"I do believe that you're mistaken." Trailblazer said, trying to play dumb.
Silver Soul used his unicorn magic to remove the hoods that hid all seven of them. Once Trailblazer saw his removed hood floating above him, he looked around from side to side quickly, and knew that his plan was foiled.
"I knew you were coming all along. You just forgot to knock," joked Silver Soul.
Trailblazer glared at Silver Soul and growled.
"But first, let's get down to business outside." Silver Soul's horn glowed again, and all of the ponies and himself were teleported to a wasteland outside the castle.
"I see that you've captured my spy and got him to talk."
"You'd better believe it," Trailblazer talked back. "And we all know about your plans now."
Silver Soul let out an evil chuckle. "All lies, of course."
"Huh...?" Fluttershy wondered.
"It's true that I plan on conquering Equestria. However, I have this army to do the dirty work, all with the motivation to get revenge on those pitiful ponies that, 'took us for granted', and doing so to take away Equestria and have it for 'ourselves'. Also, the land will be for me only, not these Shadow Rulers that are working for me. Poor things... They should've known that I'm a liar."
AppleJack stepped forward and stood next to Trailblazer. "Yer selfish and cruel, and y'all ought to be taught a lesson," she said, trying to be as brave as Trailblazer wanted her to be.
"Well, you see, as King Gold was making the Rising Warrior's guild, I saw this as a growing opportunity. He was practically making that army for me. And if I had control of it, then none would stand a chance against me if I were to take over. I guess you could say that I got impatient, and I took the throne early."
"...Trailblazer, didn't you say that your King Gold ruler got assassinated?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, yeah, but I also said that none of us know who did it... Unless..." he thought.
"Do you have it figured out now?" questioned Silver Soul.
"It was YOU? You killed your own brother??" Rarity asked loudly.
"Does it make sense now? With him off the throne, I take control of the army, and they take over for me!"
"That's unthinkable! Why would you do such a thing?!" Rarity screamed back. "I nearly lost my sister in a forest fire, and I couldn't have been any happier to see that she was safe when she got rescued. But you... MY GOD!"
"Oh, please! You'll all die anyway when I take over."
"Not if I can help it!" Trailblazer said. "I can't have you carry out your evil deeds. You have to be stopped, and I'm going to send you back to Hell, where you belong."
"Oh, look at you, Trailblazer, you little pony. You're honestly going to fight me. Really, if you know what's good for you, you'll run away like a little crybaby."
"Make your jokes while you still can, because they'll be your last."
"I have nothing else on my mind. Let's fight."
Trailblazer dug at the ground with his right front leg, ready to fight.
"Kill him, KILL HIM!" screamed Rarity. "Slaughter that maniac like he did to his own brother!"
Trailblazer ignored her, but he dug his hoof in one last time, and he charged.
"RAAAAAUUUUGH!" came his battle cry as he rushed the unicorn.
Silver Soul disappeared into thin air, but Trailblazer predicted his position and kept himself looking in the same direction, rearing up and ready to kick him. Just as he expected, Silver Soul reappeared directly behind him, and took the kick. Silver Soul retaliated by letting out a pulse of energy from his body to drive Trailblazer back, who was charging him again. Then, using his horn, he shot out a beam to attack Trailblazer. This missed. Seeing how it failed, he gathered energy for another attack and shot out another beam, only it shot out faster and was harder to avoid. The attack connected, knocking Trailblazer back.
"Do you know what the difference between you and I is?" Silver Soul asked his adversary. "I can deal just as much damage you can at range."
Trailblazer charged him again, only to see Silver Soul starting to levitate. He sprinted towards him in an attempt to ground him. He jumped, and rammed him. But Silver Soul was not knocked back. Instead, he continued to levitate and rise from the ground. Trailblazer hung on to him and managed to climb on his back. He was literally riding Silver Soul as he continued to float. While on him, he started to land some punches at his head and neck. Silver Soul frantically shook to try to get Trailblazer off of him. With one last rapid spin, he shook him off, leaving Trailblazer plummeting to the ground.
"Oh, no no NO!" AppleJack ran to his landing spot and broke his fall, toppling underneath him as he landed on her back. Above them was Silver Soul, readying his attack.
"Get out of here!" Trailblazer quickly rolled over on his legs and fiercely shoved AppleJack away, kepping her safe from the attack, right before Silver Soul launched it at Trailblazer as he took the rapid firing of beams. Both combatants were only slightly banged up, but Trailblazer seemed to have taken a little more blows than Silver Soul. The unicorn leisurely touched down next to him.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Silver soul asked.
Trailblazer responded with a powerful kick from his hind legs.
"Hmph... I should've expected that from such a cheeky pony," grumbled Silver Soul.
Trailblazer rammed him again. Silver Soul struck back with a rear-leg kick just like the one Trailblazer used a little bit ago. He fell on the ground on his side, then started to stand back up, trying to shake himself off, but Silver Soul ran towards him and pinned him back to the ground.
"I don't think so," Silver Soul said grimly.
Rhythmatic beams shot from his horn again, blasting Trailblazer as he was stuck to the ground, defenseless from each shot, letting out severe yells of pain from each one.
"NO!" shouted AppleJack. She sprinted towards Silver Soul and kicked his side, bruising him and knocking him back a little bit. This distracted him long enough to let Trailblazer get out from underneath him. Silver Soul looked at AppleJack with a look of disgust and punctured her with his horn to her side and then blasted her back in the direction of the other three ponies. The blast sent her airborne, but not far enough to her friends to get a chance to be caught, and she landed on that same side and rolled around from the blast, increasing the pain and severity of that injury. The pain spread to her other side too.
"Oh, this is bad!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She ran to AppleJack and pulled out her first-aid kit, but hesitated. She looked at Trailblazer, who was in a gridlock with Silver Soul as they were both pressing against each other's foreheads, then back to AppleJack, who was seriously wounded. But she looked back at Trailblazer, who was also hurt, yet he continued to fight in that condition.
Trailblazer looked at Pinkie Pie, who was still unsure of what to do. "What are you doing standing around like that?! Help her out!"
"But what about you??" Pinkie Pie shouted back.
"Just do it!" ordered Trailblazer.
Pinkie Pie did so. She cleansed AppleJack's puncture wound and began to treat it some more. She placed a bandage on it and had to wrap it around her waist to stop the bleeding and ease the pain. She then got AppleJack back on her feet.
"I owe ya one, Pinkie Pie," AppleJack said, still a bit dazed by the blow.
Trailblazer continued to force Silver Soul's head back as the unicorn was doing the same. But Trailblazer couldn't press on, and he gave in to the gridlock, falling back and on his side. Silver Soul was starting to fire continuous beams at him, but before he could, Trailblazer spun and tripped him. He then pinned him on his side to retaliate.
"Now it's my turn," Trailblazer said.
With forceful punches, he damaged Silver Soul at his head and neck again. Silver Soul took several blows before he teleported again. Sensing a fake-out, Trailblazer stayed put, ready to strike him when he reappeared. But he didn't show up. Trailblazer turned around to see if Silver Soul would show up, but he still didn't. He turned around again and was caught off guard. Silver Soul appeared right in front of him and knocked him back on his side again. Silver Soul gathered more energy for a powerful attack.
"Ever wondered what's like to die?" Silver Soul asked.
But before the beam was launched, Rainbow Dash barged in and rammed him. Her inertia sent Silver Soul flying away, which bought them more time.
"Did you just, save me?" asked Trailblazer.
"Yeah, but that's beside the point. Come here for a second," said Rainbow Dash quickly.
Trailblazer followed her back to the other ponies. AppleJack walked up to him with her first-aid kit ready.
"Here, sugarcube, let me fix you up a bit." As she used her supplies, Trailblazer looked at Twilight Sparkle, who was reading a book.
"Twilight, this is not the time or place!"
"Au contraire, it is," Twilight talked back. "I'm looking at this Type Transfer spell."
"Type what?"
"If I can utilize it, and if the transferring pony allows it, I can transfer my unicorn horn and/or Rainbow Dash's pegasus wings to you temporarily."
Trailblazer was a bit surprised at the thought of using it. "Well then, I guess I shouldn't begrudge you for bringing it."
"Okay, now I'm going to transfer my horn and Dash's wings to you so you can use unicorn magic and get the level of..."
"No! Don't do it yet."
Twilight was confused. "What? Why?"
"I want to make sure that he's ready." As soon as he said that, AppleJack finished healing him.
"But you'll still remain an earth pony right now!"
Before she could reason with him some more, Silver Soul returned to the battlefield.
"And I JUST keep getting reminded of my failures!" he shouted.
"You mean your failures at killing me or just in general?" Trailblazer asked while being sassy.
Silver Soul growled loudly and charged Trailblazer. The attack was faster than the eye could follow and he immediately got rammed. Trailblazer stayed standing, but Silver Soul quickly closed in on him just as fast and started to land more punches. After taking several blows, Trailblazer blocked both hooves at the same time and knocked him back with his hind legs, and he fell on his side.
"Now, Twilight!"
"I sure hope this works!" Twilight said to herself. Her horn glowed, and then a white sparkling ball started to shine from the tip. Rainbow Dash felt a sinking feeling at her sides, and she looked to see that her wings were getting sucked into her body. She looked at Trailblazer and saw that wings were emerging from his sides now. A horn started to grow on his forehead too. This process took 15 seconds before finally becoming complete. Trailblazer looked at his horn, then at his wings. Then he looked at Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. It looked strange to see them without a horn or a set of wings, but they were gone, making them earth ponies.
"Hyaa!" Silver Soul shouted, firing a laser from his horn at Trailblazer. Although unsure how to use his new horn, he thought about using it. Already, a fiery beam shot from the horn at Silver Soul.
Of course. I just have to think and the spells will work, thought Trailblazer.
Both beams connected at the center between them. Both were struggling to force their opponent's beam back at them to make them hit the opponent. Using his wings to help push himself forward, Trailblazer began to walk towards Silver Soul, closing the distance between them while keeping his beam steady. He kept on firing and managed to make it connect with Silver Soul, knocking him back. He quickly got back up and began using his rapid fire beams at Trailblazer, but he jumped and started to fly, avoiding his shots. He flew in a low arc above the ground, not taking a single hit. Then, he tried to combine his newborn unicorn and pegasus abilities and started to do an in-line twist. A blaze surrounded his body and he spun faster. He was practically a flaming drill. He flew at Silver Soul and closed in to bash him. Silver Soul looked horrified and tried to run away, but Trailblazer proved to be faster. The attack left Silver Soul branded by his hooves and horn with a second-degree burn. He was knocked back to the edge of a cliff, and he was hanging for his life. A deep chasm was below him, which had a shallow rocky stream at the bottom of it. Trailblazer landed next to him and looked down at him disdainfully, unfazed by his own flames. Right as he did that, his wings and horn shrunk into his body, and he became an earth pony again.
"Equestria will thank me for this," Trailblazer said to him as he lifted a hoof into the air, ready to sweep away Silver Soul's front hooves that were gripped onto the cliff edge.
"WAIT!" screamed Silver Soil. "I'll stop, I regret everything that I've done!"
Trailblazer froze and looked at him, somewhat surprised at what he said.
"The assassination, the slavery, the planned ruling of Equestria! I give up!"
Trailblazer planted his hoof back down on the ground. While he looked confused, Silver Soul was very scared. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'll pull back and drop all plans for taking over Equestria if I'm spared!"
Trailblazer looked at him some more, thinking. The other six watched intently, waiting for him to make a move. Then he shook his head and got ready to knock him down. "I can't trust you. You said it yourself: 'You're a liar'."
Silver Soul saw the rejection, and saw that he was going to be left hanging. "If I'm going to die... Then..." He suddenly became enraged. "You're going down with me!"
Before Trailblazer could react, Silver Soul grabbed his front leg and dragged him down. The inertia caused both of them to fall at the same time.
"NOOO! SUGARCUBE!!" screamed AppleJack. She sprinted to the edge and looked down, watching in fear as the two ponies tumbled to the bottom of the chasm.
"Leave it to me!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. She reached the edge, jumped, and dove down after them.
Trailblazer and Silver Soul were still attached to each other. Both of them started fighting by punching and kicking each other, constantly trying to dodge the other pony's attacks. While they were flipping through their free fall, Trailblazer caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash flying at them. She was diving faster than they were falling, so catching up was of no concern. But the two of them were wrapped around each other, which made it very difficult to pick him off.
"Trailblazer, grab my hooves!" she yelled.
"I'm... Trying, but I... Can't... Get him to let go!" he yelled back between blows. Silver Soul kept a tight grip around his body, keeping him in place. If Rainbow Dash were to catch them, it would sabotage her as well. Then, Trailblazer thought fast and bit Silver Soul's front legs that kept him in place. Silver Soul immediately felt the sharp pain and pulled back.
"OwowOW!" he yelled, letting go of Trailblazer to examine his bitten legs. He suddenly learned that he fell for the trick, and Trailblazer got a hold of Rainbow Dash, keeping him hanging in midair. Silver Soul turned around, falling belly-up, watching in fear as Trailblazer was saved and he himself was about to die.
"NOOOOOOooooooo..." he yelled as he flailed his legs around and fell towards the rocky stream. Trailblazer and Rainbow Dash watched him as he fell, becoming smaller and smaller with each millisecond. A faint cracking sound was heard as he landed. Both of them cringed at the noise, feeling as if they felt his pain. A dark-red patch spread out from Silver Soul's landing spot, and started to flow with the stream.
"C'mon, let's get you out of here," said Rainbow Dash. She began to fly back up towards the cliff edge, just to see the other five at it, watching as the two ascended back on the wasteland. As soon as he touched down, everyone began to cheer for him, praising him for saving Equestria.
"Wait," he demanded.
The six stopped their applause, confused. Trailblazer walked back to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the faint splatter of blood at the bottom.
"I knew you were trying to trick me the whole time," he spoke softly. "Whether I fell for your cry for mercy or not, you would've dragged me down. Although realistically I saved Equestria, and all the ponies that live here, theoretically..." He closed his eyes. "I saved you."
"Sure, every other pony would disagree, but I had to fix your horrible mistake myself. If only you realized that you were a maniac and didn't join the dark side... You would've made a great ruler. I'm sorry, but I had to stop you this way..." Then he stepped back and yelled. "SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!"
He ran back to the six, and began to praise himself. The others began to cheer again, knowing that the job has been done.
"I owe you big time, Rainbow Dash," he told her. "I owe you with my life, and you saved it." He and AppleJack then made eye contact.
"Oh, Ah'm so glad you're safe!" exclaimed AppleJack. "Ya had me scared to death when you fell, Ah actually thought Ah'd lose ya. Much obliged, Rainbow. Much obliged."
"Oh, it was nothing, really," Rainbow Dash said. "I wouldn't leave my friends hanging."
"Ya don't know how much we mean for each other, Rainbow!" exclaimed AppleJack.
"Oh, I think I do," she said back.
"Oh, yeah, Ah forgot about that."
Trailblazer could feel his strange warmth again, and he and AppleJack kissed each other. The other five, except for Rainbow Dash, were surprised at the sight of this.
"You...? Trailblazer...?" Rarity asked, just as confused as the other four.
"I still love you, AppleJack." Trailblazer said as their lips separated.
"Ah love ya too, Trailblazer."
"Heartwarming..." Rarity said with a small smile. The others smiled at them too.
"You know, I never expected you two to go this far, but you did!" said Pinkie Pie, hyped.
"I find it to be kind of cute," Twilight Sparkle said, showing a cute smile herself.
The young couple continued to nuzzle and cuddle each other a little bit, until Fluttershy spoke up.
"How about we all go back home?" she suggested.
All the others agreed, and they walked back to Celestia's guards, got on board, and flew back to Ponyville to spread the good news.