"SOUL! SOUL!" Heart's voice echoed throughout the castle, the young pegasus frantically flying around, "Soul!" He screamed as he threw open a door, only to shut if before going to the next one, "Soul!"
And as he did this, he got down to the final room as he whispered, "Please...please be here..." He slowly opened the door to the recovery room, only to find three empty healing tubes. "No." He fell to his flank, staring at the floor as tears threatened to break free from his eyes. "Please don't leave me...you're all I have."
He then felt a hoof grab his shoulder, making him look up to see a frowning Flash, "I'm sorry Heart."
"You promised you'd look after her!" he barked back as the tears burst out, the water now flowing full force down his face, "I...I promised I'd look after her!" He got up and lightly punched Flash's chest, "I...I couldn't do anything! All I could do was watch her get hurt, and now...now she's gone!"
"We'll get her back."
"HOW?!" Heart screeched as he glared back up at him, "How are you gonna get her back?! You don't know where she is, or even if she's-"
"Don't finish that sentence!" Flash yelled, the colt flinching at the sudden outburst. He then looked away, sniffing as more tears began to flow. The knight shook his head before sighing, leaning down next as he patted the colt's shoulder again, "Heart, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."
"Yeah, you shouldn't have..." Heart whimpered out, his hoof rubbing his eyes.
"Listen...I know you're upset. I am too." Flash gripped the colt's shoulders and turned him around, the two now staring eye to eye, "I know I couldn't keep my promise to protect her, but I will keep this promise. I will find your sister, and bring her back, safe and sound."
"How?" Heart replied as Flash wiped away his tears.
"I don't know yet, but I will find her. And nothing, not Shadow, not the weird magic that's keeping us here, will stop me from fulfilling that goal. Now come on, I'm sure the others are just as worried as we are."
Heart shrunk back in Flash's grip, only to slowly nod. Seeing this, Flash put him on his back before going to the map room where the others were. They were all sitting rather uncomfortably as they re-watched the battle that had just occurred. "What are you just sitting around for?" He asked them, "We have to find my sister."
Everypony turned to him, Cold shaking his head, "And we want to help find her, but we can't go off half-cocked. We're trying to see if there's anything in this footage that'll give us a clue to what happened."
"It's obvious what happened," Soarin instantly countered, "Soul unleashed her alicorn magic and completely whooped that self-loving lunatic."
"There's also obviously something else at work here." Cold replied as he pointed to the scene of Soul blasting Shadow down a street. "That kind of power...its more than before."
"Not only that, why did she vanish this time?" Trixie added, "What was different about this battle compared to the last ones? I mean, she still got the orb and our team won. Even when we win or lose or somepony is mortally injured, we all return. What's different about this time?"
"Uh...she beat all those maniacs in one go?" Soarin chimed in, only for Flash to give him a deadpan stare.
"Soarin...she did that last time."
The Wonderbolt gave him a shrug back, "I was just saying bro! I mean, we barely understand anything what's happening right now! This was no different than that time!"
Ruby shook her head at this, "No...I don't think the fact that nothing different happened is the clue here. I suspect its because we still know nothing about this place or why Soul was made into an alicorn. Until we learn why this is happening, we could just get stuck guessing till the cows come home."
Springer sighed at this, the jakhowl opening his eyes. "Not only that, I can't even sense her aura."
Heart shook at this, gulping as Flash turned to the jakhowl, "That doesn't mean she's not out there. Can you sense Shadow or any of his minions right now?"
"No."
"But they are out there. They're just being protected by their castle's defences. The same thing could be happening with Soul."
"Augh!" Soarin yelled as he rubbed the sides of his head, "I'm so sick of this! Every time we learn something or something happens, it's always a 'could be' situation. When are we gonna learn something for real? The only thing we really know that's new is that Sombra's the one in that Armalum armor, and that doesn't even help us!"
"I'm with Soarin," Trixie chimed in. "This is getting old." She then pointed to the four orbs that were floating above the table, "Though if I'm honest, I would settle for just knowing how many more of these stupid things we need to find."
"No kidding." Flash added as he leaned back in his chair, "This is one sick, twisted game...and I've been stuck in like three now."
"Yeah..." Springer moaned as he slumped over on the table, his chin tapping the top, "Lightning at Canterlot, Shade and now this...too many games."
Everypony else exchanged glances at this, silence filling the room before look back at the footage of Soul when Shadow had caught her. Trixie and Ruby flinched as they saw Shadow try to steal her magic, guilt hitting their hearts as they knew they should have been there to help her. The pain on the filly's face almost made them turn away, only continuing to stare to try and find any clues.
It was here that Heart got up and headed to his room, everypony watching him go...but none saying anything to stop him. They didn't know what to do, unable to respond to the new dilemma before them.
In the other castle...
Shadow was in his throne, his hooves grinding in the arms of the chair as he saw his own humiliating defeat on the screens. As he watched, Tempera tried to dab at his scratched cheek with a cotton ball of antiseptic, only for him to flinch as he pushed her and the cotton ball away. "Stop!"
Tempera did a small bow in response, "I'm sorry master. I just didn't want to run the risk of it getting infected."
"If a hole in a pony's chest can heal without infection, I doubt I'm in danger from a tiny scratch." He growled as he looked back at the screen, his anger burning in his chest as he watched himself be thrown across a street. "How could this happen?! I've defeated ponies older, wiser and stronger than her. How could she overpower me?"
"She is an alicorn," Storm chimed in, "Very little is known about them, even when I worked for one. Its suspected that even when they're young, they could have more magic than a million unicorns combined."
"Oh please, don't exaggerate such nonsense." Shadow spat, "She was powerless before me until that singular moment. Besides, it wasn't just her magic. I was connected to it when I was attempting extract it. When she blasted me, it wasn't just her magic that struck me."
"You're saying somepony was helping her?" Salix asked.
"More like directing her," Shadow added as he rubbed his chin, his mind now blanking out any other sounds. The others saw this, knowing what it meant. Silence followed the room as he stared at the screen, re-watching the moment the filly's eyes began to glow. And as he saw this, a thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. "Impossible."
"What? What did you figure out master?"
He responded by resting his hoof on his head, his expression showing he couldn't believe what he was about to say, "Could she have tapped into the magic of this place?" The unicorn turned to the window, staring at the city as the buildings were slowly repairing themselves. "That has to be it. It's the only source of magic that has enough power to overwhelm me."
Everyone else all exchanged glances as Wingill asked, "So...you're saying she can control the magic that's keeping us here and stopping us from going all out?"
Shadow shook his head in response, "Control is a strong word. It's more like she simply...harnessed it."
Storm crossed his hooves with a growl at this statement, "Well, if she harnesses it again, there's no way we can stop her."
"Now hang on, there's gotta be some way to take her out!" Salix chimed in, "If we hit her before she uses it, maybe that'll work!"
"Its not that firehead!" Wingill barked, "You saw what she did!"
"But we gotta do something! Hey, how about I deep-fry her and then you-"
And as they both began to argue, Armalum turned to Shadow, "Master, what will you have us do?"
"Nothing. I will stop her," Shadow replied as he pulled his eyes away from the window towards them. "I admit, I may have underestimated her. I was overconfident in gaining her power. That won't happen again. Next time I see her, I'll find out how she did that and take that power for myself. Nopony but me may have it." he pointed back at them, "The rest of you, get to training. I want you all in top form for tomorrow."
They all bowed before leaving, Shadow looking back out the window as the room became empty. As he did this, his gaze fell on the opposite castle, "Enjoy this victory while you can, because in the end, I and I alone will be the one standing atop you all."
Several hours later...
The sun had just set as Flash was now looking out over the castle balcony. The city was now fully repaired, but the sight only made him sigh as the moon began to appear. Stars soon filled the sky, a certain on up there reminding him of her cutie mark.
"Wonder what you do in this situation Twilight?" He asked the star before chuckling, "Aw, who am I kidding? You would have probably already found a way out of here by now...and beat Shadow as well. That's why you're the leader and not me, ya big old bookworm." He slouched against the stone of the balcony, his head resting on his hooves as they rested on the railing. "I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Of course you can." Flash's head shot up at the voice, his brain mistaking it for his marefriend before seeing Ruby and Cold. The sight made him let out a huff before slouching over again as Ruby added, "Flash, you shouldn't be beating yourself up."
"Why not? I promised Soul I'd protect her...but I couldn't." He let out a long groan as he continued, "And now she's gone and her brother is...you know. How is he anyway? Were you able to get him to eat at least?"
"Trixie's gonna try." Cold replied as he walked up to one side of the balcony.
"Good...cuz I can't do that right now."
Ruby shook her head at this, walking up and patting his shoulder, "Flash, what happened wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do. If anypony should feel bad, it's me. I was one of the ponies there with her."
"But I'm the reason this stupid game is even happening," Flash responded as he shrugged off her hoof, "If I hadn't brought us here, Soul wouldn't have dragged into that battle."
"True," Cold immediately chimed in, "But if we hadn't come, she and Heart would have been trapped here alone with Shadow and his group. And when he found out she was an alicorn, the exact same thing would have likely happened."
"You don't know that."
"And neither do you. We can't change the past Flash. I learned that lesson a long time ago. All we can do is move forward and make sure the past doesn't happen again." Cold replied, Ruby raising both eyebrows at his statement as Flash walked over to the table, slumping over as he stared at the floating orbs.
"I promised her I'd protect her. Part of my vow is that I would never break a promise...but I failed to keep it."
"There was nothing you could do," Ruby repeated. "And you weren't the only one who made that promise. I promised her the same thing, so did Trixie and everypony else. We...we all feel bad about it."
"I know." Flash groaned as he turned back to them, "It doesn't change what's happened here."
"And what's happened here is not your fault. I know you feel bad. We might have only known them a little over a week, but I feel we've all grown to care about Heart and Soul. Seeing her like that with that monster was horrible for all of us."
"I know."
Cold then walked up and patted his shoulder, his usual blank face showing a slight frown, "This might be hard, but it's not gonna get any better with everypony mourning like this. We shouldn't be treating her like she's dead until we have proof. Until then...we have to stay strong." The knight took his hoof off the defender before pointing it at Flash's face, "However, the only way everypony will get out of this is if they have somepony to stand behind. And right now, that's you."
Flash's eyes went wide at this, pure shock as the pony before him was saying such words, "Me?"
"You're what connects us all. Each of us came together and became a team because you helped us become that team." Cold looked away as he said his next words, "I'm still...unfamiliar with these concepts, and I still question why I need them. However, I also know that if you're like this, everything will fall apart. You're the glue that keeps us together right now...and you need to realise that." He turned back and stared straight into Flash's eyes, "You're the leader right now, and sometimes a leader must put their emotions aside for the sake of the team."
Flash didn't reply, unable to say anything as Cold walked away next, Ruby following him in silence. And as they did this, Flash looked back at the balcony, his mind a mess as he stared at the open sky.
"What do I do now?"
Meanwhile...
Heart was in his room, sitting on his bed while staring at the empty bed of his sister. One that might never be used again. His tears were no more, all dried up as he kept thinking, 'Why did this happen?'
But he was then pulled from his thoughts by a knock at the door, the frame opening to show Trixie carrying a bowl and spoon. "Hey, you okay?" Heart didn't respond, instead rolling away to face nothing but the wall. The magician let out a sigh at this, walking over to put the bowl down on the bedside table before sitting on the bed. "Look...I know you're worried about your sister, but we're gonna get her back."
"How?"
"I don't know, but we're going to. Flash is here and when that stallion sets his mind on something, it gets done no matter how impossible it seems."
Heart glanced back at her, a look of fierce determination on her face. He let out a snort before rolling back over, "But what if he can't?"
"He will. Trust me on that."
"Oh yeah?" He sniffed before looking back at her again, "Why do you trust him so much then? I mean, he's cool and all, but why are you so willing to put your faith in him?"
"Because he's earned it," Trixie replied while chuckling, "Flash has helped each of us grow and become stronger. He saved Springer and took him in, he introduced Soarin to Rainbow, and those two getting together has helped them both grow. He helped Ruby let go of her anger and acclimate herself to this time. And even Cold's become better after meeting Flash. You have no idea how much of a jerk he was when they first met."
"What about you?"
Trixie let out a low sigh, "He...he helped save me from being an arrogant, self-absorbed liar. Because of him, I met Princess Luna and became her student. That's why I'm grateful to him and Twilight, just like everypony else here." She placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I know you're upset about what happened to Soul, but it wasn't Flash's fault. And no matter what, he's gonna find a way to bring her back."
"I'm not angry at Flash," Heart whimpered as he curled himself up. "I'm angry at myself." Trixie just blinked at his words, the colt's voice slowly getting louder "If I'd been the one that fell in that hole, I would have become an alicorn and Soul wouldn't have had to be put in this stupid game. It would have been me Shadow went after. It would have been me that disappeared! Soul would be safe!"
"And she'd be feeling the exact same thing you're feeling," Trixie instantly finished for him, "You shouldn't blame yourself. I doubt Soul's transformation was just first come first serve."
Heart let out another whimper, trying to curl up even more, "I just...I just wish I could have saved her."
"You will save her. She's not gone yet. We'll find her and when we do, you'll be with her again. Now..." she floated a bowl over to him, "Enjoy. I know ice cream always makes me feel better when I'm upset."
She then ruffled his mane before getting up, slowly walking away. Heart's head popped out of the curl as she left, his eyes going to the bowl before sighing. His mind was still on his missing sister as he saw the ice cream start to melt, a sight coming a few seconds later as he took the bowl in his hooves. A few minutes of eating later, he put the bowl away before getting back into bed, almost saying good night to the empty room before a small tear went down his face.
"Soul..." he whispered as he began to drift off into an uneasy sleep.
Flash was the last pony awake that night, everypony else heading off to bed while he stayed in the map room. Cold's words went through his head as he watched the battle one last time on the screen. And as the fight recording ended, he let out a long sigh, "Maybe I can sleep it off."
He slowly got up and took a quick stop to get a drink of milk before going to bed. Tip-hoofing into his and Springer's room, he made sure not to wake up the jakhowl as he got into bed. Laying back, he let the weight of the day wash over him as dreamland invited him a visit. And as he reopened his eyes, he found himself in some place very familiar: Weeping Wood Hollow.
"This place again?" Flash asked as he trotted down the town's streets, causally looking up as he saw the moon high in the air. He then found a certain house, remembering the building as he phased through it before spotting a light coming from the living room. Feeling a certain force pull him, he walked into the place as he saw two adult ponies sitting in chairs.
Deep frowns were on their faces as they pulled out a pair of dark red robes, which they began to put on. "I can't believe the day has finally come," the mare told the stallion.
"I know. It's strange...when he was born, all I cared about was this day. But now that it's here...I don't know." He let out a long sigh, "I...I can't help but feel guilty."
"It has to be done," she replied as she put a hoof on the stallion's shoulder, "I know you have doubts my love, but its not just us that this day will benefit, but all our brothers and sisters."
The stallion sighed again before nodding, both now putting their robes on. And as they did this, Flash crossed his hooves as he watched, "Brothers and sisters?"
He then saw them go upstairs, the defender following before seeing the colt Gleaming Path sleeping in his bed.
"Son," the stallion shook the colt, "Time to get up."
"Huh?" Path moaned as he squinted his eyes, "Wha...w-what time is it?"
"Midnight," the mare replied, "You know what that means. Happy birthday!"
Path tried to open his eyes as he replied, "But...why did you wake me up now? You always say it's bad to get up at this time."
"Today's a special day," the stallion replied while ruffling the colt's mane, "Now get up, there's somewhere we need to take you."
Path blinked at his father, only to hop off his bed. The trio left the room before the colt turned to the bathroom, but the mare stopped him. "You can wash up later. Come on, we need to get there quickly."
"Why?" Path asked as they gripped his hoof and pulled him downstairs, the three soon stepping into the outside darkness.
His mother gave his father a candle as she responded, "There's a special party we want to take you too, but we have to get there before ten past one."
"Why?"
"That's the time you were born," his dad replied as he lit the candle. "And there's a special birthday game that needs to happen at that time."
"Game?!" Path gasped, his tail wagging at the word. The parents shined a small smile back at him, Flash watched their expressions as they led the colt through the town.
"I got a bad feeling about this." Flash commented as he followed just a few hooves behind them.
And as they got to the woods outside of town, Path's expression changed, grimacing at the sight of the army of lumber, "You said we're not allowed in the woods."
"Little ponies aren't allowed. You're thirteen. Now come along Gleaming."
Path nodded back as they started to trot down a path into the woods, continuing to walk for almost thirty minutes until his dad spoke up. "We're almost there." Path nodded again before spotting several lights off in the distance, Flash seeing them as the same candles as the parents had. The defender flew ahead at this point, now seeing two more ponies in cloaks. But before he could say anything, Path gasped as he saw the ponies in the cloak were the dads of two of his friends.
"About time," the stallion said, "We were worried you might have chickened out."
"Of course not," his mother replied. "We've waited too long for this."
"Waited for what?" Path asked, the adults turning to stare at him.
The sight made the colt shudder, only for his father to lean down and place a hoof on his shoulder. "Son, you were born on a very special day."
"I was?"
He nodded back, "Yes. You see, there once existed a mighty god, a being with more power than almost any other in Equestria. But on this day a millennia ago, that god lost their life on this very spot. But now we can free him, with your help."
"My help?" They colt replied as Flash saw a look of realization appear on his face. "Wait...all my friends were born around this time. Daisy's birthday was last week and both Fluffy and Peaches's birthdays are in a few days. Were...were you trying to get one of us to be born today?"
"That's right," his mom replied while nodding, "You...are the chosen one."
Path opened his mouth to ask more, only for a magic aura to suddenly grab his body. He felt himself being lifted as Flash saw the magic was from the two other cloaked ponies. "There's no more time," they growled as they began to drag him toward the rest of the lights. "The ritual must begin now, or there won't be enough time."
"Wait!" Path yelped as he tried to move, but the magic kept him constrained, "What ritual?! What are you doing to me?!"
"Be quiet!" one of them hissed as they continued to walk down the path, Path going wide-eyed as he saw more ponies he knew from town, all of them in the same robes. They were standing around a square stone tomb with words on it that the colt couldn't understand.
They lifted him up before placing him face up on the tomb, more unicorns using their magic to tie thick robes around his hooves, neck and tail that were tied around holes in the tomb. "LET ME GO!" He screamed, his body trying to move to no avail. And as he did this, the ponies all lifted their hoods, turning into a crowd of cloaks.
Flash clenched his hooves at the sight, knowing he couldn't do anything as he saw one of the ponies walk up to a spot behind Path's head before turning to the group around him, "Brothers, sisters, the time draws near. The day of awakening has arrived. The ritual will now begin." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a dagger, Path gasping at the sight of it.
"MOM! DAD!" He screamed into the crowd of cloaked ponies, "PLEASE! STOP THIS!" He kept pulling at the ropes, but the bindings refused as the pony began held the dagger over him.
"We call upon the spirit of the mighty god, wielder of the Corrupted Shadow." Flash's eyes went wide at those words, his eyes darting between the colt and the dagger-wielding pony as the pony continued, "A child, born on the date of your death, filled with love and innocence. You will be granted new life in exchange for the child's, his body becoming your new host. But first, you must taste his blood." He then tipped the blade down, the end slowly piercing Path's skin.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed as the blade went through, not deep enough to kill him, but enough to leave a scar.
After a second, the pony pulled the blade free before moving it so the blood on the tip dripped off onto the rock. "Each of your followers will feed you, to show you the dedication of the Cult of Shadows." He gave the blade to another pony, who took it and dug the blade into another spot on Path's body.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP! HELP! HELP!" He screamed as the blade went just as deep as before, the pony doing what the first did as well.
Flash's eyes could only twitch at the sight, pure shock on his face as he watched the scene. It felt like ages upon eons were passing as this happened, the colt's voice echoing over the forest.
But then, the final two ponies stepped up to Path. The colt's entire body was covered in bloody cuts, his eyes filled with tears as he saw the faces under their hoods, "Mommy...daddy. Why?"
"This is what you were born for," his mother replied as they both gripped the dagger together.
"Your destiny has led you to this moment."
"But I don't want this to be my destiny!" Path screamed, "Don't I get to chose my future?!"
"Most ponies do. But not ones like you."
And before the three could say anything else, the head cultist showed them a ticking timer. "One minute until it is time." His parents nodded back as they positioned the dagger above Path's heart, the colt continuing to scream as the seconds passed.
The two then spoke in unison, "We of the Cult of Shadows, offer our child to the mighty god. Let him walk the earth again and bring about a new age of enlightenment." With that, the timer went off and they both plunged the dagger downward.
"GYAH!" Flash screamed, his body shooting out of his bed. Cold sweat poured down his face as he began to pant, turning to see Springer still asleep in his bed. Memories of the dream then hit his head, his stomach lurching at the thoughts.
The defender put his hoof over his mouth as his face turned green, instantly flying over to the bathroom. He could only hope Springer didn't hear him puke out his guts as he leaned over the toilet, the day's meals now flying out of his mouth. And as the minutes passed, his stomach now settling down, he slumped over in the bathroom while flushing the toilet a few times, gasping for air.
'That...was awful.' he thought as he slowly got up and took a big gulp of water from the sink. He then brushed his teeth to get rid of the smell after washing his hooves, looking up at the mirror as he saw bags under his semi-bloodshot eyes. 'I look awful. What...what is this place doing to me?!'
Once his stomach had settled, he slowly got back into his bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling as his brain went over what he had just saw, 'Was...was that real? It couldn't be, right? I mean...that can't be real.' he turned over, his whole body shaking as the opposite thought went through his head, But what if it is? Did Shadow really go through all that? Is that...is that why he's like that?'
And as this thought left his mind, the memory of what Armalum had said in their earlier battle entered his head, 'He's right. When he compared me and Shadow...we're almost exact opposites. His early life was great but turned to hell, while mine was the reverse. It's almost like we were born to be parallel of each other.'
But as he thought this, his mind flashed back to the words of the cultists in the dream, 'That cult...those monsters said their god was the wielder of the Corrupted Shadow. Princess Celestia said it and the Sacred Light were two sides of the same coin.' His eyes closed as his mind began to drift off, 'Could he have it?'
In the other castle...
The creaking of a door could be heard as Shadow left his room. His face showed one that was not happy or sad, but rather...exhaustion. Shadow's next hoofsteps were hollow, barely touching the ground despite going slow as he headed downstairs.
There, he entered the training room, tapping the crystal that brought the room to life. At first, it showed Canterlot, its beautiful streets adorned with cheerful citizens, all of them sporting smiles and well-designed outfits. There were straight laced guards, all being led by a smiling old pony along side a certain towering white alicorn. It then switched to Ponyville, similar happy sights there as well with even more familiar looking ponies adorning the streets of the small town. The sight made his eyes twitch, stomach twisting with his teeth gritting as veins began to pop on his head before he tapped the crystal again.
This time, the room changed into a place he hadn't been in over ten years: Weeping Wood Hollow.
The unicorn stared at the faces of ponies he once knew, all of them looking exactly as they had a decade ago. There were smiles, happiness all around, just like Ponyville and Canterlot. But as he saw this, a certain sight made his angry expression melt. It was his parents, both slowly walking over to him.
They had loving smiles on their faces, his mother trotting up before touching his cheek. Her mouth opened as she said some words, but...Shadow couldn't hear them. His mind had cancelled all sound as tears began to form in his eyes. But as the first drop began to flow down, he raised his hoof up as his horn began to spark.
"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" he roared as his sword appeared in his hoof, his eyes going pure red as he cut her down in one blow. The pony turned to his father next, fear now in the stallion's eyes as Shadow immediately sliced him in half.
And as he did this, he turned to the rest of the town, the fake ponies appearing to not even notice the slaughter of their citizens. Another roar echoed out his mouth as he charged at them, cutting down a couple first before firing a chain at a filly. As his did this, images began to flash through his mind.
It was from his dreams, all of them showing Flash Sentry. He saw the defender being taken in by the Sparkle family, meeting Grand Hoof and becoming an apprentice. After that, there were images of Flash meeting the Mane Six, Springer, Trixie, Soarin. There were times of conflict and strife for the pony, but almost always...Flash had a big smile on his face.
"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Shadow screamed again as he slashed down the last villager, only to turn to the houses, 'Why?!' He melted one house with his decaying sword as two others were taken down by an army of chains. "Why?!" he now yelled before slicing another house in half, "WHY?!" A surge of magic then flowed out of his horn, a barrage of beams flying out next as he blasted every structure at random, all the while slamming his hooves in the ground, causing the room to shake.
And as he did this, he smacked the room's crystal with his hoof, dispelling the illusion. "Why did I see all that?! Why was that shown to me?!" he screeched as he rubbed the sides of his head, "Why...did he get to a happily ever after while my life..." A single tear appeared in the edge of his eye, only for him to quickly wipe it away. "And why do I care?! The past...the past doesn't matter. Only the future. So why..." He stared down at his hooves, now seeing them trembling, "What is happening to me? Why am I thinking like this?! What...what is this place doing to me?!"
"Master?" Shadow's body stiffened as he spun around, now seeing Armalum at the room's doorway, "Is something wrong?"
Shadow hissed as he looked away, "Don't you have anything better to do than skulk around in the middle of the night?"
"You know I don't sleep," Armalum replied, "And being trapped in here, what else am I to do?" Shadow turned to yell at him, only to see the pony suddenly fall to his flank and start clutching his head. "Gyah!" He yelped, Shadow quickly running over to him.
Putting his hoof into the armor mask, black lightning shot out of his hoof and surrounding him as the armored pony continued to cry out. And after about a minute, the surge ended as Shadow pulled his hoof away. Armalum simply sat there, gasping before picking himself up.
"My apologies master. Thank you for...calming him down."
"Its fine." Shadow sighed while rubbing his chin in thought. "This isn't good, as its only a temporary fix. Until I can find a way to completely purge his memories again, the pony calling himself Sombra will keep trying to fight for control."
"You'd think he would be a little more appreciative," Armalum replied while shaking his head, "After all, I'm the one keeping him alive."
"But that isn't enough for many," Shadow growled, "Simply being alive is meaningless without experiencing that life. That's why ponies believe in the pathetic notions of freedom and free will."
Shadow turned to leave, only for Armalum to speak up, "What do you believe in master?" Shadow came to a silent stop before looking back at him.
"Power."
The next morning...
As the sun rose above the mountains and bathed the city in its light, the inhabitants of both castles woke up. In Flash's castle, everypony except Flash and Heart walked out of their rooms. Trixie stared at Heart's door with a sigh before Ruby spoke up, "Hey, where's Flash?" They turned to Springer, seeing him shrug before closing his eyes.
"Kitchen." They all nodded and went to the room, now finding Flash sitting there, staring at an untouched bowl of cereal.
"Morning," Trixie chimed in, "You feeling better?"
Flash didn't reply, Cold then adding, "You're not still upset, are you?"
"A little, but it's not just that." He turned to the group, noticing what members were missing, "Heart still asleep?" They nodded back, Flash biting his lip in response before staring directly at Springer, "Bud, tell me when he wakes up. I don't want him to hear what I'm gonna tell you all next. He's uh....too young to hear something like this."
This made everypony blink in confusion, Flash tapping the table as he continued, "Sit down, and I suggest you don't get breakfast till I'm done. Its...not pleasant. And close the door please."
And as they sat down, the defender began to go over his dream. The group stared at him with wide eyes as he told them about he thought he was seeing Shadow's past, about how happy the colt was before everything went horribly wrong. As he did this, horror and shock was every face, even Cold slightly flinching at the details. And as Flash got to the end of the dream, Trixie had both hooves over her mouth, looking a bit green while the rest were just staring at the table in shock.
"That's it. Next thing I knew, I was waking up." Flash finished, a small moment of silence hitting the table next.
That is, till Cold spoke up, "Flash...why didn't you tell us about this after your first dream?! This is important information we needed to know."
"I didn't think it was real." Flash replied while turning to the knight, "I...I just thought it was a weird dream I had. I mean, compare it to the second dream! There was nothing bad in it!"
"Still, you said you thought you recognized the colt to be Shadow!"
"And I wasn't sure! I thought it was just a dream!" Flash barked back, "I just...I didn't know!" He slumped back into his chair, "But then I saw last night's dream and....and there's no way that second one is just a dream. I could feel it. I wasn't in a dream...I was in a memory. A horrible, horrible memory."
Cold opened his mouth to reply, only to close it. Nothing came out, knowing there was no point. As this happened, Springer spoke up, "I can't believe Shadow's real name is Gleaming Path. It uh...just doesn't fit him."
"It did fit the colt he was," Flash replied, "Whatever happened after that, it changed him. Turned him into the monster he is now."
"I wonder what did happen?" Trixie asked next.
"You don't want to know," Cold responded, everypony turning to him, "Don't forget, I spent the last few years trailing Shadow's cult. My investigation led me to the place Flash talked about, Weeping Wood Hollow. It turns out the place wasn't just a small village, but the birth place of the cult itself. They created the cult in order to worship some great power. I thought Shadow was just their leader, but..." Cold paused as he put his hoof over his mouth in thought, "Of all the theories and evidence I found, never once was there evidence that Shadow himself is the power that they worship."
"Like Starlight and her village..." Flash whispered, "And I thought that place left a bad taste in my mouth. Just hope that unicorn still isn't up to trouble."
"So what happened when you got there?" Springer asked next, everypony still staring at Cold.
"The place had been utterly destroyed." He said in a low, angry tone, "Not a single building was left standing and I couldn't find anypony that lived there... at least not one that was alive anyway."
"You don't mean..." Ruby tried to say, only for Cold to do a slow nod.
"They're all dead. Many appeared to have been killed during a...well, I never was able to fully tell what happened. You see, after I found the village, I had a crime lab team help me investigate. This event was what lead Princess Celestia letting me go anywhere to find them. Anyways, I had the team try to determine what magic was used to destroy the place...only to find nothing. We had no records on what type of magic was used."
"That's not a good sign." Soarin commented.
"Its not." Cold slightly growled, "Not only that, the remains we found there were all exceptionally young...and the team suspected from what was left that they were around the same age, just like you described Flash." The knight turned to the defender as he slowly said his next words, "I found the remains of the older ponies in the woods around a stone altar....the same one you described. The blood was gone, dried up due to time...but I have no doubt it was blood bath."
Everyone shared glances at this, some looking at Flash's unfinished cereal as their stomachs told them a big fat no on breakfast. Silence took over the room next, only for the door to creak open, Heart slowly walking in, "Hey!" Trixie called out as she got off her seat, "You feeling any better?"
"A little..." Heart muttered out before flying over to the cupboard, pulling out his breakfast. Once at the table, he simply poked at it for a second, not responding to anything. Seeing this, Flash turned to others, seeing nothing but frowns and sadness, Cold even showing a hint of a frown. The sight made him take a deep breath, now remembering what Cold had told him yesterday.
"Everypony." They all turned to him as he spoke up, "I know things have been hard since we got here. We've been thrown into battle after battle, and we've suffered physical and emotional pain and now...now we've lost Soul." Heart flinched at those words, "But we can't give up. That's not what Soul would want us to do. I know she would want us to keep going, to push on until we find a way to end this game." He stared at each individual at the table, all slowly nodding back as he continued, "When I look around this room, I see ponies I'd trust with my life and would be willing to give my life for. And I know you all think the same thing."
He glanced over at Cold, the Frozen Wanderer raising an eyebrow at this action. "Last night, Cold told me that I was the glue that kept us all together. That without me, this team would fall apart." Everypony nodded, only to see him shake his head, "He's wrong. I'm not what's keeping us together." Everypony shared a quick glance at each other, only for Flash to sigh as he then said, "When we first started this adventure, most of you barely knew each other. But now, now we've grown into a real team. We've fought side by side, helped each other in times of need and learned from one another." A big smile began to grace his face, "I know for a fact that if whatever magic is controlling this place suddenly teleported me back to Equestria and kept you all playing this game, you would all keep up the fight and stand by one another. Because that's the one things we have over Shadow. They may know how to work together, they may even have better teamwork then us, but they don't care about each other. And as long as they don't, they won't be able to beat us."
The defender glanced at each, seeing his words sink in as he finished his speech with a question, "I know I've already asked a lot from you all, but I need to ask you one most time. Will you continue to stand with me?"
Silence filled the room, only for Springer to stand up, "You never have to ask me. I'll stand with you until the end of time."
Trixie was the next one to get up, "I'm the pony I am today because of you. If you need the great and powerful Trixie's help, she's game."
"You can always count on me," Soarin chimed in while taking to the air, "Sides, if I bailed on you now, Rainbow would probably dump me or something."
Flash laughed as Ruby stood up. "You were willing to put your life on the line for me when I went after Sombra, and you helped save my home from him. You'll always have my loyalty."
The defender's smile continued to grow, only to turn to Cold. A stoic expression was on the knight's face, only for a tiny smile to curve as he nodded back. "Nice." Flash added as he turned to Heart, "Now...Heart, I know I couldn't keep my promise to protect Soul, but now I'm making a promise I will keep. I...we, will find her, and when we do, we'll bring her back safe and sound."
Heart didn't meet his gaze, continuing to look at the table. But as his eyes began to slowly drift upward, the locked onto Flash's, the colt now seeing a fiery determination blazing in the defender's globes. The sight made him speak up, "I...I wanna help. Whatever it takes, I don't wanna just stand by the wayside while my sister might be in danger."
Flash chuckled at his response, "Now that's the kind of attitude I can respect!" He leaned over and ruffled the colt's mane, "I won't stop you if you find a way to save her, but we'll be there to help you no matter what." Flash then turned back to the others. "Shadow may think he's all powerful, but yesterday showed us he's not unbeatable. He may have beaten hundreds of ponies before him, but he's never faced a team like us. So let's show him why you don't mess with Equestrians!"
"YEAH!" Everypony cheered. And as they did this, the alarm went off, everypony about to leave the room before a sudden voice rang out.
"Battle beginning. Please head to the map room for selection."
The voice was one they all knew despite it echoing throughout the castle.
"Soul?!" Heart gasped as he got up and stared at the ceiling, "That's Soul's voice!"
"But it didn't sound like her," Cold added, "This voice feels a lot more...confident."
"Please head to the map room for selection."
"That was definitely Soul's voice," Trixie commented. "But where is she talking from?"
"Please head to the map room for selection."
"No...I'm done with this." everypony turned to Flash as he flew out of room. They followed him as he stomped into the map room, the map now sectioning off a part of the city with a large lake.
"Hey! I'm not gonna do this anymore!" Flash yelled as he stared at the ceiling, "If you can talk now, then it's high time we got some answers! We're not just gonna keep putting our necks on the line just so whoever you are can get a kick out of watching us. So talk!"
However, the voice didn't respond, instead summoning the bingo machine. Flash growled at the sight, turning to the device before firing a Flash Force at it. Everypony gasped as a shield appeared around the machine, negating the laser with ease. As this happened, the first orb bounced onto to the table, showing Flash's cutie mark.
"Didn't you hear me? I'm not doing this anymore!" Flash roared as he fired a Flash Cutter at the machine next, the attack also doing nothing. The second ball was then thrown out, this time showing Cold's cutie mark.
The knight let out a sigh as he walked up to Flash and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Flash, we don't have a choice in this matter. If we want to find Soul, winning this game is likely the best chance we have. It's not like we can't say no. Whoever's doing this, they have more power than we can possibly hope to stand against."
"No way! I'm done with this!" Flash barked back, only for his ears to spike up as the bingo machine popped out the last sphere.
And as it rolled over, it revealed a red pony face with a yellow mane and orange tips, along with cream colored freckles and a cream snout. "ME?!" Fire Heart yelped as the others turned to the colt, pure shock on the colt's face.
"Are you kidding me?!" Flash roared as he pointed his blade at the machine, "This isn't funny anymore!"
"Yeah! Isn't it bad enough that you've taken his sister away?!" Trixie added as she went over and put her hoof around the colt. "Now you want to put him in danger?!"
"This isn't cool dude!" Soarin yelled next.
"Agreed. Stop this right now!" Ruby barked at the ceiling.
"The competitors have been selected," Soul's voice called out. "Flash Sentry, Cold Steel, and Fire Heart. Proceed to the battlefield."
"Are you not listening to us?!" Flash asked the disembodied voice, "We won't let you put-"
His words were interrupted as three lights shined in the room, teleporting them away. "No!" Trixie cried before they turned to see the three dots appear on the map. They then looked at the other side of the map, "Please not Shadow. Please not Shadow. Please not Shadow."
The dots then appeared, sighs of relief following this. As this happened, Springer closed his eyes, "Flash? You there?"
"I'm here bud."
"Any idea who we're facing?"
"Storm, Salix and Wingill. They're on the opposite side of the battlefield and they're moving quickly. They're probably airborne."
"Got it." Flash closed the connection before turning to Cold. "Alright, we're up against Storm, Salix and Wingill. They're flying towards us now."
Cold nodded back, "I can handle Wingill. His attacks will do nothing to me since I can freeze them. That just leaves Storm and Salix."
"I can handle those two until you're done with Wingill. No matter what, they do not get past us."
"What about me?" They turned to see Heart, a fierce stare coming out of his eyes. Despite this, Flash kneeled down and placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"I need you to go and hide. Get as far away from the action as you can."
"What?! No way!" Heart yelped before smacking his hoof off his shoulder, "I wanna fight too! I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines! I wanna fight and get some payback for what those monsters did to Soul!"
"We don't have time to argue," Flash told him. "You need to get out of here and-"
"Flash!" He stopped at the sound of Springer's voice, "Watch out! They're right on top of you!" Flash turned around and raised his sword, Cold doing the same by making a pair of ice swords. A split second later, three figures appeared out of the sky.
"HEART!" Flash yelled as he leapt and swiped his blade, "Flash Cutter!" Storm turned to the light blade flying at him and swung his weapon.
"Storm Cutter!" A blade of wind struck the light, the two attacks exploding as the pegasi shot into the cloud. When it cleared, they two were locked in a death push with Lightbringer's blade blocked by the sheath. Salix and Wingill used this to charge at Heart and Cold, the unicorn jumping in front of the colt before summoning a pair of Cold Dragons at them.
Salix and Wingill came to a stop due to the beasts as Cold turned to Heart, "RUN!" He then teleported over to a dragon that Wingill had just beheaded with a water whip, appearing on the neck before jumping at him.
"Wha-" Wingill found himself tackled by the unicorn, only for both to vanish in a flash of blue light.
Salix then melted the other dragon, only to turn to where Heart was...and seeing nothing. "Hey, where's the kid?"
"No place you need to care about!" Flash grunted as he kicked himself away from Storm before spinning around, unleashing a Flash Cutter Barrage at both. And when he came to a stop, he pointed his blade at them, "Your fight is with me."
A few streets over, Heart was flying down a street, his body sliding down a nearby alleyway next. A long sigh came out of his mouth as he whispered to himself, "Useless...I'm so useless."
And as he did this, below him and the city in a crystal chamber, Soul was still curled up while floating in the orb. Her lips slowly began to move as she then muttered, "Heart..."