless." Twilight weakly turned to him and smiled. "Look who's talking." It would have been a nice little moment, if there wasn't a power mad centaur currently growing five times as tall as he was before. "YES!" He roared as he now towered above everything else in Equestria. "Twilight!" Spike and the others yelled as they ran to their side, "What were you thinking?!" Before Twilight could reply, Discord walked up to them, the look on his face now showing nothing but regret. "Tirek tricked me into believing that he could offer me something more valuable than friendship...but there's nothing worth more." He slumped before gripping the pendent, "I see that now. He lied when he said that this medallion was given as a sign of gratitude and loyalty." He began to remove it from around his neck. "But when I say that it is a sign of our true friendship, I'm telling the truth." He placed it around Twilight's neck, the alicorn looking down at it. As she did, she and the others noticed a rainbow shine off of it. Twilight gasped as the color she had lost from being drained seemed to return. "You think that might be the last one we need?" "Only one way to find out," Flash told them. "We have to get to the chest." Twilight exclaimed as they raced to the Cave of Harmony. Once inside, the Mane Seven went to their keys, a small part of Flash wondering if the chest knew he'd be the only one able to fly, so it had placed his key in the top part. But this quickly went away as Twilight placed the medallion onto her keyhole. As she did this, the pink light shot out and morphed the pendent into a star shaped key. Twilight smiled at this, only for the cave to suddenly shake. "Its Tirek!" she yelled before turning to her friends, "Together! I think we have to do this together!" The others nodded and grabbed their keys before turning them, making the whole chest glow. The keys sank into the box, Flash's keyhole spinning around before opening the top of the chest. It was here a rainbow shot out, striking the Tree of Harmony, causing the whole thing to glow. All seven Elements began to radiate before firing a beam of light towards their wielders. And as the orange light struck him, Flash felt his injuries fade before new strength filled his body. The next thing they knew, all of them shot a beam of light into the chest before disappearing into it. The chest then exploded with a new light, that light creating seven differently colored bubbles, which popped to reveal the seven friends in a new light. Flash opened his eyes and looked himself over, now seeing his hooves were now covered in blue shield shapes while the tips of his wings were also blue. His mane had grow to resemble a large version of his old style, while his tail was longer and both being complete with orange tips. Flash looked at the others and saw he wasn't the only one with a new look. All six mares had received a similar makeover, making them all stare in awe at each other as they were wrapped in a giant magical bubble before floating up out of the cave. Tirek had been busy reeking havoc, pure joy on his face as he did so. Well, joy was a face pure anger for him, but that was despite the point. But as he did this, a light caught his eye and made him turn to the source. As he did, he gasped as he saw the Mane Seven float up out of the ravine. "What?!" He growled before firing a blast of magic at the bubble, only for the magic to bounce off like nothing. He then fired another blast, but the same result happened, "How...how is this possible?!" He pointed at them, "You have no magic!" Twilight smiled back and pointed to herself, "You're wrong, Tirek! I may have given you my Alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!" With that, she fired a purple blast of light at him. This was followed by Flash shooting an orange one, Pinkie a pink one, Rainbow a blue one, Fluttershy a yellow one, Rarity a violet one and Applejack a green one. The blasts collided with Tirek, draining the magic he had stolen instantly and returning him to the form he had once held. "NO!" he yelled as he became a shriveled up husk of a being, who the Mane Seven used their new magic to warp back into Tartarus. "NOOOO!!!" With their enemy now taken care of, the seven flew higher into the sky before the bubble exploded, sending a wave of magic all over Equestria. They were now returning all the magic that had been stolen to its rightful owners. And as Flash, Twilight and Rarity flew to Canterlot, he looked down and spotted a familiar group laying on the ground. He smiled before flying down, landing in front of his mentor as the Royal Knight's magic returned to them. Grand moaned as they all regained consciousness, all looking up to see the shining form of the apprentice knight, "Flash," Grand whispered as the others just stared in awe. Flash just chuckled before shooting back up into the air. And as they returned the magic across the country, the seven felt themselves being guided back to the Cave of Harmony. Once there, they landed in front of the chest before their magic shot back into the crystal box. It did a resounding shut, the keys returning before flying up into and breaking through the ceiling while leaving a rainbow in its wake. Our heroes and their friends stared at the sight and ran after the rainbow. Twilight quickly teleported them out to town, all of them then seeing the chest hit the ground on the edge of the Ponyville and phase into it. Barely a second passed before something shot out. It was a crystal spike, which was followed by more spikes as it slowly took the shape of a building. It was a magnificent crystal castle, complete with windows, balconies and a star shaped spire at the very top. Before anypony could say anything, the Mane Seven suddenly found themselves being teleported to the very front of the castle. Once there, they were each enveloped by a light and were reverted back to normal. But if they had noticed, they weren't showing it as they stared at the castle. "Sweet Celestia!" Rarity chimed in. "Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?!" Flash was the only one to reply. "If you're seeing a giant castle that was grown out of a lock box gifted by a magic crystalline tree, then yeah, we're seeing what you're seeing." "But...who's castle is it?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her chin in thought. "I believe it is yours, Princess Twilight." They all turned to see Celestia, Luna and Cadance walking inside, Springer and the rest of their friends behind them. Twilight gasped before rushing over to Celestia, pulling her into a hug. The alicorn laughed as she hugged back, "I knew you could do it." Twilight nodded back before Celestia motioned for her to head inside the castle. She did, the others following to see that the place seemed a lot bigger on the inside. The whole place was made of crystal, including the floors, windows and crystal lights hanging from the ceiling. And as they walked through it, Celestia looked down at Twilight. "You've been wondering what you are meant to do as a princess. Do you know now?" Twilight glanced back and nodded again, "As princess, I believe I have the power to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria! That is the role I am meant to have in our world! The role I choose to have!" She suddenly teleported between her friends, smiling at them all. "But I didn't defeat Tirek on my own," they all pulled each other into a tight hug. "It took all of us to unlock the chest!" Celestia smiled as he magic enveloped a nearby door. "Then it is unlikely you are meant to take on this task alone." She opened the door and allowed them all to look inside, all gasping at the sight. It was a beautiful throne room, complete with nine crystal thrones that sat around a yellow circle with Twilight's cutie mark on it. Seven of the thrones had one of their cutie marks emblazoned on them, while two smaller thrones sat beside the ones with Flash and Twilight's mark. "You are now Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship." The seven ponies ran over to the throne wielding their cutie marks, Spike and Springer taking the last two seats. "But what is the princess of friendship without her friends?" The whole group grinned as they jumped off their thrones and stood around each other, Lightning, Wild, Trixie and the CMC joining them. Twilight then noticed Discord standing a ways off, hiding behind a crystal pillar. She smiled before grabbing him in her magic and levitating him over to them. Discord gave a glum grin back before pulling them into a hug....until he did a series of blinks, "Wait a minute! Where's my throne?!" "I don't think you're quite there yet," Fluttershy told him. Discord pouted, but nodded. "Yes, well, I suppose not." The others all giggled as Springer sensed something. "I think we're about to get our first visitors." Outside the castle, everypony in Ponyville marveled at the new structure they were currently walking up to. Once at the front, they saw the doors open to reveal Flash and Twilight, the two smiling as they motioned everypony inside while their inbuilt music makers began to play. And as they headed for the throne room, the two began to sing. (Twilight and Flash) Each one of us has something special That makes us different, that makes us rare (Fluttershy) We have a light that shines within us That we were always meant to share (All) And when we come together Combine the light that shines within There is nothing we can't do There is no battle we can't win When we come together There'll be a star to guide the way It's inside us every day The seven walked into the center of the room as their cutie marks started to glow. (All) See it now! See it now! The light of their cutie marks shot up into a rainbow, which hit the ceiling and radiated throughout the castle. Though they couldn't see it, the light shot out of the castle and spiraled across Equestria. One by one, the ponies that had given them their keys saw the rainbow and suddenly knew their gift had been put to good use. (All) Let the rainbow remind you That together we will always shine Let the rainbow remind you That forever this will be our time The rainbow shot back into the castle, wrapping around Discord and reminding him of how he too was able to help save Equestria. He smiled before turning to Celestia, offering a bouquet of flowers. The alicorn was surprised by this, but took them with a wink. Meanwhile, Twilight watched as her friends gathered around her while Photo Finish pulled out her camera. (Twilight Sparkle) Let the rainbow remind you That together we will always shine They all huddled up as the picture was taken, immortalizing what was hopefully the first of many new happy memories. Yes, the road leading to this point had been a long and difficult one, but with her friends, Twilight had been lead true. Now she has finally gotten to achieve her destiny, one which her friends would be by her side to help accomplish. Her destiny was a simple, yet important task. To spread the word, that friendship was magic.